[StratPlayer64]

Is this standard dealership practice?

It's been exactly one year and my Accord Touring went in for it's first oil change and service plus Pennsylvania State Inspection.
About an hour after I dropped it off I get a call from the dealership. They said I should have a front-end alignment. They recommend it every 10.000 miles.
I asked if the tires were wearing unevenly and they said no. I politely declined. It would have been $95 plus tax.
I did have to pay the PA State inspection/emissions ($88.00).

How many of you get a front-end alignment every 10,000 miles?

 

[MartyV6]

Is this standard dealership practice?

It's been exactly one year and my Accord Touring went in for it's first oil change and service plus Pennsylvania State Inspection.
About an hour after I dropped it off I get a call from the dealership. They said I should have a front-end alignment. They recommend it every 10.000 miles.
I asked if the tires were wearing unevenly and they said no. I politely declined. It would have been $95 plus tax.
I did have to pay the PA State inspection/emissions ($88.00).

How many of you get a front-end alignment every 10,000 miles?

Dealer: "We recommend that you pay us at least a few hundred dollars each time you come in. To ensure the safety of our profit margins"

 

[mtts60]

Worse yet, it's possible they would have charged you for it, but probably not actually do it.

 

[14v6]

Some of these dealers have fancy equipment that checks alignment and a whole bunch of other stuff (with pics) at the service drive. Ask them for a printout showing how far out of spec it is so you can report back here. When they say stuff like an alignment is recommended every 10k do they mean a check or $99 for an alignment check followed by an actual alignment if necessary.

You could always ask if they offer lifetime alignment and the cost. It's sometimes less than paying for 2 alignments. Or tell them you already have lifetime alignment at your tire shop. These places go for the low hanging fruit I get it.

One time with tires I paid a local shop for one of those hazard warranties. I get a nail close to the edge. They tell me I'll need a new tire. I say great, I have the hazard protection. The story changes real quick, they plug the tire and say the plug will last the life of the tire..

 

[Bimmer74]

How many of you get a front-end alignment every 10,000 miles?

Not every 10K, but it probably works out to an average of once per 10,000 miles, but I'm also a big fan of getting alignment just right to improve handling (it's not just about the car going down the road straight and the tires wearing evenly).

Alignment straight from the factory is typically way far off... Mine wasn't in spec, and neither was the other guy on this forum who had a new Accord checked.
Even if it's "in spec," the specs are typically soooo broad that the alignment can be really screwy and still technically "in spec."

Also, my local tire shop checks alignment for free, and they only charge if they need (or I want them) to make adjustments.

 

[Accord_Mike]

Not every 10K, but it probably works out to an average of once per 10,000 miles, but I'm also a big fan of getting alignment just right to improve handling (it's not just about the car going down the road straight and the tires wearing evenly).

Alignment straight from the factory is typically way far off... Mine wasn't in spec, and neither was the other guy on this forum who had a new Accord checked.
Even if it's "in spec," the specs are typically soooo broad that the alignment can be really screwy and still technically "in spec."

Also, my local tire shop checks alignment for free, and they only charge if they need (or I want them) to make adjustments.

The problem with a lot of those big box tire shops that do alignments is the calibration of the fancy alignment rack which costs them money and the experience of the tech that’s working on it. Those alignment racks need to be calibrated periodically and that costs them money which I’m sure they don’t want to spend. If they’re inexperienced, lazy and the machine is not calibrated properly, you’re not going to get a good alignment.

Some places do good alignments, but a lot of them don’t so it’s kind of a hit or miss of what kind you will get when you go there. The only way to ensure you will get a good alignment, or perhaps a better alignment for increased handling is go to a specialized place that does high performance vehicles. It’ll cost you more to do it that way and you won’t get that gimmicky “lifetime” crap, but at least you know you will get a good alignment without any of the tricks or scams that a lot of tire shops or the dealer will try to pull on you.

 

[jal142]

Is this standard dealership practice?

It's been exactly one year and my Accord Touring went in for it's first oil change and service plus Pennsylvania State Inspection.
About an hour after I dropped it off I get a call from the dealership. They said I should have a front-end alignment. They recommend it every 10.000 miles.
I asked if the tires were wearing unevenly and they said no. I politely declined. It would have been $95 plus tax.
I did have to pay the PA State inspection/emissions ($88.00).

How many of you get a front-end alignment every 10,000 miles?

It's pretty much standard practice now. The Mazda dealer where I bought my previous car had a "drive over" alignment checking machine. Any time you brought the car in for any reason they drove it over that machine.

The whole point of two years of "free" maintenance is to get you into the service department, so they can upsell you wiper blades, cabin filters, etc. Just say no...

 

[PHCH]

Not every 10K, but it probably works out to an average of once per 10,000 miles, but I'm also a big fan of getting alignment just right to improve handling (it's not just about the car going down the road straight and the tires wearing evenly).

Alignment straight from the factory is typically way far off... Mine wasn't in spec, and neither was the other guy on this forum who had a new Accord checked.
Even if it's "in spec," the specs are typically soooo broad that the alignment can be really screwy and still technically "in spec."

Also, my local tire shop checks alignment for free, and they only charge if they need (or I want them) to make adjustments.

You would be surprised how many alignments are off right from the factory. My wife's new CRV was off with 6k on it. Not much though

 

[Slagmi]

I have only found one area dealers service dept. that won't try to sell you some additional service on every scheduled visit. Sadly they are not a Honda dealer but we do continue to do business with them for many years now. This is the type of dealer that will generally put new brakes and tires on the used vehicles they sell.

 

[Bimmer74]

The only way to ensure you will get a good alignment, or perhaps a better alignment for increased handling is go to a specialized place that does high performance vehicles.

Agreed... In my locale, it's "Charles" at the local Les Schwab tire shop.

He's a tuner guy, and though he's working at a big box store that sells only no-name Chinese tires, he "gets" performance alignments.

 

[mfuchs1]

My Honda dealer told me that they are reimbursed $130 for each "complimentary maintenance" visit. they told me the "A" service is $90 so it is covered but when I come back for the "B" service I will have to pay the difference between the $130 that they are reimbursed and the $269 that they say the service costs. So my "complimentary maintenance" will cost me $140. Has anybody else been told that this? Dealer is Stone Mountain Honda (Formerly Carey Paul Honda)

 

[Slagmi]

My Honda dealer told me that they are reimbursed $130 for each "complimentary maintenance" visit. they told me the "A" service is $90 so it is covered but when I come back for the "B" service I will have to pay the difference between the $130 that they are reimbursed and the $269 that they say the service costs. So my "complimentary maintenance" will cost me $140. Has anybody else been told that this? Dealer is Stone Mountain Honda (Formerly Carey Paul Honda)

Yes.

It's my understanding the complimentary is inspections, oil changes, oil filter and tire rotation only.

B service involves more.

There is a maintenance plan that can be purchased separately. It's a bargain as it covers all items listed in the owners manual as periodic maintenance including fluid changes, cabin filter that are part of the B services.

The plan I bought was maintenance wrap M14. 3y /45k. It must be bought while the car is under 12000 miles and while still under the complimentary.

 

[The Hard Truth]

Is this standard dealership practice?

It's been exactly one year and my Accord Touring went in for it's first oil change and service plus Pennsylvania State Inspection.
About an hour after I dropped it off I get a call from the dealership. They said I should have a front-end alignment. They recommend it every 10.000 miles.
I asked if the tires were wearing unevenly and they said no. I politely declined. It would have been $95 plus tax.
I did have to pay the PA State inspection/emissions ($88.00).

How many of you get a front-end alignment every 10,000 miles?

Negative - When Purchasing New Tires only. This seems very suspicious.

Firestone ( Bridgestone Tires) offers a lifetime Alignment for $200 that covers an alignment every 6,000 miles ( excessive)

 

[Dingmans Ferry]

If you're near Northeast PA I've found the East Stroudsburg Honda dealership off 33 to be quite reputable & fair.

 

[Donpaul0]

Is this standard dealership practice?

It's been exactly one year and my Accord Touring went in for it's first oil change and service plus Pennsylvania State Inspection.
About an hour after I dropped it off I get a call from the dealership. They said I should have a front-end alignment. They recommend it every 10.000 miles.
I asked if the tires were wearing unevenly and they said no. I politely declined. It would have been $95 plus tax.
I did have to pay the PA State inspection/emissions ($88.00).

How many of you get a front-end alignment every 10,000 miles?

You should report them to American Honda. Things like that get dealer allocations cut (sez the sales manager at my excellent dealer). Just had my first free maintenance on my 1 year old Sport Touring CRV, which includes tire rotation and full point inspections. It would have been totally free, but I need a NY state inspection. 10 bucks.

 

[StratPlayer64]

You should report them to American Honda. Things like that get dealer allocations cut (sez the sales manager at my excellent dealer). Just had my first free maintenance on my 1 year old Sport Touring CRV, which includes tire rotation and full point inspections. It would have been totally free, but I need a NY state inspection. 10 bucks.

Here in PA we have state inspection and emissions. It's funny how the free maintenance includes checking over everything, but they have to then charge you for the state inspection which is all the stuff they checked anyway! It cost me $88.

 

[TheOriginalTwoTone]

Here in PA we have state inspection and emissions. It's funny how the free maintenance includes checking over everything, but they have to then charge you for the state inspection which is all the stuff they checked anyway! It cost me $88.

You don't think the GOV doesn't get a cut of every sticker they slap on a vehicle?
Be mad at your GOV not the dealer.

 

[slimm1469]

Some of these dealers have fancy equipment that checks alignment and a whole bunch of other stuff (with pics) at the service drive. Ask them for a printout showing how far out of spec it is so you can report back here. When they say stuff like an alignment is recommended every 10k do they mean a check or $99 for an alignment check followed by an actual alignment if necessary.

You could always ask if they offer lifetime alignment and the cost. It's sometimes less than paying for 2 alignments. Or tell them you already have lifetime alignment at your tire shop. These places go for the low hanging fruit I get it.

One time with tires I paid a local shop for one of those hazard warranties. I get a nail close to the edge. They tell me I'll need a new tire. I say great, I have the hazard protection. The story changes real quick, they plug the tire and say the plug will last the life of the tire..

Most dealers have a third party do their alignments. They don't want to buy exremely expensive equipment, another lift and an alignment staff. I've been to three Dallas Honda dealers, they go third party.

 

[terrapinsfan]

My dealer suggested a $179 vent cleaning service at my first oil change. I politely declined.

 

[MartyV6]

My dealer suggested a $179 WALLET cleaning service at my first oil change. I politely declined.

Hey I fixed that for you