Do i need to do all schedule maintenance at car dealership?

[dealcatcher]

Do i need to do all schedule maintenance at car dealership?

I own an acura 1.6 EL since 2000, i did oil & filter change, and tire rotation.. of course timing belt service... it seems to me that most of the schedule maintenance involve inspection only... i don't really want to pay for someone to take a L@@K and get paid ?!

My EL is now 202K already.. and still running fine except suspension need to be replace....

[BartBandy]

Acura rates are insane. Find a good local independent garage by word-of-mouth and try them for a simple oil change first, to see how it goes.

[Pete_Coach]

You have had the vehicle for 8 years now and this question is now coming up? You can get maintenance done anywhere that knows how to service Honda's.

[jm1]

My opinion is that dealership when you're in your warranty period makes sense because they have an incentive to find every little thing wrong as the manufacturer will cover it under warranty, and it's easier to get the manufacturer to cover a repair at a dealership than at an independent mechanic. Even when something was just out of warranty, I've watched a service guy at the dealership email the manufacturer to ask if they'll cover it under goodwill, and get an emailed response just a few minutes later. I doubt Joe the Independent Mechanic can do that as easily.

After the warranty's over, then it's a more easier comparison, and as long as your indep. mechanic is experienced with your car (and an EL is 90% a Civic, and a lot of mechanics specialize in "imports" and Hondas), go with the independent and save some money. In fact, a lot of the offical inspection stuff for regular maintenance is easy to do yourself. For example, "Inspect lights" would only be difficult to do yourself if you're Stevie Wonder. "Lubricate hinges": get yourself some spray white lithium grease. You don't need the official Honda White Lithium Grease.

[jason9945]

Do i need to do all schedule maintenance at car dealership?
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Yes, you do or else the car police will get you.

[EH100501AC]

You can either learn how to do all these things yourself or continue to cry about it and pay licensed technicians and professionals to do the proper work and preventive maintenance and inspections to keep your car running for several more years.

[SkylineGTR]

You can either learn how to do all these things yourself or continue to cry about it and pay licensed technicians and professionals to do the proper work and preventive maintenance and inspections to keep your car running for several more years.

Kinda agree with you. Everyone should learn how to do an oil change because it is probably one of the easiest, regular maintenance jobs.