Periodic Maintenance

zueslewis

change your oil when you want to change your oil (or should, by common sense standards) and you'll know that if you ever have an engine warranty claim, you've got the documentation to make sure it gets covered.

swschrad

and if the receipts show the oil and filter used were reputable brands and of correct SAE grade for the engine in that car, they can't weasel out on that score. I always think back to the comedy act of the guy in the tire store.

"yeah, I want to have these tires replaced, they are all bald and they didn't get half the miles you guaranteed them for."

"OK, let's see 'em."

"they're still mounted, I'm parked in front."

"YOU PUT THEM ON YOUR CAR?!? Oh, sir, we can't possibly help you with that, didn't you read your warranty all the way down the page?"

assume there is a staff weasel who gets a bonus for every person he can screw over on warranty, and operate and document so he's got nothing to mutter about. you'll probably extend the life of your car a few years as well and cut down the size of the maintenance repair bills.

q45man

The recommended maximum is there to protect the factory against warranty claims. USED Leased cars are usually a bad investment for the long haul because they get minimal service!
If you keep a car ONLY 120k regular oil changed 3 times a year is enough even if you drive 20,000 miles a year.

Oil is tested for performance by hours of use, some how that got translated to miles?

If you want to keep a car 200,000 miles [and have the compression high and oil consumption low] then you go with 4k changes [both filter and oil]....if you want to be really sure you do it every 90 days!.....even if the car sits most of the time. You also change all the other fluids on an annual basis: brake, PS, ATF, diff, traction, and coolant. You equate the $500 per year in total fluid exchanges [flushes] with the failure cost of a $3,000 transmission, a $2,000 differential [RWD], a $2,000 AC system, a $1500 [rack and PS pump], and or a $2500 ABS and master brake cylinder. Water pumps are cheaper than radiators and coolant changes are cheaper than both!

I tend to keep some cars 250k so I go with Synthetic and still change it every 90 days, sure it may add $140 per year over 2 @ $30 changes but that is insignificant [$1500 more] compared to spending $6000 for a replacement all aluminum V8 engine....now some I4 engines cost only $3,200 to change out so it depends.
Really it is a matter of capacity some engines hold 3.5-4 quarts, some 6 quarts, some 8 quarts and some 12 quarts ---- some semi's 24-36 quarts.
Obviously the more held the longer it lasts as there is more room for the dirt to disburse.

swschrad

all the tractors have 'em, but putting an $80 hour meter in the dash when they have spent years whittling a nickel a year out of the cost of the car is not how car companies work. besides, the hour meter on a John Deere is not the last word, either... if you were lugging the tractor with eight weights hung on the front rack all summer, you still have to change oil on the severe service schedule, only now it's 500 or 1000 hours instead of 2000.

bburton1

Shop around-got my 97 replaced for @ $250 by a dealer-watch out for those guys who automatically change the water pump-change it if it is leaking coolant or rough-have yet to loose a water pump in 500K+ miles on honda's.

mrdetailer

Twice I've had it fail only a few thousand miles after installing a new timing belt, and having the inspection show it was OK. Now I insist on having a new water pump (not reconditioned) installed on the 120K service interval. I take my vehicles to 200,000 miles so it's worth the peace of mind as well, and should have to be done only once.

corvette

The GM full-size trucks have them. Press and hold the trip odometer reset switch with the ignition off, and it shows the cumulative hours the engine has been run. My records show our Sierra went 5420 miles in 145.8 hours before the first "Change engine oil" message was displayed.

sukal

Where are you located burton? The dealer in a small town in Kansas where I am located is asking for $360+ for the timing belt and additional $110 for the water pump. Considering that I am in a relatively cheaper place, I think that I am getting ripped off?

8u6hfd

you can probably get it for cheaper at a independent mechanic. Also include the accessories belt in inspection of the balancer pulley seal.

mike1qaz

I'm aware of the balancer seal leaks for high mileage 90-97 accords. Anyone know if this is a problem for 98-02 accords as they approach 100k. I'm curious if Honda has either redesigned the seal or put the retainer clip to avoid the seal blowing out for these models.

8u6hfd

It's not the ZDDP which kills the cat, it's phosphorus, as noted in ASTM 4485 and SAE J183

bburton1

Was obtained from the Honda dealer in Chippawa Falls WI-just north of Eau Clair. The sales people are also honest at this dealership.

Gee two pumps failing immediately after timing belt replacement-would make me suspicious of what the tech did when replacing the t belt. Also when replacing the t belt, insist on or buy Honda belts-saw some aftermarket replacement belts that did not look nearly as sturdy as a Honda t belt.

rrbruinfan

I was searching the internet for best price on brake pads for my '01 Accord V6 and came upon the following pads for the car.

N1010-57760 (I assume this is Honda Brand pads)
N1010-25912 PBR
N1010-87985 ACT Ceramic Japan
N1010-84172 Nissin Super Japan
N1010-99441 Advantex
N1010-45299 Nippon

Does anyone have an opinion on these various brands in terms of performance, durability, quietness etc... Any information and recommendation is welcomed.

Thanks.

fleetwoodsimca

Buy Raybestos or Bendix. (:o]

bbf65

both front park lights and turn signal lights busted. only the lower turn signal lights on the bumper work. question is - i have the bulbs and i unscrewed the screw (per accord manual at autozone), but i can't get the assembly out to change the bulbs... anyone had any prior experience with changing bulbs? ...HELP!!!

8u6hfd

Try prying the assembly out to get to the bulb sockets

fleetwoodsimca

A few months ago, I discovered that I needed to replace a turn signal bulb on my 96 Chrysler Concorde LSI. I puzzled over the route to the bulb for quite some time, and then went in the house and retrieved my Chilton book on this car. I learned that there was a specific and not very intuitive procedure to follow that allowed the assembly to slide out of the car to the exterior, at which point you change the bulb and then push the unit back into the front of the car, allowing the locking levers to reengage the locking tabs. Conclusion? The book paid for itself by virtue of completing this one job alone.

bbf65

thanks for the post.
the manual at auto zone was by haynes.
not very descriptive as to the procedure.
where did you get the chilton book?
again, thanks for the reply.

fleetwoodsimca

I bought it at a Carquest parts place. I think I've seen Chilton books at Checker and maybe Autozone as well. You might be interested to go here:

http://www.chiltonsonline.com

bbf65

thanks for the post.
was able to change the bulbs today.
after several minutes of tinkering, was able to slide the assembly out and replace the plugs.
not very intuitive at first and was afraid to damage the housing but it worked out fine.
thanks again for the post.

bbf65

thanks to your post too regarding just prying the headlight assembly open.
sure enough, that's how it was done (of course, after removing the retaining screw).

krillin

Unfortunately, I already have one. I was just wondering if anyone knew a good method in which I can use touch-up paint to hide this blemish as much as possible. Like how to apply and if anything else is needed like sanding?

Thanks in advance.

zueslewis

very well at all. I hate touch up paint, although it's been a fixture at dealerships forever.

The only way to really fix it is to contact the dealer's airbrush guy. Most dealers have an airbrush guy, usually a vendor, who does rock chips and stuff on used cars. I've had a bunch of rock chips painted over for $50.

If you use touch up paint, no matter how careful you are, it will be nearly impossible to leave it unnoticeable.

krillin

Did you have your rock chips painted from your honda dealer? Was it $50 for each rock chip or a bunch of them? And how did it look afterwards?

Thanks a lot.

zueslewis

but the guy charged me $50 for everything. I had about 20 small chips and 2-3 larger ones (between 1/8" and 1/4"). That was an inside deal, since I worked at the dealership - retail cost may be $75-100. Either way, it looks great and it's one heckuva lot cheaper than having the fron fascia, hood and fenders repainted at a body shop.

8u6hfd

what you need is one of those "paint-leveling" solvents to smooth it out, and blend it better...

http://www.langka.com

zueslewis

automobile's paint to try one of those "miracle" guaranteed products. Just like engine additives will make you engine new - can't see it. Not trying it on my engine, or my paint.

zueslewis

that most people don't even think about, is that your paint starts fading as soon as it's applied. The car sits several months on the lot, you buy it, you drive it in the sun and bad weather, etc.

Then you uncork a fresh bottle of touch-up paint, that has never seen sunlight or the elements, and glob in onto the spot on your car. Guess what - it's three shades darker! And, no matter how hard you try, it winds up looking like your kid colored the area with a crayon.

aming

zueslewis: You are correct regarding the elements and such..to a point. In the old days the paint put on cars sucked. Nowadays, the paint is pretty good. You can hardly tell the difference at all. I use touchup pens from the dealerships and my car (lexus es300 - 92') looks damn good. I always get people telling how good it looks. I just keep it maintained with touchup pens - thats it.

dfong87

is there a difference between a pen and the paint that comes in a "white out like" bottle with a little brush? i have always had problems getting anything better than a "pimple medication" blotch on top of any chip i've tried to touch up. is there a technique to get a smoother/cleaner look?

zueslewis

counting the thousands of used cars I've seen, bought and took in trade, you'd be the exception with decent looking touch up paint.

Most people don't take time to do a good job; evidently, you do.

mrdetailer

fleetwoodsimca

I had a great bit of good luck doing a touch up on a 1986 Olds Custom Cruiser when it was a year or two old. It had one of those GM paint jobs that they didn't acknowledge as defective until far too many years post-factory. I used spray can grey automotive primer on the bare spots (peeling paint) and evened them up to surface height by using very fine (don't recall the number) of wet or dry sand paper. I then used NAPA spray can paint, coded to the proper color, for several coats. I evened all that out and made it "disappear" into the original paint with red rubbing compound followed by white. Frankly, my results were PERFECT! >þ)

confuseddesi

When do I have to change the timing belt for my 95 Accord LX (107k miles).How much does it usually cost with an aftermarket product?

Thnx

nippononly

at 90K miles, and the labor is what costs $$. The part is a few bucks dealer or aftermarket.

fleetwoodsimca

When a person wants the best of belts, I always recommend the Gates brand.

ianshaw

I have a 98 LX Accord (82,000 miles) that has begun to have a squeaky suspension. More precisely, it is more of a squooshing noise than a squeak. It does not constantly squeak, but rather only sqeeks upon hitting larger bumps or larger dips in the road. Is there anything that can be lubricated to resolve this problem?

Also, I have begun to notice a significant change in the ride of the car. It appears to me that the suspension is slowly getting softer. Of course, I have never replaced the struts and I imagine that that is the problem. I drive the car slowly and easily when in town but approximately 65,000 of the 80,000 miles are 70-80mph. highway miles. Should the struts be wearing out under those conditions? How much should it cost me to replace the struts? If I replace the struts, will that resolve my squeaking suspension problem?

Thanks in advance for the advise!!

zueslewis

with no significant loss in ride quality until one of the seals breaks. At that point, you lose most or all of the damping quality.

Get a good quality strut, not the cheapo bargain versions at Pep Boys. Depending on the kind of driving you do, I recommend KYB GR-2s for all around great handling without a rough ride.

The squeaking is most likely due to dried out bushings in your control arms and sway bars. Those bushings can be cleaned a lubricated to knock most of that out.

mike1qaz

Your suspension is the same as my 01 Accord. It has 4wheel double wishbone and shocks, no struts.

Mine is at 79K and still is tight. Hondas progressive shocks don't normally go bad that soon, especially with Interstate cruising. But if you've had encounters with curbs or potholes, anything down below is susceptible. Good luck.

mike1qaz

I just changed the front pads on my son's 95 Altima at 173K. I still had the receipt from Autozone and went and got free replacements. The last set lasted ~40k without problems or noise.

My question is how can they afford to do this. With good luck I'll be going back in 35-40K again.

I've done this with previous cars also. Great deal if you don't mind getting your hands dirty.

tboner

1. Most people don't keep their cars long enough to cash in on the warranty.

2. or forget where they got the brakes.

3. The pads are really hard, so you end up chewing up the rotors, so you have to buy those when you get new pads.

FWIW,

TB

fleetwoodsimca

A few years back I bought the house brand pads at Autozone, and didn't fair well with them. The braking material on one pair of pads (located on the driver's side front of my 1993 Explorer) shattered off the backing plate. They DID honor the warranty.

mike1qaz

I guess I have been extremely lucky somehow. I have never had to replace rotors when using these pads on different makes. And my sons Altima is driven extremely hard. Anyway, they have been cost effective, good wearing and safe stopping for me. And with 3 in college, I look for all the value I can find.

BTW if I can get 100K between rotor replacement, I'm happy with that.

fleetwoodsimca

I wish I was getting that mileage on rotors! What actual brand of pads do you use? I just got one out of college and another going in next fall. (:o]

mike1qaz

Nothing fancy. I believe the store brand is Albany and they are semi-metallic pads.

mike1qaz

to the graduate.

rayt2

First time chiming in on this topic but it hit home, I just changed out the front disc pads on my wife's Y2K Windstar with my free replacement pads from Auto Zone. They buy their pads from Albany Brake in N.Y., nothing spectacular about the pads, metallic type. I got 37k on OEM's and 25k on first set of replacements from AutoZone. Granted my wife travels into N.Y. City alot and is tough on the vehicle but I have no complaints about their pad warranty. They keep a computerized record of your purchases and vehicle applied too so I don't have to save the receipt if I choose not. They have supplied me with 6 prs. of replacement pads over the years with my 3 different vehicles. As far as the rotors go, no wear problems with them at all, I just scuff the surface w/emery paper before installing the new pads, I am not a believer in turning the rotors everytime you do a brake job it is usually not needed just another way the repair facilities try to charge the uninformed owner. Rotors do go bad occasionally from heat or improper pad maint. but turning them everytime you do a pad replacement can cause premature wear in itself (you take surface material off everytime they get turned therefore increasing heat load on rotor) thus warping it.
I have a 1969 classic car with 150k miles on it with original rotors, never had them turned because there has been no indication they needed it.
My 2 cents worth!

Ray T.

acelink

rayt2

Makes all the difference and you need to have some mechanical dexterity.
In my experience Honda's have been the easiest, remove one bolt and caliper swings up to remove old pads, squeeze in the caliper piston, to allow new pads to fit in, with a "c" clamp, insert new pads, scuff rotor with emery paper to brake glaze and reinstall bolt holding caliper in place.
My Windstar has 2 bolts to remove and lift off caliper, the rest is the same as Honda. I also remove old brake fluid from master cylinder and add new brake fluid.

Ray T.

mike1qaz

rayt2 summarized the procedure, but remember, your brakes are your lifeline. If you have no experience, get a friend who has done brakes more than once to help you the first time. Buy a chilton or haynes manual for your model of vehicle, it has the procedure and pictures (usually less than $15). Mostly remember SAFETY,SAFETY,SAFETY.

It isn't rocket science and once you've done it once or twice with a knowledgeable mentor, you'll be able to tackle most front disk pads. ABS may be a different story however.