My first B1 just lit up. I checked the manual and read what B service consists of and other than the oil change, all of it is really "check this..." "inspect that..."

I haven't checked with the dealer how much B service will run but they have a coupon on their website and said that B (defined as Intermediate Service so I may be wrong here) service range from $200 - $399.

The car has just aboujt 20k miles, what could they possibly find that is wrong and needs adjusting with such low mileage? I have noticed nothing mechanically.

I'm tempting to just say "Just do the oil change..."

Thoughts?

 

I agree.

 

Wow, response from a MegaMod! Thank you sir!

 

Acura makes a killing on ignorant people that don't bother to check what each service code means.

Service B is a $300 oil change.... I wish I thought of a similar way to make money

 

+2

 

Should be called the BS service.

 

Lol!!!!!!

 

Ya, I avoid dealers as much as I can. It ussualy adds up to big $$$$!
As long as you have kept up on everything you should just need an oil change and call it a day.

 

So when does everyone here recommend the rear dif service?
I am at 17k miles and B16 just came on. According to the manual everything else about this service is an inspection with the exception of the oil and rear dif.

 

 

I believe that included checking stuff and cabin air filter replacement. Save the $ and do the air filter yourself.

 

Ya! wait till you need a good will transmission replacement at 70k, the dealership will not help you without a loyal service history. It is true that dealerships are not for everybody. It is for people that are serious about getting their cars serviced, paying the extra money and getting it done right.

I know I pay top dollar and I most of the time I don't even want to know how much I'm overpaying, however, if and when the time comes that I really need their help, say a transmission or an engine, they normally come through.

Just my opinion.

 

I did my rear diff at around 10k. My first maintenance code was A16 at 10k. My dealer did the rear diff for $99 so you can just get the oil change and rear diff change and call it a day for your B16. As others have said, the rest of the B service is just inspect/check. At such low mileage there's usually nothing to adjust or fix yet.

My first B just came on but I didn't get the 6 (rear diff) this time. I just got a B1. I drive pretty much long distance highway.

 

Yeah, I gotta agree with this one. I had a significant failure days out of warranty, after hours. The service manager recognized me, broke into parts himself, and held over a technician and fixed the car that evening for me, no charge. I'm absolutely certain it was due to the relationship.

Dealer costs more, but you can negotiate with them. They have other benefits.

 

agree +1

Honda has good will warranty. If you have good relationship with your dealer, your dealer can ask Honda to perform some kind of warranty repair for a discounted price or even for free even your warranty expired.

Happened to my old Odyssey twice during those 7 years after the 3 years warranty.....

 

Exactly my point. My dealership takes very good care of me all the time. I never have to worry about warranty issues even though my car has been way out of the period.

I've been going to them for so long that I don't even have to ask for a discount. I did some price shopping from local independents and found that the dealership was actually quite competitive.

Also, I remember going to an outside shop for 3 years loyally for an older BMW. The service was good and the price was ok, but when they shut down shop, all my service history was ...well, history. It was also hard to replace them. I had to go shop to shop. I ended up just getting rid of the car.

 

I have taken my 02 MDX (136K) to the dealer and simply had them change the fluids (oil, transmission, rear diff) and then go to the parts department and pick up the filters (air and cabin AC). I tell them just do the fluids and I will inspect myself.
Not a big surprise my vehicle get a free inspection each time which is usually followed by a call from the service tech..... the mechanic noted your MDX needs A,B, and C. I tell then don't do it today and just list it on the invoice. I generally will bring it back to have one or more of the noted items done.

Plently of goodwill with the dealer and I am getting only the necessary work done and not the over priced sceduled maintenance.

 

So up front I don't keep my cars long so I may be th wrong person to comment on this, but the only services I do are the real maintenance serveices, oil and differential changes, etc. I do air and cabin filters myself (dealer charges for those filters is like 2-3 times what you'll pay for the filter alone, plus installation!!). Dealer wanted over $30 for the cabin fiilter part I paid under $20, took 2 minutes to install. To pay the dealer to "inspect" everything when I can eyeball everything anyway is not worth it.

 

Absolutely Worth It!

I just had B16 for $280. I do not regret the extra $100 for 4 quarts of fluid for the rear differential on the SH-AWD. Considering the entry price of this vehicle, I do not understand people who skip maintenance. Yes, it's more than my previous TL ... but it's worth it for peace of mind. If it was not needed, I do not believe they would require it.

 

Well said.

I never understood why would you go cheap on vehicle maintenance?
It's crazy. I have a co-worker who brings her car on the other side of town, in a really bad area to get her car serviced. I dropped her off once and OMG, there are thugs around the corner and all the businesses have iron bars. I asked why do you bring it here? She said, "because it's $15 cheaper for an oil change than the dealer".

I finally referred her to my service advisor. He knocked her oil change down to $5 difference, gave her a ride to work, picked her up in a brand new MDX (shuttle) and her car was washed when she picked it up.

She never looked back at that place. C'mon guys, is it really worth it going to an independent who may not be there in the next few years? Is it worth the savings when the mechanics who work on your $40k Acura is a nothing but a high school drop out who just happens to know how to turn a wrench? Finally, for the DIY'ers, is it worth the time to jack up the car, crawl underneath the car, drain the oil, replace the filter, get dripped on with hot oil, then having to find a way to dispose the 5 quarts of oil, then cleaning up and looking at the hour and a half that just passed.

Is it really worth it?

 

so much is this B1 service anyway?

 

Now, now, don't be judgemental.

A lot of mechanics are very intelligent, but they are kinaesthetics who cannot learn things the way that the public school system is set up.

A lot of intelligent people cannot learn until they are touching things. The public school system is set up to primarily teach with audio and vision...so we simply never reach a sizeable, intelligent minority.

The good news is that since touch is their primary sense, they will tend to be very happy at being mechanics or something similar, and they'll maybe even be very successful at it, financially.

 

i agree... x10

 

I think some of you guys are losing the spirit of my original post. I'm not saying or even endorsing to skimp on maintenance. No where did I say I'm want to skip the oil change.

Let me rephrase my intention. A1 is oil change and filter. B1 is oil change and filter and a whole bunch of inpsections and checks. Granted if my car is older I may allow them to do the inspections and checks but I'm pretty good at doing that myself. And for a less than 20k mile car, how much can really go wrong where you need a mechanic to find it and you wouldn't notice some oddity yourself?

If you remove the inpsections and checks, the B1 service boils down to an A1 service but at about 7x the cost. Don't compare apples to oranges with the "6" service, which is a rear diff oil change and I wouldn't skimp on that either.

I'm also not saying that I we should take our TLs and take it to the Jiffy Lube down the block. So the argument of not throwing business to your dealer in case something major goes wrong later on is not valid.

In the end it's your money and you can do with it as you please to make you sleep at night but this is not about skimping on maintenance at all. It's really about doing the NEEDED maintenance without the (as an example) "Sir, we recommend you do a 4-wheel alignment every 15,000 miles" fluff. (Actually heard at a dealer.) If you want to spend the $80 for the alignment, go right ahead.....

 

My coupon says $200-$399.

 

My B16 was $245. Oil change using Mobil1 Synthetic, Rear Dif service, Tire rotation and balance, full inspection and full wash inside and out. No air filter (Takeda Intake) and no Cabin filter (I replace myself every 10k). I used to do all of my own wrenching for the above services, however as I have gotten older I have found that my time is more valuable to me than the satisfaction gained from spending the time doing the above myself.

Instead I drop it off at the dealer, jump in a loaner and hit the golf course .

I just don't want to deal with having to put the car up, on all four corners just so that I can change the oil and rear dif myself in order to save a few bucks. To each his own though. I refuse to pay to have my air filter or cabin filter replaced etc as those are very easy things to do that in my opinion the dealerships charge way to much for. Just my

 

B16 service came up recently on mine....had it done at the dealership.

After getting it back the car, unbelievably, ran smoother than when I dropped it off!

Amazing...the ride was smoother, gear shifting seemed much smoother, accelerating from rolling slow down was smooth. Not sure exactly what they did that led to this improvement. Perhaps it was the rear diff fluid change? I liked the ride before and I love the ride even more now!