Your Car Doesn't Need These 2 Expensive "Services" Don't Fall For The "Wallet Flush"
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- In today's video, we explore the two most recommended and unnecessary add-on maintenance items. I will answer the question of whether or not you need to do automotive maintenance that's not listed in your owners manual or recommended by the auto manufacturer.
Link to Fuel System Cleaner that Contains PEA - goo.gl/Ejr4Zm
Pneumatic Fluid Extractor - goo.gl/oZ1y1f
Manual Fluid Extractor - goo.gl/ZmEu7F
How to find Owner's Manuals online. justgivemethed...
List of Top Tier Fuels - www.consumerre...
Link to Massive Dealer Estimate Video - • I Took A 400k Mile E55...
Who has never had these 2 services done yet your car is still running like a champ? List make, model, year and miles. Go!
Hmm, your claim about your car producing the same HP on the Dyno as it did 19 years ago. I think you should be more specific there and say that it produced the same HP as the manufacturer claimed when the car was new. Unless you have dyno results from 19 years ago. You know as well as I do that some motors are underrated from the manufacturer. So it very well could have been making more than the claimed HP when new. Just saying. Love your vids. thank you for exposing possible rip offs! Curious if you have any experience using Sea Foam in the ways people talk about using it. Not necessarily just in the gas tank, but in the oil and then change oil after short driving period, or in the vacuum lines?
LegitStreetCars My Subaru Legacy 2009 has just completed 200,000 miles without any issues. Haven’t even changed the spark plugs since new.
My E55 running strong as ever, never done anything other than the recommended stuff. 100,000 on the clock and just feels like new.
Ford Focus Mk1 200k+ (200k on the clock, but the speed sensor doesn't work 50% of the time so don't know the real mileage) miles on it, never done any of that, or any other service really, the engine runs great and all, just the transmission synchros are getting a little worn, but that's not really an issue.
I had a hilarious dealer experience a few years back with the gm lock cylinder recall, I took 2 cars in the same kind of cars one with a new clutch and master bearings and struts the other without. A few hours later the dealer called letting me know that the clutch should be replaced on the the red car. That was the one with all the work and they wanted to flush the fluid from the brake master. It was brand new. I asked about the other car with half the miles and they said no it was fine. Honestly It could have used a flush. So I doubt they even popped the hood of either car. I politely declined the services.
2000 Acura TL had it in the family since new when my dad bought it and did all the major services after I took ownership 2 years ago to make sure all fluids and filters were fresh, then proceed to follow all maintenance procedures according to the owners manual. No flushes or injector services and the power steering pump, injectors, and various other components are all original.
Only time I dumped money on the car was doing a full exhaust upgrade, cold air intake, new sway bars and paint that ran me up $3500 because I wanted to XD Now another grand to fix the leaking metal fuel tank (bad design by Honda)
So called "lifetime" transmission fluid is the reason transmissions always grenade themselves. BMW claims lifetime fluid on ZF transmissions, but ZF themselves say it needs to be changed
Yes I’ve been saying this over and over again. If you don’t change your fluids you deserve for the dealer to take your money.
Tehgziz Lauw I'm convinced lifetime means life of warranty. Personally I'm fine changing trans, diff and coolant fluids at intervals that I feel comfortable with.
I’ve always assumed lifetime was 100k but either way...
As Mike Miller says about the meaning of lifetime fluids (and I paraphrase): When the component fails that's the lifetime of the fluid. Replace the component with new fluid.
wondering if alex has a professional opinion on this topic. i've heard both sides of the transmission debate. people say never to flush them since they are sealed from everything and others says to replace it. i'm guessing what car is involved makes a difference.
Lifetime transmission fluid,The biggest lie from automotive industry.
long life coolant? lol...warranty would be WAY over when the vehicle's cooling system and that "long life" coolant gets old enough. Car manufacturer would sure take that chance and say whatever they want to.
Yep My Audi says lifetime but the transmission manufacturer ZF say 80,000 to 120,000km or every 8 years on my ZF 8HP.
Yep. Never change it. When it fails it’s life is over. Then you’ll either need to spend thousands on a new transmission or buy a new car. From the same thieves that told you about the lifetime transmission fluid.
At least mercedes saw the lifetime thing being no good and has recommended changes.
2004 E55 AMG 141k miles. Runs great. I am a Mercedes-Benz technician myself and I’m glad we don’t sell those “maintenance services.”
I’ve had customers ask for Startek infos maintenance sheets. Such good info on this page, keep it up.
This type of practical advice is what is needed to be shown to people. Thanks for being so down to earth and taking the time to explain things to those of us without wrenches.
I miss the Alex that would give honest advice like this.
Fuel flush? I believe that's just called driving.
Dont even get me started on "lifetime" and "sealed for life" transmissions. That is such a marketing gimmick. That could be a whole other video lol
nick elias they still post intervals when it actually needs the trans fluid changed lol
Depends on what you drive. Most toyotas drive on original fluids with no problem for ove 200+k miles. But most nissans will messed up the transmissions of you dont do it every 30k-50k
nick elias Lifetime was a complete scam the manufacturers spent huge amounts marketing and brainwashing with this idea. Because they had almost solved the rust problems of the past they needed a way to shorten the life of the cars. Interestingly many manufacturers conceded and now publish an interval.
No such thing as a lifetime fluid in a car at all
Yup. Mercedes was one of them. Now they reccomend a change at 39,000 miles. Lifetime means the programmed life of the transmission and not the life of the vehicle. Most manufactures make cars disposable but you can prolong that by not following the "lifetime fill" reccomendations. On my Ford F150 it says first transmission fluid change is done at 150k miles.... in a vehicle that might be towing 10k pounds. By then your tranamission will be toast.
2001 330i still runs like new and has only had, oil, tires, and spark plugs replaced over the 18 years and almost 200,000 miles she had lived, and like I said runs amazing.
nice! manual or auto?
if your cooling system hasnt blown up yet?! Must have a crack somewhere thats relieving pressure.
I say just run pure cleaner instead of gasoline.
Just use seafoam instead of gasoline 😂
This is a breath of fresh air,honesty,integrity and straight talking.They've been pushing these snake oil remedies since cars hit the road and it's time somebody called bullshit on this money raking tactic.If anybody needs to burn through some more money for no gain,getting the tires inflated with nitrogen is another con.
If you believe life time service intervals you deserve the problems you will get.
If you plan to scrap the car at 100k then we can call it lifetime.
Strongly agreed... Don't even get me started on things without oil dipsticks. Never going to happen in my garage.
My BMW doesn’t have one I absolutely hate that about it. I mean the electronic gauge is good and all unless you need to check it when the car is off. Obviously you understand the problems associated with that.
I also understand the problems with electronic sensors failing and letting shit run out of oil. A metal rod in a tube isn't too likely to let me down often.
Ideally I'd like both. A low level indicator and a dipstick. My 1989 2.5L Chevy S10 had that and that truck had manual steering...
Well at least I'm not the only person to know the ripoff effect of "lifetime" fluids.
I know nothing of cars, id like to be able to work on them myself one day. Your videos are helping me understand the intricacy. Thank you.
If it isn't Juicy himself.
i had the fuel injector service and i DID notice the car running a little smoother and it no longer lags when i press the gas, i got the car used with 80k miles and im almost convinced that the previous owner would sometimes put cheap gas in it. i plan on keeping the car forever and i want it to be as close to perfect as possible lolol
I changed my power steering fluid at 180,000 kms using your turkey baster method. Worked fine. I also installed a magnefine filter on the return hose and all noises went away. The fluid is still very clean at 320,000 kms today.
13 years ago the dealership tried to tell me that my 2004 Toyota Tacoma 4wheel drive with the 3RZ engine needed an injector cleaning service. I said no way and never went back for another service. Now 13 years later its never had a fuel injector cleaning done and it runs exactly as it did brand new.
215,000 miles now.
Great video. 94 Camry. bought it with 150k miles, drove 2 years and 25k miles, gave to my mom (who neglects oil changes until I ask) and car now has 250k-ish miles. Never flushed anything other than radiator (when it needed replacement). Never a misfire or engine code...always promoted Costco/Shell/Phillips/TopTier fuels. Turkey baster in my tool box.
If you go even 6 months without an oil change you need a lobotomy performed. Half of the manufacturers use cheap oil filters made in extremely high production and not nearly as good as aftermarket filters. Not only that, most people drive in severe conditions and don't realize it so they should not be driving the "normal" driving oil change interval. With the 4 cars I have had, they all had over 280k miles by the time I got rid of them and it was mainly suspension issues that caused me to get rid of them. I do NOT go over 5k miles on any oil change and that is relatively low speed highway driving. Also I really really really like how he mentions top tier gasoline. Most people don't realize there are different levels of gasoline (im not talking octane). People just run to the cheapest gasoline station instead of going to a quality gas station such as EXXon, BP, Valero, Sunoco and many others. These companies add extra detergents (essentially the tide of the gas world) and it keeps your internals clean. These flushes can actually damage your car if you have been using inferior gas and oil because over time your car will get sludge and wear from improper lubrication. Well guess what, when you flush stuff you will have gaps that were no longer there. Always put quality fluids in your car and they will last 250k miles easily.
I always try to use WIX made filters.
@@flynncowboy Yessir, same here. I only wish I could find a place that sells them by the case cause I drive 20k miles a year so I do 4-5 oil changes a year just on my car and I do 3-4 on my fiances car. I use wix on both cars. I typically buy mobil one in mass quantities cause we both need 5w-30 but I may start using the stuff amazon is selling now cause it is 50% cheaper and supposedly has very similar properties to mobil 1. I'm sure it will be fine since I use wix filters and change regularly.
I had to have my steering rack replaced under the new purchase warranty but the garage didn't clean out, flush, the pump and rest of the system. This I found out 6 months later when another garage did a vehicle inspection for me and noticed 'burnt' steering fluid. The fluid was darker than asphalt.
So I made my own cleaning concoction, blocked the reservoir return port and ran the cleaner and then fresh fluid through the system. Now my fluid isn't bright pink but at least is now just a dirty pink and not brown or black.
Just goes to show you that finding a 'good' mechanic/garage is a difficult thing these days and I'm just glad my dad taught me how to work on motor vehicles.
I work as a mechanic...the 'ol power steering flush is becoming null and void folks...a lot of vehicles as of late are going to electric power steering...the fluid and pump are disappearing...don't get taken and learn your vehicles!
There is one point you have to remember. Manufacturers actually do not want your car to last longer than about 10 years. The service schedule is based around the cheapest cost of ownership for that time. For example BMW coolant is a lifetime fill however no company makes a lifetime coolant. In that case it kinda does not matter because something will fail and the coolant will get partially replaced during the repair. For me I buy cars at about 7 years old and I replace all fluids as soon as I get them. I would never flush anything that was working, a simple dump and refill is good enough for me.
Is it weird that I'm stoked for a video on the issues with DI engines and intake valve carbon buildup?
My story is a little different. I took my '18 GLE350 in for "B" service at 15K miles. The service advisor recommended a four-wheel alignment in addition to the normal "B" service. I didn't buy the pre-paid service for this car as I wanted to compare the cost to my wife's '18 C43 which for a two-year service is roughly $1200. So what did my "B" service cost? How about $1289! A normal "B" service w/o alignment is $760 at another dealer in St. Charles and the shop rate is $150/hr. compared to $199/hr. A "B" service at a local independent shop was quoted at $360 so it also pays to shop around.
The bottom line is I've bought about eight new MB's from this dealer and doubt I'll buy another.
i made flush on power stearing wheel as you sugested-took out all oil from reservoir-0.5litres and left that oil to subsidence-there was plenty of dust metal on bottom of bottle.
next flush was on way that disconected in /out pipes from reservoir and put them in 2 separate bottles-one with 5 litres of new oil -intake duct and second to empty bottle for output pipe, start engine and rotate stearing wheel from left end to right end and stop engine before use all fresh oil- now is flushed- left used oil to stay and subside-clear oil can be used for gearbox flush-autumatic
1992 Chevy pickup. 315,000 miles and counting. Never changed the power steering fluid and fuel system. Did lots of oil changes. Had to rebuild the trans at 310,000, put a started on in 2001. That's it. Still going like the energizer bunny.
2000 Nissan Frontier 175k, 2002 Saturn LW200, 160k, both run smooth. I usually give them Chevron with Techron. Need to top off power steering fluid on the Frontier occasionally. I had the the Saturn transmission serviced at 135k despite being "sealed for life". What a difference!
This mechanic is absolutely right! I am lucky I have a dealer who is honest with me. They are maintaining my vehicle according to the service manual. I have a high end vehicle, and a service contract for 4 years. They do the required work only. I have training in auto mechanics, and have a decent knowledge.
I have never done either of these services or a transmission service on either my 2007 Toyota Yaris or my 2003 Honda Odyssy. Both now have over 175k miles and are working perfectly.
Steve Meserve , knock on wood, your tranny WILL fail due to neglect. As a automotive tech. for over 35 years I can assure you just because it's a Japanese car, they are still subject to the laws of physics too. Its to late to service yours with the mileage you have, but be ready for most anything to happen with that kind of neglect.
@@Markdc94 nah
here is the thing. Car manufactures dont want people to keep their cars past warranty period, that is why they no longer require, power steering flush, transmission fluid change and other types of service. Modern engine runs hotter, transmission works harder to support high power engines and torque. Be smart if you want to have trouble free car. Top tier fuel doesn't due any good in direct injection engines. Fluids go bad even if they are not being used, be smart and replace them. Its called shelf life or expiration date that every fluid has. Just ask, fluid manufactures and they will tell that fluid cannot last long time.
Well said. I think not changing your fluids even if the tech did get better doesn't mean you can forget about it. Underneath it all, it's still a gas system that is heavily dependent on thermal efficiency.
I've literally never seen power steering flush as a recommended service on ANY vehicle even on vehicles going back as far as the 70s. With hydraulic power steering all but extinct in new cars it is only a matter of time before people even forget what a power steering pump is. Do you have any proof that top tier fuel doesn't have any benefit for DI engines? I know all the "car tech gurus" love to trash talk DI, usually with no supporting evidence, same types that loved to claim that "Fuel Injection is trash, stick with Carbs" back in the 80s.
mrvwbug44 , the problem with direct injection is the carbon build up on the valves, because fuel is no longer being sprayed on the valves to clean them. It's being sprayed directly into combustion chamber. Lexus LS460 was the only car that started using two injectors per cylinder, direct injection and port injection. In Lexus engine top tier gasoline did make a difference keeping engine intake port and valves Clean.
Mine is a Toyota Corolla 2008 with about 152,000 miles! Runs like brand new and the gas mileage is awesome, about 38 on the highway and about 30 or so in town. I love your channel man, keep going and I will keep watching! I have learned a lot from you and I am a big DIY guy and love to tinker on my cars!
Great info, I have a GL450 (2012), a Genesis 3.8 (2014), a VW Passat Wagon Komfort (2009) and a 2005 Mustang GT (my son's) tricked out with a Whipple blower, lowered suspension and a bunch of other mods. He cares for the 'Stang, I do all the other three. Will watch out for these "add-ons" in the future! Thanks!
Had a BMW E30 that I used for commuting once a week from LA to SF and that car lasted me 1/2 million miles on the original engine. Other than a clutch, rotor and brake pad replacements, spark plugs, oil and fluid changes, coolant, transmission and diff gear oil changes, brake fluid flushes, everything else on the car were original. Yes, I use premium gas and oil change every 4K miles.
Good point Alex.My 2005 Buick LeSabre has 300,000 miles on it.No major repairs and none of those services ever preformed.Run like brand new!
I've got a W116-032. You'll know what model this is!! One thing you might know about these is that the high pressure fuel line fitting on the fuel distributor, along with the injectors all have filters!! Yes, you read correctly!! The inlet high pressure fitting has a fuel strainer. They have a strainer in the fuel tank also. The power steering pump has a filter in it. I use NULON lubricants in my car, & the genuine MANN filters used by Mercedes. I've never flushed the fuel system in my car, or the power steering.
Never done a fuel flush. I use Motorkote fuel optimizer and the hyperlubricant in all my Toyotas. I do suck out the PS reservoir every few months to keep it clean. Never had any PS issues in 30 years. 2002 Sienna 216K and runs better than many friends cars. I do my own maintenance. Motorkote is my friend! I do transmission drop and refills also with OEM fluids. Just did my sealed lifetime fluid yesterday in 2011 Camry 133K. It did make the shifts smooth/seamless. I see and feel the benefits in maintenance. It is cheaper than 2 or 3 new car payments or engine/transmission replacements.
The life time transmission fluid part is a hidden wallet flush too when your trans kicks at 130k
I can't thank you enough. My car is in for a recall repair and oil change. I just got a phone call from the dealer's service department recommending a fuel system flush and throttle body cleaning, since my car now has over 60,000km. It's only $199. I declined the offer.
sometimes you can get lucky on not doing PS flushes and it never hurts anything, and sometimes it does. If the fluid is really dirty or cloudy i suggest replacing it, same thing with the brake fluid.
Mr. Alex is not wrong. I just throw in a few cleaner in my cars every 5000k. I do that to my father's 2006 Dodge 2500 and that beast has over 300k and runs good; with regular due maintenance of course. Power steering, I just get a spray bottle and do my own power steering flush once every 10k. I do my own Brake Fluid flush once a year. So I agree with him.
Drain and fill.
That's all you need. Adding anything else causes issues as you add contaminants into the system
Lifetime and extended maintenance are BS. They are great if you only plan
to keep the car only until the warranty runs out.
If the thing has ANY moving parts, there is wear and that wear means deposits
in the fluid that gets worse with use. I have just changed the power steering
fluid in my two cars and I can tell you the colour of the fluid I removed
was a bit darker an less clear then what I replaced it with. In both
cases, it was OEM fluid for the cars. Also replaced the
manual transmission oil, differential fluid, brake fluid and clutch fluid with
OEM fluids. None of the fluids looked bad but I do change
them all every couple years. I tend to keep my cars forever
so I find changing all fluids to be real cheap insurance.
I do not own nor would I EVER own a German anything.
Germans are masters at taking something that is simple and
works and making it complex and cranky. And I am
part German myself.. (Thank God for the Hungarian and Polish in me!)
I find if you want a car that lasts, buy Japanese..
I have 10 years old car and I can tell you this cleaner is working very good on it, I use it every month and it takes away all the vibrations...
2016 Accord V6, 68k miles. I get regular oil changes (when the display shows 15% oil life) at the dealer, and I'm a believer in OEM filters. I usually find the cheapest OEM engine air and cabin air filters and do those myself (no need to pay dealer labor prices for something that takes less than 5 minutes.)
A couple oil changes ago, the service guy at the dealership said I should get the injectors cleaned, and said they remove them from the engine in order to clean them, and that the ethanol blend here in Oregon causes buildup and such on the injectors. My car's fuel economy is still great and I have no issues with power or engine feel. Service guy said the injector additives that are available to put in the tank don't work, and the injectors need to be physically removed to be properly cleaned. I did NOT opt for this service, and am very suspect of this service recommendation.
Did a powersteering fluid change on my Z3M -98 running at ~90000km, the smell of that ATF oil was horrible, and it was all black. After the flush the powersteering pump was completely quiet so it does help.
It's unfortunate that there are mechanics or technicians out there who sell these gimmicks to customers. I've seen too many times of mechanics not just selling this stuff, but they also are convinced/believe it's true, which is even worse.
it's already been said in the comments but it's worth repeating....."lifetime fluids" really means just long enough to cover the powertrain warranty period, at the longest. If it's beyond that and you still want to drive the car....replace all fluids.
I can’t agree MORE! PEA is an amazing product and Top-Tier fuel is commonly overlooked here in the states! I wish car manufacturers put as much marketing in what fuel to use as much as their car commercials.
I use Archoil 6200 fuel additive with Shell V-Power, very clean valves in my golf TSI engine. Plus it continues to clean post combustion, even your cats. Cleared all 4 catalytic converter failure codes after 6K miles. However running OEM spec’d full synthetic oil also aids with carbon build up from the pcv system. Idle and turbo really shear oil.
Basically, if it wouldn't be covered/paid for by a service contract then it's bogus or if a mechanic/tech doesn't do it to his/her own car then it's bogus. I had a 2000 Ford Focus with 127,000 miles on it where I only did what was required by the owner's manual (sometimes even skipping things listed) and never had a single issue with it mechanically. It amazes me that people don't even look at the maintenance schedule in their owner's manual - they just take the dealer or service center's word and fork out a bunch of cash.
My 1976 Mercedes has filters not found in other makes. It has filters in each injector, the fuel distributor, the power steering, and the hydropneumatic suspension. These are along with the normal filters found in the car.
I worked in a shop that tried to sell "Brake flushes, power steering flushes, trans flushes" to every customer. Sometimes we would argue with the service writer in front of the customer- saying it DOES NOT need those done, and back it up with samples on paper. They got rid of our paper sample sheets after that. Ha.
I got a bottle of gumout and a bottle of techron for Christmas. Gonna use them up just before my next oil change. I don't expect any major difference, but don't want to let them go to waste.
Never had power steering fluid issues, but I started replacing (some) of the fluid with the turkey baster method. It's not as thorough as the other methods, but very easy. I figure if I do it every oil change, the amount of older fluid will be trivial.
A small tip to make the baster more effective is to cut a small length of clear vinyl tubing and place it over the end of the baster, and tighten it over the nipple with a zip tie. It should keep the same level of suction, yet reach deeper into the bottom of the reservoir. Also, before using the baster, take off the bulb and put some fluid around where the bulb meets the baster. It should help prevent it from losing suction so you don't drip anything between the reservoir and wherever you dump the old fluid.
Replacing the power steering fluid is a good idea. Easy to do. Power steering fluid gets really hot and the fluid gets nasty. And changing the transmission fluid is also a good idea. Nothing ruins an automatic faster than old fluid and filter. Of course, if you lease the car, don't bother. If you plan to keep the car forever, just change fluids. All the fluids. Fluids are cheap. Love your videos.
CLK 55 AMG 2003 50k kms Runs like it's out of the box. Sub 9.9litres/100kms. Best car I've ever owned thus far ;)
I used to work in an independent Mercedes and BMW shop on the only time we sold power steering fluid flushes it's when the fluid was obviously old. Unfortunately we were kind of pushed to always sell fuel system flushes even though it was one of our cheapest services we never sold them to newer cars we never tried. Most of our customers bought second and third hand Mercedes and BMWs that were in a state of pretty bad disrepair especially 7 Series that just leaked from every seal on the engine and transmission. Rarely would people bring in pre-purchase inspections but when they did and it was a 7 Series I would look it over and let them know what it actually needed what could wait and try to give them my honest opinion of the car. In some situations I knew what would happen with this car and how it car with age and for the most part I would tell them a second and third hand 7 Series is not a good investment.
i think powersteering flush is the biggest joke of them all.
in the eu we never do it. only when the steering needs service and metal parts are in it. normally you wil have never problem whit the powersteering, especialy now whit the electric power steering.
about the fuel flush/service we always put a bottle extra in the tank. this is easy done and it will benefit from it, but offcourse not makes it super clean. brakefluid is the only thing that should be flushes but beter is to measure it, if it is less than 2% than it should be ok to use. EU has only dot 4 in it so it is beter for the water inside the brakefluid than dot3.
Dealer specified lifetime fluids is a relative/vague term. The question I ask is what does the dealer define as lifetime? Is the dealer expecting the car to last 10 years, 15 years,100,000 miles or 200,000 miles?
Transmission fluid changes are one of the most common neglected maintenance services not performed.
In my experience and from what I have seen this causes a lot of cars to end up in a junk yard or sold for parts because the owner understandably does not want to pay $4000 to install a transmission on a car that is worth $6000 to $7000.
If you plan on keeping your car past 120,000 miles and don’t want any sudden surprises with your transmission failing. I would personally change the fluid and filter.
I enjoy your videos and they are extremely informative. Could you please do a video on your thoughts on transmission fluid service? Thanks! Joel.
I was a Metric brand tech in the 90’s and we used to sell the BG fuel system flush services that came with 2 cans, one for the tank and one for the apparatus that went to the fuel rail (anyone remember digging the tokens out of each can? I still have scars!) and many times we did the in tank treatment and threw the other cans in our boxes or dumped the product in a drain pan to get the token out just because many cars were a PITA to hook up to and within a month the tank and delivery system would be missing pieces and was unusable. Techs hate performing some of those services and another .2 or .3 on top of a even a major service that pays 4 hours that you can knock out in an hour and half suddenly you have to sit and let the car run for 30 minutes or more tying up a rack when you could be 1/3 through the next service that the next guy was going to get if you too long. My shop had a few flat bays so I tried to actually do as many as I could just to feel ethical that I had actually done the work the customer paid for, many did not have the same conflict of continence.This was also around the time they went from a tech turning his own hours to the wonderful team system that made you subsidize your lube tech and make it easy for rookies to sit back and take the easy stuff like these goofy flushes while the old wrenches did the hard work while they got the same hour share. Things got really cutthroat at the end and I left the shops in 95 and went into design and engineering but still do all of my own vehicle work and have always driven high performance cars and I would never even consider doing this on my own cars. Wallet flushes for sure and if you use good gas you should be good to go! Pro tip, methanol injection works great for GDI engines that get intake build up! Great video Alex and I keep finding videos I have not seen. Thanks for everything you do for the community.
This is interesting on one side, you have shops that want to make money and depend on people believing an old belief that oil changes should be done every 3,000 miles, despite the fact engine and oil technology has improved both drastically. On the other hand, while most will say that car reliability has improved, the introduction of so many electronics has lowered average car life expectancy on a modern car to 5-7 years. Tough call. To be on the safe side, it might be better to just compromise between both ideas. Change oil every 5-7,500 miles, change tranny fluid at 50-60K, and so forth. Too many factors to say either opinion is 100% accurate.
Saab 9-5, 10 year old powersteering fluid was brown and dirty, new fluid that went in was emerald green CHF-202.
I only recommend a flush on power steering fluid if it smells burnt. I think it prevents failure. I find it interesting it's okay for the DIY to do it but it isn't okay for a shop to do it.
Rack and pinions are very expensive and a pain to install. I have found over the years that very clean power steering fluid is best to keep the seals from being damaged by dirt and contaminants that can get into the power steering fluid and damage the seals. I also run berrymans fuel treatment and i have little to no carbon buildup on my intake valves. Its just common sense to change dirty contaminated fluids when they need to be changed.
The car service departments wouldn’t make any money if they didn’t have recommended maintenance. They recommend something every 10K miles. On the higher end cars, they have maintenance recommendations between services so that’s more money. Lastly, the always recommend brakes and windshield wiper blades.
While it isn't common for a fuel system cleaning to benefit a port injection engine, there are cases where it does work well. GM had a big issue with their injectors clogging up in the 1990s and 2000s, I had cars come into the shop with horrible fuel trims, random misfires, and even dead misfires on certain cylinders. Running GM injector cleaner through the fuel rail did correct the issue, sometimes after a single treatment, but more often after two or three; even so this was way cheaper than replacing all the injectors or removing them to have them refurbished. In these cases some preventative cleaning and top tier fuel probably would have been the best option.
Never heard of a fuel flush. Power steering yes. Do my power steering every 3 years. Goes in red, comes out black. The fuel service primarily for GDI systems. Change your transmission fluid!!!! No such thing as life time transmission fluid. It goes bad. I do agree. Some cars just don't need some of these services
My Mercedes M111 engine is 24 years old and never had any servuce like that done. Haven‘t dynoed it but fuel economy is even better then what the sticker said. Recently I had run a tank of fuel with one of these fuel system cleaning additives and cleaned the throttle body. Engine runs way smoother now but no change in fuel economy or performance
if in the uk. if you fancy an A service inc an oil change. go get a MOT at £56 and do your own oil change that will cost you less than £100. far cheaper than a merc wallit flush - everything in a mot test and a little more are the same checks, but the MOT is a more detailed inspection
European service schedule, UK based car enthusiast. Oil, annually or 20k miles fully synthetic. Antifreeze (orange organic) 4 years, mileage irrelevant, brake fluid 4 years ( DOT 5.1), power steering fluid probably never unless you have to strip the system. Manual gearbox oil whenever you change the clutch, auto about 2 years. Spark plugs 4 years, air and cabin filters annually. (more often in southern Europe due to the dust). Camshaft drive belt 5 years or 60k miles (IMO). Never had a failure in 20 years of driving and many, many miles. I literally have never been left at the side of the road through breakdown, only crashes. 3k oil changes?? You what mate?
ZF (automatic transmission manufacturer), therefore, recommends a transmission oil change every 100,000 km or after 8 years at the latest. (copied from ZF web page) Do not tell people to not change their transmission fluid. Fluids wear and tear and lose their quality and specification after some time period or mileage. So if you want your car in tip-top shape, change your fluids regularly. Lifetime means the lifetime of the car model in production, not the lifetime of the car which could be 20 years or more. Diff fluid also needs to be changed after some time. The same thing complies with the steering fluid and brake fluid.
You can be stupid and not change your brake fluid. It needs to be changed every 2 years and it is vital for the brakes operation. If you neglect it you can crash because your braking fluid is full of water (it is hygroscopic) and your brakes will not work properly when used in an extended period of time like long downhill from a mountain. The water in the brake lines are transformed into steam and your brakes are no longer working at all.
I recently did my own power steering fluid change. I emptied the old fluid via a turkey baster through the reservoir, refilled it with new fluid then ran the engine and turned the wheel lock to lock a few times in between. It went from dirty dark brown fluid to clean red oil (my car uses ATF as recommended by Toyota) after only one quart. It only cost $7.89 for the O'Reilly brand ATF instead of the $90 quoted by my mechanic for the job. If I paid the mechanic the fluid would probably be slightly cleaner but after several months would probably be in the same condition that I got by my method. There is also a more complicated DIY method that requires pulling a hose from the reservoir and turning the wheel to expel the oil but I'm really satisfied with the results I obtained.
I now have a pump that will allow faster emptying of the fluid for my next power steering fluid change.
Addendum: Wow, I just noticed; that is the same red pump that I have. You can get one for under $10.
Funny story happened to me with my Buick. Dealer recommended brake fluid flush. I had it done. Next oil change, dealer recommended brake fluid flush again. I brought it up to the manager, they checked it and it was dirty and "in need of flush." That time they did it for free. With last oil change, you guessed it, brake fluid flush was recommended. Craziness.
I have never get these on my 20 year old E320 and it still performs as new, also it might be the only 20 year old car with 160.000 miles with all 12 factory spark plugs that have NEVER been replaced.
In Germany you can purchase premium gasoline or diesel. This contains a real cleaner additive. It is even proven, by a RUclipsr called MrDoIt. He pulled the diesel injectors before and after running 5.000 km with the premium diesel.
Before I would do a system flush, I rather would use premium fuel or simply get an additive for my car from Liqui Moly or anything like that. Especially if I know I go on a long run, like driving on vacation, then you have your engine on operating temperatures for a longer period of time and on a constant rpm level.
Personally I fuel my car up with Shell V-Power Diesel only and it saves about ½ liter fuel per 100 km. Not much I know but keep two things in mind. This gives me about 80 miles more range and in Europe the Gallon Fuel is about 8-10 US-Dollars and if all cars in the world would save ½ liter fuel, we would save billions of liters of crude oil every year.
In the US we don't get any thing like that is only for the AKI.
that fuel purge is like doing one on the older Mercedes benz diesels. like the late 70's 80's w123 w201 w124 etc.
I went to a jiffy lube here in NYC for an oil change....and the tech tried selling me a radiator flush when you could clearly see the anti freeze was clean as a whistle....I couldn’t stop laughing at him, I had to watch him closely while doing the oil change, he wasn’t pleased at me for lol at him....these crooks make a side profit from unnecessary maintenance from my understanding....always supporting you channel Alex ! ✌️😎
Music Love I agree 100%....
Just say no politely, if they keep pushing don't go back. Our son was a tech for 11 yrs and was paid on commission and pressured to upsell customers. He got out of it but hey it was a job.
The anti corrosion property of coolant diminishes regardless. Don't be silly. Do your maintenance.
HeROsiNhEaVeN thats why i do the maintenence myself.
Learn how to " DO IT YOURSELF ", that way you don't have to worry about someone ripping you off!
Your E55 "M113" is very clean, very nice! 2003 SL55 94,000 miles, Original owner. I do everything, electrical, hydraulic (ABC) everything! I understand how it could become rather expensive if one needed to rely on others. When I work on my car in the solitude of my garage it's very serene (therapy) if you will. Thanks, your postings! Retired Chief Engineer RCR PS: change the jet bearing oil on your IHI S/C yet? lol
Alex, thx. My '05 S55 AMG had a 'stumble' at around 1200-1500 revs and I thot it was either a bad fuel inj. or a trans problem. The car also had a major tune up w/ new plugs/wires. I was praying it wasn't a trans problem but long story short I did the ECU reset w/ the gas pedal and sprayed the shit out of the throttle body w/ some cleaner. Low n behold the miss is pretty much gone! A gummed up TB...
Since new 06 300c used shell 93 with my 93 tune with marvel mystery oil . Never used anything else ... perfect performance.. also a green high flow air filter . And full exhaust .. oil pennzoil platinum synthetic with a fram ultra synthetic oil filter . Every 6k changed . Also clean the throttle body every 10k . Never ever had issue with rough idling .. also differential fluid synthetic Castro. And same with brake fluid .. tranny fluid is synthetic meccedes because of nag transmission... great running car 🚙 period . Also use a puralator carbonized cabin filter ... your vids are great . Hope my advise was worth your while.
My 04 c230 kompressor with 150k has never had a fuel injection service and gets 25 mpg and runs great. Love your videos Alex, I've been a fan for a while now and finally caught up enough to watch your older vids.
Wait until EV'S become more main stream, you will see AC services (has a POA oil instead of PAG), you will see coolant changes (ev battery and heater pump fluid), software upgrades etcs, and brake pads will have a set service life based on age and not mileage.
Because as it stands now, EV'S have practically no maintenance. Customers are leaving the dealerships having payed less than 100$
If you go 10,000 miles between oil changes (Mercedes recommend interval) on a BlueTEC diesel you’ll save a lot of money until the engine sludges and seizes (usually right after the warranty expires).
I did one of those fuel system flush out and then a couple of months later my fuel pump died because of the high octane on the fuel pump and it killed my fuel pump. If you want to clean your fuel system out put some high grade gas in it fill the tank all the way up and then run it till it's completely empty and then you have cleaned out your fuel system instead of spending on a ridiculous amount of money in Canada it cost $320 to get a fuel system clean out or you can spend 60 bucks on 93 octane and clean your fuel system out 10 times better than what they do
I was offered fuel injector cleaning with a bad engine coil replacement. Normally I would have not agreed but I was driving for 8 months in 3 working cylinder and one just spraying fuel with no spark so I let them do the service. It cost about $300.
This is so true,. I work for a retail chain and I can't tell you how much they try to push these flushes.
When I bought my Honda they sold me on the extended warrenty which included "free oil changes" . First oil change, I marked the filter, you guessed it, the old filter was never changed and I'm guessing the oil wasn't either. I have never taken my car back to the dealer, I've done my own oil changes and flushes and I've never had anything break in 250,000 km and the car runs like the day I bought it. My advice, never let a dealer touch your car, learn to do the simple maintance yourself.
In the 150,000 miles of having my car I have never even added or changed my power steering fluid. That’s due in part to the fact I have electronic power steering, but that’s beside the point.
The benefit of a fuel injection service doesn't come from removing carbon. It comes from cleaning the actual injectors and restoring the spray pattern.
Power steering fluid doesn't randomly go low and need to be topped up. The fluid picks up contaminants and loses it's viscosity consistency at lower temperatures. Replacing the fluid restores the viscosity control and reduces the change of a low temperature blowout because the fluid is too thick to move.
My MB is running fine. Oil service every 8-10k with an oil filter change as they are cheap and Uber easy to replace every 5K
Depends where you mostly drive; highway or short distances/in city. Between 4000 and 6000 rpm on highway the car loves( when the engine is warmed up). That's where the car is actually made for. But yeah..in 5th or 6th gear,on the highway; than you drive much to fast, specialy in USA. Drive in city or short distances(only low rpm) makes that you have change your oil more often(condens and fuel in the engine-oil).
2000 Acura TL 262k km never had a fuel system "flush" or "cleaning" but a couple of times I put a fuel cleaner additive in the gas tank just because the car is old when I got it and it was stored for a few years so I wanted to make sure what ever deposits were cleaned up.
But there were never any in the first place when I saw the outlet side of my catalytic converter it was spotless. So as long as you use good gasoline, your fuel system is fine.
As for the other maintenance items I did a major service when I got the car so new fluids, spark plugs, filters, timing belt kit, throttle body and EGR cleaning just to start fresh then follow what the owners manual maintenance intervals recommends.
Only now I'm seeing a decrease in fuel economy because I have a leaking fuel tank that needs to be fixed >.
I just sold me 2003 TL a couple months ago, due to the tranny finally going bad. I had it for seven years and no regretfully wish I would have just replaced the tranny. Fantastic motor and car in general. Sucks about the crappy transmissions though.
Had my doubts at first, but you seem very honest. This coming from an independent tech of 23 years experience. Great video
Audi TSI s DO have a problem with direct injection and I have seen problems in Canada as early as in 60,000 kms. So flushes are needed at-least in Audi TSI s but they can be done as a DIY too
My '07 C280 4matic gets 26mpg combined vs the stated 20mpg and I got 140,000km on it (still fairly young). It's been averaging that since I got it around 7 years ago with 20,000km. Mind you I usually run in Comfort mode and my foot isn't made from lead.
Most of the flush services are not only uneeded, but will damage your car.
Fuel already come with some cleaner. This is mandatory as per DOT regulation. This will prevent most accumulation, enought to be a non-issue. Your car also come with a fuel filter that remove everything that is twice smaller as the fuel injector holes. All what come out of it will pass throught the injector, so no accumulation possible. You may have to replace the filter if you have used contaminated fuel.
Coolant flush. If you use only the recommended coolant and have no gasket issues then it will NOT gel up or gums or anything. Only use distilled water or premixed. If you do introduce junk however then it could cause issue and then the flush could be needed to remove the junk you actually introduced. Also, incompatible coolant can react and cause issue, but that is your own fault.
Transmission flush. This is a big big no no! The transmission have some friction material inside (bands/clutch) that wear out and leave some dirt inside the oil. This appear to be a big issue but the truth is: there is a filter to remove the particulate AND the finer material left that do not get filtered will NOT do any damage, but actually help the friction material to grip better, reducing the wear and preventing slipping. If you flush the oil, you remove that material, now the friction material have to work harder, and may actually start to slip, and now you need a transmission rebuild because the oil is now too slippy!
Brake flush. This is debatable. The oil absorb moisture and could cause some issues in extreme cases. Best is to just use a turkey baster, remove the oil from the reservoir, fill with new one. You replaced most of the oil now. Want to go one extra step? Bleed the brakes (gravity bleed is ideal). This remove the old oil in the lines and caliper. Top the reservoir, and you replaced maybe 95% of the oil or even more. Back flush can actually damage your brake system, do not do that!
Power steering flush. Same as brakes. Just change the oil in the reservoir.
My car manual say:
- coolant: 10 years/160000km, do not backflush, replace only if used in extremes conditions.
- Transmission: permanant, do not backflush, replace only if used in dusty conditions.
- brakes: no replacement needed
- powersteering: electric, no oil, no maintenance.
It also say: backflush void warranty.
Many years ago, I had a shop try to sell a power steering flush for my 2005 Chevy Cobalt. I had to tell them that the system was electronic, so no pump or fluids. If you live or work reasonably close to a Costco, it's worth buying a membership for the gas alone. It's usually $0.15-$0.30 per gallon cheaper than even discount stations. I fill up 1-2 times per week and the savings on fuel alone are more than enough to cover the annual membership fee.
Another bad thing is a transmission flush on an old car. Better to drain and replenish.
I just do a major service for my car once a year and a normal service every 5000km. Manufacturer recommendation is 10000 km and and major service one every year to 2 years depending on usage. So should be safe. I do the servicing myself parts are cheap and I just can't wait to get my hands dirty. Now my buddy is passing me his Merc to service as well.
Power steering fluid is necessary as shown in the video. Just suck it out and put new fluid in. 2005 Acura MDX shows a marked improvement when I do this. The strut bearing on MDX is really tight... even new bearing. Acura actually does say when service is needed to PS. Be sure to use factory fluid on older cars... don't go adding alternative synthetic fluid if the car has never been PS serviced before. I done this and the rack started leaking right away. Costly repair.
Fuel injection cleaning is best when the injectors are pulled out and sent to specialized shop for servicing. I have seen the benefit in this method. Test result will tell you about the injectors serviced.
I work on mazda dealership. So I do recommend and also do myself transmission flushed on my own cars every 60k. Or sooner.
Also have a Honda Fit. Do it every 30k.
So we had a costumer and one of the tech guys recommend a transmission flush. So the customer got inform and they said go head and doo it. So by the 3rd day she came back telling the service adviser that she called mazda Corp and was told that the transmission fluid is “Lifetime”.. so and soo. ..I mean it’s common sense right if You change your Motor Oil every what 3000k-7500k.. shouldn’t you think the transmission is a type a fluid and over time fluids get old. Specially when they run hot ..
Great video...I REALLY want to see your video on direct injection engines and how they hold up over time in regards to carbon buildup on the valves & injectors.
I watched the whole video and the only thing that stuck was "A turkey baster is good cuz it can fit in some really weird places" 😂
Always great info in your videos :)
1986 Porsche 928 180K miles original fuel injectors, gets a techron fuel cleaner treatment every two years before oil change for emission test. 1999 VW Passat 145K miles on lifetime ATF.