Pinching Brake Hoses

For some time you have heard me preach to block off the hoses on an ABS system, when depressing calipers, to prevent dirty fluid from entering the ABS controller. Time to amend this statement, be very careful what you use to pinch the hoses. The hoses in the newer vehicles are stiffer and prone to damage from certain tools. I have doubts if any tool is OK to use on some hoses. But if you must use one there are several types of plastic with rounded edges that may be OK to use. 2 other methods one is to remove the bleeder screw and compress the piston slowly may not keep all the fluid from returning but will help, just be sure to not let the system rebound and allow air into the system. This is not a problem for a shop but the average DIY does not have the scanner necessary to bleed brakes on an ABS system. You also can remove the hose but this will require bleeding. But it will also make it easier to replace the brake fluid as I suggest is done on all brake repairs. This is one upsell service I agree with. I have also heard of replacing the fluid before brake work is started therefore eliminating the problem of dirty fluid. Have some doubts about this method as it is difficult to remove all the fluid without the proper scan tool. I have never tried this method but next time I do brake repair i will try to do it without use of the scanner and see what develops, more on this later.