mauimike

My local Acura dealer recently went out of business so I went to the local Honda dealer and they wanted $200 for a regular B1 service (Acura used to charge $89).
I decided to buy my own oil, filter & washer and go to a Jiffy Lube kinda place...have them change the oil & filter and rotate tires.

Going in, all the fluid levels were fine (between min & max), so I was surprised to discover after the service, they topped all the fluids up to the max levels.

The RDX owners manual warns to only use all the recommended Honda fluids.
For sure Brake and power steering fluid was added. Not sure if they added Transmission fluid and no coolant was added.

Should I be concerned and replace fluids or is that overreacting?
BTW, I own the RDX, love it and plan on keeping it indefinitely if that makes any difference.

I'd appreciate any thoughts or advice.
Thanks

russianDude

your first mistake was to use Jiffy lube, this place is a joke. you will have 18 year old kid making $7 an hour changing your oil

XLR8R

You are not over-reacting. Do a web search to read the horror stories of how bad these places really are. Start here>>>Destroyed Engines

You could go back and find out exactly what they did and with what specific brand/type of fluid. But I wouldn't believe a word of anything they say. Don't let them anywhere near the car again!

If it were mine, I would immediately change every fluid on the car. DIY or go to a good independant Honda shop.

Brake fluid is pretty generic and wouldn't be an immediate concern unless they used something other than brake fluid -- never underestimate the stupidity at a quickie oil change place. One quart plus another 12 ouncer should flush the system.

Power steering is very Honda specific and it should be flushed with Honda power steering very soon. It holds about a quart -- two will give a good flush.

Trans is Honda specific ATF-Z1 and holds about 8 quarts. A good trans flush requires 3 drain/fills of 4 quarts each.

SH-AWD differential also requires Honda ATF-Z1 and can be completely drained. Refill will take about 2.5 quarts.

The transfer takes about 1/2 quart of 80W-90 gear oil GL-4 or GL-5. You may not be able to find 80W-90 (I've never seen it) but 75W-90 will do fine. Use Honda or other high quality such as Mobil 1 or Castrol.

Also re-torque the lug-nuts as uneven or over torque will ruin your rotors. RDX lug torque is only 80 ft-lbs. They probably blasted them down with an air wrench to 8000 ft-lbs .

Welcome to Acurazine. There is a wealth of info here. Do some reading before you take the RDX in for another service.

russianDude

the most important fluid is ATF-Z1, its Honda fluid, and pretty much using anything other than this fluid can ruin your transmission. Use of non ATF-Z1 fluid is not covered by warranty. I can guarantee you that Jiffy lube does not carry ATF-Z1. So single most important thing is to do 3x3qt drain (its called complete overhaul of transmission fluid). The manual calls for it if by accident non ATF-Z1 is used.
only two approved engine oils can be used in RDX: mobil1 and penzoil (both synthetic).

moltonbrown

agree with all the PP's. however, here's one question that worth pondering about (at least for me): i always go to the dealership for servicing, however, they're not necessarily the cheapest way to have your car maintained. oil changes, yes we can easily do ourselves, so are filters and the like. i dont think i would be able to deal with diff fluids - so where do you guys "draw the line"? sometimes too, i would dare say the dealership sees something which i wouldnt be able to do on a specified level of maintenance (Eg. after 10k, 20k etc)... any thoughts?

Mr Marco

Good advice!

Mr Marco

Welcome to AZ!
No dealer in Maui?
BTW will be in Lahaina on Tuesday.

mauimike

Thanks everyone for the response/input. Lesson learned...this place was recommended by someone who takes their MDX there. Didn't think it would be a big deal since I brought my own oil and filter.

I didn't know about the lug nut torque...for sure that's messed up too. They scratched my rims and incorrectly adjusted the tire pressure after I requested they don't check or adjust. Had dealers do the same thing though...along with wash and scratch my car after I told them not to wash.

I'm gonna do what I can myself and also look for an independent Honda shop. Things are very limited here on Maui. No Acura dealer now and only one Honda dealer. I'd guess there are less than 10 RDX's on the whole island.