hi everyone,
i know the manual states many things to do at the interval maintenance schedules, but all the things they list to do for instance flush the trans/radiator fluid, are they really necessary? i mean i know it doesnt hurt to do them, but i also know that a lot of that stuff is there for them to make money...

so my question/concern is what do you guys feel are necessary to be done, and if those fluid flushes should be done, at what approx milages? things of that sort, if anyone can provide info with what a normal person would do/change at what mileages, not necessarily what the dealer "recommends"?

Billy

 

You don't need to go by what the dealer recommends, just follow the maintenance schedule in your manual. If you don't want to go to the dealer, then take the schedule to a private mechanic and have them do it. It's better to prevent problems rather than deal with costly stuff down the road.

 

totally agree, but i wanted to know if anyone knew what things are on the list, thats just there for money making purposes... meaning which ones can i safely skip, and if so, at what next mileage should i get them done....

i know its best to follow the manual, thats what i mean by doing what the dealer says... they say follow the manual, but following manual to the T "feels" like im wasiting money on things that dont really need done, but of course im not a mechanic so wanted to get more opinions on that....
Billy

 

Ok, I see what you mean. I was thinking that your dealer, like some out there, had made up its own schedule and added some things to it just to make more money.

I think you really should do everything in the manual, because it's not as if they're telling you to change your tranny fluid every 10k miles. Most of it is inspections and such.

Maybe JTso and others will chime in soon for another opinion. However, mine is to go by the book.

 

I'm actually doing the same thing. For the 30k i just did a tranny flush. I get my alignments at firestone because i have a lifetime there. I'm about to do the 60k and the only real things that i see needed are the tranny service, brake fluid flush and alignment.
heres the quote I got from a local dealership:
2004 TSK 60K $507.00

CHANGE ENGINE OIL AND FILER, CHECK ALL FLUID LEVELS
& TOP OFF IF NECESSARY. LUBE ALL HINGES & LATCHES.
ROTATE AND INSPECT TIRES & WHEELS. CHECK & ADJUST
TIRE PRESSURE TO SPECIFICATIONS OR TO CUSTOMERS
PREFERENCE. INSPECT FRONT & REAR BRAKE CALIPERS,
ROTORS, & PADS. PERFORM FOUR WHEEL ALIGNMENT.
ADJUST AND INSPECT PARKING BREAKE. INSPECT AXLE
BOOTS, TIE ROD, & STEERING RACK BOLTS. INSPECT
SUSPENSION BUSHINGS AND MOUNTS. INSPECT BREAKE
HOSES, & LINES. INSPECT ENGINE DRIVE BELTS AND
HOSES. INSPECT EXHAUST SYSTEM & HEAT SHIELDS.
PERFORM BRAKE SYSTEM FLUID FLUSH, INCLUDING
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE FLUID. PERFORM AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION SERVICE. REPLACE ENGINE AIR FILETER.
WASH VEHICLE AS A COURTESY. ROAD TEST VEHICLE.

BALANCE ALL TIRES - TSX/RSX - <60000> $44.50

 

im at 33k, so the trans flush is a good idea? what about brake and coolant? to my understanding, brake fluid should never decrease unless theres a problem, therefore should need adding, but whats the purpose of changing out the brake fluid?

coolant gets less thick so i know that should get changed, but at 30k? or its ok go another 30.... u guys get my point i think so any more opinions from people that know cars or have worked on them enough to know this stuff please type away....

 

therefore shouldnt*

 

just some info about my car dealer. i actually got my car from the sponsor of this place DCH acura in montclair NJ... the service was top notch during the sales... the service for repairs/maintenance i would say isnt all its cracked up to be... heres my story, ive posted some info about this before but just to add it here because it has to do with maintenance/repairs.... i used to take my car to the dealer to get oil changes because they told me its best to have acura do it... recently been taking it to honda cuz its 2 miles away from my work. honda puts in 5w20, asked about that too which is another post.... but honda says they can do all the maintenance too so i go there, but like many people here saying dealer prices for maintanence schedules r expensive, YEA! wanted to charged me 350 or something like that for 30k schedule. which included oil change, tire rotation, checking this checking that, flush out trans, coolant, regap and clean spark plugs....

at the time i didnt need an oil change or rotation, and i didnt feel i need a trans flush, so just had my plugs regapped and cleaned.. which i dont even know if i needed done... which is one reason why i posted my question, to find out exactly what should be done... so i guess thats part of my question...
is regapping/cleaning spark plugs at 30k necessary... too late kind of cuz i already did it, but so i know for future...

well anyway, to get back to why i didnt hink DCH was that great with service, one rep told me they will replace my pads and cut my rotors under warranty (on the phone), when i bring it in, the rep calls me back after 3 hours to tell me i need dish out over 300 bux because pads need replacing and rotors need resurfacing... so i told him the story and he says its my bad driving that caused the rotors to do what its doing blah blah... i was pissed so i demanded they resurface but left my pads alone so i at least got that done out of them for free, but after that, i never went back there again... altho their sales team was fantastic, didnt BS me at all or try to sell me stuff 5 times when i said no first time, etc, but their service people might need to rethink what they tell people between representatives....

 

I did it just as a precaution at 30k. I can't remember if it was in the mant sched or not. As for changing the brake fluid, it should be ok for you right now. I believe its recommended every 60k as another preventitive maint. it does lose its...i cant think of the word...over time, and you "may" notice your pedal feel softer. Also the coolant in our cars are 100k from what i understand.

 

oh, hmm honda wanted me to get it done at 30... bastards, dont have the manual in front me so i dont have a reference... ill check it later for details

 

They forgot to Lube the Chassis!!!

Just kidding.

 

We took my wife's Camery in for routine maintenance some time back and it was suggested we have the injectors cleaned because of a build-up. Went ahead & had it done and now I've read that this is a bogus procedure.

I've got my 30K coming up on my TSX. Any of you heard of the injectors needing to be cleaned? I'll refuse it as the car's running great & I'm getting 30 mpg on the highway, 24/26 around town & I don't baby it.

 

Again, just do what is listed in your manual. There is absolutely no need to follow a dealer's recommended maintenance (aka ripoff service). Whip out your manual and tell them all you want is right there. Or, do the same at a private mechanic and just ask for a quote based on the list in your manual.

 

I have an 04 TSX with about 57k miles and I've heard nothing about cleaning the injectors. Car is running great!

 

yea i think some dealers dont give a damn and just try and rip people off... i went to honda as i said earlier in the post and they told me some things that were part of the 30k maintenance, the only thing i did was regap and clean the spark plugs... which isnt even on my manual so i shouldnt have gotten it done...

 

we have iridium sparks so i dont think they need anything done for a long long time... but at the time i didnt know and didnt have time to check into it so just told them fine ill have that done and an oil change...

they were trying to tell me this that the following will cost me over 350 dollars: oil and filter change, air filter change, rotate tires, flush trans fluid and coolant, regap/clean spark plugs, and their usual inspection of the car. im thinking to myself WTF 350 bux god damn... and on top of that, i didnt need my air filter changed, i have a k&n, i didnt need tires rotated cuz i just got new fronts... and they guy wasnt even that helpful, he tells me well only thing i can do is everything seperate but it will cost you, thats when i decided just to have the sparks done which was a waste of my money...

 

I have owned 5 Honda/Acura products and am now done with them after my 30K mile service experience a few weeks ago. My car has been dealer serviced since I bought it more than2 years ago. I can handle the $90 oil change/tire rotations and the $300 20K mile service, but when I took it to the dealer for the standard 30K deal, filters, wiper blades, oil change, tire rotation, insepction, bla bla bla and they were kind enough to charge me $470!! I am amazed that in 30K miles, this Acura has cost me more than my old 328 did in 60K miles!

I love my TSX, and the 6-speed is the best I have ever owned, but sadly it will be my last Acura. I planned to trade up to a new TL with navi this year, but after my recent experience...well, lets just say I miss rear wheel drive. As soon as the BMW dealer has a lease special on a new 3 series, the TSX is gone. Or maybe I will get that leftover 06 Aussie GTO after all :-)

Screw you Gettel Acura in Sarasota FL.

 

Brake fluid every 3 years (regardless of mileage) is a very good idea. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs water, which lowers its boiling point. Water in the air can get into the brake fluid, slowly degrading it over time.

It's a 20 minute DIY job and costs only like $8 for the new fluid.

 

Has the maintenance schedule for the the TSX shifted with the model years? I thought it was this thread but it must have been another one where a poster keyed in the maintenance schedule for a 2006 TSX which he said he got from the Acura member link site. I have a 2004 TSX, and the maintenace schedule I get from the member link site is radically different.

I just had the 30,000 mile service done. I price shopped the three dealers in the Twin Cities before I made an appointment. They varied in price ($250 to $420). They also varied in what they said they would do for the 30,000 mile service. The most expensive changed out the transmission fluid in my 6 speed manual. My owners's manual says the transmission fluid doesn't need to be change until 120,000. I did end up having the transmission fluid changed because of the article I read in the January issue of the stickied thread at the top of this forum about a new synthethic transmission fluid that supposed improves the feel/smoothness of manual transmission shifts. In the case of my TSX, the new fluid doesn't seem to be much of an improvement.

 

I'm sorry I meant the Acura Owner Link site not Member Link.