Go to this link:
There’s a lot of controversy about the dexcool coolant eating intake manifold gaskets. Your car is included.
Call the dealer back. They can and should check for leaks before they put any fresh coolant in. To say they can’t test for leaks first is just flat wrong.
Tell them that you want the following two tests done prior to any coolant flushing:
- Pressure test of the cooling system This should be done for less than 1/2 hour labor, often quite a bit less. This will tell us if you have an external leak.
- A block check for combustion gasses Again, I would except this to be a fairly inexpensive test. This will tell us if you have a blown head gasket. At my shop I would do both tests for 30 minutes labor. Probably less with your super duper Doper discount.
once you have the answers for these questions, then you can make an informed decision.
BTW the low brake fluid could just be from worn brakes. As the brakes wear, the fluid level goes down. Depending on the car if the brakes get worn enough, the low fluid light comes on. You may just need some new brakes.
Feel free to quote me when you call them back.
-Rick
Service Manager at a Dealership and ASE Master Automotive Technician.
My car is on there twice. I’m trying to call and see what they’ve come up with, but nobody answers the phone. 
I hear you, but then again it isn’t a matter of IF they’ll screw you but rather HOW MUCH they will screw you over. 
Aaaaand, where is your shop, exactly? (City and state, please)
See, THIS is what drives me nuts. Just absolutely freaking bonkers. I have to call them to beg for information, and when I finally get them they tell me they did the flush and they did the brakes and there were no leaks. So I ask them why on earth I had NO COOLANT, and he says he doesn’t know. So I ask if they tested for leaks and he says yes. So I ask where the coolant went between the last time they serviced it and now and he says he doesn’t know but there aren’t any leaks. So I ask if he’s sure it isn’t the head gasket and he says yes, and I ask if he did the tests Rick suggested and he says he isn’t the primary service person on this one and that guy is working on my car, etc., etc., etc. And I ask him about the class action lawsuit and he changes the subject. (I am not eligible, but still.)
If I pick this car up and I see even the tiniest fucking wiggle in that temp needle I am going back there and making everybody’s day EXTREMELY unpleasant.
As well you should. Give 'em hell.
I’ll never forget when I took my '82 Toyota Corolla in just to get a headlight changed. Of course they did an “all over checklist” to see what else was wrong with my then-11-year-old-car.
The guy told me I needed a new power steering belt.
The car never had power steering. In fact, that particular engine only had one belt, and it sure wasn’t for power steering!
I really don’t miss having a car and all that hassle.
I hope everything works out with your car.
I would definitely put them on the “places to avoid in the future” list.
I have a hunch your coolant problem will come back. I don’t know if I’d trust those guys to fix it, even if you could weasel some money out of them for being too incompetent to find the problem the first time around.
Keep a close eye on your coolant level for a while.
If the coolant is leaking into a cylinder (head gasket or cracked block) you would be able to see/smell it in the exhaust. It would also show up as a discoloration on the spark plug in that cylinder. I would expect to see coolant in the oil which would make it look like a milkshake.
If the coolant leaked through a bad heater core you would smell it in the car. It’s a sweet smell and your windshield would get greasy on the inside if it happened in a short time span.
Any other coolant loss in a short space of time would be obvious as a puddle under the car. As far as diagnostics go, if there is a crack in the block then it might not open until the engine heats up. That means a leak down pressure check of the radiator/cooling system wouldn’t show anything unless the engine was warmed up. I’m not a mechanic and I’ve only seen this with an aluminum Chevy Vega motor which was an engine that was built with steel coated cylinders instead of engine sleeves. Maybe Gary-T can chime in on the likelyhood of a coolant system leak that only occurs when the engine is hot.
The simplest thing to do yourself is to observe the exhaust when the car is warmed up. If it is putting out a lot of white steam and it smells sweet then you have a leak into one of the cylinders. Check your oil for any signs of “frothyness” and milky color. It will be all over the dipstick. Check under the car for any signs of coolant and note the position in relation to the car. It could be something simple like a bad hose or clamp. Keep an eye on the overflow tank. It has a cold level and a hot level. check it daily under the same conditions (I would look at it cold).
I see Rick is responding so there’s another mechanic.
I am unclear on what they have done wrong. I’m interested in a follow up after you’ve spoken to the person in charge of the vehicle or gotten a bill to find out exactly what work they performed. Maybe they’re the shadiest dealer in the state but I would think they would make more money if they found a leak that didn’t exist rather than ignoring one that did.
I’d make sure that the warranty on parts and labor for the repairs they did do is clearly defined on the invoice. If not, have them write it on there and sign it before you pay. You owe them the money now, but get what you can in the way of a warranty since the problem may likely return.
FWIW, I’m going to have to agree here. When you say “shuddery”, do you mean shakey, or is it like the engine is struggling to stay running? Is it sputtering out, like it’s stalling? Do you hear a pinging or knocking noise. If so, it means that the cylinder isn’t holding pressure. That definitely means bad head or head gasket. Sorry, but that’s going to be over $1000 to fix. Maybe $1500?
This is general questions were we look for factual answers to questions not opinions that are not supported by facts. So unless you can support your position that all shops are dishonest and out to screw the consumer you don’t have a factual answer to the question being asked. :dubious:
I’m not necessarily saying they did bad or shady work, I’m saying they have terrible bedside manner. Their explanations and discussions with me are kind of dismissive and needlessly run-around-ish. I mean, if I ask you about the class action lawsuit that I’m SURE you’ve heard of, you should talk about it with me, right?
When I say “shuddery” I don’t mean like it’s stalling, or pinging or making any weird engine noises - more like, um, like if it was struggling to keep traction even though we were on level solid ground? Like RAruhRAruhRAruh, not just in noise but also in how it felt under me. And then it was fine and never did it again (or before, for that matter). Maybe a better way of explaining is that it felt like it was slipping or something?
Southern California, but unless you have a Volvo I can probably only lend moral support.
Not necessarily.
I agree on the heater core, and I have had cases where the engine only leaked at one particular temp. Maybe hot, maybe cold maybe part way between.
I really meant everyone else who had already concluded they were shady, which they may be or maybe it is poor communication. I don’t know that a service advisor would know about a lawsuit. Their manager probably got a memo a year or two ago about it and maybe only passed along as much info as needed such as “throw out all the old Dexcool jugs because they changed formula due to some lawsuit.”
I’m not sure what you’re responding too because I listed a number of things. According to the op this occured in the space of 2 months. I would expect a large loss of fluid through the combustion chamber to leave a trail of clues.
By the way, I did check the oil this morning and it looked like regular oil - no milkshake appearance. Would that be all the time or just when an intermittent leak occurred?