Hello,

I recently got my oil changed on my 97 accord v6 that has 102,000 miles. Since the car has over 100k on it I get the high mileage oil and the high mileage filter. I will not mention the name of the business in hopes of more responses.

They also mentioned that I needed some fluid work. I declined and had him write down the list and this is what they gave me...

Here it goes:

1. Engine Flush - dissolves sludge, improves performance, extends engine life----$89.99

2. Transmission SUPER Service- Transmission fluid exchange. Plus a Transmission system cleaner & premium Transmission Treatement. Removes harmful sludge and varnich and extends your transmission life.-----$134.99

3. Radiator SUPER Flush- Radiator fluid exchange. Plus a service cleaner and protectant. Removes contaminants, increases performance, stops leaks and reduces friction. Conventional-----$94.99

4. Power Steering Fluid Exchange------$74.99

5. Two-step Fuel system Cleaner- Restores power and performance and improves fuel economy------$74.99

GRAND TOTAL---$469.95

Let me know what you think and which of the above are really necessary.

Thanks Travis

 

I'll try to make this quick and answer your questions by number:
1. That's BS. they will dump an additive into your oil you could buy yourself at walmart for $10. then they will drain & refill the oil. Total Rip off
2. This service will destroy your transmission. They hook your trans up to a flushing machine. Don't do it. those machines have destroyed many a transmission. Honda trans need to be drained& refilled only.
3. You can do it yourself with a water hose and a can of coolant. i guarantee you that is all they will use. Total rip off
4. If you want the PS fluid flushed, I would go to a different shop to do it. $75 for a PS fluid flush is also a major rip off
5. All that is is seafoam, you can do it youself for the cost of a can of seafoam (under $10) again a major rip off

My advice to you is: Find a new shop. This one is trying to rip you off.

 

Engine flush:
Simplist way is to buy a bottle of stuff for $10 & the instructions usually call for pouring it into the crankcase & idling for 10 minutes before you change oil.
If you have any specific reason to believe there's a lot of sludge in the engine, THEN you can do something more profound.

Tranny:
Honda trannies don't like extra stuff, additives, etc. Get some genuine Honda ATF; enough to change tranny fluid 2 or 3 times. If you have any SPECIFIC reason to think there's a lot of sludge, then do it more than 3 times.

Radiator:
Good idea, but maybe you can do this yourself? Check condition of antifreeze. Any visible scale in the radiator? Any signs of overheating during summertime?

P/S fluid:
Buy a turkey baster that's never gonna go into your kitchen. Suck the PS fluid out of the reservoir & put in fresh. Drive around & do it again a few times. You can buy a LOT of fluid for $75. Make sure it says "FOR HONDA" because that stuff IS different. If it says 'for all cars', DO NOT BELIEVE THAT.

Fuel system:
Bottle of Techron for $10, pour into gas tank. ...unless you have specific reason to think something's clogged up.

Save your money, because you WILL need to get the timing belt changed. That ain't cheap and it's not an easy DIY for a beginner.

 

^ agreed. Call and get a quote for a timing belt service. At 100k miles you are already past due for one (you need tbelt, water punp, seals, drivebelts changed & tensioners checked.) Whip out the yellow pages and look for a Honda Certified shop locally. You could get a dealer to do it, but they will charge you $100 more than a Honda Cwertified shop will charge you for the same work. Some shops may include fluid changes with the tbelt service.

 

I will not mention the name of the business in hopes of more responses
sounds like Midas or Goodyear or Firestone. Find a new business to service your car. Fllow Jim Bs excellent advice for the fluid maintenance. I would add that changing the brake fluid, if you have ABS, is not a bad idea. Some of the better mechanics will accomplish this by expressing fluid when they change the pads.

 

Yeah, good point. Brake fluid should be changed every 2 years or so. It absorbs moisture from the air & that makes it corrosive.

 

Or PepBoys, or Car Care Clinic, or any of the chain service centers.

x2 on the brake fluid as well.

Hey Jim.....I thought brake fluid was already corrosive anyway?

 

Those prices sound a tad high but not that far off from what I've seen at places like grease monkey, that's about what they charge but it's a rip off... As mentioned you can do all of that stuff yourself for probably around $50 (depending on fluid costs etc...). There are LOTS of people on here who can walk you through step by step how to do it, also go to our DIY section and there is a link there for a place to download a free pdf manual for your car.

 

If you want to become familiar with routine maintenance and minor performance upgrades, check here for a bunch of DIY's with pictures: http://filtsai.com/accord/index.php
That link is on pg 2 of the DIY section

 

Brake fluid's corrosive to paint & some plated surfaces. But I think it's the dissolved oxygen carried in with the water that creates the classical corrosion (oxidation) inside the hydraulic system.

Is there a chemist in the house? I bet the poly glycols don't make any of their own oxygen available for oxidation of the metal stuff.