Genuine BMW · Made in Germany 81 22 0 142 156 DOT 4 Brake Fluid — Low Viscosity (ESL) · Lot of 3 × 355 mL / 12 fl oz bottles Also written 81220142156 · 81-22-0-142-156 • Supersedes 81 22 9 070 483 What You’re Buying
You are buying a lot of THREE (3) factory-sealed 355 mL bottles — 1,065 mL total, just over one liter: one complete two-year brake-fluid flush in a single purchase. The fluid is Genuine BMW DOT 4 low-viscosity, the same specification BMW fills at the factory and sells over the dealer parts counter. Certified to FMVSS 116 DOT 4: minimum dry boiling point 446°F (230°C), minimum wet boiling point 311°F (155°C) — and those are the legal floors, not what fresh fluid actually tests at. The wet number is the one that matters, because brake fluid starts absorbing moisture the day it goes in. That’s the whole case for the two-year flush.
Why LV — Not All DOT 4 Is This Fluid
“DOT 4” on a parts-store bottle only certifies boiling points. It says nothing about viscosity — and viscosity is what your DSC and ABS pump were calibrated around. BMW specifies low-viscosity (ESL-type) fluid for the DSC era because the thin formula moves correctly through the pump’s fine passages; a thicker bargain DOT 4 can slow ABS/DSC response in the cold and leave the pedal feeling spongy in an ABS stop. This is the LV fluid. It also drops straight into older DOT 3 / DOT 4 BMWs without a second thought — backward compatible all the way down.
Quantity 1 = 3 bottles — priced per lot of three, not per bottle
Add Quantity 1 to your cart and three sealed bottles ship. Every quantity step is a full lot of 3, and the bulk discounts apply per lot, automatically in the cart.
1 lot — 3 bottles — the standard full two-year flush (just over one liter). Small sealed bottles beat one big can here: you open only what you use, and brake fluid goes stale from air, not age.
2 lots — 6 bottles — a manual car (the clutch shares the reservoir), a first flush in a long while, a pre-track full exchange — or two cars the same weekend.
Every BMW and MINI that calls for DOT 4 — which is effectively the entire range, from E-chassis classics through current G-chassis, gas, diesel, hybrid, and M. The LV spec is what BMW recommends across the DSC era and it serves older cars just as well. A90 / A91 Toyota GR Supra: BMW-built hydraulics, DOT 4 spec — same story. Manual-transmission cars use it for the clutch circuit too. Use the compatibility checker above, or message us your VIN.
READ BEFORE YOU POUR
• Never DOT 5. Silicone DOT 5 is chemically incompatible with this system — don’t add it, don’t mix it, don’t let a helpful neighbor near your reservoir with it. DOT 5.1 is a different (glycol) fluid, but stick with what BMW specs.
• Brake fluid strips paint. Cap and wipe spills immediately and flush the spot with water. Fenders remember.
• Keep it sealed until the job. The fluid is hygroscopic — an opened bottle on the shelf is quietly ruining itself. Buy what the job needs, open as you go.
• Brake and clutch hydraulics only. Not power steering, not coolant, not a mystery top-off fluid.
Used fluid goes to a recycler or auto parts store, not the drain.
Service Notes
BMW’s schedule is simple: replace the brake fluid every two years, regardless of mileage — your iDrive service menu is counting it down right now. Moisture creep is invisible until the one hard stop where it isn’t, and fresh fluid is the cheapest brake upgrade there is.
Flush basics: work from the caliper farthest from the reservoir inward, keep the reservoir topped so you never draw air, and a pressure bleeder makes it a clean one-person job. Unless you’re running repeated track sessions, fresh OE fluid on the two-year clock outperforms exotic fluid left in the car for five.
Shipping & Returns
Free shipping from Eureka, California — typically delivered in 2–4 days, bottles packed to arrive sealed and upright. 30-day returns, and we pay the return shipping.
Spec Disclosure
Top Rated Plus · 9,400+ parts sold · 99.8% positive Snowfa Garage and Motorsports — Genuine BMW and performance parts, new inventory every week. Every photo on our listings is shot in-house on our own bench in Eureka. If you’ve seen the same photos somewhere else, now you know where that seller shops.
