[SteveZ]

Had brake fluid flush done at dealership last Tuesday and this is what I found when I got home and opened the hood. They ordered a new grill. I wondering if they actually flushed the fluid. Passport has 15600 mile. I think fluid still looks awfully dirty.

 

[fx_chip]

That fluid looks terrible, looks as if they topped the fluid up instead of flushing it. If in the same situation I will demand they show me evidence that a flush was done or do it again. I also won't use that service department again until they replace the service manager, he's manning a sloppy shop.

 

[SteveZ]

That fluid looks terrible, looks as if they topped the fluid up instead of flushing it. If in the same situation I will demand they show me evidence that a flush was done or do it again. I also won't use that service department again until they replace the service manager, he manning a sloppy shop.

Have appointment Wednesday to replace grill and I going to tell them to flush fluid again (demand the previous tech not do it). Had my wife’s fluid flushed on her 2013 CRV last year at same dealership and job was excellent. I could tell they didn’t remove my wheels (I put locks stud above valve stem). Service manager is trying to accommodate me, but making excuses for the tech. Circle photo is after cleaning

 

[carpayments4life]

It is more common than you'd think. Mechanics look for the easiest way to do all jobs, even if it mean using suction to remove dirty fluid from a revivor and merely refilling it with fresh fluid, but charging the customer for the number of hours required to completely change the fluid.

 

[SteveZ]

It is more common than you'd think. Mechanics look for the easiest way to do all jobs, even if it mean using suction to remove dirty fluid from a revivor and merely refilling it with fresh fluid, but charging the customer for the number of hours required to completely change the fluid.

Charge was $130
I’ll report back after I see how they handle my complaint Wednesday.

 

[19passportsport]

Have appointment Wednesday to replace grill and I going to tell them to flush fluid again (demand the previous tech not do it). Had my wife’s fluid flushed on her 2013 CRV last year at same dealership and job was excellent. I could tell they didn’t remove my wheels (I put locks stud above valve stem). Service manager is trying to accommodate me, but making excuses for the tech. Circle photo is after cleaning
View attachment 15061
View attachment 15060

Hope they make everything satisfactory for you. They dont have to remove the wheels to perform this service though

 

[RkFast]

That warrants a call to the Dealer GENERAL MANAGER. Not the service manager...the GENERAL Manager. Totally inexcusable on a number of levels.

 

[Tadakatsu]

It is more common than you'd think. Mechanics look for the easiest way to do all jobs, even if it mean using suction to remove dirty fluid from a revivor and merely refilling it with fresh fluid, but charging the customer for the number of hours required to completely change the fluid.

Most shops do not do a true brake fluid flush and frankly a consumer should not expect one even if they ask for one. What typically happens, in my experience as a service advisor and technician, is that a technician will hook your brake line system up to a machine that removes all the fluid and replace it with one quart of fresh fluid and the remainder, if applicable, is filtered remnant of the previous fluid.

That is not a technician or service department being lazy or neglectful, it is all that most mainstream auto manufacturers require. The reality is that most people do not want to spend more time and more money to do a true, full brake fluid flush and replacement and doing what I described above is more than adequate for the performance of the brake system with the majority of vehicles.

 

[RkFast]

That’s correct. MY issue here is that the tech left a mess under the hood, including brake fluid on the actual paint of the car. That’s just sloppy work.

 

[19passportsport]

Yes which should be handled by the service manager, asking for someone to loose there job is just wrong. Mistakes happen. Dealers want repeat clients, They are not looking for something like this to happen to anyone. Asking for small conpensation and for vehicle issue to be fixed is what should be done. They will remeber this issue going forward likely and you will be set.

 

[carpayments4life]

Dealerships have fine tuned the way they screw their customers and those customers need to accept it or go to an Independent Import Repair shop.
Save the those trips to the Dealership, for Warranty work only.
I've known about several Dealer shortcuts for decades, such as the 72 Used Car Inspection List. It's just a sales gimmick.

 

[fx_chip]

Yes which should be handled by the service manager, asking for someone to loose there job is just wrong. Mistakes happen. Dealers want repeat clients, They are not looking for something like this to happen to anyone. Asking for small conpensation and for vehicle issue to be fixed is what should be done. They will remeber this issue going forward likely and you will be set.

No one asked for anyone to lose their job, saying - "not going back until the service manager is removed" is not synonymous with asking for the service manager to get fired, at least in the type of education I got. The service manager job is not a life time job, his location is also not fixed for life, he can be moved to another service location in the future or even get promoted, that is when I will return to that specific dealer service center. If I'm unhappy with the sloppy work I get at a specific dealership I should be able to use another one without having to be concerned about the impact on the service manager, they are not running a charity.

 

[14v6]

So, they charge $130 for what is the equivalent of taking a turkey baster and suctioning out the old fluid. It doesn't remove anything down by the caliper. If that's they way they do it might as well do it yourself and buy a baster. I've asked the service advisor if they break the bleeders lose and they said yes. I don't think so. I once had a Ridgeline with a mushy brake pedal and I asked for a fluid change. They definitely don't remove the tires (they don't need to to access the bleeders) but to me it looked like the bleeders were untouched. If you wait too long to remove the bleeders, no one will touch them because they could seize or break off. That's why they "evacuate" the fluid with a pump from the reservoir. A real shame. Some youtube videos show a brake flush machine where they hook up to the bleeder and force the fluid out. That's the way I would want it done.

 

[SteveZ]

Hope they make everything satisfactory for you. They dont have to remove the wheels to perform this service though

By the way they left my engine compartment I feel if they bled the brakes the wheels would have been a mess with brake fluid. Didn’t look the this tech would have bothered putting a hose on the bleeder.

 

[SteveZ]

Most shops do not do a true brake fluid flush and frankly a consumer should not expect one even if they ask for one. What typically happens, in my experience as a service advisor and technician, is that a technician will hook your brake line system up to a machine that removes all the fluid and replace it with one quart of fresh fluid and the remainder, if applicable, is filtered remnant of the previous fluid.

That is not a technician or service department being lazy or neglectful, it is all that most mainstream auto manufacturers require. The reality is that most people do not want to spend more time and more money to do a true, full brake fluid flush and replacement and doing what I described above is more than adequate for the performance of the brake system with the majority of vehicles.

I had passport at dealership to for grill replacement and all went well. When talking to service advisor about not thinking fluid was flushed he informed me that they use the machine you mentioned. He said they hook it up and it vacuums fluid out and replaces with new.

 

[Bobo]

I had passport at dealership to for grill replacement and all went well. When talking to service advisor about not thinking fluid was flushed he informed me that they use the machine you mentioned. He said they hook it up and it vacuums fluid out and replaces with new.

same thing happened at the inferior Honda dealership in Baton Rouge as I got the transmission service. They spilled it everywhere in the engine. Made me wonder if it was a one time thing but they have proven to be fairly incompetent including forgetting to put my grill cover back on and saying the tires were rotated when they were not (I chalked them).

I use the more reputable dealer now. It truly is a shame we pay good money and can’t trust dealers

 

[CHEFERMAN65]

Again, another fine example of why I do my own work.