When my '88 honda went in for scheduled maintenance after 2 years, they
were to change the coolant if needed. I guess rust protection is not
deemed important to the honda dealer. They charged me $300 dollars for
everything and did not change the coolant. Soon afterward, I noticed
rust in the radiator.

Be insistant on them doing the work. Do not trust that they will do it.

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.