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For me, safety inspection is a good time to attend to deferred or unknown maintenance issues even if they are not safety related but for that you have to trust the place you take your car in.
I change my differential fluid in both of my axles at least once a year, and check it twice. More if I've recently been through deep water.
I do it only when recommended. I have yet to have a gear oil related failure on any of my axles. If I'm off road and in deep water (rarely have I been in that situation) I do check and change. But I'm speaking strictly as a recommended service not off road use
The problem is that it was almost always recommended at the dealer. My service trucks were serviced by the dealer. They recommended axle gear oil changes every time we went in for services. The initial service request had " recommended" needed services. Still recommended 3k oil changes too. Service manual stated 5k. Manufacturer recommended 30-60-90k intervals. Dealer recommended every 15k. At 130 bucks per service that's a lot of unneeded service performed.
What do you feel are the least beneficial upsells one will frequently encounter when taking a vehicle in for routine service.
As a woman I get bombarded with all kinds of upsells everytime I take my truck in....99% of the time I refuse them all.
What indeed offers good value for the extra money (in your opinion) and what is simply more expensive stuff sold under the guise that its soooooo much better.
I am not sure why you have this issue, I am female and I have always taken my vehicles in for service and I have always specifically told them what I wanted done exactly.
I've never had anyone offer me anything else or an "upsell" type whatever.
You're flushes are generally a waste of time. Tranny flushes, AC line flushes, etc are always pushed when going in for service, and in reality do hardly anything for your vehicle. You might want to consider these type flushes maybe once every 100K miles or so, not every other time you go in.
You're flushes are generally a waste of time. Tranny flushes, AC line flushes, etc are always pushed when going in for service, and in reality do hardly anything for your vehicle. You might want to consider these type flushes maybe once every 100K miles or so, not every other time you go in.
Better yet, stop going to whatever rip-off artist you take your car to that recommends them every time you go in. Occasionally a mechanic will notice something that could be replaced now and would make more sense (more easily accessible due to parts being off, just more convenient). If you take your car to a con artist, you likely have zero trust in anything they find.
I do it only when recommended. I have yet to have a gear oil related failure on any of my axles. If I'm off road and in deep water (rarely have I been in that situation) I do check and change. But I'm speaking strictly as a recommended service not off road use
The problem is that it was almost always recommended at the dealer. My service trucks were serviced by the dealer. They recommended axle gear oil changes every time we went in for services. The initial service request had " recommended" needed services. Still recommended 3k oil changes too. Service manual stated 5k. Manufacturer recommended 30-60-90k intervals. Dealer recommended every 15k. At 130 bucks per service that's a lot of unneeded service performed.
Hm. Yeah, that's true.
I do it mostly because my Jeep is 22 years old with large tires. I like to keep things fresh, and also inspect the diff for chips.
You mean, the engine was shot, and I "knew so little about the cars I drive", that I didn't know it was shot, and I kept blissfully driving with a blown engine until the power steering went out and the gas tank leaked and the alignment was beyond adjustment specs and the brake lines were rusted out? And I should have followed the manual maintenance schedule of the engine, and none of that would have happened?
It's actually very frightening that you think that.
Nope. Simply very frightening that you're completely ignorant of what the maintenance schedule was for you car to the point you actually though it was nothing but oil changes. Sorry to offend you for calling you out as I've obviously struck a nerve. But pick up the owners manual and read it. It would take less time than either of our posts did. Or don't. That's just my advise. Ignorance is bliss, right?
If you had, your brake lines probably wouldn't rust out. Maybe not a big deal if you just get rid of cars rather than do an alignment on them, but for those of us that do keep our cars for a longer periods of time maintenance is actually important.
I do it mostly because my Jeep is 22 years old with large tires. I like to keep things fresh, and also inspect the diff for chips.
On a older vehicle and off road use water dirt mud encountered along either more "severe" use yeah I can see stepping up the maintenance schedule. But fir a vehicle that sees mostly freeway streets and a occasional graded dirt road it's just easy money. Lots of people simply blindly follow advice given with no question. Even when that advice is wrong.
Our trucks were diesel. The manufacturers recommended intervals was 5k. The dealer wanted to do it every 3k. That's about 3 extra oil changes in a given year given 20 k miles driving allowance. At 130 per oil change that's 400 bucks spent needlessly on a recommendation. A wrong recommendation.
What - you don't believe in having the car serviced?
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