Went over to Ken Wilford's last week for new rear brake shoes/wheel cylinders. Good thing. Lots of rust (which probably accounts for the occasional horrific squealing) and the surface of the brake shoes was worn and cracked. Nice for me that I live only 15 miles from Ken and his vast assortment of van stuff. Visiting him affords the same joyous cognitive overload  found in bookstores and bakeries;  so much to buy!   After he installed new parts we bled the air out of the brake system and the brake fluid was dark and looked a lot worse than I would have expected it to be after 2 years. Discussed replacing the master cylinder as part of pre-trip preventive maintenance program (good news is part isn't too expensive; bad news is it lives behind the dashboard. Asked Ken what gets dripped on when adding brake fluid--- "delicate electrical components" !!#$%. This is superior German engineering?)

Anyone have any idea what the expected lifetime of the original master cylinder should be? My van is a 1989 Westy with 95 K miles. Spec according to the owners manual is DOT 4 brake fluid but I think DOT 3 is what's in it now.  I plan to use DOT 4 when I change the fluid.

Has anyone used the generic Walmart mudflaps with success?

Thanks,  Carol Sussman
Former MGB owner 
Not a mechanic, just a driver with a toolbox
Did they really use control systems from Lucas on the space shuttle?!