My mechanic who I normally trust is advocating the addition of BG Products in the oil, transmission, brake system, cooling system. They claim an additional warranty. I’ve never had additives added by previously trusted mechanics in other places where we’ve lived. Advice, please.
Don’t use these things. As to the “additonal warranty”, pure bunk! How can he extend the warranty of your car’s equipment. The manufacturer surely won’t!
The profit on these things is huge. There are some special additives for certain fluids that work under special circumstances. This stuff is not one of them!
The BG product sounds like the snake oil sold in in old movies!.
Additives are only necessary when there is a problem your trying to address. The oils and fluids made today contain all the wear modifiers and additives that the engine , transmission, and axles need to operate efficiently and prevent wear. Normally, these additional additives are band-aid treatments just to make it work a little longer until a proper repair can be done correctly or snake oil that try to make you believe they can prevent wear better than the additives the oil companies use. Some additives are necessary, like additional additives for gear lube in limited slip differentials or a zinc additive for antique and collectible cars, but for modern cars without any problems, they are unnecessary.
I’ll bet a BG representative came by the shop recently and told him he could make a good deal of profit if he used their products and up-sell his customers
Like the others say, don’t use them.
Speaking of BG products, I was REALLY disappointed when the mechanic on today’s ‘Motor Week’ recommended that EVERYONE get a BG engine oil flush every 30,000 miles. What absolute nonsense.
You don’t need these products and bscar is correct about the BG rep coaxing shop owners or service managers to use these products. They’re good products but do not make any noticeable difference in anything. The only thing I’ve ever seen really improved by a BG product was the glide fork and transmission in one of my Harley motorcycles. The oil treatment really improved the fork action and helped the clunky (normal on an unsynchronized HD) shifting transmission. Other than that, forget it.
The service manager at a large multi-line dealer I worked for bought into the BG thing for 2 reasons; the rep was a fast talker and the service manager was an idiot of the highest order.
While there was no fraud intended, the service manager was absolutely convinced a vehicle could not survive without BG products so the order of the day was a BG kit to be added to every scheduled maintenance job. No labor charge of course but both the kit and the cost were totally unncessary.
The mechanics did not agree with this policy but have to follow orders. Unless the policy has changed BG used to put a plastic disc in each can of whatever. Mechanics could save these discs and get a token stipend from the BG guy when he was making his rounds.
I think I’ve still got a handful of those stupid things in a drawer in one of my tool boxes.