Just wanted to get a thread out there to let interested people know what a 60k mile service cost me today with a few extras. I could have done most of it myself, but I just bought the truck and wanted to ensure I was starting fresh. Furthermore, it's very hot here in San Antonio Texas so I didn't feel like messing around with it. Here goes:

Brake system flush: Parts $14.34 Labor $74.50 Total $88.84
Rear Diff flush : Parts $62.94 Labor $47 Total $109.94
Replace Fuel Filters: Parts $29.00 Labor $95 Total $124
Synthetic Oil Change: Parts $244.82 Labor $12.95 Total $257.77
(Oil change also included new filter cap, previous owner had aftermarket cap on there that didn't fit Motorcraft Filter)
Auto Tranny Flush: Parts $56.88 Labor $86 Total $142.88
Coolant System Flush:Parts $35.47 Labor $64.95 Total $100.42
Front End Alignment : Labor $95 Total $95
Power Steering Flush: Total $85 (doesn't have labor/parts broken down

Grand Total with taxes..................$980.01 Labor $560.40 Parts $483.45

Again, alot of this can be done yourself and I usually would have done most of it, but it is extremely hot here in my garage so $560.40 in Labor was worth it to me to get it done in 3 hours with a free rental car. Probably won't do it again though, I'll just schedule it during the winter so I'm not burning up with nasty fluids all over me.

 

You know, I may be paranoid. But after the alignment my truck is pulling slightly to the right and steering wheel is a little to the left like it always was (no change). So I'm taking it to discount this morning to have the tires rotated and balanced to see if the pull goes away before taking it back. But then I started looking the truck over. There is absolutely NO evidence that this thing was really worked on. The diff cover has no oil on the bottom and the bolts have the same dirt. The tranny cooler lines for the flush have no evidence of dirt or grime being disturbed. The brake fluid appears new but the bleeders on the calipers dont look like they have been touched and not one speck of brake fluid on any of the calipers. And with a flashlight, looking into the power steering resevoir, the fluid still looks very dark to me. What do you folks think. Would it really be possible for a dealership to charge a grand for work that they didn't do? I tend to be paranoid that everyone is out to screw everyone else in the first place. But the dealership and I may have a serious problem coming up. Any good ways to test my tranny, power steering, and diff fluid to make sure before going and raising hell?

 

No way would I have paid $900. If you jut bought the truck, you could have had the dealership change the fluids to your liking before purchase. Not to mention a lot of what was done was overkill at 60K. The differentials are good for at least 120K unless they are submerged in water. Coolant should be good for at least 100K, what did the fluid look like? Power steering and brakes should be good for longer than 60K.

 

$35.47 for coolant flush parts ain't no flush. That's two gallons of antifreeze and a drain/refill.

 

Gas or Diesel ?? Either way....ouch And yes.....people will rip you off if given 1/2 a chance

 

Yeah, I know it was a lot. The individaul I bought it from would not have changed the fluids for the price I bought the vehicle for. And like I said I wouldn't do it again. I am just sick of the heat down here and haven't had time to do it because of working a lot lately doing end of year stuff. Furthermore, I know it's overkill but I'm ok with overkill. The brake fluid was dark, but not black. The power steering fluid was a little dark, but not black. Tranny Fluid needed to be done. Alignment was in fact out of specs a bit. I had the coolant done because it looked like clear water in the degas bottle plus there were signs of some crustiness going on in there. The rear diff, I don't know. I didn't look at the rear diff fluid but that wasn't a whole lot of money. I was just posting prices. I don't need to hear about what people would or would not do. It's for a comparison to people who are interested in a contrast of doing it themselves in the blazing heat or taking it in and shopping for new campers while it's being working on. If you think it's overkill well ok, but I don't really care. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. I've been in the maintenance business for a long time with the federal govt, first military now a civilian supervisor, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that overkill maintenance saves lives, protects machinery, and cuts repair costs down by as much as 75% percent on certain things. Not to mention the downtime of your equipment is scheduled instead of unscheduled which saves money. That's how I feel about that. If you're a 20 year old kid in South Texas and you're hard up for cash, you can do it all yourself or you WILL pay for the dealer to do it. Your decision. Hope this info was helpful.

 

Oh and TB, that's good info. I did see them doing the coolant flush though when I walked to my truck to get my water bottle. Not sure.
SoCal, it's a Diesel Auto 4x4.

 

Benny I have seen the flush scam run for 20 years! But they usually have the decency to wipe the fillers to make it look like they did the work! Same thing with a chassis lube! It only is beneficial if the grease gun actualy goes onto the zerk! For those labor prices you should have gotten a fluid change! Being in the maintenance feild I'm sure you know the difference, I would go down and have a chat with the service Manager while you're truck is on a hoist ^so you can let him show you where his tech's connected the lines to do the work! I would be furious!
Jim & fat Monty

 

You said, ".....but I just bought the truck and wanted to ensure I was starting fresh". To me, that would be all the more reason to have done it myself. I live in Florida where the heat and humidity are nothing less than sweltering, but there's no way I'm going to trust any dealer to do what they're supposed to do. I just plug in a couple of fans, take frequent breaks and lots of Gatorade.

If you had the money to spare, what you paid for was worth it. But seeing evidence that some of it wasn't actually performed would have me taking steps to see if I could prove fraud. Perhaps lots of close-up photos taken with a credible witness or two present. With the photos and deposition from the witnesses, I'd give the dealer a chance to make it right, (full refund) then off to small claims court I'd go. Too much trouble you say? That's exactly what crooked service providers are banking on when they choose to rip us off. Don't let them get away with it if you are sure about what they did (didn't) do.

 

Preventive maintanence is always a good thing..as long as you get what you pay for.....I guess thats the hard part


Replace Fuel Filters: Parts $29.00 Labor $95 Total $124

Hmmmm..fuel filters for a 6.0 (nt sure which motor you have) cost about $95 and take about 5 min to install......something fishy here?

 

Yes, I think half of it has not gotten done. I know my diff cover wasn't pulled, the calipers don't look as if they were touched, and there is no way those tranny lines were taken off. I called the service manager today but I think they have closed. I'll call him Monday to visit. I'm pretty sure the tranny fluid and rear diff weren't flushed. I see the pan bolt was out of the tranny, but that's not a flush. No evidence of the fuel filters being touched at all. I researched this dealer, supposed to be the best around here. I don't know. I'm pretty hot about it, but I keep my cool. I'll get it worked out.

 

The decency to wipe the filters?! That's hillarious! HAHAHA

 

all i can say is wow make sure u let us know what happens.Just keep messing with the working man.Like u dont work hard for your money and want to splurge a bit on your truck and astealership wont take u for a ride. good luck

 

When I took my truck to an oil change place they talked me into a tranny flush. What they do is have a machine that hookes a hose on the tranny fill hose. And as they drain the tranny fluid this machine pumps in clean fluid. All this is done with the engine idling. I wasn't impressed, because then the filter never gets changed. Then When they do differentials they have a pump that pumps out the fluid out of the fill hole, then just replace it with new fluid.

Needless to say, I know do my own servicing. I would like to open up things so I can see what is going on. And make sure it is done to my standards.

 

You should have done it to Alaska and some the work there. At least its cool up there. about sixes on cost to.