I had a Honda dealer change my '04's oil while I was doing the paperwork to buy a new Ody for the wife. The report came back that I needed to change coolant, brake fluid, and power steering fluid. The car has about 58k miles.

I had the PS flushed at 52k (along with a replacement of the transmission fluid). The brake fluid was changed at 54k when the front pads were changed, the coolant was replaced at 44k (about 18 months ago).

Fair to say the dealer was trying to sell me stuff I don't need?

Also, they indicated that an oversized drain plug had been installed on my car (I usually have a local garage perform my work). Is there anything to worry about? The dealer thought that a previous mechanic stripped the threads.

 

Wait, a dealer trying to sell you shit you don't need?! NEVER!


Of course thats what they were doing... Tell em to kiss your ass and go somewhere else.

 

this happened on my old integra. Depending on how bad the damage is, the next oil change can wear down the threads even more and you'll be leaking a lot of oil. The gasket was leaking so we opted to replace the entire oil pan.

You could have it re-tapped with for a bigger bolt or perhaps a fumoto oil valve in its place, short of replacing the whole oil pan. Another option is to weld a nut and use a matching bolt..kind of ghetto though.

 

They didn't know you had changed them. There were no records. They are going by the miles on the car. IMO- they did there job by letting you know.

 

I agree-
I have all the service done by acura/honda dealers. I was told by the dealer I try to get my car serviced they do not recommend PS fluid flushes. The only time they would-is if the fluid is contaminated.

 

I would ask them to explain how they came to those conclusions. I mean what tells them that these fluids need to be changed. Since you've already had these things done I 'd love to hear their explanation.

 

Coolant needs to be changed every 7 years or 105K mile on these cars b/c it can cause a ton of issues if it's left in there for too long such as rust, material deposits, etc and cause overheating and more issues and headaches.

The power steering fluid should have been changed when the recall was performed on the hose. I like to change mine out every 3 or so years because it's cheap (5 dollars) and can be done with a turkey baster in a drive-way.

Brake fluid MUST be changed at least once every 2-3 years as it is hygroscopic and will absorb water. Once water gets into the brake fluid, it lowers the boiling point of the fluid and that can cause brake failure in prolonged braking situations. As well the water in the fluid can cause rust in the braking system and cause brake caliper failure such as leaks (pistons will not clamp) or causing a caliper to seize up in the locked position!

The brake fluid can EASILY be seen if it needs to be changed, it'll have greenish mold/algae growing on top when you open the brake fluid canister.

The power steering fluid is changed when it starts becoming dirty, and the coolant is just simply based off of time/mileage.