Necessary work?

It’s more than the wasted funds. Whenever you replace something, you incur risk that you break something. There’s little or no benefit to fixing something that is not broken.

Case in point… I had my clutch pedal assembly replaced because it was creaking. It was under TSB and cost me nothing but my time spent without my truck eating lunch at the bar next door, however when I got my truck back, I discovered the techs forgot to adjust the pedal height and play. Was I better off before or after?

There’s also the potential environmental impact of flushing perfectly good brake fluid down the toilet.

 

So find somebody that actually knows what they're doing. Guys shop around for the cheapest mechanic and then act surprised when the job isnt done correctly

I did let the dealer do my 2011 clutch pedal too because the creaking was annoying the crap out of me. I adjusted the travel slightly a week later

If you never flush the brakes the bleeder screws can rust shut and then they wont work when you need them..

Overall it blows my mind that someone will pay 35-40k for a truck and then leave the same brake fluid in it for 10 years.

200 dollars is barely an hour's labor at the dealer. My shop is $199 right now and probably going up a bit more soon. 200 labor plus a bottle of brake fluid is not highway robbery. Its not 1993 anymore. On a 40k truck if 200 labor is too much then you need a cheaper mode of transportation. Like a bicycle or something

You can date these guys by listening to them brag about how much things used to cost.
"I used to get a soda for a nickel, never wore a seat belt, walked uphill to school both ways in the snow, bla bla bla.."


Is @Marshall R still claiming he knows a shop that can rebuild an automatic transmission for $1,000 including parts and labor? Gimme a break. Throwing "advice" around like that is not helpful. That price is not tethered to reality

 

I don't go to the dealership once the warranty is over. Like Billy mentioned, find an independent garage that you can trust. They will less overhead costs per/hour.

This is a pretty good video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aEkJhPr5u4&t=514s

 

True dat.
I remember gas at 38 cents a gallon.
Pay phones for a dime.
Adjusted gross income of $5000 a year could put you in a 3/2 house and a new car every 2-3 years.

 

Yep, that's what I've been told over and over again.. no wonder nobody took care of their vehicles haha

Thanks for fucking up the economy before passing it on to the rest of us

 

I think we will have to agree to disagree. I think that replacing parts that aren’t broken is an emotional decision not a logical one. It’s a case of differing philosophies.

 

Sounds like "over-kill" to me... dealerships always try to sell more services.

 

Except we're not talking about broken parts, we're talking about maintenance.
Not sure what the requirements are to classify brake fluid as broken..

Maintenance and repair are two different things.

Just because some shops recommend maintenance doesn't always mean they're blowing smoke

 

It really is entertaining to read some of the highlights you mention. lol

My wife’s 2017 Elantra is at the dealership getting coils replaced. There were other recommendations but I picked the ones needed.

Been trusting this Hyundai dealership since 2006 so I’m good.

 

some very interesting takes on how people perceive things work....

 

Again I think we have different philosophies. I think that inspecting things and replacing them when they fail inspection is maintenance.

I think people tend to think of maintenance in the context of engine oil replacement. Engine oil is hard to inspect and it’s cheap, so the best ROI is to replace it on a schedule. Most other parts on not the same way. For example, there is no need to replace brake pads until they are too thin.

Toyota corporate (the manufacturer with very smart engineers) publishes its recommendations on what needs to be replaced on a schedule and what needs to be inspected on a regular basis. The rest you can just sleep tight and not worry about.

Dealerships and independent mechanics (who don’t have any engineers) have different profit incentives. I don’t distrust them anymore than any other business, but I understand that they are incentivized to over care for your car. There is no downside for them to insure your car is as close to dealer floor room as possible

And just to be perfectly clear, I appreciate it when a tech points out a potential issue with my truck during inspection even when I conclude it’s not something that requires immediate attention. That’s what I am paying them for.

 

I will say this about blowing smoke…lol

My wife’s Elantra was last at dealership 7 months ago and they recommended parking brake adjustment…since she has rear drums.

I declined the service at this time.

But…you have to know history of your vehicle and history with the dealership to know what’s needed.

 

How does the parking brake feel? Does it set properly or is it soft?

Keeping rear drums clean and adjusted helps the front brakes so they're aren't getting overworked. Yes there's a little adjustment mechanism back there but they never work correctly. Need to do it by hand from time to time..

 

I barely pull the lever in between the front seats and it engages at roughly 1-2 inches.

The dealership did a great job adjusting it.

She got 4 new tires/alignment/weight&balance on her last visit so her car is good.

 

And don't get me started on predictive maintenance. Where you have a plant running that costs $20,000 hr. when it's shut down because someone waited to replace a part until its useful life ended or it broke. Just to get that last 10 hrs. out of the part. Predictive is replacing BEFORE anything breaks when it's nearing its useful life end. So, you "lose" $150 because you replaced it 10 hrs. early but kept the plant running and saved the $20,000 in breakdown cost.

Of course it depends on if you can be without your car or truck and what that might cost, and business use of a truck vs personal.

 

I just ate 8oz of ground Bison, 1 cup of white rice and 3 hard boiled eggs. As you were.....

 

Soooooo,

OP (Original Poster)

What do you think of the dialogue going on here?

What are you gonna do?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5zt6k1ozKg&list=RDf5zt6k1ozKg&start_radio=1

 

Wasn't my generation, it was my parents who did that.

 

I appreciate the dialogue. I passed on both today but I have another appointment next week to get my passenger mirror replaced (got sideswiped recently).

I will probably get the brake fluid flush. I could probably do this myself, but I have very little time available between work and having a toddler.

Today they recommended I get new tires which I’ve been waiting for. I have Nitto Grapplers on now and love them but they don’t carry them. They also have their annual tire sale going on right now where it’s buy 3, get the 4th for $1. They do carry KO2 so I was thinking of going that route instead of the Nittos to take advantage of the sale.

 

Cool! - About you appreciating the dialogue. lol

Sounds like you are gonna try out new brand of tire.