iCrap

Well that's fine but most of them are not like that.


Anyways, we took our Ody in to Honda for an oil change today. The guys let us stand right next to the car and watch. They only charged $29 too... you can't even buy a filter and oil for that low. I'm impressed.

Acura_Dude

boki_cu2

in that case i would stick to a mechanic that will not rip off an to save on cost try and supply fluids.

im sure someone on here can recommend a good mech that doesn't charge arm and leg and does a decent job.

my last 40,000 service was going to cost $500AUD
this was oil change which did not include filter , regular checks and maybe lifters if they are noisy .

Skwatoe

Yes. They always have Starbucks (including pastries), Krispy Kreme donuts, assorted teas, snacks (chips, pretzels, etc) and a refrigerator filled with soda and juices. You can take as much as you want.

And yes, some Saturdays, a masseuse is there for 4 - 5 hours. It's free, but you should always tip your masseuse

DIY will save you money, but I guess I'm just lazy now...

iCrap

Well if my dealer had that i would probably not DIY either! all mine has is a few couches and a fridge with some drinks.

nj2pa2nc

Acura of Reno had all that when we went there for service-they had a cookie baking machine, a movie theater, a nail salon, etc.

kball

Seriously??
Mine has 2 chairs in the SA office and a waiting area w a tv you cant adjust.
Coffee and water only. Vending machines.
I think they might be considering getting rid of the bathroom. too expensive and not a moneymaker.

Novichek

I went to Acura for B1, it was complimentary. If it weren't the bill would have been around $240. The bigish items (besides several "inspections") on the list were oil change, tire rotation, taking apart calipers, measuring pads and disks, and lubricating sliders, battery test. The necessity of such through brakes inspection and battery test is questionable at only 19K miles. Hower, I'm not a mechanic but if somebody asked me to do all of these, imo, $200 would be a fair price.

ceb

Most people underestimate the importance of a decent dealership. While the starbucks and masseuse are a bit over the top, a dingy waiting area, no loaners (or Enterprise Lada's and Trabants)go far in making the ownership experience unpleasant.

Kball has a lousy dealership - he isn't very happy with his car. Skwatoe has a great dealership and seems happy with his car.

I loved my BMW (when it ran). I hated the dealership and the amount of time I spent there. You don't expect a Kia loaner from Enterprise when you drive up in a $60k car with an appointment. I bought the Acura for the dealership - 7 day a week service from 6am to 11pm (weekdays) and from 7am to 9pm on weekends. More Acura loaners than you can shake a stick and they don't even want appointments. Anything over a couple of hours gets a loaner at least equivalent to what you drove in with and most of the time they'll try to upsell you by giving you a more expensive car - ILX owners get TSX's, TSX owners get tech or TL and so on. The waiting room is a bit dingy, small'ish and a bit crowded but has a Keurig type coffee machine and pre-packaged danish from COSTCO. There is a mall with a handful of food opportunities across the street, so a short wait is OK.

Subjectively, I liked the BMW better when it worked but I spend far less time at the dealership with the Acura even though the services are roughly 7k miles apart vs the 17k miles from the BMW. I was lucky if I got 4k miles on the car before I had to visit the BMW dealership.

Now, I like the Acura better because it is way more reliable and the dealership experience is far better.

iCrap

$240!?

The honda dealership charges $29 for that same service! (on both acuras and hondas)!

Novichek

... but do they test battery CCA or take each caliper apart for $29 ?

cris_crozz

they dont open the calipers to check the pads. there's a little window to look at. you can measure the rotors thickness without removing the tires.

but anyways my dealer will do oil change, multi point inspection, test battery, new oil filter, new drain plug washer for $28.88.
basically its a B1 minus tire rotation which is easy.

kball

Im actually far from unhappy with my car even though i think the dealer offers fewer amenities than most other acura dealers it would seem.

When i tried honestly answering the survey (about falling short in this area), the next time i was in for service the SA (whom I like and has always been really helpful) made a point to say that ANYTHING i am less than satisfied with at the dealership reflects poorly on him. (Haven't confirmed this is actually the case). Which seems ridiculous to me.

So rather than being honest and potentially causing him to be rated less than excellent, i now no longer fill out any survey.

Tempted to try the other dealership.

BTW- Yep, enterprise rent a car the one time i needed a loaner too. Damn Chevy.

iCrap

They did test the battery. They don't need to take apart the caliper though. He had a little tool he used to check the pads.

Novichek

They claimed they do it to clean and lube retaining clips, check the piston boot, lubricate sliding pins, etc. I agree whatever honda tech did is sufficient, just pointing out this (+keurig ) is why Acura is charging so much more.

Mercedes>BMW

Which BMW did you own? I'm guessing an E60? 2004-2010 5 Series.

Pav1

Hi guys. I have an Acura 2012 TL Tech with 38400. I have the B1 INDICATOR.

Judging from this thread its just an oil change and tire rotation? I live in Kansas city and I was about to get all 4 tires replaced at Costco (tires are worn out and damaged). Do I really need to get B1 if I'm getting my tires replaced?

Also anyone recommend mechanics in the KC area?

Thanks