carrera

I am curious to know from members about your maintenance plans and approach for your RL.

Do you plan to use:
1. Dealer
2. Independent shop
3. DIY

Myself, I’m a check book mechanic. I have found a good independent shop for our Odyssey and previous Legend’s. Not sure if they can maintain the new RL. Is there any specialized equipment required?

I haven’t owned a brand new vehicle for a while, so the prospect of using a dealer for maintenance has not been a consideration given the price premium for their services. I’m also concerned about any warranty violations for work done outside the dealership. Is this a valid concern?

I’m also interested in comments about what kind of work you’re willing to do yourself (fluid changes being the obvious ones) and those services you’ll have the dealer perform versus and independent shop.

Look forward to your comments.

jftjr

Check your dealer's prices -- my Acura dealer's service rates are pretty competitive with independent shops in my area.

I wouldn't, for example, trust a non-Acura dealer to do maintenance on my SH-AWD system.

lflorack

I take mine to the dealer. The prices are in line with others in the area and they certainly have a reason to try and treat me well (future sales). Also, their knowledge of this vehicle -- as complex as it is -- is (or at least it better be) superior to most of the independents. My dealer also offers a lifetime warranty on the vehicle's drive train if I have it serviced there.

All in all, it seemed like a no-brainer to have it serviced at the Acura Dealer where I bought it.

Ernie Golfs

For this car and my new TL I will use the dealer. They are most familure with the cars and have treated me very well on any warrenty and service so far.

neuronbob

I use the dealer for several reasons. In order of importance:

1. There is no good independent Honda/Acura shop in my area.
2. For a technologically complex car like the RL, the dealer is the best option even if I have to pay a little more for it.
3. The dealer is 5 minutes from my house, 10 minutes from my office, and I always get a nice TL (mostly) or TSX loaner to tide me over. In other words, convenience.

hadboosttroy

As far as sh-awd and complexity, isn't it really just a drain and fill procedure (with specific fluid of course)? I think some people make it out to be more difficult/complex than it is.

acurafox

DIY for the easier fluid changes (oil, tranny, diff) and some mechanical work and mods (backup sensors, steering wheel, trunk net, shift knob), as long as it does not require expensive specialized tools or diagnostics machines. My local dealer charges $35 for an oil change, so I do it myself and spend the money on better oil. I calibrated the dealer on the exhaust tips issue-they didn't exactly jump at the opportunity to help me with that one, so I decided that I would only use them for work that I could not do myself (or didn't have time to do).

Dealer for everything else-I have a 7/100k extended warranty, so I am definitely documenting all the work I do (including sales receipts for the oil, fluids and filters).

Treblig

I use the Dealer. Peace of mind is the payoff for me.

Mike_TX

I guess the only thing I'd add is to keep in mind that the "recommended service" in the manual is there mainly to generate service business for the dealership, and is not mandatory.

Many people fear their warranty is dependent upon having all that stuff done, and it's not. You are required to maintain your car as any resonable and prudent owner would, and outright neglect is the only thing that might call your warranty coverage into question.

Many of the interval services are high-priced trips that involve a lot of stuff like inspecting your parking brake cable and lubricating your trunklid hinges and making sure you have the proper pressure in your tires. Those things - to my way of thinking - are basic owner responsibilities, and it's silly to pay $400 for a service call that is mainly for a $30 oil change.

So, don't feel like it's necessary to run to the dealer and toss 'em your wallet when the MID says some service is due. Get your fluids and filters changed when it's time, keep your tires and wiper blades in good shape, and address anything that malfunctions promptly, and you'll be fine.
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GoHawks

Exactly!!

I look at the owner's manual and pay particular attention to things like fluid changes (oil, coolant, brake fluid, etc), tire rotations and major items like timing belt replacement. When I take it in, I specifically tell them what I want done, I don't go by the "7,500 mile maintenance" since then you'll be paying for the inspections.

By the way, most dealers do the inspection anyway as a point of generating revenue (i.e. your brakes need replacing), so by specifying a "xxxx mile service" you would pay for items (inspections) that you normally wouldn't.

carrera

Excellent, prompt feedback. Thanks!

synth19

exactly. Nothing more then a glorified oil change. These inspections are a joke. Also, a few things to consider. Minor maintenance like oil for example, if you have a GOOD honda dealership, you might want to consider them since they use the same oil and filters anyways. Second piece of advice, if you are going through Acura and you have a few in your area, CALL around. You will be shocked at the pricing discrepencies for the recommended service. Ask EXACTLY what they do, and cross reference the manual to what it recommends. If the manual recommends 10 things get done, but then the dealership says at that mileage increment they do 20, I would question what exactly the extra things they do and if it's worth the extra $$$$ they feel justifies it.

kirbyflorida

IMO, cars today need the dealer service technicians, cars are too complex for regular garage mechanics to work on them. Dealers get all TSB's, they see these cars daily, they are trained on them, them have the equipment to service them, and the dealer will stand behind their work MUCH better than a local service place. Non issue for me.

kirbyflorida

Just saw this, guy had his Lotus worked on at a Goodyear place. There are MANY reasons why an Acura trained TECH should work on the RL.

http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/show...ighlight=tires

jftjr

See, that's exactly my point, but the other way around... for $35 I can't be bothered to do it myself, and since JiffyLube charges $20, why not take it to the dealer?!???! I mean, even if I bought the oil and filter myself, it's still maybe $20, and for $15 it just isn't worth my time to crawl under the car.

I agree, though, about keeping an eye on what the dealer wants to do with services. Check the manual and use common sense. But my dealer, at least, tells me up front what they intend to do, and what it'll cost, and will happily decline to do any service I don't want them to do. I've found that my dealer is very fair with the service stuff, and doesn't try and gouge me with unecessary services.

My experience with the local Honda dealers, however, is VERY different -- they are constantly trying to "upsell" unecessary services, trying to tell me that I need a $40 "brake inspection" and yearly 4-wheel alignment and 6-month tranny fluid changes. It makes me insane, and i've always dinged them on the comment cards for it.

hadboosttroy

Sounds like you need to find a good independent.........

kirbyflorida

You have your opinion, I have mine.
Some reasons I only use a certified NSX tech from Acura on my NSX and RL.
I dought an independent has the tools to flush my ABS on the NSX or the tools to adjust the valves or change the timing best on the NSX.
I only use Honda oil filters, after reading NSX prime for 15 years, I have learned they are much better than most.
I do not want an independent test driving my NSX, NO WAY, my tech sees about 2 NSX's per week.
Simple question to ask an independent, does he see TSB's on our cars, does he know the torque spec on the RL wheels, and no it is not 89 pounds?
My Tech knows everything about the RL, it is amazing.

I could go on for many pages, again, this is my opinion.

Mike_TX

I think the original post had to do with routine service, such as oil changes, etc. I personally might even get the oil changes done by the dealer, but if I had some "real' mechanical work to be done on my RL, it would definitely be done by the dealer. The main reason for that (in my case) is that it would be done under warranty.

My particular point had to do with the packaged services that dealers want to do on your car (5,000 mile, 7,500 mile, or whatever). Those include a lot of padded charges for so-called inspections, lubrications, tightening of things, etc. If you are not mechanically inclined at all, or just not "in tune" with your car, maybe you should fork over the several hundred bucks and let them do it just for your peace of mind.

Just be aware that you are paying extra money for very little, and these services are no guarantee at all that you won't have a mechanical failure before you get out of sight of the dealership ... or that you won't get ripped off.

Not tarring all mechanics with the same brush, but I've been told some take a quick look and if they don't spot anything really out of whack, they send the car back out with a check mark and wave the next one in. Others will recommend things like brake jobs, shocks, etc., when they're not really needed. Remember that mechanics are paid on commission, and the more revenue they generate the more they get paid.
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kirbyflorida

I agree, inspections are mostly a profit item.

HelloLarry

I have never had the problem of an overtightened oil filter with a dealership. Never had missing screws, bolts or other pieces at a dealership. Never had a puddle of oil on my garage floor at a dealership. I have had those problems and more from independent service guys. You can tell the service dept at your Acura dealer to just change the oil and they will. The slight premium for that is well worth it for the peace of mind that it provides. If only the dealer touches my car then it is probably the dealer's fault if a screwup occurs.

jcb-memphis

Dealer only for me....great dealer. Fair price, great mechanic, and access to Acura support (more and more important with the complexity of cars these days...).


JB

vluu

I will definitely use the Acura dealer for all of my maintanence. The Acura dealer I bought my 2006 RL from included "lifetime oil changes". So for all oil changes, I will bring it back there. As far as the 15K, 30K, etc.... I will shop around for the best price.

Does anyone know how much Acura dealers are charging for a 15K or 30K service on a RL?

SodaLuvr

It doesn't exist...

hadboosttroy

that's fine for your nsx, and I agree. We are talking about the RL. Honda oil filters are nothing special, and there are many that are better (not saying they are bad). All car data INCLUDING TSB's is available from many different sources, one of which is a program called ALLDATA. My independent specializes in euro cars, but the RL goes there. A competent mechanic is a competent mechanic, period.

bkw

Yes, maintenance-wise, it's a simple proceedure, but I believe it's one of the more complex parts of our car.


http://world.honda.com/news/2004/4040401.html