I got my 07 NBP TL last September and the A1 service soon light came on today. I immediately called the dealership to schedule a service appointment. The person who i talked to asked how many miles i have on the car, i said about 5300 mi. She then told me that I'll be needing the 5200 mi service which costs $169- that's including oil change, tire roation, check other fluids. I was shocked because i thought my car needs only an oil change and tire rotation. So i told her I got the A1 message, and then she said that they'll charge $139 for that but less $35 if i don't get a loaner car. So i proceeded and had her schedule me for next week. I still think it's kinda rip off just to have that service. I'm thinking of taking my car to a reputable honda/acura service repair shop in San Jose/ Campbell CA instead. Is it ok to have it done by someone else instead of the dealership? I want the best for my car. Pls help.

 

Absolutely OK. Preferable, in fact.
Many of the members here do the services themselves, while I and others go to independent Honda/Acura mechanics for the services. Just keep your receipts for all TL parts, supplies and services.

TL maintenance is based on the Maintenance Minder system and display- there is no 7,500 mile, 15,000 mile, etc. service. FWIW, it sounds like the dealership was trying to sell unneeded services to you-- I've never heard of a "5,200 mile service." My mechanic charges about $80 for a B1 service (same as A1, but with a change of the oil filter, which should always be changed with the oil).

Welcome to AZ!

 

$169, $139, $104, whatever is complete and total . And there is no "5,000 Mile Service". I wouldn't ever call that Dealer again.

You need A1 service - Oil Change and Tire Rotation - just like you said. Technically the Maint Minder for A1 does NOT include a filter change, but pretty much everyone I can think of changes the Filter when they change the Oil.

So, Oil & Filter, Tire Rotation and "Free 24 point service check" should not cost more than ~$60.

Use ANY shop you want or DIY. A reputable Indie shop, a local/regional/national chain; whomever will do good work at a fair price. Save your reciepts and you are good to go.

 

A1 Service=$34.95. Period. There are many stealerships around. The stealership you went to was blatantly trying to screw you over. If possible, do it yourself.

PS-Sheila, if you are female, try to have anybody you know: friend/bf/husband, whoever that's male help you out. It's just the plain truth that women get taken advantage of. I always take care of service call/appointments for my wife. Their (stealership) tone is almost always different with me as compared to my wife.

 

Do it yourself and not only will you save money, but if you know what you're doing, you'll know it was done right.

Tire rotations.. I'll bet there's not a shop out there that is going to put your car under cover from the sun for 3 hours, then do the rotation followed by a careful air pressure check and correction. They don't have the time or inclination to do this.. you do.

 

i either change my oil myself or pay the valvoline place down the street 22 bucks...either way, no dealership trip is required....

 

I'm still trying to understand why you people go to stealership for such minor work?

I got to reputable local shops or my friend's shop, and get the work done for 1/4 the price, and since I'm there watching it, I know exactly what's being done and how.

Just save the receipts, they cannot void your warranty, no where it says, that you must use Acura's service stealership only. Every time I leased a car, I never went to the stealership, even though they called me and sent notices, they need to make a living too, just not at my expense.

In regards to tire rotation, at 5000 miles is a bit too soon. Do it at 10K intervals, but then again, it depends on how you drive. I never peel, so my tires hold out well. (FWD tire spin is funny).

 

Thanks for the response. It's my 1st brand new car and I'll be keeping it for a long time so I want only the best service for it. Yes I'm a female and I thought about learning how to do it myself but again I'd rather take my car to a professional who knows what they're doing. I agree that most dealerships and some auto shops take advantage of women. My bf offered to make calls for estimates.

 

Welcome to the forums! As others said, let your bf handle negotiations. Sucks that they try to take advantage of females. The best way to combat this is to always question. Why is that needed? what does A1 correspond to? What exactly are you doing? Can I do this service elsewhere? Do this in the same way a mother grills her kid

 

When I bought my TL-S they gave me a coupon for my first oil change, I had it around 5500 miles, and it was free.

Just like others have said, they are ripping you off. I too like taking my car to the dealership, just personal preference.

If I were you, I would call the service director and talk to him or her

 

I do agree shops may try to take advantage of a female. I guess the idea is that females don't know cars, so.... .

But despite what others have said, you don't need anybody to hold your hand. You need knowledge and an attitude. Come here and ask what to expect then go to the service location informed. If sets off your BS detector, tell 'em it's BS.

Regarding your desire for "best service" and "a professional who knows what they're doing". Don't think that when you go to the dealer for an Oil Change you get their #1 Master Mechanic. You don't. You probably get the new guy; the guy that washing cars for 'em last year.

You can get the same or better service from a reputable full-service Indie or Chain and it will probably cost less.

 

you should try and do it yourself! 35 bucks max for mobil 1 w/ a K&N Filter...

 

HEY,.. I see you're from the 408 area as well.

Def. go elsewhere to do these types of services. The dealership ripped me off once, and never again. ( got ripped by Los Gatos Acura.

 

Or put your man to work. What has he done for you lately???

 

I think she is like me, she does not want to get dirty, but rather pay someone to do it.

But its lease for me, so I don't really care too much. The 00 TL I've owned I cared a great deal and I did everything myself, except the headers and exhaust.

I guess to each its own....

 

Did you buy your car from an Acura dealer? Usually (at least in my area) the first service is free from the dealer. That was oil/filter change, tire rotation, and adjust emergency brake cable.

Also, I always tell everyone, have your dealer show you how to log on to Acura Owner Link (free internet service from Acura). You can log in all your maintenance, check all recall notices (if any), access owners manuals, and any other information about your car. Just initially type in your cars serial # and it will track everything for you. You said you plan on taking good care of your car and keeping it a long time - this is a great tool to assist you.

 

Usually the first oil change is FREE, I agree with everybody try another dealer. Good Luck

 

I got my 08 TL from Sunnyvale Acura. I just received an ad from them a few weeks ago, advistising $40 oil change, plus various "inspections". $40 is on the high side, but still within reason. I don't have any experience with them, but an oil change should be safe.

BTW, which stealership did you called?

 

Price will depend on oil and filter you want to use folks. If you go w/ Mobil1 full synthetic and a K&N filter, you're looking at $35-40 just for oil and filter(retail), nevermind someone's time.

This dealer is ripping you off at 104...135... whatever (or trying to at least).

Remember, most dealers make more money in their service department. They purchase standard oil and basic filter at a total of <$10 per change. They pay the guy doing the service ~10/hr. He can realistically do 2-3/hr. So, you do the math on how much they should charge for a basic service that could be accomplished by a trained monkey.

 

When my MID gets to 30% I got to delaer, bring a 5qt Mobil1 and Mobil1 filter and they charge me $15. I bought lifetim rotate/balance and hroad hazard from Discount tires and go there for my free rotations. Don't let them sucker you into anything the manual does nto call for. Hell most new cars the first 20K-30k is nothing but oil and check this and that. Then you get into air filters then brakes.

 

Thanks guys. I got my TL from Los Gatos Acura. I thought about taking my car there for minor services like oil change because it's near my home and work, and just take it to an independent Honda/Acura service shop for major services. I guess i'm not gonna go there at all. Some of you guys went there and got ripped off so thanks for the advise. I used to take my '91 Honda Accord at this independent Honda/Acura shop in Santa Clara and I was satisfied with their service, but their location is kind of far from where i'm at and they don't provide loaner cars. I found this Honda/Acura of Campbell on yelp.com and they got 5 star reviews from their customers so i'm gonna try them.

 

Realistically speaking it appears the dealer you called is even charging for the loaner, that alone is outrageous, if you are going for A1 service, you won't really require a loaner, it takes about 30mins so by the time your done flipping through a magazine your done

 

a rip-off-should only be a oil change which for me was free.

 

bottom line, if you have extra money burning a hole in your pocket then go to the dealership...they are no better at changing oil then anyone else at any other place...but if going to the dealer makes you sleep better at night, then maybe its worth the extra money...your call either way

 

Hi,

I did my first service during the weekend. the service indicator A1 was turned on (4960 m) and I called the dealer here in Dallas. They changed the Oil and rotate the tires as well. They had a special deal for $39.00 oil change and 24 point inspection. I got a free oil change when I got the car. however the dealer said that I had to bring the car around 7500 miles again But I am not going to take my car to any service until the car says so.
If there is a maintenance indicator in the car why not use it. I don't think that we should pay our hard earned money to these guys.
regards
///epkalbi

 

Holy crap... I've never heard of any dealer trying to charge THAT much for an oil change + tire rotation. And I thought my dealer was a ripoff at $50!

I'm guessing this is the training that the service scheduler got on their first day:

"If the person calling for A1 service is a dude or sounds like they aren't a sucker, just tell them they need their oil changed and tires rotated for $40. If the person calling for A1 service is a woman or sounds like a sucker, ask them how many miles are on the car, subject 100 miles from it, and then say they need the X-mile service and that'll be $169 please."

That's such a blatent and insulting ripoff, I can't even believe that anyone would have the balls to charge $169 for an oil change and also make up something about a 5200 mile service. That doesn't even make sense (I could buy 5,000 or 7,500 mile service, but 5200? come on)

I would stay as far away from that dealer as you can

 

So when I bought my car I received free life-time oil changes...is this just a ploy by my dealer to get me to bring my car there so that they can do all that other b/s?