Ask the Expert: We know copper corrosion can destroy a brake system, but where does the copper come from?
Q: We know copper corrosion can destroy a brake system, but where does the copper come from?
A: If you haven’t heard already, copper corrosion is the No. 1 cause of brake part failure in a passenger vehicle. Your probably saying to yourself, “This guy is nuts. Vehicles come factory equipped with steel brake lines, master cylinders are made of cast iron and some calipers are made of aluminum. There is no copper in a brake system.”
Most people don’t realize that factory-installed brake lines are made from copper-coated steel. Each line starts as flat steel coated with copper. The flat steel is then rolled into a tube and heated to braze or melt the copper. The brazing process makes brake lines seamless. As brake fluid inhibitors wear down copper is the first metal to corrode. Copper ions then begin attacking iron and aluminum and lead to frozen, leaking, malfunctioning brake parts.
