Eplebnista

The regulation requiring brake fluid to be amber or clear has been in place since 1975. Continental started selling blue brake fluid in 2000. DOT randomly buys vehicles, tires, brake hoses, motorcycle helmets etc. from retailers and tests for compliance with standards. In the past, this has revealed brake fluids with serious issues. In such cases, you could say the government f^@ks at the DOT were doing what they are paid to do.

Super blue was tested earlier this year. Continental was notified that a blue fluid did not meet the standard and asked to explain why they thought it did. Continental then determined that the product did not comply with the color requirements and decided to do the recall.

So you have a 38 year old rule saying brake fluid has to be x. Somebody makes a brake fluid that is y and not x. Government does a random buy, observes that brake fluid is y and not x and asks manufacturer to explain. Manufacturer decides to recall the product.

This is either government run amok or government f^@ks at the DOT doing what they are paid to do. Depends on your worldview.

GlenL

Or just people doing their jobs with no angry whining.

Yet another view is marketing f^@ks getting a company making a product they know isn't in compliance get getting dumb f^@ks to buy it because it's a different color. It could be amber and clear and do the same thing.

Oh, I've used it for years and alternated between blue and "gold."

hacker-pschorr

If ATE was smart, they would start selling "Brake Fluid Color Additive" for $10 a bottle.

928 GT R

Who is going to write the "Brake Bleedin Blues" song?

UpFixenDerPorsche

It's for the kid at the local gas station who wouldn't know his *** from his elbow.

.

fraggle

Set the bar low and that's what will be met.

SeanR

Glen, as always you fail to see the big picture. What's next? Some dip**** in the EPA office doesn't like that we have 4 different colors of coolant? So he decides someone might do something bad?

Choices man, some of us like to have them and don't need to be told on a daily basis what to think, how to act, and where to walk.

robot808

I once mistook some Blue ATE for my Gatorade, but after a few sips, I knew it wasn't Gatorade. I decided right then and there to not store my left over Blue ATE in Arctic Blue Gatorade bottles. However, I do still sometimes store my leftover Gatorade in Blue ATE cans.
Also, I think ferrets are funny.

Big Easy Sharkster

talking about Super Blue... I was at a dealership today discussing some work and after the car came off the lift, the mechanic brought it around and commented that he noticed that the brakes felt a little spongy and checked the BF and noticed it was super blue. He strongly recommended not using it and changing over to normal Porsche DOT 4 BF. This guy tracks his own '84 928 and his son, who was there, has an '85. At the same time, he's letting me buy any parts myself to save money, so I don't think the change in BF is just to run up a bill.

I thought Super Blue was a significant upgrade over conventional BF and I found his comment interesting.

ROG100

The only difference between super blue and super gold was the color. Both are the same. The rules say the fluid must be clear or amber colored. So the blue which helped us see when we had flushed all old fluid from the system, and vice versa with the gold, got banned - not because of the makeup of the fluid but because they added blue dye in some form. Most have been using the super blue and super gold for years with zero issues. Feds going crazy.

hacker-pschorr

Nothing wrong with SuperBlue - I've been using it in my tracked 928 for years (so did the previous owner). I wouldn't call it a "significant upgrade", it's just a good, quality fluid.

Spongy brakes could just be old brake fluid.

Castrol SRF would be a significant upgrade over conventional brake fluid, and way overkill for a street car.


If your mechanic is misunderstanding the ban, this could spell trouble for ATE as rumors fly around the world as to why their fluid was banned.

Big Easy Sharkster

Thanks yr input, I'll investigate further with him as to what the problem is. I have an unopened can of Super Blue and since it's been 4 yrs and 11k miles, it's due for a change.

ROG100

I do not think the law says you can't use it but that distributors like myself and the wholesalers can't sell it.
If I sell it I risk Federal Prosecution. It was immediately removed from all shelves the day it came into force and we were informed not to sell it.

Avar928

Same. Based on the wording of the notification it refers to distribution. I doubt you'll get pulled over and booked because you have blue liquid in your brake lines....unless you were hiding something in there for extraction and purification later.

Not like I would know how to do that

BC

I bought a few from ebay when I heard - no issues. Rules are about how one applies them, and how one interprets them, and the consequences one is aware of.