2012 MDX w/ 205,000 miles. Changed it once at 105k, and dealer wants me back tomorrow for a second one. The car looks brand new, all highway miles, but with a book value of $8k, I hate pouring money in knowing the value will just keep going down with mileage. Curious when people typically do the second change, how critical the 105k mile intervals are, etc? Thanks in advance for any insight!

 

the J-series engine is an interference motor, meaning if the timing belt snaps while running, Pistons will come in contact with the valves.

 

Well it is critical that you change it ever 105k or 7 years. However (I’m playing devils advocate here) there are some people who have not changed their timing belts for over 200k miles (like the original factory one). So if you really don’t care about your MDX shitting the pile at some point (most likely can get another 50k miles out of your belt (but don’t take my word for that) you could just keep driving it till it snaps. Your call.

 

Most folks will advise getting the belt changed sometime after the 210,000 mile mark. That said, most folks will also tell you to shop around for the work, your Acura dealer will be the highest price, and your local Honda dealer will typically be somewhat cheaper. Then there are local shops who can do the work often for less than half what an Acura dealer will charge.

 

also, if you get the Timing Belt service done, the car is ready for another 105k miles.
the car can do another 10 years EASY!

 

I don't know, that would be over 500k miles!

 

You drive 50,000 miles a year? Yikes, I've only done that two or three times in my driving life (which started in 1973).

 

Not that critical, not that difficult either.

The kit with all the bells and whistles w/ an Aisin pump is like $200
I bet if you wanted to be real cheap about it.. call a shade tree mobile mechanic..
Probably charge you about 300-400 for labor.

Back in business.
A knowledgeable shop with fair prices might be around the same price too if you supply parts.

 

I do my own timing belts. SO far I've done a Civic, CR-V, 2 Pilots, 1 MDX and 2 Saturn Vues with the Honda 3.5 engine.

As already mentioned there nto too hard and a good shop can do it for less than the dealer. Our dealer wanted $1200 plus $400 more for the water pump.

Anyway at the second belt I normally change the oil pump too. Not that much more to do it.

 

Wait, your dealer wants $1,200 for the timing belt job and an EXTRA $400 for the water pump? Highway robbery! Time for a different dealer.

 

Holy crap. I recently had the dealer do my 2012 and it was $985 for timing belt, tensioner, water pump, coolant flush, and serpentine belt. They did want $350 for the spark plugs though so I'll do that myself.

 

Not bad; $985 for a timing belt job at the dealer is a pretty good price.

 

You can check prices at independent shops, also you can st least just visibly check the condition of your belt and look for any cracking or wear, see YouTube videos on this, your water pump or other parts can still seize up and the engine is toast but it's one thing you can check easily or pull up your sleeves and do the timing belt kit on your own.

By the way your mdx goes for around 11k to 15k in seattle at least on Craigslist

 

if youre planning on keeping the car, don't worry about it's book value. it's value is what you get out of it compared to what you put into it.

if youre planning on selling/trading it in within a year or so, then don't bother with the repairs... it will probably be fine.