i'm about to hit 15k miles on my car, what should I expect to pay, how long it will take, whats done to my car, and any chance i'll get a loaner car if the maintence work is expected to take some time?

 

All of your answers (other than cost) are located in your owners manual.

But at 15k miles all I'd be doing is an oil change, diff. fluid if it hasn't been done yet, lube all locks and hinges and maybe change the cabin air filter/engine air filter.

 

You can call your local dealer and they will quote you a price and they should be able to fax you a sheet covering everything that will be done. It shouldn't be anything that ISN'T in your manual.

 

the dealership will rip you off. all of the maintenance you can easily do yourself using the FAQs at the top of this forum.

also read your owner's manual. there is a ton of stuff in there you should know.


moving to S2ktalk

 

the FAQ includes lots of info about how to change stuff, but doesn't really have any info about how to do the inspections afaik. It'd be really useful.. I'm considering going to a dealer for inspection just because I don't know what to look for.

 

Go to the dealer if you purchased an extended warranty. You'll void it otherwise.

There's no question you can save yourself some wedge doing it yourself. However, if something goes wrong with the car down the road, you have better negotiating power if you have by the book maintenance. For example, I had a CL-S that had a master cylinder go out within 6 months after warranty expiration. I complained to the District Service Manager, and Acura covered it.

There no guarantees. The DSM specifically mentioned the by the book maintenance was why they covered it. A pessimistic sole would say this must've been a known issue. Interpret as you like!

 

Reputable extended warranties are not voided by maintaining the car your self.

You only see clauses like this in service contracts that are primarily designed to be a cash grab, and as such I would run far away from such a contract.

 

At 15,000 miles you don't need the "inspections". Even then, to be honest, they don't inspect anything. It just says they do.

 

It's not even that I'm hitting 15K.. I'm only at 8K, but getting to the 2 year mark. I'm sure chances are that an inspection will yield nothing, but as others have mentioned, I don't want to ruin a warranty claim if I need one.

 

Please speak only for dealers you've worked at or have personal experience with. (I wonder if you'd also say that anything they do inspect, they always find a problem, just to get more money from the customer?)

While its unfortunate that you feel this way, it may provide Green Tea or others a bad feeling. I have a very good relationship with my dealer, and work with them regularly. They know I attend HPDE events, and have honored every warranty claim I've made on the car(s) regardless of that situation. I have even had them tech my car and sign off before events.

On the financial side, my time is worth more than the relative money it costs to do the maintenance. If I couldn't afford maintenance, yearly tires and the extra for some track time, then I bought the wrong car - which I didn't.

The other thing to consider is that not everyone has the want, desire, skill, facilities or tools to do everything to maintain their car.