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Is the 30,000 mile maintenance really necessary????

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#22 ·
I believe it is 5 years on coolant, or 100k, whichever comes first.

For the coolant I'm more concerned about the length of time not mileage. I don't personally know anyone that's done 100k in less than 5 yrs. I'm sure there are people out there though.

The brake fluid can be tested for water content (contamination). If it is dark it should be FLUSHED, not just sucked out of the res. and changed. My ST only has 43k on it and the fluid is beyond dark, well past due to flush it. If you have a manual trans, this will effect your clutch also. Of course the condition of your brake fluid will depend on many things.
Nitrogen inflation is neat, but don't EVER pay for it. It won't effect your gas mileage, it's impossible. (I'll assume the previous poster was being sarcastic!)
 
#28 ·
ummduh said:
I believe it is 5 years on coolant, or 100k, whichever comes first.

For the coolant I'm more concerned about the length of time not mileage. I don't personally know anyone that's done 100k in less than 5 yrs. I'm sure there are people out there though.
Click to expand...

13 months, 31,000 miles....[thankyou]
 
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#29 ·
I did it on my 02 zx3 and the car felt brand new. However they will nail you for some stuff. Of course you want to do a fluid flush and replace all filters. But they were going to charge me to look and inspect exhaust system and other stuff that was not needed. I called the dealership and asked them what they all did for that service and I basically did it a like an al la carte and told them to do certain things.
 
#31 ·
I'd be careful of fuel additives or engine cleaners such as Sea Foam or MMO. Those chemicals weren't designed to be in your engine and IMO shouldn't ever be. I'm especially scared of Sea Foam. Chemicals like these can strip everything from the engine, sure, but they also strip off the oil needed to keep things lubricated.

I think "fuel system flush" is a joke, just something done by dealers to get some extra coin. Do you realize how much pressure is needed to run fuel injection? if anything were stuck in the FI system, it would be blown out pretty fast. On really high mileage engines this may be a good idea, but not on a car with anything under 100k miles.

Look at all the fuel additives you can buy at local auto parts places, notice how many there are? Tells me that there's a huge market for them. I think it's all "snake oil" and should be avoided at all costs.

Stick to standard gasoline, motor oil, brake and clutch fluid, and you should be fine.
 
#32 ·
Ditto, there are already detergents in oil and gas. The only time you'll have problems is when you let either sit for a long time, and only then I'd recommend just fuel stabilizer. Keep your car running and only put back in what you took out fluid wise, if you buy quality stuff you have nothing to worry about, people have been doing it for decades.
 
#33 ·
why would you do the coolant at 30?? its a 100k fluid....
 
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#35 ·
i could tell you all a story about an Oldsmobile i know, but.... i won't. instead i will tell you that with what i have learned from that oldsmobile, i will be flushing my foci's coolant at 30k. i will also be flushing the brake fluid and power steering fluid. I have the tools available to do them all because I work at a nissan dealership and i can use the equipment when I need to. i have about 24k on the clock and will be doing a fuel filter this weekend. i change the oil every 3-4k using full synthetic mobil 1 or castrol syntec. I use either mobil 1 or motorcraft filters. i have made mistakes with that aforementioned oldsmobile and will be damned if I make the same mistakes with my beloved focus.. prevention is my policy.
 
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#36 ·
Definitely do the fuel filter. I couldn't believe the amount of crap that came out of mine after 30,000 miles.

I did the ATX fluid after 30,000 miles. Honestly, the fluid was darker than the new stuff, but it wasn't that bad. But it's relatively cheap, and transmissions are crazy expensive, so I view it as cheap insurance. Other than that and the oil, there isn't much to do at 30k (consult your manual). You could have a mechanic you trust do the "inspection" items, like checking the suspension, but I don't have a mechanic I trust where I live, and have no idea how to verify that someone will actually look at the car before charging me, so I generally try to do them myself or not at all.
 
#37 ·
bschanz said:
i could tell you all a story about an Oldsmobile i know, but.... i won't. instead i will tell you that with what i have learned from that oldsmobile, i will be flushing my foci's coolant at 30k. i will also be flushing the brake fluid and power steering fluid. I have the tools available to do them all because I work at a nissan dealership and i can use the equipment when I need to. i have about 24k on the clock and will be doing a fuel filter this weekend. i change the oil every 3-4k using full synthetic mobil 1 or castrol syntec. I use either mobil 1 or motorcraft filters. i have made mistakes with that aforementioned oldsmobile and will be damned if I make the same mistakes with my beloved focus.. prevention is my policy.
Click to expand...
I bet youre talking about dexcool, which resulted in a class action lawsuit
 
#38 ·
alas nad23zx3- you are correct.. the dexcool thing.... yep, that was it, rotted intake manifold gaskets, leaked into oil, compromised integrity of oil, spun crankshaft bearings. shortly after repair, broke the cam shaft in two. bought a new engine but put the green stuff in it.. as for the lawsuit, i did not participate because there was no real gain other than gm saying.... we screwed up. oh well. live and learn.
 
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#39 ·
yeah, that was one extreme case...doesnt mean this car needs to have that stuff changed at 30k. changing too early is great and all, but also a waste of money and resources/adds to pollution
 
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#40 ·
At 30k, I would change the oil, fuel filter(I do mine every 15k) and if you really want to go over kill...you can change the transmission fluid...I've got some of the motorcraft mt-x5-qs for sale if you're interested. PM me for a price. I've got 12 bottles of it sitting in my garage. You'll need 2. Check the tires too....see if they need to be rotated. Other than that, you're set.

Oh and you have a manual tranny...you don't have a filter for it. Pop the drain plug and fill it up.
 
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