Most washer fluid will be like 5-25% methanol. With the rest distilled water. Coolant is about half ethylene glycol and the rest water. There are not any very serious reactions between the components. I would be most worried about the reactions between the aluminum and methanol. But concentrations are low and there likely wont be any problem after flushing the system out.

All my cars go to the dealer for service but I don't just hand over the car. I go with a list of all the things I DON'T want them to touch - no battery test, no changing tire pressures, no washing the car, no adding fluids without asking first, etc.

Next on my list is what I want done; for instance on my FR-S - "change engine oil and filter. Remove old oil plug crush washer and replace with new one. Use Toyota Full Synthetic 0W-20 and ensure to fill with proper amount".

After going over my list with the service advisor I hand him the keys and go sit in the car. That way I get to meet the tech when he comes out to be sure he understands. I also mention that I am going to check everything before I leave.

I do all this in a very nice, pleasant way and explain that I'm not trying to be an asshole, just that I'm very anal about my cars. Since I started using this proactive method about 15 years ago (after a serious screw-up at a dealership - they 'forgot' to add the new oil) I've never had a problem and now I've actually gotten to know the techs that work on my cars. We often spend a few minutes afterwards discussing automotive stuff.

Sure makes for a more enjoyable and dependable service visit all the way around.

+1, @Clembo
I don't plan on taking in to dealership for any servicing except fixing the car (ie. chirp when they actually have a definitive fix in the future), but my parents always take their Venza to the stealership for servicing, and after they are done they complain about the 'extra' work they've done (mainly inspections and simple work) and gets billed on top of a simple oil change. I understand if it's around like every 30,000KM~ to do the standard inspection of most things, but not every time an oil change needs to happen.

Yikes! Good catch. It's defintrely a good idea to look over your vehicle after having someone else working on it. I too have found problems after another mechanic has worked on my car.

That is why i ALWAYS do my best to do my own work. Even if the work is warranty I'll usually try to handle it myself if it's a relatively inexpensive job

I have the worst luck of bringing my car to a shop and it coming out scratched, curbed wheels, bolts not torqued correctly, even stuff missing.

Why i cringe even thinking about taking my car to the dealer. For the free oil changes i got from my dealer, i just went in and explained i wanted to do it myself. They gave me the filters and the oil!

I need to get in to get my headlight bezels replaced under warranty, but am not looking forward to leaving my car there. I tried to get the bexels myself, but they said if i want to do it, they have to charge me, but if they do it, its free! haha...stupid warranty work.

same here. usually everything is done by me.

Wow!

I would be looking for a new dealership immediately! That's a pretty big mistake, glad you didn't have a major disaster on your hands

Nick C.

This is why nobody touches my cars except for the smog tech.

At least the soap should help reduce the surface tension of your coolant. I'm frankly surprised the tech even went to the trouble of adding any fluids at all. Usually they just leave them alone (and say they did something) or run the car dry.

My goodness that is horrible.

I hope you had the chance to drain it and run some MoCool or coolant.

Another thread to worry me about dealership maintenance

For all of you who are scared shitless to bring your cars to a toyota dealership and get fucked up, I work for Hayward Toyota in California and also a owner of a frs, would like to tell you I treat every frs in my sight as if it were mine and if u bring your cars to Hayward ill promise ill treat your frs even better then mine. Just ask for Eric to work on your car :D

Small problem. Simple drain and fill will fix. Methanol is a pretty good coolant, but long term corrosion would be an issue.

But, for the casual owner, who never looks, this could be a big problem. Subaru coolant and the coolant systems are pretty well designed, but their maintenance tends to be a little unique. I guess letting one into a Toyota dealership is the first problem.

Shawn



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