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Go to get the oil changed....I've heard recommendations for "oil flush," "transmission flush," "gas cleaners," "radiator flush," etc. How much of this is really necessary?
Most are only needed if there is a problem. If you use one of many additives available you may need to flush out the coolant, gas lines or oil system.
A tranny power flush is a good idea as most of the wear on a automatic is the fluid, a simple fluid change only swaps out a small percentage as most the fluid is in the torque converter. GM requires it for the warranty at 60,000 I think. It is likely a different mile marker but I don't have the book on me.
I'd always go by the manufacturers maintenance manual. They put alot of time into determining what needs to be done. Raditor flushes are good as it get rid of the entire anti-feeze including the block.I also is that more manuifacturers are recommending brake fluid flushes and replacement which I can see because of the moisture problem.Most don't recommend any additives to these fluid.Things like intake and fuel injection cleaners are pretty optional ;i use techron before every other oil change myself and then have the injection system cleaned every 50,000 miles myself.
Go to get the oil changed....I've heard recommendations for "oil flush," "transmission flush," "gas cleaners," "radiator flush," etc. How much of this is really necessary?
I use Royal Purple which is a fully synthetic oil and I change it every 6k miles. People who don't use the best oils are idiots especially if your car is turbo or supercharged. I also use the K&N oil filter as the oil system is only as good as the filter.
Now due to the fact that this is the best combo you can use on your car there is NO need to do an oil flush. If you happen to have an old car and you really want to do an oil flush it's best to change the oil at VERY short intervals using a high quality oil filter because using the harsh detergents that's in oil flush kits on a 200k car can be a shock and might cause new leaks.
2) I don't flush transmissions because the machine that flushes the transmission can jam dirt and other small particles into all the maze like transmission areas. Just change your trans oil when you are suppose to and you will never need to worry about trans flush! Once again it's 2009 so advantage of technology and use fully synthetic transmission oils as they help keep the transmission cooler and helps the transmission life last longer then mineral based oil. BTW, heat is your biggest killer for the transmission.
3) Gas cleaners; which means the injector cleaner... Well, I was told by a famous guy who does NOTHING but build injectors to use STP (white can) in every other tank fill up if your starting out with a new car or a used car with rebuilt injectors. He said the additives in the gas (shell, 76) is not enough to keep your injector clean in the long haul and at the same time other cleaners are too harsh and can damage your injectors. Anyhow, if your car is old and you have injectors there is no need to use a gas/injector cleaner because there are tiny screens on each injector so it's best to take the injectors and have them cleaned and returned.
On a side note, this man told me to ONLY use higher end gas stations like Shell, 76, Sunoco, ect... Also, I have heard good things about bb44k and have used it myself. It's about 50 bucks for 2 cans.
4) As far as the radiator flush I do recommend this and it's best to follow your service guide. However, if you have a car with a water pump that's in a tight location I would flush the radiator a bit more often ( at least once a year) to keep all the seals inside the pump in good shape.. Also I use a product called water wetter.
Flushes are a mixed bag--some are necessary, some are not and often shops don't do a thorough job. I would backflush the radiator and use distilled water. This is always recommended but not a common practice. As well as replacing the thermostat with a factory part at the same time.
Tranny flushes are a relatively newcomer to the field. Used to be you'd have to replace the filter and gasket and it's always a real mess, now there is a machine to put a tube down the tranny dipstick hole and suck the fluid out. I am still skeptical of this--it doesn't clean the filter and the tranny gasket will eventually leak. Also some vehicles react poorly to a tranny flush, mixes the junk up. Most automatics have 4-5 quarts inside, with the torque convertor holding another 1-2.
One flush I don't see much of anymore is brake fluid. Brake fluid attracts water and will break down over time.
Don't know about injector flush-to me, that's always been a snake oil deal. I've rebuilt hundreds of motors and if there is a problem with the air and fuel induction systems, it wont be solved by a flush.
Hi boys, I'm Carol, I'll give you this little lesson for free...The rest will cost ya!
Now if your vehicle is older than 1980, right, ..these services/flushes are not needed, they get done every 15K & 30K (Filter changeout etc..). Todays cars are engineered so that you can go 100K before you have to replace the tranny filter & spark plugs. This is the "major service" that is done on todays cars. NOW, In order for our cars to make it to the 100K mark we have to asssist them along the way by having these types "services & flushes" done. Its called PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE...to prevent components from failing before they get to 100K. to)
See back in the 80`s all cars had 15k,30,45,60,90k services and thats alot of parts being replaced and thrown away into land fills, now the car makers were getting nailed by the sierra club and other environmentallist groups about this so now those same componnents get replaced 1 time every 100k miles (ie trans filter) before every car had it replaced 4-5 times by the time they reached 100k. every car thats alot of used parts, now Ford and their triton engine spark plug replacment at 100k but the plugs are hemi style and with todays fuels and egr systems working over time for nox reduction the carbon build up was welding plugs into heads, only a 3k repair now for to new cyl heads installed now ford says injection system cleaning every 15k miles to keep the carbon build up to a minnimun, synthentic fluids keep things clean on the inside so that when you do finally see the 100000 reading on the speedo, your major componnents are worth the big and expensive service.
(ie 2000 Mercedes benz spark plugs cost $21.00 ea. and come 2 per cylinder thats 24 plugs on the v-12,) not including labor which is 7hours at $140.00 per hr.Trans filter and gasket kit $219.00, atf $19.00 a qt it takes 11 qts, flush your fluids gentelman, take care of your cars and they will last for along time.
Last edited by Carolyn Podesta; 04-12-2009 at 12:17 AM..
Reason: spelling gramar
Hi boys, I'm Carol, I'll give you this little lesson for free...The rest will cost ya!
Now if your vehicle is older than 1980, right, ..these services/flushes are not needed, they get done every 15K & 30K (Filter changeout etc..). Todays cars are engineered so that you can go 100K before you have to replace the tranny filter & spark plugs. This is the "major service" that is done on todays cars. NOW, In order for our cars to make it to the 100K mark we have to asssist them along the way by having these types "services & flushes" done. Its called PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE...to prevent components from failing before they get to 100K. to)
See back in the 80`s all cars had 15k,30,45,60,90k services and thats alot of parts being replaced and thrown away into land fills, now the car makers were getting nailed by the sierra club and other environmentallist groups about this so now those same componnents get replaced 1 time every 100k miles (ie trans filter) before every car had it replaced 4-5 times by the time they reached 100k. every car thats alot of used parts, now Ford and their triton engine spark plug replacment at 100k but the plugs are hemi style and with todays fuels and egr systems working over time for nox reduction the carbon build up was welding plugs into heads, only a 3k repair now for to new cyl heads installed now ford says injection system cleaning every 15k miles to keep the carbon build up to a minnimun, synthentic fluids keep things clean on the inside so that when you do finally see the 100000 reading on the speedo, your major componnents are worth the big and expensive service.
(ie 2000 Mercedes benz spark plugs cost $21.00 ea. and come 2 per cylinder thats 24 plugs on the v-12,) not including labor which is 7hours at $140.00 per hr.Trans filter and gasket kit $219.00, atf $19.00 a qt it takes 11 qts, flush your fluids gentelman, take care of your cars and they will last for along time.
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