TWashburn

Guys, my Honda dealer does not want to service according to what the manual prescribes! I am "trying" to follow the severe schedule which says at 2 years ( or at the 1 year for that matter) the diff fluid should be changed, etc. Honda's service departments (I called two dealers--one was where I bought the car) say this is not necessary and are basically refusing to do it!

My MY02 was bought in March of that year and now has 15K and the diff fluid has never been changed. I want to follow the severe schedule and if I am reading the manual correctly, then I could have had this done at the 1 yr. anniversary as well.

Wanted to find out: who here is following the severe schedule and at what time (yrs) / mileage were you able to get the diff fluid changed and all the other good stuff that is advertised in the manual.

|T

exceltoexcel

WHAT? They are refusing to make money off of you? You could just take it to Jiffy Lube to get it done I would get it done but then again I'm not knowledgeable about how vital that is. I do know that most of the service work that most Honda dealerships what you to do is excesive and way too pricey. They want me to pay to adjust a self adjusting clutch and lube the doors check the belts and change the oil at $80. I don't think so I can glob some greese and the door latch (or not for what it worth) and look at the belts and hoses myself. I won't comment on the self adjusting clutch thing hey maybe it needs some help but I have a feeling I'd notice if it got way off. Stick to manual and don't pay for the extras just because it comes in a package. al-la-carte is the way to go better yet take it to a skilled mechanic not a dealer for the minor maintance.

honda606

The diff oil change is such an easy job that I would say to try and do it yourself, that is if the tools are available and you have a garage. If you haven't seen XViper's thread about the Diff Change 101 then you should take a look at it.(link below) It made what I thought would be a somewhat difficult task quite logical and simple. If you do try it yourself I highly recommend investing in one of the nozzle attachments with the hose that you can find at Wal-Mart and other auto stores. It makes the job so much easier and cleaner. I tried the duct tape hose method suggested in the thread; but, the oil kept getting between the tape and the hose and I couldn't get good enough pressure to push all of the oil up and through the tube in to the housing.

One other thing...I suggest you get this done pretty soon as I changed out my stock diff fluid at the time of my first engine oil change(3,750 miles) and it was absolutely disgusting. Another bonus to doing the job yourself, and if you're as anal as me, is being able to drain every last drop of that crud out of there before replacing it with a quality synthetic. You also get to make sure that the drain plug is completely cleaned off and that all the metal shavings have been disposed of.

Diff Change 101
http://forums.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.p...&threadid=99995

TWashburn

Thanks for the replies thus far. I am not be able to attempt this at this time because I don't have the facilities.

I am very intersted in hearing from anyone who had this done at the dealer.

I wonder what it would cost to just tack on the diff change to the "servicing" they have me scheduled for? This seems the best option at this point. I would take it to the Honda dealer instead of elsewhere because I have had a pretty decent experience with these guys so far...it's just a matter of getting to speak to a mechanic instead of the guys at the service desk!!!

s2ksimon

I would read this board, get all the info you can and then either do it yourself, or find a willing dealership

amongmany

I agree with honda606; do it yourself. I did mine about a month ago following xviper's directions and it was a breeze. Took maybe 90 minutes. It's a bit easier if you have a friend to help you out.

I also had no problem with the duct tape/tubing method personally. Just squeeze the tubing down onto the bottle lid really well.

Woodson

Yep, piece of cake.

toosteeley

I didn't really have the facilities to do it myself either, but I made do with a piece of 2x4 under each wheel and xviper's instructions. Believe me, it's worth it - not very difficult and rather rewarding. I changed mine at around 6000km and it was in ruff shape! I'd hate to think what it's going to look like at 15k! Get it out of there!!

Hockey

Do we really have to give our opinion of dealers again?

If so, here it is........

Since you can't do it yourself and your dealer (mine too) is stupid, do what I did and take it to JiffyLube/Valvaline etc.
Choose your fluids before you go, pick them up at an auto parts store on the way to Jiffylube, and have them put in your prefered fluid.

I did this when I switched to Mobil 1 Synth for the motor, Mobil 1 75w90 gear oil for the diff, and fresh MTF (Honda) for the tranny. Jiffy just charged for labor, and credited the fluids they would have otherwise used.

All together just over $100 for the whole deal, including the case of motor oil.

Dealerships (Honda) are good for selling you the car, and denying warranty claims. That's about it. Ofcourse your results may vary as there are the RARE occasions when people like Matt (Pierceman) and Jeff (HardTopGuy) restore our faith. They are few and far between.

ThaWyze1

Changed all the fluids in my car at the dealership.... cost me $250. That's pretty pricey. I do it because I don't have the proper equipment or place to do it. I don't know a whole lot about functionings of cars, so I like to let them check out some things that they can easily detect for me.

I'm sure you can find a dealer to do it for you. Maybe just talk to a different advisor.