Originally posted by MrChad
I'm a materials engineer.............not a Honda tech.
The 30k and 60k service schedules by Honda, by in large, don't replace anything. It amounts to little more then a glorified oil change. Generally filters for this DIY maintnance interval will run you about 45-50 Bucks at most. You can look over you car in about 20-30mins in your driveway and diagnose all the issues that honda would look at. Remember 550bucks doesn't include a brake job or Radiator hose replacement if needed.
You'd would be much better served looking for worn brakes and cracked belts on hoses on your own and then paying Honda to do repairs then you would paying Honda to find these minor repairs for you. A penny saved is a penny earned.
My experience is if you have a mystery noise or issue associated with your Honda, the techs general will diagnose the problem for you for free.
My point being many of Honda's scheduled and pricey service intervals amont to very little. Don't mis-read me, I love my Honda dealer. I take my car there when ever I have an issue that's over my head. But paying someone to look for worn hoses and brakes on a relatively young and vibrant car is kind of a waste of cash. Some of these issues can even be looked after when you rotate your tires in the driveway.
Your service and/or owners manual will tell you what needs done when. Take a look at each issue and determine if this is something you can do. If it is, take a shot at it. I definately think you would be better off saving money for the T-belt replacement that happens at around 100k mi. :thumbup:
A big :werd: to that.
BTW...I don't think the cell phone analogy is really legitimate, because you can't make your own cell phone and build your own tower for a cheaper amount than the cell company wants.
You CAN do that with your car maintence however.