[dc5itr888]

Hi, Im new to the forums and have a 03 Honda Odyssey EX-Leather with 31,000 miles on it. (It's a 7 year old car and Im surprised it only has 31K on its odometer) It's my wifes and she recently took it to the dealership to have a routine Oil Change. While the car was there, they performed a courtesy inspection and gave her a bunch of invoices for parts and services the car will need.

My question right now is should I perform these services? Yes I know all cars are diff and some cars might need to change these parts sooner than other ones.But given this is a 7 year old car with only 31K, some of the stuff on here sounds pretty steep for something that doesnt cost too much from lets say a local autozone or pepboys.

Converter Heat Shield 275
Front Struts 680
Alignment 110
Transmission Fluid Bleed 198
Anti-Freeze Exchange 139.95
Brake Fluid Exchange 139.95
Power Steering Fluid Exchange 139.95
Spark Plugs 259.95
Timing Belt Package 887.47
Spark Plugs 259.99

Everything totaling close to 3K. And I dont think this price includes labor.

Am I better off ordering these parts somewhere online for example a honda oem parts seller ( any recommendations for the site) and finding a reputable shop to have them install this or should I bite the bullet and just have the dealer change all of this

 

[tdpark]

they are trying to rip you off! I would only do the fluid changes like transmission and brake fluid and the timing belt as it is recommended to get change at either 105k or 7 years.

Spark plugs and struts should be fine.

Everything else sounds like they are trying to rip you off. Is the heat shield rattling?

 

[dc5itr888]

I was told some sort of cover came off of the car a while back by a body shop that did some work on the rear bumpers of it. My wife said the dealer said something will rust and snap off if she doesnt get the converter cover because winters about to come...I drove the car yesterday and it does tilt to the right but not as drastic as other cars Ive driven that I know for a fact need a alignment done on it....

What is the life and mile expectancy on front struts? I found it strange that I need new ones at 31,000 miles even thou the car is 7 years old?

Thanks for the replies

 

[New Dad New Van]

OMG that is amazing that they would say that with a straight face.

Do not perform at those prices.

Converter heat shield - what is wrong with it, is it loose? repair or remove it if noisy.
Front struts at 30K miles - highly doubt you need new ones.
Alignment? when was the last one done? Does the van drive straight down the highway? This is a maybe.
Yes to the ATF drain and fill but not for $198. This is a potential DIY for the cost of 3-4 quarts of ATF Honda Z-1.
No to the anti-freeze exchange. Recommended at 105,000 miles or 7 years but I would stretch this to coincide with the timing belt service.
Yes to the brake fluid exchange. Should be done every 3 - 5 years. Again this price is steep.
The PS fluid exchange is a DIY too with a turkey baster for cheap.
Spark plugs are premium plugs and should only be removed and reseated with anti-seize at this mileage. They are recommended to be replaced at 105,000 miles.
Timing belt (with water pump- some change tensioner, idler pulley and cam/crank seals too at this service) is recommended at 105,000 miles or 7 years whichever comes first. I have low mileage too and only have 65,000 miles on my 2001. I will do the timing belt service at 10 years (next spring). Some say to do at 7 years to be safe (as a broken timing belt could ruin the engine). The price quoted seems reasonable.

I would buy the parts online and do some of this myself. $3,000? Yikes!

Don't forget the A/C cabin filter and air filter.

 

[dc5itr888]

OMG that is amazing that they would say that with a straight face.

Do not perform at those prices.

Converter heat shield - what is wrong with it, is it loose? repair or remove it if noisy.
Front struts at 30K miles - highly doubt you need new ones.
Alignment? when was the last one done? Does the van drive straight down the highway? This is a maybe.
Yes to the ATF drain and fill but not for $198. This is a potential DIY for the cost of 3-4 quarts of ATF Honda Z-1.
No to the anti-freeze exchange. Recommended at 105,000 miles or 7 years but I would stretch this to coincide with the timing belt service.
Yes to the brake fluid exchange. Should be done every 3 - 5 years. Again this price is steep.
The PS fluid exchange is a DIY too with a turkey baster for cheap.
Spark plugs are premium plugs and should only be removed and reseated with anti-seize at this mileage. They are recommended to be replaced at 105,000 miles.
Timing belt (with water pump- some change tensioner, idler pulley and cam/crank seals too at this service) is recommended at 105,000 miles or 7 years whichever comes first. I have low mileage too and only have 65,000 miles on my 2001. I will do the timing belt service at 10 years (next spring). Some say to do at 7 years to be safe (as a broken timing belt could ruin the engine). The price quoted seems reasonable.

I would buy the parts online and do some of this myself. $3,000? Yikes!

Don't forget the A/C cabin filter and air filter.

The car is not noisey at all...I believe they said a piece that is part of it is missing hence I need to change out and replace the converter heat shield. They said it will rust especially in the winter here where we get a lot of snow and salt on the roads. I just googled converter heat shield and that part seems to be bolted on the underbody of a car and not just a "panel" they said is missing

 

[gregersonke]

Yea, it would rust regardless if you bought the part or not. Don't listen to the dealer.

As for it pulling to one direction, check the air in your tires and make sure they are evenly inflated, then try it. If its still pulling, take it to a dedicated tire shop and tell them to do an alignment.

The only reason you'd ever replace the struts with that low mileage would be if the car was in an accident involving the front end and even then, it should have been found by the shop repairing the car and covered by insurance paying for the accident.

 

[odyohio]

My front struts have 151K on them and I'm just now considering replacing them. The "stealership" is taking you for a ride...

 

[chiody]

Just as a coincidence, the dealer was Carr's on Western Ave?

If so, steer clear of them ASAP.....

Good advice from member's on this thread though, especially New Dad New Van's response......

 

[dc5itr888]

The car was in a accident about 9 months ago. It was all cosmetic thou. My daughter was driving it and ramed it against a city bus. The only damage was the front left headlight and the bumper. The car drove fine and the bus driver was not even aware something hit it.

I will probably not replace the front struts hearing that odyohio still has his original ones for 151k.

wow I guess since my wife brought in the car they guess they can take advantage of people...

She took it to Honda on Pulaski down in the south side of Chicago.
Thanks for the great response.

 

[William Wiles]

Every dealer has a list of moneymakers that they try to get done based on age of the car. I have never taken a car to a dealer that didn't have a $2k-3k list of things that just had to be done. If you are concerned about and ubable to diagnose the items yourself take the list to a trusted independant and have them check it out. As mentioned above you are about due for the timing belt change which I would consider doing because of it's disaster affect on the engine if it failed.

 

[adam1991]

Well, don't get TOO upset. If they don't ask, they'll never get it. So they ask.

Is it unethical to ask? Well....they've chosen not to be in the business of taking care of you. You do whatever you like with that information.

There is a tech at Hugh White Honda here in Columbus--Donnie--that wouldn't hesitate to go to the customer with just such a list. So it does happen, probably more often than you think.

Disclaimer: I do use Hugh White Honda for service, but I use one specific tech each time. It's not so much about the dealership as it is about the individuals there.

So that all being said, this isn't a dealership issue exclusively. Indies can get caught up in the same mania for business. Think of it as two different business models: one where they throw the kitchen sink at you and it's up to you to know what you need and if they make you mad, you go away and they say so what; the other where they do their best to give you the best, most correct information up front rather than make you go look for it or become the expert.

Plenty of people would pull out the checkbook and have it done, and feel peace of mind. That's their business.

Glad you came here to ask. No, virtually none of that needs to be done.

 

[gregersonke]

I have no problems with dealers asking. Though, I do have problems when they change things to make you think something is wrong. I also have problems when they don't find the real problem and make you think its something else.

 

[dc5itr888]

Quick question...On my invoice they said "Timing Belt Package". What exactly is this package? Im thinking about buying the parts online and having a Independant shop perform all the work and as well as the fluid bleeds and changes.

Any recommendations on Honda dealership sites to get parts?

 

[adam1991]

"timing belt package" in general is all the goodies that generally need replaced in the same area of the engine--at minimum timing belt and water pump, plus probably accessory drive belts and possibly one or two other things.

The idea is that if you've spend the $500 in labor to get there for the timing belt, don't stop there--you should go ahead and replace the $30 water pump that's right there as well as the various belts that all have to come off anyway.

If you want to use Honda accessories, there are any number of online sources. It's best to search and start comparing prices and web sites, as they frequently change.

I use an independent shop anymore for quite a few things. They don't charge any less, but they're a block away (instead of 15 miles away) and their service is incredible. It's a typical grubby long time family owned gas station/service center, been there since dirt, but they know their business and they take care of their customers.

 

[Buffalo4]

I wouldn't worry about replacing the heat shield.
You can have the struts checked by bouncing the front end up and down and if it goes much more than one bounce after you stop, the struts may be bad. Have the front end alignment shop (not Honda) check them when they align your Ody.
The AT fluid is very easy to change esp if you use the 1 drain and refill method (takes around 4qts and a new crush washer). Use only approved AT fluid for Honda AT vehicles.
Anti-freeze totals less than 2 gal, I believe and is pretty easy if you decide to do it.
Brake fluid takes about 2 cans of Honda approved fluid and bleeding the brakes is also fairly simple. A good mechanic can probably do it in under 1/2 hr or you and a friend could do it in under an hour.
PS fluid can be done pretty simple also and only requires a couple of Honda approved PS fluid cans, if you actually flush the whole system. Or,you can just use a turkey baster type item and remove all the fluid from the reservoir and then fill it back up.
Sparkplugs should still be fine, but I would remove them and if they still look good, apply some anti-sieze to the threads and reinstall them. If they are the original plugs, I would recommend taking them out now and apply the anti-sieze just to make sure they don't end up seizing to the head.
It only takes a 1/2 hour or so to do the sparkplugs.
The timing belt price is reasonable if it includes the cam seals, crank seal, timing belt, timing belt tensioner , water pump, and other belts. It is difficult for the average person to change.
If you search on this forum, you will find the steps on how to do most of the above yourself.

I would do:
the AT fluid drain and refill one time. (wipe off magnetic drain plug and install new crush washer)
Drain and refill the anti-freeze.(follow procedure in owner's manual to get rid of air pockets)
Brake fluid replacement.
Power Steering fluid replacement
Remove sparkplugs and apply anti-seize and reinstall.
Alignment by a good shop.

Parts cost should be around $60US not counting new spark plugs or alignment parts if necessary. Your old sparkplugs should be fine.

Buffalo4

 

[gregersonke]

Quick question...On my invoice they said "Timing Belt Package". What exactly is this package? Im thinking about buying the parts online and having a Independant shop perform all the work and as well as the fluid bleeds and changes.

Any recommendations on Honda dealership sites to get parts?

Timing belt package typically includes new pulleys(bearings go bad), crank seal, cam seals, water pump, timing belt, and serpentine belt.

It's really not a bad deal for the 800-1000 bucks that most dealers charge.

 

[02-rrp-ex-2]

Just say NO. They are just trying to get $$$ from you.

 

[budy]

Hi, I have a 2000 Odyssey I love the van but I am so dissapointed with the way the dealership handled my ody repair.
My ody has 100k plus miles and I have "faithfully" had all repairs and maintenance performed at the dealership......well, I started to experience tranny problems which were not diagnosed as such. but were diagnosed as motor mount problems by the dealership certified mechanic. This guy should know the difference right,considering the experience and all tests and equipment they say they perform on our vehicles.

I was "assured" it was absolutley the motor mounts and not the tranny...so I had the mounts replaced.....cha ching'........and yep you guessed it I continued to experience a lurch upon acceleration....so I returned to the dealership and low and behold it was the tranny.....which they offered to fix for an additional $4,700.00 more.........
The dealership reasoning was : well, you've got over 100k miles on the van......and what we can do is offer you a discount on the "purchase" of another vehicle.....

The dealership took "no" responsiblity for the misdiagnosis......
of my ody lurching upon acceleration.....thier exact words were
"the symptoms are alike" I am stuck with dealing with this issue
because I have lost all faith in this honda dealership........
So please have another opinion.......I would suggest talking to your local companies that have a fleet of vehicles or a sole proprietor as to who they deal with for repairs to thier vehicles or vehicle..........I inquired with my local "trustworthy" heating and cooling company I deal with for all my heating and cooling needs.
They have a small fleet of vans.....

Good Luck.......
Budy in Michigan

 

[gregersonke]

You can get a better deal elsewhere. Also, talk to the general manager, I'm sure he'd refund the cost of the motor mount labor as part of a trans rebuild which shouldn't cost more than 3k. If they still refuse find a shop that deals with Gator or the other transmission company mentioned around here.

 

[e48766]

Budy, which dealer did you go to?