Service, don’t over do it!

This is the beginning of a series of blog entries I’m creating on how to lower the cost of your car ownership over the lifetime of your vehicle. I’m going to get down to nuts and bolts as we work through the topics in this series (which will include things like Tires, Brakes, and Flushes and additives, etc.). This entry is meant to be an overview about how to approach servicing your vehicle. Please feel free to post any questions or comments here if you have them, I’d be happy to help.

If you are driving a Honda and it is a 2006 or later model, it is equipped with the Maintenance Minder system. This system was developed by Honda to further promote their theme of "lower cost of ownership". In short, the system uses multiple data points such as number of cold starts, trip duration etc. to determine when service is due. This is a good thing because not everyone has the same driving habits and therefore should not perform the same type and amount of service. However, a very disturbing practice for many service providers is to ignore the Maintenance Minder system and promote bloated services that are unnecessary, adding hundreds of dollars to your service bill each visit. Such was the case the other day when a customer wanted to know how much a 30k service would be. No such thing. But that did not stop a local dealer from quoting $300.00 for the service when all that was needed was an "A-1" service (oil change and tire rotation). And don't listen to these providers that tell you should do more than what the book says. Who knows better, the manufacturer or the provider? Do you think Honda would put their reputation on the line by requiring too little service, leading to premature failure? Service providers are doing this as a way to preserve their bottom line. It is flawed thinking that is unsustainable. These providers have seen this coming for years and failed to adjust their business strategy. Smaller margins and greater market share via a strong word-of-mouth is the new and only way to survive.

Tip: Looking for a service provider you can trust? Next time your vehicle is due for service, see what the owners manual says is required, then call around and see which providers are following the manufactures recommendation (manual). Then check them out on a rating service such as RepairPal or to determine the level of service. Not the other way around. These rating services are a good tool, but the reviews are heavily based on treatment rather than fairness and value.