I need some quick guidance. My 2007 TL-S is currently at the dealer. I heard a belt noise so I brought it up to get looked at. the car has 67000 miles and they are trying to get me for like $1400 dollars.

They're saying the serpentine belt needs replaced, and while they're at it I should do the timing belt, water pump and a slew of other things. This happens every time I go to the deal. Car runs great and I go there and they try and tell me I need to replace a ton of things to jack the price up.

Should I just have them do the belt or should I allow them to fix the 800 other things he rambled off?

 

no.


the obvious answer is not to take it to the dealer for one weird noise.
their job is to upsell.
they are upselling the 105k mile service to you at 67k miles.

the smart thing to do is to browse acurazine for your concerns.
I'm glad you signed up.
continue to read and learn about your car here at acurazine!

 

well FWIW you can replace that belt yourself. it is not hard.

this is why I avoid dealerships. I mean, they are just doing their job...and I get that...they are out to make money. who isn't?

but now that you know what the issue is, you can tackle this problem yourself if you are even somewhat mechanically inclined OR maybe you have a friend that is a bit more experienced.

it's up to you...but I wouldn't let them touch my car for something so minor.

 

Thanks for the advice. That's kind of what I figured. I don't trust myself to do it on my own, but I figured they were trying to jack me. I'll probably end up telling them to stick it and taking it somewhere else. Appreciate it!

 

Buy the Belt and take it to a small mechanic shop if you dont want to pay a high price for something so minor, thats also if you dont have the tools needed to perform the change.

Thats IF the belt is that dry, major cracks and on the verge of ripping.

 

Yeah, they said a bunch of the things are early from a mileage perspective, but because of the age of the car they are due. Also, apparently it's cheaper to have them do this this and this because it's easier to do them all at once. Kind of a "while we're in here doing one belt, we might as well do them all".

I don't doubt that's true, but I'm not about to drop 1400 on a bunch of stuff I don't need yet. Seems I can't set foot inside that dealership without a minimum quote of $500. They are nice as all get out, but man do they try and stick it up your butt.

 

^there is a reason why they are so nice. they want you to feel relaxed and comfortable and let your guard down.

before you know it you wake up the next day with a sore rear end.

 

Stealerships

 

A water pump at the same time as the serp belt is not really because they were in there. Now replacing the water pump when the timing belt is a proper use of "while we are in there" type of situation.

Also, remember not all dealers are the same. If you aren't comfortable with doing the belt yourself, you can also try a Honda dealer...or heck even your local Midas or something similar can do a serp belt. Our local Midas is actually where we take our cars for basic stuff that isn't warranty related.

 

 

There is absolutely nothing that can be considered a "while we're in here..." situation when a serpentine belt is being changed on the 3G TL. This is because 0 nuts/bolts need to be undone to get that removed. Many dealerships rely on the general public's lack of car knowledge to earn mad ca$h yo. I love the confused look on the advisor's face when I ask really complicated questions when bringing my car in for warranty work.

I replaced my serpentine belt yesterday, actually! It was also squeaking. All you need is a 14mm socket and nothing even needs to be removed. The only tricky part is wiggling the belt into all the right places. It took me literally 5 minutes.

Welcome to the site!!!

 

Yupp I guess so lol.



I dont do my own because I just dont have the tools which is not an excuse but I have no where to put tools since I rent a room while im in college, so its easier to take it to the honda dealer for work.

 

Just wanted to give a follow up. Found out one of the guys I work with is a fellow Acurazine member! I went to the dealership and picked up my car, laughing out the door as they gave me a quote for ~$2k to do the 100k maintenance at 67,000 miles. I could probably scan the quote if you guys want to see it. What a joke. Can't wait until their customer service calls me for a survey.

We went to Autozone, bought a 30 dollar belt, used their loaner belt tool and replaced it ourselves in 15 minutes right in the parking lot. No more squeek.

Special thanks to STL+3.0CL for the help! Also, thanks to everyone who posted above for the advice.

 

What's the build date on the sticker on the door-jamb (driver)? If your car was built in late '06, then you're coming up on the 7yr recommended replacement interval for the timing belt.

 

Nice!

 

Jkuhn-welcome to AcuraZine!

That's a GREAT story. You need to write to the Service Director and tell them how YOU fixed your $2,000 problem in 15 minutes and $30.




And thanks to everyone who pitched in with help and advice!

 

Nice fix Jon, I still say you should do the 102,000 mile service when due. If not, I'll buy your type-S off you beforehand. I'll never forget the dealer telling me my subwoofer rattle was my license plate frame, damn liars...

Jkuhn is my brother btw....