MY WIFE TOOK HER CAR TO THE DEALER FOR THE 22500 MILE SERVICE, WHICH COST $149,AND THE TECH TOLD HER SHE ALSO NEEDED A BRAKE SYSTEM FLUSH ($102) AND A POWER STEERING FLUSH ( $48 )ALL XTRA…SHE SAID OK &GOT IT DONE… i TOLD HER I NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING SINCE THE CAR ONLY HAS 20580 MILES ON,NOT 10 YRS OLD & 150,000 MILES… I READ THE REQUIRED MAINT BOOK COVER TO COVER AND NONE OF THIS IS MENTIONED,ONLY THE TRANSMISION FLUSH AT 75000 NILES…I CALLED & COMPLAINED & BELIEVE THEY TOOK ADVANTAGE OF HER BECAUSE SHE IS A WOMAN… THE DEALER SAID THEY WILL CALL ME BACK BUT NOW ITS 3 DAYS…HAS ANY ONE ELSE BEEN IN THIS TYPE OF A SITUATION??? NEXT TIME THEY WILL TRY TO SAY WE NEED TO REPLACE THE AIR IN YOUR TIRES AT $39 EACH… SCREW NISSAN MY NET CAR WILL BE A FORD !!!
Many dealers do this, not just Nissan dealers. Some Ford dealers will do this too…it’s called a wallet flush!
Indeed, your wife was taken advantage of. Next time, she should pull out the maintenance schedule (it’s in the glove compartment, by the way) and ask the dealer to show her where those services are listed. Of course, they won’t be listed there.
Iam a believer of brake fluid flushes every 2 years,personal decision.Now Iam a non-believer in the power steering flush.Brake fluid attracts water,fact.
Brake fluid is hygroscopic meaning it attracts water and over time that could rust the metal brake lines creating a leak, I have seen it before. But, your vehicle is to new to need this. If you ever go back to this shop see how long it takes for them to say it needs it again. Then try to trip them up.
Brake fluid flush should be done every 2-3 years. This car is old enough to need one. Power steering flush ought to be done every 50,000 miles, perhaps more if you tow frequently.
To the original poster: Frequently the manufacturer has a list of services that they, not your independently owned and operated Sealer Service Dept, recommend. Yes, the relationship with the service department is antagonistic, and frequently they aim to create moneymaking services that provide little benefit. Come in educated, and you will be better off. If you’re going to have your wife take the car, tell her to do exactly X service, as required, not the dealer’s recommended moneymakers. Write it down if you have to.
That is a good reason not to have any service not totally covered under the manufacturer’s warranty, done by they typical dealer. Dealers are no better (or worse) than independent mechanics for almost anything you might need done on your car. They will almost always charge more per hour and often more for parts and supplies. They also tend to look at repairs a little different than the independent.
A dealer may well recommend work that strictly may not be needed, but could be connected to the problem or maybe replace a part when a little repair would fix it ALMOST as good a new.
There is no need to bring your car to the dealer for any service other than service that is going to be paid for by a recall or original warrantee. During the warranty period be sure to have all required (as listed in the owner's manual) maintenance done and to document all maintenance work.
I suggest that most people would be better off finding a good independent (Not working for a chain) mechanic.
Note: Never ever use a quick oil change place. They are fast cheap and very very bad.
BTW ALL CAPS is harder for most people to read. Please try to use standard capitalization. All CAPS are considered shouting as well.
Brake fluid flush should be done every 2-3 years. This car is old enough to need one. Power steering flush ought to be done every 50,000 miles, perhaps more if you tow frequently.
You must know a lot more about cars then the engineers do…or you work for a dealer that pulls this crap.
According to my owners manual brake fluid flush should be preformed ever 10yrs or 100k miles.
I was exposed to this 2yr interval as a tech for BMW.Its been that way for decades with them,Iam reluctant to stop a practice that gave such good results.Same for coolant replacement,every two years.We had lots of coolant containers around the shop.Maybe the manufacture of the car you quote wants to give a impression of low service requirements.
Honda now recommends a 3 year interval. VW recommends a 2 year interval. It’s in the owners manual for the two cars I own. This is a relatively recent trend I’ve seen, as manufacturers have finally gotten on the idea that brake fluid, being highly hygroscopic, should be changed when it has absorbed a good deal of water from the atmosphere. Up until now, this has been largely neglected. When brake fluid absorbs water, the boiling point is lowered significantly. It also corrodes brake components internally, which leads to failure. Brake fluid changes every 2 years is cheap insurance over having brakes fail or having to replace calipers. I’d rather drain out $15 worth of brake fluid every two years than replace a $200 caliper with a rebuild of questionable quality.
I called the dealer after waiting over a week for my return call… ( not until I educated myself of the need to have flushes every 2-3 yrs, thanks to all your responses ) … they did give me a $100 credit towards my wifes next service … THANKS FOR THE INFO …I am still leery of going back to these guys for my next service…
I would flush the brake lines and install new fluid with every brake job, about 40,000 miles for most cars. Prior to cars having ABS, the fluid change advice was absent from US cars, and I only recall seeing it in some Japanese car manuals.
Today’s braking systems are very complex compared to the past. Changing brake fluid at a sensible interval is logical. I doubt if power steering fluid changes need to be done this frequently. I have driven a number of cars to the end of their natural lifespan, and never changed the fluid, except on a 1976 Ford when it coincided with repair job.
First off…a brake system is a sealed system. Some water can get inside…but I seriously doubt enough can get in within a 2 year period to do any harm, I do agree brake fluid needs to be changed…just not every 2 years.
Second…What vehicle are you talking about where a caliper costs $200. I’ve NEVER seen a caliper on any vehicle cost anywhere near $200. Maybe all 4 might cost that much.
“I READ THE REQUIRED MAINT BOOK COVER TO COVER AND NONE OF THIS IS MENTIONED”
Yes, but you got the sequence wrong. You are supposed to read the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule before you take the car in for service.
And, you should get your wife to join you in doing this before the next service interval. You can read the required procedures to her, and she can write a specific list of what you want to have done, based on the information in the maintenance schedule. Wouldn’t that be more effective than trusting the service writer and then getting peeved afterward?
You’re correct, of course, but isn’t it Nissan that makes this even harder to do by having two or three ‘levels’ of service, with higher levels allowing you to be ‘nicer’ to your car by paying them for unneccessary services? What a rip-off!