This is going to revive an old debate. Here's my 2 cents.
When Tiger Tom rebuilt my servo 15 years ago, he said he would warrantee it
only IF I converted to silicone. Said the water picked up by the Girling
ultimately rotted the bores in the servo. That's why many if not most servos
are no longer rebuildable w/o sleeving. Silicone is kind to seals & doesn't
absorb water. The servo is still perfect after all these years. So in my
experience, the advice you got is wrong on both counts---silicone does not
"slip by" and DOT fluid is not the best way to go. Silicone will leak easier
than standard brake fluid, but if it leaks, your rebuilder didn't do the job
right in the first place. I think it's absolutely the best for a collector car
that isn't driven a lot & sits around much of the time. In these conditions,
you can count on leaky system if you use regular DOT fluid. I replaced seals
regularly.
You will also hear people say the pedal feels less firm---just another Urban
legend.
Al J.
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