Does everyone but me do the 30k, 60k, etc car maint?

[ERD50]

Just got an email from my Acura dealership with the recommended maintenance for my 2016 MDX. Check it out.


Recommended Services Service Date Price ("$")
*REPLACE SPARK PLUGS 6 CYLINDER : 7 YEAR/100K MILE SERVICE. 12/12/2023 425
*TIMING BELT PACKAGE : 7 YEAR/100K MILE SERVICE. 12/12/2023 1,550
*VALVE ADJUSTMENT 6 CYLINDER : 7 YEAR/100K MILE SERVICE. 12/12/2023 745
BRAKE FLUSH : 3 year rec 12/12/2023 191.95
GDI FUEL SYSTEM SERVICE : 30,000 rec 12/12/2023 231.95
MISC : Petra coolant additive with timing belt svc 12/12/2023 45
PCV VALVE REPLACEMENT : 7 year rec 12/12/2023 161.55
TRANSFER CASE SERVICE : 3 year rec 12/12/2023 174.95

Are all those things listed in the owner's maintenance manual? If so, and if the last time they were done was per the manual, it's not unreasonable. But yes, you likely can get it done much cheaper at an independent shop.

EDIT - got me curious about my 2016 Buick. Other than filters and 'inspect', manual says:

Plugs ~ every 60,000 Miles;
Coolant replace - Every 5 years, or @ 150,000 miles;
Accessory Belt - @ 150,000 miles;
Brake Fluid Replace - every 3 years (I'm behind on that, I haven't needed a brake job yet, should look into it.

And "severe" really only adds 45,000 mile Auto Trans fluid changes to that (and more often air cleaner filters changes - minor).

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

Originally Posted by Masquernom View Post
Think I'm around 70K miles right now. I'll probably keep it till I hit 90K then look to trade it for a hybrid of some sort.

Based on the recommended maintenance estimate I would be looking at trading it for that hybrid right about now.

I dunno, I'd lean towards keeping it - even with a $1K-$2K maintenance bill, I'd expect that another 3 years and 30,000 miles from that car will be a lot cheaper than the 1st 3 years of a new car (and the service on that car will roll around 3 years sooner).

If the timing belt is in the manual - don't skimp on that! I just saw, $161.55 for a PCV Valve replacement! That's usually a cheap part and a simple swap out with a few hose clamps. Those prices are way out of line, I suspect.

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

Just got an email from my Acura dealership with the recommended maintenance for my 2016 MDX. Check it out.
...

Further update, I just got curious, and looked up your manual.

http://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/OM/AH/BTZ51616OM/enu/BTZ51616OM.PDF

It's a little hard to tell, they rely on the 'codes' coming up on the screen, which is nice in a way, but w/o a miles/time schedule, it's hard to tell if I can group a few service items together. Like if I know I need an oil change and tire rotation, am I close to having another code come up? Should I do them all at once, since the car is in?

But you can infer some things from the footnotes - for example:

• Adjust the valves during services A, B, 1, 2, or 3 if they are noisy

Codes 1-6 appear to be increasing miles, and since code 2 has footnotes to replace at 15,000 miles if 'severe', I'd assume that code 2 comes up longer than that normally, like 30,000 miles?

And code 3 'severe' is 30,000, so maybe 60,000 normally?

And code 4 'severe' is 60,000, so maybe 90,000 or 120,000 normally?

Also: Independent of the Maintenance Minder information, replace the brake fluid every 3 years.


Also, I don't see any ref at all to changing the PCV valve. Sounds like the dealer is making stuff up (unless it was inspected and found to be clogged).

An Acura forum might have more decoding of these. Our Honda is the same way, I like to have the printed schedule in addition to these reminder codes (good for people who don't read the manual).

-ERD50

 

[pacergal]

We have a great little family run auto maintenance and gas station nearby.
They have done all of our auto care for over 30 years. Every car has gone over 150-200,000 miles. Current Toyotas get oil change and whatever is needed every 5-7,000 miles.

 

[Masquernom]

I plan to have them do the brake fluid flush and rear differential fluid. I'd normally do the rear fluid myself, but getting lazy in my old age. Then later this year, I'll have them do the timing belt. That includes new water pump.

No plans for valve adjustment. Not planning on spark plugs unless I keep it to 100K miles. The Fuel system service I assume is a dealer gimmick. I'll have to research the "petra" coolant additive. That sounds like a dealer gimmick too. PCV valve I can do myself.

So, I'm looking at $1,917 this year besides an oil change. I think they have discounts depending on how much you spend, so it'll be a little less than that. I don't drive a lot right now, so it's worth it to keep the vehicle I have. Plus, I'm thinking battery tech and hybrid vehicles will continue to improve, so waiting a few years to buy one will be a plus I hope.

 

[Masquernom]

On another note, I get my oil changed once a year now. The oil life indicator usually shows about 30% oil life left at that point. After the oil change, I reset the oil life. As far as I know, that resets all of the other maintenance reminders also. I've never had the indicators show up on the dash for any of the other items.

 

[GenXguy]

Based on the recommended maintenance estimate I would be looking at trading it for that hybrid right about now.

Saw a news story the other day about a guy who bought a used 2014 Hybrid for $16,000. Three years later, he needed a new battery, and the quote was $20,000 ($18,000 for battery plus $2,000 installation).

 

[Aerides]

Saw a news story the other day about a guy who bought a used 2014 Hybrid for $16,000. Three years later, he needed a new battery, and the quote was $20,000 ($18,000 for battery plus $2,000 installation).

Well that's the headline, but the details are less crazy:

According to Nerdwallet, the cost to replace a hybrid battery typically ranges between $1,000 and $8,000, depending on the make and model of the vehicle. “There’s no doubt in my mind that [Turner] could find a less expensive battery from another source,” said Karl Brauer, an analyst for iSeeCars.

Electric and hybrid vehicle batteries are warrantied for eight years or 100,000 miles. According to Brauer, the batteries regularly last much longer. “It’s not uncommon for these batteries to last 15-plus years and 150,000 plus thousand miles,” he said.

https://www.azfamily.com/2023/12/08/20k-hybrid-battery-replacement-shocks-arizona-driver/

 

[Ian S]

The Fuel system service I assume is a dealer gimmick.

Note the acronym "GDI" that describes the fuel system service. That refers to Gas Direct Injection which most newer cars have as it generally is more fuel efficient than the older technologies such as "MPI" or Multi Port Injection. With GDI, the gas is injected directly into the each engine cylinder while with MPI it is injected into the intake manifold just prior to the valves. The latter method is slightly less efficient but also provides a cleaning effect as the air-fuel mixture washes over the valves. GDI provides no such cleaning effect and over time and mileage, carbon builds up on valve components which can cause drivability problems. So GDI service is not necessarily a gimmick if you have a GDI vehicle. See this explanation https://www.thedrive.com/guides-and-gear/important-advice-for-anybody-with-a-gdi-engine

 

[John Galt III]

Back in my twenties I did all the work on my car I thought I could handle, since the mechanic charged me a weeks wages (my wages) for 3 hours of his work. That was bad enough. Then I got a recommendation from a Datsun dealer (my car) to come in for some 30,000 miles 'maintenance'. I saw all the overprices stuff like 'inspect' x, adjust 'y', adding up to over $100 (way back in the seventies). I called the dealer and asked for clarification. You want $30 to inspect my brake fluid level ? Answer : yes. My own mechanic, who I already thought was overpriced world do it for free, lol. That was when I found out that there are corporate entities out there who are complete ripoffs, and, amazingly, get away with it!

 

[rk911]

Just got an email from my Acura dealership with the recommended maintenance for my 2016 MDX. Check it out.


Recommended Services Service Date Price ("$")
*REPLACE SPARK PLUGS 6 CYLINDER : 7 YEAR/100K MILE SERVICE. 12/12/2023 425
*TIMING BELT PACKAGE : 7 YEAR/100K MILE SERVICE. 12/12/2023 1,550
*VALVE ADJUSTMENT 6 CYLINDER : 7 YEAR/100K MILE SERVICE. 12/12/2023 745
BRAKE FLUSH : 3 year rec 12/12/2023 191.95
GDI FUEL SYSTEM SERVICE : 30,000 rec 12/12/2023 231.95
MISC : Petra coolant additive with timing belt svc 12/12/2023 45
PCV VALVE REPLACEMENT : 7 year rec 12/12/2023 161.55
TRANSFER CASE SERVICE : 3 year rec 12/12/2023 174.95

Perfect example of why we never go to a dealer for anything but a serious recall.

 

[mystang52]

I adhere to the Owner's Manual recommendations and that includes changing the oil by time even if haven't accumulated the mileage.

 

[Masquernom]

Note the acronym "GDI" that describes the fuel system service. That refers to Gas Direct Injection which most newer cars have as it generally is more fuel efficient than the older technologies such as "MPI" or Multi Port Injection. With GDI, the gas is injected directly into the each engine cylinder while with MPI it is injected into the intake manifold just prior to the valves. The latter method is slightly less efficient but also provides a cleaning effect as the air-fuel mixture washes over the valves. GDI provides no such cleaning effect and over time and mileage, carbon builds up on valve components which can cause drivability problems. So GDI service is not necessarily a gimmick if you have a GDI vehicle. See this explanation https://www.thedrive.com/guides-and-gear/important-advice-for-anybody-with-a-gdi-engine

You're correct about the issue with GDI. At least some Toyota engines are GDI with a single MPI injector also. I suspect this dealer item is probably about the same as adding fuel injector cleaner to your gas tank. Not going to address valve carbon buildup. I'll ask next time at dealership.

 

[Dtail]

I adhere to the Owner's Manual recommendations and that includes changing the oil by time even if haven't accumulated the mileage.

I only do it by mileage

 

[Andre1969]

Just got an email from my Acura dealership with the recommended maintenance for my 2016 MDX. Check it out.

*VALVE ADJUSTMENT 6 CYLINDER : 7 YEAR/100K MILE SERVICE. 12/12/2023 745

PCV VALVE REPLACEMENT : 7 year rec 12/12/2023 161.55

Those two above really struck me as funny. Adjust the valves?! IIRC, that's something that went away back in the 1950s, with the exception of some high performance cars that had solid, vs hydraulic lifters. I think Japanese cars need valve adjustments every so often, more recently than domestics, but seriously, is that something that you still have to do on some cars?!

As for the PCV valve? Unless that part is horribly buried on your particular, car, that's like a 2-minute job. And often, no tools even necessary. Just pull the hose off, and pop the PCV valve out of the valve cover gasket, and replace. Or, with some modern vehicles, it might be a part that actually screws in, in which case you'd need a wrench or long socket.

 

[JohnRM]

Once a year

I do the oil change at a quick lube place, about once a year, we only drive about 6000 miles a year.

The dealership near here was sold to one of those outfits that owns a dealership for every brand of car, it seems. Next time I will get a car via Costco, but of course it will have to be handled by the same dealership, at least they will make less money.

 

[GaryInCO]

I stopped doing engine maintenance when I got rid of my ICE cars in 2017.
Haven't needed a mechanic since I switched to EV's.

Same here. I always was pretty religious about periodic maintenance of my ICE cars. My last one was a 2002 Saab 9-5 that I drove for 20 years and 200k miles.

But now... my Tesla doesn't need fluids, filters, belts, any o' that stuff. The brakes will probably outlast the car, because regen braking does 98% of the braking so the brake disks/pads get almost zero wear. Supposed to check the brake fluid every 4 years, but again that's not likely to be a problem. Things like the cabin air filter or the AC desiccant bag are supposed to get replaced every 2-4 years, but you could ignore those forever without much risk.

Some day it'll probably need new batteries, but the battery pack is warranted for 8 yrs / 120k miles, and typically they only show 5-10% degradation after 100k miles. Unless I get unlucky and get one of the very rare cars with battery pack failure, the chances of me needing any serious work are very slim. More likely the car will last longer than **I** do.

 

[Sunset]

Sometimes I suspect that the service department keeps dirty filters in the back to show customers that theirs need to be repaired. The way to avoid this is to write the date you installed your filter on the edge of the filter itself. If the service rep shows you one without your handwritten date, you know they are trying to cheat you.

Great idea, it will also help me, when I go to change the filters, I'll see how old they are and it could save me from replacing a filter I did just months earlier.

I do this on the furnace filter, so I can just look at it and know how old it is. Don't know why I didn't think to do it on the car(s) for air and cabin filters.

 

[KarenF]

I do every scheduled maintenance on my cars, without fail. Cars last forever if you do the maintenance.

 

[ERhoosier]

I stick to manufacturer scheduled maintenance as stated in my owner's manual. And always learn how MY specific car is equipped, including the engine. I have to keep correcting my local Hyundai stealership 'advisor' that keeps trying to tell me I need critical fuel system service because my car has a GDI engine. FACT is that many of that model, including mine, have MPI engines so fuel system service is NOT part of routine maintenance.
I used to do my own oil changes and more, but these days I just check fluids & battery regularly, and change my air filters as needed (it's easy).

 

[aaronc879]

I saw multiple people mention cabin air filters. I never even knew to change those. I have never done so in almost 30 years of driving. I have never even seen where one was on any of my vehicles. Can't be too important since I have had multiple vehicles over 100,000 without ever changing the cabin air filter.

 

[GaryInCO]

I don't think cars used to have 'em. I think they're a formerly "luxe" feature that's become normal, like power windows.

 

[ERD50]

I saw multiple people mention cabin air filters. I never even knew to change those. I have never done so in almost 30 years of driving. I have never even seen where one was on any of my vehicles. Can't be too important since I have had multiple vehicles over 100,000 without ever changing the cabin air filter.

Check your manual. They have been pretty common for the past 15 years, I'd guess. A youtube video will show you how to change them (usually through or under the glove compartment, they usually just snap in/out).

If they get clogged, you just get less airflow through your heater/AC. Might cause the AC to freeze up. But if you don't pick up a lot of leaves, etc, they can go a long time before clogging.

-ERD50

 

[Andre1969]

This cabin air filter talk got me wondering, so I did some googling. Turns out my 2023 Charger has one. From the YouTube videos I saw, it looks like you open the hood and access it through the fresh air intake vents on the passenger side.

I also learned, for the first time today, that my 2012 Ram has one, too! You have to take out the glovebox bin to get to it, but doesn't look too hard. Still, I'm going on 11 1/2 years now, and about 66,000 miles. And it usually sat outside. I didn't start garaging it until last summer. Airflow still seems fine, but boy I bet that thing's gonna look a mess!

Upon more looking, it appears I'm really late to the party. Even my old 2000 Park Ave Ultra had a cabin air filter. And my '03 Regal. Both of those designs came out for the 1997 model year, and had them from the start. Whoda thunk GM would have been so ahead of the times?

 

[Lron58]

Yes, I have them all done. I've only had one of a dozen or so cars that I put less than 100K up to 180K on them. So we keep them for the long term and maintain them very well. Most cars today will hold up to these high mileages if regularly change oil, rotate tires, and follow the maintenance schedules.