[KevinsWorld]

Wife took 2017 CRV in to dealer as it was time for an oil change per the Maintenance minder at 30K. Our car gets mainly highway miles. Get a call back from the wife telling me service rep recommending ATF and Brake Fluid flush... oh really I thought.. never heard of having to worry about this at 30K. How much does that cost? Wife relays both of those come to $330 more. I said let me do some quick research while she hung on the line and could not find anything definitive quickly. I asked to talk to service rep and he said Honda recommends these services but he would leave it to me. I told him I would call him back. So after looking some more around the Internet I found no evidence so far Honda is recommending these services at 30K. What I forgot to check before going in was the maintenance codes to see if these service codes were showing up by chance. Called back and I asked him what the codes were and he said it was an A1 and that is for an oil change but Honda recommends to do these fluid replacements at every 30K or 3 Years. I said well there are codes for these when they need to be done and then he said that he thought our vehicle doesn't show the transmission code service code. I replied well that is strange because I am staring at the manual and the codes are there, at least in print. He recanted a bit and said well it is up to you on these. Adding insult to injury on the paperwork they noted I declined the recommendations for Transmission Exchange SVC and Brake Fluid Flush.

So is there any noted documentation that says Honda recommends these two services at 30K? For that matter at what interval is it recommended? I have no issues paying for services that are warranted but seems like another dealer situation trying to up-sell services to make more than just the oil change, rotate tires and brake inspection that I wanted completed for the amassing low price of the "manager's special" at $69.95...lol

 

[joggernot]

Old Maintenance Schedule

I suspect you can't read this but it is the maintenance schedule for Honda cars without Maintenance Minder. I and the dealer used it for my 2000 Accord. My dealer is still pushing this schedule on my CRV each time I take it in. I just say "no" and get the work required by the MM done. Hope this helps. You might ask the dealer for this schedule so you can read it.

It says "10 speed transmission" at the top. Don't know why. The dealer gave it to me at my last CRV service.

Just added something that might be readable.

 

[Carbuff2]

Don't fall for that dealer's 'padding' of the bill. Wait until the MM comes up, THEN get it done. IIRC the CVT fluid replacement comes up AFTER 50K miles.

The exception is the brake fluid flush, that doesn't come up on the MM but Honda recommends it every three years (no mileage interval) because brake fluid absorbs moisture.


++++++++

The best strategy for these suggested services is to tell the dealer "I'll look into it" then do your research. I'll never forget an Acura dealer suggesting new wiper blades when I had replaced them 3 weeks prior! Another time, the dealer suggested $1500 of work for our Fit.

The trouble is that many dealers encourage their techs to 'sell' services, it is part of their performance evaluation. I can see where sometimes an owner might need a 'nudge' for some items. (How many folks think yearly oil changes constitute 'complete maintenance'?)
:kaboom

 

[KevinsWorld]

Here's the MM codes from the 2017 CRV manual ~pg 145 They do list the Brake Fluid but that doesn't mean it will show up in the display but appears it should. Anyone use those moisture strips to test the brake fluid?

 

[KevinsWorld]

Hopefully this is a better image of just the codes section, US model.

 

[crv4sas]

I have a 2017 CRV Touring with 19500 miles and my maintenance minder code has recently started to display A7. I was surprised to find the #7 means I should replace the brake fluid. Seems too soon, most of my miles are highway. Why would this code come on after only two years and with less that 20K miles on the odometer?

 

[racoon]

That does seem a bit early for a brake fluid change, as it should be done every three years regardless of mileage.
And I think the first 2017s were built in late 2016, so you should have 6 or more months before the 3 year mark.

 

[hondacrv1111]

I got the same spiel from my dealer for my 2016 CRV. For the brake fluid change - Is it advisable to get this done at the dealers or can I go to Jiffy Lube or other auto shops and get it done?

 

[racoon]

There are some fluids you need to get from Honda, like transmission fluid and the Dual Pump Fluid if you have RT4WD/AWD. And if I remember correctly, the coolant has to be silicate free.

As long as they use the correct type of brake fluid anyone can change it.

 

[HOTELLJACK1]

Wife took 2017 CRV in to dealer as it was time for an oil change per the Maintenance minder at 30K. Our car gets mainly highway miles. Get a call back from the wife telling me service rep recommending ATF and Brake Fluid flush... oh really I thought.. never heard of having to worry about this at 30K. How much does that cost? Wife relays both of those come to $330 more. I said let me do some quick research while she hung on the line and could not find anything definitive quickly. I asked to talk to service rep and he said Honda recommends these services but he would leave it to me. I told him I would call him back. So after looking some more around the Internet I found no evidence so far Honda is recommending these services at 30K. What I forgot to check before going in was the maintenance codes to see if these service codes were showing up by chance. Called back and I asked him what the codes were and he said it was an A1 and that is for an oil change but Honda recommends to do these fluid replacements at every 30K or 3 Years. I said well there are codes for these when they need to be done and then he said that he thought our vehicle doesn't show the transmission code service code. I replied well that is strange because I am staring at the manual and the codes are there, at least in print. He recanted a bit and said well it is up to you on these. Adding insult to injury on the paperwork they noted I declined the recommendations for Transmission Exchange SVC and Brake Fluid Flush.

So is there any noted documentation that says Honda recommends these two services at 30K? For that matter at what interval is it recommended? I have no issues paying for services that are warranted but seems like another dealer situation trying to up-sell services to make more than just the oil change, rotate tires and brake inspection that I wanted completed for the amassing low price of the "manager's special" at $69.95...lol

**I think the 30,000 mile recommendation is like the old 3,000 mile oil change. I also received a dealer recommended 30,000 mile change of brake fluid & Transmission fluid. I looked at the customer manual and saw that the Maintenance Minder does have a code for each of these so I decided to wait for the Maintenance Minder code to tell me to change the fluids.

Last service Maintenance Minder said to change the brake fluid & the next service Maintenance Minder said to change the transmission fluid. I got about 20,000 miles more out of each by going with the Maintenance Minder recommendation rather than the Honda Dealer recommendation.

I think the dealers made a mileage change recommendation and Maintenance considers several factors including time, method of driving & driving conditions.

 

[rocky]

Stick to the MM service instructions. I'm confident that Honda engineers know more about their cars than any dealer service representative.

 

[mnestrud]

For what it's worth, I've got 32k and my maintenance minder tells me to do the flush, which I'll do at the next change. So it's not out of the question.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

 

[barncobob]

im old school,,i did the tranny flush at 40K, fluid was dirty compared to the new fluid,,ill do it every 30-40K.. i only use Honda fluids in the tranny and diff...motor oil not so much, just a quality synthetic oil and quality filter..every 7K

 

[shipper50]

I have a 2017 CRV Touring with 19500 miles and my maintenance minder code has recently started to display A7. I was surprised to find the #7 means I should replace the brake fluid. Seems too soon, most of my miles are highway. Why would this code come on after only two years and with less that 20K miles on the odometer?

Gee me too. Mine is a 2017 CRV ex-l and took it in for the famous shifter recall and found out the a7 was for brake fluild. Not saying I am right, but been driving for 51 years and have never changed my break fluild in any car I owned. Dealer guy said it would be $60. It has 10810 miles.

 

[racoon]

Brake fluid should be changed every three years, regardless of mileage.

And the first change should be three years from the date of manufacture, not the model year, or the date you bought the CR-V.

Brake fluid is hygroscopic, which means it absorbs moisture out of the air. And water is more compressible than brake fluid.

 

[shipper50]

Thanks for the info. Of all the cars I have had in 51 years I have never had or suggested having the break fluid changed. Not saying I was right, just never heard of it. But then again as we all know, dealerships want you to change everything that can be changed at some time?

 

[ms3224a]

I changed my own brake fluid last year on my '07 Accord. There was green globs in the fluid, probably some kind of algae. It had been changed 3-4 years prior too.

 

[Traylaw]

The green comes from the copper corroding inside the brake lines.

 

[Carbuff2]

I know of folks whose brake lines corroded/leaked from the INSIDE. ?