I think that as much as we Canadians would like to think we
are the same as everybody else in the world,
Honda made the right decision when saying that
Canada (at least the majority of it, meaning
Alberta all the way to Newfoundland) has cold
winters and should follow a severe service
schedule. Even the northern states are told to
follow a severe schedule.

Why take the risk to save a few dollars?? Lets
say that the average honda has a service life of
400000kms (an exageration, but that is what I am
planning to get out of mine...)

Thats 4 t-belt changes, at about $500 bucks at the dealer, or $100 bucks
if done yourself.
Thats $2000 or $400 for the life of the car,
probably about 10-12 years.

If we follow the regular schedule, its only 2.5 times, or $1000/$200.

So $1000 bucks over 10-12 years, less than $100
per year, versus a possible rebuild of the
cylinder head.

PLUS I think there is something to be said about doing maintenance
regularly on a vehicle.

I am of the opinion that Honda's are superior in
design. They last longer, perform better than
any other cars I've driven. I have also become
a much more maintenance conscientious driver
since I have owned my civic. Maybe its because
it has been demonstrated to me that a little
maintenance can make my car pretty much last
forever.

My last car (a nissan which I loved to pieces)
was not like this; I threw piles and piles of
money at that thing just to keep it running. A
little maintenance wouldn't have done that car any good.

My 2 cents anyways...

t