30,000 Mile Service Work question
 

So our 07 MDX is approaching the 30,000 mile mark, and Acura "recommends" certain service work to be done to it, which totals $850+ tax. I'm not sure if this is something that is really needed, or if it's just something that they like to do since it's an expensive service? We've had her brand new with 5 miles on it, had all typical service done at either Acura or Honda dealerships.

We might also be thinking about trading her in for something newer, which yes, we would be spending more than the 850 difference to upgrade. Any opinions on what the best bet is? What mile mark is their next recommended service work? 60,000?

$850 :run:

Wow, uh, that's overkill Bond. They'll taking you for a ride and then some. Here's the recommended 30,000 service for the MDX:

Acura MDX: 30,000 mi/48,000 km/2 yrs Scheduled Maintenance

• Rotate tires
• Replace air cleaner element
• Replace VTM-4 rear differential fluid
• Replace engine oil & filter
• Replace dust and pollen filter
• Check front and rear brake wear
• Check parking brake adjustment
• Inspect tie-rod ends, steering gearbox, and boots
• Inspect suspension components
• Inspect driveshaft boots
• Inspect brake hoses and lines (including ABS)
• Inspect all fluid levels and condition of fluids
• Inspect exhaust system#
• Inspect fuel lines and connections#
• Inspect drive belts

Check oil and coolant at each fuel stop
Check tire inflation and condition once a month

Rotate tires is $40 at your local Big O, Just Tires, etc. Replace air cleaner is a $15 air filter (Pep Boys, Autozone, etc.) and a 10-minute job (or a $45 drop-in from K&N and a cleaning every 15K miles). The VTM-4 fluid change is $90 at your local Acura dealer. 5-quarts of Mobil-1 and a filter will cost about $40 at Pep Boys. The pollon filter can be bought on eBay for $12 and installed in 15 minutes. All instructions can be found on this board.

MY RECOMMENDATION: I'd do as much of the above maintenance as possible yourself and then take your vehicle in for the remainder. But don't call it a 30,000 mile service. Most Acura dealers I know have a 50-point courtesy inspection every time you bring in your vehicle, so they do all of the "Check" and "Inspect" items listed above for free (as part of this inspection).

So let's say you can do the air cleaner, oil & filter, and cabin filter yourself and need the dealer to do tire rotation and VTM-4 fluid...just make an appointment for VTM-4 fluid and tire rotation and they'll offer the inspection for free. MUCH less that $850 and you'll get basically the same service.

If you don't want to do any of the service yourself: then shop around...the 30,000 mile service can be performed much cheaper than $850. I am a DIYer, but perhaps others can post how much they paid for their 30,000 service.....

I just bought a 2008 with 29,000 miles on it Im a technician at a honda dealer for thirty years at it so I changed every fluid and filter really cheap for me all I had to buy was the filters (buy the honda filter it is much better quality than any aftermarket filter I have ever seen) what I found was the transmission fluid was really dirty and the brake fluid was really dirty the cabin filter was discusting as they usally are at 30k the rear diff is really spendy to fix or replace so service it for sure and honda transmissions are known for shift solenoid problems service it too I went over my mdx with a fine tooth comb and found nothing wrong no leaks nothing loose brakes better than 50% gotta love these honda acura products

We were hit with a similar quote from our Acura dealer so I consulted our trusted local indy Acura shop. He informed me that half of the items were not even on the recommended list so I shaved the bill to @ $250. It saddens me that I can't trust the dealer on stanfdard required maint.

Just follow what the Maintenance Minder code says. But usually this is what it is depending on your driving habits.

Engine oil and filter
Engine Air filter and cabin filter
Transmission and Transfer Case Fluid
Rear Differential SH-AWD Fluid (There is no VTM-4 on 2007+ models)

Yeah I usually assume guys know VTM-4 for 1G, Rear-Diff/SH-AWD for 2G.

Other than the AWD label, the maintenance recommendation is the same for 30K. And it's not close to $850 :whyme: