I'm getting close to 100,000 miles now and will have the timing belt/water pump maintenance done soon. I know if I go to the stealership they're going to charge a fortune for this. Would you have an independent shop do this work (STS Tire is who I use for routine maintenance), or do you think it's better to have Acura handle it?

 

Call around. You would be surprised what range of prices people charge for this type of service.

An Acura dealer would be the most expensive, but they also would give out loaners. Try a Honda dealer too. Most times they will work on Acuras at a lower tech rate.

Expect to spend about $500 - $1200 for this service.

 

^^ what he said...
Check around. Start with the Acura Dealers. I got mine done (full timing belt service) at the dealer for $834.00, and a loaner MDX for the day.

 

A vendor here is selling the parts needed for this service for a Great price.

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/complete-timing-belt-kit-special-%24295-763445/

You can bring the parts to the shop of your choice. I called acura locally and they wanted almost double for the parts..

 

EXACTLY WHAT HE SAID. Buy the parts and bring them to a local mechanic.

 

See your from NY, and I know it's a drive, but Hamilton Honda (Central Jersey) is running a special again, timing belt and water pump installed $389. Add $75 for tensioner.
Can't beat the deal

 

look in the phone book for a small private shop ad that says honda/acura in its list of their specialties
Lower overhead= lower cost to you

Some places will let you bring in your own parts, but by law they dont have to cover any warranty on them, so if something fails you are responsible for parts and labor cost to replace it again

Always ask exactly what is included in the quote and how much more for the timing belt tensioner and idler pulley- how much for accessory belt if all not included
Oranges to Oranges comparison

 

Yes I saw that post, great deal. If I end up going to Acura I wonder if they'd let me bring my own kit.

I have a Honda dealership nearby that I used to use when I had Hondas, but I called them a while back and they said they won't work on Acuras. Maybe if I tell them I'll bring the kit they'd do it for me.

 

Wow I wish I had the time to drive out there, that's an incredible deal!

 

Unfortunately we don't have any independent shops that list themselves as Honda/Acura specialists around here.

I never had this type of maintenance done on a car before. Is this pretty routine stuff that any good mechanic should be able to do, or is it something that's best left to someone who's experienced with Acuras?

 

Also try the local "high performance" or "tuner" shops that work on imports-- they'll likely have worked on Honda and Acura timing belts if they do mechanical (as opposed to suspension) and supercharger/turbo work.

The timing belt/water pump/tensioner work is actually pretty routine for Honda and Acura V6 vehicles- the 2G and 3G TL, all the Legends and RLs, V6 Accords, Odysseys, Ridgelines, etc.

 

FYI, Hamilton Honda's special INCLUDES replacing the drive belts....no Acura dealer I know in the NYC/NJ area comes close.

 

You could do it yourself. I have done the timing belt/waterpump on my wifes '06 Odyssey and my daughters '04 Pilot and they weren't too bad(they are both "J" series V6 like the TL). The crankshaft damper bolt is probably the most challenging part of the job and requires a $40 tool to remove it

 

I wish I can do it myself, but I don't have the knowledge or the tools to do it. I found a complete Timing belt kit for sale localy, new in the box for 300$ Canadian. I don' tknow if I should get it or not, I only have 80k miles on my car.

 

I'm not sure what the "kit" comes with but I would also replace the hydraulic tensioner, the tensioner pulley, and the idler pulley. On my Pilot and Odyssey both had signs of leakage from the hydraulic tensioner and it just made sense to replace the tensioner and idler pulleys since I was there.
I personally wouldn't buy anything until I'm ready to do it/have it done. I think I spent just over $400 USD for every thing: water pump, timing belt, drive belt, tensioner, tensioner pulley, idler pulley, and coolant.
I did my Pilot @116K and my Odyssey @110K. I've only got 63K on my TL so it will be a while!

 

if thats your 99 with 80kmiles you better do the belt and pump TODAY

any skilled tech can do the job, but what you want is a guy who has actually done it a few times,, instead of learning on your car

Ck yellow page listings for performance-tuner-race- Import shops and call them
try internet search for your city+ acura honda repair
go ask the local import parts place for suggestion
local kragen/oreillys may suggest a shop that buys a lot of honda parts from them

Some honda dealers will do the job- go ask the service MANAGER not the phone person

I would NOT let a tire shop do it unless their guy has done several of them before
They are a tire shop not an engine shop

 

Thanks for the info man, made my appointment for next week, you just cant beat this price!

 

Same here on my Pilot just this past weekend thinking that a knocking noise was that area. Turns out it wasn't but I am good to go. Wasn't too hard and I replaced everything you mentioned as well.

Still trying to figure out what the knock/rattle is that seems to be somewhere in the intake.....

 

no that's my 05 with 80K miles. 99 had everything done already and is sitting at 120k miles

 

On their website, it says "For Hondas Only"...do they make exceptions for Acuras?

 

Whoa! I do all of my own work, especially work like this. But for $389, that's only $100 more than I can buy the parts for. $100 is actually worth paying someone else to do the job. Even $465 for the tensioner is worth it. The 3,000 mile drive may cut into the sweetness of the deal though.

 

you could airfreight the TL there...

an ad that says HONDA Only is pretty clear in my mind.. but always call and speak with the manager,,sometimes business is business

They may have that so every make in the world doesnt come in- they want what they work on~

 

Yes they do! I got my TL done last tuesday for $417 with tax!

 

Keep in mind if you do bring the parts to an independent shop, mark the parts somehow and verify they were installed on your car. Some not-to-honest shops will steal your parts and "say" they installed the parts, leaving you high and dry once the water pump breaks.

 

Wow, what a sweet deal.......

 

Schweeeet! So did you skip the tensioner or was that included in the $417 price?

 

AWESOME. I am in NJ and this works out well! As a dental student, I don't really want to spend $$$$ when I can get it for much, much cheaper!

 

I was told that if needed the tensioner it would be $75 extra but turns out I didnt need it...