Learned the hard way about brake fluid on paint jobs

I was bleeding brakes on a 2015 Civic last weekend and got a few drops of fluid on the fender. I wiped it off right away but next morning the paint was bubbled and peeled down to bare metal. Turns out brake fluid eats through clear coat faster than you'd think even if you wipe it fast. Now I always throw an old blanket over any painted surface near the master cylinder. Anybody else had paint damage from a simple brake job?

3 comments

3 Comments

jana_shah6d ago

That's a harsh way to find out brake fluid is basically paint stripper in disguise. Wiping it off just spreads it around like you're seasoning the fender for corrosion. Guess an old blanket is cheaper than a new paint job anyway.

milam486d ago

My buddy Dave learned this the hard way on his old Civic last summer. He dripped some brake fluid on his hood, wiped it off with a paper towel, and by the time he finished his beer the paint was bubbling up like a bad sunburn. Now he keeps an old moving blanket in his trunk specifically for fluid spills, cheap lesson I guess lol.

william_garcia6d ago

Jump right in with trying to tell my buddy the same thing about his coolant tank cap last month. He thought he was being careful but that stuff dripped on his alternator belt and now it squeals like a dying cat every time he starts the truck. It's crazy how people don't realize fluids are basically acid in disguise until they mess something up. Oil filters are another one, everyone just cranks them on by hand and wonders why they leak later. There's this weird pattern where folks learn everything the expensive way first then act surprised when the cheap fix works better lol.