The service manual indicates you must use a scan tool and a power brake bleeder. But if you are very careful you should be able to bleed them manually, just be careful not to let the fluid level get to low then you will end up at a shop, most likely the dealer.

 

Why mess with it if the car is less than 5 yo with less than 100,000?

I think you are just asking for trouble.
For most poeple, the odds of making it worse are greater than the odds of making it better.

FWIW, I have a 1988 Dodge truck with the ORIGINAL brake fluid.
I may have "topped off" the reservior a few times over the years, but I've never drained anything. I don't do laps with it around a race track, and in all those years it only has 134,000 miles. But it still works great, and it still stops me as well as ever going down a mountain grade. ( on the 3rd set of pads IIRC ) I consider it very safe and trustworthy.

Unless you have a special reason to bleed the brake fluid, I would recommend you leave it alone.

 

I can't seriously believe that anyone needs to bleed the brakes on a hybrid this new already. These are street and maybe light off road vehicles for crying out loud. I never bled the brakes on any of my street cars, just topped off the fluid. The only vehicle i ever bled the fluid on was my turbo '97 Nissan 240sx. I ran SCCA autocross and drifted it at events and most of the time I just burped off the air and topped it off. The only time I ever bled it was after events at Road Atlanta and Sebring and that was only because I would boil the fluid since they are long hard road courses and I drove them in almost 100 degree ambient temps.

I suggest if you want to make quick work of bleeding, buy some speed bleeders from http://www.speedbleeder.com/ , they will make your life better.

 

Here read this

http://www.aa1car.com/library/bfluid.htm

 

Why did you top it off? Does it evaporate?

 

My assumption is a little leaks out ( splashed out ) from the filler caps on the master cylinder or whatever under the hood... the caps are always kind of oily in appearance. It's only my project truck now, and gets less than 2k miles a year now.

 

Most of the time brake fluid is low it is because the brake pads have worn and the fluid is in the brake caliper. When you replace the pads and push the pistons back in the brake fluid returns to the master cylinder. This is a good way to tell if the pads are worn, the brake fluid will be low.

 

When you top off the fluid, what happens when you push the brake pistons back in?

 

It blows out all over the master cylinder! and makes a reasonable mess. But since brake fluid is hygroscopic a little fresh water and you can wash it all off.

 

Do you need to top it off?