foam4me

The dealer where I normally would take my car for service (Prime, Walpole, MA) is quoting $800 for the B1 service. The owners Manual describes that as an oil/filter change, a lot of inspections, and a tire rotation. They said that it includes a transmission oil change which is not even mentioned before 60k miles.

This seems steep to me but I don't want to prevent them from doing something that in practice has been shown to be necessary.

Any comments?

DoctorTuna

$800!!! Are they crazy??? Did you mean $80?? Even $80 seems steep for the service they're quoting. Oil Filter and tire rotation shouldn't be more than $40. Maybe half hour labor for the "inspection". $80 at the most, IMO. I don't know about the transmission fluid change.

neuronbob

They. Are. Smoking. Crack.

B1 service is tire rotation +

Replace engine oil and oil filter
Inspect front and rear brakes
Check parking brake adjustment

Visually inspect these items:
Tie rod ends, steering gear box, and boots
Suspension components
Driveshaft boots
Brake hoses and line (including ABS)
All fluid levels and condition of fluids
Exhaust system
Fuel lines and connections

Tranny fluid change would be a B3. In this situation, ask for the services required ala carte to save some $$$.

foam4me

I'll let you know how it goes.

JohnnyRambo23

my car is saying A1 maintenance but i dont have a manual.... can someone let me know what this code means. My guess is the oil but i want to be sure.

kssod

A1 is oil change and tire rotation and visual inspection. with coupon $75 at my cleveland dealer. I've never taken my honda vehicles to local service centers which will do the same for around $40- $50. I don't know if they have they replace the oil drain washer.

db22

Remember a visual inspection is a requirement of the mechanic to open the hood, without a visual inspection he would not find the catch to open it! It is actually a bunch of text that makes you think that you are getting more than an oil change and a tire rotation. It is absolutely worthless and the biggest money spinner the dealers have come up with.

foam4me

They still tried to stick it to me as "New England Recommended Service Schedule" for $808. I insisted that the MID Showed only a B1, they claimed that there is another place in the manual where a 30k service trumps that. The writer then printed the ticket showing a 22500 mile service that I crossed out and wrote in B1.
They print the "recommendation" on a nice piece of paper so it must be true. When I asked if this in any way would compromise the warranty the reply was basically ...we'll let you know, we're in charge.
It's too bad because this dealership is really convenient and now I don't trust them.

DoctorTuna

You need to run away from that dealer, like the plague.... I have never seen a general maintenance bill for such an outrageous price.

rlerman

why don't you try to call acura and find out exactly what is needed to be done. Depending on what they say, I would let them know that this dealership is clearly ripping you off. Also, try calling another dealership in your area and asking them what they charge for the service. Dealerships get rated and the good ones that have high ratings are rewarded by acura.

BTW, a full transmission flush, which is much better than just a draining of the fluid, costs $180 at a private garage where I live. $800 is a rip-off.

Can you get an itemized list of how they break-down the $800 charge? If it's literally an oil change, rotation and tranny fluid change, I'd contact the local BBB and you will see just how fast these guys change their tune. My guess is you'll get it all for free at that point.

You can also ask to speak to the dealership service manager and/or owner after you get all of this info and let them know you will never again service or buy a car from them and you will warn your family and friends as well.

Dealers like this are a joke and it's why I avoid them whenever I can.

kirbyflorida

Call Acura and complain, if we all do this, we get results.

New dealer for sure.

foam4me

I will call Acura to complain. I have a PDF of the "Recommended" services and prices (I didn''t see any copyright mark or language) so all could share my horror but don't know how to add that as an attachment here.

rlerman

Acuras and hondas are designed to be low cost maintenance vehicles. An $800 service charge at 22.5k miles is hardly low cost. The only significant cost that I anticipate an acura would neede because of wear and tear is the changing of the timing belt and water pump, and that's not til at least 100k miles.

Chas2

In addition, Acura specifically recommends against a transmission flush in the Feb 06 Acura Service News

Flush Systems: A Big Taboo
In Acura vehicles, the transmission, as well as the
systems that handle lubrication, cooling, fuel, and
power steering, are designed to give thousands of
miles of trouble-free service if you follow the
maintenance schedule to the letter.
Flush systems are a popular aftermarket offering
these days. These products look impressive and
make lots of claims, but American Honda strongly
recommends you avoid using them on any Acura
vehicle. Here’s why:
• The maintenance schedule neither requires
nor approves of aftermarket flush systems.
• Flush systems take time to do; this adds to
your service client’s wait time.
• Flush systems haven’t demonstrated an
improvement in vehicle performance or
reliability.
• Flush systems using solvents may leave
solvent in the system you’re flushing. This will
dilute the fluid or lubricant and degrade its
performance.
• Flush systems using filters can filter out vital
additives and degrade the fluid’s or lubricant’s
performance. This is particularly true for
coolant.
• Any damage caused by flush systems isn’t
covered by warranty.

foam4me

Called Acura. They were nice, but a bit robotic, and I filed a complaint. They confirmed not to listen to the dealer but to trust the MID. No problem with the warranty.

TonyCD

From what I've seen elsewhere, it's even worse than Acura says.

The machine that's used to flush your transmission fluid is the machine that was used to flush the last guy's transmission fluid. If it's been imperfectly prepared between the last job and yours, it can wash tiny metal bits flushed from the last transmission right into yours. It's not unheard of for someone to get their perfectly okay transmission flushed and then undergo complete traumatic failure of the transmission within a few weeks afterward.

Change your fluid and filter twice in a short interval instead. Much, much safer.

dwboston

Absolutely. Just demand that the service indicated by the code in the MID be performed - that's all that's required to maintain the warranty. The dealership near me likes to go by the mileage as well with overpriced service packages for each. I didn't fell like dealing with them for the 30,000 mile service on my wife's MDX so I went to another dealer and just paid for the oil change, differential fluid change, and tire rotation for the stated cost for each. Let them make their inflated service mark-up on someone else.

Wait until they try to charge you $150 for changing the cabin air filter. It takes less than 5 minutes to DIY and requires no tools of any kind. The genuine Acura filter is $27 and there are aftermarket versions for less.

neuronbob

What I quoted earlier in the thread was directly from the 2006 RL manual. The dealer's service rep was feeding you BS.

Find another dealer. Immediately. $800 for a routine B1 is an a$$raping and no one should tolerate that.

foam4me

The best part was that they didn't do the tire rotation because the tech decided that the tread depth (9/32, 6/32; F, R) didn't warrant the work!#%&#!!

Stay away from Prime Acura.

Anybody have experience with independent shops that perform routine maintenance? I would normally do some of this myself but don't have space in Brookline, MA where I live during the week.

I would retain records in case of later warranty claims but this whole episode really frosts me.

lland

Most scheduled maintenace is overpriced as a lot of it is "inspections" (belts, hoses, etc.) that they do anyway (as a "service" so they can find other things to charge you for). I had my MDX in for a "$350.00" 60,000 service a couple of weeks ago. Oil change, differential fluid change, air and cabin filter change, rotate tires, and a bunch of inspections and checks. I get every other oil change for free, I get free rotation and balance at Goodyear for buying my tires there...which I had them do on the way home from the Acura dealer, I just changed the air and cabin filter myself (for about 1/4 of what the dealer would charge), so all I had them do was to change the oil (free) and differential fluid (regularly $99.95 but they matched another dealer's $74.95). They still did the courtesy checks.

LL

taitando

$800 is being bent over the barrel. Sheesh, i thought my dealer was trying to do so whenever they wanted $270 for similar services. I wish there was some method or enforcement when dealerships do this kind of crap, but i think the tag-line is that they're independently owned and therefore can charge whatever. Like everyone else said, ask for a la carte items.

lland

I also call another dealer or two. If I find a lower price or another dealer will do more work for the same (or lower) price...i.e. rotate and balance tires instead of just rotate, I mention it to my dealer and he has always met the other dealer's deal.

LL

foam4me

Now I'm beginning to get the sense of the poor dealer network, definitely not the mark of an upscale brand.

DoctorTuna

Agreed, this does nothing positive for Acura. Ultimately, I doubt the dealership network liked the introduction of the maintenance minder in the first place. Prior to my RL I had a 02 TL Type S that I had much more frequent services performed because I thought it NEEDED it. With the maintenance minder it seemed like service intervals were few and far between, likely a product of my easy 18 mile 55mph country road commute lacking any stop and go. I let the car determine when it needed service and ultimately I was probably getting oil changes and the like way too often in the TL. This was bad for the environment but good for the dealers. There really should be more control from Acura corporate when it comes to servicing as it does cast a negative shadow when you have experiences like your own....

kirbyflorida

The two Acura dealers I have dealt with have been outstanding.

BostonBrian31

Thanks for the heads up about Prime Acura. I am in the market for a new TL, and was going to purchase from them.

blkTL15

I called my local dealer and they quoted me $79 for the same service

neuronbob

My dealer has been pretty good, especially about Acura-sponsored mods (aka A-Spec). Further, they treat me like they want to keep me as a customer.

Bad dealers/experiences depend on the dealership.

bugeye

Sorry to bump an old thread, but my RL is about to turn over 30k miles and I just called my dealership for an estimate and what services they recommend:

Oil change - $50
Tire rotate and balance - $20
Alignment (all 4 wheels) - $79
Cabin air filter - $135
Air filter - $44
Transmission fluid flush - $161
Throttle body cleaning - $66
Differential fluid change - $91

Total - $646

Sounds like the transmission flush is not just a scam but a bad idea. I saw that the bulletin from Acura regarding tranny flushes was posted in 2006... have there been any changes since then?

The oil change and the cabin/air filters I am comfortable changing by myself. I'm going to wait until the car tells me the actual service minders before I make the appointment to see what it really needs.

I've barely put 10k miles on the car in a year, and seeing as it's an '05 just turning over 30k, the car has hardly been abused or driven much.

TampaRLX-SH

I just had my A1 service today. And since my RL is 3.5 years old and 29K miles I decided to have the tranny fluid and brake fluid changed (as recommended by the manual).

Total was $280 which I find very, very reasonable. Typical A1 Service is usually $74 at my dealer, which includes rotation AND balance.

I did not need alignment. I use Techron 3-4 times a year instead of being sold on throttle body cleanings.

I pass on cabin filter as I do it myself with $12 from AutoZone and 5 minutes of my time. Engine air filter was changed last service call (part of MID service call).

Rear dif fluid is part of MID, last done at 16K miles.


Consider tranny and brake fluid change (3 years or 30K per manual). Change your own cabin air filter and stick to the MID recommendations for the rest.

drolds72

Cabin air filter - $135
You have got to be absolutely shitting me.

bugeye

Wish I was. I got the service advisor I spoke to on the phone admit it was pretty ridiculous when I asked if he had seen where the filter was located and how difficult (read: easy) it is to remove.

Tampa -- I assume that was at the dealership in Clearwater? Ferman is quite literally about 5 minutes away from my house. :\

MaxAlexand

My dealer tried the same - $170 for Cabin and Engine air filters. $34 and 30 minutes later I'd completed the job myself. Next time it will only take 10 minutes.

For me this is a trust issue. I'd like to be able to have confidence that the dealer is willing/able/capable of servicing my car without BLATANTLY trying to rip me off. From now on, whatever they tell me, I have to try to decide the level of BS/Profiteering involved.

rob-2

I have generally found the dealers to be hit and miss. Sometimes the pricing is high, then we moved and the pricing was about 20-30% above private shops, which is what I assume dealers need to make.

Being skilled to do the basics, most of this stuff is dirt cheap to do yourself

GoHawks

The car just called for B16 service. I told my dealer I wanted the oil/filter changed, diff fluid changed and the tires rotated (fron to back as I have directional tires).

Total cost with a $5.00 coupon, $140.