SharangCU2

So today I took my car in to get the axles checked. I had the issue where accelerating on the highway caused it to shake. My dealership said the job would cost $4800 normally, but I'm getting it done for $3000 (price also includes other maintenance). Am I getting a good deal on this? It's an AutoNation Acura dealership.

thoiboi

dafuq...


axles aren't that expensive... can you DIY

SharangCU2

I'm pretty new to DIY-ing so I don't want to risk doing it on my own. Would it make more sense if the dealership is replacing the entire driveshaft assembly?

thoiboi

How deep are your pockets?

SharangCU2

Not very deep lol. I'm trying to do all the research that I can to find out why they said it'll cost so much. I've read that it normally costs less than $1000. Now they are doing more than just axle stuff for $3000 though. I can't remember what was on the list but there were 3 things that had to be done that cost between $120 to $170 each. That still means I'm being charged nearly $2500 for parts and 5-6 hours of labor.

thoiboi

Go to Acura Parts | OEM Acura Parts | Factory Acura Parts and put in all the parts that you need to find the parts pricing.

Then find a local competent mechanic that can install it for you.

SharangCU2

Oh shit, either this dealership is messing around or they're about to replace the entire drive shaft assembly. Adding all the drive shaft parts to cart gave me a total of about $2600. This is very bad...

thoiboi

look at your estimate, you should see parts numbers no?



they dont' call them stealerships for nothing..

hontor

That certainly seems too steep for axles. I just bought a 2013 with $39k on it. At speeds over 70 I get a recurring vibration. It comes in waves, if that makes sense. I'm concerned about the axles as well. Did yours vibrate only on acceleration or was it constant at certain speeds? What year is your TSX?

ssjoeboe9

Buy factory remans yourself, for around ~$350 and give to mechanic (maybe even dealership)... then they should only charge about 4-5hrs of labor. You should leave with axles repaired for under $1000. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

I know cause I did it at 120k miles

SharangCU2

My TSX is a 2011, and for me it vibrated only when accelerating. So at around 55 mph the shaking would start and keep getting worse the more you push the pedal until about 75 mph, then the shaking stops.

SharangCU2

I'm going to try to get as much information out of my dealership about what they replaced. Because now the car's been with them for a day so it's probably too late to take the car back. If they're replacing more than just the axles, which is what I'm suspecting, then I guess $3000 makes sense but is still pretty steep. This dealership is the best one that I've come across so I'd be really sad if they're actually trying to scam me. I haven't paid yet so if they're scamming me then idk I might just have to call them out or something. Been trying to learn about the drive shaft as much as I can.

ssjoeboe9

It's not a scam... it's just how much NEW parts cost, and $100 an hour for labor. Unfortunately the dealership is aware that 90% of the population doesn't understand mechanics and how things work, and they use that to make their money. Not a scam, it's just that if you can't tell them EXACTLY what to replace, then they will use that to their advantage.

Compare it to your Mom or Dad dropping off their computer to get their "hard drive cleaned" ... Yeah its obvious to us that clearing out unused programs,deleting add-ons, and bloat-ware can make your PC like new, but to the people that don't know... it's worth the money to drop it off and have it fixed in the end. It's your job as the consumer to understand what you are paying for to get fixed, and whether or not that job is "worth it" to you to do DIY or get someone else to handle it.

EuroRspec

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like a tire/wheel issue. Get the wheels balance. Also are you sure it's not road feel?

EzeE1o

its the axle, i had the same exact symptom last summer. at first i thought it was the tires so i rotated them but it made no difference. thankfully, i was at like 67k miles and it was covered under warranty.

icu2tsx

Do your homework before NOT after the fact! lol Since they are the "best one that you have come across" at least ask them to give you a courtesy 10% discount, some times they can do 20%.

SharangCU2

Ok now I get what's going on. Dealership is just doing their job. Lesson learned I guess, this was my first major repair on my TSX, and my car is ready to be picked up today. If it every has another issue I'll go to a local mechanic. Thanks!


Yeah at first the dealer rep said that my tires might just need to be balanced and suspension aligned. I was pretty sure it was the axles before hand but if the rep was right then that would have been so much better.

I did do my homework before because I knew my car had an issue with its axles before I took it to the dealership. And the dealership gave us $1800 off and they also covered other small maintenance for free. But I guess what I didn't do my research on was how dealerships operate, but now I know that I gotta look at independent mechanics first before I go to a dealership for repairs. It's an expensive mistake but hopefully I'll be able to these things by myself eventually. Thanks though!

WheelMcCoy

Same here on my 2012 TSX Wagon. Under brisk acceleration, there would be vibration. The front drive shafts were replaced under the drive train warranty which I think is good for 75k miles. This happened around 55k miles.

SharangCU2

That's so early. I guess this issue doesn't depend on how many miles your car has but how you drive it or if it went over any bumps too fast. There's a road that I drive through almost everyday and it has new speed bumps which have a gap in the middle. It's a residential road but whenever I go over the speed bumps on it I drive the left side of my car through the gap and my right side over the bump a little faster than what you'd do if both sides went over the bump. I thought it was fine since a lot of people do it too but I'm suspecting that was the cause of my right cv axle going bad. It was an expensive lesson to be learned but I'm gonna baby the hell out of my car now.

EuroRspec

iTrader: (1)

Could still be axles if you're not on the accelerator?