Not knowing a damn thing about my car, I always feel like I’m being taken at the mechanic and/or lube shop.
One thing that always sets off my snake-oil alarm is the “engine flush” I’m supposed to get every few oil changes or after a late oil change.
So, gearheads, am I wasting my money? or should I be a good boy and listen to the nice mechanic?
uh…yeah…im not a mechanic or anything but i have a 1985 gmc truck and its never had a engine flush and im not too good about remembering the oil change either…and its still rinning quite well after all these years…
What is an engine flush? I’ve had my cooling system flushed - once in 6 years.
Personally, I go with the recommended maintenance in my owner’s manual - except for the oil changes - I do that every 5K miles instead of 7.5K miles.
If the engine is not abnormally sludged up, and it probably isn’t, there is no good reason to have it flushed. Back in the old days, (40s, 50s, early 60s) terrible sludge build-up wasn’t uncommon. We have come a long way since then. Still, what car do you drive? What is the mileage? How often do you change oil? How does the oil look?
What area does it flush?
'98 Chevy Lumina
Oil changed about every 5000.
Don’t know how the oil looks, I don’t do it myself.
If a person changes their oil regular, there’s really no reason for an engine flush. However, I like to do mine every 50 or 60 thousand miles, just to give it a good cleaning.
I also don’t put it in the shop for an engine flush. I just do it myself with a 2 dollar can of engine flush bought from WalMart.
Scam.
Chance of it doing good–very small.
Amount of good it can do–very small.
Chance of it doing harm–fair.
Amount of harm it can do–huge.
To my knowledge, none of my colleagues (professional auto mechanics) would do this procedure, let alone recommend it. I suspect you’re dealing with people who have been trained to sell, rather than trained to truly understand what they’re doing.
This reminds me of the days before high-detergent engine oil. In the 1950’s and 60’s engine oils contained very little detergents, so engines would accumulate “sludge”. This was a gooey, pasty crud composed of burnt oil, water, and carbon deposits. It would accumulate in the oil pan and heads of engines. Usually, it gave no problem, until it filled the pan-then the luckless motorist would notice that his engine was overheating and losing power. A real professional mechanic would then usually counsel a complete engine cleaning-this involved dropping the oil pan and removing th valve covers. He would then clean all of the sludge out. However, this was expensive, and people usually tried oilf additives (like Bardol)-these would dissolve the sludge, and usually a big chunk of it would break looose and block an oil passage-then the bearings would seize, and your engine would be junk!
No need to do an engine flush on a modern car-unless the oil hasn’t been changed in 20,000 miles. I suspect the service is just a way to make money-it is unneccessary at best, and potentially harful at worst.
Go to an autostore and buy a can/bottle. Right before your oil change (maybe 100 miles before) dump it into the oil fill. You can also use auto transaxile fluid.
There you go. It’s all done.
Those lube shops are notorious for selling stuff that you don’t need (sorry no cite, just a fresh memory of one of the several “investigative reports” on the local news).
Thank everyone for the advice!
If I had thought to ask y’all a week ago, I would’ve saved some money. Never again!
I trusted Jiffy Lube. They did an engine flush on my Prius. I’m afraid I ruined my vehicle. Is there anything I can do?
Save all paperwork showing procedures done, when, and for how much. Take the car to a reputable competent shop and have them evaluate the situation. If it appears the vehicle was damaged by Jiffy Lube, contact same and ask them to take care of it (financially, I doubt that they’re the right shop to do the repairs). If they refuse, see if your state’s Attorney General’s office will pursue the issue. If that doesn’t help you may have to sue.
Wait, why are you afraid you’ve ruined it? If it’s because the engine seized, then pursue with the reputable shop et cetera. But if it’s only because you later read that engine flushing doesn’t do any good and may do harm, I’d say you should just wait and see, and not do any flushes in the future.
My reaction to the idea of a routine engine flush: I don’t want it, and don’t wish to deal with a shop that recommends this.*
By my opinion may not be worth much because I do my own oil changes, which always happen on time to slightly early. It may be that this procedure makes sense for a car that has gone well past its oil change interval.
*Not the only indication of a shop to avoid. Another that comes to mind is the mechanic who suggests that when it comes to ATF (automatic transmission fluid), “one type fits all” and the manufacturer’s recommendation is of no interest.
It may be that this procedure makes sense for a car that has gone well past its oil change interval.
Nah, it’s a “solution” for a problem that does not exist.
Another that comes to mind is the mechanic who suggests that when it comes to ATF (automatic transmission fluid), “one type fits all“ and the manufacturer’s recommendation is of no interest.
While I agree that the manufacturer’s recommendation should be considered, it turns out that there is modern synthetic transmission fluid that is quite suitable for the great majority of cars.