ATE does NOT recommend their own Brake Fluid

[speedy_cab]

I want to replace the brake fluid in my car. I checked here and Pelican sells ATE fluid.

I called ATE's customer service center, to ask about which type they would recommend for my car, a 93 968. type sl.6, type 200, or type racing blue. They said they do not make recommendations for their own products, because if they did and their product did not work, then they could be held responsible!

They said, multiple times, that I should use the fluid my car manufacturer recommends. My manual states use only porsche brake fluid.

Wow! There is no way I'd put brake fluid in my car that the manufacturer won't stand behind.

Just wanted to let you ATE users out there know.

[Techno Duck]

ATE Super Blue. Many testimonials of happy users. Its not the best fluid, but for the price and its boiling point properties its one of the best values out there. Customer support isnt always the best way to rate a product. Type 200 is the same exact thing as ATE Super Blue, just in a gold color to make brake bleeding a little easier (visual indicator of when the old stuff is flushed out).

The synthetic stuff by Valvoline is pretty good also, readily available at almost all major autoparts stores and relatively cheap also.

[AaronM]

Speedy, every reputable manufacturer will give you a response like ATE did. They simply cannot easily keep a record of the manufacturer-specified fluid types for every car and if some phone-jockey screws up just once and a customer's car is damaged as a result, the liability potential is huge. A reputable company will always tell you to use fluids that meet the manufacturer's specifications as outlined in your owner's manual.

Nine times out of ten, if a company says to use its product regardless of manufacturer recommendation, that company is engaging in dubious business practices. (E.g. AMSOIL.)

[speedy_cab]

Reputable companies have databases they maintain to ensure their product's compatibility. That's the bottom line. They also carry insurance to protect against an employee making a mistake, and the employee is protected by working for a corporation, so they're not at fault for damages (with some exceptions for engineers for example).

Any company that provides aftermarket parts for example, say take Brembo brakes, I'm sure they'll tell you which calipers fit your car, or Koni, Bilstein, for shocks, or H&R for springs, etc. etc..

Even worse, imagine how difficult it is for retailers, who have to maintain a database of compatibility for all cars and all parts manufacturers, pep boys, kragen, etc. That doesn't stop them from doing it though if they want the business.

[schwank]

Originally Posted by Techno Duck

ATE Super Blue. Many testimonials of happy users. Its not the best fluid, but for the price and its boiling point properties its one of the best values out there. Customer support isnt always the best way to rate a product. Type 200 is the same exact thing as ATE Super Blue, just in a gold color to make brake bleeding a little easier (visual indicator of when the old stuff is flushed out).

The synthetic stuff by Valvoline is pretty good also, readily available at almost all major autoparts stores and relatively cheap also.

I've run ATE Blue for a while now... had no issues whatsoever with it. I ran 10 DE days in the car this year with some random street driving as well. I haven't bled the system even once. I never experienced any brake fade or fluid boil... then again, it is a 944 and brakes aren't really that necessary. I only used about 50% of a set of Hawk HP+ pads over the course of the year.

You'll seem some racers here who swear by SRF as it seems to maintain a high boiling point through lots of track use... but for our 944's that don't need to ride the brakes excessively, the ATE stuff is a good deal for the money. Since it's now the off season and I am doing maintenance, I will be flushing to Type 200 for the reasons Jon mentioned.

[Aufgeladen944]

Hey don't want to threadjack, but since we're on the topic of brake fluid, I have a question.

When I'm parked on my hilly driveway, backed in (with my front facing the street), my "BRAKE FLUID" and "!" light come on when I start off. This is regardless of whether the car was sitting for a few minutes or overnight. The fluid level seems okay, and the color is also good. Anything I should do or is it just one of those weird things a 21 year old car will do?

[Techno Duck]

Might want to try cleaning the float in the fluid reservoir.

[AaronM]

Originally Posted by speedy_cab

Reputable companies have databases they maintain to ensure their product's compatibility. That's the bottom line. They also carry insurance to protect against an employee making a mistake, and the employee is protected by working for a corporation, so they're not at fault for damages (with some exceptions for engineers for example).

Any company that provides aftermarket parts for example, say take Brembo brakes, I'm sure they'll tell you which calipers fit your car, or Koni, Bilstein, for shocks, or H&R for springs, etc. etc..

Even worse, imagine how difficult it is for retailers, who have to maintain a database of compatibility for all cars and all parts manufacturers, pep boys, kragen, etc. That doesn't stop them from doing it though if they want the business.

Comparing fluids to aftermarket mechanical parts isn't a valid comparison. Mechanical parts are designed from the beginning to fit a specific vehicles. Fluids are designed to meet independently-certified service grades (e.g. API specifications for oil, DOT specifications for brake fluid). Auto parts stores may tell you the viscosity requirements for many cars, but I guarantee that they don't tell you the recommended API service grades for each car. Nor do they tell you the various temperature ranges that the one viscosity they list is good for.

A reputable oil or fluid company will never specifically recommend a product for a vehicle without explicit agreement from a manufacturer. They will simply state which specifications their fluids meet and instruct the purchaser to follow the recommendations in their owner's manual. There's no reason for anyone to spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt about ATE's quality just because they say to use what's recommended in your owner's manual.