Should owner rely on maintenance minder or dealer suggested maintenance?

Here is why I ask.

I bought a new (3 miles on it) 2013 Honda Fit on May 10 2014. The Dealer scheduled a courtesy maintenance appt. for Oct. I called to reschedule that appointment. The following statements are true and developed because of the afformentioned situation

Kendall honda Dealer offers 1st oil change for free. They say 6months/ 5000 miles is suggested for routine maintenance (17 pt inspection) NOT the maintenance minder Honda installed in the vehicle. I called to tell Kendall the appt. set up for Oct. Was not in line with maintenance minder sched. And they should reschedule it for January. Kendall Rep says general maintenance reccomended 5k misses or 6 months at least get 17 pt. inspection. I ask cost difference. Rep says 17 pt. inspection without oil change costs same as 17 point inspection with oil change. Does that sound right? Maybe I am stupid.

I send email to Kendall honda asking "is your suggested Maintenance wrong or is honda's suggested maintenance via maintenance minder wrong?" I also asked why is 17 point inspection with and without oil change the same price? I asked for response to be via phone. That didn't happen.

A couple weeks later I got a letter informing me that I had a courtesy Maintenance appointment for mid January. No phone call, No comment about cost of services with or without oil change, no communication whatsoever except new appointment scheduled (without your consideration) on this date at this time.

 

Big Honda wants the car to work right. Local Honda wants you to come in regularly and spend money in their shop. Each one has a recommended maintenance schedule designed to accomplish their respective goals, and neither schedule is wrong, as such.

As to the price difference, most places aren't trying to make money on oil changes- they just want to get you in the door. Parts for an oil change are billed as a kit which is set up to hit a price point so that they can say "an oil change is $29.99" or whatever. The prices for filters and individual quarts are going to be round numbers that add up to the kit price, and that's it. The only practical reasons for billing them out at all is inventory control and internal accounting. We also use it to save time- without having to look up an oddball oil filter, we can just check to see what we billed out last time.

Just leave the price differences alone- asking them to only check 10 of the 17 points isn't going to cut the package price one bit, and asking them to not change the oil isn't going to change the price either. You're also going to run a serious risk of getting tagged as a complete idiot and never being treated like a real person.

 

Keep in mind, a "17 point inspection" means they literally look at (aka "inspect") 17 things. If I glance at your brake fluid and coolant levels, then I just did a 2 point inspection by moving my eyeballs. In other words, what a ripoff.

Just follow your maintenance minder. Disregard the dealership. A lot of them just want to upsell and make money off any potential victim, exactly like shady mechanics.