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

[snoopy369]

Hmm, if it's only a hundred bucks then I suppose it's not worth it.

I love how it takes them twice as long to identify the problem as the other place to just fix it...

[Asher]

Yeah, that's why it's a joke. My brother got the windshield on his Mazda 3 replaced for $300 total -- and that's including a genuine Mazda replacement windshield AND labour for removing the old and installing the new.

So when they ask for $200 just to diagnose it, my bull**** alarms went off.

[snoopy369]

Sounds like I should get into the auto repair business... plenty of cash to be made there

[chequita guevara]

The place where I get my oil changed has something like this carbon flush, I'm guessing. They charge $60. The difference between the flush and just putting STP in is like running hot water over a greasy plate and scrubbing it. The STP will get some of it, but not all of it.

I have found, interestingly enough, that when I put a bottle of STP (or similar products) in my tank, my mileage increases noticeably, from about 31mpg to about 36-38mpg.

[chequita guevara]

dp

[MrFun]

By the way, I have a couple of major repairs that I need done on my '99 Chevy Lumina. I'm considering looking into buying into an old car warranty service such as provided by US Fidelis.

But does anyone know how legit and honest US Fidelis is? I suppose I can also call the Better Business Bureau and ask them too.

[Asher]

Update: So I raised a stink about it there, talked to the service manager.

He brought out the head mechanic and they discussed the problem after I showed them the water damage indicating there WAS a leak. The head mechanic instantly thought of the problem: if it needs to pool up a bit before it shows, the problem probably isn't the windshield itself...but the draining hose for the sunroof.

So they spent an hour or so and took things apart to look inside and...sure enough, when they replaced the windshield the first time they had to uninstall the drainage hose and they "forgot" to reinstall it. So the hose was draining in the front-passenger pillar of the windshield area, which is where the water was coming in from.

So they hooked it up and reinstalled everything and didn't charge me for that. They took 25% off all of the other service as an apology...but I'll still never go back.

And I still didn't get the "carbon flush". I talked to my brother (PhD mech eng, does race car stuff ) and he told me it's a scam for me to get it done ('04 Mazda). He said it might make a difference on older American cars with rough idles, etc but it's not going to do jack **** for me.

[rtwinger]

That's what you get for buying a POS vehicle like a Mazda 3.

[Asher]

As opposed to buying a car that doesn't have a windshield?



If I could squash your small testicles with a nutcracker, I'd do just that.
[action=Asher]CRACK.[/action]

Just like that.

[Japher]

rtwinger is my favorite new troll

[chequita guevara]

rtwinger isn't a troll, he actually asks intelligent questions and thinks.

Or, he's a new bread of troll, one crafted by Mordor with more intelligence.

[rtwinger]

As opposed to buying a car that doesn't have a windshield?



If I could squash your small testicles with a nutcracker, I'd do just that.
[action=Asher]CRACK.[/action]

Just like that.

It's called getting a decent car like a BMW, or at least a VW/American make instead of a POS Japanese budget-brand made Mazda. Sorry, that's not trolling, it's called having half a brain and realizing that Mazdas suck.

[Wezil]

I don't know anything mechanical about Asher's particular Mazda (I do like the look of it though).

I do know the Mazda Protege is a complete POS.

[Wiglaf]

Oh, look what I found while browsing gay wheels: http://www.gaywheels.com/2010_mazda3.htm.

Surprising to see the Mazda 3 there. No, not really. Let the record show that I never get my car serviced WITHOUT requesting the carbon flush. We can't forget that carbon is a silent killer, and this is why smoke detectors come with carbon detectors. The last thing I want to do is die slowly while sitting in traffic.Flush that out. Just flush it out.

[Asher]

It's called getting a decent car like a BMW, or at least a VW/American make instead of a POS Japanese budget-brand made Mazda. Sorry, that's not trolling, it's called having half a brain and realizing that Mazdas suck.

No, this must be a troll.

VW has awful reliability post-warranty, as do virtually every American brand.

If you had read the thread, my problem has nothing at all to do with my Mazda's reliability (which has been stellar). I had to get the windshield replaced because a giant rock got kicked up from a semi going at about 70mph and it cracked the windshield and needed to be replaced. I got it replaced but the dumbass mechanic forgot to hook up the drainage hose when he was done.

On the other hand, I've got a friend with a VW Passat and another with a Chevy Cavalier -- both of which got their vehicles within a couple years of mine -- which have been endlessly problematic and expensive in maintenance.