Maintenance question
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Maintenance question
Hi all: New to the forum. Had my 04' Dodge Ram Quad Cab, 4x2, 4.7L (66K miles) at the dealer the other day for oil change, tire rotation, and state inspection. The service manager came over while the truck was in the shop and wanted to sell me:
transmission flush
rear diff fluid change
power steering fluid flush
replace spark plugs
I've owned the truck since new andI don't beat on it. She looks and runs perfect. But in all honesty, I have not had anything done to it except for regular oil changes, one set of tires,and 1 air filter replacement.
For those in the know, which of the above services are truly required at this point? As others can relate, I am really watching my spending lately and I don't want to throw money away unnecessarily. However, I don't want to deprive my truck from needed services.
Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!
transmission flush
rear diff fluid change
power steering fluid flush
replace spark plugs
I've owned the truck since new andI don't beat on it. She looks and runs perfect. But in all honesty, I have not had anything done to it except for regular oil changes, one set of tires,and 1 air filter replacement.
For those in the know, which of the above services are truly required at this point? As others can relate, I am really watching my spending lately and I don't want to throw money away unnecessarily. However, I don't want to deprive my truck from needed services.
Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!
Professional
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 152
Likes: 0
From: Reno, NV
RE: Maintenance question
Well for one i definitley reccomend the spark plug replacement. The power steering u can do youself. The tranmission i would have done also but that is me and i baby my truck. It doesnt cost much to keep the fluids new but it costs alot to fix it if something goes wrong cause you didnt. Just my opinion. But i got with the spark plugs and tranny for sure. Pretty sure you should flush your tranny every 30k miles but im not sure.
Administrator
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 24,686
Likes: 21
From: South Georgia/East Florida
RE: Maintenance question
Tranny & power steering are 30k items, so you are WAY overdue.
In a 2wd, the rear diff should be done at about 60K, so it's due.
The plugs should also be done at about 30k, so you need to do them.
All but the tranny is easy and can be done in the driveway. That's where you can save yourself some labor $...
In a 2wd, the rear diff should be done at about 60K, so it's due.
The plugs should also be done at about 30k, so you need to do them.
All but the tranny is easy and can be done in the driveway. That's where you can save yourself some labor $...
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,393
Likes: 0
From:
RE: Maintenance question
plugs you do yourself, unless your hammer and have a hemi and would rather find out what 220 feels like by touching the water heater than dicking with 16 plugs...
you know tranny changes is a crock, a new engine isnt gonna have metal filings, its got a lot of detergent in it, as long as you dont tow or over heat your fluid its more of a scam than help...if you do change it, use amsoil and forget about it..
why are we told every 3k miles yet the same mfg in UK says every 12K? its because their environmentalists wont let wastefull pollution occur like here in the states.. so same car different country different intervals, you tell me if its mechanical need or greed that says change your oil every 3k miles?
also with plugs, my buddy changed his factory champs at 92,000 miles, didnt notice a damn diff in driving, accel, fuel econ...
you know tranny changes is a crock, a new engine isnt gonna have metal filings, its got a lot of detergent in it, as long as you dont tow or over heat your fluid its more of a scam than help...if you do change it, use amsoil and forget about it..
why are we told every 3k miles yet the same mfg in UK says every 12K? its because their environmentalists wont let wastefull pollution occur like here in the states.. so same car different country different intervals, you tell me if its mechanical need or greed that says change your oil every 3k miles?
also with plugs, my buddy changed his factory champs at 92,000 miles, didnt notice a damn diff in driving, accel, fuel econ...
Professional
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 143
Likes: 0
From: Spring, Texas
RE: Maintenance question
ORIGINAL: JustAnotherForumID
Hi all: New to the forum. Had my 04' Dodge Ram Quad Cab, 4x2, 4.7L (66K miles) at the dealer the other day for oil change, tire rotation, and state inspection. The service manager came over while the truck was in the shop and wanted to sell me:
transmission flush
rear diff fluid change
power steering fluid flush
replace spark plugs
I've owned the truck since new andI don't beat on it. She looks and runs perfect. But in all honesty, I have not had anything done to it except for regular oil changes, one set of tires,and 1 air filter replacement.
For those in the know, which of the above services are truly required at this point? As others can relate, I am really watching my spending lately and I don't want to throw money away unnecessarily. However, I don't want to deprive my truck from needed services.
Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!
Hi all: New to the forum. Had my 04' Dodge Ram Quad Cab, 4x2, 4.7L (66K miles) at the dealer the other day for oil change, tire rotation, and state inspection. The service manager came over while the truck was in the shop and wanted to sell me:
transmission flush
rear diff fluid change
power steering fluid flush
replace spark plugs
I've owned the truck since new andI don't beat on it. She looks and runs perfect. But in all honesty, I have not had anything done to it except for regular oil changes, one set of tires,and 1 air filter replacement.
For those in the know, which of the above services are truly required at this point? As others can relate, I am really watching my spending lately and I don't want to throw money away unnecessarily. However, I don't want to deprive my truck from needed services.
Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!
Don't just believe the dealership service manager on maintenance intervals, although it sounds like those are what is called for in the owners manual. Some service managers will show you an "updated" maintenance schedule that has more things on it to do and more often. it just increases the work they can charge you for, without any real benefit to you or your truck.
Champion
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,702
Likes: 2
From: N. Florida
RE: Maintenance question
None of this stuff is too hard to do, if you've done some vehicle maintenance in the past. Tranny fluid is messy to change, but relatively easy. The manual is 30K for that. Flat filter every time, spin-on every other time. Rear diff is every 15K. Easier than the tranny and not quite as messy. Keep an eye on the coolant. Probably OK, but get one of those inexpensive testers to be sure the protection is up-to-snuff.
Trending Topics
Veteran
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 285
Likes: 0
This link says not to do tranny service until 60k miles.
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/3rd-gen...intervals.html
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/3rd-gen...intervals.html
