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B1 service vs A1 cost difference...scam?

46K views 37 replies 20 participants last post by  LAhondaFan 
#1 ·
Hi all-

I completed my A1 service and it was $66 out the door. Now a year later, I am getting a notification for my B1 service and my dealership is quoting $150 for it. I said it appears to be same as A1 for the most part.

Dealer explained that the "the parking brake adjustment and suspension inspection are most of the cost difference". Do I really need a parking brake adjustment? I have never once used my parking brake yet.

Should I just do an A1 service again? Its a 2019 accord 2.0t sport. I bought it March of 2019 and its got maybe 12,000 miles on it.

Thanks
 
#2 ·
For a 2019 Accord, here's the difference between an A1 and B1 Service:
Link to Maintenance Minder Codes for your Accord:
Letter Codes
Number Codes

A1:
-Oil change (no filter change)
-Tire rotation

B1:
-Oil and filter change
-Front and rear brake inspection
-Inspect tie rods ends, steering gearbox, and gearbox boots
-Check steering linkage and boots
-Inspect and tighten suspension components if necessary
-Inspect all fluids
-Inspect exhaust system
-Inspect fuel lines and connections

$150 seems to be a reasonable price for a B1 inspection. All dealers in my area charge between $200 and $225 for a B1 on an Accord.

Do the B1 service. You said that it's been a year since you've done the A1 service. Essentially, you are going to end up spending $150 for a year's worth of maintenance on a car that you spent roughly $30,000 on. You bought a nice car- maintain it according to the maintenance minder's recommendations.

With 12,000 miles on the odometer- odds are that everything will check out okay- but you never know. Inspecting these components will ensure that your car is operating properly. Spend the extra $90 and have your car maintained per the maintenance minder. Just don't be surprised if your dealer recommends an alignment while they are servicing it. Refuse it unless there are signs that your car's alignment is out of spec- like uneven tire wear, drifting to one side, or some other obvious sign.

You spent 30 grand on a car. Don't cheap out on the maintenance.
 
#7 ·
Good advice. Ok thanks.

Does your state have safety inspections? Here the mandatory yearly safety inspections include inspecting all suspension components and the parking brake, and the inspection costs $12.50. And they're usually rigorous inspections because that's how shops make their money: finding stuff to fix. I'm definitely not saying you shouldn't get the service, just that it seems weird to me to pay the dealership money for something they basically do for free.
Yup, I am in Virginia. We have mandatory safety inspections.

Why, you don't park your car?
Ha, I do, but always on flat surfaces.
 
#3 ·
Put your parking brake on...shift into drive and release the foot brake...does the car hold? It's probably fine then.
Without knowing what your skill level is, I'd say this:
If you don't need someone looking at your brakes,suspension , etc and you can do that yourself, then just get the oil and filter changed and call it a day.

Some people never lift their hood up the whole time they own the car, they just gas & go...so that's why Honda(and every other make) has these schedules...they assume, and maybe rightfully so, that some drivers are mouth-breathing morons.
 
#4 ·
Does your state have safety inspections? Here the mandatory yearly safety inspections include inspecting all suspension components and the parking brake, and the inspection costs $12.50. And they're usually rigorous inspections because that's how shops make their money: finding stuff to fix. I'm definitely not saying you shouldn't get the service, just that it seems weird to me to pay the dealership money for something they basically do for free.
 
#9 ·
I go to a dealer only for warranty repair. It's a Honda Accord with 12,000 miles. Unless you notice something isn't right, look in your area for an oil change shop and an indie mechanic. Compare prices. Yelp.com is a good review site. Tune up your bull___t meter and shop around.
 
#10 ·
He doesn't have to go to the dealer to have the B1 service done- any trusted mechanic can do it. You can do it yourself too if you have the know-how. I agree that dealership service departments should probably be reserved for warranty issues.
 
#17 ·
First oil (a1) change was on complimentary by the dealer, the second oil change (b1) was 35 usd with a coupon. On both they checked all fluid levels, checked the tires, etc.I will do tire rotation myself when I will see uneven wear, it is all still great. I did change my cabin filter with high quality carbon filters twice which are about 13 a piece of amazon. Both 66 and 150 seems excessive.
 
#20 ·
Once I drive a new car off the lot, it doesn't go back to the dealer for service. I don't go back unless something breaks that's under warranty. When the MM money grab light comes on for service, I clear it immediately.
Oil change was doing every 7.5k miles. Now every 5k because we park and eat in the car a lot since Covid-19.
ATF every 30k in the 5-speeds. Nursing my 6-speed Pilot ATF.
Timing Belt Water Pump job with serp belt (inspect serp belt pully/tensioner) and coolant flush 90k.
PS fluid, when it turns dark.
Brake fluid flush, when I need pads.
 
#28 ·
I get an oil/filter change only from my dealer for $55. They give me a multi point inspection each time with like 30 things including everything in the B1 service and it shows the status of each item Red/Yellow/Green.
Bingo. Same here.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I got a trusted mechanic. He likes things with carburetors.

I got another trusted mechanic. He will fix anything. Like Cecil fixing the cat (SNL reference). Unless it is electrical. Or involves plastic. Or produces heat.

All joking aside, the problem with trusted mechanics is that we don't hire them enough to know their limitations and random people on yelp isn't always reliable. Fortunately my local guys are good at refusing to try something outside their skill set and referring me to somebody more specialized.

Of course that was in the past. I haven't seen the inside of private garage (or really the dealer's garage) since I started buying Hondas.
 
#29 · (Edited)
Dealer explained that the "the parking brake adjustment and suspension inspection are most of the cost difference". Do I really need a parking brake adjustment?
There are no adjustments required or even possible on the electric parking brake.

Mechanical parking brakes can require adjustment as the brake shoes wear and/or cable stretches. Electric parking brakes use a rotary actuator that holds the existing brake pads against the rotor. The actuator runs until the current consumption of the motor reaches a programmed value indicating that the required braking force has been applied then stops. Basically, electric parking brakes "self adjust" each time they are applied.
 
#30 ·
I just got my B1 service for my 2018 Hybrid Touring, at around 16,000 miles (it's my second oil change). I basically asked for an engine oil and filter change, plus a tire rotation, as "a la carte" services. The service advisor indicated that since they inspect a fair amount of things as part of their basic oil change service, about the only thing I wasn't getting (versus asking for the "B1 service") was inspection of brake pad thickness, calipers, etc.

When I got the bill, he had written it up as A1 service, in terms of pricing. (When they do an A1 service, they also change the oil filter, not just the oil.)

They have super-low pricing on basic oil and filter changes, as well as on tire rotation - the total was just under $60, including tax. (Honda full-syn 0W20 oil).

My maintenance minder seems to have been reset properly, afterwards - at least the oil life is back to 100%. I also put in a new engine air filter and also the cabin dust/pollen filter myself, even though not really called for yet. We've had a lot of smoke and ash in the air, from wildfires, and both filters were pretty dirty. I then reset the number 2 maintenance minder (covers both air filters) myself.

I think my next maintenance minder notice will just be for another A1 service, as far as I can tell.... I basically plan on doing air filter changes every other oil change, which so far would be about every 16,000 miles.

As a side comment - I expect the brake pads to last quite a long time, as with the Hybrid model, most light braking is provided by regenerative braking, and the actual brake pads only come into play with either heavy braking, or at the very end of light braking, when close to a full stop. You can sometimes tell when the transition from regenerative braking to the regular brakes occurs, if you really pay attention, but it is pretty seamless....
 
#32 ·
#33 ·
The ownership rule I chose to follow is this: If a brand new car is still within its 3-year/36,000-mile limited warranty period, I grin and bear the cost of whatever the maintenance minder coughs up. Once either one of those has been reached, I do what I want to have done on the car. That includes insisting on A instead of B, unless the car's odometer is nearing the 30K-interval mark. Those inspection blah-blahs, how do we really know if those techs did indeed check the items listed in the service manual? My recent experience is that no they probably don't. Because my parking brake was still "loose" even after giving in to that B service. Had to complain and raise my voice a little just to prove my point.
 
#34 ·
The ownership rule I chose to follow is this: If a brand new car is still within its 3-year/36,000-mile limited warranty period, I grin and bear the cost of whatever the maintenance minder coughs up. Once either one of those has been reached, I do what I want to have done on the car. That includes insisting on A instead of B, unless the car's odometer is nearing the 30K-interval mark. Those inspection blah-blahs, how do we really know if those techs did indeed check the items listed in the service manual? My recent experience is that no they probably don't. Because my parking brake was still "loose" even after giving in to that B service. Had to complain and raise my voice a little just to prove my point.
This is why it's important to know a trustworthy, experienced mechanic. The dealership is probably the very last place where I'd go for routine maintenance. You usually have no idea who is actually working on your car. Is it someone who knows what they are doing- or someone who is nineteen who just got hired yesterday? Who knows. Warranty work- sure, the dealer is the place to go. For everything else- use a trustworthy, experienced mechanic and save your receipts just in case a warranty issue pops up and you need to prove that you've done the maintenance.

I'll repeat what I said before. I really don't understand how some people are willing to pay $30,000 for a car but then want to cheap out on the maintenance. If the experts and Honda recommend a brake inspection (via a maintenance minder code), why not follow that recommendation? If you find an independent shop that will do that for free when you pay for an oil change? Awesome! Make sure that it's noted in the paperwork. If not, pay them to do it.

If you are worried that your mechanic isn't actually doing the work that you are paying them for- you need to find a new mechanic.
 
#38 ·
Funny I had the same question when I did my first paid B1 service sometime ago. I bit the bait and went for the B service just to see if I get a more complete inspection report or if they do anything additional. Turns out they pour a can of BG 44k in the gas tank for the extra $$$ of the B service. I can verify this with the spillage around the gas filler port.

On the inspection report, I somehow gained some tire tread after driving 5000 miles:unsure:. It must be the tire dressing working its magic. They measured my brake pad thickness which they didn't do for the previous A service, which makes me question if they actually performed tire rotation last time.
 
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