Did the shop perform the work I paid for? Brake Flush and Oil Change with photos.

[Owen Lucas]

Visited my Honda dealer to have the engine oil / filter, rear differential fluid, and brake flush (required by Honda every 3 years and not a DIY service for me) on a 2020 CRV with 10k miles for a family member. The vehicle was in the service bay for an hour based on the dashcam footage and can see the hood was popped but nothing else. Can a tech perform all 3 service items in an hour?

For the differential I think I see an oily spot under the diff which leads me to believe the service was completed.

I can't tell if the brake flush was done though. I looked at the brake bleeders and caps and I do not see any traces of brake fluid around them or that they were disturbed. I am not familiar with the equipment used to flush the brakes by Honda but it is apparently a machine that mounts onto the brake reservoir and pushes fluid through the system to some attachment on the bleeders. Is it possible it was completed without having any oil drip off or around the bleeders? I didn't remove the wheels to check but they were rotated, from front to rear and not in an X pattern though.

Naturally I checked the oil after the service and it looked a little dark, like maybe all the oil wasn't drained or the filter was skipped? It was also a little high, overfilled? Should I worry with the 1.5 Turbo? The shop confirmed they replace filters for all oil changes. I tried to get under the vehicle to see if the filter was changed but the under engine shields made it difficult. I think I saw some dust on the can and maybe what was a dried wet spot possibly from the AC condensate and road dust, but after 10 miles I'm not sure if it should accumulate anything.

When I change my oil its completely clear on the dipstick, not here:

This is one of the reasons I do 90% of my own work as I know it was done and a tech didn't just bring it in the shop, reset the maintenance minder, get the interior oily, and return the car. I'm leaning towards the work being done but don't like how the brake fluid and engine oil cannot be 100% verified. I'm tempted to change the oil out of an abundance of caution to perform a UOA and inspect the filter next time I visit family. These are older people that don't drive the vehicle a lot but I want to make sure I am getting what was paid for.

 

[PontiacHO]

I’m with you. I don’t trust these types of services that are easy to hide the actual finished product. The brake flush at 10k is a total moneymaking farce.

 

[Zee09]

They probably seen the low mileage and did a wallet flush instead.

 

[Owen Lucas]

I’m with you. I don’t trust these types of services that are easy to hide the actual finished product. The brake flush at 10k is a total moneymaking farce.

They probably seen the low mileage and did a wallet flush instead.

I agree, but the Maintenance Minder code came up for it and it had to be done for warranty purposes by Honda. It's in the manual and a service code on the info cluster Had it been an random upsell I would have denied it. The rear diff fluid was going to come up too so I had it done early (break in fluid).

 

[Zee09]

I agree, but the Maintenance Minder code came up for it and it had to be done for warranty purposes by Honda. It's in the manual and a service code on the info cluster Had it been an random upsell I would have denied it. The rear diff fluid was going to come up too so I had it done early (break in fluid).

Nothing on you of course.. just saying

 

[AutoMechanic]

That oil looks a little dirty. We have gotten batches of bulk oil that has been darker than others before so maybe something like that is the case here. That’s part of the reason I would never run bulk oil in a car. Maybe they didn’t do it at all too that’s a possibility. At my dealership those are all considered express services so there is a team of techs that work on it not just one so that maybe why it was done so quickly. We also don’t do cross rotates either we only do front to back. That’s how I learned so I think they done good there.

 

[himemsys]

Many years ago I took my Accord for a brake flush. I commented at the darkish fluid in the reservoir when I picked it up and they admitted they just siphoned and refilled the reservoir. They claimed that was standard procedure for brake flushes.

 

[Owen Lucas]

Many years ago I took my Accord for a brake flush. I commented at the darkish fluid in the reservoir when I picked it up and they admitted they just siphoned and refilled the reservoir. They claimed that was standard procedure for brake flushes.

Was this at the dealer? That is pretty much fraud. I hope they refunded you.

That's my concern here, even if they didn't perform the flush I think the system would be fine but still, it's the principle of getting what you paid for.

 

[Zee09]

I think they didn't change the oil filter. My local Honda dealership did the 2 OCI on one filter trick and would even tell customers that upfront.

 

[Hall]

Many years ago I took my Accord for a brake flush. I commented at the darkish fluid in the reservoir when I picked it up and they admitted they just siphoned and refilled the reservoir. They claimed that was standard procedure for brake flushes.

Eric the Car Guy, from YouTube, was an Acura mechanic for years, and said many of his co-workers did just that when the work order called for a "brake fluid exchange". I guess technically they are exchanging (some) brake fluid. It would be hard to prove otherwise unless you are able to watch the work. Maybe mark the bleeder caps to see if they're moved, i.e. removed and replaced ?

 

[Hall]

I think they didn't change the oil filter. My local Honda dealership did the 2 OCI on one filter trick and would even tell customers that upfront.

This is acceptable to Honda of America but if you pay for an "oil and filter change", that's fraud. If the OP paid for an "A 1, 6, 7" service, the dealer could get away with it. Well, maybe not the "7" part in this situation but no one can say.

 

[Hall]

even if they didn't perform the flush I think the system would be fine but still, it's the principle of getting what you paid for.

You're right - the car will be fine. It's that they charged you for something that they may not have done.

 

[Zee09]

This is acceptable to Honda of America but if you pay for an "oil and filter change", that's fraud. If the OP paid for an "A 1, 6, 7" service, the dealer could get away with it. Well, maybe not the "7" part in this situation but no one can say.

No argument from me.
Dealership is synonymous with fraud

 

[The Critic]

Easily doable in under an hour. I can do those in under an hour on jack stands, so very easily doable on a lift.

A rinse with brake cleaner will remove all traces of brake fluid.

Honda 1.5t oil looks like diesel oil. New oil, even after a short runtime, will look like that.

 

[Zee09]

Easily doable in under an hour. I can do those in under an hour on jack stands, so very easily doable on a lift.

A rinse with brake cleaner will remove all traces of brake fluid.

Honda 1.5t oil looks like diesel oil. New oil, even after a short runtime, will look like that.

Geez Critic...
I can do nothing in less than a half hour..how do you like those apples

 

[Owen Lucas]

I think they didn't change the oil filter. My local Honda dealership did the 2 OCI on one filter trick and would even tell customers that upfront.

I'll report back next time I visit family, OC and UOA. This time I'm driving, with tools!

 

[edyvw]

I’m with you. I don’t trust these types of services that are easy to hide the actual finished product. The brake flush at 10k is a total moneymaking farce.

Brake fluid is time-based interval!

 

[TheOilWizard]

Eric the Car Guy, from YouTube, was an Acura mechanic for years, and said many of his co-workers did just that when the work order called for a "brake fluid exchange". I guess technically they are exchanging (some) brake fluid. It would be hard to prove otherwise unless you are able to watch the work. Maybe mark the bleeder caps to see if they're moved, i.e. removed and replaced ?

I remember seeing this episode too and it's really disappointing to hear.

What's the point of only replacing the fluid in the master cylinder? The fluid does not circulate in the brake system, so brake fluid in some of the most critical areas remains unchanged.

 

[fantastic]

Anyone had lug nuts coming loose after visiting the tire shop? My point is, unfortunately, there are "Sketchy" behaviors that are repetitive in some shops. There are good shops around but they are few & far between. I hate to add more doubt about your service but at the very least it's been recorded so if a warranty claim comes around you're covered at least on that end.

You're doing your best & that's the correct action. You could try visiting a different dealer & mention to them to have a manager inspect the work to be completed. This will at least get their attention & perhaps relieve some doubt about the work being completed. Just make sure you get documents, at least, to get warranty claims if needed.

 

[Hall]

What's the point of only replacing the fluid in the master cylinder?

Because for 99% of vehicle owners, it's all they can "check", presuming they check. They remove the cap, fluid looks clean and clear, they're happy.