maisy-ga:
"Looks dirty", coming from a dealership service department, is really
not an acceptable diagnosis, and I personally would want to find
another garage to deal with if that is what I was given as the reason
for wanting to perform a service on my own vehicle.
The reason why brake fluid is almost always serviced only when the
brake linings themselves are changed, is because during a brake lining
service it is necessary to bleed out some of the fluid anyway. The
main reason for wanting to change the brake fluid is to remove the
build-up of any water or dirt that has made its way into the fluid
over the service life of the vehicle. As the brake fluid gets "wet"
(ie. builds up water content), it will get progressively darker and
darker. The fear is that, if the water content builds up too much,
then rusting can occur in the brake hydraulics. Unless the dealership
can give you even this high-level of detail in their explanation, and
provide the results of a sample test to show that the brake fluid in
your car has indeed been compromised, then you can leave this until
your brake pads themselves need replacement.
Here is a bit of information about brake fluid flushing from a
self-proclaimed honest mechanic:
http://www.trustmymechanic.com/htmlmessage23.html
As for the power steering fluid... have you had any problems
whatsoever with the power steering? If the fluid were in need of
flushing, you would have first noticed some other issues such as hard
or loose steering that indicate a problem with the power steering
system. In a 4-yr old Honda Civic, this would be rare. Again, this
particular fluid service is usually only done in conjunction with the
repair or replacement of a power steering system component; if none is
recommended (and justified), then the fluid flush is also not
required.
Again, here is some additional information about diagnosing problems
with your power steering system:
http://autorepair.about.com/cs/troubleshooting/a/aa121501a_5.htm
Finally, for "induction flushing", there are two possibilities
(besides some fancy new radiator flushing technique). The first is
that they want to flush the air induction system. That's actually a
fancy way of saying that they want to spray a $5 can of cleaner into
the intake manifold with the engine off, then on, to clean out any
dirt that has built up in there. And charge you $70+ for the job. In
cases where the intake manifold is especially dirty due to you either
driving in dusty conditions, or your air filter failing, for the most
part this is something that a dealership service department would
overcharge for versus a neighborhood garage.
The second is that they meant "fuel injection system flushing", where
again they hook up a $8 can of cleaner to your fuel injector fuel
rail, and run the engine for 10 minutes until the can of cleaner is
empty... and charge you $100 for the privilege. This service is
necessary if you notice that your car hesitates when you step on the
gas, or if you notice that your fuel economy has gotten worse
(possibly due to dirty fuel). If neither is the case, then as a
preventive measure it is almost always overpriced.
Obviously, the above is just my opinion of the situation given the
information that you have provided; however, I would recommend that
you take advantage of this situation to find yourself an honest
mechanic (yes, such creatures do exist!), explain to them exactly what
the service department told you was needed, and see what they think
when they actually see your car. If you are in a small town, the
easiest way to find that honest mechanic would be to ask around at
your local hardware store. Reputations, both good and bad, tend to
spread like wildfire among the do-it-yourself crowd who visit places
like hardware stores.
This is all, again, just my opinion based on the information provided
by Honda in their maintenance schedule (as referenced by
theaceofspades-ga's Comment below), and my years of do-it-myself
experience maintaining my own vehicles, and helping my friends and
family maintain theirs. In the course of those years, I have
encountered my own fair share of shady mechanics out to line their own
pockets, but there is always an honest one around the corner who
actually cares about their customers and only does what is necessary.
Without actually seeing your car for myself, I cannot provide absolute
conclusive answers; however, you have provided enough information to
cause me to suspect the service department's true motives in much the
same way that you seem to suspect them.
Regards,
aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher |
