1bythesea

As stated in another title topic: First service EVER done on RDX was the B-1 odometer at 4577 miles. Paid $290.65 after picking jaw up off floor.

Bill Break-down:

Rotate & balance tires
Total cost for concern $49.95

Service B-1 $116.00
change oil & filter
replace drain plug
test battery & clean terminals
set tire pressure
inspect front & rear brakes
check parking brake adjustment

Inspect the following:
tie rod ends, steering gear box, & boots
suspension components
driveshaft boots
brake hoses & lines (including ABS)
all fluid levels & condition of fluid
exhaust ststem, fuel lines & connections
fluid lines & connections

Parts: ACC KITRDX/07/AB-1 Quantity-1S $ 59.99
(code) oil filter 1 **
(code) washer, drain 1 **
(code) mobile-1 5 **
(code) washer tablet 1S 2.00

Total charge for concern $177.99

SUMMARY
Parts $ 59.99
Shop Supplies $ 25.00
Waste Disposal & Removal $ 20.00
Lab-Mechanical $165.95
Misc. $ 2.00
Sub-Total $272.94
State Sales Tax $ 15.18
County Sales Tax $ 2.53
TOTAL CHARGE $290.65

REALLY...How much of this is necessary on a vehicle with under 5000 miles?!!!


To top this off this off I just received a letter from the stealership with a Service Rewards Program. Evidently you earn 1 point for every dollar you spend with the service dept., parts dept, and toy store toward the purchase of your next vehicle. Seems to me this is the stealership's way of retaining customers who go elsewhere for service, including me now. What a gimmic!

AbovePrime.

290.65 Is very high for a relatively new car, but pay $430 and someone will be picking You up off the floor.

turboted

My cost for B1 on my RDX $0.00, zip, free. I purchased a 36 month service contract with my dealer at $20 a month. My Dealer, South Bay Auto Nation Acura (Torrance, CA) completes the whole service in under 90 minutes, with car wash (and tire dressing). If you are paying more for this service you are getting screwed. I'm a very happy South Bay Accura customer!

Teledatageek

Didn't you pay $720.00 (plus cost of $$) for the "free service"?Given the vehicle is in warranty, all the $720.00 would be good for is routine maintenance correct?

Maybe it is a good deal provided there are no mileage restrictions.....

sasair

You're also on a lease so the dealer is lucky to have you servicing the vehicle at all!

russianDude

WTF?! The only service my 2001 CLS ever got is oil changes, tire rotations, tranny fluid change, coolant change, and brake fluid change.
Never go for dealer recommended services.

russianDude

WHY would you need to rotate/rebalance tires at 4577 miles???
or even replace a drain plug... never heard of replacing a drain plug unless its broken

1bythesea

Excellent question!

batman

I got that service this weekend. I wasn't really happy about it. I have just over 11k miles and it was $190. I was contemplating trading my RDX for a Pilot while I was sitting there.

AbovePrime.

The most I've paid for maintenance on the CX-7 was like 110 dollars, and that included a loaner while my car was being worked on. Lots of ridiculous inspections and an oil change, but for the price I had no problems paying it.

It seems a little fishy that they don't have a set outline for service.

SolidState

I think you got charged twice for maybe the tire rotation. My dealer first told me the cost for a B1 was over $200 when I brought it in. I was thinking to myself "that was f***ing expensive." Then they came back as I was waiting and said it was only $166 and that they accidently carged me twice for the rotation. I still think $166 is more than twice as expensive then for my other cars. Same service is about $70 for my Isuzu Rodeo. On top of that I don't think they had the car for more than 20 minutes. I should watch them working on the car to make sure they did the rotation.

turboted

I have routine maintenance coverd for 36 months or 36,000 miles for a total cost of $720. Based on what many have posted here regarding the cost of a routine maintenance, I have a $1000 savings and a dealer maintained RDX.

rdxon

i went to ray laks acura in buffalo. i think the bill was in the 70 dollar range.
i wouldnt go back there

rdxon

sorry, guys, i like ray laks. i wouldnt get my service in ontario if they charge you like that. ask your local honda dealer to do the service. probably cheaper

neo1738

about 90 bucks for mine

mav238

It is mostly DIY for me, and at a local mechanic familiar with imports for brake work and other non-warranty work. I go to my dealer only for warranty work, except for the rear differential flush (which only cost CAD70.00, labour and materials included).

For my TSX, I bring it to my local mechanic for oil change, because the stupid oil filter is placed way off-center, reaching it is a real chore.

But for wheel rotation/balance/alignment, I have it done at a tire shop or my local mechanic.

I think, overall, you will find it cheaper than going to the dealer, who charge you their base labour rate of $90-100 per hour + material cost and shop cost.

Nyjumpman23

What is the REAR Differential flush
Wha tis it technically?

Honda_RDX

Im at 12,100 mile and just got my forth oil change and the service guy said i needed a b mainenance service, rotate tires and b6 flush differential fluid.I told that i just got new tires and rims and dont need a rotation. But i ask why would i need to change my diff fluid already. he said that that my rdx computer read b6 maintenance and so it needed one. I didnt argue because i do drive my rdx abit rough, let just say i constantly use my SH-AWD. And B maitenance service is just a 30 point inspection.

Plus i go to a HONDA dealer instead of acura. For instance my first oil change was at acura and cost $86. Next time i took it to Honda becus they are located closer and their oil change cost $61. I saved $25 becus i didnt have a little golf coarse in the waiting room or free starbucks coffee like acura. B maintenance at honda $105
and $130 at acura. Diff flush at Honda $90 at acura $100. I just going to stick with honda!

Also getting every little check up or maintenance on the car may suck for your wallet but it is worth it. My sis has a 2003 Accord lx. she did every service on her car that Honda told her. The accord is almost 5 years old and she is has 100,000 miles on it but it runs and looks like new.

Teledatageek

My A1 light came on.... (almost 19K miles). I called to set up an appt. The dealer tried to have me do the 15K service. When I questioned why since the car tells me, I was transferred to a service advisor who looked up the manual. He finally said the oil change and tire rotation as specified was fine but they recommended that the brakes be lubed, cleaned, etc. because of the climate we're in (Upstate NY). I asked how much more that was... $200!!! I declined. Seems sort of ridiculous to me.

To those that went to the Honda dealer for the oil change... they have the right type of oil for the RDX?! I bet it would be cheaper for me as well and would be far more convenient than going to the Acura dealer.

Also the A1 service light is the only one that has ever lit up, does that sound right to everyone given the mileage?

Appreciate input/comments.

mlb11

I also take my RDX to a honda dealer for service. If you're worried about whether they have the right oil - buy a 5qt jug of Mobil 1 at Walmart and have them use this. Thats what I do; I also buy bosch oil filters at autozone. At the Honda dealer they just charge me labor which amounts to about $14 for the oil change. The Mobil 1 is $21, filter $7 and tire rotation is an additional $20, so for the B1 service it will cost me about $62.

weeeerd

I can appreciate some of you guys wanting to follow your maintenance minder to the TEE, however, don't. I have seen on about 3 or 4 different occcaions an A4 or a B5, at anywhere from 40-60k miles. I'm sorry but I will not service your coolant or replace your spark plugs simply because a "minder" told me to do so.

We do not service coolant until 120,000 (realistically at 105,000 when timing belt/water pump is done) and do not replace spark plugs until 120,000 miles as well. I hope some of you would have enough sense to know a minder is not god. If you clear the B12345678 light, it "thinks" you have just done the work, whether you did that or just an oil change. They are nice to have but by NO means, anything to live by.

As far as A and B inspections go.. you can call them just a way for dealers to make money and I can appreciate that. However, it's not. Some technician actually take pride in looking over the vehicle and making sure everything is in top shape. They will check the brakes (pads, rotors, and even the calipers) to make sure you have everything wearing correctly. They will thoroughly check the vehicle over because that is how they make there money. If they see something that is worn at 30k miles, they will alert the advisor and order the part. I apologize that Honda does have good quality and we do not see alot of failures on parts early on in the life of the vehicle, I guess I thought that was suppose to be the case.

weeeerd

A simple rule to go by..

A = LOF, every 5000, or following your Oil Life.
B = done once a year or every 15,000 miles.

Rotate Tires = At 7500 miles. Usually about every other oil change (depending on Oil life usage)
Replacing Air and Cabin filters = once a year or at 15,000 miles. On Cabin filters, around 30k miles is when they start to get dirty. Have youe dealer save the filters for you if you are so unsure of the work being done. They should not oblige unless there is an issue with the work being done)
Transmission Fluid - Depending on usage, 30k on alot of city, 60k on highway.
Transfer Case (Front diff fluid) - At 30,000 miles.
Rear Diff Fluid - Break in at 7500, every 15,000 miles after that.
Brake Fluid service - Every 3 years or at 45,000 miles.
Coolant Service - 120,000 miles.
Spark Plugs - 120,000 miles.

Wipers we do on major intervals (15,000/30,000)

Obviously, other cars have more to do at different intervals such as 30,000 on an RDX is different then a TL. An RDX has a serviceable front and rear diff fluid that can be serviced. A TL does not. You now have 140 dollars in extra costs on your service bill for this reason.

sctlenz

What a rip off. I have looked at what is involved in a service A and B and said no thanks. I can lube my own door hinges. I asked Acura if my vehicle warranty was void If I did my own service and they said noy as long as the parts that needed warranty where not caused by something I did. They also mentioned that in the case of an oil related failure such as an engine failure they could order an oil analysis to make sure that it had Mobil 1 or i believe a rating of MT1 or something like that. I have stuck with the Mobil 1 athough there are now other oils on the market that have the same rating. Most of these places have the minimum wage oil change guy do these servises as nothing major is required. I will take my Acura in if it does need some warranty work and I may take it in before the warranty is up and have it checked over but will not pay there upscale prices for a simple check over.

DgDiamondz

As far as I know, the warranty isn't affected as long as you have reciepts proving your maintenance record. I found out what the codes are exactly and get the oil changes done, but tire rotation, brakes etc I do myself. Hope this helps.

Acura Maintenance Minder
The maintenance minder system shows engine oil life in the information display to let you know when it's time to have the engine oil replaced and regular maintenance done. There's no longer a maintenance schedule in the O/M. The system shows engine oil life as a percentage, which drops over time as the vehicle racks up miles. It starts out at 100% with fresh engine oil, and winds down to 0%, signaling the oil life is over.
The system counts down oil life based on engine operating conditions (both normal and severe). If the engine runs at higher temperatures and rpm, or at low temperatures during short trips, the oil life will deplete faster than an engine running under more normal conditions.
Depending on the oil life percentage, the system shows three different messages when you turn the ignition switch to ON (II). Here's what you could see:
When the oil life reaches 15%, you'll also see a two-part maintenance item code. This code tells you what items need servicing when you have the engine oil replaced. The first part of the code is the main code. It's either A or B, never both. See below for details.
The second part of the code is the sub-code. It's numbered 1 thru 5 in vehicles without 4WD, and 1 thru 6 in vehicles with 4WD. These sub-codes can show up in any combination. Here's what they mean:
• Oil Life Message What to Do
• 15% SERVICE
• DUE SOON - Plan to take your vehicle in for scheduled maintenance
• 5% SERVICE
• DUE NOW - Take your vehicle in now for scheduled maintenance
• 0% SERVICE
• PAST DUE (Mileage past due is also shown) Service is overdue. Take your vehicle in now for scheduled maintenance
• Main Code What It Means
• A Replace just the engine oil.
• B Replace the engine oil and the oil filter, rotate the tires, inspect the front and rear brakes, check the parking brake adjustment, and inspect several other items listed in the O/M.
• Sub-code What It Means
• 1 Rotate the tires.
• 2 Replace the air cleaner element, check the drive belt, and replace the dust and pollen filter.
• 3 Replace the transmission fluid and transfer fluid (if equipped).
• 4 Replace the spark plugs, replace the timing belt (if equipped), inspect the water pump, and inspect valve clearance.
• 5 Replace the engine coolant.
• 6 Replace the rear differential fluid (if equipped).

zuzzu

My RDX is asking for a B1 service (its about 1 year old, and has had one oil change so far too, and has 14,000km on it). I checked with my dealer, its essentially an oil change + tire rotation + the usual inspection of brakes/fluids/hoses/belts.
Get this ... they want $ 307.90 for it!!!! (I am in Vancouver, Canada).
All I have to say, after picking my jaw up from the floor, is FEWK THAT! I will double check what a local Honda dealer wants to get that done (with the right synth oil). Otherwise, I can change the oil myself and get a $30 tire rotation somewhere.
What a bunch of rip-off artists ... I know Acura wants to be more like BMW, it looks like their service charges are getting there well before their car performance is ....

russianDude

I am glad I started doing my own oil changes. I do it right and tighten drain plug with torque wrench. total cost is under $30, and use less time.
can't belive dealer wanted $90

Tomcat999

Definately overkill here on the recommended inspections-BUT- inspections can identify potential issues and save a lot of inconvenience (and $) . I own a garage and if one of my techs is under a vehicle and identifies an issue (even if unrelated to the service at hand), the customer is usually pretty thankful for the heads up. (ie a torn cv boot replacment is a lot cheaper than the whole shaft- or an injured rad hose replacement is a lot cheaper than a potential overheating and a tow). I bought a 93 civic new for my kid and did all the flushes and maintenance by the book. Never had to replace ANYTHING except brakes and tires. The car looked and ran perfectly. Sold it last year for 5k. I do agree that Acura is way overboard here on these intervals- but maintenance and inspections are hugely important! At the very minimum- find a wrench you trust and make sure they have a good look when they're under the car!

mav238

So far, have been DIY on my RDX. Mostly simple oil changes which I do once every 6 months or every 5000 kms. I put on maybe 15,000 kms a year in the RDX. But typically I change the oil in Dec. (for winter) and then change again in march (after the winter). Then once again in August. Always with Mobil 1 or Pennzoil platinum.

russianDude

I started doing DIY, otherwise it would be to expensive. I am pretty pissed off that my oil life goes to 5% on average every 3500-3700 miles (which is 3 month). Its just wrong for synthetic to be changed so soon. My wife drives it with baby to work, she does not floor it or anything.... so I am disappointed in the computer. I should probably send a sample to oil lab and see if this oil can go more. I am also going to be switching to pennzoil, I see no value putting Mobil1 every 3500 miles..... cheapest synthetic that is HTO6 should be fine.

sj993

I wouldn't really go by what the computer tells you. I check the oil to see what condition it is in, I usually change mine between 3,000-4500 miles depending on how it's looking. I used to change the oil in my Accord every 5,000 miles with Mobil1.

russianDude

1. color is not an indicator of how good oil is. oil analysis is the only way.
2. can't compare to accord. RDX has turbo engine, and all turbo engines typically require more frequent oil changes. How frequent? This is what I like to find out, 3500 for normal use seems short.

sj993

I know color is not the way to determine how good the oil is but I like to see the oil looking cleaner as it was in the bottle when I bought it versus being darker after a few thousand miles. Call it my personal preference but it works for me.
I typically try to change the oil every 3,000 miles regardless of what any computer says but granted that doesn't always happen so sometimes it stretches beyond that but 3500 for normal driving and not what they call "severe" driving does seem short.

russianDude

well, color test is especially misleading with synthetic oil due to the fact that synthetics have higher detergents and it cleans more crap out of your engine. So synthetic will turn black faster than non synthetic, yet, as you know, synthetics usually last longer.

I know my amsoil on 2001 Acura CL turned black in only 2000 miles, yet, the oil supposed to be good for 25K miles/1 year. (I changed it after 8K miles and 1 year). So your color theory is useless.

sj993

That's good to know. I wasn't aware of some of the things you stated. Thanks for the input. Regardless it wouldn't be a bad idea to send the oil off and get it tested to see how long it will go.

Orion

So in Toronto, it's $250+tax for B1 service... went to a nearby Honda dealer, $198+tax (if you bring your own oil), otherwise it's $238+tax...

Mobil 1 synthetic at Walmart is $42 for 5L. I keep reading ppl on this board can get oil for like 25 bucks...where???

russianDude

In USA. Penzoil is $18 for 5qt (~4.9L)

LynchFan

I got my B1 done at about 8000 miles
and was around 150USD (Tax included)

astig

I have it done a month ago with 21Kmiles on it. Paid $246. Damn

cisco kid

Yep thats how it works, I am at 32500Km roughly 15% left B1 service indicator has come up. I have not yet had the "6" pop up for rear diff fluid change unless I do not remember.

I have rotated tires already and will just get the oil changed,although I have about 20% front pads left so i am looking at doing front brakes as well, but plan to use alternative non OEM pads so looking for recomendations. So today I will get the oil changed using a WIX filter and Penzoil Platinum w HTO-06

R*D*X*

Dealer sent me a coupon, 49.99 for B1 service but systentic oil is not included so i pay extra. Total amount i paid was 99.00 which includes tire rotation, check battery, oil change..