The problem was discovered when I noticed my brakes were getting progressively softer. I found my fluid was low and every time I refilled it, it would get low again very soon. Not know a damn thing about cars at the time, I took it to a mechanic who found my lines were worn and torn. He said they were "cheap factory" lines. The cost for him to go in and replace them totaled to about $300, but the fluid caused additional damage, corroding rubber components in my braking system. This forced me to spend additional money in repairs to the actual brake system. The total mess was about $800 to fix.