k,

I'm a Canadian boy and I gots me a 2002 Civic Si (that's EX to you US guys) with 29,000k on her.

The required service in the manual is covered under "Severe Conditions" for us polar boys and lists the following:

Oil Change
Replace Filter
Rotate tires
Inspect Brakes
Lube all the hinges, locks and latches
Inspect tie rod ends, steering gear box and boots
Inspect suspension
Inspect driveshaft boots
Check parking brake
Inspect brake hoses and lines (inc ABS)
Check all fluid levels and condition and for leaks
Inspect Exhaust
Inspect fuel lines and connections
Check all lights
Inspect the underbody

Now, doing all the above at either a |H| dealer or Canadian Tire is around the $45-55 dollar mark. However... the dealership has a different list:

All the above IN ADDITION:
Replace drain plug gasket
Check battery and charging system
Inspect tires for wear
Replace Air Filter
Service, lube and clean front and rear brakes
Inspect drive belts and adjust tension
Inspect cooling system

Now, you're probably saying to yourself "no big whoop"... well the dealerships' price for this service is $170 buckaroonies. Mostly because of the BRAKE service.

Oh, and the other BIG thing is that the dealerships' service milestones (what KMs you do what at) are DIFFERENT than the manuals'.

WTF?!?!

Now, what the hell should I do here? I don't want to shell out money that I don't have to... but which should I take as the "bible"? The dealerships' service schedule or the manuals'?

And YES... I did go to other dealerships and they're all pretty much the same.

And since I consider myself a "non-1d10t" and can measure stuff like freakin' tire tread myself....

A little help here?

 

The way I see it, Honda built the car, not the dealership. The only advantage the dealership has is that they service a lot of cars so they can custom tailor their services to include those that they feel are necessary. Personally, I would still follow the severe owners manual intervals.

$115 extra just for a brake cleaning/lubing, a washer, an air filter, and a lot of inspection is quite a bit. You can definitely do a lot of those things on your own.

"Replace drain plug gasket" - this is probably just the little washer for the oil pan drain bolt. It's just a few cents or you could flip the old one around depending on how you feel about that.
"Check battery and charging system" - i'm assuming that they'll use a meter to check the charge...but i'm assuming
"Inspect tires for wear" - like you said, you're a "non-1d10t"
"Replace Air Filter" - you can buy a K&N replacement filter for somewhere between US$30-40. It's VERY easy to install.
"Service, lube and clean front and rear brakes" - depends on how you feel about them "servicing" your brakes. My personal opinion is that they'll be inspecting them so if something's up, they'll let you know. Lubing and cleaning, which are relatively easy, will just cost more if you don't necessarily need them done.
"Inspect drive belts and adjust tension" - depends on how you feel about this and peace of mind. I'm assuming that this inspection will come later on in your schedule anyway and that they'll find everything is fine and adjust nothing.
"Inspect cooling system" - probably will just look at the fluid level and open the cap and see what it looks like. You can do that yourself as well.

So you can save money...or just pay for the services that you really feel like paying someone else to do for peace of mind. Hope this helps and good luck.