stevenyi

I didn't know that this checkup would over $300. I called both Radley and Pohanka in Northern VA and they both charge over $350. Are there any other alternatives that I can take to avoid this?

accordv6

Do it yourself for about 40 bucks.......most service intervals are a joke. I'm not sure what is done in the 30,000....probably oil change, air filter change, tire rotation, "check brakes" and a general inspection of your car. Do the work yourself, its a TON cheaper, and at least you know it was done with care...because we all know the dealership really doesn't care about your car.....in fact, they probably want stuff to go wrong with it after that 36,000 is up.

FTM

The 30,000 mile service is considered major service by the dealers. It has many checks of everything like suspension-coolant hoses, spark plug wires, brake inspection, check & top off fluids,ect.
It includes ajustment of parking brake replace trans fluid, replace Air Cleaner element, replace A/C cabin filters, oil change, rotate & balance tires. I don't know if all ACURA dealers do it but Rosenthal does. They put in BG 44K fuel treat BG MOA oil treat & a trans conditioner. Its like this when you add it up you pay about $150 for labor & about $150 for parts at theis service.

stevenyi

Yeah I understand all the stuff they are doing but it is just too much money for a check up.

Crod818

I'm getting mine done next week...there's quite a list of things, at least judging by what I was told!!

vperkins2

Just consider it part of owning this great car! Can't be too worried about gas, insurance, or scheduled maintenance costs if you're gonna roll in a CL or TL!

V.

99LagunaTL

Save your money and DIY. Those services are rip-offs.

redryder83

It seems to be a rip off, but there's an advantage of doing it at the dealer. Since I did all my check ups and maintenance at the dealer, now they are starting to give me discounts and fix certain things that aren't covered by warranty. The other day I accidently ripped a small piece of leather off of my driver seat and when I brought it in, the dealer said they don't cover leather damage that is caused by the owner. But since I did my maintenances, they are going to re-leather my whole driver seat and replace the back pouches on the passenger and driver seat. IMHO I think it's worth it. Well good luck deciding.

99LagunaTL

That's probably because they've already made so much money off of you with their services - it's the least they could do !

redryder83

Yea, true. But at least I know they'll take care of me really well.

FTM-1

I have always taken my cars to the dealership for service. I have owned HONDA cars for the past 22 years. I took my other cars to the same HONDA dealer for 20yrs untill I got the TL 2yrs ago. You are going to pay more for dealer service thats just a fact. I have only taken my other cars to one other place for service. That was an ACURA/HONDA specialist an independent shop owned by a guy that worked at the same dealership as a mater tech. He purchased his own shop not to far from the dealership & employed other HONDA techs. The dealer will give you coupons & dicounts on service if you bring your car in over time.

yu888

I guess it depends upon your personal financial situation. I have always brough my honda/acura cars to the dealer for the major services (30/60/90/120k) and done the rest myself or outside (oil changes aren't that hard. But recently, I did my own 30k on me S2000 and found it to be pretty easy. It is fun to do it all your self so long as you have ramps, jack and jackstands and a basic set of tools. I did my own with my cousin's help in about 2-2.5 hrs. Final cost ? about $80 in parts and 2-3 hrs of my time.

So to save money, do it yourself, otherwise, using the dealership occassionally can help you in the long run with goodwill from them if anything out of the ordinary comes up.

3point2TL

300 BUCKS?
i paid 740 for my 30000 check up this included resurfacing the brake pads. This was at steven's creek acura in California. i got gipped big time. Now i work on cars myself and if i were to go back, i would have done it myself.

kevin

yornoc

I have a good mechanic who does a great job on ALL my cars (96TL, 94 3000 GT, 86 300ZX and 91 Sentra). I only go to the dealer when he suggests it. He has been working on my cars since 95 so he knows them well. I also do a lot of stuff myself as long as it does not require a lift or special tools that AutoZone does not have in their "loaner program".

Jason J

Damn 3poing2TL, hope you lubed up well before that...

Jason

TLDan

Well, I have no problem paying for a premium service, but I refuse to get screwed in the process. Herb Connolly Acura in Framingham, MA wanted $450 for a 30K service. After looking at the recommended actions for a 30K service in the owners manual, I challenged them on the price. I was told that they do more than what is recommended in the Acura owners manual. One of those "extra's" was changing the tranny fluid. When I told them it was not a required service at 30K miles, they said they include it in theirs ( sure they do because that is how they make more money ). With the exception of the tire rotation, replacing the air and AC filter, oil/filter change, the rest are "check this and check that". Come on, $450 for this service is insane. Today, I had the 30K service done by a local place for less than $150 ( included a break system flush ). I'll use the $300 I saved for Xmas shopping!

Darkshear

iTrader: (1)

i have no problem paying for the service... i see too much of what goes on behind the scenes caust im best buddies with the service manager at my dealership, so i know what they check and they dont... The 30,000 miles check up is a big one, so is the 45,000 mile check up... i just had the 45,000 on my '99 TL and it was $200. it should have been $380 but i read the list of what they do and crossed off a bunch of garbage i knew was BS or that had already been done recently... thats the best way to do it. Most times that price includes tire rotation, balance, oil and fluid changes blah blah blah, i just had my brakes done, scratched that off the list, tires rotated and balanced, scrached, oil changed, scratched, and a few other thins i cant think of... keep in mind, Acura may be an "entry level luxary vehicle" but your still going to pay the lux premiums... just like in a bimmer or a benz...

-Shear

johnnyb_s

That's the trade-off between doing it yourself and taking it to them.

RedIntegra

:wow: I forgot how expensive it was for the 30k checkup (I did full service at Acura of Boston for the old Integra). One thing to keep in mind is that those checkups really do help out... Just by checking out my car at one of those scheduled Maintanance jobs the mechanic was able to tell me that I was going to have to spend a lot of money on Brakes the next time

Seriously though... The checkup is kind of good in that it provides warning beforehand so that there are no suprises when you least expect them. My old Integra never broke down, nor had trouble starting for the 9 years that I had owned it. I kind of attribute that to the checkups giving me a heads up on what needs attention.

russianDude

Yeah, I agree... i would not do it every 7.5K miles, but onces every 30K miles it does not hurt to have full check up....

TubbysTL-S

If you want to go with OEM parts go to local dealership- get the parts then take to a local shop and have installed - or just do yourself --These cars are Easy to maintain--And a Hell of alot of Fun to drive-

asloudasitgets

wait for the next service due. unless you think the car needs the work. for now i do the very important things. like fluids,checks wear and tear. save 300 bucks for the next service. god damn cost 600 bucks.