I am due for a A16 on my 2005 RL. After getting tired of getting put on the elevator price wise at all of my closest dealers (closest is 45 mi.) and being given the "whatever the market will bear” treatment, I going to get the service done locally.

My question is:

When it refers to rear differential fluid change, does it mean differential case and clutch case, or just differential case? I (admittedly) don’t know much about auto mechanics, -not my thing. Your answers to this question would be greatly valued.

Thanks

 

My first response is to say why is it too much to spend $200 to have an A 1 6 dealer service done? You have purchased a car that averages a $700 - $1000 monthly payment and you don't want to spend $50 or so per month to keep it running smoothly. Do you not also consider the added value should you choose to sell it privately if you have dealer service records. Think about it, if you were going to buy a 3-5 yr old car privately and that car stickered for $50K would you spend another $1000 - $2000 more for a car that had a history of being well taken care of or just roll the dice for one that has spotty or no records of service. If $50 per month in maintenance is too much, then maybe you purchased too much car. (The RL has the lowest true-cost-to-own of any sedan over $45,000 according to Edmunds btw)

Second response is to say that you just replace the diff case fluid and not the clutch case. Also, if you want to reset the maintenance minder yourself, follow these steps:

- Hit the top MID button until the screen shows the service indicator.
- Hold the select/reset (middle button) for 10-12 seconds until the screen says reset/cancel
- Press the down arrow until reset is highlighted then push the middle button again

Hope that helps!!

 

Well said

 

Thanks for the info on the differential fluid.

With regard to the first part of your reply:

First, I lease the car. It doesn’t belong to me, it belongs to Honda Finance. I will turn the car in 12 months. So I don’t care about service records, etc. Honda can knock themselves out servicing the car at inflated prices if they want.

Second: My problem is that for the three Acura dealers within 75 miles of my residence, there is a $55 spread between what they want for the service. I got a problem with that. Getting the same service done locally (not a dealership), cost $50 less than the best price, even using Honda specified fluids than the cheapest Acura dealer quote. (By the way, the most expensive component of the servicing is the time that it takes me away from my profession, traveling back and forth and waiting at the dealerships.)

Third: The dealer where I had my last service done told my wife that we needed a $220 Transmission flush, at 30,000 miles. The same dealer (75 miles away) reminded my wife when she called to schedule this A16 maintenance that since we didn’t have it done at the last dealership visit as part of the regular maintenance routine, it should be done with the A16 service. My research on the internet through Honda clearly states: “Designed for low maintenance and a high level of durability, the RL transmission requires no scheduled service until 120,000 miles when operated under normal conditions”. When confronted with this information, the Asst. Service Manager tried to tell me that where we drive, the conditions wouldn’t be considered normal, which is complete, total BS. Also, it’s not a transmission flush; it’s a more involved process than that.

Finally: I was formerly a franchised General Motors dealer. I know the game. There seems to be an understanding that if you lease a $50,000 car you’ll pay for inflated and unnecessary service. The reason I lease Acura’s is because of the performance and the reliability, and except for having to deal with the dealerships, I love them. This is my fifth Acura. More than anything, I’m most disappointed that they attempted to run their jive past my wife, -I can’t trust them anymore.

Again, thanks for your help.

 

I'm with you on this one. I fail to see how spending a lot of money on a payment justifies paying exorbitant repair fees-you are simply playing into the brand hype and getting much less for your money as a result. Paying for regular maintenance is another issue, but it certainly does not justify handing over whatever the dealer feels like charging. If you have money to burn, feel free to throw it at your local dealer, but I plan to pay for the services I need at my dealer only if they are appropriately priced. Almost any mechanic can handle a tranny or diff fluid change, oil change, tire rotation, and other similarly simple work; that plus good records will accomplish the same goal as putting your disposable income in the hands of the service department to get the same work done.

 

I did not realize that you have been hawked on price and had an attempted okie-doke run on you. As an Acura salesman myself it disappoints me to hear stories like yours. I know the service game too and have had a couple of incidents of service advisors trying to run an okie-doke on my customers as well. For this very reason I stress to ALL my customers that they call ME to schedule their service or answer service questions. This way I can advise them of what needs to be done, the cost of doing so, alternatives or even how to reset their MID if they choose to do it elsewhere. An example of this would be the "B" service in which there is like an hour labor to visually inspect parts which should last at least until the 105K service.

If you have any other service questions I would be happy to be of assistance!

 

I agree on the the dealer rip, but one thing that should be made plain is that its up to you to prevent it. The maintenance schedule specifies what needs to be done. If the dealer does anything not specified and not allowed by you DO NOT PAY for it! The RL differential fluid change is just like an oil change, should not run more than 30 bucks or so. Most (if not all) maintenance items are simple DIY things. I bought a pump vaccum oil extractor so I don't even have to lift the car to change the oil anymore! The oil filter can be changed with the car on the ground. The only maintenance item I can't do on the RL (much to my chagrin) is to rotate the PAX tires since I don't have a spare. BTW, I also have a touring ody and the ody's pax rims WILL NOT fit the RL, the center hole is of a different diameter by about 1mm ARG!

 

One question about doing your own oil change, will it void the Acura Care Warranty if there will be no record of you ever having your oil changed at an Acura Service Center?

 

Nope. If you're concerned, just hold onto your oil and filter receipts.

LL

 

You lost me on this one. Why does not having a spare prevent you from rotating your own PAX tires? I never include the spare in the rotation pattern anyway.

 

Yeah, I gotta get one of those extractors-they look like the way to go if you do a lot of your own oil changes. BTW, is it possible to use the extractors for a tranny fluid change? I used to do the flush method with my Volvo 850 (uses the trans fluid pump to completely flush out the old fluid), but that is apparently verboten on Honda trannies (not sure why).

 

If you don't have a lift you need 5 tires to rotate them around! Cant hang the axle it in the air while you move the other one around

 

I think it's time for me to get the RL service manual!

 

If you rotate back to front, you only have to jack up one side of the car.

 

Inexpensive jack stands would solve this dilemma.

 

True, but the recommended patern includes crossing the rears. I simply take it to the nearest honda dealer and the rotate them for 20 bucks.

 

DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!
Never raise a car completely just on jack stands. I had first hand expirience doing an autopsy on a guy that did. You can safely jackstand one end of a car but never all four corners or one side. Regardless of how good the stands are, they only serve in compression (vertically). They have no reliable sideways stability. Any side to side rocking can make a jack stand topple or fail.
BTW, in case your interested, a car will not crush you to death, it will suffocate you, not a pretty or quick death at all.