When should I consider updating my brake lines? The only maintenance I've done in regards to this is a brake fluid change... That's about it.
How far down this path can you go that's worth pursuing?
The lines aren't leaking or anything I am just wondering what should be done for a 40 year old car.
Well, stainless is pricey, but pretty awesome. I’d just replace them all with rubber if you’re on a budget, the old ones are (hopefully) not original but probably wise to replace. Any cracks in the rubber?
-John
the rubber lines, like somjuan said are a good thing to do and not too expensive. if you're worried about the condition of lines on a 40 year old car, I'd prioritize the fuel lines instead. depending on the condition of the underside of the car of course
I got a complete set of new Ate branded hoses for around $40,,like John said stainless costs more.
Randy
Which lines are we talking about - just the rubber portions at the wheels? If so, there is no reason to not replace them if you don't know how old they are (pardon the stacking of negatives). If you are talking about the hard lines, replacing those can be a big project so you would probably only want to do so if you were sure that they are damaged or corroded. Copper Nickel lines make it easier, but you will want to make sure that they are secured tightly so they don't flex themselves to failure.
The rubber hoses when they get old they bulge out and when the contract( a little too much) they leave pressure in the line which keeps the brakes slight engaged, I have read a few brake forums and brake specialists there have said this in the no 1 cause of brake problems in cars they have dealt with,, aged edpm or rubber hoses.
Randy
Thanks for all the input. Full disclosure, in general my E21 is well sorted. I think the only things I need to do are replace brake components and fuel lines to the tank and whatever vent lines are in the trunk. Pretty much everything else in this car is 100% replaced (that I can think of).
I upgraded to an M42 so Im a bit weary of blowing out the brakes lines or something. As I said, no leaks but im curious if others have ran in to issues. As for which lines specifically, Ill consider anything since I dont want brake failure to send me to a ditch.
Ive had the car for about 8 years but Ive put less than 10000 miles on the car. She's been a bit of a garage queen most of her time.
Last edited by jaredmac11; 03-08-2019 at 05:40 PM.
IMO if old then replace the factory rubber lines with new factory rubber lines either OE or aftermarket ie centric brand. Better safe than sorry. Stainless is great if want extra pedal feel. Only downside is if the outer stainless braid isn't covered by another rubber sleeve protection, it can allow grit to get between the stainless braid and the inner rubber. This can wear it out faster and why most like this aren't considered DOT compliant. Race use sure your inspecting them and replacing at regular intervals. Stock style rubber lines isn't a bad thing for street use.
88 M3
91 318is
91 318i
83 320is
08 X3 3.0si
"If it flys, floats, or f*cks, rent it!"
I would check the visual condition of the metal lines. Some of mine were pretty rusted on a non rusted car and I chose to replace them.
I just replaced all my lines. I found some quality stainless, generic lines for about as cheap as rubber. I found that rubber lines, at least for my E28 stuff was about $10 per rubber line and $10 per stainless but you have to add adapters to the stainless so about $14 maybe per stainless line? Worth it IMO.
I cleaned up the metal lines and they look brand new. Its great to be here in the south for that regard. I think Ill follow advice here and replace the rubber lines. They look fine for now so I feel like I can defer til Ig et all this other crap sorted (trailing arm bushings...)
Rubber brake lines just like any other rubber component have limited life. In my opinion good quality brake likes and water hoses last about 15 years, after that I would replace them. Sometimes brake lines clog up inside and cause all kind of problems - and look fine from the outside and have no bulges, etc. When replacing, watch out for poor quality parts, I have replaced 3 sets of brake lines on our VW in 2 years until I was able to source quality hoses. Original BMW or maybe ATE is all I would use. ATE's quality seems to be hit or miss too...
Max
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