Do most of you guys have your car repaired at the dealership or have a private mechanic you trust. Our 02RL with 120K miles needs quite a bit of maintenance items taken care of. So I was wondering which route to go.

Car Needs:
Timing belt & other drive belts replaced
Water Pump replaced
New Spark Plugs
Transmission flush (drain and fill actually)
Coolant change

Also what range of pricing should I expect for these maintenance items when I use a auto repair shop. Also are there any other items that can clubbed in when doing the above ones such as water pump replacement with Timing belt.

Option 1: Dealer
$1000 for water pump, timing belt, coolant, etc
$500 for spark plug, tranny flush, cabin air filter, oil change, etc

Pros : OE items, knows their stuff, warranty on repairs. Can take care of SRS light due to OPSD
Cons : High $$$$.

Option 2: Auto repair shop
$700 - &800 on Timing belt water pump (not sure if coolant is included)
Haven’t got a price on tranny drain/fill and spark plug

Pros : Cost savings + Chance to set up relationship with mechanic to get future small items taken care for cheap.

Cons : Non OE parts (Napa or Capa). Not sure about their expertise on Acura’s.



By going to a dealer I get quality at a cost overhead of $300 - $500. By going to Auto shop I save dollar and possibly get good work. However since I have never been to one or know one which works on Acura/Honda specifically I am apprehensive to trying it out. Plus I don’t want to go to the pricks at Pepboys or Firestone as they are as costly as Dealer and have zero customer focus.

 

Warranty Work, dealer.

Other, mechanic.

Thankfully, right now, my father in law is my mechanic.

 

+1

 

Ditto.

 

Sarlac/FiftyFive/CrazyAcura

How is a mechanic different from an independant shop. Are you referring to getting work done by a dealers mechanic outside of dealership ?

 

I'm pretty sure they're talking about the same thing.... independent mechanic/independent shop. I'd do the same as them, except I do a lot of work on my car by myself or with the help of others. Usually for something like an oil change or coolant flush (since can't dispose of it yourself anyway) I just go to a shop and buy the parts I want (oil, filter, etc) then pay them $10-15 for the oil change or whatever.

If you're picky about it, go to a parts shop that sells OEM parts for your car and buy it from them (but make sure you have EVERYTHING) then go to the independent shop/mechanic. IIRC Winchester Auto Parts had OEM parts for my Integra. There are several exceptions though.... one example, when I replaced the accessory belt on my car, I got a Goodyear Gatorback belt instead of the OEM. The Goodyear one looked and felt a lot more durable and of higher quality, and a lot of people say its quieter too. Can't hear it over my exhaust anyway, but might as well.

 

Mechanic = Independent shop

Technician = Dealer

 

I only go to the dealer to have warranty work done. Otherwise I either do the work myself or take it to the shop I used to work for.

 

Ok got it. Just was wondering the reason for voting others instead of Independant shop.

If I give it to independant shop I am going to get separate quotes for parts and labor. Then I can get the OE parts from Tim or anyother delearship selling them at discounted price.

 

It's pretty simple.

 

Off of your list, I'd do the fluids, drive belts, and spark plugs myself. I'd check what was involved in the manual and decide with the water pump. Timing belt I'd probably defer to an independent mechanic, although I would check the manual first to see what was involved; maybe just get some knowlegeable friends to give me a hand.

 

If I had a garage I could probably do the plugs and tranny flush myself. I have the service manual and the timing belt and water pump seem pretty much exhaustive work for which I do not have necessary tools. unfortunately complex I live in doesn't have a garage and they are pretty much against doing any work in the parking lot. So I can't do much, and end up taking the cars to the dealer, even for a simple oil change.

 

Go to a mall parking lot. I used to do that shit in high school

 

Warranty: Dealer

Everything else: Mechanic/Independent Shop

I'm pretty sure that by mechanic they mean independent shop.
At least I do.

 

 

Out of warranty=independent mechanic.

 

I am going mechanic shopping today... Have a couple of recommendations from coworkers that I am going to check out first.

Anyone know a reputable place near about Hartford CT or Springfield MA that you would recommend

 

Everybody is quick to recommend independents, and I will too with one big, fat caveat;
get one that is GOOD. An inexperienced independent hack can do far more damage than you'd imagine. Check any independent shop out with a fine toothed comb.

 

An independent shop that specializes in the particular manufacturer with factory-trained techs is probably the best. That may mean labor that is slightly more expensive than other generic independents, but lower than dealers...

For me, independent shop for most tasks, dealer for warranty work, and DIY if a self-repairable fix can be done in a few minutes (squeaks, changing a fuse or easily accessible plug-in module, change of battery cables, filter changes, etc.).

 

Did you ask if the dealer will match the prices of an independent shop? My local Honda Dealer will match most prices from other shops. Then you get the assurance of having it done at the dealer and the price of having it done at an independent mechanic.

 

You can use OE parts with the independent mechanic......

I would not do the timing belt at the dlr. I would however check with a Honda dealer to see what they charge. It may be around what the mechanic will. I've heard of Honda dealers charging less than Acura. You can also try to negotiate.

 

Totally Agreed. Also for major maintainance like Timing belt/waterpump I am not going to trust anyone who hasn't done fair share of these on Acura/Honda. Brake & tires jobs are probably something I will not scrutinize as deeply.

Theres the catch. The "average" independant is charging less per hours but in charging more hours to do the TB/WP around 6 - 7, whereas the dealer is quoting at only 4.5 hrs. So labor is more or less a wash. The difference is in the parts where AEM is cheaper than OEM. I also asked a independant to quote me OEM parts and the estimate was more than that of the Dealer ... go figure


Tried that already. My Acura dealer won't even match price of another Acura dealer who is offering a package price for the 105/120 maintainance work.

See above. Using OEM makes the total estimate as high as the dealers anyway.