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2006 R1200RT brake fluid change surprise

J

jreicker

New member
Took my bike to the local dealer this morning for a brake fluid change. I was advised there is a small but significant risk of failure of a pump used in the procedure. Replacement cost approx $5,000 CDN.

Has anybody heard of this before? This is the first time in 15 yrs I have been advised of this risk.
 
I’ve never heard of brake fluid change causing the system to go out but I can say that with a bike of that age with a brake system that complicated there is always a chance of the brake module failing. Mine died at 70,000 miles and I finally just took the ABS module out and it’s still going strong with over 80,000 miles.

My guess is that the dealer is reasonably just covering themselves in case the module decides to die while they are working on it. They certainly don’t want to be responsible for having to replace it at their cost.

jreicker said:
Took my bike to the local dealer this morning for a brake fluid change. I was advised there is a small but significant risk of failure of a pump used in the procedure. Replacement cost approx $5,000 CDN.

Has anybody heard of this before? This is the first time in 15 yrs I have been advised of this risk.
Click to expand...
 
Sounds like the dealer is covering their butt. The 05/06 RT's with servo brakes take a very specific (though not hard) method of flushing the brake lines. Older servo motors plus ABS creates potential problems as there is a lot of finicky electronics involved. As hbarclay stated, generally a fluid flush doesn't trigger any problems. However, it sounds like you've been maintaining your bike fairly well, so the risk is probably lower than someone who has only gone to a dealer once in the last 15 years.
 
It is kinda like a doctor advising you that taking a stress test to check on your cardiac health just may result in your death. If you die, or your ABS pump fails, the test was successful in revealing there was a problem.
 
The only pump involved is the ABS pump.

It runs every time you switch on the ignition.
It runs every time you brake.

That whining noise you hear every time you hold the lever tight at a stop? That's the ABS pump.

It's activated by the brake pedal/lever during the brake flush to push fluid through the system. It's probably stressed less during the flush than at any other time since the bleeder valve is open and pressure cannot build up as high. If the flush is done properly (without a vacuum pump), there is no special risk.

If you don't have the flush done regularly you definitely can expect to have problems, so you really do not have the option to skip the work.
 
If your pump fails there are other options rather than buying a BMW supplied new pump and having it dealer installed. One option is to delete the pump and have a brake system that is fully functional, but without ABS. Another option is to have your pump rebuilt by a company called Module Masters. I think they will do a rebuild for under $1,000. Or, you could source a used pump from eBay or Beemer Boneyard.
 
akbeemer said:
If your pump fails there are other options rather than buying a BMW supplied new pump and having it dealer installed. One option is to delete the pump and have a brake system that is fully functional, but without ABS. Another option is to have your pump rebuilt by a company called Module Masters. I think they will do a rebuild for under $1,000. Or, you could source a used pump from eBay or Beemer Boneyard.
Click to expand...

Fully functional also without integrated braking (front lever also activates rear brake).
 
lkraus said:
The only pump involved is the ABS pump.

It runs every time you switch on the ignition.
It runs every time you brake.

That whining noise you hear every time you hold the lever tight at a stop? That's the ABS pump.

It's activated by the brake pedal/lever during the brake flush to push fluid through the system. It's probably stressed less during the flush than at any other time since the bleeder valve is open and pressure cannot build up as high. If the flush is done properly (without a vacuum pump), there is no special risk.

If you don't have the flush done regularly you definitely can expect to have problems, so you really do not have the option to skip the work.
Click to expand...

You need a little funnel tool from Beemer Boneyard to do the bleed yourself over a deliberate couple hours. It takes longer to get the tank out of the way than the rest of it.
 
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