I did a radiator drain/refill a couple of weeks ago. Coolant was in there for a little over a year. Came out looking brand new. That's what I like to see, imo, it means your keeping the fluids clean and in tip top shape.
I've never done a brake fluid flush on any vehicle I've ever owned, does that make my vehicles a ticking time bomb?If you desire brake fluid flushes, fuel injection flushes, batteries replaced because “it’s weak” shocks/struts replaced “because they are old”, and every other money making scheme, get over to a Firestone service center.
I would say most auto repair establishments, not just Firestone's.If you desire brake fluid flushes, fuel injection flushes, batteries replaced because “it’s weak” shocks/struts replaced “because they are old”, and every other money making scheme, get over to a Firestone service center.
I was having a hard time finding test strips so I ordered a electronic tester. Opened a brand new bottle of prestone DOT3 fluid - on the shelf maybe a year, safety seal still intact and tested it. 2.5%. Huh? Opened a second bottle still safety sealed. 3%. Tested my 2 old Nissan's - were probably changed 3 or 4 years ago. One shows 2%, one shows 4%. Must be bad tester - sent it back.I've never done a brake fluid flush on any vehicle I've ever owned, does that make my vehicles a ticking time bomb?
That’s interesting and I appreciate you testing and posting the results. Could these testers be designed just for the sole purpose of selling brake fluid flushes? Who knows. The results of the test you’ve posted reinforces my personal thoughts which I’ve been slayed here for stating… most times this service isn’t needed. We drive street cars. Not track cars.I was having a hard time finding test strips so I ordered a electronic tester. Opened a brand new bottle of prestone DOT3 fluid - on the shelf maybe a year, safety seal still intact and tested it. 2.5%. Huh? Opened a second bottle still safety sealed. 3%. Tested my 2 old Nissan's - were probably changed 3 or 4 years ago. One shows 2%, one shows 4%. Must be bad tester - sent it back.
Ordered different brand. It shows up - but looks the same. Tested all of the above, got about the same numbers. Went to walmart and bought 2 brand new Prestone DOT 3 fluid. Tested them - 1 is at 1% and the other at 1.5%. Added a little water to each in a small cup. It went up - so its working in the right direction at some level. Realize they tell you to change it at 2% and its reading 1 and 1.5% out of the bottle.
So - I have not idea. Assuming the tester is not accurate but at least relatively comparable to some level - how can a brand new sealed bottle on my shelf for a year have more water in it than Fluid in my truck for several years - irrelevant of what the % really is?
I guess I need some test strips.
So true. I was watching a YT video of a guy who was giving a tour of his shop. One of his technicians was doing an inspection on a vehicle which was in for routine maintenance. The vehicle had a nail in two tires. I wondered how the customer would react. Would the customer claim that the technician placed nails in the tires or simply agree to a patch and replacement or do nothing because they're holding air?It makes a huge difference financially if one can do their own maintenance vs relying on shops or dealers to do it. Shop rates are very high and given the industry’s shady reputation, I can see how some people wait until things break instead of being proactive. It’s hard for them to tell if they are being lied to or not.
BITOG crowd has a very skewed perspective. We are enthusiasts and even if we don’t perform the work ourselves, we can usually tell if something needs to be done or not. An average person relies on the technician, service writer or their Indy mechanic to tell them what needs to be done. Unfortunately many in the industry use the customers lack of knowledge to either up-sell unneeded service or down right rip them off.
These kind of stories spread quite rapidly, especially these days and leave a long lasting and negative impression.
In Ohio? No.I've never done a brake fluid flush on any vehicle I've ever owned, does that make my vehicles a ticking time bomb?
There's little reason not do one's own maintenance these days. With very little mechanical skills or knowledge, it's easy to do at least preventive maintenance, if not even more complex tasks, considering Youtube will certainly have several "how to" videos for just about any vehicle made. Unless it's something major that I don't have the tools to do, I do all of my own maintenance...It makes a huge difference financially if one can do their own maintenance vs relying on shops or dealers to do it. Shop rates are very high and given the industry’s shady reputation, I can see how some people wait until things break instead of being proactive. It’s hard for them to tell if they are being lied to or not.
BITOG crowd has a very skewed perspective. We are enthusiasts and even if we don’t perform the work ourselves, we can usually tell if something needs to be done or not. An average person relies on the technician, service writer or their Indy mechanic to tell them what needs to be done. Unfortunately many in the industry use the customers lack of knowledge to either up-sell unneeded service or down right rip them off.
These kind of stories spread quite rapidly, especially these days and leave a long lasting and negative impression.
For a while now, I've wondered how most people afford just regular maintenance
No question, but people like us are a minority,There's little reason not do one's own maintenance these days. With very little mechanical skills or knowledge, it's easy to do at least preventive maintenance, if not even more complex tasks, considering Youtube will certainly have several "how to" videos for just about any vehicle made. Unless it's something major that I don't have the tools to do, I do all of my own maintenance...
There's a short list of things which prevent me from doing all of my own maintenance however three of the top four are listed below in order of importance.There's little reason not do one's own maintenance these days. With very little mechanical skills or knowledge, it's easy to do at least preventive maintenance, if not even more complex tasks, considering Youtube will certainly have several "how to" videos for just about any vehicle made. Unless it's something major that I don't have the tools to do, I do all of my own maintenance...
Other than oil changes-as stated this would be true for the first 50,000 miles. There is nothing that is gong to ruin a vehicle in that amount of time. I even question how much sludge you would have build up without frequent oil changes......in that amount of time."The car is new, it doesn't need any maintenance".
Yes-I have an original term I have coined since joining BITOG for this "over maintaining". It's a BITOG Money flush.Even when i was a service advisor in the early 90's i wondered how people afforded to pay for service. Id be calling people thinking "Geez I'm glad I can do this myself."
A lot (Most of all?) service centers over sell maintenance.
I'd argue most BITOG's over maintain.
Follow the factory schedule, using quality products, don't fix what isn't broke you will be fine.