Bob,
I believe you are talking about "FASCAR". You can read more about it here.
http://www.brakestrips.net/tech_myth_stopper.htm
http://brakefluidtest.com/news/specialreports/map-standards-and-guideli.shtml
Basically it tests for the amount of copper in your brake fluid.
Increased copper content in the fluid indicates that the corrosion
inhibitors in the fluid are being used up & above a certain level of
copper indicates that the inhibitors are nearing the end of their useful
life. This is considered a more important test of brake fluid condition
than the commonly used moisture level test which shows nothing about how
corrosive the fluid may be.
I've been using this test method for several years & it appears to
correlate well with fluid condition. It also appears to be geared toward
selling more frequent brake system flushes & refills.
New fluid shows zero copper. Three year old fluid shows moderate copper.
The fluid in my truck is 24 years old & shows a very high copper
content. I'm just letting it go to see what finally happens.
Sales gimmick or important test? - Who really knows? It does appear that
loss of corrosion inhibitors (copper in the brake fluid) is more of a
problem with ABS systems than with the older systems.
Dave Russell
Bob Johnson wrote:
>Having been a car buff since the 50's, I had never heard of changing your
>brake fluid. That was a surprise when Rich explained it so well 2 days ago.
>Then, yesterday, my new Family Handyman magazine (I apparently have some
>people fooled) arrived and in this months Car & Garage section, they reiterate
>that brake fluid does need to be changed. But the point of the article was
>that there is now a brake fluid test kit to let you know when you need to
>change. It looks rather like litmus strips that you stick into the fluid and
>then compare the strip color to a color chart on the package to tell if it is
>time to change or not. 25 strips costs $24 at brakebleeder.com.
>
>Bob Johnson
>BJ8
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