Hello,

I have a 2005 V6 and I just hit the 30k mile mark.. I took my car to Midas for regular maintenance and was told my brake pads were worn out.. so I took my car to the dealer and got it rechecked and they confirmed I needed new pads and a brake fluid exchange.. so I got those.. but then they added that I need to get a power steering fluid flush ($160) and a fuel injection/throttle body service ($260!!) and 2 rear tires ($275).. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if there's anyway I can determine if I really need them and also how crucial they are (besides the tires can I live without the other two for a while without doing major damage?) Also are these price quotes standard for these services?

When I took mine in to ford recently for the 30K mile mark, I was never told any of that. I had just bought a new set of tires... the only thing that showed up as bad were the rear brake pads were "in the yellow" (according to them). Last weekend, which would have been about 3 months after this, my pads were what I would say "in the red," so they were pretty much right. I'm sure it's recommended, but I really haven't heard people flushing out their systems that early. My rule of thumb is to flush the antifreeze every 4-5 years... Maybe flush the power steering around the same time...

The prices sound a little steep, but dealerships seem to have that effect...

Check your owner's manual. If those items are listed, then the dealer is just following the routine maint program. If not.......

Buy a $7 can of Seafoam and put it in your gas tank to keep things clean and skip the FI/TB service.

I just bought 4 brand new replacement 17" Pirelli's of Ebay for $300 delivered. My local shop mounted & balanced them for $12/tire.

It sounds a little excessive what they want to do.

It sounds to me like they all are looking for a way to get deeper into your wallet.

Brake fluid change?
Power steering flush and fuel injector/throttle body cleaning isn't in the maintenance schedule at 30,000 as far as I can see?

there is no need to flush power steering fluid or brake fluid unless it is contaminated

+1 to the seafoam

wow.. I feel a lot better.. that's definitely the first and last time I'm ever taking a dealership's advice seriously! I guess its my first car and my first experience with out-of-pocket fixes (haven't just hit 30k) so I was a bit naiive.. the seafoam idea sounds pretty good and I'm definitely not going to the dealer for getting the tires replaced..

thanks for all your advice!

If you have an automatic there is a 30,000 mile service on that, and it is listed in your owners manual. You have to go to the dealer for that because it requires a special tool of some kind because the transmission is sealed (no dipstick)

the copy of the owners manual i got with the car doesnt have the maintainence schedule (i got it second hand so dont know whethere i got everything) - where can I get a copy of the manual that has the maintainence schedule in it?