Does any of you guys take your TL to a honda dealership for oil change? If so, do they use the same stuff?

 

what do you mean by same stuff? they pretty much just replace the filter and oil. i would diy if you could. with the cost save on labor, you could go out and buy yourself fully synthetic oil.

 

I take mine (06TL) to Willis Honda in Burlington- great service and low price- I usually bring them the oil/ filter to use (both Mobil 1- it should be an M-104 filter). If you use their oil, they will use the Honda brand (which is the same as the Acura brand. I have taken my 00TL there as well, and have been very staisfied with the service. Honda charges me $15 for the oil change (Acura charges $34). Just call your local dealer to make sure they have a filter for the TL.

 

wow $15 is cheap from a dealer. what a great deal!

 

I highly recommend taking your car to the dealer for oil changes. Im not sayingthat because I have worked for Honda for 18 years either. My logic is quite simple. If the dealership changes your oil and there is a mistake or a problem such as a bad filter that leaks or bursts (we have seen them) any problem caused will be fixed no questions asked by the dealer. I would no doubt take my car to a dealer if its still under warranty. I have seen cases where a do it yourself guy installs a Fram or other aftermarket filter on his car in the driveway on a sunday and then the filter leaks or splits causing the motor to be damaged. Now who can youfile a claim with ??? The parts store, Fram - it becomes a pain in the ass and in most cases you eat the repairs. The dealer would give you a loaner and fix your car if the problem was thier fault or that of a part sold by them. To me that piece of mind is worth the extra 10-15 bucks they charge for a oil change. Just remember in most cases - " You get what you paid for".

 

I used to change my own oil back in the day when I could use my buddy's shop. Now I'm not so fortunate so I take it to the Honda/Acuras only place I get my service done. I think next oil change I'm going to take in my own oil for them to use. I want to jump on the Mobil 1 bandwagon! Plus I gotta treat my baby right.

 

I take my TL to the Honda dealer for an oil change all the time. They have a coupon for $12.99 all the time so I have no reason to do it myself. I don't think they do anything different than the Acura dealer. New oil, new filter, 40 point inspection, and a car wash.

 

My buddy told me out local stealership is now charging 60 for an oil change. No thanks.

 

Maybe in Beverly Hills or Palm Beach. I just had my car serviced 2 weeks ago and it was $28.75 out the door. Less then half of what your claming.

 

For those that are doing your own oil changes, What works best for getting under the car? Ramps? Jack stands?

Has anyone tried those newer plastic "Gorilla" ramps? I've had problems with ramps in the past on a front wheel drive cars. The car would sometimes tend to pull the ramps under the car. If you weren't careful you could run off the end of the ramp. I never did it but I got close once.

Bob

 

i've always used ramps without any problems. they are much safer than jacks. the only thing with ramps is if your front end is very low, it could rub the ramp on the way up. other than that, i've had no problems before.

 

I stand corrected I called today and they charge $40 for an oil change. Call me crazy but I never trusted the ramps just use jack and jack stands.

 

Then, I guess I should also pay someone to fill up my gas.

 

I just changed mine today at work. I had use of a lift and as long as I have that luxuary I will continue to do it myself. I use the Honda filters made by Filtech with Mobil 1. I like knowing I did it because it was done correctly.

But if I couldn't change it, then yes it would go to my Acura dealer only.

 

Well I have HAVE to get it done some place (doesnt matter if its the dealership) or else my warranty will be voided. Also hendrick acura (Charlotte, NC) has GREAT service and they are all really nice and on top of it all they offer the cheapest oil change around me. And of course on top of it all there going to know the most about my car then some random place. So I take my car to the dealership

 

No, you do not have to. Who told you that?

 

I was told in order to keep my warranty void I have to chagne my oil on a regular basis and I have to get it done some place to prove I actually got it done.

 

Use a jack and jackstand. Renton Honda does oil changes for 200 lifetime for my sister's accord but i don't trust the oil they use. rather do it myself and save a penny and be at ease.

 

I agree with philpark. As long as you have the receipt for the purchase of the oil and somehow log it in the maintenance booklet, that should do it. Honda was like that so I assume Acura to be the same.

 

Some dealerships offer inexpensive oil changes as a way to bring in additional service and repair work. And that's fine if your car actually needs the additional work.

But sometimes unneeded repairs are recommended. Many years ago I had such an experience at a Honda dealership.

So the $15 oil change might not be such a bargain if you end up paying hundreds for unneccessary repairs. So just be sure to take your car to a place you trust.

Bob

 

You don't need jack stands or ramps to change the oil, just turning the wheels gets you access to the filter.

 

When getting my car serviced, I have always told the service advisor what I wanted done- I never asked for their opinion about what needs to be done. The TL should be good for >100,000 miles with nothing more than general maintenance (fluid changes when needed).
Again, I highly recommend Willis Honda in Burlington, NJ.

 

I agree that you can DIY if you want- it is covered under the Magnusson-Moss act which indicates you can have your car serviced at a non dealership garage (or do it yourself as long as you can prove you bought the supplies) without voiding the warranty. If the motor seizes because of an oil leak (poor seal at the filter or drain plug because it wasn't tightened properly), that would be on you, if it were DIY. I choose to go to Honda because of the good price and lack of hassle dealing with the old oil and the mess associated with an oil change. I used to do them all the time on my old cars (Toyota Celica and CRX), and never had a problem, but it was labor and messy. Some folks like to tinker with cars and feel a sense of comfort if doing the oil change themselves. I was one of them, but now I just like to drive.

 

my TL is nearing 100k and i do regular maintence, driving fine. it's had mobile1 synthetic from the first oil change....

 

I pay $40 @ the Acura dealer in south FL for a regular oil chng. The Honda/Acura specialists shop down here charges $35 but they don't wash the car, vacumm, or check if other things need to be done to the car.

 

used to change my integra every 3k miles, now with this mobil sythetic stuff i waited till 5k miles, saved me some work

 

Spoken like a true salesman.

 

synthetic doesnt give full benifits till almost 10k

 

I have changed the oil on my Honda products approximately 220 times in the past 20 years. Never a leak, never a problem and a HUGE savings! I also check the constant velocity boots and check for other problems/leaks/concerns when under the car. It is very easy to change the oil in the Acura. You don't even have to jack up the car. Since I grew up with a mechanical father that worked on his cars I do the sevice myself. The main reason is the $$ savings. I change the oil often!

 

You are fortunate. Certainly not here at Apple Tree Dealer. They won't talk to you for that amount.

 

so you're saying i should waited until 10k instead?

 

Yeah the other angle to this whole thing is do you really trust the people you are taking it to. There was a recent news story here with hidden cameras and shady mechanic practices. I also have had very bad experiences with my dealership. Such as them ruining my $40 aftermarket battery terminal and saying they would pay for it and really they never did. Am I going to leave my car with these people again? To me it would be like leaving my 10 year old sister with a pedophile. If you feel you dealership or mechanic is trustworthy then yeah by all means do it. But as others have stated it is easy to do. Messy sometime but easy.

 

I live in San Diego California; here an oil change is $78 syn. Reg is 30-40

 

Yeah I once made the mistake of going to terribles to change my oil. I asked for syn and they used castrol, charged me $80 and I know for a fact they did not change the oil filter.

 

Thats when i change mine. did it on the last motor and when i pulled it out at 200k for my tranny swap it didnt burn a drop of oil.

 

when you do oil changes every 10k miles or every 7500 miles b/c of the use of synthetic oil. What about the oil filter? Do you still change it every 3k miiles or is a honda oil filter able to last and still do it's job properly until 7500 or 10k miles?