My MID reminder hasn't come on but I need to have my tires rotated and my oil is <20, so I thought I'd bring my car in for those two things.

I have 32,000 miles on the car, and all I've ever had done is routine maintenance. I'm sure they're going to give me a sales pitch, is there anything else that actually needs to be done now?

Thanks!

 

There is no 30K service. However, you may be close to the B2 service, which includes an oil change, tire rotation, changing the engine air filter (easy to do) and changing the cabin air filter (pain in the rear, about an hour/$100 + $20-40 for the filter). You may get a dealer charge of between $200-$350 depending on dealer and location; an independent is usually cheaper. You should also have the brake fluid changed out if it hasn't already been done (it's a 30K/3 year item per Acura on top of the MID service requirements; have you gotten any new brake pads yet?), and it's not usually quoted as part of the B2 service.

No, you don't need a transmission flush, steering system flush or coolant change, and you don't want nitrogen in your tires or super-duper undercoating of the car!

G/L.

 

why no nitrogen in his tire.

 

Actually those services (Oil Change, Misc Parts Inspection, Rotation, Enigne Air Filter and Cabin Air Filter) are B12.

And my guess would be that's what the MID will tell you is due soon.

 

Is it really nessary to change the brake fluid at 3 years if the car is garaged and not left outside in the rain? My '04 TL only has 13,000 miles and never sits outside...ever! I've got several different opinions about changing the fluid. Of course the dealer wants to do the work, but several mechanics told me it's not necessary unless the car is exposed to the elements daily.

 

Nitrogen is OK if it's free, but is really only useful for track or sustained hi-speed runs. Otherwise, there isn't enough benefit to pay $$ to have nitrogen used to top up the air already in your tires (air is about 78% nitrogen to start).

Some dealers try to convince people to pay $25-80 for nitrogen in their tires, and I bet they just top off the air in the tires with nitrogen. Costco uses nitrogen without additional charge as part of the tire mounting process.

And OP narnia: as Bearcat alluded, I'd wait until the MID message popped up before bringing the car in for service-- it'll come up at 15% remaining oil life.

 

The concern is that brake fluid, like alcohol, will absorb and be diluted by moisture over a period of time. The braking system is not a fully sealed environment, so it takes time for the fluid to absorb enough moisture to make the fluid less effective. The issue is really not the rain seeping into the system, but the system picking up moisture from the atmosphere over a period of use.
It's my understanding that the break fluid also may break down chemically as well.

That said, I don't know if you should change the fluid at 3 years, wait until 4 or "other" with such limited annual mileage on your car.

If it's a $50-80 charge, I'd have it done for piece of mind unless the car needed brakes, in which case the fluid change can be done as part of the brake service.

 

just go by what it says in the manual. 3 years for the brake fluid regardless of mileage.

 

Ha, right after I posted this I got into the car, turned on the ignition and there it was - B service due.

So basically it's rotation and oil/filter and inspect blah blah blah. And I'll have them change the brake fluid since that hasn't been done yet and the car is 3+ years old.

The service manual says to replace the air cleaner element and dust and pollen filter every 15,000 miles, and I don't think either of these have been replaced, so should I ask them to do that too?

Last time I was there they were pushing nitrogen on everyone - they wanted $80 and you can't believe how many people were going for it.

 

Might as well, if they don't ask you for an amount that you think is excessive. The engine air filter is easy, but the cabin air filter requires removal of the glove box, which is why labor can reach $100 for it. If the service (with filter changes) is going to be less than $200, I'd definitely let the dealership do it.

 

There IS a 30k mile service. Our dealer charges 287 for it. That includes the oil change, a rotate and balance, the complete inspection, replacement of air and cabin filters, and replacing wiper inserts. Alot of you guys may forget about the B part of the service because it's all inspections but that is the main point of finding out what's wrong.

 

Welcome to AZ.

The dealers and independents do still have "XXXXX mile" services-- but they are generic services for the non-"maintenance minder" cars, as opposed to the 3G TL. With the 3G TL, just wait for the "maintenance minder" message to pop up in the MID before paying for maintenance on the car.

The 3G TL uses an ECU-based "maintenance minder" system so that the "XXXXX mile service" schedules no longer apply. For example, the '05 manual at https://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/...505O00204A.pdf explains the algorithm-extrapolated schedule.

 

Thanks for all your help guys!