Bull@#$% Uneccessary Car Servicing Recommendations

[BritishRacinGrin]

jamieduff1981 said:

For fully synthetic oils I agree. For semi-synthetics, not so much. It doesn't gum up like mineral oils sure, but I have found thicker coatings in sumps less keen to pour out. I tend to run decent oils myself but not everyone does.

Who cares about a film of sludge on the bottom of the sump pan, I'd be more worried about the contents of the cheap can of 'engine flush', whatever it's made of- and the effect it's going to have on hydraulic tappets, chain tensionners, bearings, cams etc when I add it to the oil and follow the instructions to rev the engine on the spot for several minutes.

Flush it? Yeah, displace it through the oil pickup gauze / oil pump / filter housing, that's much better than putting nothing but lovely new oil into the top of the engine.

P.S. Your brand of preventative maintenance sounds a lot like snake oil and disturbing things unnecessarily to me.

[BugLebowski]

jamieduff1981 said:

Power Steering Fluid Flush - $164
It gets hot and deteriorates with time like any hydraulic oil.

Aircon Antibacterial Service - $142 (apparently it smelt, it doesn't)
In the same way that cars and homes of dog owners don't smell?

Injector Service - $283
The can coke up. Ultrasonic cleaning can help.

Air Intake Induction Service $144
Cleaning the crankcase pressure relief oil vapour out, cleaning the MAF sensor etc?

Engine Flush - $60
You're right. Sludge is much better.

Tyre Rotation - $60
Are the rears worn more than the fronts?

Wow, you're actually trying to justify this stuff?

[liner33]

For those baulking at the air con service , we all know that the refrigerant leaks over time , the system does need servicing /checking/topping up every 3-5 years

I just replaced the pollen filter on my 370z, car has just tipped over 30k , its here pictured with the new one , think it needed a change? The OEM Nissan one is about £30 , you need to strip out the glovebox to replace it so £30 + 1 hour to remove/refit plus an air con regas I think £120 would be a reasonable price for a dealer to charge . Add another £15 for one of those bombs to kill off the bacteria in the pipework

[BritishRacinGrin]

liner33 said:

For those baulking at the air con service , we all know that the refrigerant leaks over time , the system does need servicing /checking/topping up every 3-5 years

Indeed, and not only the refridgerant gas but the compressor's lubricating oil as well.

[Mave]

liner33 said:

For those baulking at the air con service , we all know that the refrigerant leaks over time , the system does need servicing /checking/topping up every 3-5 years

Do we? I've never topped up or serviced an air conditioning system, except for one car where I disturbed the pipework doing a radiator change at 120k miles / 10 years old.

[liner33]

Mave said:

liner33 said:

For those baulking at the air con service , we all know that the refrigerant leaks over time , the system does need servicing /checking/topping up every 3-5 years

Do we? I've never topped up or serviced an air conditioning system, except for one car where I disturbed the pipework doing a radiator change at 120k miles / 10 years old.

Well some people need to be told that fire is hot.

To keep the system working at its best you should service it ever 3-5 years. You dont "have" to just like you don't have to change the engine oil regularly

[Sump]

Mave said:

liner33 said:

For those baulking at the air con service , we all know that the refrigerant leaks over time , the system does need servicing /checking/topping up every 3-5 years

Do we? I've never topped up or serviced an air conditioning system, except for one car where I disturbed the pipework doing a radiator change at 120k miles / 10 years old.

Actually, the AC should be serviced once a year.

[Buster73]

Sump said:

Actually, the AC should be serviced once a year.

Every car I've had since 1998 has had air con , and this is the first time I've heard this.

Audi , BMW , and MB , and not once has any main dealer even tried it on .

I'm sure they would be in on that one if that was the case.

[jamieduff1981]

BugLebowski said:

jamieduff1981 said:

Power Steering Fluid Flush - $164
It gets hot and deteriorates with time like any hydraulic oil.

Aircon Antibacterial Service - $142 (apparently it smelt, it doesn't)
In the same way that cars and homes of dog owners don't smell?

Injector Service - $283
The can coke up. Ultrasonic cleaning can help.

Air Intake Induction Service $144
Cleaning the crankcase pressure relief oil vapour out, cleaning the MAF sensor etc?

Engine Flush - $60
You're right. Sludge is much better.

Tyre Rotation - $60
Are the rears worn more than the fronts?

Wow, you're actually trying to justify this stuff?

Not the prices, no - which you'll see from later posts.

[jamieduff1981]

Buster73 said:

Sump said:

Actually, the AC should be serviced once a year.

Every car I've had since 1998 has had air con , and this is the first time I've heard this.

Audi , BMW , and MB , and not once has any main dealer even tried it on .

I'm sure they would be in on that one if that was the case.

I just fix a/c when it stops working, paradoxically, given that Sump thinks I'm a fool easily ripped off.

[Mave]

liner33 said:

Well some people need to be told that fire is hot.

To keep the system working at its best you should service it ever 3-5 years. You dont "have" to just like you don't have to change the engine oil regularly

Yep, Alfa cold at 12 years, BMW at 13 years, Audi cold at 12 years, mondeo cold at 11 years. Spot a pattern? (ps, don't forget fire is hot! :-))

[Mave]

Sump said:

Actually, the AC should be serviced once a year.

Who says? Is it in the service schedule? What happens if you don't?

[daemon]

Pommygranite said:

Took my wife's 2011 Nissan Murano in for its 3 yr/35k mile (60k km) service today. Fixed price cost $335 which is fine. I live in Australia for reference, hence the $ mention.

However, it was a pleasant surprise to be offered the following 'tuning recommendations':

Power Steering Fluid Flush - $164
Aircon Antibacterial Service - $142 (apparently it smelt, it doesn't)
Injector Service - $283
Air Intake Induction Service $144
Engine Flush - $60
Tyre Rotation - $60

None are recommended as service items, the cars under NCW and they are not needed to maintain it but apparently my 3yr old, 35k mile car would really benefit from ALL of these.

I politely declined given they're all pointless but I imagine there would be some out there who wouldn't know different and given it was advised to do (not merely suggested) them wouldn't argue.

Great way to turn a $335 service into an $1100+ service. Keep the car 5 years, get recommended it every year and that's $4000 in extra cost for no reason or will ever be recoursed when sold.

Main Dealer service departments - gotta love em...

Edited by Pommygranite on Thursday 16th October 13:49

Dealer service department trying to generate extra revenue shocker.

[Dog Star]

BritishRacinGrin said:

jamieduff1981 said:

Sludge

In 1981 perhaps...

So you'd get all of this done at 35k on your car?

Similarly "coked up injectors"! For real?

I have the same issue with MB when I have to have a B service at 2 years old on my SLK. The service worked out last time at £503. It's basically and oil and filter change but the kicker is that there's a "compulsory brake fluid change" which accounts for around 300 of the bill. I've been driving and maintaining cars for about 30 years now and consider that I know sensible and reasonable from being a skinflint, and I know one end of a spanner from another. 2 years and change the brake fluid is taking the piss, but they've got you by the short and curlies because they can hide behind the "safety" defence - and I dare say I'll get pilloried for even suggesting that a 20-30K mile, 2 year old car doesn't need it's brake fluid changing so early.

[Mave]

2 or 3 years between fluid changes doesn't seem unreasonable to me (I do ours on odd years) but £300 does!

[BritishRacinGrin]

jamieduff1981 said:

I just fix a/c when it stops working, paradoxically, given that Sump thinks I'm a fool easily ripped off.

But but but preventative maintenance!? I thought you looked after your cars much better than most people?

[Sump]

Mave said:

Sump said:

Actually, the AC should be serviced once a year.

Who says? Is it in the service schedule? What happens if you don't?

I thought this was common knowledge?

I've never done it and just fix it when it stops working but you are actually supposed to service Air Con units once a year. They take this more seriously in hotter countries though.

[jamieduff1981]

BritishRacinGrin said:

jamieduff1981 said:

I just fix a/c when it stops working, paradoxically, given that Sump thinks I'm a fool easily ripped off.

But but but preventative maintenance!? I thought you looked after your cars much better than most people?

If there's any rationale. I think I'll just leave you boys to it...

[Motorrad]

Sump said:

I thought this was common knowledge?

I've never done it and just fix it when it stops working but you are actually supposed to service Air Con units once a year. They take this more seriously in hotter countries though.

How can you service the a/c without re-charging it?

I've lived in plenty of hot places and have never heard of anything like a yearly a/c service.


In fact I'd go as far to say that if you just use it regularly there's no need to do anything to it as long as it remains working efficiently.

[jamieduff1981]

Motorrad said:

Sump said:

I thought this was common knowledge?

I've never done it and just fix it when it stops working but you are actually supposed to service Air Con units once a year. They take this more seriously in hotter countries though.

How can you service the a/c without re-charging it?

I've lived in plenty of hot places and have never heard of anything like a yearly a/c service.


In fact I'd go as far to say that if you just use it regularly there's no need to do anything to it as long as it remains working efficiently.

I've had 3 compressors bugger themselves. 2 were knackered bearings and one has just stopped compressing so presumably seals have failed. They're not very serviceable though.