I have 47,000 miles on my 2009 Fit Sport and the B1 code just came up. Last September I had the car inspected at the dealer, and the front brakes and air filters replaced.

Looking at the dealer's web site, they want $140 for the B1 maintenance, but this seems to just be an oil + oil filter change, tire rotation and multipoint inspection, which I can get for $20 anywhere else.

Is this right? Or am I missing something about the B1 service that would make it so expensive?

Thanks,
Ralph

 

its basically the il change plus inspection, you could look at it as paying for labor of inspection, thats why i do my own maintenance. dealers prices are just rape.

 

If you're seriously only paying $20 you're getting what you pay for. You can barely buy 4qts of oil and a filter at the parts store for $20.

The tire rotation may also include a spin balance. But yea, you're paying the full msrp parts and labor price versus a loss-leader service to drum up business. I suppose the full service dealer may also include a car wash, so you there's $15 of value.
At a minimum is the $140 the fullpriced rate or a dealer "special" you probably could get it down to $100 on "special".

 

For most dealers, B1 is identical to A1. They replace the filter always. They always inspect all those points (they're looking for additional things they can make money on).

Just say, "Give me the A1 service." When I was taking it for service (couple trips during warranty) they were happy to oblige. Tell them to skip the rotation unless they do it for cheap. But at 47K your tire dealer will probably do that for free. Have them do the oil change.

Brakes have an audible wear indicator so don't go by their statement, "Brakes need changing soon." My experience is they started flagging this on their inspection when it still had 20% brake material left. Just wait for the wear sensors to wail.

 

I have 150,000 New York City miles on my 2011 Honda Fit. Several stops and starts per day. I can tell you matter of factly that all you need is either the $30 semi-synthetic oil change or the $50 fully synthetic oil change. You will also need a tire rotation.

As for air or cabin filter change it yourself. At 30k, I would do a 4 times drain and fill with DW1 fluid. $85 per case on ebay and you can do this in your driveway. I do one drain and fill every 7000 miles.

As for brakes, get those at Firestone. Firestone lifetime pads for $90. They will replace the pads for free if they wear down, but dont get upsold. They will tell you everything needs replaced. The $90 is just to lure you in. Dont take their other services. Just the pads. I do get the oil changed at Firestone for $50 (full synthetic). While its there, I have them check the pads Firestone has already replaced my pads once free of charge.

If you want more information on what I do, I have explained it here in all of my previous posts or just send me a personal message.

 

7k transmission service is for the terminally obsessive compulsive.

 

Just checked Firestone website $21 for semi-synthetic oil change, $50 for full. $10 additional for tire rotation.

 

If you have purchased replacement tires at a dealer- most tire dealers (Big O, Discount Tire, etc.) will do rotations for free.

 

Hi all, thanks for the great replies.

The $20 is a special at Big O Tires for oil + oil filter change, tire rotation and multipoint inspection. Can that be trusted?

I already had my tires rotated and air filters replaced last October, so do I need to do that again?

I don't have the skills to work on my car, so I just want to make sure I don't overpay for what the B1 requires.

 

Depends on how many miles. Tire rotations I like to do after 7,500 miles. Air filters are good for 30,000 depending on your roads (dirt roads will need frequent changes).

You will overpay if you go by any service adviser's advice. Keep track of maintenance and go by the MM.

I would trust Big-O (didn't they change their name recently?) to oversell service but do the work right. By getting you in for a $20 loss leader they hope to sell you other services that you may not need. (transmission and coolant flushes are big sellers).

 

i'm sure it can be trusted, in that they're not out to get you, but win you as a customer.

But another big factor you need to weigh is time.
Usually with these $20 deals, you call, and they say sure, but we'll need 4 hours before we can get to your car when you drop it off in the morning.

So part of it is you're paying a bit extra for a shop that isn't just doing volume and can give you faster service.

 

I called the dealer and asked why they charge $140 for the B1 service when there's apparently nothing special about it. They said they adjust your brakes, which the normal inspection does not include. When I told them that I had this already done last October, they said they recommend doing that every 10,000 miles.

Does this sound right? Or are they trying to justify the cost somehow?

I'm thinking of just going to Big O instead and saving the money.

 

Stay away from Firestone for oil. They over torque your bolts. And leads to stripping. I just lived through this. Take some time n watch DIY videos and do it your self. Very simple. Good luck.

 

Adjust your brakes? Nonsense.


One thing you might think about doing, just in case you don't trust the quick oil change folks, is to take a sharpie and put a mark on the oil filter- so you'll know if they changed it. Of course if you currently have a Honda filter on the car it's unlikely they'd use the same kind, so if you pick up the car and there's still a Honda filter on there...

 

All hydraulic brakes are self adjusting. The hand brake is not, but after 75K it has not needed adjusting on my car (if it engages at the right amount of lift, it's good).

The difference between A1 and B1 is $100 profit.

Big O should be fine.

 

might be a good time to change coolant too. my GE is also 09 and about the same mileage as yours. i did a drain/fill this summer and just today added distilled water to the 'maintenance-free' bs battery. there's really nothing special on this car you cant do yourself.

 

i chose to not do the B1 service when it came up. i too noticed that basically its the same thing but they charge for the inspection and rotation. i swapped out to my winter steelies and will rotate to my stock tires when summer hit, so i didn't need to pay 60 bucks for the rotation alone. besides they still do an inspection with the A1 service. they always do anyway, so they can upcharge you with whatever they find. oh and i got a nice little inspection checklist with a regular oil change.