C5 III Service Questions

[NAM]

I have a C5 III Tourer - Exclusive. Lovely car which is approaching its' 80K service.
I rang Citroen Main Dealer and also Peugot for quotes - both quoting around £300 but then Citroen added on two "Duty of Care" extras namely, Coolant change (£64) and Brake Fluid change (£49) as it is two years since last done.

I have a few questions - how important is changing brake fluid every two years - same for coolant. Both seem a bit over the top but there again it might be prudent to carry both out as recommended.

As far a the service goes - I want to make sure the right things are changed as the car has 20k servivce interval. Am I likely to save quite a bit of cash but still get the right things changed by going to an indi/local garage?

I did wonder about having Citroen do the service and getting local garage to change coolant and brake fluid in a few months time.
Has anyone got a similar mileage car and had the same dilemma?

Cheers

Nigel

[Stempy]

Blue coolant should be changed every two tears to help prevent corrosion in the system. Regular changes will help the radiator and matrix last longer. Red coolant should last for five years. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and absorbs moisture over time which reduces its boiling point. The lower the boiling point the quicker the brakes will fade in an emergency stop situation, hence the recommended interval, though I'm sure there are plenty of cars out there that have never had it changed.

If you intend to keep it for some time then it's worth keeping it maintained to the recommended intervals. As for Indy's versus Stealers there are good and bad with both.

[NAM]

Thanks for comments Stempy. I do intend to look after and keep this car for many years to come so I will keep on top of the recommended service jobs.

I've not used main dealers before but never had such a new car with as many extras - my thinking is that Main Stealers will be used to the car (there aren't that many around).

[mooseshaver]

I would not use a main dealer if they are owned by Arnold clark

[NAM]

Don't think either of my two options are owned by Arnold Clark. One is in Stockport - Evans Halshaw and the other in Sale - can't tell who own the latter.
I guess you have had a bad experience?

[mooseshaver]

Don't think either of my two options are owned by Arnold Clark. One is in Stockport - Evans Halshaw and the other in Sale - can't tell who own the latter.
I guess you have had a bad experience?

A few but most recently the service they did I suspected they hadn't used correct oil, now had that confirmed beyond reasonable doubt and the oil filter wasn't changed.