What's "not a thing" when it comes to car service? IE blinker fluid.

Most of us are pretty savvy at this car game thing, but you know sometimes I get a little confused when I'm getting some minor service like an oil change because I get asked whether I want X done to my car or that it looks like it needs X. My default answer is always no if I don't really know what it is.

The latest thing was I brought my car in for an oil change to the local shop and the guy tried to get me to do a throttle body cleaning. I'm like, that sounds like a thing one might do, but at the same time not something my 90k mile Lincoln Navigator probably needs, especially for the quoted $150.

Throttle body cleaning can be useful, but it's certainly not a $150 service. On most vehicles, if the throttle body looks grungy, I'll just wipe it clean with a paper towel and carb cleaner and maybe shoot some carb cleaner through the IAC passage. I've never seen one that's gotten to a state where it's needed more than that (and only one where it was crudded up enough to make any difference at all).

We had an Expedition that had drivability issues at low speeds. A grungy (therefore sticky) throttle body was part of the problem.

BlueInGreen44 wrote: We had an Expedition that had drivability issues at low speeds. A grungy (therefore sticky) throttle body was part of the problem.

Mine is a bit touchy on the throttle at low speeds, maybe I should check this out! That said, probably don't need them to do it for $150.

This is like when I got lazy and brought my Miata over for a coolant flush and they wanted like $200 to do it. I'm like, goodbye! Went home, emptied it out, filled it up and disposed of the old stuff at the auto parts store.

Corvair water pump

Old volvos can use it but 10 min and $6 for a bottle of cleaner is an it takes.

Customer service

Could be helpful, but not for $150.

Look out for valve work on a rotary or ignition work on a diesel though I bet you could trick most people with those...

I've been shown dirty smears claiming to be front differential and transfer case fluid on a 2WD Ford Expedition, and been asked if I want them changed.

Air filters and fuel filters rarely ever get restricted enough to cause a problem.

It's the typical upsell. The oil change place we use for work used to do it all the time. One time it would be coolant flush, next time brake fluid flush, next time tire rotation, next time replace axle fluids. All of these things NEED to be done at some time, just not necessarily when they say it. Also, their price is way out of line in my opinion. The local Toyota dealer tried to upsell my wife on the power steering flush and brake fluid flush, but at least their prices weren't at the gouging level. I did both and spent less than one hour and $20. I saved $130.

Anything that comes out of their mouth is an up-sell for a service that can be done by an untrained part time employee with a pre-packaged can of whatever they are selling. And is most likely not needed anyways.

My favourite is the one where they walk over with the cabin air filter, show you that there is a dead bug in it and that it should be changed for health reasons. When you ask how much "$45 for the filter and $35 to install" You then say "No thanks" and they go toss your old one back in.

To be more specific and add my pet peeve to the mix "Nitrogen in the tires". I just tell them I prefer helium so that the car is lighter.

i had to do a parking lot throttle body cleaning on my cousin's kia. a pine needle was stuck in the blade not letting it close, causing it to run away. that is when i noticed that the car did not come with an air filter. in your case, it's a big $ upsell, they don't make their money on the $19.95 oil change. they make it selling $150 throttle body cleanings and $30 wiper blades to gulli-bulls.

The best was when the BMW dealer did some work for me, which I negotiated the labor down by 15% right up front, and then they offered to change the wiper blades for something like $75. No, no wiper blades, thanks.

When I had my Integra at the dealer for a $30 oil change, they told me I needed new spark plugs and wires.

Yes, the ones in there are 10 years old, but they only have 13,000 miles on them!

And no, I'm not paying you $345 + tax to replace the plugs and wires!

EvanR wrote: And no, I'm not paying you $345 + tax to replace the plugs and wires!

I know you can buy platinum spark plugs, but is Monster Cables making spark plug wires now?

In reply to EvanR:

I am more amazed that your Acura dealer would have 1990 spark plug wires in stock.
Did they state that they would have to order the wires?

JohnRW1621 wrote: In reply to EvanR: I am more amazed that your Acura dealer would have 1990 spark plug wires in stock. Did they state that they would have to order the wires?

Its astonishing the length of time and number of cars that Honda/Acura has used the same part on.

Throttle body cleaning is a legitimate needed service on a lot of cars. Sometimes (like BMW 6cyl) the throttle body is labor intensive to get to and requires a adaption process with a scantool afterwards.

When I wrote Service I was as honest as I could be, I upsold stuff that was needed, but I didn't upsell just to upsell. However, techs didn't always provide me the best info and/or flat out lied to me to get me to lie to the customer. I had a loyal following of customers that only came to me, but I didn't bring in the bacon anywhere near what the other writers did. I had good surveys and low dollars, where everyone else had crap surveys and big dollars.

I don't miss it, even a little bit.

My favorite was evaporator cleaning. It was a $90 service for a tech to snake a hose in the HVAC box and spray some foaming cleaner onto the evaporator, smelled like Windex. We had a writer that would upsell 5 or 6 a day, and our techs didn't even use a full can for the service, they'd split a can between two or three vehicles. He'd cut the customer a deal if they were already doing a cabin filter, and knock ~$20 off the service.

I sold a evap cleaning, maybe twice, when I thought that the customers complaints warranted it, and made it clear that it may not solve their issue.

There were tons of other stuff, we carried the whole line of BG snake oils, and while some are legit, they do not cost near what we charged for the product or its application.

Our throttle body cleaning was an entire "intake cleaning" where the throttle body was physically cleaned, and the car was idled while a chemical was dripped into the intake. Kind of like Seafoam, but administered from an "IV drip."

There's a reason I don't write service anymore.

We sell throttle body and intake/fuel system cleaner. 3 part system flush and its 69.99, if you beleive the tsb on some of the new direct injection cars it should have this service done every 15k. We make more profit off one 23 dollar cabin filter then a full service oil change.

Harvey wrote: the quoted $150.

I think we charge $20.

Could it have been a more extensive decarbonizing service and it was poorly sold/salient points went past you?

I can remember a time when exhaust fluid would have been a joke.

Muffler bearing need changing.

Or your commuter valve needs replaced.

When we were kids, my brother and I made up a Power Steering Switch. Then the automakers started installing them. My response was Piston Return Springs, either heavy-duty or replacement, to, ya know, really snap those pistons down to make the power. I also remember the kids with dirt bikes talking about power bands like they were parts.