hey all,

i have a good friend whos cousin is a honda mechanic. i have known the mechanic him for about 5 yrs now just around when i see him around.

he said he'll do the timing belt change and water pump..

everything cheaper then the reg dealship like $200-$300 cheaper.

but im being a real bi%$ch cause he works for honda instead of Acura..

i know i know...exact same thing! but what you guys think??

he gets to use his own bay at the dealership as well..he said he has worked timing belt changes before on TL's..

what you guys think...go for it????

 

what's 200-300 cheaper means? different dealers charge different prices

 

Toronto dealers ...cheapest quoute is $950

friend- $700

 

ask him if his service comes with any warranty...

 

mmade22 did his that way. Bought all the parts wholesale from one of the Acura Parts Depot sites. Had a local Honda tech do the work. Saved a ton of money.


OTOH, Accuratein had a local Honda tech do some work (axles/half-shafts ??) and he totally fucked it up.


IOW - it depends on the mechanic.

 

I'd say as long as this guy isn't a complete jackass, let him do it.. how well can you even trust the guy at the acura dealer working on your car. I'm a mechanic at a dealer in Nashville, and probably about half the people I work with shouldn't be anywhere near an automobile.

 

I'd got my timing belt and CAI done for $750

 

warranty on the timing belt

 

 

I would do it as long as he warranties the work

 

You just confirmed what I have always thought lol

 

LOL point well taken!

 

 

It's funny that you say this because my friend that works for Honda just did my timing belt service yesterday. Him and one of the more experienced techs, worked on my car. I have known my friend for a while and he said if anything is wrong with the car he will look at it and take full responsibility for it. So according to what everybody else said, as long as he gives you "warranty" you will be good

 

^ not necessarily directed at you or the OP but.....Out of curiosity- how is a honda mechanic that is doing this on the side going to offer a warranty? Is he going to give you a written warranty? If no, if something goes bad- and the friendship goes south - smells like trouble to me.

 

i did take that into consideration....

gamble it is.

 

Can you be there while he is doing the work? Even though you don't know how to do the timing belt change you could read up on the topic and 'follow along' as he does it.

 

This is the difference. The mechanics' abilities may be questionable both at and outside of a dealership, but the mechanic working at the dealership is more expensive because he has a corporation backing his work. If something goes south, there are people to answer to. If your friend F's up the service, you could lose a friendship and be out big $$.

Just depends on how skilled your friend is. How well you know him and how good of a friend he is should have no bearing on your friendship, as business deals with friends can go south over ANY AMOUNT. If he lives close by in a home he owns, you're probably better off than Johnny X who lives in an apartment on the east side of town, but the shit can still hit the fan.

 

+1

 

My brother's best friend is an ASE certified mechanic at a dealership, does work part time out of his house on the side. Has a fully equipped garage at his house. Had him fix my son's '97 Accord after the balance shaft seal blew out of the engine. Saved about $150 using him to replace the seal, timing and balance shaft belts (which were drenched in oil, car was losing a quart every 2 miles!) and gaskets over what others were going to charge. Not only that, but he degreased the engine, and did a maintenance check to make sure we didn't need anything else done.

If the person is a good mechanic, they should be able to handle a timing belt change. Just make sure you and he agree in advance what his responsibility is if he runs into problems.