Happy New Year to all..i wasnt sure where to post this question but i need your inputs badly..how much did you pay for a 30000 mile service...a dealership in tampa fl qouted $450.00...is that a rip-off? thanks

 

That sounds about right, i believe the service consists of oil change, rotate + balance of tires, replacing engine air filter, transmission service, coolant replacement, and brake fluid service. To me i think that all the dealerships prices are kind of ridiculous because of the labor cost. I work as a honda tech at my dealership since then i havent payed anthing for my services because i now can do all the work myself and know that it gets done right this saves me alot of money!

 

The cost will vary from dealership to dealership as there is no set standards. To save some $$ you can replace the cabin filter and air filter yourself. There are several DIY for the cabin filter.
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87494
https://acurazine.com/forums/ramblings-12/firewall-help-123884/
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108345
https://acurazine.com/forums/ramblings-12/best-place-buy-snowboarding-pants-jackets-122290/
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131831 Replacing the filter without removing the entire glove box

As a note, the service intervals are based on the MID and not mileage.

 

Find yourself a trustworthy, independent wrench to do your TL service and save the $$$$. IMO, TL owners should only be taking their cars back to the dealership service centers for warranty work.

 

I only go to the dealer for warranty work. No point in spending the extra money.

 

For me, the A12 service at ~28,000 miles was...

• $20.99 - 1 Napa Gold Cabin Filter
• $21.99 - 1 Napa Gold Air Filter
• $4.99 - 1 OEM Oil Filter
• $8.78 - 5 quarts of Motorcraft 5W20 from Wal-Mart
• FREE - 2 hours of my time.

Grand total was less than $60. I didn't bother to rotate my tires since they are bald and need replacement.

I need to be cheap. I have a motorcycle trackday addiction that makes a crack habit look like a fiscally responsible pastime.

 

Thanks a million everybody...you guys are awesome!!! I did the cabin and air filter change and saved a few hundred dollars.Again proud to be an AZ member!!!

 

I was quoted $320. for the 30,000 service at esserman acura.

 

acurabon, if you find a good shop in tampa, please post it. my "30k" service is coming up soon and would like a good alternative to the dealer.

 

Nice to hear from you.. ggesq....Ive never been to any of the car shops around for car maintenance..i always go to the dealerships.I prefer the ones that are close enough...ferman acura ( i live in Riverview ) and i usually dont do oil change maybe 'coz its not that expensive and less hassle. but with this cabin and air filter which cost me around $45.00, i see no point of paying close to couple hundreds for labor.if you need help just ring the bell

 

thanks acurabon, but what are planning on doing for the other maintenance items?

 

xx06- as a honda tech, in your opinion what should you get done at 30k miles? i live in tampa so no snow, mixed city and highway driving and maybe WOT like once every 9 months.

 

i did mine at the dealer...and after walking out i felt like i was robbed..the bill proved it lol...i didnt even check around...they got me for $800, the 30000 mile service was $515 and the rest was for the fuel injection cleaning or something of tha nature...but after i seen the bill i was like damnnnnnnnnn. The labor was more then the actual work done...after that I was like NEVER AGAIN am i goin back to the dealer for service...to this day i still wonder why i did it. but i was like if thats what it cost every 30000 miles its worth it in some way... i juss tell myself to make me feel better but i kno its not the case...lol

 

Well if you plan on keeping your car i would recommend you servicing your car according to acura's service plans and intervals. If you dont want to spend all the money things that you should service regularly are oil changes, transmission services (because of honda and acura's bullet proof trannys, j/k), replace engine air filter every 15k miles, those are probably the three major things. As for the other things in the big 30k service such as the brake fluid service and coolant service, its always good to have these flushed and replenished, but you could probably hold out a little longer on these especially the coolant which is probably good for 100K. For the rotation and balance of tires it is good to service them regularly if you dont want to keep on spending money on tires, this can also affect braking and safety if not serviced regularly. You could prbably save alot of money by doing most of this yourself, its all pretty easy and doesnt take much knowledge or skill. There are a few things that you might not be able to do yourself without the proper tool and equipment, but if you have time and some basic tools this will save you some money!

 

thanks for your insight

 

I agree that Acura rates need not apply to meet the requirements for 30K services. One thing I do see people in this thread verlooking is the transmission fluid change. At Acura, that is about $80 by itself. However, if you take it to Honda, they can do the EXACT SAME tranny fluid replacement with the same fluid and processes for around $39.00. At least that's how I did it. Tranny and Oil change @ Honda for $59.95. Tire rotation for the life of the tires was included free as part the tire purchase. The Cabin and Air filters changed by me at a cost of about $30. Under $100 plus my labor total for 30K service

 

follow up- I spoke to the local Honda dealer in Tampa and the service advisor says he uses regular oil as opposed to the synthetic blend that Acura puts in the TL at the Acura dealership. He says it really doesn't matter if you use regular oil but it really depends on how hard you drive the car because with the synthetic blend you can have a longer interval between oil changes. Any thoughts?

 

I thought the Honda 5W20 was regular oil. Both Honda and Acura use the same oil and I think it's not synthetic. Dealers can put any oil they want into the car. Regardless, as long as the dealer is using oil that meets Honda's standards, you will be fine having it changed via the MID.

 

might be a really stupid quesiton...besides the usual oil, tire rotation, filters etc. done u know how the dealer list of stuff includes inspection of belts and components. do we really need to get this done? i would like to diy but i don't have a lift and i don't know what to check for!

 

the inspection stuff is to see how the other parts of the car subject to wear and tear are doing. you don't really need to check out everything - the belt you can do under the hood, brakes you can do by looking through the wheels, etc. usually you can pass on most of the stuff listed without worrying about it

 

The dealerships dont really do as much inspecting as you may think, when performing the service they top off all the fluids check the condition of the fluids, check brakes tires and maybe belts, and then a quick visual inspection of underneath the car, check all the exterior light and windshield wipers which probably takes about 5 minutes, its pretty much a quick inspection to find things wrong so the dealership can up sell things and make more money!

 

what items are services with the 30k services??