B1 is a oil/filter change and a quick general inspection along with a tire rotation. All the rest is a dealer markup not recommended by Honda. See your owner's manual for recommended service.
All modern cars use materials that ethanol doesn't harm so a corrosion inhibitor is not necessary. There is nothing a "motor oil treatment" can add that isn't already in today's synthetic super oils.

 

I'd go complain to the service manager and owner!

 

And report them to Honda USA.

 

First of all, they do not have the right to do any extra work that was not already agreed upon.

Second, you have the right to say no to any extra work they suggest.

Sadly, many service depts/service garages will take advantage of those who will not speak up.

 

First of all, they do not have the right to do any extra work that was not already agreed upon.

Second, you have the right to say no to any extra work they suggest.

Sadly, many service depts/service garages will take advantage of those who will not speak up.

I forgot to add that they called my wife with the estimate and she agreed to it. My wife is very intelligent but unsophisticated in matters automotive, but I definitely felt like she was buffaloed by the service advisor and agreed to the charges because they told her it was all recommended.

Nevertheless, I plan to speaks to the service manager and general manager if necessary.

Thanks for the input!!

 

The original quote for $79 should have covered it. A B 1 is an oil/filter change with some quick inspections that are usually free (e.g. make sure your brake and fuel system isn't rusting out) (B) and a tire rotation (1). The "Misc. 10K service" and three different wallet-flushing procedures were all needless nonsense.

 

And this is why people hate going to dealers’ service departments!

 

So, follow up after I decided to drive out there and tear the Service Manager a new one rather than calling. I figured that 6'4" angry guy makes a better impression than random fool on the phone.

I spoke with the manager (whose name now escapes me) and told him what I thought about the excess, unnecessary charges, adding that the only item they failed to charge her for was Blinker Fluid! I stated that this whole thing was wildly unethical and I fully expected them to refund every cent over the original estimate. He was very accommodating in his tone, and he told me he understood why I was upset, and asked me to wait in his office for a few minutes.

When he came back, he apologized for his employee (while obliquely blaming him for what is probably a fairly common practice) and said he would have a discussion with him about this kind of thing. Then he told me he had refunded the entire amount. So the $280 invoice ended up being $0.00!! Getting a B 1 service for free took the sting out of taking time out of my workday to drive out there and bitch them out.

Sometimes good things happen. Thanks for all the responses and have an awesome day!

 

So, follow up after I decided to drive out there and tear the Service Manager a new one rather than calling. I figured that 6'4" angry guy makes a better impression than random fool on the phone.

I spoke with the manager (whose name now escapes me) and told him what I thought about the excess, unnecessary charges, adding that the only item they failed to charge her for was Blinker Fluid! I stated that this whole thing was wildly unethical and I fully expected them to refund every cent over the original estimate. He was very accommodating in his tone, and he told me he understood why I was upset, and asked me to wait in his office for a few minutes.

When he came back, he apologized for his employee (while obliquely blaming him for what is probably a fairly common practice) and said he would have a discussion with him about this kind of thing. Then he told me he had refunded the entire amount. So the $280 invoice ended up being $0.00!! Getting a B 1 service for free took the sting out of taking time out of my workday to drive out there and bitch them out.

Sometimes good things happen. Thanks for all the responses and have an awesome day!

Not sufficient. If you do not formally report this incident and complain to Honda, this dealer will keep doing this to other customers. So, how about thinking beyond just your own interests here?

The reason the service manager refunded the entire amount is because he knows the dealership is in the wrong here, and is afraid you will report them to Honda for bad customer service. In fact, most Honda owners get a customer quality and satisfaction survey from Honda Corporate after a service visit, and Honda uses these as a quality gate to determine dealer malfeasance and forcing corrective practices upon the dealer.

A Honda dealership with multiple repeat complaints from customers .... generally gets sanctioned by Honda, and if they continue they could lose their Honda Dealership over it.

 

My thoughts:

Not sure what state you live in, but in most states, a service provider cannot perform a service without your consent. So, if you consented to these frivolous services you itemized above, that is unfortunately on you for approving them. You can claim you were suckered or taken advantage of, but my guess is you legally consented to the services, which means you have no standing to complain after the fact. If services were performed without your consent, then you have legal cause to force them to refund the amount and to complain to your states consumer protection authority.

A B1 service is well defined and a very basic repeating service at Honda Dealers. NONE of the items you listed above, as Traylaw noted earlier, are recommended by Honda in their owners documentation.

Personally, I would report this dealership directly to Honda Customer Service, in the form of a formal complaint for recommending services not required by Honda in any way. I also would not do business with them in the future, because clearly they are simply making up "extra services" to offer and charge for that are not endorsed by Honda.

 

Moral of the story, handle the car servicing yourself from now on. Not trying to be sexist here, but no matter how much a female knows about cars, there are service people out there who will always try and take advantage of them.

 

My wife feels pretty bad about it and has admitted already that I will be the POC when our vehicles are serviced. And it is true that dealership folks are generally dismissive of women, regardless of their level of understanding of cars.

 

Sounds like when my wife called a plumber behind my back. Never again. 😆

 

I'm nearing my B1 service.
Got a offer mail from my dealership saying 130$ special for B1 service. I'm sure it has many unwanted items baked into it.

So my question to fellow hybrid owners who do service at Honda dealership, how much is the realistic estimate for only doing a B1 service?

I might even follow the advice here, to take it America tires for the wheel rotation. I can have a look at my future tire options as well.

PS: I don't have the tools and facility to do service myself.

 

I'm nearing my B1 service.
Got a offer mail from my dealership saying 130$ special for B1 service. I'm sure it has many unwanted items baked into it.

So my question to fellow hybrid owners who do service at Honda dealership, how much is the realistic estimate for only doing a B1 service?

I might even follow the advice here, to take it America tires for the wheel rotation. I can have a look at my future tire options as well.

PS: I don't have the tools and facility to do service myself.

If it’s strictly a B1 (oil/filter, tire rotation, and multi-point inspection with fluid top up), my dealer charges $90. What’s the mileage on your car?

 

I received the following response from American Honda Motor Co. today, FWIW:

Thank you for contacting American Honda regarding your service experience at AutoNation Honda Roseville. We want to thank you for providing us the opportunity to respond to your message. On behalf of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., we apologize for the circumstances which prompted you to contact us.

American Honda documents and uses feedback in developing training for dealership management. We want to ensure that all customers have a smooth and stress-free service experience. As such, we have documented a formal dealership complaint on your behalf.

We apologize for any inconvenience and welcome you to reply to this email with any additional comments or concerns. Your case will be closed at this time.

Sincerely,

American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

 

I would never go back to that dealer. All of that sounds like a scam.

 

Beware the next time you take it in for service. Depending on the mileage (and it may not show up on the MM), they'll tell you it needs an engine air filter and cabin air filter, and that will be $200 please.

If you have two thumbs, a screwdriver and fifteen minutes to spare you can change both of them for less than $25. Buy them on Amazon and go to YouTube for instructions.

 

If you have two thumbs, a screwdriver and fifteen minutes to spare you can change both of them for less than $25. Buy them on Amazon and go to YouTube for instructions.

Most of that time will be spent picking up the contents of your glove box & putting them back in so they don't stick out of the top.

 

A JIS screwdriver and a touch of anti-seize on the threads after also works well.

 

That Honda site works well but I don't think Honda looks at it for that purpose and if they do, will see it as DIY and maybe even question it. Not sure.

 

Our last experience for my gf was not great.

About 10 upsell items. Hell I had to finally tell them I'm following the maintenance minder and to stop asking.

At least one other time I gave in and let them drain and refill the CVT just to get them to shut up.

 

Women are not the only ones who get upsold at dealers.

My wife and I have been friends with another couple for over 20 years. They always come to me when considering buying new vehicles.

Their most recent purchase (about 3 years ago) is a Toyota product. BUT, when the husband brought their Toyota into the local Toyota dealership for it's first "free 24,000 mile maintenance" visit at 5,000 miles, he was told he needed a bunch of additional recommended items at a large additional fee. (He thought the service visit was supposed to be free) After he dutifully paid these extras over the years on the previous car, he finally had a light bulb lite up over his head, and he called me from the dealer's service drive. I advised him not to do these extras. He had always paid for these extras in the past. So, men can also be duped. No shame, as not all men are "car guys".

 

I learned my lesson with my first car..an old $400.00 vw beetle and I was 17 fortunately with no money. Clipped a coupon in the paper for a free oil change and multi point inspection at a vw dealer….they had all sorts of extras they wanted to do and charge me for..what did I know then? Most may have believed them but I told them I had no money so that shut them down. After that point I researched and did my own maitenence. Anyone can be “duped”. This is definitely not a new phenonemom. This is not just an automotive issue. The well informed on any issue, male or female are always in a better position.

 

We had a very new 2013 Hyundai Sonata that I returned to the dealer to get a recall done on the shift lever. Next thing I know they’re strapping devices on each wheel and tell me the car is in bad need of a wheel alignment! I returned to my regular mechanic who checked the alignment and said it was perfect! Some dealers think this is the way to do business!

 

Yeah, those year Sonatas had bad alignment issues and many recalls on it as well.

Good to bring up though, that many problems like this are covered under the 12k/1 year adjustment warranty, although I don't see Honda has one in manual, but many others do. Warranty booklet is more good info additional to the owners manual.

 

I'm confused. I recently checked the engine air filter on my 2019 LX AWD and the cover is simply held in with two clamps that can be unlatched and latched with my fingers. Is a screw driver needed to access the filter element on the 1.5T?

 

Yes, you must loosen some captive screws to get the filter cover off. And it helps to pop the intake hose off, which also needs a screw.

 

wait til you hit service 01679 (honda canada codes) @ 36,700 km's for me ☹

628$
oil change+ filter , differential fluid , brake fluid change/flush , brake service

 

Yikes!

 

Thats what a dealer in Canada would charge, maybe $350. at a good independent. ”service front and rear brakes” in Canada should include lubing callipers, scraping off any accumulated rust etc. The good independents will actually use a grinder, unsure if a dealer would.

 

Yikes!!! As I already noted, I'm no mechanic, but I was able to very easily change the oil, filter, rear differential fluid, and brake fluid.
I did the oil, filter, and rear differential with no help. My wife helped with the brake fluid change. She pumped the brakes.
I had no problems doing any of this work, and I spent less than $50 for all of the fluids, the oil filter, and the crush washers.

 

That oil/filter charge is definitely nutz. It costs me $40CDN to do it myself, my dealer would charge $64 CDN