My wife has a 2006 TL with 60K miles and the service guy at the dealership told her that she may want to replace the timing belt.

#1 Isnt this a little early
#2 does the car have a timing belt or timing chain


The 60K service was 580 dollars. Damn that seems like Lexus prices. Let me know what you guys think. I am not an acura guy. I am much more versed with Infiniti and Lexus platforms. Thanks guys

 

TLs have timing belts. I believe replacement is recommended at 105k, but I can't be sure. Someone is bound to chime in on this.

Whatever you do, don't forget to change the belt at the recommended interval. If it snaps, kiss your valves goodbye.

 

do believe its a belt... unlike infinitis that have chains which i personally think is better.... but if all you're doing is changing the belt id go to your local guy and see what price he'd give you.. but i do beleive its 100k change

 

I am amazed that Acura uses timing belts. Seems a little old school. I cant believe that the service guy was telling her to do it at 60K miles. My wife said the entire dealership was empty. I think the guy was trying to BS because she is a female. I hate when they do this kind of stuff.

Is 580 dollars resonable for a 60K service.??? I am not bitching about the money, but it seems a little pricey for servive. Then again its the 60K service... its a pretty long laundry list of stuff they need to do

 

a bit of it is fairly garbage. At 60 this needs to be done:

Engine Filter
Cabin Filter
Oil Filter and oil change
Transmission Fluid change (3 x 3 method is the best)
Top off all fluids
Inspect belts for excessive wear
Perform alignment and balancing if necessary
Check tires for even wear and rotate

the first two you can do yourself and save a bit of money. The most expensive thing on the list is the transmission fluid change which cost me (3 x 3 method) about 150 dollars.

Also the timing belt needs to be done at 105K, check the owners manual for some more information. The car will tell you what services are needed by the code system that is as well explained in the owners manual. If you don't have it, a link to it is in the 3G garage.

 

Gotta love manual transmissions.

 

Thanks so much for the info guys. I am going to check out the manual if I can find it. I feel like calling this service guy and chewing his ass out

 

Is $580 kind of high for the service???

 

https://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/...606MAINIXA.pdf

Doesn't give you a real schedule.

 

maybe when they did that, they saw a worn timing belt???
yes it is. i will never go to the dealership again unless its for warranty service.

 

The TL uses a rubber belt so the engine is much smoother and quieter

you cant see the timing belt without removal of a lot of covers- not something normally done
Belt inspection of accessory belts are visual and easy to do
When the timing belt job is done, you also replace the water pump which is right behind it- and new coolant, new accessory-AC belts and tensioner pullies to be safe.
average cost 800-1200. Plus get the valves adjusted- add 3 hours for that with the timing belt- some same parts removed for access so you save money on labor

If your car is driven in the `severe service` description of the owner book , then 60 is when they say to do it,,thats if you live in far north canada cold harsh winters or maybe deep south usa and constant hard use in heat-racing- horrible stop and go commute of 100 miles per day in 110 degrees..thats severe
rubber is subject to more wear in temp extremes

Normal replacement is 105,000 miles or 7 years.. whichever occurs first
At 60 its worth doing a DIY induction/intake manifold cleaning with seafoam, and run some cleaner in the gas- redline bg44 are good ones for use in the gas

New spark plugs will help now, not called for till 105 but for best gas mileage do them now
Power Steering fluid should be flushed now at 60
Brake fluid needs to be flushed
replace cabin air filter

Any local import shop can do this, look for one with honda or acura in their ad in back of phone book- go see the shop and talk to them about what they find the car needs at this age and miles

DIY what you can and save big- like the cabin air filter- dealer 125$- DIY 20 bucks!!
Do extras yourself like lube door hinges and locks,,silicone spray rubber seals-. stuff the techs dont do..sunroof tracks clean and lube seal etc

the book is a guide..use common sense beyond that.
Yes, service writers are salespeople of auto repair..Caveat Emptor
times are tough- what do you cut back on? auto maitenance
They still have to keep techs employeed, and themself~

 

Since you have the list of things to be done at 60k, and you paid 580 for it to be done, I'd make d@mn sure they did all the items on the list. I'd be surprised if they even did half of it.

 

Timing belt is 60K for maintenance according to Honda/Acura tech articles and our owners manual. The water pump is good to do at the same time since you're in the area and it shouldn't be regular labor to change it.

Anyone priced one (timing belt package) at the dealer yet? I thought about doing it myself but I'd be lost if anything went wrong there.

 

$580 is not really excessive if they did all the flushes and recommendations at 60K. Power steering and brake flush are close to $100 each. Trans flush at the dealer should be $150+. Cabin air filter is a waste of money at the dealer but it's around $100. ...what else? Um, oil change is probably close to $50 at the dealer? So that is $500 so far, plus probably an air filter and taxes. Sounds about $580.

 

Sorry, but the following is correct:

Based on your particular driving style, I would suggest you read the owner's manual and make decisions based on the recommendations by the MID. If driven under normal conditions, you'll find that replacement parts, e.g. plugs and ATF change aren't needed at the 60K mark. It certainly can't hurt if you choose to have these services performed, but it will certainly cost extra money.

Even the valve adjustment that is mentioned in one of the threads isn't mandatory; it's only a service that is performed if the valves are noisy.

 

I love it when people know what they are talkng about and spread the word to others who need it. Very well said!!

 

thanks turbo and mmade~ kudos much appreciated- its all the pay any of us get here
does it show?--I used to be in the biz for many decades

I have found (thru whats here on azine) that a few valves tend to be loose at the 105 on gen2 cars, and having all the valves set perfect in spec makes for a more efficient engine--
You wont hear them without a mechanics stethascope--
you dont know the cabin filter is black and filled with leaves till you change it either

gas prices are probably going to skyrocket again--so IMO--- new plugs $50 and $20 cleaning the fuel system and intake manifold are worthwhile investments with fast payback

Based on my own gen2, and the trans probs we have--I would change the atf with at least a simple 3 qt drain and refill as acura suggest at 50-60.
Will help cover your #*^ in case of `out of warranty` trans failure-- get `goodwill` coverage because you did follow the book and changed the fluid at least partially of its total capacity of 7.3

Brake fluid is hygroscopic and sucks moisture from the air, which vaporizes and is condensed- shoved thru the brake fluid and turns to rust particles in the caliper and abs unit- really bad news
Start flushing it when the car enters year 3 of its life, and then once a year forever- for best brake pedal feel and action every day
Will protect expensive ABS parts and calipers-- worth learning how to do or pay a shop

PS fluid does the same thing but the fluid circulates and gets hot to dry the moisture- brake fluid does not
PS fluid works hard to make the car do what you ask- fresh fluid at 60 is a normal thing to do
This is assuming you plan to keep the TL and want to maintain it with prevention rather than wait for major problem to cause panic and drama

 

You're right on target with your suggestions, but keep in mind that only severe service calls for an ATF fluid change at 60K to maintain warranty. With that said, it would certainly be beneficial if one wanted to do the change, or even just a refill. I've seen plugs with 130K on them and the deterioration in fuel mileage is almost negligible with the ignition systems today.
Just wanted to add the above so that everyone can make their own decision based on the manufacturer's requirements. Some go by the wayside, similar to the old theory of the 3000 mile oil changes and just pay attention to the MID. The last change called for by the MID was 7700 miles. I held my breath and waited for the MID to drop to 15% and did the change. Never let a car go that long, but do now.

 

I stand corrected, sort of. It is 60K if your normal temps are 100-110 degrees. Which is not so far fetched where I live, but that's only during about 5 months. 105K seems too much to wait. I guess a mid-mark would be around 90K. Well, that should allow me to buy Teins earlier than I expected!

 

i am a service advisor for acura and 105k is when we recomend them, knock on wood i havent seen one break in a 3g tl yet. thats about average for a 60k service at our dealership. we do tranny services every 15k. thats what I do in both of my acura's.

 

every 15K? wow.

do you know which method is used for the flush? and since you're in the neighborhood, lol, can you tell me the pre-tax price on a timing belt job?

 

You might as well go in at 99k and have them do the belt, and check everything else under powertrain at the same time.

 

t-belt job is $498.48 for belt and labor, if you want t-belt, w/p/ acc. belts, pretty much everything $860

 

$498? That seems too cheap, honestly. I mean, that's great if that's what it costs, but I can't see how it'd only be that much. Maybe with just changing the belt and not doing anything else at all, like not changing the tensioner or adjusting/checking valves?

I can change every other belt, I think , but I don't like fiddling around with something like a timing belt that if something anything goes wrong, I can't, or should I say don't know, how to correct.

 

You didn't read that carefully:

 

I'm not sure if I'm going to bother replacing mine, I just rolled over 100k.

 

If it breaks let us know how much the valves cost to replace.

 

Will do. My last Honda went 300k on the original timing belt, hell it's probably still out there driving around somewhere.

 

I think my Accord (153k) has never been replaced.

 

I know I live in AZ , but 60 k for a timing belt is ridiculous. Its not a damn American car I have to worry about

 

1. If you drive like a grandma you can get away with replacing the timing belt at the certain interval...

2. If you drive like a maniac and like spirited drives on weekends I recommend it be done 70-80k to prevent a painful dent in your wallet.

3. Seasonal changes can effect wear on belts

4. Because 1 car can get away with 300k changes doesnt mean this will.

5. I changed my moms odyssey van belt right at 80k to be safe. Replacing parts in the head is not a cheap option.

6. Sure its up to you but timing belt is a critical item when it comes to interference engines...Non Interference I can care less if the timing belt snaps since you wont have to worry about piston/valve contacting.

 

Just the heads? I've seen a valve lodged into a piston causing the connecting rod to bend (this was in a Volvo). To me, a broken timing belt equals $4000 job (could be more, could be less). It is unwise to skip timing belt changes.

 

Piston could be damage usually is forgot to mention that.

 

Thanks for your informative post. I now drive a G37 (replaced the CLS) and the engine is very rough compared to an Acura engine, perhaps as a result of the timing chain. I even feel it in the gear shift knob. And... it gets poor gas mileage compared to the CL... but it is fast.

I had also wondered about the Canadian dealer paranoia with replacing the belt at 100K Km (60K miles) and now know what the official line is anyway. I have always replaced belts at the dealer spec... but have a hard tme believing that 100 miles north of the border we would have almost half the belt life of North Dakota, which I am sure has worse winters than we do in Alberta. But, as you point out... the service department is ther to make sales... and a little fear like the threat of major engine damage will motivate most people to buy.

 

Yep. That's why it's called an interferrence engine. Very poor design when there is a simple and relatively inexpensive fix.

Pistons with valve reliefs cut into their heads would eliminate this problem. This is an old technology but one which is still in use in racing engines and as been in many American hi-performance street machines.

 

580 dollars is pretty good price but did that include the water pump also? I dont know why you cant believe the service guy was telling her to think about doing the service soon.

Im just wondering which dealership you took your car to also? The thing is most people probley on this site will say you dont have to do the service until 100k. Now you can wait which the car will probley be fine but then again would you rather have peace of mind or hope something does not happen? Just remember also how hot it gets here in arizona also. The price is good becasue I had someone do the job on the side and the parts alone was almost 300. That included the belt, coolant, t belt tensioner and water pump.

 

Hey why do you feel you need to call and chew his ass out? Just wondering

 

Knock on wood that is the whole point. I know a tech here in arizona and they have seen more than one break before a 100k just so people dont think it has never happened before

 

I saw a brand new tire blow out once, so now I replace my tires every 5,000 miles and change my oil once a week.

 

Im not here to argue period. Tires and timing belt a little diffrent or you could say a whole lot diffrent. If you want to risk your engine go ahead its each and every owners own personal choice. Tires cost about lets see 100 to 400 each now how much is an engine? I dont know but I know its a shit load more than tires and I dont care what size your running. Did I ever say you should replace the tires at 5000 or change the oil once a week. I did nt think so, lets stay on the subject buddy