Antifreeze flush Scam or not

[SuperClean]

I thought i would check to see if anyone knows here before i complain but i did not get an answer from the garage. I had a rad problem in June and took it to a chain of auto repair places here in Canada. I got it fixed and they flushed the system and refiled it. I took the car in today to get the heater checked it needs a part but the guy told me that i need a coolant flush and thermostat replacement its really rusty and needs to be changed. I told him over the phone i just had it done a couple months ago and he said well its bad. I just didn't sound right so i told him to hold off on the repair. I went to pick up the car and asked him again about it and he said you had it done here i said yes and he look it up it was 3000 km ago so i asked him how it could be bad so he calls the mechanic. He comes over and says its really rusty and needs changing i said i had it done he said some cars need it more then others or maybe they didn't flush it right. I said it was done here 3000 km ago and he said well some need it done more often and maybe your rad is really rusty. It just didn't sit right i think its recommended every 50000 km and its a 2003 car with 110000 km on it. Could it be possible that this could happen or is it likely that they did not flush it out the last time i don't know much about this but i want to check before complaining. If any one knows how this could be and could let me know it would be appreciated. Thanks Greig

 

[mjc3333]

If the car is a GM it has dex coolant which does look rusty after so many miles. It is orange not green. If it is dex coolant, it will look rusty but is not.

 

[Turbo]

I own a fast lube and do a fair amount of coolant flushes. A few thoughts:

-while I'm sure some people cheat (dont actaullly do the services billed) their customers I am guessing this is a rare exception
-How they do the service CAN effect the results (vacuum out and replace or using cars water pump or an external pump to flush coolant and refill)
-if coolant is really dirty or a mistake was made in process it may need to be done again. Based on mileage above and if this was the first time you had it done I am guessing they did it right but should have done it twice (and possibly charged you a little more)

Recommendation:

Ask them to do it again based on time since they flushed it AND you are a regular customer. I am guessing they will. If they want a small fee pay it or have something else done that it needs and they might reflush for free.

Turbo

 

[pitzerwm]

The odds are that they didn't do it at all or did a halfa$$ job, now that you nailed them on it, they are claiming that it needs done more often. My Honda van has 120K miles and its never been done, and it is still green and test correct. My Z has 61K and the same thing, I just tested them last week.

I don't go to the fast lube places any more. One of the last times I went,(Jiffy Lube) the guy pulls up a page that looks like the Honda site, that says my transmission fluid needs changing. I had about 50K miles on it, and the book says 100K or whatever, so obviously its just another scam to get most people to part with their money. Hell, usually those places can't even check the air pressure in your tires. Our good friend Tom Hoffman, Jr. has a number of Jiffy Lubes and I have no doubt that he runs them correctly, but he admits that the ones that run the scams hurt him also.

 

[rph9168]

I stopped going to lube places a long time ago for the same reasons listed in other posts. I have either my mechanic or auto dealer do the general maintenance. I still make sure it is something I need to have done if they recommend something and sometimes it cost a little more but they do not scam me because I am a regular customer. That's also why I buy tires where they only sell tires, not these tire dealers that do other repairs and maintenance.

 

[MEP001]

I don't go to the fast lube places any more. One of the last times I went,(Jiffy Lube) the guy pulls up a page that looks like the Honda site, that says my transmission fluid needs changing. I had about 50K miles on it, and the book says 100K or whatever, so obviously its just another scam to get most people to part with their money. Hell, usually those places can't even check the air pressure in your tires. Our good friend Tom Hoffman, Jr. has a number of Jiffy Lubes and I have no doubt that he runs them correctly, but he admits that the ones that run the scams hurt him also.

I saw a report by NBC4 News in Los Angeles about Jiffy Lube where they took cars in for the transmission flush - in five out of nine instances they didn't even perform the service and still charged them for it.

 

[bighead]

First question would be: what type of car do you drive?

 

[Semi-retired]

Coolant types will make a difference. I have seen coolant flushes done properly by a vac machine turn dirty by the next service due to build up in the system that the old coolant left behind now being cleaned by the new anti corrosion additives.
When I have seen it it has been on vehicles that have not been serviced per factory recommended intervals.

Your dealer uses the same equipment in most cases that any reputable quick lube uses and services most things the same way.

Quick Lube Owner/ Operator

 

[hkim310]

Its funny how people think the dealer is any different than a quick lube. They actually have more overhead and costs than a quick lube would and push/sell preventative maintenance services just as hard as quick lubes. I'm going to have to agree with Semi-retired on this one.....

 

[MEP001]

Most dealers are completely different than a quick lube. 99.9% of their overhead would still be there if they didn't do oil changes. Some do oil changes as a loss leader.

Side note, dealers can be crooks too. A friend recently told me she had her car in at the dealer for an oil change and told them it had a vibration under braking. They did an alignment at $100, which of course didn't fix a thing. They didn't even rotate or balance the tires, which are not worn unevenly.

 

[Waxman]

being in the used car business is a great way to learn more about cars.

first thing we do is google the problem and do research that way. good first step.

second is running it by a trusted mechanic. we have three that we use. one guy works at a fast lube plus moonlights. another guy works from home and is great at changing parts ( steering racks, brakes, timing belts) but won't diagnose and will not even test drive the cars! third guy is a farmer-type who can pull a motor out of a subaru and install new head gasket blindfolded faster than the subaru dealer mechanics.

it pays to find a mechanic or 3 you can trust.

 

[Randy]

My guess is that they never flushed it. That is why I stand by my car while oil changes, flushes etc are done. Unfortunately you really can;t trust anyone today. I use a vehicle maintenance management program named Automotive Wolf car care software that tracks my vehicle maintenance schedule and send me reminders when anything needs to be done. Currently I have the anti freeze flush set to every 50,000 miles which is recommended by the manufacturer. I really don;t think it needs to be done more often than that unless you have some major radiator issues.

I would never take any of my vehicles to a lube shop for anything. I change my own oil every 7000-8000 miles and have never changed the anti-freeze in over 240,000 miles. The people that I know who own a lube shop some of the most dishonest people I've ever met.

 

[MEP001]

My guess is that they never flushed it. That is why I stand by my car while oil changes, flushes etc are done. Unfortunately you really can;t trust anyone today. I use a vehicle maintenance management program named Automotive Wolf car care software that tracks my vehicle maintenance schedule and send me reminders when anything needs to be done. Currently I have the anti freeze flush set to every 50,000 miles which is recommended by the manufacturer. I really don;t think it needs to be done more often than that unless you have some major radiator issues.

There are plenty of people out there you can trust, the hard part is wading through all the crooks to find the good ones. Yelp is pretty useless now because every crackpot who has the slightest beef jumps on there to bad-mouth an otherwise good company over an honest mistake.

 

[rph9168]

My grandson quit working at a lube place because they were constantly hounding him to increase sales without considering what the customer really wanted or needed done. They encouraged scare tactics especially on women and older customers telling them things like air and fuel filters, flushes and transmission fluid needed to be changed or they risked damage to their vehicle. While he said they did do what they said they would often it was not needed. They did an investigative report last year on local TV showing questionable practices that was very revealing. Only a few proved to be honest. Several even lost their franchise.