Jude,
Ask around until you find a good 'third party' honda shop, keep all
reciepts, and ask for your old parts. They won't be insulted.


You should even post a 'Good mechanic wanted in city of ________'
question on this newsgroup.

I think you can save about 30% off the price of many dealers, and
sometimes get way more conscientious service. There's TWO Honda dealers
in Edmonton who will never again darken the engine compartment of my Hondas.

'Curly'

Jude Barnes wrote:
> After a warantee is over is it advised to still have pro-active
> service done at a dealership, and if so, what is the approximate cost
> hike by doing so versus some other maintenance shop (certified or
> not)?
> My real big problem with proactive services are that there is nothing
> tangible to tell that anything has actually been done, other than a
> belt replacement when they can actually hand you the old part(s).
> I'm up for a 105K mileage visit and the dealership wants over $800 to
> do the timing belt replacement and the standard 105 proactive
> maintenance which includes valve inspection/maintenance. Obviously I
> need the timing belt done, and the valve work DOES sound to me like
> something I *DO* want to do, however, can someone tell me if they are
> completely backlogged at a maintenance shop how anyone coudl ever tell
> if a technician simply overlooks doing that particular task? Is it
> inappropriate for me to ask to watch the techs work on my car?
>
> Thanks for any help on this intriguing issue that's been nagging me
> for awhile.


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