I got my oil changed at Jiffy Lube the other day, and they said that my radiator fluid was no good anymore and needed to be flushed out. When is this necessary, and is it something I can do myself easily enough? I’ve done very simple things like change the serpentine belt in my truck before. Thanks for the help.
First, Jiffy Lubes are a really bad idea.
Second, the coolant should be done about every 2 years or 24000 miles, whichever comes first. If you are long overdue (which it sounds like you might be) then putting it on a flush machine is probably a good idea. However, it is not difficult to change/flush your own coolant. You can find “how to’s” all over the internet and/or can buy cheap little kits with instructions. The hard part is dealing with all of the waste coolant. It is toxic and had killed many an animal. IT all needs to be collected and taken to a facility that deals with such things.
- Never you Iffy Lube for anything, especially oil changes or any kind of flush.
- You should have your cooling system flushed every three years or so if you want you truck to last. Find a good independent, not some chain operation.
- If you have been changing your coolant every three or four years, then ignore what they said. They rarely actually check, they just see what profitable services they can talk you into.