John writes:

>> Sorry, having DOT 3 put in your van is a
BAD!BAD!BAD! by the mechanic.
Can he not read?? Right on the fill cap it says DOT 4
only!!!!

>> I would suggest the system be drained and refilled,
and the brakes bled, then the tank again refilled.

Bill,

Don't get your skivvies in a wad over this. According
to both the original Volkswagen Owner's Manual for my
1983 Vanagon and the venerable Bentley manual, "DOT 3
or DOT 4" brake fluid is specified.

It's possible VW upgraded some components on later
models, requiring the use of DOT 4 only, but I am
looking at the latest edition of the Bentley.

Historically, DOT 3 and DOT 4 are chemically
compatible and interchangeable (unlike DOT 5 silicone
fluid). But DOT 3 has a marginally lower boiling point
(about 30-40 degrees) than DOT 4, so may exhibit a
slightly higher likelihood of brake fade in extremely
high temperatures or heavy use, such as mountain
driving.

This is a marginal difference and, in this case,
proportionate to the amount of fluid that was added to
your system.

I suggest you not lose any sleep over this, wait for
the new clutch master cylinder to arrive and install
it, then refill and bleed the clutch and brake systems
with DOT 4. Most all of the DOT 3 will be flushed out
in the bleeding process.

"OK, I'll leave it at that since I've already gone on
for far too long about something I don't know a whole
lot about ..."

Jeffrey Earl
1983 diesel Westfalia "Vanasazi"

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Photos: High-quality 4x6 digital prints for 25�
http://photos.yahoo.com/ph/print_splash