Most of those prices seem high, even for the inflated DC area. But I don't
know what the going rates are in Atlanta.

As far as the transmission fluid, do as Matt said and check your manual.
I'm pretty sure the recommendation is about 100k miles on the tranny
fluid, but check your manual to be safe. I wouldn't want to send you in
the wrong direction and have it cost you. But it's also important to
check the transmission fluid. If it's dark brown, it's probably a good
idea to flush the transmission (or drain and refill it).

If you take a flashlight and look down at the a/c belt under your hood,
you'll probably be able to see some pretty significant cracking of the
ribs where it goes over the tensioner pulley (because the belt is bent
backward). This belt usually starts cracking at around 30k miles or 3
years, so I would expect it probably is a good idea to replace at 40k.

Your car uses Dexron ATF as power steering fluid. There is no maintenance
recommendation in the owner's manual, so I wouldn't do anything to service
it unless you take a sample of fluid from the reservoir and it's
absulotely gross.

Your brake pads should be visually inspected for thickness. Once they
reach 2/32 inch, replace them. If you know what you're looking for, you
can probably see the outer pad through the wheel.

This flush business is something many shops have started doint to increase
profitability. I agree they can be a valuable service under the right
circumstances, but the whole thing winds up being pretty much a racket. A
partnership develops between the dealer and the additive company. The
additive company typically provides the machines as long as you use their
product (or works out some other deal putting the shop on the hook). I'm
not particularly proud that in my shop we are pressured to sell brake,
power steering, coolant, transmission flushes as well as 4wd servicing and
a "performance" oil change which basically runs some detergent oil through
then engine prior to doing an oil change. The shop's recommendation on
the flush services is 2 years/24k miles, which I find particularly gross.
I don't think I've once recommended a power steering or brake flush
(although there is some debate over the value of the brake flush -- I'll
discuss below). I do recommend coolant flushes based on condition of
coolant and maintenance interval (2 years for Hyundai) and transmission
flushes based on fluid condition. The service personnel at the shop
typically receive some sort of spiff to use the additive product. Look
closely at what they're proposing to do in each of these flushes. I'll
bet that each has an additive or some "special" fluid from a particular
automotive chemical supplier. Usually, it's about $.25 to $.5 per service
for the tech. I have no idea how advisors and managers are spiffed, but I
do know that it happens, at least in some cases. That's right; these
products are so good the company pays the shop employees to use them.
Ultimately, it makes the whole thing stink and causes suspicion when such
a service is actually a good idea.

Brake fluid is hydroscopic, meaning water bonds to it. So, if your brake
fluid absorbs water over time, this water can in turn begin to corrode
your metal hydraulic brake components (such as wheel cylinders) and
accelerate their failure or leakage. I personally believe that the brake
hydraulic system is largely a closed system which is rarely open to the
atmosphere. As such, its absorbance of water should be minimal.

I can think of little reason to recommend a power steering flush. There
are some older (pre-90s) GM products (particularly Celebrity, 6000, Ciera,
and Century) which tend to have poor cold assist issues which I have seen
the flushes partially alleviate.

 

'I'm pretty sure the recommendation is about 100k miles on the tranny
fluid, but check your manual to be safe. I wouldn't want to send you in
the wrong direction and have it cost you. But it's also important to
check the transmission fluid. If it's dark brown, it's probably a good
idea to flush the transmission (or drain and refill it).'

REPLY: Dont wait till 100 k. miles to change your trans. fluid ; do it
every 35 or 40 k. miles -- its cheap insurance. Make sure whoever does
it uses a machine that does a complete flush incl. the torque converter.

 

'I'm pretty sure the recommendation is about 100k miles on the tranny
fluid, but check your manual to be safe. I wouldn't want to send you in
the wrong direction and have it cost you. But it's also important to
check the transmission fluid. If it's dark brown, it's probably a good
idea to flush the transmission (or drain and refill it).'

REPLY: Dont wait till 100 k. miles to change your trans. fluid ; do it
every 35 or 40 k. miles -- its cheap insurance. Make sure whoever does
it uses a machine that does a complete flush incl. the torque converter.

 

'I'm pretty sure the recommendation is about 100k miles on the tranny
fluid, but check your manual to be safe. I wouldn't want to send you in
the wrong direction and have it cost you. But it's also important to
check the transmission fluid. If it's dark brown, it's probably a good
idea to flush the transmission (or drain and refill it).'

REPLY: Dont wait till 100 k. miles to change your trans. fluid ; do it
every 35 or 40 k. miles -- its cheap insurance. Make sure whoever does
it uses a machine that does a complete flush incl. the torque converter.

 

dave wrote:
> 'I'm pretty sure the recommendation is about 100k miles on the tranny
> fluid, but check your manual to be safe. I wouldn't want to send you in
> the wrong direction and have it cost you. But it's also important to
> check the transmission fluid. If it's dark brown, it's probably a good
> idea to flush the transmission (or drain and refill it).'
>
> REPLY: Dont wait till 100 k. miles to change your trans. fluid ; do it
> every 35 or 40 k. miles -- its cheap insurance. Make sure whoever does
> it uses a machine that does a complete flush incl. the torque converter.

This reply is an urban legend. Flushes are almost never necessary.
Changing the transmission fluid and filter more often than the manual
recommends is also almost never needed.


Matt

 

dave wrote:
> 'I'm pretty sure the recommendation is about 100k miles on the tranny
> fluid, but check your manual to be safe. I wouldn't want to send you in
> the wrong direction and have it cost you. But it's also important to
> check the transmission fluid. If it's dark brown, it's probably a good
> idea to flush the transmission (or drain and refill it).'
>
> REPLY: Dont wait till 100 k. miles to change your trans. fluid ; do it
> every 35 or 40 k. miles -- its cheap insurance. Make sure whoever does
> it uses a machine that does a complete flush incl. the torque converter.

This reply is an urban legend. Flushes are almost never necessary.
Changing the transmission fluid and filter more often than the manual
recommends is also almost never needed.


Matt

 

dave wrote:
> 'I'm pretty sure the recommendation is about 100k miles on the tranny
> fluid, but check your manual to be safe. I wouldn't want to send you in
> the wrong direction and have it cost you. But it's also important to
> check the transmission fluid. If it's dark brown, it's probably a good
> idea to flush the transmission (or drain and refill it).'
>
> REPLY: Dont wait till 100 k. miles to change your trans. fluid ; do it
> every 35 or 40 k. miles -- its cheap insurance. Make sure whoever does
> it uses a machine that does a complete flush incl. the torque converter.

This reply is an urban legend. Flushes are almost never necessary.
Changing the transmission fluid and filter more often than the manual
recommends is also almost never needed.


Matt

 

Dont wait till 100 k. miles to change your trans. fluid ; do it
every 35 or 40 k. miles -- its cheap insurance. Make sure whoever does
it uses a machine that does a complete flush incl. the torque converter.

This reply is an urban legend. Flushes are almost never necessary.
Changing the transmission fluid and filter more often than the manual
recommends is also almost never needed.
Matt

RESPONSE : This reply is the urban legend ; transmission fluid serves
many important roles , including but not limited to , cooling and
shifting of the transmission internals under pressure . Advertising
100,000 mile changes on transmission fluid, spark plugs, and coolant is
not only unnecessarily risky considering the small negliable price of
routine maintenance , but it is primarily a pitch by the Manufacturer
for the potential Buyer to be awe-struck by thinking he has hardly
anything to do to the car once he buys it. For the Owner who truly
values taking car of his/her car, that person should NEVER listen to
the sensational message that nothing needs changing for 100,000 miles .
That would be simular to a person getting a BLood Test every 50 years.

 

Dont wait till 100 k. miles to change your trans. fluid ; do it
every 35 or 40 k. miles -- its cheap insurance. Make sure whoever does
it uses a machine that does a complete flush incl. the torque converter.

This reply is an urban legend. Flushes are almost never necessary.
Changing the transmission fluid and filter more often than the manual
recommends is also almost never needed.
Matt

RESPONSE : This reply is the urban legend ; transmission fluid serves
many important roles , including but not limited to , cooling and
shifting of the transmission internals under pressure . Advertising
100,000 mile changes on transmission fluid, spark plugs, and coolant is
not only unnecessarily risky considering the small negliable price of
routine maintenance , but it is primarily a pitch by the Manufacturer
for the potential Buyer to be awe-struck by thinking he has hardly
anything to do to the car once he buys it. For the Owner who truly
values taking car of his/her car, that person should NEVER listen to
the sensational message that nothing needs changing for 100,000 miles .
That would be simular to a person getting a BLood Test every 50 years.

 

Dont wait till 100 k. miles to change your trans. fluid ; do it
every 35 or 40 k. miles -- its cheap insurance. Make sure whoever does
it uses a machine that does a complete flush incl. the torque converter.

This reply is an urban legend. Flushes are almost never necessary.
Changing the transmission fluid and filter more often than the manual
recommends is also almost never needed.
Matt

RESPONSE : This reply is the urban legend ; transmission fluid serves
many important roles , including but not limited to , cooling and
shifting of the transmission internals under pressure . Advertising
100,000 mile changes on transmission fluid, spark plugs, and coolant is
not only unnecessarily risky considering the small negliable price of
routine maintenance , but it is primarily a pitch by the Manufacturer
for the potential Buyer to be awe-struck by thinking he has hardly
anything to do to the car once he buys it. For the Owner who truly
values taking car of his/her car, that person should NEVER listen to
the sensational message that nothing needs changing for 100,000 miles .
That would be simular to a person getting a BLood Test every 50 years.

 

dave wrote:
> Dont wait till 100 k. miles to change your trans. fluid ; do it
> every 35 or 40 k. miles -- its cheap insurance. Make sure whoever does
> it uses a machine that does a complete flush incl. the torque converter.
>
> This reply is an urban legend. Flushes are almost never necessary.
> Changing the transmission fluid and filter more often than the manual
> recommends is also almost never needed.
> Matt
>
> RESPONSE : This reply is the urban legend ; transmission fluid serves
> many important roles , including but not limited to , cooling and
> shifting of the transmission internals under pressure . Advertising
> 100,000 mile changes on transmission fluid, spark plugs, and coolant is
> not only unnecessarily risky considering the small negliable price of
> routine maintenance , but it is primarily a pitch by the Manufacturer
> for the potential Buyer to be awe-struck by thinking he has hardly
> anything to do to the car once he buys it. For the Owner who truly
> values taking car of his/her car, that person should NEVER listen to
> the sensational message that nothing needs changing for 100,000 miles .
> That would be simular to a person getting a BLood Test every 50 years.

It's your money, waste it at will.

Matt

 

dave wrote:
> Dont wait till 100 k. miles to change your trans. fluid ; do it
> every 35 or 40 k. miles -- its cheap insurance. Make sure whoever does
> it uses a machine that does a complete flush incl. the torque converter.
>
> This reply is an urban legend. Flushes are almost never necessary.
> Changing the transmission fluid and filter more often than the manual
> recommends is also almost never needed.
> Matt
>
> RESPONSE : This reply is the urban legend ; transmission fluid serves
> many important roles , including but not limited to , cooling and
> shifting of the transmission internals under pressure . Advertising
> 100,000 mile changes on transmission fluid, spark plugs, and coolant is
> not only unnecessarily risky considering the small negliable price of
> routine maintenance , but it is primarily a pitch by the Manufacturer
> for the potential Buyer to be awe-struck by thinking he has hardly
> anything to do to the car once he buys it. For the Owner who truly
> values taking car of his/her car, that person should NEVER listen to
> the sensational message that nothing needs changing for 100,000 miles .
> That would be simular to a person getting a BLood Test every 50 years.

It's your money, waste it at will.

Matt

 

dave wrote:
> Dont wait till 100 k. miles to change your trans. fluid ; do it
> every 35 or 40 k. miles -- its cheap insurance. Make sure whoever does
> it uses a machine that does a complete flush incl. the torque converter.
>
> This reply is an urban legend. Flushes are almost never necessary.
> Changing the transmission fluid and filter more often than the manual
> recommends is also almost never needed.
> Matt
>
> RESPONSE : This reply is the urban legend ; transmission fluid serves
> many important roles , including but not limited to , cooling and
> shifting of the transmission internals under pressure . Advertising
> 100,000 mile changes on transmission fluid, spark plugs, and coolant is
> not only unnecessarily risky considering the small negliable price of
> routine maintenance , but it is primarily a pitch by the Manufacturer
> for the potential Buyer to be awe-struck by thinking he has hardly
> anything to do to the car once he buys it. For the Owner who truly
> values taking car of his/her car, that person should NEVER listen to
> the sensational message that nothing needs changing for 100,000 miles .
> That would be simular to a person getting a BLood Test every 50 years.

It's your money, waste it at will.

Matt

 

Your response is pretty much what I have always felt, across the board.

Regarding the brake system flush, I could even see where one might want to
take such additional precautions with ABS, but not otherwise.

My problem is that fewer and fewer garages are doing the tranny fluid and
filter change - most have gone to these machines. If I have a tranny fluid
drain bolt, I will do it myself (Hyundai's and Kia's usually have them, most
others don't).

Tom Wenndt


"hyundaitech" <notpublic@not.public.com> wrote in message
news:f22bc51c6246ca1e61704763003775a7@localhost.ta lkaboutautos.com...
> Most of those prices seem high, even for the inflated DC area. But I
> don't
> know what the going rates are in Atlanta.
>
> As far as the transmission fluid, do as Matt said and check your manual.
> I'm pretty sure the recommendation is about 100k miles on the tranny
> fluid, but check your manual to be safe. I wouldn't want to send you in
> the wrong direction and have it cost you. But it's also important to
> check the transmission fluid. If it's dark brown, it's probably a good
> idea to flush the transmission (or drain and refill it).
>
> If you take a flashlight and look down at the a/c belt under your hood,
> you'll probably be able to see some pretty significant cracking of the
> ribs where it goes over the tensioner pulley (because the belt is bent
> backward). This belt usually starts cracking at around 30k miles or 3
> years, so I would expect it probably is a good idea to replace at 40k.
>
> Your car uses Dexron ATF as power steering fluid. There is no maintenance
> recommendation in the owner's manual, so I wouldn't do anything to service
> it unless you take a sample of fluid from the reservoir and it's
> absulotely gross.
>
> Your brake pads should be visually inspected for thickness. Once they
> reach 2/32 inch, replace them. If you know what you're looking for, you
> can probably see the outer pad through the wheel.
>
> This flush business is something many shops have started doint to increase
> profitability. I agree they can be a valuable service under the right
> circumstances, but the whole thing winds up being pretty much a racket. A
> partnership develops between the dealer and the additive company. The
> additive company typically provides the machines as long as you use their
> product (or works out some other deal putting the shop on the hook). I'm
> not particularly proud that in my shop we are pressured to sell brake,
> power steering, coolant, transmission flushes as well as 4wd servicing and
> a "performance" oil change which basically runs some detergent oil through
> then engine prior to doing an oil change. The shop's recommendation on
> the flush services is 2 years/24k miles, which I find particularly gross.
> I don't think I've once recommended a power steering or brake flush
> (although there is some debate over the value of the brake flush -- I'll
> discuss below). I do recommend coolant flushes based on condition of
> coolant and maintenance interval (2 years for Hyundai) and transmission
> flushes based on fluid condition. The service personnel at the shop
> typically receive some sort of spiff to use the additive product. Look
> closely at what they're proposing to do in each of these flushes. I'll
> bet that each has an additive or some "special" fluid from a particular
> automotive chemical supplier. Usually, it's about $.25 to $.5 per service
> for the tech. I have no idea how advisors and managers are spiffed, but I
> do know that it happens, at least in some cases. That's right; these
> products are so good the company pays the shop employees to use them.
> Ultimately, it makes the whole thing stink and causes suspicion when such
> a service is actually a good idea.
>
> Brake fluid is hydroscopic, meaning water bonds to it. So, if your brake
> fluid absorbs water over time, this water can in turn begin to corrode
> your metal hydraulic brake components (such as wheel cylinders) and
> accelerate their failure or leakage. I personally believe that the brake
> hydraulic system is largely a closed system which is rarely open to the
> atmosphere. As such, its absorbance of water should be minimal.
>
> I can think of little reason to recommend a power steering flush. There
> are some older (pre-90s) GM products (particularly Celebrity, 6000, Ciera,
> and Century) which tend to have poor cold assist issues which I have seen
> the flushes partially alleviate.
>

 

Your response is pretty much what I have always felt, across the board.

Regarding the brake system flush, I could even see where one might want to
take such additional precautions with ABS, but not otherwise.

My problem is that fewer and fewer garages are doing the tranny fluid and
filter change - most have gone to these machines. If I have a tranny fluid
drain bolt, I will do it myself (Hyundai's and Kia's usually have them, most
others don't).

Tom Wenndt


"hyundaitech" <notpublic@not.public.com> wrote in message
news:f22bc51c6246ca1e61704763003775a7@localhost.ta lkaboutautos.com...
> Most of those prices seem high, even for the inflated DC area. But I
> don't
> know what the going rates are in Atlanta.
>
> As far as the transmission fluid, do as Matt said and check your manual.
> I'm pretty sure the recommendation is about 100k miles on the tranny
> fluid, but check your manual to be safe. I wouldn't want to send you in
> the wrong direction and have it cost you. But it's also important to
> check the transmission fluid. If it's dark brown, it's probably a good
> idea to flush the transmission (or drain and refill it).
>
> If you take a flashlight and look down at the a/c belt under your hood,
> you'll probably be able to see some pretty significant cracking of the
> ribs where it goes over the tensioner pulley (because the belt is bent
> backward). This belt usually starts cracking at around 30k miles or 3
> years, so I would expect it probably is a good idea to replace at 40k.
>
> Your car uses Dexron ATF as power steering fluid. There is no maintenance
> recommendation in the owner's manual, so I wouldn't do anything to service
> it unless you take a sample of fluid from the reservoir and it's
> absulotely gross.
>
> Your brake pads should be visually inspected for thickness. Once they
> reach 2/32 inch, replace them. If you know what you're looking for, you
> can probably see the outer pad through the wheel.
>
> This flush business is something many shops have started doint to increase
> profitability. I agree they can be a valuable service under the right
> circumstances, but the whole thing winds up being pretty much a racket. A
> partnership develops between the dealer and the additive company. The
> additive company typically provides the machines as long as you use their
> product (or works out some other deal putting the shop on the hook). I'm
> not particularly proud that in my shop we are pressured to sell brake,
> power steering, coolant, transmission flushes as well as 4wd servicing and
> a "performance" oil change which basically runs some detergent oil through
> then engine prior to doing an oil change. The shop's recommendation on
> the flush services is 2 years/24k miles, which I find particularly gross.
> I don't think I've once recommended a power steering or brake flush
> (although there is some debate over the value of the brake flush -- I'll
> discuss below). I do recommend coolant flushes based on condition of
> coolant and maintenance interval (2 years for Hyundai) and transmission
> flushes based on fluid condition. The service personnel at the shop
> typically receive some sort of spiff to use the additive product. Look
> closely at what they're proposing to do in each of these flushes. I'll
> bet that each has an additive or some "special" fluid from a particular
> automotive chemical supplier. Usually, it's about $.25 to $.5 per service
> for the tech. I have no idea how advisors and managers are spiffed, but I
> do know that it happens, at least in some cases. That's right; these
> products are so good the company pays the shop employees to use them.
> Ultimately, it makes the whole thing stink and causes suspicion when such
> a service is actually a good idea.
>
> Brake fluid is hydroscopic, meaning water bonds to it. So, if your brake
> fluid absorbs water over time, this water can in turn begin to corrode
> your metal hydraulic brake components (such as wheel cylinders) and
> accelerate their failure or leakage. I personally believe that the brake
> hydraulic system is largely a closed system which is rarely open to the
> atmosphere. As such, its absorbance of water should be minimal.
>
> I can think of little reason to recommend a power steering flush. There
> are some older (pre-90s) GM products (particularly Celebrity, 6000, Ciera,
> and Century) which tend to have poor cold assist issues which I have seen
> the flushes partially alleviate.
>