vector7777

So about 4500 miles of my abuse, my '06 6-spd TL is flashing the A1 Service light. I called a couple of dealers in the Atlanta area to get a price and also to fix a rattle in the passenger door. Nalley is charging $30 bucks for an oil change and Ed Voyles is charging $70 for the oil change with tire balancing and rotation. I have a couple of questions:

1) I have to leave the car with the dealer for the day...is it expecting too much to ask for a loaner? Both dealers said they will not give me a loaner unless the car stays overnight for warranty work. Now, my last car was a Pontiac and that was the same policy GM dealers had. I thought Acura service would be better. What do you guys think?

2) Should I just change the oil myself and find a tire shop to do the balance and rotation? With my last car, I had lifetime rotations and balancing for a one-time $60 charge. I have A-spec wheels and would like to prolong the life of the tires as long as possible. I used to always do my own oil changes but I guess the interest has waned a bit. I guess it's not a big deal if I had too though.

What do you guys and gals think?

Ron A

Do the oil change yourself, and while you have it up in the air, rotate the tires.

If the tires were previously balanced and you don't notice any problems, there is no need to balance them again. The less you take it somewhere and have them remove and replace the wheels, the less chance of getting the wheels scratched.

vector7777

I use ramps for oil changes...I guess I would have to get a couple of jack stands and a torque wrench if I was going to do tire rotations?

subinf

One of the best investments for a home garage involves buying a floor jack and jack stands. I used to use two spare tire jacks to rotate my own tires. When I am not able to use a lift the floor jack and jack stands are a life saver.

A_UFO

My advise is let the dealership perform the work on the oil and tire rotation/balance. I do not perform my own work on the car.

At my dealership (no where near Hotlanta), I have to schedule my car's appointment more than three days in advance in order to qualify for a loaner car. I guess this varies from dealership to dealership.

My 7,500 Mile Service was $140 (reduce to $100 for first visit). The quote I got from the dealership for 15,000 mile service is $199.


Since the A-Spec is an Acura package, if they damage the wheels, the dealership should replace them.

No matter where your take your car, ask the Service Advisor to perform a walk-around inspection of the outside of the car and the interior looking for damage before you leave. Then perform the walk-around inspection when you pick-up the car (preferably in daylight). That way, they cannot claim the damage existed when you brought the car in for service.

Just my

A_UFO

PS: When bring your car in for service, have the car looking clean both inside and outside. If they see that you take care of your car, the service techs tend to be more careful not to damage the car. (This is a general statement and will not always be true.)

subinf

If you already know how to work on your own car and feel comfortable doing so I dont see a point in spending a lot of money at the dealership. If you dont have the time or it is easier to just drop the car car off thats one thing, but if you are fully capable then it makes much more sense to take care of it yourself.

vector7777

I went to Costco and looked at a 2-ton Floor Jack ($99). Can you work under the car with this? Or do you just use it for the lift and slide stands under the car?

So lift the front, slide in 2 jack stands, and same for the rear...so I would need 4 jack stands?

Ron A

Always use jack stands. Two if you just jack up the front or rear, 4 if you jack up the whole car.

From the 3G Garage:

E-028: DIY: Where to jack
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85473

SodaLuvr

Pep Boys has a special onsale almost weekly for a DIY garage combo- 2 jack stands, floor jack, creeper, and wheel clocks for $30. They aren't the best quality, but should suffice for the occassional DIYer. Since the kit only comes with 2 stands, you'll need to purchase an additional two.

And you haven't told us what oil/filter you are using yet....

Ron A

Most of the cheaper jacks only raise the car about 15 1/4", which is enough to change a tire, but not quite high enough to comfortably get under the car. But if you take the wheels off, you won't have any problem with the oil filter, and the drain plug is easy to get at also, so it mainly depends on how big around you are.