Since the fluid in your brake lines absorbs water -- which eventually corrodes your brakes -- your brake system needs to be flushed once every two years or 30,000 miles. As water and dirt gets into your brake system, it also reduces performance. Doing the job at home saves you money and is fairly easy to complete.
Use a lug wrench to loosen the lug nuts on all four tires, but don't remove them. Put a small block of wood under the brake pedal so that the brake pedal doesn't sink to the floor as the pressure in the brake system is released. Make sure there's space between the wood and the brake pedal.
Raise the front of the vehicle with a jack. Place jack stands on both sides of the vehicle and lower the weight of the vehicle onto the jack stands. Use the jack to raise the back of the vehicle and place two more jack stands under the rear frame to support it.
Find the master cylinder by looking for the reservoir that holds brake fluid. It has a screw off cap that's labeled for brake fluid. The master cylinder sits below this reservoir and has the brake lines attached to it. Take the top off the brake master cylinder. Empty the master cylinder reservoir by using a turkey baster to suck the brake fluid out. Place the old brake fluid into a plastic container with a lid on it. Use a clean rag to wipe away any dirt left in the reservoir.
Start with the tire farthest away from the master cylinder and loosen the bleeder bolt. The bleeder bolt sits at the top of each caliper. Place a wrench over the bolt and turn it until it's loose but not removed. Place a piece of plastic tubing over the end of a bleeder bolt and the opposite end into a plastic bottle partially filled with brake fluid. Make sure the end of the tubing is covered with the brake fluid so that no air gets into the brake lines.
Open the bleeder valve completely and have your assistant tap the brake lightly. Watch the fluid drain until you see only clean brake fluid coming from the valve. Make sure there's no dirt or air bubbles coming out of the line. Close the bleeder valve. Repeat the process for all four brake lines, working your way to the tire closest to the master cylinder.
Top off the brake fluid in the master cylinder. Put the tires back on the car and tighten the lug nuts by hand. Jack up the car off the jack stands, remove the jack stands and lower the vehicle to the ground. Finish tightening the lug nuts using a torque wrench.
