Amsoil dot 3 & 4 = AutoZone brake fluid?

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We'll never know!
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That being said, brake fluid is pretty much brake fluid.. not much room for creativity given what it's supposed to do.
 
I have a feeling that more expensive brake fluids such as severe duty and maybe full synthetic have a higher boiling point compared to the regular dot 3/4 fluids that just barely pass DOT standards and go for cheap.

Links you posted might as well be the same stuff if bottled by one company. Sometimes they'll put the same stuff that one retailer calls for (amsoil) if the specs are the same or lower for another brand (autozone). It's cheaper that way since they can order in bulk. This is all speculation though.. Just my 2 cents.
 
I use the cheapest stuff I can find that meets the rating required. I change it every couple of years when I replace the pads because most of the fluid is in the lines and out of the master cylinder at that point.

I start out by taking out as much as possible of the remaining fluid in the master cylinder, then top off with fresh fluid (over full) and then slightly crack open the bleeders and let the stuff drip out while I do other work on the vehicle. Keep topping off and then close up the bleeders and check the system for air.

It's really easy and it has served me well for decades.
 
I don't doubt you MolaKule. Lucas DOT 3 says 100% Full Synthetic on the shelf next to all the other brake fluids. Made me think the rest weren't synthetic and Lucas was superior. Thanks for the clarification. Not a fan of Lucas or their advertising.
 
Those are pretty good specs for a fluid that's supposed to be Dot 3. It basically exceeds Dot 4 specs. Makes me wonder if it's legit or not. Have to check the actual bottle. If you look at the MSDS sheet, it only mentions 446F for Dot 4, but that sheet was revised 20 years ago.
 
Originally Posted By: THafeez
I don't doubt you MolaKule. Lucas DOT 3 says 100% Full Synthetic on the shelf next to all the other brake fluids. Made me think the rest weren't synthetic and Lucas was superior. Thanks for the clarification. Not a fan of Lucas or their advertising.

Don't quote me but I don't think Lucas started the "Synthetic" brake fluid labeling. I would say who I think started it but will refrain because Im too lazy right now to research it.
 
Sometimes you're paying more for a name. In this case I'd go with the cheaper product, and save the extra cash for something else from Amsoil where you're actually getting value for the added cost.
 
The bottles don't look entirely the same, and I doubt the Autozone "DOT3" actually has those specs. I would need to go there and double check the bottle itself, sometimes they mix up stuff on the website. Regardless, unless you're tracking the car, using super high boiling point brake fluids is kinda pointless. Most standard DOT3 will work just fine for 99% of people. For a little added protection during spirited driving, I use Valvoline DOT3/4. It's like $6 or $7 for a 32 oz bottle at Meijer. Claims 480F dry and 311F wet boiling points for only a little more than a 32oz bottle of standard DOT3.

Looking back at the autozone website, their 32oz of Autozone fluid has the same specs as the 12oz bottle. Maybe it's not a fluke. If not, that's a terrific price for that level of boiling protection. Also took a look at that Bosch brake fluid. Looks like some super stout stuff. Plus I really like metal cans for brake fluid. However, I wont spend $15 a quart for brake fluid when I've never had problems with the $7 a quart stuff
 
I will probably just get dot 3 stuff too.
From what I have read, dot 4 absorbs moisture more quickly than dot 3 and must be changed out sooner.
I am looking for the best quality/reliability/durability.
I don't want to have to change brake fluid in 3 years.

Anyway, I brought this up because of the curiosity/news component.
Just ran into this wbile researching.
If others like the Amsoil dot 3 & 4, you might want to look into this.

If someone can educate me? But I would assume that this stuff will probably absorb moisture more quickly?
I am looking to not have to change fluid again for a while but to also have good corrosion resistance.

Thanks!
 
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Quite a few cars now specify a DOT 4 fluid and even some are wanting a thin DOT 4 LV brake fluid such as the cars in my signature. Newer Ford Fusions and even the 2018 F150 3.3 V6 are supposed to use a DOT 4 LV fluid meeting the Ford WSS-M6C65-A2 specification.
 
Originally Posted By: Smoqueed
The bottles don't look entirely the same, and I doubt the Autozone "DOT3" actually has those specs. I would need to go there and double check the bottle itself, sometimes they mix up stuff on the website. Regardless, unless you're tracking the car, using super high boiling point brake fluids is kinda pointless. Most standard DOT3 will work just fine for 99% of people. For a little added protection during spirited driving, I use Valvoline DOT3/4. It's like $6 or $7 for a 32 oz bottle at Meijer. Claims 480F dry and 311F wet boiling points for only a little more than a 32oz bottle of standard DOT3.

Looking back at the autozone website, their 32oz of Autozone fluid has the same specs as the 12oz bottle. Maybe it's not a fluke. If not, that's a terrific price for that level of boiling protection. Also took a look at that Bosch brake fluid. Looks like some super stout stuff. Plus I really like metal cans for brake fluid. However, I wont spend $15 a quart for brake fluid when I've never had problems with the $7 a quart stuff


Mercedes has some weird spec that calls for Dot 4 plus, not sure what the exact boiling point numbers should be, but people are using Pentosin Super Dot 4 which they claim meets the spec. In that case, it's a 509 boiling temp with a 319 wet boiling temp. They do call for a 2 year brake bleed as standard maintenance. Pentosin is about $14, but it looks like Castrol Dot 3/4 might also meet that spec and if that Autozone brake fluid is real, it would also seem like it'd work and it'd be much cheaper, it should really be labeled a Dot 3/4. I think the Valvoline Dot 3/4 has a lower boiling temp.
 
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: Smoqueed
The bottles don't look entirely the same, and I doubt the Autozone "DOT3" actually has those specs. I would need to go there and double check the bottle itself, sometimes they mix up stuff on the website. Regardless, unless you're tracking the car, using super high boiling point brake fluids is kinda pointless. Most standard DOT3 will work just fine for 99% of people. For a little added protection during spirited driving, I use Valvoline DOT3/4. It's like $6 or $7 for a 32 oz bottle at Meijer. Claims 480F dry and 311F wet boiling points for only a little more than a 32oz bottle of standard DOT3.

Looking back at the autozone website, their 32oz of Autozone fluid has the same specs as the 12oz bottle. Maybe it's not a fluke. If not, that's a terrific price for that level of boiling protection. Also took a look at that Bosch brake fluid. Looks like some super stout stuff. Plus I really like metal cans for brake fluid. However, I wont spend $15 a quart for brake fluid when I've never had problems with the $7 a quart stuff


Mercedes has some weird spec that calls for Dot 4 plus, not sure what the exact boiling point numbers should be, but people are using Pentosin Super Dot 4 which they claim meets the spec. In that case, it's a 509 boiling temp with a 319 wet boiling temp. They do call for a 2 year brake bleed as standard maintenance. Pentosin is about $14, but it looks like Castrol Dot 3/4 might also meet that spec and if that Autozone brake fluid is real, it would also seem like it'd work and it'd be much cheaper, it should really be labeled a Dot 3/4. I think the Valvoline Dot 3/4 has a lower boiling temp.


The Valvoline dot 3/4 does have a lower boiling point than the Autozone fluid (according to their website). If it is true, it would probably be excellent for applications requiring super dot 4/dot4+ or whatever they want to call it. Now I wonder what the viscosity actually comes out to. If it somehow worked as a dot 4 + and dot 4 LV, that would be insane! I'll have to remember to check if I ever stop at Autozone. The closest parts stores to me are Oreiley's, NAPA, and advance. All about 5~ or so miles from me. The closest Autozone is about 20 miles away. Not a huge distance, but it really makes it my least visited parts store.
 
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