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Car Forum / Honda Cars / January 200799 Accord V6 - power steering/trans flush?
Took my 99 Accord V6 to the dealer today for an "express" oil change that turned into a longer wait than expected. When the service advisor came out, he showed me samples from my power steering fluid and transmission fluid compared to samples from new fluids, and recommended that both systems be flushed. I just recently had a 90K mile service done on the car at the same dealer, and one of the services that was performed then was a drain-and- fill on the transmission. I told the advisor this, and he said they still recommended a flush. Given the well-documented fragility of the V6 auto trannies, and the comments I've read here in the past advising against flushes, I declined to have this done. Is there anyone who has anything positive to say about flushing, other than the shops for whom it appears to be a nice profit generator? Power steering flush I'm not sure about - does the power steering system really require flushing, or is it like the trans where a drain-and-fill is just as effective, if not better? This particular dealer wants $140 to do the power steering flush. I opted to do nothing for now except the oil change I'd come in for, pending further research. I also suspected that if the power steering fluid really needed to be changed, it would have been mentioned when the 90K service was done. Dave On 12/28/06 4:14 PM, in article MPG.1ffdfdbcda71ac0298a13d@207.14.116.130, > Took my 99 Accord V6 to the dealer today for an "express" oil change > that turned into a longer wait than expected. When the service advisor [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > anything positive to say about flushing, other than the shops for whom > it appears to be a nice profit generator? When the transmission fluid is changed with the drain and fill method, it has to be done several times to actually change all the fluid. Normally three drain & fills will get it all. The service manual specifies that the procedure be repeated until the fluid is the right color and smell. Apparently, your dealer only did it once and that did not replace enough of it to clean it up. Unless the guidance has changed recently, Honda does not recommend flushing, but rather repeated drain & fill until it cleans up. > Power steering flush I'm not sure about - does the power steering system > really require flushing, or is it like the trans where a drain-and-fill [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > that if the power steering fluid really needed to be changed, it would > have been mentioned when the 90K service was done. There is nothing in the service schedules for any of my cars (including the '06 Honda) about periodically changing power steering fluid & I've never changed any. I've seen this come up occasionally just in the past couple of years. Does anybody know what is prompting this new maintenance issue? > Dave > There is nothing in the service schedules for any of my cars (including the > '06 Honda) about periodically changing power steering fluid & I've never > changed any. I've seen this come up occasionally just in the past couple of > years. Does anybody know what is prompting this new maintenance issue? ===================================== Ummm, Dealers realized they were _mi$$ing an opportunity _ to lighten the customer's wallet just a little more? My be$t Gue$$ 'Curly' >> There is nothing in the service schedules for any of my cars (including the >> '06 Honda) about periodically changing power steering fluid & I've never [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > My be$t Gue$$ Probably an accurate one, but one that the local quick lube places were hitting before the dealers thought of it. My local Valvoline used to ask me if I wanted the Power Steering fluid replaced at just about every oil change. Funny thing is, though, I've never even seen the slightest discoloration in Power Steering fluid... >> There is nothing in the service schedules for any of my cars (including the >> '06 Honda) about periodically changing power steering fluid & I've never [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >'Curly' And a lighter wallet means faster acceleration, better gas mileage and less wear on the suspension. They really are looking out for the customer. > Took my 99 Accord V6 to the dealer today for an "express" oil change > that turned into a longer wait than expected. When the service advisor [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > that if the power steering fluid really needed to be changed, it would > have been mentioned when the 90K service was done. A power steering flush is a fairly common procedure. A standard recommendation is to do it every 5 years or 50,000 miles. The procedure is outlined in the Helm factory service manual. It uses the power steering pump to flush the fluid and not an external machine so there is no danger of forcing fluid through the system in a way for which is was not designed. With regards to the transmission flush, I would avoid it and follow the recommendations of the other posters. Three to four fluid changes, drain and refills, should get most of the old fluid out. Eric Flushing machines are cash cows at the dealers. Flushing can force particles into valve bodies I wouldn't do it on any car. Three repeated drains and refills over short intervals should do the trick. On for cars with removable pans, drop and clean the pan and change the filter/strainer. PS flush is outlined but I'm not aware of any recommendation to do so. What I had done was siphon the fluid out of the reservoir every other oil change. It's not much, but quick and easy. > Took my 99 Accord V6 to the dealer today for an "express" oil change > that turned into a longer wait than expected. When the service advisor [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > Dave On Thu, 28 Dec 2006 22:05:38 -0800, johngdole wrote: > Flushing machines are cash cows at the dealers. Flushing can force > particles into valve bodies I wouldn't do it on any car. Three repeated [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] >> >> Dave But what is the benefit? Every power steering failure I've ever had was from rust on the outside eating through the pump. And that was on Dodges... > Took my 99 Accord V6 to the dealer today for an "express" oil change > that turned into a longer wait than expected. When the service advisor > came out, he showed me samples from my power steering fluid and > transmission fluid compared to samples from new fluids, and > recommended that both systems be flushed. OK... > I just recently had a 90K mile service done on the car at the same > dealer, and one of the services that was performed then was a > drain-and- fill on the transmission. Provided this "drain and fill" was done correctly, you're fine as-is. > I told the advisor this, and he said they > still recommended a flush. Sorry, but the rip-off buzzer is sounding just now. Ask him how many times they did the "drain and fill" procedure. It needs to be done a few times in succession to change most of the fluid. > Given the well-documented fragility of ONLY SOME OF > the V6 > auto trannies, Honda has fixed this issue, which was due to a particular and very specific design flaw. You need to see if your VIN is covered under the extended transmisison warranty, or if the corrective repair has been already carried out. Have your dealer check. > and the comments I've read here in the past advising > against flushes, I declined to have this done. Is there anyone who has > anything positive to say about flushing, other than the shops for whom > it appears to be a nice profit generator? Drain and fill -- done the correct way -- is all you need. The factory service manual gives the procedure. > Power steering flush I'm not sure about - does the power steering > system really require flushing, or is it like the trans where a > drain-and-fill is just as effective, if not better? Yep. Drain and fill is fine. Done correctly of course... > This particular > dealer wants $140 to do the power steering flush. The price is fine. Just make sure they do the drain and fill properly, and do not use any substances other than genuine Honda power steering fluid,  SignatureTegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ > Took my 99 Accord V6 to the dealer today for an "express" oil change > that turned into a longer wait than expected. When the service advisor [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > Dave STAY AWAY from this place. stay away from /any/ place that offers to flush your honda. 1. power steering fluid is usually good for the life of the car. my 17-year old civic only had its fluid changed for the first time last year. no problems whatsoever. 2. honda power steering systems will fail very expensively unless honda fluid is used. 3. honda transmissions are drain & refill with honda fluid. google this group for reasons and experience of others. again, stay away from anywhere that offers to flush. very bad news. Thanks to all for the input - pretty much what I expected to read. I'm going to have a discussion with my regular service advisor (the "express service" area for oil changes and the like uses different service advisors than the regular service desk) concerning exactly how the drain and fill was performed on my Accord's transmission. I've been considering moving all of my major service business to another local Honda dealer who my dad purchased a new car from; he's been very happy with them in terms of post-sale service. The other dealer also offers loaner cars if you have to leave your car overnight for service, something my current dealer does not do. Considering that both dealers are on the other side of town from where I live, neither is very convenient for me location-wise, so a loaner car is a fairly significant perk. Dave |
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