Brake Master Cylinder repair & replacement made easy

The brake master cylinder is used to create pressure in the brake hydraulic system, forcing the brake caliper piston to move out and apply the brakes.

How does a brake master cylinder work and what are the components?

When you apply pressure to the brake pedal it forces the piston inside the cylinder to pressurise the brake hydraulic system. This pressure then transfers down the brake pipes and hoses to the brake caliper and forces the piston out the other end - and pushes the brake pads into the brake discs and slows the wheels.

In its simplest form, putting your foot on the brakes is like plunging the handle on a bicycle pump. Push the handle down and it creates pressure at the other end!

Inside the cylinder is a rod with a piston on the end that either has a rubber cup on it or a rubber sealing band around it. The brakes lines are then screwed into the unit so they are sealed. This rod protrudes from the other end of the cylinder and is pushed in by the brake pedal as you push down on it. That is basically it!

How do you know there is something wrong with a brake master cylinder?

When the brake pedal feels soft under braking and continues to the floor without pressure.

When should you consider replacing a Brake Master Cylinder?

The master cylinder has internal and external seals which can wear out over time. When the external seals are worn brake fluid can leak out and prevent the brakes from working correctly. Should the internal seal fail, the system will not create sufficient pressure in the hydraulic system, so replacing the master cylinder is imperative and with immediate effect as braking performance will deteriorate and it can potentially lead to dangerous situations on the road. In this instance, it is advisable that you do not drive the car but have the system checked over as soon as possible by a mechanic who can come to you.

How common is a brake master cylinder replacement?

Although it's not a common failure point on vehicles, obviously wear and tear will take its toll over time and eventually like everything where rubber acts against a metal surface it will wear out.

What happens during a brake master cylinder replacement?

Mechanic will inspect the brake system.
Mechanic will check the brake master cylinder to establish if it should be replaced.
If necessary, the mechanic will replace the brake master cylinder.
Mechanic will renew the brake fluid.
Mechanic will bleed the brake system.
Mechanic will inspect the brake system and will, if deemed safe, do a test drive.

How much does a brake master cylinder replacement cost?

The cost of a brake master cylinder replacement depends on your car and what parts your car's manufacturer recommends using for the replacement. Find out what you could save by having your brake master cylinder replaced by ClickMechanic, by selecting your car at the top of this page!

How much does a Brake Master Cylinder repair cost?

Want to know how much you'd pay at a franchise dealer or independent garage?

Check out the ClickMechanic price for a Brake Master Cylinder repair. We use industry standard data & millions of data points so you know what you should be paying

These estimates may include Brake fluid and Brake master cylinder

36 manufacturers for Brake Master Cylinder Repair

Name	Clickmechanic Click mechanic average	Independent garage estimate	Franchise dealer estimate
Alfa Romeo Parts costs: £179.36 - £361.55 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 12	£303	£228 - £372	£313 - £503	Get exact price
Audi Parts costs: £181.24 - £416.16 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 253	£346	£240 - £440	£334 - £601	Get exact price
BMW Parts costs: £199.80 - £551.32 Labour time: 1-3 hours # of quotes: 185	£397	£260 - £574	£359 - £780	Get exact price
Chevrolet Parts costs: £188.80 - £276.46 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 18	£351	£254 - £296	£357 - £407	Get exact price
Citroen Parts costs: £100.80 - £185.51 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 311	£193	£150 - £225	£219 - £327	Get exact price
Dacia Parts costs: £98.09 - £181.12 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 22	£222	£158 - £211	£237 - £301	Get exact price
Dodge Parts costs: £129.55 - £201.30 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 2	£222	£179 - £217	£253 - £299	Get exact price
Fiat Parts costs: £124.80 - £293.83 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 219	£232	£160 - £310	£220 - £424	Get exact price
Ford Parts costs: £152.07 - £245.99 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 1068	£260	£204 - £287	£286 - £409	Get exact price
Honda Parts costs: £152.07 - £458.16 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 95	£333	£207 - £470	£291 - £634	Get exact price
Hyundai Parts costs: £227.69 - £582.79 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 48	£439	£271 - £538	£360 - £687	Get exact price
Iveco Parts costs: £147.01 - £238.58 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 4	£221	£202 - £253	£285 - £347	Get exact price
Jaguar Parts costs: £309.97 - £409.85 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 71	£381	£364 - £396	£481 - £519	Get exact price
Kia Parts costs: £138.80 - £351.60 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 86	£266	£188 - £358	£264 - £482	Get exact price
Land Rover Parts costs: £142.80 - £434.16 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 154	£304	£176 - £422	£239 - £554	Get exact price
LDV Parts costs: £146.80 - £235.53 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 6	£223	£196 - £245	£274 - £333	Get exact price
Lexus Parts costs: £284.86 - £534.99 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 25	£427	£356 - £517	£483 - £676	Get exact price
Mazda Parts costs: £321.35 - £546.17 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 124	£469	£368 - £504	£478 - £644	Get exact price
Mercedes-Benz Parts costs: £152.30 - £349.22 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 198	£299	£207 - £367	£291 - £501	Get exact price
MG Parts costs: £169.75 - £203.70 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 6	£222	£208 - £219	£280 - £301	Get exact price
MINI Parts costs: £146.80 - £212.49 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 98	£262	£196 - £270	£274 - £397	Get exact price
Mitsubishi Parts costs: £134.80 - £215.83 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 25	£265	£211 - £256	£314 - £368	Get exact price
Nissan Parts costs: £172.72 - £713.28 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 50	£461	£216 - £654	£294 - £833	Get exact price
Peugeot Parts costs: £106.80 - £176.55 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 434	£204	£161 - £218	£237 - £318	Get exact price
Porsche Parts costs: £523.68 - £628.41 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 1	£636	£573 - £573	£726 - £726	Get exact price
Renault Parts costs: £124.72 - £319.26 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 343	£277	£179 - £359	£258 - £504	Get exact price
Rover Parts costs: £177.33 - £226.44 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 22	£245	£221 - £238	£300 - £324	Get exact price
Saab Parts costs: £141.80 - £206.73 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 17	£244	£191 - £221	£268 - £305	Get exact price
SEAT Parts costs: £147.30 - £280.52 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 85	£275	£213 - £316	£307 - £444	Get exact price
Skoda Parts costs: £147.30 - £294.65 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 87	£306	£207 - £322	£296 - £447	Get exact price
Subaru Parts costs: £288.96 - £346.75 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 1	£373	£333 - £333	£434 - £434	Get exact price
Suzuki Parts costs: £146.80 - £215.83 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 103	£229	£190 - £229	£263 - £314	Get exact price
Toyota Parts costs: £99.80 - £347.48 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 115	£282	£165 - £366	£250 - £500	Get exact price
Vauxhall Parts costs: £138.80 - £244.56 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 618	£237	£188 - £269	£264 - £375	Get exact price
Volkswagen Parts costs: £151.00 - £508.38 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 513	£345	£206 - £500	£290 - £661	Get exact price
Volvo Parts costs: £146.80 - £353.01 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 165	£323	£180 - £398	£241 - £559	Get exact price

Prices could not be created for 44 models. Show ∨

Microcar
Metrocab
Hummer
Jeep
Reva
Asia
TVR
Ferrari
Morgan
Buick
Lamborghini
Pontiac
Carbodies
DS
Mitsubishi Fuso
Moskvich
Bentley
Cadillac
Ford US
Aixam
Austin
Daewoo

Daimler
FSO
Maybach
Rolls-Royce
Santana
Tata
Great Wall
Chrysler
Piaggio
Perodua
Infiniti
Aston Martin
Daihatsu
Isuzu
Lada
Lancia
Lotus
Maserati
Proton
Ssangyong
London Taxi's International
Smart

Estimates on repair costs, such as the above results for a brake master cylinder repair, are created by combining data from multiple third-party sources. The actual cost of using your local repair providers may be outside of the estimated range. We provide estimates on repair costs for information only and accept no liability for any inaccuracies or errors. If you think an estimate is incorrect, please contact us to let us know.

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Mechanics that undertake brake master cylinder work

Recent Brake Master Cylinder repair quotes

These recent quotes were taken from our quote engine which uses third-party industry standard data on repair times, along with a live parts retailer, and a regional labour rate to build an accurate free quote. We are constantly improving our quote engine, so please let us know if a price seems incorrect.

£470.35

Brake master cylinder replacement

Volkswagen Golf Plus

Stourbridge

£241.13

Brake master cylinder replacement

Volkswagen Polo

Haslemere

£456.05

Brake master cylinder replacement

Volkswagen Golf

Sheffield

£165.11

Brake master cylinder replacement

Citroen Saxo

Holyhead

Brake Master Cylinder repair & replacement made easy

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Recent Reviews Related to Brake Master Cylinder Repair

Want to learn more about Brake Master Cylinder repairs?

What does a brake master cylinder do?

How does a brake master cylinder work and what are the components?

How do you know there is something wrong with a brake master cylinder?

When should you consider replacing a Brake Master Cylinder?

How common is a brake master cylinder replacement?

What happens during a brake master cylinder replacement?

How much does a brake master cylinder replacement cost?

How much does a Brake Master Cylinder repair cost?

Want to know how much you'd pay at a franchise dealer or independent garage?

Check out the ClickMechanic price for a Brake Master Cylinder repair. We use industry standard data & millions of data points so you know what you should be paying

Alfa Romeo

£303

£228 - £372

£313 - £503

Audi

£346

£240 - £440

£334 - £601

BMW

£397

£260 - £574

£359 - £780

Chevrolet

£351

£254 - £296

£357 - £407

Citroen

£193

£150 - £225

£219 - £327

Dacia

£222

£158 - £211

£237 - £301

Dodge

£222

£179 - £217

£253 - £299

Fiat

£232

£160 - £310

£220 - £424

Ford

£260

£204 - £287

£286 - £409

Honda

£333

£207 - £470

£291 - £634

Hyundai

£439

£271 - £538

£360 - £687

Iveco

£221

£202 - £253

£285 - £347

Jaguar

£381

£364 - £396

£481 - £519

Kia

£266

£188 - £358

£264 - £482

Land Rover

£304

£176 - £422

£239 - £554

LDV

£223

£196 - £245

£274 - £333