Hi. I am a new member. I have a 1995 Honda Accord LX automatic with 130,000 plus miles. I am considering paying a mechanic to do preventative maintenance (~$3,500 - $6,000) on my car, so I can keep it for the next 3-5 years. (I do not have the skills or ability to work on my car myself.) I think it is a good car, I like its size and fit, gas mileage is ok. I see the same or similar model on the road almost every day, so I am guessing that this car has a long life. I have taken the car to three mechanics and one dealer to assess its condition and make recommendations for repairs. They have recommended that I do the following preventative maintenance to keep it running.

1. Replace the front and rear shocks/struts. This was explained to me by two mechanics to be a safety issue because it affects the car's braking and they recommend replacing both the front and rear at the same time. Some of my neighbors think the rear shocks are bouncy and still ok and I don’t have to replace them. The Honda Dealer said I only need to replace the rear ones. Does anyone have experience or knowledge about this?

2. The spark plug tubes are wet with oil and the spark plug wires may be damaged. They want to reseal the rocker seals (the cam, crank, balance shaft and oil pump seals) and replace the valve cover gaskets. While they are doing this work, they also want to replace the timing belt, balance shaft belt and water pump as well as the multi rib belt and the drive belt. The timing belt has already been replaced twice, at 61,710 miles and at 93,335 miles (the manualstates to replace it every 90,000 miles.) It is possible due to the oil leak that the timing belt is saturated with oil and may fail due to this. If it is not saturated with oil, do I have to replace it again? I also replaced the balance shaft belt and the water pump at 61,710 and 93,335 miles. If they are in good condition, do I have to replace them again?

3. They want to replace the fuel filter. It has been replaced twice already, at 61,710 miles and at 88,907 miles. If it is in good condition, does it need to be replaced?

4. They want to replace the heater, bypass and smaller coolant hoses. Is this necessary? The labor for this is very expensive. The radiator hoses were replaced at 89,000 miles. The a/c and power steering belts were placed at 93,335 miles.

5. The master brake cylinder was replaced at 77,000 miles. The brake fluid in the master cylinder is dirty. One of the mechanics thinks it should be replaced. However, they are concerned that the master cylinder may fail if it is replaced. The manual states that the brake fluid should be replaced very 30,000 miles. The Honda Dealer says don’t do it. Does anyone have experience with this and/or know at what mileage the master cylinders on the Honda Accord tend to fail?

6. I still have the original transmission with one transmission flush that was done at 106,000 miles. Currently, the color of the transmission fluid is a clear red. A mechanic says that it is still possible that the transmission can fail. I wonder how other 1995 Honda Accord LX's transmissions fare. How long do they tend to last? Do you still have your original transmission?

There are more recommended repairs however that is all I have detailed info. about right now.

One last question… do I need to replace with actual Honda parts? A mechanic said that some parts they use are made by the same company that makes the Honda parts.

Thank you for your time and help.

 

OMG - you are and have been taken for a HUGE ride.

I do not have time to type up a longer response right now but will later if no one else does.

Bottom line you do not need all that work and I drive a 97 Accord and would never spend $3,000 on preventive maintance. You could buy another Accord for that price and have 2 of them to drive.

 

That is a lot of items to be replaced, and crispin is correct, way too much money. I'll go through the list with my opinion on each point.

1. When you go over bumps, does the car keep bouncing? Or do you hear any noises when going over bumps?

2. If you have only oil in the spark plug tubes, then there is absolutely no reason to replace the timing belt. Usually replacing the valve cover gasket and the upper seals in the valve cover can fix this. Replacing the lower seals is a bit more work.

Replace timing belt every 90K miles or 7 years. Have the water pump changed when the timing belt is changed.

3. The fuel filter has no maintenance interval, so if you had a honda fuel filter installed, it does not need replaced.

4. Only replace hoses if they are leaking coolant or look deteriorated. There is no need to replace them for preventative maintenance.

5. Only replace the master cylinder if it is leaking or you have no pressure on the brake pedal. You should have the brake fluid bled.

6. Do not ever power flush the transmission. Every 30K miles, drain the transmission, then refill. It takes about three quarts. Use only Honda ATF.

You will get different opinions for Honda parts vs aftermarket parts. If the price is not drastically more for the Honda part, I usually buy the honda part. Definitely avoid parts like ebay that have no brand name if you decide to go with aftermarket.

 

Maybe they want to replace the TB/WP due to an overdue boat payment. Oil oil in the spark plug tubes won't get anywhere near the timing belt. If you're curious, Eric the Car Guy has a video on spark plug well oil leaks on an LX. Search "wYU8qtPzQOY". In the video he explains the reasons for replacing just the upper seals vs. the lower ones too. It sounds like you have the money to have them all replaced; it may make sense to do that just for peace of mind.

No. All should be fine 'till 180+K miles.

 

95 EX 4 cyl, auto....knocks on wood first. 373K on original trans and motor. As for the trans, drain and fill as suggested. Always us Honda trans fluid.

 

Im kind of in the same situation as you, I don't have the resources or the know how to do the mechanical work myself...I have a 1997 Accord MT with 168K. I ordered parts from Majestic Honda or hondaautomotiveparts.com my dealer said if I brought them Honda parts then they would charge me for just labor. I am getting the following things replaced...

Front and rear shocks
Front ball joints
Valve adjustment
Valve cover gasket
Spark plug seals
Spark plugs
Front and side motor mounts
VTEC solonoid
Upper and lower radiator hoses

All honda parts-$800
Labor at the dealership $1200 (I am a loyal cust. so they gave me a good break on the labor costs original total was close to $2000)

The car was given to me by my in-laws and I have not put ANYTHING into this car for SIX years! I don't mind dropping a couple grand into it. Gonna get it repainted with the original factory silver with some wings west ground effects and clear out all lights and limo tint the windows. Can't wait to get the work done!