An Alternative to the Honda dealership thread
 

This thread is for you to post alternatives to the Honda dealership. My experiences at the Honda dealership service department have been negative and expensive. I went to the dealership twice where they charged me $70 for an oil change/tire rotation. My next visit was for the 15000 mile service which was $200. When I looked at the invoice for the 15k service they had all sorts of stuff which I might have been able to do on my own like the air filter and wiper blades. Adding insult to economic injury, I had to wait a few hours for my car at each dealership in a waiting room which seemed out of the date and in need of an overhaul with bad coffee. The service advisors were none to friendly and too busy to be bothered.

Of course, for some here the local independent mechanic is an alternative and you can always do it yourself. However, one alternative that I am looking into is the Firestone Complete Autocare. They have branches all over the nation and use Kendall oil which is what Honda puts in their retail bottles. The pricing for just about everything at Firestone is a lot more tolerable then at any Honda dealership I visited. The waiting room, service and service times also seem to be above par and much better then any of the Honda dealerships I visited. They offer a free 19-point inspection with every oil change or a more comprehensive 200-point inspection for an extra $20.

I wanted to get my oil changed with full synthetic 0w-20 versus the synthetic blend oil. I asked my local Honda dealership what they charge for a full synthetic oil change. The service advisor got off the phone for about 5-10 minutes and then came back on saying it would cost $90 with Mobil 1. Hmmm....I just saw Mobil 1 on-sale at Walmart for $24/5 quarts. I walked into the local Firestone and they said they would do it for $61 and it would be with Kendall oil, the oil which Honda specifically recommends for their cars and places in their own retail bottles. Still pricey, but the service standards at Firestone seem a lot higher and turn times a lot faster then the local Honda dealership. I didnt ask, but I am guessing for the standard synthetic blend oil change would probably be 40-50 at Firestone. They charge $70 at the local Honda place.

You are in the right section. DO. IT. YOURSELF.

My experience with Firestone (and other national tire dealers/repair shops) has been quite varied. Even from visit-to-visit at the same facility.

Sometimes they do a good job...other times they don't. The personnel turnover is high. (I drove a company car for years, and was required to utilize this type of shop)



I'd recommend finding an independent Honda specialist and have them do everything specified by the MM. I know of two in north NJ that I usually refer.

just do it yourself. you should be good with oil changes for the first 100k miles

I agree you should DIY. I think oil changes with conventional at the dealer are usually a few dollars more, but when you want synthetic thats where they get you. You can do that same oil change for less than $30 and know it was done right as well. All you need is the start up cost items: Ramps, or jacks and jackstands, maybe an oil filter wrench, some tools which I'm sure you already have, crush washers that are dirt cheap, and a half hour of your time.

Funny because we just did an engine replacement because Firestone forgot oil and we just did some heads also because Firestone was doing a tbelt and set it up wrong... Lol as a tech at a Honda dealer I believe you are having a bad run at your local dealer. Remember your not just paying for service but for piece of mind. Bring your fits to my shop and I'm sure u guys won't be disappointed. Power Honda Costa Mesa

My Honda dealer just tried to screw me, I have an 08 w/ 96xxx mi, the CEL came on, I took it to advance and they told me misfire on cyl 2, ok, I changed plugs,(NGK iridiums) using anti-sieze, torqued to spec, dielectric on the coil boots, reset the light, drove awhile the taadaa! the CEL came back on, same thing misfire on 2, ok now Im thinking coil pack, my fit has a 5 year 120000mi extended warranty so I took it to the dealer because coil packs are covered, so now I wait 2 hours for the guy to come tell me ok you had a misfire on cyl 2 ( which I told them when I got there) and the problem was your sparkplug was loose, and it was gonna cost $82 for the diagnostic! I immediately called BS and told him what I had done and he basically called me an idiot and that I had no idea what I was talking about, I told him I refuse to pay $82 dollars for him to "tighten 1 plug" and turn the light off!! Finally he "fixed" it so I didnt have to pay. Well after all that, guess what? CEL back on, showing misfire on cyl 2! FML!!!

BTW, Its Honda North in Butler PA