Jean McAllister

I am a 50+ years old mom whose kids have finally moved out of the roost. After years of taking the safe/boring route of owning Honda Civics and Accords, I am now dreaming of getting rid of my trusty but aging 1997 Honda Accord to buy a 2004 Acura TSX. Although I can afford to buy the 2004 TSX, I am concerned that routine maintenance costs may be significantly higher than for my Honda.

Would really appreciate some input from existing TSX owners on this subject. Are there ways to keep costs down by using Honda parts?
Do I have to go back to the Acura dealer for oil changes etc or will my local Wal-Mart be able to do it?

Many thanks for all advice,

Jean McAllister

Grifter

you can have your local walmart do it but personally i would rather change my own oil
if not, a local trusty mechanic would be my second choice. they should charge 15-20 compared to the ~$35 acura charges

i dont know what honda parts you might be thinking about. honda dealer service and parts do not carry the tsx oil filter. if you provide the filter they might be able to supply the oil and labor.

other than that you can get a k&n air filter from your local kragen/autozone/mom and pop auto store. this is a reusable and cleanable air filter you can clean yourself to save that cost
http://www.knfilters.com/air_filter/acura_tsx.aspx
and you can also get ngk sparkplugs
from the same place
example: http://www.racepages.com/parts/spark_plug.html

the tsx is a nice upgrade to the accord. i would recommend a 2006+ over the 2004 because it has a little more horsepower and integrated bluetooth. as cellphones are now illegal to use while driving unless the driver is using a handsfree set this will save another cost and you look like a baller in front of your friends who dont have new cars yet.

lastly, i believe the 2008 will be a new body style. this means the old body style (2004-2007) should dramatically decrease in price as a used car. but the tsx still holds its value very well so we'll have to see

good luck, jean

CaliAccord

acura is the higher end honda, just like lexus is for toyota. You can bring your acura into a honda dealer for service. You'll find that you can find some parts for your acura at the honda dealer for 1/2 the price (although you might have to hunt for the part number).

Anyone can do your oil change. It's very simple to do. I've heard horror stories from people who went to WalMart...but maybe your nearby one is okay. I usually just scan the local honda and acura dealer's websites to see when they put oil change coupons there. Otherwise, I just do it myself (although since my TSX is lowered, I have to do extra work to get underneath my car lol

Hondapower80

Hi Jean,

In my opinion I would find a trustworthy local mechanic for oil changes, but if your local Walmart has been fine with your Accord for all these years, I don't see why you couldn't keep on going back.

One thing to consider on the TSX is premium fuel is recommended. With gas prices at their current state, that is .20 more per gallon than regular. You can use regular, but the performance and gas mileage will slightly suffer.

Also, on the TSX there is an issue with the 2004's with the center stack lights going out. If the car you buy is out of warranty, make sure this issue has been fixed.

KillerX

look i work for acura ,maintance is oil change every 3 to 5 K ,trans oil automatic change it every 30 K tune up at 100K S/plugs are expensive but you can get ngk or ND plugs at any car patrs store. get your cabin filters replace every 30 K not expensive .ITS the Best car in the acura line up least amount of problems an NO RECALLS except for one ,headlights with moisture in lens dealer will install clips to light housing or replace light housing if moisture is present . its a trouble free car .you wil love it if you buy one..