Log book 60,000 service

JENRAY

MEMBER
2006 HYUNDAI ACCENT
1.4L
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
47,987 MILES

Hi, I have a the vehicle listed above My16 RB3, 1.4 Active Auto. My car had a 60,000 logbook service done yesterday, the ODO reading is 47,987. My question is the service guy told recommended I have Fuel System Service to help restore lost economy and performance as I had mentioned to him that the car sometimes didn't get moving when I accelerate to go up a hill or take off from traffic lights. In the previous service a year ago they adjusted this as I was told on this car, the car adjusts to the drivers driving habits. This service was charged at: Labor, $114.00 and the actual Injector Max Fuel Cleaner was $139.64. I have since asked my brother about this and he was disgusted that they recommended and performed this service when the km's didn't warrant this service at this time. Also they recommended a brake flush, as they told me that the fluid may at some point start to heat up and. Start bubbling and that is not safe. This cost me another $120.00. The actual service was $350.00, so all up they charged me $795.00. I am sure they did an up sell on me, as I don't know very much about cars. Can you please tell me if I am correct in assuming this?

1 Reply

KASEKENNY

MECHANIC
18,907 POSTS

Short answer is yes, this is considered an up-sell. That means it is a service that is not recommended or required by the manufacturer but is not a bad idea. In other words, it won't hurt the vehicle in doing these services but they are not needed and I never do them on my vehicles. I will flush the brake fluid when I change the brake components just to get new fluid but again, this is not a required service.

Your brother's reaction is not an uncommon one as it sounds like this shop played on your fears a little too much. What they said is not wrong but the way they present it makes it sound more dyer then it really is.

I would not worry about this too much as you can't go back and ask for your money back because they did perform a service that you agreed too. I would just recommend going to a different shop next time and then only allow them to perform the services that are laid out in the owner's manual unless there is an issue that warrants other repairs.

The OEM knows what needs to be done at each interval so I would just stick to that. The people that work at the dealer or shops don't know better then the people that designed and built the vehicle but they have found these different services that enable them to make more money so they recommend them. Again, they don't hurt anything but rarely prevent an issue that would happen if they were not performed.

Let me know if you have questions. Thanks