Question about brake bleeds: why do so many shops skip the caliper end?

I keep seeing guys pull fluid through the lever and call it done, and the caliper piston still has old fluid sitting in it. Last Tuesday a customer brought in a road bike with a spongy rear brake, and I pulled maybe 15ml of dark fluid out of the caliper before it ran clear, that lever came back rock solid. The lever end is easy and the caliper end is messy, so people skip it, but half the fluid lives down there. Does anyone here do a full push from caliper to lever every time, or is that overkill for your shop?

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joseph_torres25d ago

I once did a quick lever-only bleed and handed the bike back feeling like a hero, then the guy was back two days later with the same mush. The lever side is maybe 30 percent of the fluid, so all that old junk just sits in the caliper waiting to ruin your day. A full push from caliper to lever takes an extra five minutes, and a clean caliper is the only way the job actually stays fixed.

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