since kmart was mentioned......i work for kmart.....
i have worked in three different kmart workshops so far and i can say....

if they charge for something.....its been changed every single time.....

some of the fluid flushes may be half jobs......but they are carried out.....




there will always be an exception.......such as the little old lady that comes in once a year to get her vehicle serviced.....

it has covered a total of 2500kms since the last service.....
the oil coming out looks just like the fresh oil going back in.......
problem is.....we dont have the cartridge style oil filter in stock.....
the parts place doesnt have any in stock so will have to get one from their main warehouse......which will only take around 4 hours......
but the car is being picked up 2 hours before the filter can get there.....
so she just gets charged for the filter as part of the service.....and she leaves happy....

thats like a one-off situation......that may happen once or twice a year.....but really no harm was done.....and the filter has plenty of life left in it.....
and the next time that car books in......you make sure you have the filter in stock.....


but charging for parts and not replacing them is simply looking for trouble......
there are lots of people out there that dont trust mechanics.....and will always mark their parts.....
or check their filters before dropping their car off for service......and i cant really blame them for doing so.....