Thursday, September 22, 2011

Did I just get rooked for an oil change, tranny, and power steering fluid change?

$230! Granted, this was for a synthetic oil change. However, the oil change place hit me (again) with auto transmission fluid and power steering fluid change rec. So, I went for it. This is for a 2005 Chrysler T%26amp;C (caravan). I have about 77,000 miles and haven't done these changes since I bought it new in '05.



In general, is this kind of stuff necessary on this kind of vehicle? Also, how hard would it be to do it myself? They said they had some sort of pump for the power steering, etc. I don't have that, but I do have a pretty good toolset, jack, etc. I've got another car (2000 SAAB 9-3) that has about 60,000 on it. So, I also want to know what I need to do on it at this time beyond the usual repairs and oil changes. It has a manual transmission. Thanks for any help!Did I just get rooked for an oil change, tranny, and power steering fluid change?
That is a chunk all at once but they should be done. The price does not seem out of line for what they did. As for doing it yourself, the trans fluid is hard to do since you should flush the cooling lines and the torque converter as well. That is why they use an in-line fluid exchange while the car is running.

The Saab should also have the fluids changed but the manual can be done by you since it won't have cooling lines to mess with. I'd wait untill I needed a clutch and do it when the trans is out.Did I just get rooked for an oil change, tranny, and power steering fluid change?
all you need is a bucket to catch the oil manual transmissions no advantage in changing the oil.. power stearing change oil what a rip off.. synthentick oil is not needed.. if you change the oil every 3 thousand and the filter.. use a straight viscosity 30 in the winter 40 and 50 in the summer.. all you need is a 5/8 wrench to open the oil drain.. the used oil place in a five gallon can.. the places that change oil will take it and put in their tank no charge.. buy penns oil or valvoline ok .Did I just get rooked for an oil change, tranny, and power steering fluid change?
tranny fluid is recommended every 30,000 p/s flush recommended every 15,000. trans isnt hard just drop the plug drain the oil and put plug in and refill p/s needs a pump to pump out fluid and refill. foreign vehicles normally call for maintenance services every 30,000 miles call dealer for a service menu. do not flush if you havent done it from the start could damage trannyDid I just get rooked for an oil change, tranny, and power steering fluid change?
Referring to the owner's manual for recommended maintenance intervals is the only way to know for sure if they told you to change the fluids before they actually needed to be changed. As far as I know, however, most modern automatic transmissions don't require a fluid change that soon (and they don't require the P/S fluid to be changed that soon either...)



You can change your own oil at home using a set of ramps, an oil collection pan, a crescent wrench (for the oil plug) and a filter-wrench for the oil filter in less than 30 minutes. As long as you have somewhere to dispose of the oil (like Autozone or a local recycling center), it's easy. Changing other fluids can be more difficult - often times it's easy to drain the fluids (like in a transmission), but hard to re-fill them.Did I just get rooked for an oil change, tranny, and power steering fluid change?
Okay as a mechanic, I say every 30000 miles you need to get your tansmission serviced. but thats only on an automatic. the power steering flush i dont understand unless the fluid was burnt up. The amount is not that bad because of the amount of work and the prices of synthetic oil. But these are all things you can do. you do have to be very careful when you do a trans. service though. oil change is no problem. but if you hve the right guy looking at it when you go in he can inform you of a major problem you might have in the future.Did I just get rooked for an oil change, tranny, and power steering fluid change?
Sounds like they they took you for a ride in you own car and you don't remember. You should be able to get a service manual from your local library to help you. doing the oil changes is not too hard once you have done it it will be easier next time

As for a pump a large syringe with a plastic tube attached will do. Nearly all the cheep tools you can get from your cheaper auto shops