Hello all,

I recently went to Valvoline for an oil change. They provided me with a list of things that I should "consider" having done, along with the costs for everything.

I own a 2003 Honda Civic LX automatic and it has about 118k miles on it. It seems to be running fine right now, aside from some slight hesitation if I floor the gas pedal. Nothing out of the ordinary. However I'm about to go on a 1600 mile drive and I want to make sure that the car is well serviced before I leave (luckily I have AAA just in case).

Some of the things on the list seem very self explanatory and I know I could handle doing them myself. But these things, not too familiar with:

Serpentine Belt change - $89.99
Automatic Transmission Fluid change - $149.99 - $169.99 (wtf)
Radiator Fluid - $89.99
12 mo. Fuel Treatment - $19.99
Fuel System Cleaning - $69.99

I understand they want the business and everything, so they'll suggest all of these things. The other regular shop I go to sometimes would probably charge something similar. I'm trying to save myself the money.

How simple/difficult would it be to do all of this myself? What would the general price range be for these things?

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

 

First of all there is no serpentine belt in 03 civic they have drive belts, they are three of them main, Ac and power steering. Now if they are mentioning timing belt than that is a different story and will not cost you $89.99 but alot more. Sometimes these places make you change something that you do not need but regarding miles. If your timing belt is not changed than you need to do that which normally comes as a package meaning, timing belt, water pump, main crank seals and all drive belts. So you need to do more research to make sure you don't need timing belt cause you need to change it at 100000 miles anyway if it has not been done to your car. Hope this help.

 

Thanks for the tip. When you say "comes as a package", do you mean that this is something that the dealer would have offered at 100,000 miles, or is it just standard to have all of that done at the same time? I can't go back to the dealer because they are about 900 miles from me. I have never changed it before.

 

I would never go to one of those quickie lube places. If you saw the damage claims for shoddy work you would understand. Find a local reputable repair shop.

Serpentine Belt change - $89.99 Thats a good one lol.

 

Yeah I definitely was not planning to have them do the work. Just trying to put the feelers out and see how affordable these things are in general. I'll ultimately take it to one of the actual shops in town.

 

I would look into changing the transmission fluid ASAP if you haven't. I just picked up a 2001 Civic EX with 106k miles on it. The automatic transmission is trashed from the torque converter failing. Be aware of this problem if you're aren't already.

http://www.hondaproblems.com/problem...-failure.shtml

 

Well it is a standard practice you can find the oem timing belt kit from ebay for about $128 with free shipping which will include everything that you'll need to change your timing belt. It is necessary because when you access the timing belt the main seals, water pump and valve cover gas kit is exposed any way so dealers recommend to change the whole thing and that why they call it a timing belt kit. you could do it thru dealer or some GOOD mechanics but make sure that that mechanic knows and have done work on civics before. Hope this help.

 

Definitely change the timing belt, tensioner, and spring. I also would change the spring perch. My spring perch wore a flat spot with sharp edges and caused a new spring to break. It is just like a bolt and inexpensive. Timing belt failure could result in bent valves and a ride in a tow truck. Also why not change the water pump and front seal while you're in there? You can do all of this yourself with regular hand tools except removing the crank pulley bolt. For that, go to a shop and have them use in impact wrench to loosen the bolt. It is accessible by taking off the left wheel and impossible to remove by hand. Put the bolt back in and tighten snug by hand, go home and proceed with the job. Change the tranny fluid? Definitely! If it has not been changed already. Clean fluid has alot to do with how an auto trans works. Use special Honda fluid only. It is available at local parts stores. Change coolant? Yeah, especially if you never changed it before, and, you should be using fuel injector cleaner once in a while, anyway. A fresh set of spark plugs and you should be good to go! If you decide to DIY, this forum will prove quite helpful. The internet is a great place to find info. Good Luck!

 

Thanks for all of your replies. Since I don't have the tools to do these things myself, I went with a local shop. I got it quoted from a few different places who all told me it would be between $700-$800, these people quoted $480 parts and labor. Just got the car back today. Oddly enough it feels like it is accelerating better. Not sure if that is just placebo effect or an actual thing.

They also changed out the front brakes, which all of a sudden started grinding and wheezing pretty terribly over the course of about 3 days before I took it in. They did it for $130 which seems about average.

The only thing is, I feel like the brakes have this bumping sort of vibrating feeling. They stop fine and feel like they work just as they should though. I vaguely remember this happening other times when I got them changed but I'm not quite sure if it's normal. I didn't drive it very far, just back up the road from the shop to my house.

 

The only thing is, I feel like the brakes have this bumping sort of vibrating feeling. They stop fine and feel like they work just as they should though. I vaguely remember this happening other times when I got them changed but I'm not quite sure if it's normal. I didn't drive it very far, just back up the road from the shop to my house.

Did they turn the rotors?
For $130 for front brakes, they didn't give you new rotors, just new pads.
You should have asked for new rotors, they're worth the money.