Am I being ripped off by my dealer?

It's time for me to have some maintenance done on my '97 Accord. It's got
45,000 miles (yeah, forty-five) and at least one thing needs to be fixed -- a
loud noise occurs whenever I press on the gas pedal.

So I called up my dealer today, and they told me I could do the "7-Year
Maintenance". They said it would include a change of the timing belt (my car
is still using the original). They said the entire maintenance would cost
$800. Is this a typical price for a "7-Year Maintenance" or am I being ripped
off? Thanks.

 

The MOST I have paid for ANY maintenance on ANY vehicle is $250.Mind
you,this is for maintenance where major vehicle systems are in general
good working order.I would say yes,that is an outrageous price for a
maintenance service.

 

So I called up my dealer today, and they told me I could do the "7-Year

Don't be a moron. No such thing as "7 year maintenance." But there is "sucker
born every min."




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The maintenance schedule lists both time and mileage. What they quoted
would be the 105k miles / 7 years (whichever comes first) service.
Timing belt change is not included in the service, and they charge extra
for it.

I don't know how easy access there is to the timing belt on that car,
but I paid more than $800 for 90k service + timing belt change on my
Civic last year. This was after getting more than half a dozen bids on
that service from dealers and independents. Northern California

 

Most dealerships have their own "Maintenance" schedules which are much more
extensive than what the vehicle mfg. call for. One might conclude that
they are looking to line their pockets .

I would either do it myself or find a well regarded local independent Honda
and/or Japanese vehicle specialist and ask for a quote on the exact services
recommended for your time & mileage based on your owners manual.

John

 

If you list exactly what the dealer is going to do for this $800, and whether
the cost of living in your area is low, medium, or high, people here might be
able to better estimate the fairness of this price.

Off the top of my head, I'd say it's not a total ripoff for a dealer. The dealer
price for a timing belt alone probably runs over $400 these days for Hondas. Of
course, who knows what they'll find with the loud noise you mention.

I agree with John about independent import car repair shops: Their expertise
seems about as good as dealers', and their prices are usually notably less. But
one advantage of going to the dealer is they usually check on recalls on your
vehicle (covered under warranty).

After you get your list of what the dealer is going to do, shop around.
http://www.cartalk.com/content/mechx/find.html might have some suggestions for
reputable mechanics in your area.

 

Off the top of my head, I'd say it's not a total ripoff for a dealer. The

Um no, $159.




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Is that parts *and* labor specifically for the 97 Accord (the original
poster didn't say if he has the I-4 or the V-6).

In January 2003 I got 12 quotes for replacing timing belt and water pump
un a '94 Civic. Prices ranged from $372 to $596. SF Bay area, Highest
price was Stevens Creek Honda. Lowest dealer price was Los Gatos Honda.

 

Cite the dealer and town where this is the charge for a timing belt and water
pump change.

My 91 Civic's first timing belt and water pump change in 1997 ran $160 at an
independent shop, medium cost-of-living town.

The second in 2001 ran around $250 at another independent shop, still medium
cost-of-living town.

The original poster can call around and get the latest prices at dealerships and
independent shops alike.

 

Forgot to add one more recent price I obtained from a local independent shop in
March of this year, in a low cost-of-living town: $411 for timing belt, water
pump, tensioner, cam seal, and crank seal.

 

Um no, $159.[/QUOTE]

Labor included? On a 97 Accord? Are you trying to get somebody to
believe in fairy tales? Are you trying to get him to go around and ask
for that job for $159? He'll come back and bust your ass after he gets
laughed at every time he asks.

What happened to your sig, pimp boy?

 

Depending on the car, that sounds rather high to me. I paid $350 Canadian
to have all of the above (as well as alternator and balance belts) replaced
on my '93 Accord two years ago. This was at an independent mechanic who
specializes in Hondas, and all the new parts were genuine Honda parts.

 

Why don't you just ask for another quote elsewhere?

Depending the cause of the loud noise, I wouldn't say that it is a rip-off.
Don't believe the idiot with his 159$ timing belt change; he has no clue.
350-400$ at the dealer is more like it. If it is automatic, make sure that
the tranny fluid is part of the deal.

 

I couldn't begin to judge this quote to be "rather high" without knowing a lot
more about Canadian prices.

The shop whose price I quote above also uses OEM Honda parts. I buy a lot of
parts there, and typically the part price is somewhere between what I'd pay
online and what I'd pay at the dealer.

What I did quote is inline with the other prices I listed:

$160 in 1997 (TB ℘ no tensioner; dunno about seals)
$250 in 2001 (TB & WP; no tensioner; dunno about seals)

So the "Honda repair inflation rate" was about 11.8% each year, on average, for
my former town.

Were I in the same town, and with the inflation rate continuing, the 2004 price
(without tensioner) would be $349. The tensioner costs $47 at Majestic online
(the shop I quote wants $52 for it). This brings the estimate using my former
town's inflation rate to about $400.

So I don't find this independent shop's price of around $400 particularly high,
and I wouldn't be surprised if it beats the dealer by a notable amount of
dollars.

I should add, for the original poster, the unfortunate experience of a
prematurely failed water pump in 1999. Also, I think it was the first timing
belt job that resulted in a badly dented oil pan (strictly cosmetic).Would these
have happened had I had all my car's work done at a dealer? Maybe not, as the
dealer likely would have used Honda OEM coolant and known how to support the oil
pan. (Re coolant: Back in the 1990s, I was using Prestone. Not sure what the
independent shops were using.)

Then again, in 2002, a dealer took me for quite a financial ride when my car's
distributor rotor kept coming off, leaving me stranded three times &*^%$. (I
eventually diagnosed the root of the problem, no thanks to them.) Another
independent shop followed suit in 2003, making a bundle off me for a new
distributor housing when all the car needed was a new coil. This is one of the
reasons why I do almost all my own work on my car these days.

 

like everyone said, be more specific.
at 7yrs you should have changed many things
anything rubber, all fluids, plugs, brake pads,
mechanical adjustments(alignments and such)
depending on where you live the exhaust system
might be ready. $800 seems high end but reasonable.

 

OK, I live in Montgomery County, Maryland, in a suburb of DC. I called up my
dealer again, and they said that the timing belt by itself would be $690. And
the "7 Year Maintenance" by itself would be $279. But if I do them both then
they'd just charge $800. They said the maintenance would include: changing
the oil filter, antifreeze, rotating the tires, adjusting the breaks, and
checking the air conditioning and battery.

If I try to find an independent shop, how important is it that they be an
expert in Hondas? And I probably wouldn't know if they are any good so I
might as well just pick one at random.

 

and the water pump?


the following is all foofoo nonsense:
rotating the tires, adjusting the breaks, and

 

I'd also ask if they were throwing in a new timing belt tensioner (approx. $50
part) and new alternator, power steering, and A/C belts.

Sounds like high cost of living (your area) dealer prices. I think you could
probably beat this by a few hundred dollars going with an independent shop,
hopefully with Honda experience.

If foofoo nonsense is nickel-and-dime stuff whose total charge should be under
$30 or so, then I agree with Mike.

The tires might need rotation. At what mileage were they last rotated? Supposed
to be every 7500 miles.

I'd search for an import shop specialized in Hondas. Ask them the cost of a
timing belt job that would include replacement of the water pump. Try the Yellow
pages, telephone shops listed there and ask, and/or go to the cartalk site...

 

A shop with plenty of experience in Japanese cars is a good idea. Don't
you have knowledgeable friends and/or coworkers who can give you good
references? In most of the places I've lived there are some shops which
have a widespread good reputation. Ideally you want to find a place which
several people have recommended.

Baring that, I would start calling shops which advertise themselves as Honda
specialists and which have been in business for at least four years.
Chances are that they are run and staffed by ex-dealership people who wanted
their own business.

John

 

Make sure that the cost of $690 includes a water pump and drive
belts...if it doesn't get a quote from another dealer cause they are
asking for too much money. I paid 2 years ago $600 for the water pump,
timing belt and drive belts on my 95 Accord. When the dealer changes
the water pump and timing belt, I'm almost sure that they need to pull
out the radiator to get to it so your coolant will be refilled as part
of the job.
If this was my car, what I would do is get the timing belt,
water pump, dirve belts change and pass on the maintenance. I suggest
that if you have not done so already, replace the air filter and spark
plugs which you should be able to do by yourself.

Good Luck,
Nick