roll4life

iTrader: (2)

I just got an oil change at a Nissan dealership and they recommended that I do the following:

Drive Belts:165.00
Fuel Flush:249.95
P/S Flush:109.95
A/C Flush:139.95
Oil Flush:129.95

I can't afford all this right now, which of these would you suggest I get done the soonest?

Stardust

iTrader: (10)

None of them, tell the dealer to go pound sand.

maximaownsyou

...but if u like getting bent over...

Maxim(a)SerjVQ

wait til 60k and get just the accessory belt replaced, go someplace else like a Procare center or a trusted mechanic and have the regular tranny upkeep done (I believe there is fluid servicing for both manual and auto) and you should be out maybe $80 right NOW, and when i had my accessory belt done it was only $86, but it would squeal when i was starting cold.

5thgenmaxima

iTrader: (1)

It's getting to be slow season. Techs don't get paid if they don't flag the hours. They are trying to upsell everything just to keep their workload @ 40+ hours. They have to be there for 40, so standing around work and not getting paid sucks. With that being said

Drive Belts:165.00 --Probably .9 to one hour labor. The price is about right for a dealer and OEM belts, but still to high IMO. Can be done elsewhere for cheaper. Go outside and look at the belts yourself. If they have 2-4 cracks per inch they are recommended to be replaced. If they are barely cracking, no need to replace just yet. If there are no cracks I would add this to my list of complaints about this dealer.

Fuel Flush:249.95 ..WTF is that?? Never heard of it. Not even sure what the point is? I would write a letter to the owner with this B.S. Doesn't the fuel in theory sort of flush itself everytime you use it up and add new, clean fuel?

P/S Flush:109.95 ..Not needed unless your steering is winding real bad and looks like crud. In theory it prolongs the life of your seals and rack & pinion. It may be recommended, check in the owner's manual.

A/C Flush:139.95 ...Not needed...

Oil Flush:129.95 .. This is ridiculous. Probably charging over an hour labor plus oil to flush it. If your oil is really black just change the oil yourself next time. After draining it tighten the drain plug add 4 quarts let it run for 2-3 minutes then drain it. After it all drains dump 1/4 quart thru the oil pan with the drain plug out. Unless it's really sludgy and terribly black like you haven't changed your oil in 25-30,000 miles then don't even worry about it.

The only thing I didn't see recommended was a brake fluid flush. This is something we recommend every two years. You can get by going 4-5 years though. After brake fluid gets old (not going to explain it here) the pedal goes further to the floor than when it was new. Owner's don't notice it since they're used to it.

Lontar1

iTrader: (5)

thiis what they are doing to you.....they are calling you a and they are going to , might as well sign your soul to them... Holy crap.. you can do them yourself.

Drive Belts:165.00 you $50 can do them for less than if you factor your time
Fuel Flush:249.95 Seafoam it and you are done
P/S Flush:109.95 Take old out and put new ATF in it
A/C Flush:139.95
Oil Flush:129.95 $2 at autozone.. goes in prior to changing you oil..

getbigtony

iTrader: (1)

+1 on that..
my input: P/S flush: get turkey baster and do it yourself; remove as much as you can, run it, turn steering wheel all the way to both sides, turn off car, do it again for a couple times

A/C flush? if your A/C system works, you don't need a 'flush.' go buy a recharge kit and do it yourself if it isn't as cold. a flush is their way of saying a recharge because with their machine, you have to flush is cuz they empty your system, put a vacuum in it, then recharge it

oil flushes like he said is bull. only applies if you never change your oil or burned all your oil, cuz of these silly 3.5Ls

and perhaps they want to change your fuel filter, but that's bull, cuz nissan doesn't recommend it anyway

bigEL

Another day, another place, but the same old game. The place that I used to go to (Ardmore Nissan in PA) had mostly good honest techs, but their manager was rotten. He would always tell me that if I didn't do XYZ, my warranty would be void. The final straw was when he said that I missed my last oil change and would void my warranty without a $180+ procedure. I knew neither part was true, but he insisted that's what his computer showed and he would write in my record that I refused "necessary/critical" work. Well, after I insisted that I only wanted an oil change, he added on an extra $4 "National Security Fee." So now I'm fighting terrorism when I change my oil? He also wrote that my CEL was on. WTF?! After arguing for half an hour and getting the owner on the phone, they took off the charge "this time only." When I got home, I looked up my old receipts. Not only did I get my last service done on the dot, but the order was written up by that very same manager himself. So because of their greed, they've lost this loyal customer's business forever.

http://www.nbc4.tv/video/2620224/index.html
http://www.nbc4.tv/video/9152183/detail.html

L.I. I30t

The only thing that sounds about right would be the belts ( parts & labor ) but everything else is pure bullsh*t. You only have 30k and they are asking you to do a oil flush and fuel injector cleaner. Wow!!

FriscoMaxima

iTrader: (1)

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/mechanic.html

this is what they tried to do to you... well kinda...

P. Samson

That's funny......the Owner's Manual even in Schedule 1 (the more severe driving one) doesn't even call for belts until 60k miles and those other "things" are not even mentioned. Another odd thing I can't find them in the FSM or addressed in any TB in reference for routine work!! Seriously, some of the dealers are "making work" (and some have done it for years) because business I think is down because of crappy car sales, the cars are more reliable and of course greed. It's a rip! If both bigEL and roll4life have time to do it, you could do everyone a favor by phoning 1-800-647-7261 and explaining what happened at these respective dealers, making it clear to Nissan that you feel ripped off (or were going to be) and that your next car is going to be a Toyota etc., etc. This may get Nissan's attention and they might just have a word or two to say to these idiot dealers. A follow up letter would be even better. If you are in doubt what is required for maintenance on your car, refer to YOUR Owner's Manual (not a Euro spec. one off some website!)........I'm always amazed that A LOT of people never read the thing.

Love_00_Max

These horror stories is quite a reason not to buy another Nissan!!! The other day I was with a dealership and the story is quite similar, ripoff the customer at any cost.

I bet the story isn't any different with other car manufactures and their dealerships. That is why one needs to spend the extra time finding and sticking to a repair shop whom you can trust day in and day out. There are many repair shops that are honest and trustworthy -- it is the need to find one good one.

ryant35

iTrader: (3)

p/s & coolant flushes were around $60 at a Jiffy Lube style place.

UGAd13

The sad thing is that some old lady will probably be duped into getting all of these. People like these make it harder for honest mechanics.

koolguy4u

iTrader: (2)

they always try to screw people over by saying they need some other services which the car dont need. Its just buisness

20max01

F- that, I used to work at a dealer 15 years ago when I was 19....they used to make me tell people things that were not true so they could get an increase on the sale...I told them one day in front of a customer that I was not going to rip someone off for over $400 when all they needed was $38 for plugs....customer left I quit and the guy asked me to do them , told him to meet me in the autozone lot at the corner..did the spark plugs in the lot in my dealer clothes...he gave me $100 and said thanks for your honesty

Love_00_Max

I simply don't understand why one would take short cuts to make a fast buck.

In this country there are more vehicles on the road than entire population, why why why do most of the dealerships/mechanics take such short cuts, if one did a honest job one could make a ton load of money as there is no dearth of vehicles that need servicing.

I just don't understand why this ripoff happens.

Mints33

iTrader: (5)

My wife took her van in for a 6 month maintenance, we were in a middle of a move, so I didn't have the time. Anyhow, tire rotation was part of the deal, but the tires were NOT rotated. And the tech tried to sell us pads, for they were really low, the van only had less than 7000 miles on it at the time. Well, I had a nice conversation w/ the service manager, and walked away w/ the service for free.

trigger005

iTrader: (8)

ugh... because they can get away with it, duh.

lot of ppl r stupid or just dun no anythin bout cars so they dont no they r gettin ripped off

Rydicule

I don't know if anyone lives in CT area, but in a town called Canton there is a shop called Advanced Automotive, I got my struts replaced there on my old 99 max. The guy that did them is an excellent mechanic, the car was rock solid. He charged me $425 total (for parts and labor), only charged me about an hour or hour and a half of labor too if I remember correctly. I believe he is the only honest mechanic I have ever been to.

On the other hand, when I was at school and unable to do my own oil change, I went to a valvoline to have them do it there. After they tried to sell me an engine flush, told me my power steering fluid need to be changed, and told me my air filter (a one month old K&N at the time) was shot and needed to be replaced, I told them to forget about the oil change all together. I drove 100 miles home and did my own change.

littlegreenman1

Some of the extras that the dealerships come up with are astounding. At my 36K service - dealer wanted about $500. Much of the stuff above and beyond the manual. I told them to do exactly what was required in the manual - $75.

I did let them do EVERYTHING they suggested for the 60K service - as this is a car I intend to drive until she won't roll no mo'.

jvienneau

You're assuming they actually did them. Dateline ran a story on how JL often doesn't actually do the service and most people can't/don't check.

Wills98MaxSE

Considering your max is 5 yrs old and just under 40K, the only things worth doing are the belts and the P/S flush. As others mentioned, you can do the P/S flush on your own, but its your car and you can take care of it any way you want

Fuel flush - you can buy a bottle of Chevron w/ techron from Autozone at every oil change and that'll keep things clean

A/C flush -

Oil Flush - I'd probably wait 'til your mileage gets higher. But if you really want to do it, there's bottles for engine flush at autozone.

Paulie Walnuts

iTrader: (1)

That is awsome, way to stand by your convictions, kudos to you my good man.

04BlackMaxx

They must think you have stupid written on your forhead

Maxim(a)SerjVQ

"Does it look like i have '****' written on my forehead?!" -Jason Statham (crank)

lol.

I took my pads and rotors to Sylvan Lake Auto in Keego Harbor/Sylvan Lake, MI. They've Been in business for over 30years in a small shop. Why? the guy likes doing the work and isn't out for a quick buck. they got'em both on in less than 2 hours for $150. Named their charge up front, put a rush on'em for me even though I was a first-time customer at that time, and did an excellent job. Their quality workmanship and honesty shows in their longetivity and through the other people who reccomended them to me.

getbigtony

iTrader: (1)

wow, after all this, i realize a lot of service shop blows huh?
i work at honda, and now i realize why we get so many other brand cars. and it was a PITA to do a stupid GM today cuz i didn't have a specific filter wrench..

bigEL

I bet you're going to be finding that more and more common, as manufacturers continue putting the squeeze on DIY and independent mechanics. In most cases, it's not different because it's better. It's different because it's profitable (creates an artificial demand/monopoly for specialized tools and services).


http://www.thecarconnection.com/Enth...81.A10159.html

BewstAdd1ct

wow. id ask them why they suggested these things. theyre all BS, possibly with the exception of the belts, but if they arent beginning to crack, they dont need to be replaced. dont let them BS you with the 'maintenance' thing, either. if they come with that, have them show you where in the owners manual it says that you need an oil flush.

fgts.



what makes you think that these upsells are exclusive to nissan dealerships?

Love_00_Max

http://www.nbc4.tv/video/9152183/detail.html

Look at this JL horror story!!!

super6

iTrader: (5)

WERD, and bont buy the brooklyn bridge either.

anyway, sweet having only 39k on an 01, id just change the coolant and engine oil, maybe the MT fluid as well, thats it, unless u need brake pads.

if u want to change the PS fluid just buy a container of synthetic ATF (mobil 1) nd use a turkey baister to take old fluid out, and refill. do that about 3-4 times ull change all the fluid that way...cost=$6, not $109

3DazeGrace

i bought my maxima at ardmore nissan

since the day i took the car i've never been there again. im not stupid enough to go to stealerships, i never even bother with them

buying a car is so irratating because they try to suck the life out of you

i hope i never have to go to a dealership again... but i will... when maxi dies

q45Owner

Why are you guys so upset with the order OP posted? I would think that you do want to flush out old fluids every so many years?

I own a Q45 from Inifiniti and I do flush Tranny every 2 years or 20K miles whichever comes first Mobil-1

Flush power sterring fluids with fresh Mobil-1 every 2 years - I would rather pay $45 at local shop to flush 99% fluid than trying the turkey baster method.

Now fuel flush - which really is "pressurized Fuel rail flush" is almost a given every 2 years or so - this is how yo get your injectors cleaned under pressurized fuel. I do that again every year on my Q45 - together with TB cleaning.

A/C flush I am stumped on as well - There are setups to clean the condenser, BG has an A/C cleaner system with Foam that blows away the debris from the induction system, but not many ppl use it I guess.

Bottom line - one must flush out all fluids periodically --> Power steering, differential, Transmission, Coolant, Brake Fluid, Engine Oil.... anything liquid must be flushed away over time.

PAREDLINE

The service life of all fluids except the oil is technically the life of the car. EVEN transmission fluid. However we know that's not the case.

To flush these fluids in 31,000 miles is simply robbery.

You dont need any of that. I bet you dont even need a belt.

Matt_01SE_20th

iTrader: (1)

I LOVE reading this BS from dealerships. I just got a notice in the mail that i can get a complimentary 100 point checkup on my 01 max. YAY. I am going to do it jsut to see if now that the warranty is expired, if they can find the root cause of all the problems they were denying before. and to see what kind of BS they feed me. I will LOVE to see the look on their faces when i tell them i am a mechanical engineer who designs engines for a living and know WTF i am talking about. ill let you know what kind of crap they feed me this time. you know im a nerd when i get this excited to jsut stick it to the dealership. although i doubt they will actually notice that i have no muffler. im sure they will notice that the transmission is leaking, and recommend that i replace it. cough BS cough

Matt_01SE_20th

iTrader: (1)

You would think. But NO.

If you are flussing tranny fluid every 20k you are wating your money. every 60k id chalk it up to caution, 20k to stupidity.

PS fluid, same bit.

The fuel flush, give me a break. high pressure does NOTHING to clean. pressure doesnt mean anything if there isnt a momentum transfer, which wouldnt happen in ANY closed system. You are getting ripped off. Plus your fuel is pressurized to begin with, how do you think it flows?

AC is a closed system. there is no "induction system", learn about it.

i agree that all fluids must be changed or flushed at SOME point in time. You are going overboard.
Tranny: 60k-100k (AT/MT vary with use)
PS: depends on useage typically 50k-100k
Fuel: You do it everyday, its called driving
A/C: 150k unless things start to go awry, and that is being generous
Differential is in the tranny (sorry Q45 is RWD, chang with tranny fluid)
Coolant: 3-4 years, 75k (once again being safe)
Brake Fluid: 5 years (technically along with the lines)
Engine oil: up to you. 3k is a cheat, 5k is a push, 10k is a bit too long for normal oil, the filter is truly the weak point here.

SAVE YOUR MONEY

slickrick

iTrader: (12)

I got both belts done for $75 at my mechanic but they are not OEM belts. good price.

KRRZ350

iTrader: (29)

hahaha, fuel flush, hahaha, ac flush, hahahaha

q45Owner

AC I do not know much about - have not done it so I do not know, I will admit. All I know is that there is a BG service for A/C that sends foam thru the system thereby cleaning the system of debris/mould/etc collected over time.

You are dead wrong on the other stuff. Fuel rail flush is running chemicals under pressure - not just your regular fuel. Injectors do clog over time [assuming you have heard about bad gas] specially in CA and AZ. I run the pressurized fuel rail slightly over the WOT pressure to unclog the injectors. I am not sure of Maxima, but on Q45 I block the return fuel line to keep the chemical flowing back to the tank. Then I also use BG44K in the fuel tank every 3K miles.

Fuel filter changed every 12 months - I want to save my Fuel pump from failing as well.

30K or years is max I will go before changing the fluids - 2 years is more than enough for oils/fluids to contaminate/deteriorate.

You do not have to do anything if you do not want to, 2 years is my mantra before flushing the fluids out - big fan of BG service and chemicals offered by BG

Also, even in My Camry (front wheel drive), I do have a differential fluid that I replace every 2 years/30K miles. Maxima has no differential fluid that you can drain/replace?


I guess my Q has been pampered - but it purrs even after 135K miles and will smoke any maxima anyday.

Bones45

This q45 guy is a real marketers dream. Good thing he does all that at 4x the normal rate.

Keeps the prices down for us