New purchase, self service or dealer service ?

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Ok everyone, a few days ago my wife and I traded in our absolutely stupid reliable 07 Honda Accord EX-L for a 2011 Acura XDM AWD SUV. The new car has 46,700 miles and was just serviced (oil change only to my knowledge) with semi syn. So here is my question : The dealer gave a lifetime powertrain warranty "anything that oil touches to include the transmission" that's a 100% replacement guarantee if we let the dealer do all the servicing on the car. With that said this is a AWD car and will require a bit more service than your typical SUV. Engine, transmission, front and rear differentials, and the transfer case. Im reading online most have the transmission , transfer, and both front and rear diffs serviced at 30,000 miles (for us that will be every 2 to 2.5 years) synthetic oil changes at 7,500 mile intervals will be every 6-8 months at around $60.00 per change.
Im guessing that we will keep this car 7-10 years or up to about 150,000 to 200,000 before we trade it.
obviously I can do the services myself for a whole lot less money and probably save 70% (ish) just by buying materials myself and doing the work myself.. however this voids the warranty..
or just let them do it all, overcharge me (however I don't get dirty) and hope the dealer stands behind the lifetime warranty.

Its perplexing, and if I was planning to keep it to 500,000 miles it wouldn't be a question, however I know we wwill be over this car and ready for something newer by the 7 year mark.. and be lucky to keep it to 10 years..

What say you ?
 
If the money and the time spent at the dealer isn't a big deal to you, go ahead and do it.
Most likely you won't need the warranty either way on that car.
 
I've been in the same situation before. I opted to do the maintenance myself and forget the warranty. Even if I had to pay for a repair I'd probably still be money ahead with the money I saved doing maintenance myself.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
If the money and the time spent at the dealer isn't a big deal to you, go ahead and do it.
Most likely you won't need the warranty either way on that car.


its a mixed bag, yes we can afford it, however I am completely capable and I hate wasting money on things I can easily do myself.. can we afford it, sure, do I want to .. not so much.. But that rare fluke (could be my car), that the first owner did no service at all.. and I could have a time bomb on my hands (engine or transmission) that's why it a big "what if" Do I think the first owner of a mid $45,000 car would abuse it.. who knows..
 
Come on, you were not born yesterday! You know exactly what the dealer meant when he wants you to do all the "Service" at his place. Essentially he wants you there every 5K miles so that he can inspect your muffler bearing for low low price of $300+

This is how the game is played. Open the owners' manual and find out exactly what manufacturer requires to be done at each service interval. I bet most of that would be "inspect foo" and "inspect bar". Then compare what the dealer claims to do and find the price of the said service.

Prove me wrong, please!
 
Im not sure where you post is coming from ?? the question is do you over pay the shop for service and keep you warranty ? or do it yourself and hope for the best.. clearly I wasn't born yesterday.. nobody is playing stupid here.. its a honest "if it were you" question that id like to know others opinions on.

With that said. I just got off the phone with the shop, the oil was changed in November. with semi syn and its not due again for 5,000- to 6,000 miles. The dealer has no other history on the car as far as service or when anything if any has been performed. (this Acura was purchased and a Chevrolet dealership)
 
Do you have anything in writing about the warranty? Usually car dealerships don't offer long term warranties. Esp a Chevy dealer on an Acura. Third party warranty companies have a terrible rep. Is a third party involved here or just the dealership?
 
Originally Posted By: OtisBlkR1
Im not sure where you post is coming from ?? the question is do you over pay the shop for service and keep you warranty ? or do it yourself and hope for the best.. clearly I wasn't born yesterday.. nobody is playing stupid here.. its a honest "if it were you" question that id like to know others opinions on.

With that said. I just got off the phone with the shop, the oil was changed in November. with semi syn and its not due again for 5,000- to 6,000 miles. The dealer has no other history on the car as far as service or when anything if any has been performed. (this Acura was purchased and a Chevrolet dealership)

A Chevy dealer probably won't have the correct diff or trans fluids on hand anyways, one of my local chevy dealers service reps didn't have a clue about what should go into my Tracker even...
Cold call the service dept and ask for prices on all the fluid services you need, and ask about any special oil specs that the MDX needs. Then you can do the math on costs and get a feel how they will handle your vehicle.
 
I'd steer clear of the dealer. Having to take it to the dealer for ALL service just to avoid the very small possibility of having a major powertrain problem sounds like a great deal...for them.

Enjoy that Acura & let us know how you like it.
 
Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Do you have anything in writing about the warranty? Usually car dealerships don't offer long term warranties. Esp a Chevy dealer on an Acura. Third party warranty companies have a terrible rep. Is a third party involved here or just the dealership?


This is a excellent question, id have to dig through all the paperwork in the glovebox that they gave us with the car. The salesman stated that with the new owners of the dealership, everything that's being sold comes with a lifetime powertrain warranty as long as they get to do the servicing on it.. Im not sure what paperwork I have. (I will investigate further)
 
I'd read the fine print of the warranty very carefully.

When you buy used, you're taking a risk not knowing the history of the car or it's maintenance. What you might want to do is go to an Acura dealer and see if they'll pull up the warranty (and any dealer service) history on it, that will at least give you some data on your particular car.

Warrantying any part that "touches oil" isn't really much of a warranty, usually the stuff that breaks isn't internal anyways. I'd be especially unlikely to accept a warranty from a dealer that doesn't sell, and therefore isn't at all familiar with the brand of car I'd bought. "Free" is only good when it's done right.

If you're nervous about the future, you might take solace in the fact that the $$ you saved buying used will more than cover most of not all repairs moving forward.
 
It is pretty simple. They want you back regularly so that they can make money off you. As far as dealer supplied warranty is concerned, read the fine print, especially what is NOT covered and what is need to keep the warranty intact. Frankly, only warranty worth the paper it is written on is from the manufacturer. A Chevy dealer's warranty on your Acura will not carry much weight.

Do the service listed in your service manual and you can sleep easy for next 5-10 years. The 2011 came with 4/48 warranty. You might still have it left on this vehicle. If you are of the type who wants zero surprises, you could even opt to purchase the real extended warranty from the manufacturer but I would not recommend that.

I just do not see that you have any dilemma at all and should consider Chevy dealer's warranty as complete NO OP.
 
Originally Posted By: OtisBlkR1
The dealer has no other history on the car as far as service or when anything if any has been performed. (this Acura was purchased and a Chevrolet dealership)


If Acura has an owners website where you can create an account with your VIN and view owners manuals and such, you may be able to view the service history there, at least for anything done at an Acura dealer. Otherwise, a visit to an Acura dealer should be able to get you this info.

And I agree about Chevy not having a clue as to what fluids, procedures, etc. to do on your Acura. I think you should take care of the maintenance yourself, you'll care a lot more than they will.
 
Servicing the car at the dealership in exchange for a warranty is essentially taking out an insurance policy on the drivetrain. Figure out how much you'll spend servicing it at the dealer vs. doing it yourself, and decide whether you'd pay that difference for an extended warranty.

All of the other advice about reading the fine print applies, too.

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
A Chevy dealer probably won't have the correct diff or trans fluids on hand anyways, one of my local chevy dealers service reps didn't have a clue about what should go into my Tracker even...


I think this is a great point. You don't want them putting universal transmission fluid in it or using transmission fluid in the SH-AWD unit (which requires Honda's Dual Pump Fluid II). The transfer case is easy enough -- it requires something like 85W-90 or similar (it should be in your owner's manual).

The 3.7L engine doesn't have VCM and isn't prone to sludge or other failure, the 6-speed automatic has as good of a record as any other recent transmission, and the SH-AWD units have proven to be durable. Given the excellent reliability of the main drivetrain components of your MDX, I'd be inclined to skip the warranty and maintain it myself.
 
I would pass. It would require some thinking if it were an Acura dealer. But if you read some threads, even the make of a dealer sometimes has a hard time putting in the correct fluids for the cars they're supposed to service. Do you think they'll go out of their way to get the right differential or transfer case fluid if it's something that they don't normally stock? There's many stories of dealers only sticking in whatever they carry in bulk and then problems crop up later. You also say this is a new dealership so when/if it goes out of business and someone else takes over, then your warranty is also gone. The lifetime warranty is only as long as the dealer stays in business and doesn't go bankrupt. If they do go out of business and someone else buys them, they wouldn't have to honor the old warranties.
 
I'd skip, car isn't new, who knows what's going on and if the salesman's words are in writing or not. There was an story over on jalopnik where a salesman sold a 6cylinder car, saying we'll give you the extra 2 cylinders later.

But see if you can negotiate them to give you a big discount on 1st service, and see if the experience (not just the price) is to your liking, or if it's a huge hassle.

That can make up your mind.
 
I like to live dangerously, so no extended warranties for me.
grin.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Come on, you were not born yesterday! You know exactly what the dealer meant when he wants you to do all the "Service" at his place. Essentially he wants you there every 5K miles so that he can inspect your muffler bearing for low low price of $300+

This is how the game is played. Open the owners' manual and find out exactly what manufacturer requires to be done at each service interval. I bet most of that would be "inspect foo" and "inspect bar". Then compare what the dealer claims to do and find the price of the said service.

Prove me wrong, please!
They want as many shots at the guy as they can get to "upsell" him.
 
Is that 100% parts and labor without any deductable? Another bunch of [censored] is your car is worth more when serviced at a dealer at time of trade in. I always changed my own oil except for my last 2 cars, a new Honda and a Kia which were dealer serviced with oil change specials. At trade in they did not want my service records because I asked. I didn't do it because of trade in value just saying.
 
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