Help with Dealer maintenance list

Flushes are like a religion. I know folks who swear by them, and I know folks who are against them.

When you get an alignment, make sure that whoever does the alignment offers you a lifetime warranty on that alignment.

My local dealership wants to do an alignment every time I go there. Their work is NOT warranted.

 

.

 

1) highly unlikely

2) very unlikely

3) most unlikely

4) fine

5) pricey

6) fine

7) nope

8) unlikely

 

Brake job, ball joints and sway bar: DEFINITELY get second opinion.
Brake flush, coolants: do it yourself especially if they haven’t been done before.
Transmission: Definitely do it yourself, especially at that price!
Spark plugs: nope
Wheel alignment: get second opinion and then be careful.

And find a new dealership or an honest independent mechanic.

 

There is no transmission flushing, its a simple as drain fluid and refill.
Resurface rotors, depending how bad they are, sometimes its cheaper to just replace them, if they are not gouged I always just replace the pads and call it good.
brake flush, I have never done mine, then again I don't have issues with rust or excessive moisture in the dry California heat, brake fluid does break down with moisture and this can damage breaking system.
Coolant flush sometimes I wander about doing that, I changed to truck coolant that has a life of 500-1000 million miles of service life, and have not had any issues.
Suspension components are usually very cheap, they are raping you on labor.
Spark plugs, how many miles you have on them.
Wheel alignment, I have 443000 miles and never done it, then again my car drives perfect, I would not do a wheel alignment with old tires
Find a friend that does mechanical work or look on CL for a mobile mechanic

 

There is no transmission flushing, its a simple as drain fluid and refill.
Resurface rotors, depending how bad they are, sometimes its cheaper to just replace them, if they are not gouged I always just replace the pads and call it good.
brake flush, I have never done mine, then again I don't have issues with rust or excessive moisture in the dry California heat, brake fluid does break down with moisture and this can damage breaking system.
Coolant flush sometimes I wander about doing that, I changed to truck coolant that has a life of 500-1000 million miles of service life, and have not had any issues.
Suspension components are usually very cheap, they are raping you on labor.
Spark plugs, how many miles you have on them.
Wheel alignment, I have 443000 miles and never done it, then again my car drives perfect, I would not do a wheel alignment with old tires
Find a friend that does mechanical work or look on CL for a mobile mechanic
Hope this helps

 

That alone is robbery. Transaxle fluid change is a simple drain-and-fill, takes about 1/2 hour for dealership with their lifts. Should not be more than $100.

 

That is not serious, it's common....
They're about $20+ or -, and you can change them yourself easily.

 

You can change that yourself. Fairly easy, and inexpensive.
You can "rent" a ball joint seperater from autozone or other parts places.

 

Hard to tell without seeing them. How many miles?
Rear Brake Job (Replace Pads/Resurface Rotors, REAR PADS MEASURED AT 2MM) = $289

The boot is torn, should be replaced. Do it yourself, or a less expensive place.
You don't really need an alignment for this, or the sway bar link.
Ball Joint Replacement - Lower (LEAKING GREASE BOOTS BUSTED) = $975
Sway Bar Links - Front: (BOOT BUSTED LEAKING GREASE) = $498

Should be done every 2-3 years. Do it yourself, or a less expensive place.
Brake Flush = $159

NO flush, just DRAIN it and FILL it. Car must be level. Do it yourself, or a less expensive place.
Transmission Flush = $359

NO flush, just DRAIN it and FILL it. Car must be level. Do it yourself, or a less expensive place.
Coolant Flush = $189

Change at 100,000 miles. NO flush, just DRAIN it and FILL it. Car must be level. Do it yourself, or a less expensive place.
Spark Plug Replacement = $279

If the car drives straight and doesn't pull to one side or the other and tires wear evenly, you don't need this.
Alignment 4 wheel = $129

thank you[/QUOTE]

 

You're welcome.
Can't tell anything from that photo. You need the backside so you can see
pad thickness. You should check the front pads also.
It's common to go 150,000 or more miles for brakes. Unless you are hard on
them.

But at 90,000 miles.... You should be good!
NONE of that stuff "needs" attention. Not even the damaged boots. But you
should get those taken care of soon.


Thanks for the feedback! Appreciate it very much!
Prius has 90k miles on it. here is a pic of the "Rear (Replace Pads/Resurface Rotors): REAR PADS MEASURED AT 2MM"[/QUOTE]

 

Lower ball joints do brake, they are really cheap to buy, I would replace it, also they recommended a wheel alignment that might be off if there is play in the components.
But if you are not capable of replacing them yourself, or have a friend that can assist you, I would get another mechanic besides the dealer for these repairs.
Call around and get quotes, if you go to a shop and know exactly what you want replaced there should not be any extra surprises, only what you were quoted for replacement.
A few years back I took my van to Vegas, my alternator pulley clutch failed, I purchased a replacement from auto parts store, and found mobile mechanic on craigslist that charged me 125 to replace it, I did not have the tools with me to do the job, and for that price I didn't have a problem keeping my hands clean for a change.
Nothing wrong with craigslist mechanics that will come to your house and do the job, they will even get the part for you, they don't have the overhead costs, then the guy right and you will have a person to help you when needed.