boltonblue

Deb,
a bit of explanation on the brake fluid discussion.
Brake fluid is hygroscopic, it attracts water.
over time the brake fluid can become somewhat diluted and two things happen, both bad.
The first is the boiling point of the brake fluid effectively gets lowered.
Under heavy prolonged braking this could allow the brake fluid to boil in the brake lines and you'd have no braking the next time you stepped on the pedal.

The second is the moisture in the fluid can cause pitting in the steel of the brake lines and cylinders reducing the expected life of the brake components.

In the past we've had brake meets up here where we go through and flush everybody's brake system and replace them with new fluid.

It's not terribly difficult to do and I think we did 10 cars in 4 hours or so.

dlq04

Deb, What does the maintenance schedule for your car say about changing the brake fluid? I have Honda's schedule for a 2000 S2000 on my computer and that says 3 years. If it's good enough for Honda, it's good enough for me.

PS- I would NOT recommend you try changing your brake fluid yourself. The two most important items on your car are your brakes and your tires. If anything else fails, your risk is minimal but if either of them fail it could bad news. I've changed mine myself and I agree it's fairly easy, particularly if you have speedbleeders installed but unless you have an experienced person doing it step-by-step with you I'd take to someone you trust to do it right.................. at the end of next year.

MsPerky

You don't have to worry about me changing it. I'll check the manual. If it is every three years regardless, then I need to have it done.

Yflyer

I do a lot of driving in the mountains. On my '06, I change differential (LE-1605) and transmission oil (new Honda MTF) every year. For my older Honda cars, Honda says change the brake fluid ever 2 years, but for the S2000, Honda says 3 years. There is nothing worse than soggy brakes, so I suggest you do at least the differential and the brake fluid.

I, too, like the LE-1650, but offer one caution. It is extremely viscous at lower temperatures, so I would recommend driving very sedately for the first few miles in winter temps -- assuming you even take your S out in the DC winter.

paS2K

Is this ^^ a typo....or is there both LE-1650 and LE-1605

Conedodger

If you can't do the work yourself, find a good local shop to do it. For simple fluid changes, I would never pay the high prices at the dealership. In fact, the only thing I take my cars to the dealership for is warranty work. Since I've been buying Hondas and Toyotas I haven't had any warranty work to deal with!

Spokes Man

It should read "LE-1605."

Spokes Man

Model year '06 (and later) don't have maintenance schedules quite like the earlier models. There are alpha & numeric codes which display in the instrument panel when certain maintenance items are required. This is determined by a combination of mileage and the manner in which the car has been driven. There are additional items listed in the manual, but the intervals for those service items also depend upon the type of driving you have been doing.

If you do a lot of driving in the mountains, in dusty conditions, or tracking/hot (like Jim), you're gonna want to change those fluids often. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Spokes Man

^^ Good points!

dlq04

OK guys, here's my updated personal notes.

Differential Fluid: Per Honda’s update to the article they posted in the October '01 issue of ServiceNews, you may replace the differential with any SAE 75-90 or 80-90 viscosity hypoid gear oil that's classified GL5 or GL6, not just SAE 90. Apparently some AP2 owners have experienced issues using Mobil 1 75-90, whereas this is often recommended by AP1 owners. AP2 owners have good experience with LE1605 gear lube. Personally I’ve used Redline 75-90 with good results.