To the OP’er. I will follow the owner’s manual on this. I am all for extra maintenance, but when I am not doing it myself I also worry about other people breaking things and causing more headache.
In this case, if you are doing it, get it done at the dealer to be sure they use the right coolant. And, try and find a dealer that will video their work for you so you know it was actually done.
I think I speak for most everyone on here… YES!!!
Why would a sealed ball joint, tie rod end, etc, cost more then having to drill a precise hole and then install a zerk fitting that cost money in itself then a unit without a fitting??? drilling the hole and buying and installing a zerk adds time and money…
Replacing coolant every 30K miles will cost more than replacing coolant every 100K miles, 3 = more then 1 last time I checked…
Replacing 100K coolant every 30K miles, would be the same as replacing your 3000 mile oil every 1000 miles… (under normal daily driving)…
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Are you suppling the camera and tripod and paying extra for the tech to set it up and record the video???
Sorry, but if you don’t trust me, take it somewhere else… If I have a good rep, I don’t need video prof…
You do realize the tech will set it up and start the machine and go work on something else until the machine is done…
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I can’t imagine any shop allowing that or any mechanic that would put up with the filming . Very few shops will even let non-employees in the work area without an escort.
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I guess this is new. The dealers around here (LA) have gotten red handed scamming costumers quite often and now they provide a video of the work. It is not a whole hour video but bits and pieces that identifies the car, the codes, shows the parts and the tech talks about the process.
For an independent shop this is not as much as an issue as they function on trust and word of mouth.
The Toyota dealers here were caught not changing the oil filter.
I took my Toyota in for the free maintenance service and the tires were not touched but they documented that they were rotated.
Required by whom?
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It was interesting for me to learn that antifreeze is not considered a hazardous waste, though many states classify it as a “Universal waste”. It’s up to the states to regulate it. And only a few have explicit laws prohibiting dumping it in the ground.
Here’s a good site which has links to all the states’ policies:
https://www.tercenter.org/antifreeze.php
I think it’s safe to say, based on experience in engineering and manufacturing products, that labor is the primary driving force in cost of goods sold. Anything that adds labor will almost, without exception, cost more in the end. For example, a sealed bearing might cost a dollar more than a traditional tapered bearing set but it requires significantly more labor time to assemble those individual components and grease them on the production line. That labor time, the cost of stocking ,multiple parts and moving them around the factory, costs a lot more than a sealed bearing pressed into a hub. On top of that, I can specify a contract manufacturer in a low cost country to do that labor and receive the part already assembled ready for my production line to install. Hardly a new concept…
So as a customer even if I have to accept a slight increase in price (unlikely) for improved materials and that results in less maintenance labor- throughout the life of the vehicle, that is money well spent. Not to mention my own time spent coordinating and waiting on service to be performed. Forgetabboutit…
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We just dump it (coolant) in the used oil tank and let them figure out what to do with it… Call it a lot of blown head gaskets if you want… lol… but OHSA has never said anything about it, and if it had then every FS shop in the state would have seperate used dump tanks for it…
I tested my coolant at 5 years and it needed changing.
Our waste water plant is happy with antifreeze in the sanitary sewer. Their microbes or whatever love it. Storm water drains is a NoNo. Toilet an easy way to dump. We also have collection facilities with collecting stations.
Antifreeze (glycol) is broken down by UV rays as it sits in the holding pools at the water treatment plant.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285844414_Polyethylene_glycol_degradation_by_UV_irradiation
Tester
At the house I just open up the sewer line cleanout PVC lid and pour it in there, if you didn’t know any better, it looks like I am randomly pouring it in the yard… lol
The top of the lid is right below the mower blades level, yeah had to lower it once after the blades cut the top off once…
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Ethylene Glycol is used as a wood preservative on log buildings, post and beam buildings and wood on the upper surfaces of boats. It kills mold and rot. The only drawback is that it is water soluble so re-treatment is required about every six months on exterior surfaces. It also discourages termites, carpenter ants, and other wood borers. It is mostly used with a sodium borate solution and is considered environmentally safe.
I would avoid getting it into a septic system, it could do damage there.
What kind of test?
@Bri10, every time you drain and refill the cooling system, you risk contamination. The key is to do it before the coolant goes bad (turns cloudy) but not too often. The manufacturers recommended schedule was developed after a lot of testing and research, I’d follow it.
If you follow that schedule, use only the approved anti-freeze, FLUSHING IS NOT NECESSARY.
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The best way to tell if it’s bad is by its color and acidity.
I do mine every 5K but I love changing fluids. I’d get it done every 2 years or 30K if you’re normal.
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Overkill much?
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Mavis ( discount tire ) has glass doors so customers can see what’s going on while their vehicles are getting serviced.
I guess that is good to know but the nearest Mavis is over 750 miles away .
Seriously? You add a coolant flush to every oil change service? Why would you change coolant every 5K? I get that you like to change fluids, but at that point it’s a hobby.
If modern day coolant is good for 100K miles, and you do it 20 times more often, how often do you change engine oil? Every 250 miles? Transmission fluid every 3K?