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It's running OK but when she took it in to Nally Honda in Atlanta for oil and filter change she was told it needed $1900 worth of repairs. She is single 28 year old Korean woman very short in stature and she look about 15. We are 800 miles away so can't really help her too much. her Daddy told her to get itemized list of suggested repairs, seek 2nd opinion without telling them what Nally said and to let him know.
I told her I would hesitate to put any money in a 17 year old automobile.
What her father advised is sound -- get the car checked out by an independent mechanic, not another dealer.
Depending on the condition of the 17-yo Civic, it might be better to fix it than to spend even more money buying a replacement car.
Is that $1900 including labor? If so, then I can guess what a lot of what they say needs replacing, probably fuel filter, motor mounts, tranny mount, various bushings, spark plugs and wires, rubber hoses, air filter, a/c drier, pcv valve... etc. All common little things.
However, if the car is running right, has no idiot lights on the dash, and passes inspection... Then there probably isn't a real pressing need to do any of it.
As cars get older, people have a tendency to slack off on the scheduled maintenance (and of course some don't follow the schedule at all regardless of age). Shocks and struts tend to be among the most-ignored items and can run several hundred dollars by themselves. And in the interest of making a buck a dealer could suggest repairing gaskets or seals that show signs of leaking even if the small amount of fluid being lost doesn't justify the expense.
So it's entirely possible that the car may legitimately have $1900 worth repair work that could be done. But it's also likely that some of the work is less urgent and could be put off. It's also likely that, as has been suggested, the work could be performed by a qualified independent mechanic for less than the dealership is quoting.
Hondas of this era tend to have a great track record for reliability, so unless the car has 300,000 miles on it and/or is starting to show signs of impending engine or transmission failure I would probably not hesitate to put some money in getting it back in top shape. But I do agree with getting a second (or third) opinion before committing to anything.
17 year old car...hard to say what it needs not knowing a single thing about it. has it been well-maintained? Or has it simply had 17 years worth of oil changes and not much else?
It's running OK but when she took it in to Nally Honda in Atlanta for oil and filter change she was told it needed $1900 worth of repairs. She is single 28 year old Korean woman very short in stature and she look about 15. We are 800 miles away so can't really help her too much. her Daddy told her to get itemized list of suggested repairs, seek 2nd opinion without telling them what Nally said and to let him know.
I told her I would hesitate to put any money in a 17 year old automobile.
when I get the repair list I certainly will. Some more info.
she is the cars 3rd owner, we were the 2nd and kept it very well maintained the 12-13 years we had it. I think we got it only 2-3 years old. DD bought it from us after college.
150K miles. She has driven it frequently from Atlanta to Chapel Hilll N.C. many times (6-7 hours) with no problems.
It's running OK but when she took it in to Nally Honda in Atlanta for oil and filter change she was told it needed $1900 worth of repairs. She is single 28 year old Korean woman very short in stature and she look about 15. We are 800 miles away so can't really help her too much. her Daddy told her to get itemized list of suggested repairs, seek 2nd opinion without telling them what Nally said and to let him know.
I told her I would hesitate to put any money in a 17 year old automobile.
What advice would you give her?
Many thanks.
Problem #1: Honda DEALERSHIP
Problem #2: Diminutive WOMAN, who looks like an easy target.
Tell her to get the oil change and nothing else. Pay for the oil change, leave that dealership, and never go back. Find a local independent mechanic who will be honest with her about what her car does and doesn't need.
Here is the correspondence between DD and her Daddy after the initial phone conversation. I so appreciate your help.
Daddy says:
I do not remember ever having the timing belt replaced. That is certainly overdue as a preventive maintenance issue - if it failed, you'd likely have a very expensive engine repair
I probably had the spark plugs replaced, but even so, I'd replace them now (with that many miles on the car).
You're looking at what an owner of a "mature" car often faces - is it worth spending money on preventive maintenance or repairs - esp when the total repair costs exceed the value of the car. Balance that against the cost of a "new" (to you) car and related car payments if you finance.
RE: radiator hoses, squeeze them with the engine cool (don't burn yourself) and see if there is any brittleness or bubbles or cracks in the hose rubber, for example:
The guy at the dealership said the timing belt needs to be replaced every 7 years and since I bought it from y'all in early 2007, it's probably close to that. I took it to the Nalley dealership near work since it has a shuttle service and I can't get the oil changed near me at a convenient time.
Thanks for your help!
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