Battery terminal cleaning:
First of all, the typical charge for such a cleaning is about $25. Basically what they do is unscrew the cables, negative side first with vice grips, scrape the caked acid with maybe a jack knife or such, scrub with a cleaning element (usually baking soda and water paste, not kidding) and a toothbrush, smear petroleum jelly or grease on the posts, then put the cables back on making sure the nut is as tight as it can go.
Some places even twist and yank the cables to loosen them. This can crack your battery and spill even more acid. They need to have the nut loosened, and worked with vice grips to separate them.
It is important to do the negative side first and then put it back together so there is no chance of having a piece of metal hitting the positive post when you are in the middle of cleaning that. Same theory as improperly jumping a car. FIREWORKS!!! If you do this, please use safety glasses.
Radiator Flush:
With the exception of having an actual leak, there is NO reason that a Radiator flush should cost upwards of $100. I understand they have to treat the fluid like hazardous waste, but if you do this yourself , you can bring the antifreeze, and other labeled household chemicals to a yearly or bi-yearly community chemical waste day. They are usually done during the first portion of spring.
One would need a pan twice the size of the radiator storage tank, safety glasses, possibly a jack, funnel, garden hose, and new antifreeze. At the bottom of the radiator, there is a screw, possibly with a protective cap on it. Once bottom and top is unscrewed, the fluid will spill into the pan. The pan is put aside, then tank is flushed with funnel and hose, the bottom is screwed back on, and antifreeze funneled into the radiator, but not filled to the top.
'Disclaimer': If you chose to do this at home, please discharge antifreeze responsibly. When flushing with water, I am not supposed to recommend that you let that water fall to the ground, although I would submit that the amount of debris left in your empty tank when diluted, is equivalent to the toxicity in a can of hairspray, or the triclosan in our drinking water from antibacterial soaps. Just saying.
Air Filters:
Um.... NEVER SAY YES TO AN AIR FILTER AT THE GARAGE!!! If you know how to fasten a barrette, you can change an air filter. There should be 4 or so fasteners that clamp your filter together. The filter pad itself is about $8-$10 at Walmart or Auto Zone etc... But a garage or dealership will charge you twice the amount. This is clearly not an issue of labor, rather making their money on convenience by doubling the retail. No really, braiding hair is more complicated than changing the air filter. And Auto Zone will gladly comply with the right filter when you give them the make and model of your car.
