[Tom Goldman]

Brake fluid change has been recommended for years by manufacturers . When I started as a technician 50 plus years ago ,we used to flush the systems with denatured alcohol.
Brake fluid is hydroscopic ,it absorbs moisture from the atmosphere and becomes both a rust agent and corrosive to the system .constant heat also degrades it ,becoming black and sludgy
With the advent of antilock brake systems regular servicing of the fluid became more critical as the antilock system employs several close tolerance high speed actuator valves that are easily damaged by contaminated fluid .
As it applies to our race cars ,brake fluid should be flushed and replaced every season , preferably at the end of the season before storage .
DOT 3 or 4regular fluid is fine for a street car ,but race cars that experience extremely high temperatures should be using race specific fluids that have a much higher wet boiling point such as Wilwood Hi Temp 570 or EXP 600. Castrol ,VP ,Motul and others all make high performance fluids with higher wet boiling points.
The higher boiling point fluids do not sludge up nearly as much as street fluids.