CallBox

Had a coupon, went to Honda Dealer for an oil change. They come back with thousands of dollars in work needed on my 2008 Civic EX with 185k miles

1) Water Pump Package $648
2) 4 CYL- Valve Adjustment due every 100k $369
3) Replace 4 spark plugs due every 100k $169
4) DCARB Fuel INJ SVC $149
5) Power Steering Flush $111
6) Brake Fluid Flush $101

Subtotal of $1,547

They had suggested a few other things we DIY'ed; brake pads,rotors,shocks,battery, air filter, you know simpler stuff.

I honestly had never even heard of a cycle valve adjustment; does it seem like these items legtimately need to be done or is it just a Honda dealer trying to make what was originally $3,600 (minus the DIY) off me?

Thank you

ezone

WHY

Is there a water pump leak that requires attention? (rare IMO as long as HONDAS coolant has been used)
WTF is a "package" for that absurd amount of money?
If it is due for the coolant service, simple drain and fill/burp DIY with the correct coolant.

Valve adjust is recommended as periodic maintenance. See your owners manual. Price is high IMO.

Plugs every 100k according to your owners manual. Is your car due? DIY it if you can. Buy the correct NGK or DENSO plugs though.

Skip fuel inj service. That won't be found in your owners manual.

If you have a turkey baster and the right fluid you can DIY the power steering fluid.

Brake fluid is to be replaced every 3 years according to your owners manual.
Plenty of DIY guides, 1 or 2 person job.


No transmission fluid service recommended?
No air and cabin filter set?
Alignment?
Blinker fluid?




Bottom line: Of course a shopping list was made, that's how this works.
(At almost 200k I can usually find quite a bit of stuff to write on my list....legitimately.)
Nobody is holding a gun to your head.....You are free to buy as you want, or decline as you want.

You have to know and keep track of your own cars service history so YOU know what has already been done....because most of the time nobody can tell otherwise.

Pay attention to safety items and critical stuff like lights and brakes and suspension.
If you have a regular mechanic you trust, Second opinions can be quite valuable.


Hahaha...That's "4 cylinder valve adjustment"

CallBox

I should have included in the original post originally my parents drove the car and while they did maintain it, they kept spotty records haha.

I have not seen any leaks of any sort and yes it is expensive when water pump parts are about $80.

I didn't see mention of the valve adjustment in my manual.

Manual does mention which spark plugs to get but not how frequent. I also saw nothing about brake fluid flush.

Good to hear about skipping the fuel inj service.

Transmission was done last year

They recommended air filter, but rather than pay $50 I did it myself for $20, same for cabin air filter. I'm gonna do those every year or 12k.

Alignment? Yes, forgot to mention that. I did get one tire replaced few months ago, I thought they did an alignment anytime you got a new tire.Or is that only the case when all four tires are replaced.

Blinker fluid? IDK what that is.



You have to know and keep track of your own cars service history so YOU know what has already been done....because most of the time nobody can tell otherwise. - Yes I am now that I have complete ownership of the car.

Pay attention to safety items and critical stuff like lights and brakes and suspension.
If you have a regular mechanic you trust, Second opinions can be quite valuable.


Thank you so much!!

ezone

Ask if the services were all done at the dealer or a single shop, maybe they can provide a transcript of their records...or at least tell you when and which services were done in the past.


Don't replace a pump just for the sake of replacing it.

DO replace the coolant when it's due.
It's in the Maintenance Minder section....Sedan p229...MM item #4, will come up every 100k.
MM #4 again
NOTE on p229 below the MM chart.We recommend to do the trans fluid service every 30k or even more often.....which is usually a lot more frequently than what the MM says.

Reason: we know what happens if you don't.

12k is overkill unless you drive in a constant dust cloud. Just look at them once a year and decide then.

If normal driving, 25-30k is pretty average filter life.

Never, not unless there's a line specifically for alignment on your work order. It will be spelled out.
If you only bought a tire, you got a tire.

I try to include alignment with any estimate for a set of tires, though there can be legit reasons not to. There are plenty of reasons to do an alignment by itself too.

CallBox

Wow, I totally missed that!!! Yeah I see what you are saying about the spark plugs and Valve adjustment. Honda recommends both every 100k. My issue is I don't remember if "4" came up when I took it in for the oil change. It seems kinda strange to me that if "4" DID come up, they would reset it without me agreeing to do the spark plugs and or valves. But again I can't remember if the "4" came up or not.

Thanks

ezone

#4 came up at around 100k miles. It will come up again near 200k.

You as the driver (or your parents) would not see the service item codes displayed in the odometer screen unless you wait til the wrench light comes on.
If you just take it in for oil changes every 3000 or 5000 miles you might never see the wrench light and 15% message at all.

Otherwise without the wrench light on, the only way to view the service code #s is to do the first half of the reset procedure.....and many lower skilled people changing oil (and probably most non-Honda dealer people) don't know what those codes are or don't care.

CallBox

We would wait until 15% MM came up for oil

Since I have you here, I'd like to see your opinion on car batteries, I currently have a 4yr old Bosch that came with 36/96 warranty, but it cost twice as much as Costco's Interstate battery ($69 plus tax/fees). What's your view?

Thanks again.

ezone

IMO batteries can really be hit-or-miss items....and high heat (south and desert) seems to shorten the average lifespan.
Hondas labeled replacement batteries carry a 100 month prorate warranty (personally, I'm not a fan of the prorate warranty system), and ours come on an interstate truck...


I've always had good luck with interstate in my own cars over the years--but I've also dealt with cars that had good luck with the cheapest batteries on the planet as well LOL
And there's the occasional stray that just craps the bed way too soon no matter who made it.
Some people ruin batteries and it's not really the fault of the battery.

Flip a coin.

google something like "which company makes batteries for walmart" and similar phrases, you can probably figure out who is selling what under different labels


If you want some rating system, check consumer reports.

CallBox

Well, they did my alignment today and the printout had all green/gray except for on red item.

My front left camber was "-.6" which is out of range ".5 - (-5)' I forgot to ask them about it in person, so I emailed them (after hours).

Shouldn't they have "Fixed" it so it wasn't out of range anymore??

Water Pump quote dropped to $598, they said I wouldn't have a warning if my water pump fails and it could cost thousands of damage to certain parts(forgot which ones they said)

They also recommend a coolant flush $99

I'm gonna cave in and get the 4 cyl valve adustment, its due haha.