I should have known. If you read the service manual to see how to change the cabin pollen filter you will see that it has you completely remove the glove box as part of the procedure. First they want you to remove the kick panel. Then you remove the document tray. Then you take out some screws and remove the glove box. Then you open the filter box and pull out the tray and swap filters. What a pain compared with all you really have to do.

In the real world all you have to do is lower the document tray and pull straight out. It will come out without much effort. Then it is a simple matter to open the filter box and pull out the filter tray. Why they have you go through the other steps is crazy. No wonder the service estimates are so high. They said it was a 9 hour job to change the timing belt and water pump. Interestingly I picked up the car at 2pm. They couldn't have spent more than 5 hours working on it. Some day there's going to be a lawsuit for all the fake labor being charged for car repair.

 

There are plenty of times that mechanics run into issues that prolong the procedure past the quoted time, but they cannot change the charge. It all comes out in the wash.

However, I do agree that Acura does not recommend the easiest or fastest procedures. In the same way, they say to drop the bumper for the headlight replacement when you can just reach in under the hood.

 

I've thought about that notion that sometimes the job goes long but if you hired a mechanic that consistently took as long or longer than the quoted time, they'd be gone. And another thing. I'd be more inclined to be less pissed of about getting charged 5 hours for a job that takes 2 if the mechanic actually got paid the 5 hours. As it stands today, the dealer probably bills out twice the work that is actually performed. Imagine if your lawyer billed you for 10 hours for only working 5. You'd be furious. Put that bill in the US Mail and you'd have a federal crime. Hey, that sounds like a good premise for a movie.

 

Where are you going that they are quoting 9 hours for a timing belt job? You need to find somewhere else

 

The pollen filter is pretty much the same on all different Acura\Honda models. In my household we've had Accords, RDXs, an RL, and a ZDX...they are all the same....takes literally 3 minutes to do, you can buy better quality filters online than the stock "Genuine" filter...they want $100?!?! Pure profit.

I did my G/F's rear brake pads on her old RDX and it took me 15 minutes frm the time I started taking off the wheels to the time I got them back on. Usually they want to charge you 1 to 2 hours for that. Ridiculous.

On my old RL they wanted $200 to change plugs...I did it myself in 30 minutes and cost of new plugs.

I had a broken fog light on my RL, and when I asked how much it would be to repair...they said I had to buy the whole set, plus labor. I bought just the one replacement on OEM Acura parts, downloaded instructions for fog light install that showed you how to take the front bumper cover off....took me an hour...so what would have been $500 only cost $135.

It's robbery.