I am trying to get a quote from a dealer for valve adjustment, plug and coil packs. This is for 2011 Fit currently at 138k mileage. There is no misfiring or CEL.
The valve adjustment seems reasonable but for coil packs and spark plugs its not.

Here is what the dealer quoted me.

Valve Adjustment Clearance $208.99+tax

Spark Plugs $149.99+tax

Coil Pack Replacement (Recommended if needed and misfiring) $740.99+tax—We do need to order these parts. At this time we do not have these in stock.

 

At the dealership, I was quoted about $800 for Coil Replacement...Last year we had a tune-up including the spark plug replacement and that price sounds about right...Labor is usually more expensive at the dealership, also, they may charge a minimum rate for labor even if the install takes less time. If you're not comfortable with the quote, definitely check around with some good local referrals. Best of luck

 

Probably I'll have the dealer do valve adjustment and after that I'll do the spark plug and coil packs.
I'm not confident enough to open the engine and adjust the valve by myself.
How long does the engine needs to be cold before doing the valve adjustment? If I decide to have the dealer do it, then maybe I should leave it there overnight?

 

Yep, that's what I did. As long as the OEM spark plugs are not so tight as to cause you worry about snapping one off when you take it out, it is a pretty simple job. Also, I sent a note out to 5 area Honda dealers asking for a price on the valve adjustment. You think they all work off of the same "book rate?" Think again. I got a wide variety of quotes. Just depends on who is hungry for business.

 

So how much did you pay for your valve adjustment?

 

I paid $170 after all shop fees and taxes. In fact, the dealer that did the work was not the one who quoted me that price. I took the lowest quote and brought it over to my neighborhood dealer. As long as I could show that the e-mail/quote came from a genuine Honda dealer in the same metro area, they agreed to match it. As I recall, I had ridiculous quotes thrown at me as high as $250 before taxes and shop fees.

 

Did you leave the car overnight? I remember that the engine should be cold before doing the adjustment.

Thanks.

 

I'd pay for the valve adjustment but you can easily do the plugs yourself ($10-$15 each). If you aren't getting any CEL, why change the coil packs? If there is a problem later you can change the coil packs yourself based on past experience changing the plugs (have to remove the coil pack from wiring harness to remove the spark plug). Car parts stores have the coil packs for $100 each.

 

So i dropped my car around 8am this morning for the valve adjustment and told me that it should be ready by 4pm. Which is fine since the engine needs to be cold before doing this procedure correct? But after 4.5 hours, the dealer called and said that my car is ready. Now I'm wondering if they really did the adjustment.

 

you should have painted or put tape on the manifold see if they actually opened it.

 

i think they did because one of the plastic clip that holds the MAF sensor cable was broken. And i can hear the difference of the sound of the engine. For $185 its a good deal.

 

Valve adjustment is very easy on the Fit...the hard part is removing the cowl and intake.

 

Thankfully, the GD is even easier. No removable cowl because it's not necessary. Motor is exposed.

 

After the adjustment my car sounds a little louder with tapping sound. Here is the link.
https://youtu.be/fA-YXHjeID8

Is this sounds normal?

 

all 4 bangers are noisy, if exhaust smells clean and no CEL then it should be good to go. The dealer wouldn't send it out if it wasn't normal or throwing codes.

 

Other than few wire harness holder broken, i also found one of the clip for the airbox is missing. I went back to the dealer and complained about it.
But the parts are not in stock so they ordered it and will let me know once its ready.
After the adjustment, my MPG is about the same as before around 34-35mpg. There is no gas smell in the cabin but the exhaust smell from the muffler is pretty bad. So i will check the plugs.

 

Just as a reminder:

To adjust the valves, you need to remove the valve cover.
To remove the valve cover, you need to remove the coils.
To change the spark plugs, you need to remove the coils.

So, if you're doing a valve adjustment and you're planning to change the coil and spark plugs, it's a good idea to do everything at the same time. This way, you will save on labor time, unless the dealer wants to rip you off.

 

Yes the dealer is charging me $150 for spark plugs that's why I said just do the valve and I'll change my plugs myself.

 

My head is swirling on this one trying to sort out the amount of work for the the $ and why the coil and plugs would be so much $ if they have to remove the coil packs & spark plugs to do valve adjustment anyway. Should only be paying for parts at that point. Seems like they are taking the full price as if each job is done in a vacuum without regard that the whole process wouldn't require the same amount of labor.

 

Its really common for dealerships service dept to do this stuff..

I had a Isuzu Trooper years ago that needed the timing belt done, the timing belt drives the water pump, I asked them to change the water pump at the same time since its like 800 bucks to do the belt.. They tried to charge me the labor as if they were separate services,,, IE: 1600 bucks.. Had a lively discussion with the service manager over it.. They finally dropped it to 1/2 hour labor for the pump which I thought was fair-ish, gotta r&r the pump and clean surfaces and such.. The 3.5 V6 90's troopers were a B**** to work on..