I am afraid a couple of you guys have the Preferred brake fluid reversed -
For British vehicles (or any car using Girling systems), DOT 4 is the one
to use.  I am not sure of the seals made today but with natural rubber
seals, which is what they used to be made out of, DOT 3 would cause
swelling and a failure in short order -  So to be safe use DOT 4 in any
British vehicle NOT DOT 3 unless of course it DOES have silicon (light
purple/violet)  fluid (fluif)  In that case ONLY DOT 5 will work.  Both DOT
3 and 4 will mix as they are both glycol based systems but DOT 4 is a
superior fluid, readily available, and not that much if any more expensive.
 Using DOT 4 in a car that already has DOT 3 will not cause any problems,
but using DOT 3 in a system specifically designed for DOT 4 (practically
all British cars, and some American ones for that matter that used Girling
systems) could -
Barry Schwartz (San Diego) bschwart@pacbell.net
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