Routine maintenance seems to be something that gets posted about frequently on most forums with this one not being an exception. Many people have different ideas of routine maintenance. Almost all car dealers have their own routine maintenance schedule which may or may not be the same as the manufacturer of the products they sell. Below are some of the regular items that are "upsells" in dealerships and private shops. Many of these are big money makers for the shops but that doesn't mean that they are a gimmick. Quite the opposite really. As an ASE Master Tech I can say without hesitation that a car that receives its recommended routine maintenance will last longer than one that does not. The people you see bragging about 500k on a Toyota or Honda (usually bad-mouthing a domestic) will have had these services performed, without exception.
1. Transmission Flush. Many people argue its not needed. That couldn't be farther from the truth. An Automatic transmission should be flushed anywhere from 30-40k, for peak longevity. There are some exceptions to this. There is a type of fluid being used now that has the initials WS (World Standard). This fluid is rated at 60K for flush life by most manufacturers that use it. Does your vehicle have it? One way to tell is by looking for the dipstick. If it doesn't have one, then yes, you more than likely do have it. At most Toyota dealerships they will still recommend the flush to occur at 30k. Is it needed? In my opinion it certainly wont hurt. Whether or not the fluid is in great shape or not there can and is still going to be debris floating through the fluid that can damage components. Another think to consider is this, is it too late to do a flush? If you have more than 75K on the fluid you need to examine the fluid closely to see if it is burnt. If the fluid smells burnt or is black, a flush is probably not a good idea. At that point you tend to do more damage by removing the old fluid. In many cases the clutch material and debris floating through the fluid is what is keeping those discs grabbing. Once the damage is done, flushing wont fix it.
2. Coolant Flush. Coolant flush should be done every 30k or 2 years. Without exception. Even long life antifreeze. Anyone that has seen what happens when dex-cool, Ford Long Life, or any of the others turns acidic would never let it happen. Modern engines have aluminum and iron components both exposed to antifreeze. When the coolant turns acidic and flows through the system you end up with "Two dissimilar metals in the presence of electrolyte", for the laymen, you just created a battery. With the residual voltage that will be present your engine will begin the electrolysis process. This will damage the metal components inside the engine leading to intake and intake gasket failures, water pump failures, radiator failures, etc. Many mechanics (myself included) will recommend that you flush out GM DexCool or any other long life antifreeze and replace it with plain old green antifreeze (ethylene glycol).
3. Brake Flush. This is by far one of the most overlooked maintenance items by most consumers, with most disastrous consequences. Brake fluid is hygroscopic(attracts water). When your brake fluid turns nasty colors and becomes contaminated it has many adverse effects. The first being that it loses some of its hydraulic properties. This equals poor braking. Also, the fluid closest to the wheels gets hot from the friction of the brake linings. When this fluid is moisture contaminated it will actually boil, greatly reducing braking capacity. Contaminated brake fluid is also to blame for master cylinder, caliper, and wheel cylinder failures. It will also cause brake lines to rust from the inside out. If you look at your master cylinder and see black funk in the bottom of the reservoir, or see dark fluid, it needs it, pronto. Many dealerships will recommend this at 60K.
4. Power Steering Flush. No, I am not kidding you at all. In modern vehicles (even trucks now) rack and pinion steering is pretty commonplace. When power steering fluid gets nasty, dirty, and water contaminated, it will spread the debris through the rack and pinion system. A rack and pinion replacement on a newer vehicle can easily top 1000 dollars. And then they will HAVE to flush the lines to get the mess out or the new one will fail too. Most dealers will recommend this every 60-90k. This is money well spent.
5. Fuel Injection Service. Once again, this is something that is recommended around every 30k. There are many different kinds, some hook to the fuel rail, some are hooked a vacuum line, etc. I personally prefer the kind that go through the vacuum lines. They tend to do better on the intake itself. Most of the vacuum line cleaners also use a secondary cleaner poured into the tank to clean the injectors(fuel rail systems clean the injectors on its way into the engine). The biggest benefit of these, in my opinion, is the cleaning of the intake valves and the combustion chambers. Ever try to start an old car with a carb when its cold outside? The gas hits the dirty carbon covered back of the intake valve and solidifies and drips into the chamber making it very hard to start. Fuel injected cars will do this too, to an extent. That being said, these are wonderful for keeping things clean and keeping an engine starting and running well.
6. Timing belts. It is imperative, without exception that you get the timing belt on a car replaced at the right interval. Toyotas will generally be 5 years or 90K. Some older Toyotas, Hondas, etc will have a 60k or 80k interval. This must be done. Many of these engines are interference engines. This means that if the cam(s) and crank lose their connection (the belt) the pistons will contact valves. This can do anything from cause you to need valves, a head, cams, or a whole new engine. Its not worth it. Don't think you are getting ripped off if they want to sell you a water pump at the same time. On many small car engines the water pump is a high failure item and it is right there when the timing belt is done. Usually it will only cost the part and a little more to do it. Its worth it.
There are exceptions to every rule and many of these items can be performed at home with either the same quality of service or an acceptable level of quality. Post if you have questions about trying some of these yourself, advice is free in this forum.
