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Duuuude
05-10-2003, 01:57 AM
Hi guys

This might sound like a really stupid question. Where do you guys get ur Hondas serviced? Is it necessary to get them serviced at a Honda specialist or just any good mechanic?

Apparently I heard somewhere that if you have a Vtech engine, its import to have it serviced with genuine Honda oils and fluids. Is this true?

Thanx for reading

poid
05-10-2003, 02:08 AM
vtec's take the same oils as anything else, as well as power steering fluids and the rest of it (though we use genuine fluid for tyhe lude's 4WS system, just in case).

Anyway i do minor services myself and majors a mate who is an accredited Honda mechanic does them. Dealers tend to cost waaaaaaaay too much

Duuuude
05-10-2003, 02:13 AM
Yeah I know dealers cost heaps. A dealer quoted me $600 for a 160,000km service and tune up. I got a different quote from a "Honda specialist" for $370!!

I just wanted to make sure i'm not killing my car by not taking it to a Honda Dealer to be serviced

Thanx for the input.

dc2r
05-10-2003, 03:03 AM
This topic has been covered a lot of times. But I can answer your query for you. No you don't have to service your car at the Honda dealers. Unless your really fussy about your warranty and all that and you don't mind being ripped off now and again.
If you live in Sydney, take it to Hanny's Performance. They are Honda specialists and will service your car for the fraction of Honda. Robert is the main guy there. Their phone number is in the Yellow Pages (or White Pages) and they are situated in Smithfield.
If your car is no longer brand spanking new, then you can use whatever oils you want to and it shouldn't affect your vtec or engine in any way, as long as it is good quality products. My engine oil is Mobil 1 synthetic 10w 30. A bit more expensive but a good product. I'm sure these other guys can give you what oil they use just to give you an idea.

INFLYT
05-10-2003, 11:17 AM
$600! Please name & shame the outfit that gave you such a ridiculous price. Even $370 is a major rip off.

A'PEXi
05-10-2003, 12:08 PM
i think a good mechanic will do the job just as well... most often the honda factory will just have an apprentice work on your car for a service :P

toE
05-10-2003, 12:14 PM
i get my car serviced @ a local workshop that i've grown to know the mechanic. He does a great job since day one and tells me everytime when i pick the car up if anything is wrong.

I only go to d dealer for specific repairs!!

Oh, and I buy the motor oil for my mechanic to put in. I don't use his. Same with spark plugs.

CustomCivic
05-10-2003, 03:19 PM
For Brisbane people i can recommend a place called Hondacare (07) 3279 6522.

7th Gen
05-10-2003, 05:10 PM
i have had honda (rip off) servicing ever since i had my civic (nearly 3 yrs ago), mainly due to being able to keep my warranty. i have also heard a lot of good things about this hanny place in smithfield

if anyone has been there, do they use genuine parts and fluids?
what are the prices like compared to (rip off) dealer? i am up for a 60,000 km service soon.............

INFLYT
05-10-2003, 05:14 PM
Would anyone be able to give me a ballpark on a full service on a DC2 at a Honda dealer?

Calvo
05-10-2003, 05:20 PM
Hanny's comes highly recommended by lots of honda owners.
yet to go there myself, but ill sure be heading that way wen i need to :D

btw, i use the Shell Oil (think its Helix or sumfin). works fine for my car.

Civic Si
05-10-2003, 07:50 PM
If ur around da Granville area I have a mate's small workshop that work mainly on Hondas, BMWs, Toyotas and Mercs.

Red Sun Auto-tech
11 East St Granville

phone:98970889

Setanta
05-10-2003, 11:19 PM
Apparently I heard somewhere that if you have a Vtech engine, its import to have it serviced with genuine Honda oils and fluids.

I can't resist this:

http://home.iprimus.com.au/cuchulainn/Comments/vtec.jpg

Back on topic: Hannys is the only place I'd recommend.

Parts (filters etc) should always be genuine and NGK plugs only - oil is up to you but I only use Mobil 1 synthetic and honda brake fluids etc

Cheers

LatinoHatchCrap
05-10-2003, 11:32 PM
600 or even 350 buxs is getting raped!!!!! dont go to any of them buy oem filter from the dealer (15 buxs) oil (30 buxs) and get ngk plugs from repco/bursons (7 buxs) then if you're not confortable doing it yourself just take it to any honda mechanic and if they charge you more than 100 buxs to do the rest its too much.

Caster®
06-10-2003, 04:36 PM
Hanny's comes highly recommended by lots of honda owners.
yet to go there myself, but ill sure be heading that way wen i need to :D

btw, i use the Shell Oil (think its Helix or sumfin). works fine for my car.

I can vouch for Hanny Performance, Robert is the man, after being recommended to him and having my car fixed there Ill never take my honda to anywhere else as far as the Sydney area goes :D

godzhitman
06-10-2003, 05:00 PM
anyone suggest any places for melbourne?

i heard there's a really good honda guy in hughsdale but i don't know name or address or anything so it doesn't really help me too much :roll:

I go to jetspeed in clayton. They've been workin on my SiR for a while. I know the one you're talking about, my friend takes his CRX there for servicing. Don't exactly know the addy though. Also SEI motors in dandy is pretty good. I've dealt with them here n there.

Caster®
06-10-2003, 05:40 PM
anyone suggest any places for melbourne?

i heard there's a really good honda guy in hughsdale but i don't know name or address or anything so it doesn't really help me too much :roll:

I go to jetspeed in clayton. They've been workin on my SiR for a while. I know the one you're talking about, my friend takes his CRX there for servicing. Don't exactly know the addy though. Also SEI motors in dandy is pretty good. I've dealt with them here n there.

Just dont go to this guy called Johnny (workshop is called JMH) in Blackburn, shonky..very...

joneblaze
06-10-2003, 06:13 PM
Just had my gsi and my mates vtir serviced at Hanny's today (yes, public holiday... lol...he's a freak). Robert IS the man, awesome service, good prices and he always take the time and looks after u.

Weq
06-10-2003, 07:01 PM
WHen i bought plugs form the local honda dealer, they gave me denso'[s! i was like "wtf are denso", then i pulled the old plugs out and they were densos also - car was previously servied by honda.... So yer, NGK or denso plugs only for the hondas..

7th Gen
06-10-2003, 09:28 PM
Just had my gsi and my mates vtir serviced at Hanny's today (yes, public holiday... lol...he's a freak). Robert IS the man, awesome service, good prices and he always take the time and looks after u.

so hanny's was open today - damn, should have gave them a call

luzinit
07-10-2003, 01:20 PM
hehehe yeh me too, went to hannys on labour day, car feels better now ;) robert is the man for hondas!

just wonderin, how much is a major service at honda dealer, eg liek 40 000 km service, with just the oils n filters replaced ?

mo
07-10-2003, 01:25 PM
never taken my car to hannys
should i take it there next time? :D

7th Gen
07-10-2003, 05:13 PM
yes, hannys is very good
just got the springs put in there, the guys are very helpful and even let me help them out

i also got the lecture on modifying cars :lol: :lol: :lol:

i asked him about the service - i'm up for a 60,000 one soon, he said $150 not incl parts (which still sounds dirt cheap anyway)

highly recommended

mo
07-10-2003, 05:43 PM
did u put in just springs? what brand and how much did u lower it by?
also did u change the shocks or factory shocks?

Calvo
07-10-2003, 05:47 PM
hah 7th gen, wats the lecture on modifyin cars? wat he say? lol

7th Gen
07-10-2003, 05:56 PM
mo': as a few people know already, i put in pedders springs on saturday and i kept scraping my driveway so i put the original ones back on. with the pedders springs, ride height is 61 cm (measured from the ground to the top of the front wheel arch), stock is like 68, again same measurement

calvo: well he just said 'i don't understand why people spend money modifying cars' - or words to that effect. he was still happy to help me out and put the stock ones back on though

are both of you guys still in school/uni or work? cause if you do, both of you must have really cushy jobs to allow you to post so much :D :D :D

mo
07-10-2003, 06:32 PM
tafe bum =)
haha i know a lot of ppl who work in IT departments and stuff and all they do is post all day long.

joneblaze
07-10-2003, 06:45 PM
mo': as a few people know already, i put in pedders springs on saturday and i kept scraping my driveway so i put the original ones back on. with the pedders springs, ride height is 61 cm (measured from the ground to the top of the front wheel arch), stock is like 68, again same measurement

calvo: well he just said 'i don't understand why people spend money modifying cars' - or words to that effect. he was still happy to help me out and put the stock ones back on though

are both of you guys still in school/uni or work? cause if you do, both of you must have really cushy jobs to allow you to post so much :D :D :D

bahaha@postwhores... ;)

hey 7th gen wat u drive? sorry if uve mentioned b4. did u ask rob or peter whether only changing the springs will cause loss in suspension/handling performance, and whether it decreases the life of ur shocks (have heard that around the joint..)? How much did ur springs cost and how much did hannys charge u for fitting (if u had other stuff done that day they prolly fitted it for free...)?

yeah Robert isn't a fan of lil boyricers modding cars.... i, like many others (read: luzinit, fried , etc) am still working on squeezing the odd mod or two in with his approval... :P u should talk to Setanta bout it... he can fill u in more... lol.

mo
07-10-2003, 06:46 PM
he drives a 7th gen civic.

7th Gen
07-10-2003, 07:18 PM
hey 7th gen wat u drive? sorry if uve mentioned b4. did u ask rob or peter whether only changing the springs will cause loss in suspension/handling performance, and whether it decreases the life of ur shocks (have heard that around the joint..)? How much did ur springs cost and how much did hannys charge u for fitting (if u had other stuff done that day they prolly fitted it for free...)?


i think everyone knows if you change springs, even wider diameter wheels will change the handling. yes when i had the lowered springs in, it was like it was on rails. the downside is that the ride is rock hard, my foot was perched continuously over the brake pedal for fear of potholes/speed humps etc and also my driveway 'issues'

just to clear it all up, i put back my stock springs and took out the lowered springs which i had in for 3 days. i had a look underneath, it looked okay but i'm not risking any further damage. my 7th gen with 16' rims might have 4WD ride height now, but at least i know i won't be leaving bits of it all over the road........

joneblaze
07-10-2003, 08:22 PM
hey 7th gen wat u drive? sorry if uve mentioned b4. did u ask rob or peter whether only changing the springs will cause loss in suspension/handling performance, and whether it decreases the life of ur shocks (have heard that around the joint..)? How much did ur springs cost and how much did hannys charge u for fitting (if u had other stuff done that day they prolly fitted it for free...)?


i think everyone knows if you change springs, even wider diameter wheels will change the handling. yes when i had the lowered springs in, it was like it was on rails. the downside is that the ride is rock hard, my foot was perched continuously over the brake pedal for fear of potholes/speed humps etc and also my driveway 'issues'

just to clear it all up, i put back my stock springs and took out the lowered springs which i had in for 3 days. i had a look underneath, it looked okay but i'm not risking any further damage. my 7th gen with 16' rims might have 4WD ride height now, but at least i know i won't be leaving bits of it all over the road........

how bout my hannys question mate...? :P

7th Gen
07-10-2003, 08:33 PM
okay i didn't want to mention any names, but...........

on saturday, i went to a place (which shall remain unnamed) and put in the lowered pedders springs and did a wheel alignment. 450 bucks later (i can see all the posts - 'you got ripped off' etc) and i'm scraping driveways

come to the realisation over the long weekend that i want to put back the stock springs. find out about this site, find out about this hanny's place and promptly got them done today. 120 bucks later and i'm going up driveways no problems

yes i am a bit out of pocket (that's why i'm selling the springs!) but i like to think the experience is priceless. if my story makes people reconsider lowering their car then i'll be happy. looks are great but practicality for me is a higher priority

vti-2
07-10-2003, 09:30 PM
Originally posted by 7th Gen:
yes i am a bit out of pocket (that's why i'm selling the springs!) but i like to think the experience is priceless. if my story makes people reconsider lowering their car then i'll be happy. looks are great but practicality for me is a higher priority

I love my cars dumped, it's usually one of my first mods. If you lower a car you need to change your driving style. This should probably become a seperate but to keep it short if you lower a car you need to [i]expect[/] to have a rougher ride, you have to be careful when approaching speed bumps and driveways and generally need to be far more aware of the road condition etc. Yes it can be a pain sometimes, but in terms of driveability and handling, i couldn't go back to a car with stock height.

Each to his own...

Calvo
07-10-2003, 09:40 PM
damn so if hanny's isnt a fan of car moddin, will he care bout my CAI and Pod? coz it is illegal. lol.
thats y i dun wanna bring it back to honda...

Weq
07-10-2003, 09:59 PM
Just service ur car urself. Why spend money on labour for things that can be done at home?
Grab a haynes manual from repco next time ur shopping, and it will tell u what needs to be done when...

7th Gen
07-10-2003, 10:09 PM
that's all good and well, but not everyone has a hoist in their garage :lol:

Calvo
07-10-2003, 10:15 PM
Just service ur car urself. Why spend money on labour for things that can be done at home?
Grab a haynes manual from repco next time ur shopping, and it will tell u what needs to be done when...
yeh well if u realised i got more of a problem than a service...

vti-2
07-10-2003, 10:45 PM
Mine's dumped and i only have stands and i still service mine...

There's no excuse mate... :lol:

Weq
07-10-2003, 11:16 PM
Just service ur car urself. Why spend money on labour for things that can be done at home?
Grab a haynes manual from repco next time ur shopping, and it will tell u what needs to be done when...
yeh well if u realised i got more of a problem than a service...

I posted in another thread about what ur problem could be.

Correct, while at recpo getting the service manual, grab some jack stands or ramps.. i find my bumper will scrap a little on ramps, but they are easy as hell to use...
The only time jack-stands are more useful is what u wanna stuff like brakes system/suspension work.

toE
08-10-2003, 02:51 AM
....Correct, while at recpo getting the service manual, grab some jack stands or ramps.. i find my bumper will scrap a little on ramps, but they are easy as hell to use...
The only time jack-stands are more useful is what u wanna stuff like brakes system/suspension work.

i tot d car has to be levelled to drain the oil out. but if you're using ramps...???

poid
08-10-2003, 09:35 AM
The drain plug is at the back of the sump, so there shouldnt be any issues with draining the oil

Weq
08-10-2003, 11:49 AM
....Correct, while at recpo getting the service manual, grab some jack stands or ramps.. i find my bumper will scrap a little on ramps, but they are easy as hell to use...
The only time jack-stands are more useful is what u wanna stuff like brakes system/suspension work.

i tot d car has to be levelled to drain the oil out. but if you're using ramps...???

Na, the drain plug is placed in such a way that u need a slight angle to get all the oil out :)

toE
08-10-2003, 12:49 PM
....Correct, while at recpo getting the service manual, grab some jack stands or ramps.. i find my bumper will scrap a little on ramps, but they are easy as hell to use...
The only time jack-stands are more useful is what u wanna stuff like brakes system/suspension work.

i tot d car has to be levelled to drain the oil out. but if you're using ramps...???

Na, the drain plug is placed in such a way that u need a slight angle to get all the oil out :)

aahh..fair enuff. any idea if that applies to Accord's as well??

Weq
08-10-2003, 03:58 PM
Yerp. Most cars have this feature!

FR33K
18-03-2004, 08:26 PM
i have also heard a lot of good things about this hanny place in smithfield

if anyone has been there, do they use genuine parts and fluids?

yeah i been there.. havent gone anywhere else since.. the best place i know and yes all parts are genuine.. pretty cheap too for most things.. and quick too

VTEC16
18-03-2004, 08:37 PM
I get my car serviced at Astoria Honda in victoria (south oakley). James Lemon is a good guy....helps me out.

Creative
19-03-2004, 11:24 AM
Eastern Honda for the past 5 years, both 4th gen and 5th gen ludes...

Ive been told that Robert Lane in Brighton is the best Victorian Honda serviceer and thats where the guy bought my car from so Ill prob go back there next time :)

ATSE
19-03-2004, 12:01 PM
yeh Robert Lane is the best Honda Dealer to service your car at in Victoria... they have their own track cars which go to Phillip Island. Eastern Honda is a joke, heard many problems from them, and recently overfilled tranny fluid in a ITR, which leaked and went over the tyres at Phillip Island. Thankgod a pro driver was driving the car at the time, if it was the owner... he would of stacked.

Creative
19-03-2004, 12:08 PM
Ive had no probs with Eastern Honda. Although I have seen 3 Service Managers over the time of going to them.

Speaking with LEWD a few weeks ago on a cruise and yer, Ill be taking it to them. The car, as I said was bought from them 2.5 years ago, so they should know it as the old owner took it there atleast 6 times

Thanks for the input ATSE on Robert Lane, appreciate it :)

ah789454
19-03-2004, 11:52 PM
go to hannys mate just got my 100k service done for 350

wil
20-03-2004, 09:15 PM
in Melb i go to N-1...... recent one was about 176 for 20k service

TOYOL
23-03-2004, 11:19 AM
John Blair in Melb, not cheap, but worth the money. Car feels like new when it comes out.