Service - dealer or not?

[Wardsweb]

Do you have your car serviced at the dealer where you bought it, any factory dealer or private shop?

[zwierhiem]

For big service (other than lubes) I use a Honda dealer, for lubes I normally use a Gemini (Goodyear) or Firestone shop because they often have great coupons. :D When I have time I will change the oil myself, but that doesn't happen often.

[impulse]

I usually go to the dealer myself, it's a really good deal for $24.95 getting your oil changed, whatever check that they do, plus the free car wash :)

Major services I generally do on my own, using Honda's guiidelines and my own good sense. Saves a lot of money that way.

[hondacuraworld]

Can't really go wrong with that approach, IMO.

[Leg3ndr]

My freind use to work at Honda wow they charge an arm and a leg there....maybe oil change is ok.. But usally it better to use hanyes and figure things out and do it your self if you can. ANything big just bring it to a speicalist.:)

[according2me]

I do most routine maintenance myself, including front pads, but I no longer have the patience or inclination to adjust my valves or replace timing belt/water pumps. I'll let the pros do that for me.

Tire rotation/balancing, I leave to Firestone because for one price I can go there every 5K for the lifetime of the tires and let them swap the tires around. I usually don't have my tires balanced, just rotated regularly. Two of my Oem Michelins lasted 81K miles and the other two are still on the car at 89K. All four were still very smooth rolling and showed even wear, but the two on the front (at that time) had reached the wearbars.

BTW, if anyone is interested in researching replacement tires for their Accords, this is a good place to start www.tirerack.com

And I can attest to the Bridgestone Turanza LS-H as having better handling, wet traction, and less noise on rough surfaces than did the MXV4+s that came OEM on my car. I only hope they are as long lasting as the Michelins.

[MrChad]

I quit going to the dealer early on.
I had a throw-out bearing fail under warranty.
The dealer failed to install 2 replacments correctly. I questioned the dealer of service and a second dealer as to the effects on the factory pressure plate and was blown off. Now at 50k the pressure plate is showing signs of wear per my dealer of purchase. They want 800 for new clutch assembly and won't honor or recognize my prior bearing trouble that was documented. So, the clutch, pressureplate, and bearing will be replaced by myself per Helm manual.

PS the car was stock during all my warranty issues.

[princess]

Do all our own. Only Honda parts & Castro oil. Using the old 15K & 30K system. Change the oils at 5K (engine & tranny) just easier for us.

No bad dealer experience, just the way we like it!:D

[CivicEXTec]

the dealer does the work right the first time, most of the time, but it all depends on if you can do it or not. oil changes are worth having a dealer do it, i'll spend $25 any day instead of sitting under my car changing oil.

[pshivers]

I thought I would give the dealer a try for regular maintenance on my New Accord, besides they gave me free oil and filter changes for the life of the car (every 7,500 miles) when I purchased it!

What a load of B.S...

The oil and filter are free, But if you want them to do the "Honda recommended" maintenance that will be $75.00.

OK so I say sure do the recommended maintenece and BTW the brakes are vibrating.

The Dealer replaced the front pad and turned the rotors, (Warranty), but neglected to do several things recommended by their owm literature for the service the car was in for.

They didn't rotate the tires, and as I found out 500 miles later didn't check the suspension bolts for tightness. The left front strut to the lower wishbone bolt was loose and created a severe rattle. Basically I gave the $75 bucks for them to do nothing.

This weekend I changed the oil myself (at 10,000 miles with Mobil 1 instead of Honda Oil from the dealer).

Guess what?

The oil drain bolt has no washer on it contrary to Honda requirements, and it was extremely tight (definately over torqued)and I noticed a small drip of oil coming from the oil filter!

Turned out the oil filter was barely "finger" tight! Yes it did make it easy to replace, but it would not have taken much for it to loosen completely! Not a good thing to happen...

I'm back to doing all maintenance myself, Just can't trust that someone else has done the work requested let alone done it right. Got my new Shop manuals from Helm Inc, for both the 2003 Accord and the 1998 Civic.

The next time either of my cars is darkened by a Dealers door will be for major warranty work and that is all they will do.

If you want something done right, ...

[princess]

Make sure you fill out the card that Honda should be sending you! When dealers act like that Honda Corp. should know about it. They can't unless you tell them!

They need a customer saticfaction thing to fill out right in front of the service writer. Then they can know first hand what the problem is with the shop!

Things should've been tightened by the dealer when the car was inspected for purchase! No washer on the drain plug is something I'd CALL the dealer about. Actually, I'd call about each one of the complaints! But that's me. Then I'd find their site online & email their manager. Then I'd call Honda Corp. Then I'd give them a nasty report when I got the card/questionaire. If the customers don't do anything, nothing will ever get fixed! The more complex the cars get, the less the owners will be able to do on their own so the bad dealers need to be weeded out! :mad:

So sorry to hear about your awful experience!!

Tire rotation is rarely done unless specifically requested though. It's included IF you ask for it. It's supposed to be done at 10K intervals. If you ask at 7500 they should've done it though.

Remember if you have any warranty work done it does NOT have to be at the dealer of purchase. Ask people you know that also own Hondas, maybe there's a better one in your area!

:confused:

[CatchMe]

No one touches my car except me, or a certified factory Honda technician.

[fearlessfreap24]

having all of my maintenance done for free or really discounted by the dealer was part of the deal for me to buy the car.

[anysia]

1st car-2000 Civic-took it to the dealer I bought it at... Hated their service dept. I was naive at the time though. I thought I HAD to go to a honda dealer in order to keep the warranty valid and the one I had bought it at was the easiest...

the second one-2003 Civic-I took to the dealer I bought it at for the first couple of scheduled maintenance bits, but quickly began to hate their service dept as well. So I began taking it to a family friend who is a mechanic who has done almost all of the work on my familys' cars since before I was born (the remainder of the work has been done by my dad).

I plan on taking my new Accord to the dealership for oil changes for ease (this is yet another dealership), but I will probably go to the family friend for the rest of the maintenance. I prefer to go to him, but he does tend to cost a little more since he has to pay the same price that I would pay for the genuine honda parts. :( But I also know I can trust him to do everything I ask and not rip me off on things. The other downside is I usually have to give up my car for a day ro 2 since he is a one man shop... I HATE parting with my car for extended periods of time! (Hence, why I'll just take it to the dealership for the oil changes!):)

[BenjiBoy650]

My friend owns an independent shop - they pay wholesale prices for parts. He bought brake pads for my '99 Accord (front and rear) and he showed me the invoice, and the price is significantly under MSRP or what any other dealership quoted me.

[princess]

He must have a deal going on with a dealer. I don't think Honda will sell directly to another shop. Some dealers will sell their parts to an independent shop at cost or barely above if they don't think it'll really effect their business.

A dealer here lost their good graces with Honda several years back & they couldn't get parts directly from Honda. They had to get them from a dealer. They also couldn't send their techs to school. That one didn't make sense to me because the poor quality work was how they got in trouble. Honda should've MADE the techs start over at school instead!!;)

[BenjiBoy650]

Originally posted by princess
Some dealers will sell their parts to an independent shop at cost or barely above if they don't think it'll really effect their business.


Sounds about right :D

[04blkpearlcoupe]

i say avoid taking your car to the dealer unless absolutely necessary. i think the problem is that honda sells and services so many cars that they dont care about the quality of the service.

in my case, i had taken my 04 coupe to penske honda in ontario,ca (the same place i bought it 2 weeks before) to get the honda security system installed. when i took the car in that morning for its 9am appointment it was SPOTLESS. i had just washed & waxed it a few days ago and took great care to avoid waterspots.

when i picked the car up that afternoon, they supposedly had "washed" it. it looked more like they squirted it with water and let it air dry! there were waterspots all over the car. not many, but enough for me to notice. also there were some large waterpots on the back bumper, and the wheels were still dirty. when i got home, i went over the whole car with meguiar's quick detailer. luckily the spots wiped right off.

as i was wiping the car down i noticed a white mark at the edge of the driver's door. i thought it was wax that i had missed a few days ago but it turned out to be a 1" long paint chip! now i KNOW that was not there before. the service guy must have opened the door into a tall curb because thats about the height of the mark. luckily a little touch up paint was all it needed. i swear i will never bring it to that dealership for service again. i cant wait to get that customer card...if it ever comes.

[princess]

You should also make a call to management while it's all fresh! Many dealers have "lot lizzards" that move & wash the cars. That person should be reprimanded!

[BenjiBoy650]

My dad's ML320 returned from service with waterspots on the ENTIRE (black colored) CAR. It was absolutely ridiculous, I know I told them not to wash it, but I also didn't ask them to run a hose up to the roof and just let the water run (which they did and thus the end result).

[04blkpearlcoupe]

oh man i would have a major kinipsh** if i had a black mercedes and someone did that. i hope your dad called the dealer. i always thought that mercedes dealers treated their customers like gold. :confused:

princess, i was debating whether i should call the service dept. manager or not. i wish now that i had asked for him/her when i picked up the car. it was already closing time for them and i was just happy to get my car back. i guess thats exactly how they wanted it to play out. oh well.

BTW, by comparison, my dad has a bmw and every time he takes it to the dealer for service they always treat him real well, even if he complains about something that might not have been fixed right and his car always comes out completely spotless. too bad all honda dealers arent like that.

[BenjiBoy650]

Originally posted by 04blkpearlcoupe
BTW, by comparison, my dad has a bmw and every time he takes it to the dealer for service they always treat him real well, even if he complains about something that might not have been fixed right and his car always comes out completely spotless. too bad all honda dealers arent like that.

My uncle brought his BMW 540i in for service and he got a 3-series as a loaner. I brought the ML in for service and got a Hyundai Sonota....?

[princess]

age discrimination!!

[BenjiBoy650]

Doubt it...they were using Enterprise as the rental car company haha. They still are now but I guess Enterprise now uses C-classes as rental cars hehe.

[stiller fan]

granted, my car is old, however, i still take mine to a honda/acura shop close to my house...i would never take it to the dealer unless i absolutely had to...i have never been ripped off at where i always take it...

anysia: the place i go to is called matta motors, located in glassport. if you want more info, such as directions and what not, e-mail me... :)

[anysia]

thanks stiller fan! i'm going to give the dealership a shot first. (i loved their sales dept, so i figure i'll try the service and see how it goes.) but if it doesnt work out, then i'll probably want the info! :)

[stiller fan]

just lemme know... ;)

[anysia]

i have to head to the dealership anyway to show my salesguy how far i've come since i picked up the car in june! (he spent an hour with me to help me "get going" after the papers were signed and the keys were in my hands!)

ps-if you ever "need" a new honda, check out moon twp! i went thru their internet sales dept and the guy i worked with was not a typical car sales guy and i really liked that! :D in the past 4 years, i've bought 3 different hondas and from 3 different dealerships and so far this one was the best! :D

[stiller fan]

i'll need one once either...

1. it dies (yeah right) :D
2. my brother gets his license and i give it to him
3. american honda buy it back from me...and gives me a brand new one... :D <---doubt that one will happen either...

[anysia]

)yep, 1 won't happen, 3, doubt it also, 2 is probably the most likely! ;)

me i seem to have a bit of a honda addiction. hi i'm anysia and i'm addicted to hondas. i think 3 brand new hondas over 4 years says it all! :D i'm outta control! (hey as long as i'm not upside down on the loan and i can get a good deal on a new one, what's there to loose?? ;) although i'm holding out hope thatmy next one will be an acura tsx...... but if my pay never increases, i doubt that will happen! :bawling:

[princess]

I guess we're adicted too! 3 in 2 years (22 months)!

Oct 01, bought the '02
Aug 02, bought the Pilot
Aug 03, bought the '03

And I wouldn't change a thing!:D

[anysia]

atleast you still have 2 of them! ;)

i keep trading them in! i still miss my first one a bit (the 2000 civic)!! it was my first car ever! and i absolutely loved it! if i still had it, it would probably have about 85-90k miles on it already! 4 years at a little over 20k a year. wonder where she is now days?

[princess]

I've looked for the '02 ever since I traded it & have yet to see since they put her on the market. She left 48 hours after they put her out! Surprised me, being a common color.... someone got a great car!

If you have something with the VIN, you might be able to find yours now.... if you really had the notion....

[anysia]

i think i saw my 2000 once. at my wedding shower. someone had rearended me about a year after i bought it and the you could see a very slight difference in the paint job where they repaired it. I could've sworn that it was my old car.

do i have the vin?? of course! heck i still have one set of keys for both of the civics! :D i even have the window stickers from each car! i keep saying i'm going to frame them and hang them on the wall with my one share of honda stock! :banana: everytime i trade in my car, the salesguy is always surprised when i whip out every piece of paper that was given to me when i bought it! the first time the guy didn't believe me that i had saved the window sticker! hehehe! so i pulled it out and showed him!

i wish i had a different license plate for each car though! i've had the same one all along. :(

[Inspector1]

Check your BMV site and you should be able to tell if it's registered in the state!!

I1:)

[Pairallel]

I guess we're adicted too! 3 in 2 years (22 months)!

Think I got you beat?!?

'99 Odyssey
'02 Odyssey
'04 Pilot
'04 Accord
'00 Accord

- the last 3 all in an 8-month period!

Think I'm set for awhile though...now I'm focusing on getting my friends into Hondas.:D

[princess]

:up:

[anysia]

how many do you currently own? still-:thmsup: !!

i wouln't be surprised if people i know are placing bets on when i'll be getting a 4th!
:blush:

[hfp04v66spd]

for the one major reason if you ever need to get assitance from honda for a major problem a loyal service record with a dealer u feel good aboout is the easiest way to make sure you and your honda are fixed right and both honda and the dealer stand behind the product you love

[EXLNavi]

Now that I have a real garage, I'm doing most of my service at home, and it's great!

My dad taught me a lot when I was younger but that was mostly for older cars. However the internet and my Helm manual keeps me up to date.

[Accordlover]

I think that the question of where to service your car comes down to the place that treats you AND your car right, uses honda quality, or better parts, and ofcourse, has reasonable prices.

We use a Honda mechanic for most things, and we took the Accord to the dealer for the 90k mile service. I will be using my ind. mechanic next time, as my dealer did not impress on that one. Remember, the best kind of friend you can have is a mechanic!

Just my $.02

[princess]

Nope, the best kind of "friend" is a technician. I would NEVER take my car to a mechanic!! :paranoid:

As my now 8 year old grandson used to say when he was 4..... "A mechanic is someone who THINKS they know what's wrong with your car, a technician is someone who KNOWS what's wrong with your car." Yeah, he really said that!!! Same kid that knew all the makes of cars at 2.

If you've ever called the person at the dealer a "mechanic", it may be why they get snippy..... :lmao: My prince works with some mechanics.... he'll call them that as an insult. :yes:

[Accordlover]

Nope, the best kind of "friend" is a technician. I would NEVER take my car to a mechanic!! :paranoid

My bad, I used the word improperly I suppose.

In my view, a mechanic would be the people who work on your car in gerneral, I guess I could've said technicians. I trust my mechanic/technician(s). The guy who works on my car went through Honda Care training, and he's very sincere and goes the extra mile when he does services on your car. Something I truely appreciate!

[princess]

I was teasing.... but it's a pet peeve around here..... :D

[777]

I pretty much do all the regualr stuff - Oil Change, tire rotate, air and fuel filter.
I will bring the car to the dealer for: Trans, coolant & Brake flush. Trans at 25k and coolant & brake at 50k. And that pretty much takes care of the big serviceable items. I am not into paying $300 so they can check a bunch of crap, chg oil and rotate tires.

[///MMB]

I get mine serviced @ local dealers ever since it was new. Its got ~122k miles on it :)

[Amanda Moen]

I get mine serviced at Klein Honda in Everett. They've always been pretty good to us. But that could very well be due to our 30+ years of going there and being friends with the owner.

As my mom put it the other day, they have been very accomodating to me. Today I'm taking the Accord in and leaving it there. I couldn't get an appointment, but was told if I left it there they should be able to get everything done that needs to be done.

We get at least 10% off of parts and labor, too. Sometimes we get parts at employee prices, cuz we have a cousin who works there. The shuttle driver is also pretty cool.

[ezshift5]

I get mine serviced @ local dealers ever since it was new. :)



.......same here; singular tho' (dealer, not dealers)......

..the one near the world class university (whatever that means): oil/filter runs under three 10-spots (and they'll wash the car if'n you want)

Didn't buy there (but that's another story:hard to beat CarsDirect at 23.4)

cheers....

ez

[Lex]

I wish I trusted the dealer where I leased my '07 (for the wife).

That was the worst dealership experience of my life (Goldsboro Honda).

I wouldn't pee on those folks if they were on fire!



Lex

[stiller fan]

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

welcome aboard... :wave:

hope that your dealer / indy mechanic experiences get better.... :yes:

[anysia]

"threads from the dead" :lmao:

now let's see.... i take my tsx to the hubby. :biggrin: well, unless it's a warranty item, then of course it goes to the stealership. not putting many miles on my tsx though, so it has not needed much yet.... carpool~to cut down on aggravation. :thmsup:

his accord of course is mainly serviced by him, otherwise by the guys he knows at the local honda dealer.

[stevel]

Acura dealer and I don't get along so well..... I like the guy's that take care of my car at our Honda dealer, only one tech works on my car there. I take him and my service writer beer at christmas time. :)