Car maintenance: Is a "carbon flush" worth $150?

[Asher]

I told them no because I'm always suspicious. What is it? They say it "improves fuel efficiency" and a "machine does it".

[SlowwHand]

Must be something newish. I've never heard of it.

[Asher]

They always find new ways to screw you.

[SlowwHand]

You can buy products that will clean fuel injection.

[Asher]

They're also monumental retards. They replaced my windshield 6 months ago but didn't seal it properly. In periods of extended rain, I get water that seems to pool somewhere and eventually drip into the car from the passenger side pillar area. There's clear water marks around the area, it happened most recently on Friday. It was substantial.

I take it in and tell them the seal is bad. They poke at it and tell me they can't find the leak. You have to be ****ing kidding me.

So I tell them just to trust me and remount it and reseal it, but they won't do it because it's a warranty repair and as far as they can tell it's not a broken seal.

****.

[snoopy369]

Did you pour a bucket of water on the front?

In any event, this is why small town repair shops are far superior. We had a rental car with a tire that kept losing pressure last time we went down to Tam's parents, and took it in; they took off the car tire, dumped it in a bucket of water, found that the rim was bent, and hammered it out right away - and no charge (well, I tipped them of course, but no official charge)

[Asher]

Yes, I usually go to a real mechanic and not the dealership. But the windshield needed to be done under warranty at the dealership.

And yes, they poured water on it. I told them they need to have TONS of water on it for it to work, it needs to hit a threshold for the leak to be visible inside.

As an update...

They just called an informed me they needed TWO HOURS of labour in DIAGNOSTIC TIME to try to figure out where the leak was. AT 95 DOLLARS PER HOUR.

I told them to **** right off and don't touch a thing, and send the shuttle to come pick me up as I'm taking my business elsehwere.


****ing ****ing *******s.

[snoopy369]

I'm guessing that's not covered under warranty... Sigh.

[rah]

150 for carbon cleaning is a rip off.

[Asher]

I'm guessing that's not covered under warranty... Sigh.

It wouldn't be covered under warranty since they "could not validate a leak existed".

[DanS]

What kind of car is it?

[Asher]

Mazda 3.

(BTW, the leak was from the replacement windshield that this dealership installed, the original one was just fine but it got cracked from a rock on the highway)

[SlowwHand]

This is from 2006, but good advice. I know STP makes cleaner for fuel injection.
Am I on the right page, or way off?

Q: A year ago, my car started making sputtering noises when I accelerated from an idle. I put fuel injector cleaner in the tank and the problem went away. Now, to be safe, I add fuel injector cleaner about every 10,000 miles. Is this good preventative maintenance, or am I doing more harm than good? Sincerely, ADAM J. BENNETT, Columbus, OH

A: Good plan. Keep it up.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/automotive_clinic/2881211.html

[snoopy369]

Mazda 3.

(BTW, the leak was from the replacement windshield that this dealership installed, the original one was just fine but it got cracked from a rock on the highway)

Get it fixed, then take them to small claims court for the cost [if Canada has such]. Just get written proof that they wouldn't fix it.

[Asher]

I'm not going to screw around with small claims court. Apple Autoglass will remount the windshield for $95 total, I'm just going to do that.

When I pick up the car I'm going to make a big stink about it, so they may back down there and fix it but I doubt it.