I took my 2006 Scion TC with 36K miles on it to the dealer for regular oil change and he recommended that I flush the Power Steering Fluid as its “dirty”. I searched around on the web and found that most cars typically require this around 100k miles, however they say that Scion TC has a poor cooling mechanism which may require the fluid to be flushed sooner. Do you think its necessary? Anybody have any experiences related to this.
The dealer also said thet the Tranny Fluid was discolored and the brake fluid also should be changed. When are these types of fluids typically due for a change. I live in a metro city and most of my driving is a mix of normal city and highway driving. No racing or any irregular terrain driving at all.
Read the maintenance schedule that came with the owner’s manual (read the manual, too). The maintenance schedule will tell when, if ever, these “services” should be performed.
You could inspect the power steering fluid yourself to see if it’s dirty. Transmission fluid and brake fluid replacements will be listed in the maintenance schedule.
Do as McP says, check your manual. Dealers are famous (infamous?) for telling owners they need services that aren’t called for. You are right to be suspicious. Power steering fluid is one of the least likely to require replacement.
ps-use the mechanic finder to get a good independent mechanic. No need to pay a dealer.
The recomended services are intended to be sure you have no excess deposits in your bank account. This is known as a “wallet flushing”.
Do only the services specified in your owner’s manual, no more. And, find a reputable independent shop. Keep the shop’s “shop orders” as evidence that you’ve performed the recommended maintenance just in case you need to access the warranty. They cannot deny you your warranty rights for using an independent ahop as long as you have that evidence.
By the way, I have a 2005 Scion tC with an automatic. I’ve checked through my owner’s manual and there is no recommendation for tranny flushing. There’s not even a tranny dipstick. Mine is using a “lifetime” system that should not require maintenance. While I’m not totally comfortable with the idea, it’s very clear what the intent of your dealership is.
Thanks a lot for your responses. I forgot to mention that I also had inspection done on my car recently at a local mechanic shop and he told me that I should flush my tranny, power steering and brake fluids, which is why I took it to the dealer. They dealer said that only the power steering needs to be flushed but the other too are just discolored and can go on for another 10k.
Hi The_same_mountainbike
With your 2005 Scion TC automatic (mine is automatic too) did you have any of these fluids flushed up until now (if you dont mind me asking)
Um…not yet. I have a bottle of coolant additive in my garage awaiting my earliest opportunity.
I’ve never done my PS fluid on any of my vehicles.
Brake fluid I’ll probably do at about 5 years.
With the exception of oil and filter changes I tend to be somewhat sloppy with scheduled fluid changes. I don’t recommend it, but I’d be fooling myself of I said otherwise. Know that I also regularly check all fluid levels and visual condition, routinely look averything over for any evidence of leakage or problems, and address anything out of the ordinary immediately when I find it.
Try to find a shop without any flushing machines. They are nothing but a profit generator. I cannot think of any manufacturer who recommends this as standard procedure for maintenance.