air filter at 18k miles?

Took my 2010 Accord in for B1 service,
dealer says I need $120 worth of cabin and engine
air filters.

Total ripoff or what?

J.

 

Yes

 

What does your Owner's Manual say?

Are those filters included in the B1 service?

Part of the utility of the Owner's Manual is the schedule definitions that
were helpfully included by Honda. Not that anybody actually reads them, of
course...

 

I don't have the manuals here,
but apparently the rule of thumb is 15k to 30k miles,
and they are not standard B1 service.

Nor, apparently, are they included in the optional
Hondacare contract.

But I'm doing nothing but suburban driving, I would expect
them to last on the long end, not the short end, of
such a range. But googling around, apparently it's not
all that shocking to find them "dirty" even at the short
end. So, my guess is the dealer is being a little aggressive
about it, but maybe not outrageously so.

J.

 

Have a Toyota but ran into the same kind of push by the Dealer--They wanted
about $140 total for installing air filter and cabin air cleaner.
Aftermarket costs are about $16 ea (On-Line) and maybe about $35 ea at the
Dealer's. Both are relatively easy to install on my car. Check You Tube
for some videos on how to change them on your Model.
MLD

 

Then refuse the replacement. The dealer is trying pad his margins.

These engines draw so little air for the surface area of the filter that
the filter would need to be /exceedingly/ filthy to affect air flow.

The old carbureted V8s used to draw so much air that you could tell by the
sound of the intake when the filter was getting clogged. And the filter
could look fairly clean and still be clogged enough to reduce air flow.

Yours are just dandy. Leave them until Honda says to change them.

 

well, they put a couple of dirty ones in a bag and gave them to me.

I suppose if these were really mine, they look dirty enough to offer
to replace. Just how dirty they have to be to matter, I dunno - the
service droid was at pains to tell me it wouldn't hurt the car if I
left them in longer.

Car on lease, for better or worse I'd like to have the dealer do all
service, which should be minimal over three years.

And I might not be back to the dealer for another six months for the
next oil change. All in all ... marginal, but I guess OK.

J.

 

I forget where I was (probably taking one of my kids to a practice for
something) and one of the moms there asked me what I was reading. I showed
it to her and she asked where I got them. Told her form the glove
compartment and she should check hers.

 

Yeah, that service writer is ripping off management. He didn't even
mention the blinker fluid.

 

True, they are wear items.

Who defined that "rule of thumb"?

If they are not standard B1 service items, are they mentioned AT ALL in
the service schedule?

 

Actually there's no need to change the blinker fluid all.

Just pick up a can of any of the brand name blinker fluid additives/life
extenders at your favorite auto supply store. Put about two ounces in
the blinker fluid reservoir fill tube when you do an oil change.

Check your owner's manual for the reservoir's location. Some are a bit
hard to find-- and a bitch to get access to.

 

And don't forget to grease the muffler bearings...

 

@news.albasani.net:

Honda specifies that you must use only Genuine Honda blinker fluid.
Aftermarket fluids will damage the blinker system.

 

Which is why many dealers charge $180 for that.

Oh--that plus they use the special blinker fluid, the synthetic kind,
with long-life additives.

Nonetheless, blinker fluid change intervals remain the same.

 

But what about the bottle of additive they put in at every oil change?

 

Which is really strange. They specify only the Genuine Honda parts and
fluids in most cases yet in the case of fallopian tube relinings, they
make no recommendations.

Fickle... that's what they are, fickle!

 

Fallopian tubes are not remanufacturable, that's why.

 

Pretty much. But the dealer is not alone. I was amazed to be quoted $32.00
for the cabin air filter from an independent parts shop. And the damn thing
was just a piece of accordian filter paper, without even a proper frame.

It doesn't take much to add up to $120.00 at a dealer:

Air Filter - $18.00
Cabin Air Filter - $32.00
Crazy Dealer Labor - $70.00

It you are somewhat mechanically inclined, shop around and replace them
yourself. But look at yours first. They may only need a shake out rather
than a replacement at that low a milage, especially the cabin filter.

Oh, I find that mixing honey and canola oil in a 50/50 ratio makes a very
affordable blinker fluid.



Bob

 

Shaking out the engine filter is not a good idea. In fact overly frequent
changing of the engine air filter is no only unecessary, it may actually let
more dirt into your engine than serviceing a filter as specified by the
owners guide.

Ed