Well, not exactly DIY, but I was thinking of getting all the necessary fluids and taking it to a local shop instead of paying the dealer $500 for expensive fluid changes.

So I'm thinking of:
Tranny fluid change
Coolant flush
brake flud flush
oil/filter change
pollen filter change
(am I missing any other vital things?)

Question is, what kind of tranny and brake fluid should I be using? Any advantage of using synthetic? recommendations? where to get them?

 

If you have a 6mt, I can recommend Amsoil's synchromesh tranny oil, I put it in and my 1-2 and 5-6 shifts are smoother without any downside that I can discern. I also use Amsoil 0w-30 engine oil and their one-year filter. The tranny fluid, coolant, oil, pollen filter, and (you didn't mention) engine air filter are all easy to do yourself if you have a jack and stands and basic hand tools. For the brake fluid flush, I think, you need a shop. My local shop charges $90 for a brake fluid flush. You might also get some lithium grease and lube your door hinges, locks, hood and truck latches, etc. Also, maybe tire rotation? And, of course, there's always the topping off of the wiper fluid -- the dealers seem to make this a "point" on their 800-point inspections.

 

I'd be lucky if my dealer did 10% of that inspection.

 

Rotate those tires they put on the car too.

 

Anyone volunteer to do a writeup for this?

I forgot to mention I have a 5AT So what fluid should I be using?

For the pollen filter, is it only sold at the dealer? wonder if the Accord use the same one, might be cheaper....

 

I only flushed the brakes once my old 95 Civic and they were working fine when I sold the car with 132k miles on it. So I'd just bleed them. Do you really need a tranny and coolant change that early/often (just 30k)?

 

Just trying to follow the schedule, but the tranny fluid does look a little dirty (so is the brake fluid)... and I think it's good to do the coolant flush to prevent corrosion in the radiator...

 

Are you sure the 30k service includes all those flushes? I had the 30k service done awhile back, and it did not include all those flushes. I have a few more hundred miles before I hit 50k, and I will doing a brake, tranny, and coolant flush.

 

I think they're following the 'severe' schedule since I live in NYC area.... I've called about 2 dealers in NY and 3 dealers in NJ, all of them said pretty consistant things (except for price which ranged from $480-$550)

Basically they change and top off all the fluids, replace air and pollen filter, lube hinges, 'check' and 'visually inspect' a bunch of things, replace wiper inserts, and I think that's mostly it...

 

Yes, the Accord one fits. There is a thread on this somewhere around here....

 

Flush transmission and brakes. I'd flush the cooling system every 3-5 years regardless of miles.

For the transmission, use Genuine Honda ATF-Z1 only, unless you wish to spring the dough for Amsoil ATF or other boutique unlicensed ATF-Z1 equivalents.

 

Ok, so so far:

Air/pollen filter: both at Honda stealership
A/T tranny fluid: use Genuine Honda ATF-Z1 (where should I get this from?)
Brake fluid: ??

I think we should have a section of all the DIY write-ups, or information like this.... there are a lot of useful info on this forum that are scattered...

 

Brake Fluid: Grab 2 qts of Prestone Synthetic DOT 3 from Walmart for under $10. Run a pint through each of the bleeders for a really good flush.

A/T: Buy it from a Honda stealership. Or E-Bay. Also, here are some instructions on how-to perform a DIY transmission flush: https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...37&postcount=9

Air/pollen: Buy a Purolator one from Pep Boys or Advanced Auto. FRAM is also acceptable if the price is reasonable.

 

I e-mailed handaaccessories on this one time and they said it fits and is the same. They just haven't had a chance to update their website.

 

I too can attest to superior amsoil quality. When i had my 4runner i changed differential fluid, ATF, and oil to amsoil, then the air filter as wel. My 4runner averaged at least 2MPG+ than what it was getting before. Plus the clutch felt like it grabbed better and it didn't seem to heat up and get slushy as quickly either. The engine was also quieter and smoother. One thing i didn't like though was leaving it into there the whole year. The oil still had the elements to protect the engine. however, the oil seemed to get pretty thick as it was in the engine.

You can read about their side by side actual test here:

http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/s.../oil-life.html

These guys have actually tried both Amsoil and Mobil1 side by side and did an oil analysis every 3000 miles. So basically my suspicions were true with the amsoil oil. Although... Honda engines are easier on oil than toyota engines... so it may not be 100% true with honda engines. But it still got thicker as it sat longer.

I would feel safe doing an extended interval on the oil, just not all the way for the whole year. Maybe 6 months would be incredibly safe.

Also... Amsoil is supposed to be changing the formula sometime soon. It should even be better than the original and it supposed to take care of the thickening problem long term. So... we'll have to see.

 

i'm going to do all this on my 30k service at my friend's shop. gonna use all honda fluids from the honda stealership.

 

Since you have an AT, I'd recommend a flush (from a shop) as opposed to a drain. So, here's my advice:

SELF:
Air filter
Pollen filter
Oil + filter change
Coolant flush
Rotate tires & adjust pressures
Lube hinges, locks, etc.

SHOP:
Tranny flush (you provide the fluid)
Brake system flush (you provide the fluid)

You will be doing some of these earlier than the book recommends, so it's up to you if you want to accelerate some of the maintenance. My is more frequent maintenance is a good bargain if you expect to keep your car to 100k or more.

 

I just did my tranny fluid today.. my gawd it is not an easy task..

my av6 was sooo easy, i can see the plug right at the tire..

I had to remove, pretty much, that whole air damper cover on the bottom.. from driver side down...

did a drain and fill.. the drail fluid looked pretty brown.. I'm only at 25k.