1999 Honda Civic Ex Sedan MT
115000K miles

I just got quoted for 1200 for a 'major tune up' by a local honda dealer here in sf.

I forgot exactly what was included but I heard him mentioning water pump, timing belt, spark plugs, rotors, etc.

I know for sure this is buttrape.....

For god sakes, my car is only worth about 4000 bux...Im not going to spend 1200 on a tuneup unless this is really the average cost for a 100k tuneup?

Does anyone know a good reliable shop in SF that can do the same work for less? Thanks guys. Btw, I live in downtown SF so theres no way I can DIY in the streets.

 

the word tune-up gets tossed around in several ways.

minor tune-up would be like oil change (40), cap and rotor (40ish), spark plugs (25ish) new fuel filter (70ish). new wires arent really needed but they would be piece of mind (125)

water pump 70ish, timing belt 70ish

all those parts you would be looking to spend around 250-400 max. is that resoniable to you? keep in mind parts are normally marked up so 250 could really look like 500. dealer will definetly not install parts that you bring in. they make money off of parts and labor.

now labor might be another 500 or so. at least 3 hours to 5 hours of work. so thats 300-500 right there as well.

there might be other maint. items that are overlooked.. coolant flush, tranny flush, fuel cleaning service.

there are tons on info this site alone that will explain how to install these parts. its not that hard and you will have a better understanding of your car. get a bunch of friends together and go nuts! it should cost you 250 doing it this way instead of 1200. so your saving a grand. if someone told you to work on my car for a grand would you do it? i sure would. even on the low side if another shop posts sayign they will do it for 700ish. your still saving 500ish. would you work on my car for 500?...i sure would again

 

Depends what the break down is. **** ill do it cheaper for you if you dont git the guts or knowledge to do it.

I NEED $

 

Find a shop that will do it that will let you buy your own parts from autozone or something. parts $250 instead of $600, the labor will be about the same $400 i think, so about $650. i dont kno what kind of shops there are where u are but midas lets me bring my own parts in here in hawaii.

 

shops make money off of parts. there is no more "free" tuning anymore. the only pure labor tuning is really alignments but even then you could sell parts..front end parts, camber/caster kits etc... think about it, if you hear a noise..it will need some sort of part to fix it, CEL on..it will need a part, no start condition will need another part to run again.

with this being said most shops do not install customer's parts. shops will get the part for cheaper and mark them up higher then what you can get them for. this is free money for shops and with you bringing in your own parts, shops will lose this free money.

most shops also have some sortof warranty on parts...one year..lifetime and such. shops will use this excuse saying that you bringing in your own parts will void the warranty blah blah blah.

another thing is lets say you bring in your own parts...have the tech install them. what happens when you brought in those ebay parts (to save a buck or two) and lets say your timing belt was cheaply made and breaks again 10k miles later. who are you going to blame? you going to blame the shop who installed the parts? you going to blame the faulty part? for this reason shops will void any warranty.

if you find a shop that will install your parts... great!! it is a cheaper option. just make sure you get some good parts and best of luck to you if anything was to happen

 

And you don't think that the auto parts store doesn't mark parts up? I have a friend who works at O'Reilly and a Gates timing belt for an Integra GSR (B18C1) is something like $46 retail. Their cost is around $23. Honda's list price is $57.22, and Acura Automotive Parts (Majestic's sister site) has it for $47.92 plus shipping and handling. I'd like to see the Honda dealership argue why I would have to buy OEM parts from them and not Majestic if I had them do work on my car.

 

because...
A. you void the warranty on the said part
B. It wouldnt be cosidered a good-known part.
C. if the part breaks.. we dont wnat you coming back to the dealership blaming us. your on your own..see A
D. doesnt apply here....but bringing in your own parts is a slap in the face to the tech. it is saying you are knowledgeable enough to diagnose your car but your not smart enough or skilled enough to work on the car. anybody can loosen bolts..takes a skilled mechanic to diag. a car correctly.

i dont agree with the things i just wrote..but this is what they will say

also the cost is 23 dollars. a shop will pick up the part for 25 ish dollars. the shop will sell the part for 100 percent markup give or take 20 percent which equals list price of 57. thats 34 dollars the shop just made. this happens all day long in every shop. shops get used to this free money.

i would tell you to return your parts..buy my parts since i would warranty the part and i i will match the price of what you got it for. 34 dollars might not sound liek alot but i would upsell the job with a tensioner and water pump. for the timing belt i would probaly do it anyhow since labor time is up there but i will try to sell you a tensioner and water pump alng with it. and if your dumping 500plus for a timing belt job i guarantee i could upsell another 100 dollars worth of parts for better piece of mind.

 

Well just want to say the whole thing about bringing in my own parts was after a price quote from midas. their timing belt kit was $500 and water pump kit was $300. they suggested i bring in my own parts after they diagnosed it for me.

 

Be cheaper if you do your own work.

 

buy a repair manual (haynes, chilton, dealer) and do the work yourself, you can do all that for a couple hundred then

 

Any dealer service shop I have ever worked in has installed customer supplied parts, but.. BUT... It came with the HUGE disclaimer that there was no warranty on parts OR labor, and they would only be installed if they were not going to void any warranty. Customer signed the waivers with the service writers on any personally supplied parts.

 

Nobody cleans and gaps plugs. If you're paying someone to do it it's the same labor to put a new plug in rather than putting the old one back. New NGK stock type plugs are only about $2.50 each, they're supposed to be changed every 30,000 miles but can be pushed to 50,000. Wires are the second most fragile part of the system, you can't tell if they're bad by looking, certainly if there is any misfiring replace them. The cap and rotor will last a long time unless they crack.

 

the routine maintenance you're wanting is usually around $250 for the parts (Genuine Honda). If you can DIY, labor is free. Paying someone...$500 give or take. If you were closer, I can do it around $250 labor, all done in one day.

 

Keep in mind you're basing your fair price on a thread that's eight years old.

 

where are you located, I have a 2000 how da accord that needshe a tune up

 

what in the actual **** is going on in here? obvious spam post in a VERY old thread. do we not have moderators any more?