Hello Experts,

This is my first post in this forum and I have minimal understanding of car mechanics. I am writing this post to get some advice on my Acura maintenance and repairs.

1) I have a 2013 Acura RDX with about 96K miles. Is it time to change the timing belt or should I wait until it reaches 105K miles or corresponding maintenance codes are shown?

2) If I am due for timing belt change, can you please suggest what other things are recommended to be done? I am reading I need to change water pump, tensioner, spark plugs, valve clearance check. Is there anything else that needs to be done? What would be an approximate cost estimate for this? My local Honda dealer has a special for timing belt at $799.

3) This last item has been keeping me awake all night. I recently went in for an oil change and was told that there is a CV Axle connection leak and Rear Main Crankshaft seal leak. I have been quoted $1800 to fix this. Does this cost sound reasonable? They will be removing intermediate shaft housing and replacing bearing and seal for CV axle leak. They will replace crankshaft seal and PCV valve as well. I was a bit taken aback hearing about rear main seal leak as I do my oil changes regularly and moreover I don't see any oil leaks underneath my car and there is no sign of oil loss as per oil life shown by maintenance indicator system. Would there be any cost saving in terms of labor cost if I do timing belt and leak fixes at the same time.

Thanks,
Abhi

 

Welcome!

1) I would wait until the codes are shown. It's important preventive maintenance, but not necessary or helpful before the recommended interval.
2) You owner's manual should tell you what needs to be done depending on the codes shown on the maintenance minder, but the list you provided is pretty accurate. Some may choose to replace the serpentine belt at the same time. $799 is a fair price, but since it's a standard service you can always call around to a few dealers, ask for the price, and compare.
3) I don't really know about the CV axle leak, but I've never heard of a rear main seal leak without losing oil or visible leakage / puddles. I'm very skeptical of this, and as a result, I'm skeptical of the CV axle diagnosis as well. I don't think I would have either of those services performed without independent confirmation. I think labor savings for doing those items at the same time as the timing belt is very significant, maybe they would give a 10% discount or something. But again, I'm not convinced you even need those items fixed.

 

Welcome to the forum.

In the past, this 6-cylinder engine in various Honda models has had the manufacturer's recommendation of replacement at 105,000 miles or 7 years, whichever is first.

This is an interference engine, meaning that if something goes wrong with the timing, there is a chance that a valve or valves may be hit by a piston or pistons. This has a possibility of catastrophic engine failure, requiring engine replacement. That said, over the years many people for one reason or another have waited longer than that to replace the timing belt; there have not been a great number of stories on these forums about people having to replace the engine when a timing belt breaks.

I personally would replace the belt (and water pump, because the labor to reach it will be done in order to replace the timing belt, so there is a considerable savings), but others may tell you they would wait until the Maintenance Minder in your Acura tells you to; that is not imprudent.

Finally, the estimate from the Honda dealer is a very good price for this process. At a minimum, I would make sure that the following are replaced:
Alternator Belt (PN 31110-R8A-A01)
Timing Belt (PN 14400-RCA-A01)
Belt Tensioner (PN 14520-RCA-A01)
Oil Seal (PN 91212-5MR-A01)
Water Pump (PN 19200-RDV-J01)


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
--
"Most people, I'm convinced, don't think about life at all. They grab what they think they want and the subsequent consequences keep them busy in an endless chain till they're carried out feet first." -- Philip Larkin

 

Thanks for your response. I got it checked from a different place and they could not find any leaks. I guess its time to change my auto repair shop

 

I will be doing 105K service at a Honda dealer. They have quoted me $1700 for the following. I am expecting around $100 discount for a special they are running so that would bring the cost down to $1600. When I looked up online it seemed like tensioner is part of timing belt kit but the lady at Honda stated otherwise and got a bit mad when I questioned her why it is so. 6 Spark Plugs - $239.70
Timing Belt - 124.46
Tensioner- 218.23
Water Pump - 224.29
Coolant - 21.56
Driver belt - 43.13
Labor: $729

 

Complete rip off.
6 Spark Plugs $68
Timing Belt $85
Tensioner $150
Water Pump $76
Driver belt $12
Coolant ~ $20
These are all original Honda OEM parts!
Labor ~3 hours

 

Agree, they have quoted very high. But I checked at 2 other shops and they quoted around $1300. Since this involves some critical maintenance I am thinking of doing it through a Honda dealer.

 

In my practice, there have been cases when a dealer made more mistakes than shops, so no one can be trusted. The only work that gets done well is the work you do for yourself. You don't have a good mechanic nearby who will take your purchased parts ($ 400) and will do this job with high quality for $ 400? This job is very simple on Honda V6 engines and the only place where you can make a mistake that will lead to engine failure is loose or overtighten 2 tensioner bolts.

 

I don't think the $1600 price is out of line for dealer-performed service, especially if local shops are quoting $1300. It's not necessary to do this service until the maintenance minder indicates, but it won't hurt to have it done early.

 

I don't disagree with this price difference and having it done at a dealership. Realizing that the job is not all that complex for mechanics if that .001% error occurs and causes collateral damage I would rather be negotiating with a deep pocket dealership to correct the situation than with a private mechanic. And in this particular case, I too would not wait for the maintenance minder and have all rotating components replaced since more times than not it's a seized pully that causes timing belt failure vs the belt breaking on its own.

 

What happened to the $799 special for the timing belt procedure? I understand that the 105K-mile service is more than the timing belt change, but wow.


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
--
Never argue with a woman when she's tired, or rested.

 

If I could get it done in the future for that price, take my money! Lol.

 

I agree; when he mentioned it in the original message of this thread, I thought it was a very good price, particularly from a dealer.


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
--
The Pillsbury doughboy is way too happy considering he has no dick.

 

I thought the same exact thing. Normally the dealer chargers over $1000 easily.

 

There is a kit out there with all the needed parts for timing belt replacement, with quality parts, not junk. Just had the worked completed by local indy and total cost was 800 bucks with the kit cost included, plus the indy does great work for over thirty years.
Bake before this kit deal came about the coast from the same indy was around 1200.

 

My local Acura dealer is showing $2250 for "Maintenance Minder 4" which is said to include timing belt and spark plugs. I'm starting to waver on whether I do it now (just the timing belt, age-based because I'm just at 94K miles on my 2015) or wait til next time when it will surely come up (and it'll want plugs then).

 

I'm pretty sure the timing belts are supposed to be changed on an interval of every 7 years/105k miles, whichever comes first. I would probably get the timing belt and plugs done at a local mechanic if you know a good one that can be trusted.