Boon

Since the RDX is my first car, the whole oil change/maintenance experience is new to me so I thought I'd post how it went (I thought it was a bit expensive and time consuming) and see if anyone out there can offer tips for when the next time it rolls around:

- Cost for "A" maintenance = $99.95 CAN + tax
- I asked if the first oil change was complimentary but they said they got rid of that service back in 2006 (and supplemented it with a better warranty. I have no frame of reference but I kinda smell b.s.)
- Oil Change, tire pressure check, and quick wash took 1.5 hrs. I was the first one in the shop @ 7am and thought I'd be out of there in less than an hour.
- I asked if they filled the RDX with Mobil 1 (since that's what's recommended) but they said they use their own "Acura brand" synth oil and assured me it was just as good
- Customer service was decent enough. Everyone was friendly. Only one minor complaint: they totally played with the driver's seat settings so it took me a few minutes to re-adjust to my liking afterward.

So what I'm wondering is if I was overcharged (I live in Toronto)? Should I insist on Mobil 1 next time? I'm considering doing it myself - thanks to some useful posts on this forum - but I thought I'd see what the dealer experience was like first.

Nyjumpman23

BS, they never took away the complimentary 1st service.
ANd all that stuff should not take 1.5 hour.
But at least u got it done.im bout to get a B1 done.

ShadowGirl

Boon, I recently had my A service too, and I was very happy with the customer service. It was a bit over an hour I waited I think, but no issues at all. In fact, they squeezed me in on short notice, which I really appreciated. The cost for the A service sounds right, that's just what it is here in Canada, unless it might vary slightly in each province? I wish I had the gutts to try the oil change myself, the directions by other posters in the forum seem simple enough!

mau108

My A Maintenence cost me about $44.00 CDN plus 20 minutes of my time (DIY for those that are gonna pm me asking where I had my service done lol)

Only thing I wanna take the car in to dealership for is the tire rotation.

hyspeed808

the "Acura brand" is made by mobil one so it would be the same stuff

russianDude

Yeah, that's what my dealer told me, $80+ tax for an oil change only !
After I heard that, I went strait to to Kmart and got myself a wrench, oil catch pan, and a funnel. Its rediculous to be $80 !
If you do simple math:
5qt x $5 = $25 oil
15 labor
$5 filter

Total under $50, I fail to see how they can charge $80, bunch of scum bags!

wrestrepo

don't sweat the small stuff russiandude...they need to make some money too....I agree that $80 is very high, but there are costs that you are not looking at like training for employees, benefits, that lounge where you wait for the car, with the free coffee and soda, the "free" carwash, markup on the materials, etc. Also, if you do it at the dealer they have all the maintenance information in case sht happens...If you take your car to Jiffy Lube it will cost you over $50 for synthetic (I don't know the exact number since I stop going to that place) but how do you feel?? like they are cheating, stealing, doing something wrong, etc....

Better option, you drive to the shop, buy the oil, come back home, put the car on a ramp, drain the oil, change the filter, fill it up with oil again, clean the garage floor, cans, bins, etc, put the used oil back in the car, drive back to the shop for oil disposal....

nut854

Can anyone recommend a good ramp to elevate the RDX during a self oil change?

Fishbulb

You change your own oil, but you need the dealer to swap your wheels around? Why? A decent floor jack is about 50 bucks, and a torque wrench isn't expensive either....?

mau108

Pain in the ass, I believe with AWD cars and all season (non directional) tires you gotta swap diagonally (front left with rear right etc...).

Rather pay a place with hoist that can do it in a few minutes.

Only tires I swap is on the prelude's, winter to summers and visa versa due to it being even more of a pain in the ass figuring out how to transport tires in such a small vehicle.

k23a1

I have these for my civic, but I realized that the civic is too low to even get pass the front lower spoiler. I now realized that these will work extremely well for the RDX.

http://doitbest.com/Ramps-Blitz+USA-...sku-572241.dib

Im still debating on whether I should do it myself, or just leave this to the dealership alone.

russianDude

no jiffy lube for me(they suck!!!), I am going to change my own oil, keep all receipts/log and etc. no jack needed.
Tire rotation I can do at any tire place for $20 bucks, or go to the dealer and do it for $40...

Fishbulb

So, you're saying that rolling a wheel to the opposite corners is too much work, but swapping front to back is tolerable? Wow.

- just so you know, rotating to the far corners has nothing to do with AWD. Any car without directional tires or wheels will be rotated in this fashion.

mau108

AWD cars with non directional tires is front left to the rear right then rear left to the front left.

Fishbulb

Uhhh... now you've got 2 tires on the front left. Maybe you should let the dealer do it. You still haven't explained what possible connection AWD has to do with correct tire rotation?

mickey513

Correct, but from my multiple trips to the dealership service & parts department I have never seen "Acura/Honda synthetic oil" ... only the convetional oil made by mobil.

hyspeed808

really...maybe they have it in tanks and use air pumps for it or a hand pump.. I usually have to pump it out of the 55 gallon drums it comes in and pump it into a storage tank at the dealers service garage..then the techs pump it with a air gun into the vehicle or into a container...the only oil I deliver in quart cases is the Mobil one for corvettes... at the honda dealer here they have a bunch of oil that is mostly for display at the service counter, nooone see's what they use in the back.