Is the 15000 mile car service really necessary?

[schoolsucks]

I have a 2000 Honda Civic, and I was just thinking about getting the recommended 15000 mile service. My friends tells me that it is nothing more than the signature service you get at Jiffy Lube, and that too at $182. Are these things really necessary or are just nothing more that over priced oil changes?

 

[GasX]

What does your owners manual say needs to be done at 15,000 miles?

Probably not much.

 

[thebestMAX]

Probably not. You can probably do it all yourself or get a friendly mechanics to look at what you cant. Dont neglect services like oil changes, filter changes and the like though.

 

[Soybomb]

Whats it say in your owners manual that your 15k mile service involved.

Its funny how honda and mnay other imports work their service schedules. They actually replace parts that aren't broken as the car ages through their service schedule. Most domestics just wait until the part to break for you to replace it. THats a large part of why most people think they're unreliable. I can't imagine replacing anything major at 15k though. Will skipping the 15k service void your warrenty or anything? You can probably skip it, but I imagine if you skip too many you might eventually start to complain of reliability problems

 

[freebee]

the 15,000 mile service is essentially some fluid changes, a few checks(brakes, clutch, etc.)Shouldn't be too expensive as there is nothing major going on at this point. You are much better going off and establishing a relationship with a mechanic you trust and have him advise you on what sevices are necesarry. Most of the time, manufacturer suggested services can be to rigid in their timtables, so depending on your driving conditions, you should adjust them accordingly.

 

[PG]

I don't know about Honda, but my local Chevy dealership tried to screw me on the 15,000 mile service. They wanted several hunderd dollars for unecessary work.

They wanted to flush and fill my transmission, coolant, and engine. They also wanted to do something special for my injectors.

The problem is that each and everyone of these things is pure BS.

- Chevy brags and advertises that their new coolant lasts for 150,000 miles.

- The owners manual doesn't call for a transmission fluid change EVER!! They even go as far as to tell you not to check it. Only check it IF the transmission is acting funny.

I told the guy to his face that this was all crap and I asked him why the brocures and the owners manual don't call for this extra "maintainence". He gave me some BS line about how what they say to do and what they do are different and how they have seen the coolant go bad, yadda, yadda, yadda. I still told him no, and this thread just reminds me that I need to make a call to Chevy and ask them what they think of their dealerships screwing loyal Chevy customers.


Well, to get back on track, I'd follow your owners manual. Never listen to the dealer or some twit at an oil change place. They always try to screw you over. Education is your best defense. Learn all you can about your car.

 

[TripleJ]

That's weird, I have my car serviced every 10,000km. By the way, your Honda Civic is front-wheel drive right? It's good to get the CV joints checked out regularly as they break pretty often.

 

[Soybomb]

Actually PG I'd disregard the owners manual and change the tranny fluid and filter every say 50k. Its gonna last longer because of the filter change involved.

ALso the coolant may last 150k, but I would think there that freshening it up and cleaning out any scale or debris with a flush is a good idea. I do that every year and I use the same dexcool coolant in your car. Cleaning the injectors has never hurt either, but isn't crucial to their life.

Overall I think the more you change the fluid the better off you are, so next time reconsider turning down those services, it might make a difference in the life of your car! If all you want is 100k, probably not, if you want 250k out of it, change 'em

 

[perry]

15,000 miles huh? Change oil, rotate and balance tires, change air filter, change wiper blades if you think they need it. Inspect accessory drive belt for cracks, make sure your brakes are working alright, alignment if you want it (or hit steep driveways or speedbumps every day). Of course, if you've done those things recently you can hold of on doing them again.

 

[schoolsucks]

<< They actually replace parts that aren't broken as the car ages through their service schedule. >>



And I am sure they &quot;Actually&quot; replace parts!

 

[kintama]

It's gonna be the same as the Jiffy Lube deal. Instead of what ever oil they use at Jiffy lube, your gonna get Honda's house brand. Oh, and that fancy window sticker will say Honda instead of Jiffy Lube. I would get it though!! Never can be to safe, and you have a new car. Wanna keep it up so you can get 400,000 miles out of it

 

[Emulex]

most cars made in the past years have no servicable parts for 100K miles.

Example: VW VR6 10/100K powertrain warranty..

Replace oil at 5K miles then every 10K miles thereafter.
Change air cleaner at 30K miles (or duh get a K&amp;N).
Check brakes, Check fluids (do this yourself)
Rotate tires (?!?)
I think at 60K miles they change the fuel filter.

Then at 100K miles change the plugs,wires.

Really not much to do since these new &quot;ulev&quot; cars run so clean..

save yourself some bucks and find a small shop with a nice mechanic and have them do the work on the cheap. Probably spend 1/2 the money for the same work. easily.

 

[schoolsucks]

<< Change air cleaner at 30K miles (or duh get a K&amp;N).
Check brakes, Check fluids (do this yourself)
>>



So just get a air filter and replace it? How do I check brakes?

 

[Spook]

Me too... after about 10k I'm swithing to Synth Oil for my new car....

 

[perry]

<<

<< Change air cleaner at 30K miles (or duh get a K&amp;N).
Check brakes, Check fluids (do this yourself)
>>



So just get a air filter and replace it? How do I check brakes? >>



Yup. Just go into Pep Boys and pick one up.

Do your brakes stop the car? No grinding or pulsations? They work!

Take off the wheel and see how much surface is left on the pad. At 15k you should be just fine.

 

[NutBucket]

CV joints breaking often? Boots maybe, but hardly joints. My accord is 10 years old with 106,000 miles and one of the boots finally busted within the last 2 months or so. CV joints don't break unless you drive like a true maniac, ie, punching it with the wheel cranked all the way over to one side.