Do not go to Quality Tune-Up or many like them.( I live near the Sac
area) In Fact do not go to any tune-up place that bears the
professional look. The appearance is deceiving.

Go to the outskirt of town where the mechanics on duty are sons of
farm tractor operators. They know mechanical well and are very
honest. Once and many time they do works costing hundreds for free.
Make sure they look/dress/equipped competently and located near veggie
farms. These are opinions.

A paper clip inserted in the right spot will cost you $100 if you
don’t know how. I’m referring to fault codes retrieve by a
jumper pin (paper clip.).

Those prices are about the same as many of my non-mechanic friends.
I’ve been thru exact problems you have and cost me only $60 not
$3092 or $2500 my buddies. Being a mechanic yourself pays off
dividends. Knowledge means choices, leverage, etc. You pay a price for
not having practical skill. Not fair world.

Remember, there are Hondas capable of zero major repairs other than
maintenance – mine Accd 260K no paid repairs. Next time, get a
Civic.

I've seen chain reaction problem due to overheating, which blows the
head gasket, warps the aluminum head/manifolds, blows sensors etc. The
best tatic is prevention. The Driver should keep constant watch on
temp.

> I love our dealership, I really do.. they're good at what they do.
> They are however damn expensive.
>
> We rolled the old '97 Accord Wagon LX (117,000 mi.) in there Monday
> 'cuz the dang SRS light has been on for a few months and it's been
> heating up on hot days when the air is on. Thank God I was sitting
> down when they called with this news:
>
> 120k service $329.95
> Fuel Service $ 89.95
> Exhaust Manifold $393.69 leaking- rec. replace
> due to too much rust and new
> gasket will not seal)
> Reseal Power Steering Pump $169.00
> T/Stat sensors (??) $234.21
> Head Work $911.11 (found blown head gasket
> leaking between 3&4 cylinder)
> SRS Unit $716.22 (failing code 08-5)
> Distributor O-ring $ 96.00
> 2 rims (replacing bent ones) $156.25
> Total $3092.00
>
>
> Holy Crow! I immediately started thinking "new car". Then I get to
> researching and talking to salespeople and I just get sick of the
> whole thing.
>
> So I thought I would ask here if anyone knows of a good Honda Wrench
> in Sacramento.
>
> Thanks
>
> Cow
> P.S. I am definitely open to any repair suggestions or similar
> experiences you may have had...we really don't want to buy a car at
> this time