What are the deceptive maintenance items often pushed by 4S shops?
3 Answers
4S shops frequently promote the following unnecessary maintenance items: 1. Engine cleaning; 2. Tire maintenance; 3. Fuel system carbon deposit cleaning; 4. Air conditioning cleaning; 5. Various additives. Relevant information about vehicle maintenance is as follows: 1. Introduction: Vehicle maintenance refers to the preventive work of regularly inspecting, cleaning, supplying, lubricating, adjusting, or replacing certain parts of a vehicle, also known as vehicle servicing. 2. Maintenance scope: Modern vehicle maintenance mainly includes the engine system, transmission system, air conditioning system, cooling system, fuel system, power steering system, and other maintenance areas.
After driving for so many years and frequently visiting 4S shops for maintenance, I've noticed they often try to upsell unnecessary services. For example, the manual says the cabin air filter should be replaced every 10,000 km, but they always recommend changing it at 5,000 km - completely unnecessary and a waste of money. Then there's the fuel system cleaning service they push every time, claiming it improves performance and fuel efficiency, when in reality it's not needed for normal use over several years. Brake maintenance packages are another common upsell - they charge 300-400 yuan for 'deep cleaning' when you can simply check brake pad wear yourself. Additives like engine lubrication treatments or fuel line cleaning are pure money pits with no noticeable short-term effects. My advice: always check the maintenance manual before going, cross-reference every item on their list, and firmly decline anything unnecessary - this has saved me considerable expense. Consulting car-savvy friends or checking owner reviews online also helps avoid getting scammed.
I do my own car repairs and DIY, so I can easily spot the scams on dealership service sheets. The cabin air filter and engine air filter are often exaggerated in terms of replacement frequency—they push for quarterly changes, but you should actually replace them based on how dirty they are. Fuel additives or cooling system treatments are purely profit-driven, overpriced with no scientific backing. Other services like brake system flushes or engine deep cleaning are major scam zones—they claim there are issues even when the car is perfectly fine. My advice: always bring your owner’s manual to compare during maintenance, list the recommended items, and proactively ask about necessity—don’t fall for sales tactics. Do your research online, compare with legitimate tutorials, and decide whether to proceed. This way, you save money and avoid traps.
