I recently inherited a 2002 Honda Accord V6. I took it in for service at 102k miles and this is what I ended up getting charged for at a local independent shop. Was all of this necessary/fair? Or did I get taken for a ride?

Intermediate Service
-Labor: $156.58 - Inspection 1 & 2 tasks - too much to type here
-Parts: $46.88 - Oil, Filter, Drain Plug Washer, Parts Cleaner, Window Washer Solvent, ATF

Cabin Air Filter Replace
-Labor: $99.24 - They claimed it was installed incorrectly by the last place and nearly impossible to remove.
-Parts: $33.46 - 2 Air Filters

Throttle Body Service
-Labor: $101.89 - They claimed this would solve some of the rough starting I'd see from time to time. They seemed really eager to push this though.
-Parts: $12.36 - Cleaner

Brake System Flush
-Labor: $81.05 - They claimed the Fluid was discolored and dirty. The previous owner said this might have been changed at 87k, but wasn't sure. Is this possible?
-Parts: $40.97 - Fluid and Parts Cleaner

Power Steering Flush
-Labor: $87.55 - They claimed the fluid was discolored and dirty. The previous owner didn't remember if this was ever changed.
-Parts: $19.67 - Fluid and Parts Cleaner

Air Filter Element Replacement:
-Labor: $0
-Parts: $25.32

I really don't know much about car repair... maybe these guys are on the up-and-up. I was just hoping to get some other eyes to look this over.

What should I have done the next time I bring the car in? (109k?) They hinted at replacing the spark plugs. Do I need that? Or just an oil change?

Thanks!

 

I do most of my car work, so that is very expensive to me.

Most of your cost is in labor for what they did to the car. Your signature says bay are, so I am guessing that the labor rate is pretty high.

As for spark plugs, you owners manual should have the interval on there to tell you when the plugs need changed. Do you know when they were last changed?

 

I got the brake fluid and p/s fluid done at honda for around 50 bucks and its 50 bucks for transmission fluid. I think you paid a little too much.

 

I didn't see a timing belt in there. That's gonna be expensive. Probably due at either 90k or 105k miles. Try to find out if it's already been done, because if it breaks you'll get tofind out how much a new engine costs.

I also work on my own cars, so the labor sounds really high to me. But I don't live in SF either...

 

The parts sound about right cost-wise. I only think you got ripped off on the intermediate service and cabin air filters. The rest of the labor just sounds like dealership gimmicks charging a good half hour of extra thumb twiddling time to things that don't nearly take that long to do. I figured times at $90/hour labor...

 

yea i wouldnt go to that shop anymore they took you to school. for that much money you should have got some serious work done.

 

They ripped you off. For the service they did, it should be criminal that they charged you that amount of money. I bet they finished all that work in under an hour. Absolute rip off. Do not go back to that shop unless you like throwing money away.

 

Thanks for the feedback. Labor costs are more expensive here - I mean heck, just look at what kind of house half a mil buys you here:

http://www.burbed.com/category/500k-600k/ (Hint: Most are in areas where your car would get broken into)

I went to this independent shop primarily because of reviews on Yelp.com. Any other good suggestions for finding a reputable place that won't rip me off?

 

Wow... most of those houses are more than $500 per sf! I bought my house a little over a year ago for right at $100/sf!
That could be a good indicator of why the labor is so high. Many of those items though, you could do yourself in the future with simple hand tools and a little help from us.

 

The Bay area is expensive. I helped a friend shop for a new Volvo in SF in 2005, and happened to ask a local Volvo dealership their hourly rate, "It's $160 per hour, sir."

I dragged my friend out of the place and helped him buy a Volvo from a dealership in Daly City, about 20 miles south of downtown SF, where labor rates were more in the $90-100 range. Still steep, but a few miles makes a big difference!