Nissan Xterra Brake fluid is black or brown Inspection at your home or office.

Our certified mobile mechanics come to you 7 days a week between 7 AM and 9 PM.

Estimate price near me

Service Location

Customer Ratings

(686)

How A Diagnostic Works

Instantly book a certified mobile mechanic to come to you

Mechanic diagnoses the problem and quotes necessary repairs

Your vehicle is ready to go

Fair, upfront & transparent pricing for all services

Our certified mobile mechanics can come to you now.

Customer Ratings

(686)

Brake fluid is black or brown Inspection Service

How much does a Brake fluid is black or brown Inspection cost?

On average, the cost for a Nissan Xterra Brake fluid is black or brown Inspection is $95 with $0 for parts and $95 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

CarServiceEstimateShop/Dealer Price
2000 Nissan XterraV6-3.3LService typeBrake fluid is black or brown InspectionEstimate$114.99Shop/Dealer Price$124.99 - $132.49
2003 Nissan XterraV6-3.3LService typeBrake fluid is black or brown InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$105.01 - $112.52
2012 Nissan XterraV6-4.0LService typeBrake fluid is black or brown InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$105.01 - $112.52
2001 Nissan XterraV6-3.3LService typeBrake fluid is black or brown InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$104.99 - $112.48
2006 Nissan XterraV6-4.0LService typeBrake fluid is black or brown InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$105.02 - $112.55
2002 Nissan XterraV6-3.3LService typeBrake fluid is black or brown InspectionEstimate$94.99Shop/Dealer Price$105.01 - $112.52
2004 Nissan XterraV6-3.3L TurboService typeBrake fluid is black or brown InspectionEstimate$99.99Shop/Dealer Price$109.87 - $117.28
2005 Nissan XterraV6-4.0LService typeBrake fluid is black or brown InspectionEstimate$99.99Shop/Dealer Price$110.24 - $117.94
Show example Nissan Xterra Brake fluid is black or brown Inspection prices

Your car requires several different fluids in order to operate. Engine oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid and coolant are all essential. Another important one is brake fluid. Like other fluids, your brake fluid will deteriorate over time and eventually need to be replaced with a brake system flush. If you’ve noticed that your brake fluid appears black or brown, it’s well past time for a service.

How this system works:

Your brakes are operated by fluid pressure. The master cylinder and brake booster work to create pressure, which is then directed to the moving parts of the system (the calipers and shoe actuators). In a normal system, the brake fluid is clear or very light gold in color. This is true whether your car requires DOT 3, 4 or 5 brake fluid.

Brake fluid is held in the master cylinder reservoir, but it is also stored in the brake lines that run from the master cylinder to each wheel. You have two types of brake lines – steel and rubber. Over time and through normal use, brake fluid becomes contaminated. This happens on all vehicles, even brand new ones.

It requires only a couple of years for the fluid to build up enough contaminants that the color begins to change. It will darken over time, changing from clear/golden to a darker gold. In severe situations, your brake fluid may appear to be brown, or even black (think used engine oil).

It’s important that your brake fluid is changed regularly, before it turns brown or black. Very dark colors indicate that your fluid has collected a significant amount of contamination, and might have absorbed moisture, as well. This reduces the system’s ability to build pressure, which compromises your braking performance. You may have noticed that your brake pedal feels softer, or spongy. In serious situations, you may have to pump the pedal a couple of times for it to work properly.

Common reasons for this to happen:

  • Normal Aging Gone to the Extreme: The most common reason that brake fluid appears brown or black is that normal aging has gone unchecked (you haven’t had the fluid changed in too long). Contaminants collect in the fluid, darkening the color and reducing its ability to work.

  • Moisture Contamination: Brake fluid can absorb moisture from the surrounding air. This generally occurs by rubber brake lines allowing moisture to seep in. When moisture accumulates in brake fluid, it causes problems in a couple of ways. Water has a much lower boiling point than brake fluid, and can reach very high temperatures at the calipers and drums. This causes the water to flash boil into steam, causing the brake fluid to darken, but also creating air in the lines. This can cause a soft pedal, or even cause you to have to pump the brake pedal to get the system to work properly.

  • Deteriorating Rubber Lines: The rubber brake lines on your car will eventually deteriorate and need to be replaced. Brake fluid is also corrosive, and while the lines are designed to withstand that corrosion, they’ll eventually begin to break down. Microscopic pieces of rubber and chemicals leaching out of the lines into the fluid will also cause it to darken.

  • Normal Heating: Brake fluid is heated by contact with the calipers, and this heat creates a chemical change in the fluid, adding to the darkening created by moisture and other types of contamination.

What to expect:

A top-rated mobile mechanic will come to your home or office and visually inspect your brake fluid’s condition, the master cylinder and the rest of the system to determine if the problem is simply due to normal age and wear/tear. The mechanic will then provide a detailed inspection report that includes the scope and cost of the necessary repairs.

How it's done:

The mechanic will inspect the master cylinder, lines and other brake system components. The mechanic will also determine how long it has been since your brake fluid was last changed, and may need to perform a brake fluid flush to remove the contaminated, old fluid and replace it with fresh, clean fluid.

How important is this service?

Brake fluid darkens as it ages – it’s natural, and due to normal contamination that occurs in all brake systems. However, it must be changed regularly, or you risk reduced braking performance and the deterioration or damage of other brake system components. One of our professional mechanics can inspect your system, change your fluid, and ensure that you enjoy the safety you deserve on the road.

Fast and easy service at your home or office

Backed by 12-month, 12.000-mile guarantee


Meet some of our expert Nissan mechanics

Real customer reviews from Nissan owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(686)

Rating Summary
639
21
6
7
13
639
21
6
7
13

Arturo

27 years of experience
303 reviews
Arturo
27 years of experience
Nissan Xterra V6-4.0L - Oil Change - San Diego, California
I had a wonderful experience with Arturo today. He’s knowledgeable and very professional. He was clear and transparent about what was going on with my car, how to best care for it and taught me a few new things to do in between services. Very happy to of found a mechanic I can trust, and it’s amazing that this service exists where they come to you! Highly recommend.

Torrieanto

12 years of experience
632 reviews
Torrieanto
12 years of experience
Nissan Xterra V6-3.3L - Lights (Headlamps/beams/brakes) - Riverview, Florida
Excellent as always.......

Kevin

33 years of experience
234 reviews
Kevin
33 years of experience
Nissan Xterra V6-4.0L - Spark Plugs - San Pedro, California
Unexpectedly great service all the way around. I thought I would take a chance because I couldn't find any qualified mechanics to work on my Nissan X-Terra and I really don't have the time to shop around.

Albert

15 years of experience
46 reviews
Albert
15 years of experience
Nissan Xterra V6-3.3L - Window Regulator Replacement (Passenger Side Front) - Upland, California
Albert was awesome. He was able to come after his time and complete the job quickly. I really appreciate his work.

Excellent Rating

(686)

Rating Summary
639
21
6
7
13
639
21
6
7
13
Number of Nissan Xterra services completed
7546+
services done by our mechanics
TOTAL NUMBER OF EXPERT Nissan MECHANICS
1500+
experts on our platform

Recent articles & questions

How to Get a Nebraska Driver's Permit
The The state of Nebraska has a detailed graduated driver’s license program that requires all teen drivers to participate, in order to drive legally. To receive any of the different learner’s permits, you must follow certain steps. Here is a...
How to Remove the Odor of Sour Milk from Your Car
If you accidentally spill milk in your car, first, you have to deal with cleaning it up and then, a few...
How to Replace an Electronic Ignition Pickup
The electronic ignition pickup is part of the ignition distributor. Signs of failure include intermittent misfiring or failure all at once.

Car hose to engine is cracked

It is possible that the cracked hose is the source of the leak. I would recommend thoroughly inspecting the engine to locate the source and nature of the leak(s) (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/oil-fluid-leak-inspection) to see if the two are separate issues. Depending on...

Tranny troubles

You need to have the transmission leak from the bell housing fixed. The fluid leaking is causing the transmission shift problem. The trouble code P2271 (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/p2271-obd-ii-trouble-code-o2-sensor-signal-stuck-rich-bank-1-sensor-2-by-robert-kulp) indicates that the O2 sensor after the converter shorted rich. This may happen if...

Car goes in all gears but will only move in reverse

This is often a sign of low transmission fluid (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/transmission-fluid-service) or a faulty transmission control solenoid. As you know, automatic transmissions use pressurized hydraulic fluid to change gears. Every time a gear change is required, the car's computer activates a...

How can we help?

Our service team is available 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Saturday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM PST.

1 (844) 997-3624 · hi@yourmechanic.com