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1st maintenance appointment

6K views 29 replies 5 participants last post by  pasei 
#1 ·
I've got a question about "maintenance minder". My Insight now has 5600 miles and so far no maintenance reminder has appeared. But I purchased the service contract and I can bring it in at 5,000 miles. So I'm planning to do that.
Please tell me at what mileage did you see the maintenance reminder appear?
On my last car (Acura TSX 2007), there was a display item that showed me percent of oil (that is, you now only have 15% life on the oil). I haven't found such a display on this car.
 
#4 ·
Funny enough, I just received my first Maintenance Minder message this morning at 15% oil life left. Considering I'm at over 10,000 miles on the original oil/filter I'm impressed. I'm used to oil/filter changes at 5,000 or 7,500 miles.

Also, my gas mileage has started to dip a bit now that its' getting colder :-/
 

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#5 ·
Funny enough, I just received my first Maintenance Minder message this morning at 15% oil life left. Considering I'm at over 10,000 miles on the original oil/filter I'm impressed. I'm used to oil/filter changes at 5,000 or 7,500 miles.
Brought my car in today for first maintenance with 5800 miles, even though I had no indicator show up. Service guy told me that Honda calculates percent "remaining" on the engine oil based on how it is driven - no surprise. He also said that the algorithm was probably less than perfect, since number of miles between changes seems to vary quite a lot. Even my 2007 Acura TSX did something like this. I also wonder if this hybrid engine has a lot less stress on it, since it doesn't often rev to high speed and doesn't always have the stress of driving the wheels directly.

In any case, I have maintenance contract and I get service every 5,000 miles for 3 years (or did I buy 5 years?).
 
#6 ·
I checked the vehicle maintenance page. With 6200 miles on the odometer, it told me I had 50% life remaining on the oil!!!
Nevertheless, I brought it in for the 5K service that I get for "free" on the maintenance contract. Asked them to rotate tires too.
I figured that if I brought my car in every 5K miles, which I think is the timing stated in the contract, then I was getting a reasonable deal. But the dealer will clearly make out well on these contracts if people only bring in the car when the maintenance minder tells them.
 
#7 ·
Hello guys,

I'm a little over 5k miles so I'll do the first maintenance soon. It's also my first new car and also my first maintenance appointment ever so I have no idea how things go.

I also have two minor problems:
  • a little noise coming from the driver wheel at every tire rotation
  • the tiny triangular rear window seal came undone in the inside of the car.

My questions:

1) What's the best way to do it: call them, and hopefully they will order the parts if needed (for the seal)?
2) Then they will be able to do everything in one appointment?
3) These two issues are obviously covered by the warranty?
4) What else is expected from the 1st maintenance, oil change and tire rotation?
5) Any idea of fee + duration?

Bonus question for @andrew28, it will probably be at Honda Everett if you have any insider advice

Thank you!
 
#8 ·
I'm a little over 5k miles so I'll do the first maintenance soon. It's also my first new car and also my first maintenance appointment ever so I have no idea how things go.
Just to confirm... do you mean this is your first maintenance appointment with Honda (vs Mazda)... or first ever maintenance appointment?

Are you planning other service beyond what's listed above, and before the maintenance minder indicates (e.g. first oil change)? For higher-mileage drivers, the oil life indicator on the maintenance minder will show 15% life remaining by ~10k miles (for higher annual mileage drivers) or ~1 year (for lower annual mileage drivers). Technically, no planned maintenance is required until indicated by the maintenance minder. But having said that, it's always a choice/option to have maintenance done earlier. (Just be sure the maintenance minder is updated/synchronized to match the completed service.)

In my experience so far, Honda dealers/service don't order parts in advance unless specific work is known and scheduled (i.e. replace left front wheel bearing). For general observations/questions like you have above, they'll want to see and diagnose themselves before planning any work. Honda dealers have a pretty robust parts network, whether on hand or within <24 hours at a nearby dealer.

Regarding your questions, yes - it's best to tell them in advance what you're bringing the car in for, but they use it more to block out an appropriate amount of appointment time rather than pre-planning parts (unless very specific repair request). Your service advisor should be able to provide time estimate and info on whether it can be completed in one visit. Everything other than 'normal maintenance' should be covered by the warranty. On cars with maintenance minder, Honda service uses that to determine what 'normal maintenance' is needed... so if you're triggering service earlier than maintenance schedule, you'll need to decide and request what you want. There's a thread on Oil Change Pricing that can provide info on what cost to expect for your first oil change.
 
#12 ·
Thank you guys for the great answers! (y)(y)(y)

Yes it would be my first maintenance appointment ever... I used to be a "fix it if it's broken" guy, but I'm trying to do the "right thing" now.

I will wait for the maintenance minder, probably will take a couple of months to get to my 1 year anniversary.

@andrew28 good call on the oil quantity and all the checks. My first car (Suzuki Esteem) would actually shake like crazy when overfilled with oil.

@insightfully yes it's that window, I think the seal came off on a hot day (100°F) parked in the sun :cry:

As for the tire noise, I don't think it's the tire itself but rather the brakes or a cable touching the wheel... not sure.
 
#13 ·
Yes it would be my first maintenance appointment ever... I used to be a "fix it if it's broken" guy, but I'm trying to do the "right thing" now.
[...]
As for the tire noise, I don't think it's the tire itself but rather the brakes or a cable touching the wheel... not sure.
Good call... if this car is a keeper, proactive maintenance wins every time. When I bought my car, the dealer (in theory) included a lifetime limited warranty, and the only stipulation for maintaining the coverage was that I perform maintenance as indicated by the Maintenance Minder. I take it as a good sign that Honda considers that 'sufficient' for continued coverage.

If you want, you can (kinda sorta) calculate how much longer it will be to 15% oil life - using your current % oil life and months since last oil change (or purchase).

Regarding the front end noise, is it anything like what's described in the following thread? There are some 'fixes' mentioned there, including @andrew28 who had brake rotors resurfaced. - Brakes squeak and steering wheel noises
 
#21 ·
Triangular window deficient seal.
I went to check both of mine out and they're still good after almost 2 Summers in Boston. Didn't know they can come off considering it's baked into the glass supposedly... What Are Those Black Dots on Windshield? | Glass America
I suppose it could be the brakes. But the noise has been there very early, probably I noticed before 1000 miles. But the car has also sat in a lot for a year so not impossible I guess.
Might be rust or something rubbing against the rotor backing plate?


Worth getting checked out. andrew28 had <2k miles on car when all 4 brake rotors were resurfaced to remedy noise and grooves on rotors.
Mine is still quiet after the resurfacing last December. :) My original noise problem only happened when I slowly press the brake pedal or let go of the brake pedal. @pasei said his happens when driving slowly in EV mode per rotation...
 
#23 ·
Last time my maintenance minder went off was around 10k miles around 15%. I went ahead and did that service.

I'm now at 25k miles and my maintenance minder indicates 50% for the A1,2 service.

Took my car into the honda dealership today to check on an annoying rattle and the service guy was freaking out that my car was WAAAYY over due on service. They quoted me on a lot of stuff including transmission flush for grand total of $499 to get the service done. I told them that my maintenance minder still said I was at 50% and he told me not to go off that. I went ahead and agreed on the service. Did I get bent over?

So confused that some will say to go off the maintenance minder and some will say to go off the mileage. Which is it? lol
Would this not be covered by warranty? Sorry I never owned a new car before so I don't know how these things work.
 
#24 ·
The rattle was covered under warranty. They said there was a loose antenna under the passenger dashboard. The maintenance, as far as I know, no. Different dealerships vary though. Some dealerships cover free lifetime oil changes at their dealer only. I would ask your dealer and look into your warranty.
 
#28 ·
They insisted to get me an alignment. I said there is no problem at all and it only has 6k miles. He insisted and pointed to a document saying 12,000mi or 1 year (it's been a year). I refused and he said something like "I'll make a note of it". Now he will probably get revenge on something else (the car is in the shop right now).

Moral of the story: buy a used car, you're f***ed. Buy a brand new car, you're also f***ed.

I also asked about the oil, he said "the technician will know".

I shouldn't have to pay for the rotor resurfacing if it's needed right?
 
#29 ·
They should be able to tell you what your current camber/toe specs are... but it's also easy to fudge some of those numbers, and some dealers even offer a 'laser alignment check' as you drive into the service bay. But in theory, you should be able to make a data-based decision on whether your car needs alignment or not.

Coverage of rotors depends on wear and tear. The way it's worded in the warranty manual is: "This New Vehicle Limited Warranty Does Not Cover Normal wear or deterioration of any part [and] Expendable maintenance items (such as filters, or brake pads/linings) when replaced due to normal wear or customer abuse."

If dealer assesses it's "normal" use, it's not covered. If it's "abnormal" (be sure to factor that hybrids use the brakes much less) it should be covered under warranty. @andrew28 had brakes resurfaced under warranty to address grooves and squeaking sounds.
 
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