1.8 Brake fluid

Official wording

The defect clauses

1. 1.8 (a)Major

   Brake fluid contaminated

   Brake fluid contaminated or boiling point reduced explained: what it means and what puts it right

Wording and categories reproduced from the DVSA inspection manual under the Open Government Licence. Frequencies are items per 100 failed class 4 tests across the DVSA anonymised MOT dataset; a clause with no figure was not recorded often enough to appear in any model’s top forty failure items. 1 of 1 clauses link to our own explanation.

Grading

What the categories mean

Dangerous

a direct and immediate risk to road safety or the environment. The vehicle fails and must not be driven until repaired, even to a garage.

Major

a defect that affects safety, the environment or other road users. The vehicle fails.

Minor

a defect with no significant effect on safety or the environment. Recorded on the certificate; the vehicle passes.

The full guide to defect grading

Section 1

Other sub-sections of brakes

• 1.1.1Service brake pedal or hand lever pivot
• 1.1.2Service brake pedal or hand lever condition and travel
• 1.1.3Air and vacuum systems
• 1.1.4Low-pressure warning
• 1.1.5Hand operated brake control valve
• 1.1.6Parking brake lever or control
• 1.1.7Brake valves
• 1.1.9Pressure storage reservoirs
• 1.1.10Brake servo units and master cylinder (hydraulic systems)
• 1.1.11Rigid brake pipes
• 1.1.12Flexible brake hoses
• 1.1.13Brake linings and pads
• 1.1.14Brake discs and drums
• 1.1.15Brake cables, rods, levers and linkages
• 1.1.16Brake actuators - including spring brakes, hydraulic cylinders and callipers
• 1.1.17Load sensing valve
• 1.1.18Brake slack adjuster
• 1.1.19Additional braking device (retarder), if fitted
• 1.1.21Complete braking system
• 1.2.1Performance
• 1.2.2Efficiency
• 1.3.1Performance
• 1.3.2Efficiency
• 1.4.1Performance
• 1.5Additional braking device (retarder) performance
• 1.6Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
• 1.7Electronic braking system (EBS)

All sections of the manual

Common questions

What does 1.8 mean on an MOT certificate?

It refers to sub-section 1.8 of the MOT inspection manual, "Brake fluid", within section 1, brakes. The letter or letters after it — (a), (b)(i) and so on — identify the specific defect from the 1 listed here. 1 Major and 0 Minor.

Which brake fluid defect is recorded most often?

None of the clauses in this sub-section appears among the most-recorded failure items nationally; they are rare in practice.

Does a Minor defect fail the MOT?

No. a defect with no significant effect on safety or the environment. Recorded on the certificate; the vehicle passes. Major and Dangerous defects fail. A Dangerous defect also means the car must not be driven until it is repaired.