Being a mechanic I've heard of alot of things that are supposed to make a vehicle, or it's parts, last longer. The funny thing is there seem to be more and more things like this being spouted every day and the number just keeps increasing as the vehicle owners knowledge of the vehicle decreases.
On that note I question the idea that old brake fluid stops a vehicle any measurable amount slower than new fluid. The fluid (wether its old or new) is a liquid and therefore incompressable. The simple fact that fluids can't be compressed is the basis for every hydraulic system in operation. The only thing that would make a difference in old fluid vs new fluid vs 'plain' hydraulic oil vs water is the vapor point of the particular fluid. If the any one of the three fluids got hot enough to turn to vapor then yes there would be system degradation, and the vehicle wouldn't stop because vapor can be compressed. That's why they don't use water or oils with a lower vapor point. As long as the fluid in the system has a high enough vapor point that the heat of braking doesn't flash it off then any fluid you put in there would work just as good as any other. This is one of the reasons alot of off road equipment can use regular hydraulic oil in the braking system because they don't do enough stopping to generate that much heat and when heat is generated the system has a cooling system to disapate it and keep the fluid temp below the vapor point, something an onroad vehicle doesn't have.
The lack of knowledge about the vehicle leads to things like getting charged for transmission "flushes". Often all they do is suck the fluid out, circulate it through a filter and pump it back in with some new stuff to top it off. That does little more than remove some contamination while moving the rest of it around and sweeten the additive package with the top off amount. Why not just change the oil and the filter while your at it. You give this level of service to the engine why not to another part that works just as hard.
Then you get the change both headlights at the same time story. If their so worried about both burning out at the same time (what changing both is supposed to prevent, at least so I understand) why not change one at a time? Seems to me it increases the chance of always having at least one light burning all the time even if the other should burn out.
Now I hear this deal about flushing out the brake fluid. The new fluid is supposed to be the greatest stuff ever and is supposed to be rated for the heat of a typical brake system. Unless you ride your brakes unecessarily, etc you shouldn't have a problem with the brake fluid "going bad". Even then if you ride them that much you'll most likely be getting new fluid in the system when you change the pads/shoes anyway.
I've had vehicles last well over 400,000 miles (and still going strong when totaled in a wreck caused by someone else) started great, burned no oil, stopped just fine, etc etc without doing any of the BS they try to get people to spend money on nowdays. If you planned to keep your vehicle for the next 60 years then some of this stuff might save a dollar later on in it's life, but typically the vehicle will be worn out and scrapped before any of these new fangled ideas ever showes even a dime on the return. But that's just my opinion......
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