Honda Car Forum

I received a $175 estimate for a major tune-up, including replacement of
spark plugs, wires, rotors, distributor cap, and air filter. There is a
$45/hr labor fee, and an estimated time of 2 hrs.

Is this too much? It sounds like too much time...

Forgot to mention that it is for a 1998 Honda Accord with 117k.

"jbourgeois" <jbourgeois@insightbb.com> wrote in message
news:fxW9d.151908$wV.77193@attbi_s54...
> I received a $175 estimate for a major tune-up, including replacement of
> spark plugs, wires, rotors, distributor cap, and air filter. There is a
> $45/hr labor fee, and an estimated time of 2 hrs.
>
> Is this too much? It sounds like too much time...
>
>

We are far from a major tune-up here.

What about timing belt? Tranny Fluid change? Coolant change?

What you listed would take me an hour at most.


"jbourgeois" <jbourgeois@insightbb.com> wrote in message
news:fxW9d.151908$wV.77193@attbi_s54...
> I received a $175 estimate for a major tune-up, including replacement of
> spark plugs, wires, rotors, distributor cap, and air filter. There is a
> $45/hr labor fee, and an estimated time of 2 hrs.
>
> Is this too much? It sounds like too much time...
>
>

If you bought just the parts online at a place like Majestic, they'd run (assume
a 1991 Civic LX, 4 cylinder):

$17 rotor & cap
$35 wires
$7 plugs
$10 air filter
--------------
$69
Add on about $10 for shipping for a total discounted parts price of about $79.

See http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...catdisplay.jsp for the
specific prices for your car. Note the time it takes just locating the parts.
;-)

Two hours labor seems high but may very well be the Honda factory manual labor
rate.

For someone who has never done this before and is careful, yes, two hours is
reasonable. For someone more experienced, I would put the labor at about an
hour, assuming nothing like, say, a stuck spark plug occurs.

If you use the retail prices for the above parts, tack on about 33% more for the
price.

I think $175 is not a major ripoff, especially if this is a dealer doing the
work. In theory, dealer techs. have specific experience with Hondas, and this is
worth something. Not all the time, but sometimes.


"jbourgeois" <jbourgeois@insightbb.com> wrote
> I received a $175 estimate for a major tune-up, including replacement of
> spark plugs, wires, rotors, distributor cap, and air filter. There is a
> $45/hr labor fee, and an estimated time of 2 hrs.
>
> Is this too much? It sounds like too much time...

jbourgeois wrote:

> I received a $175 estimate for a major tune-up, including replacement of
> spark plugs, wires, rotors, distributor cap, and air filter. There is a
> $45/hr labor fee, and an estimated time of 2 hrs.


for what model? year?
what mileage?
is it running rough?
wheres the quote from? dealer? independant honda place? pep boys?

honda plug wires and caps can last over 100k miles. my moms old mitsu
built eagle summit still has the OEM cap and plug wires, and has over
120k miles on it.
>
> Is this too much? It sounds like too much time...

when *i* do a generic "tuneup" on my 98 civic every 3 yrs/36k miles... i
do this:

new NGK or ND plugs
oil(mobil1) and filter(honda OEM) change
air filter
check tire pressure/rotate
flush brake and clutch fluid
drain coolant, refill with orange prestone dexcool 50/50 w/distilled water

all this runs me about $60 in fluids/filters/plugs, and takes the better
part of a day.

ive done the above twice so far, since im going by the 3 year rule
rather than mileage. its only got 47k on it.

jbourgeois wrote:

> Forgot to mention that it is for a 1998 Honda Accord with 117k.

4 cylinder? has it had its timing belt changed? water pump?

sounds to me like the wrong major service is getting done, and the
garage isnt that familiar with hondas, IMO.
>
> "jbourgeois" <jbourgeois@insightbb.com> wrote in message
> news:fxW9d.151908$wV.77193@attbi_s54...
>
>>I received a $175 estimate for a major tune-up, including replacement of
>>spark plugs, wires, rotors, distributor cap, and air filter. There is a
>>$45/hr labor fee, and an estimated time of 2 hrs.
>>
>>Is this too much? It sounds like too much time...

id add a new timing belt and water pump, to that, and jack up the price
a few hundred.
>>
>>
>
>
>

It is for a 1998 Honda Accord, 117k, 4-cylinder. The mechanic is not a
dealer. It is running a little rough, with what this mechanic described as
"tip and hesitate" (I had never heard this phrase before).

I will probably get an estimate from a dealer before going through with this
work.

"SoCalMike" <mikein562athotmail@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:grX9d.218809$D%.177382@attbi_s51...
> jbourgeois wrote:
>
> > I received a $175 estimate for a major tune-up, including replacement of
> > spark plugs, wires, rotors, distributor cap, and air filter. There is a
> > $45/hr labor fee, and an estimated time of 2 hrs.
>
>
> for what model? year?
> what mileage?
> is it running rough?
> wheres the quote from? dealer? independant honda place? pep boys?
>
> honda plug wires and caps can last over 100k miles. my moms old mitsu
> built eagle summit still has the OEM cap and plug wires, and has over
> 120k miles on it.
> >
> > Is this too much? It sounds like too much time...
>
> when *i* do a generic "tuneup" on my 98 civic every 3 yrs/36k miles... i
> do this:
>
> new NGK or ND plugs
> oil(mobil1) and filter(honda OEM) change
> air filter
> check tire pressure/rotate
> flush brake and clutch fluid
> drain coolant, refill with orange prestone dexcool 50/50 w/distilled water
>
> all this runs me about $60 in fluids/filters/plugs, and takes the better
> part of a day.
>
> ive done the above twice so far, since im going by the 3 year rule
> rather than mileage. its only got 47k on it.

'Can' but not always. My cap & rotor had to be changed at around
65000miles.

> honda plug wires and caps can last over 100k miles. my moms old mitsu
> built eagle summit still has the OEM cap and plug wires, and has over
> 120k miles on it.
> >
> > Is this too much? It sounds like too much time...
>
> when *i* do a generic "tuneup" on my 98 civic every 3 yrs/36k miles... i
> do this:
>
> new NGK or ND plugs
> oil(mobil1) and filter(honda OEM) change
> air filter
> check tire pressure/rotate
> flush brake and clutch fluid
> drain coolant, refill with orange prestone dexcool 50/50 w/distilled water
>
> all this runs me about $60 in fluids/filters/plugs, and takes the better
> part of a day.
>
> ive done the above twice so far, since im going by the 3 year rule
> rather than mileage. its only got 47k on it.