Service Minder B1234
 

Sorry for the repost, I acidentally posted this once already in the general forum. Thought I was in the Civic section at the time. Anyways...

Anyone have this sevice completed yet? Just curious how much you all spent and if it was completed at a Honda Dealership. I need it done and the Honda Service department is quoating me $780 + tax and that does not include the tire roation since I'm going to need to buy new tires next week due to Honda's faulty control arms (Thanks a lot Honda!!!). Any insight would be appreciated... Oh yeah, it is a 2006. Thanks

Re: Service Minder B1234
 

B1234 consists of:

B: oil and filter change, plus front/rear brake inspection, inspection of various suspension components, drive shaft boots, fluid levels, exhaust and fuel lines. <routine maintenance, typically around $300

1: Tire rotation < Really shouldn't cost anything, since it's just a matter of relocating tires already pulled off for the brake inspection

2: Replace cabin and engine air filters < I dunno: $100, due to exhorbitant parts costs?

3: Replace CVT fluid < 3 US quarts at around $15 per, plus 1/2 hour labour?

4(a): Replace spark plugs < these are likely pricey plugs, $10~ per, plus labour around 1/2 hour?

4(b): Inspect (and adjust as needed) valve clearance < this is fairly involved, I think they usually ask around $300 for this item, since it can take a while. They'll do the spark plug replacement in conjunction with this service. See my post on this subject:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17946

Doing tire rotation or not makes no difference in the labour, the wheels have to come off anyways, fwiw.

Re: Service Minder B1234
 

I would shop around if you are not in a rush. Also, you don't have to go to a Honda dealer to get the work done. Any qualified mechanic can perform the service without voiding your warranty.

I know that in MD, Criswell Honda does not have any qualified (certified Hybrid) technicians on site. So you may want to check with Honda of America to see which dealer in your area is trained.

Re: Service Minder B1234
 

If you don't mind: what mileage are you at? Just curious when the valve clearance check and spark plug replacement comes up.

Re: Service Minder B1234
 

996?? Miles. Bascially just under 100...

Re: Service Minder B1234
 

99,600 miles, translating to around 160,000 km's.

Browsing my '91 Accord Service Manual, the instruction was:

Check Valve Clearance and replace Spark Plugs: 20,000 km or 20 mo, whichever comes first.

I think today's plugs are more reliable, but it's pretty amazing how the valve clearance interval has changed. Also, I believe the European service interval for Valve Clearance, for basically the same car, is much shorter. I've heard there's some legality involved in setting that service interval: something to do with ensuring the car was below some low-maintenance threshold.

Just musing, I'm off-topic. Anyway, depending on your equipment on hand, you can do a fair number of those maintenance items yourself, some easier than others:

The filters for example: you might save a bit on those, check out the bare part prices vs having it done. You need to push in a couple of tabs on the glove box side walls and swing it down further, to change the cabin filter, and the engine air filter involves popping off a few snaps on the cover. Clean the cover before taking it off.

Re: Service Minder B1234
 

I'm with Mendel on the air and cabin filter replacement. I change mine once a year and it costs me around 35.00 and 15 minutes of my time. It's something you could definitely do yourself.

I would also shop around unless you really like this service department and they treat you well and, of course, you shouldn't feel like they're ripping you off.

Jess