Several times a week someone calls with the question, “How much does it cost to flush . . .?” When asked, what type of problem are you having, inevitably, the reply, I took my vehicle in for warranty work and they told me I needed . . .
New vehicle sales are at all time lows. Dealerships are normally paid much less for warranty work than they charge customers for service. The combination, can result in some pretty "aggressive salesmanship."
There are a variety of machines in use today that flush different components on the vehicle. Popular are transmission flushes, fuel injector flushes, power steering flushes and even engine flushes. In my opinion their function is far more concerned with profit margin than any benefit for the client.
These flushes are quick and high profit for the shop, yet I believe the benefits are questionable at best. When you hear the word flush, just add the prefix wallet.
Here's a short list of common Wallet Flushes:
1.) Flushing injectors: Fuel injectors are self cleaning. If there are no symptoms, such as rough idle, it is doubtful a flush of the injectors will help anything but the shop's bottom line. Always using a good grade of gasoline can do far more good.
2.) Transmission flush: Running clean fluid through a dirty transmission filter, is like driving down a clean road and hoping to clean a clogged air filter. When a transmission filter becomes restricted, damage can occur in the transmission. Flushing may only stir up the debris that is normally in the pan and further restrict the filter. A flush CAN NOT clean the filter; a proper transmission service includes filter replacement on transmissions with replaceable filters.
3.) Engine flush: Again it sounds okay, but provides very little value. Most engines will not require flushing. Those that are sludged up will rarely be helped. Frequent oil changes and using a quality filter can do as much good at much less cost and risk.
When approached about a wallet flush, just say no and call AGCO.
