Is DOT fluid reusable

keeps21

As above, is DOT 3/ DOT 4 fluid reusable.

By this I mean can I save the fluid that has been bled from the system and use it on a later bleed.

Or once it has been bled is should be disposed of as it has absorbed air / moisture? - I'm thinking that this is the most likely answer.

Cabo

You could if you were totally stuck, but its generally not advisable to reuse it as its probably contaminated. Its not that expensive and the quantity you need on a mountain bike is so minimal that theres not much point in scrimping on this one

tjm

dispose of it - you cannot be sure it is 100% clean and free of moisture etc.
But it is illegal to put it down the drain.......

keeps21

does it absorb moisture while in the container making it better to buy in smaller amounts as a bigger bottle would 'go off'?

Chris`I

keeps21 wrote:

does it absorb moisture while in the container making it better to buy in smaller amounts as a bigger bottle would 'go off'?

Yes. Its usually on the bottle as to how long you can keep it. They usually say 3-6 months, but never re-use what has come out of the system. I found that Halfords do little diddy 250ml bottles of DOT5.1 fluid for about £4, spot on for MTB fluid changes

cee

or if you want to stay with the dot 4, many place on the wonderful wubblewubblewubble do it for about £4 as well.

e.g. a quick google for dot 4 threw this up as a possible but there are loads more

http://www.busters-accessories.co.uk/productinfo.aspx?catRef=IPBF4250

tjm

you can increase the shelf life of opened bottles by a) making sure the lid is securely on at all times and b) squeeze the bottle to remove all air before fitting the lid. c) don't be paranoid and ignore what it says on the bottle!

But yes, small bottles are probably sensible - I got two complete fluid changes and a lot of bleeding from 1/2 a 250ml bottle so you don't need much.

stubs

When I worked as a motorbike mechanic many moons ago we were always told to use a fresh bottle of DOT for every job