Hi, I am new and wanted to share some information and get a few opinions. I purchased a 1993 Accord LX (private sell) last week without an inspection done before I bought it. I took it in to Meineke Car Care for a $16.00 inspection and listed several things wrong with it and I will just list a few.

Timing Belt, water pump, crank shafts needs replaced
Front Motor Mount needs replaced
Left and Right CV Boots need replaced
Flex Pipe exhaust assembly need replaced and so on.
Total Estimate after this and things not listed $3,054 I bought my car for $2,500

I got a second inspection of the same type from the Honda Dealership yesterday, this is what they listed

Left Boots (in and out) need replaced right is new
exhaust assembly and muffler need replaced
New alternator, brakepads ignition starter,
Nothing wrong with the timing belt etc etc, no major leaks.

I left my car with Honda to fix as I didn't trust meineke. Has anyone experienced this? and Who do you trust? Sorry for the long post..Thanks

 

How many miles are on the car and has the timing belt ever been replaced to your knowledge?

 

It had 168,421, I asked the owner if the timing belt was replaced and he said that it was at 100,000 he didn't have any receipt sale for it. Honda told me it didn't need replaced and meineke said it did. The dealership also said that if it wasn't replaced by now it would have already broke.

 

the dealership is right, if the timing belt hadn't been changed by 168k it would be a miriacle if it hadn't already broken.

The world is full of crooked mechanics. Major chains seem to be hit or miss on their honesty. They are all independently operated. It might depend on the crew working on a particular day. I've heard bad stories about dealerships as well, although they tend to be more honest. Independent garages are your best bet for getting an honest deal, although some of those guys will rob you blind as well.

my advice: get a reccomendation from friends/co-workers. Word of mouth is the best way to find an honest mechanic.

 

If the timing belt had been replaced at 100k by a dealer somewhere, then your dealer may have been able to look that up by VIN. Meineke wouldn't have been able to look it up.

Still, it's not TOO far away from the next timing belt. Every 90k miles.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rakster10 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Timing Belt, water pump, <U>crank shafts</U> needs replaced...
</TD></TR></TABLE>WTF??? What's Meineke think the sceduled replacement interval for CRANK SHAFTS should be??

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Here's something to think about for your maintenance planning...

Get fresh brake fluid every 2 years. It gets corrosive as it absorbs moisture with age.

Get fresh antifreeze every 2 years. It loses it's anti-corrosion properties with age & that's not easy to measure.

 

JWELLER gave you good advice.

When you look for an independent mechanic, go around and ask for a repair job estimate and listen to the response -- not only for the $ amount but also try to gauge the honesty of the dude.

Good luck.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rakster10 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It had 168,421, I asked the owner if the timing belt was replaced and he said that it was at 100,000 he didn't have any receipt sale for it. Honda told me it didn't need replaced and meineke said it did. The dealership also said that if it wasn't replaced by now it would have already broke.</TD></TR></TABLE>

your dealership just said something stupid.

they cannot be sure the timing belt is changed, that's the problem. obviously you can't eyeball the timing belt and see how many miles it got left with the new material they using now(they will not show wear even they are about to snap).
i will not bet my money just because some seller and tech. at dealer think it's okay, it's your car and no one will be walking home if it breaks down.


Jweller is right, a trustly repair shop is HARD to find now a day. it's not so much the price difference it's how good the job was done. most people only go to the cheapest place and expect everything was done right. that's why i never bring my car outside

&lt;--just done a timing belt change on vw aeg pos engine

haha..jim took the word from my mouth, they didn't check the cam shaft, lol if the cam shaft is damage, the repair will not only be on the camshaft.(ie, something that cause it to damage)