I have owned several different makes of cars and minivans (for my wife) and recently replaced my Ford Focus with a 1998 Accord EX 4 cyl (125,000mi).
Its a great car, I previously owned a 1992 Civic DX HB and am glad to be back in a Honda.
I am looking to make sure that I get all the maintenance in order on a car that I really don't know all the history for. I expect to get at least 50000 more miles.
But here is the scoop, I don't know if the timing belt was ever replaced.
I am a basic DIY'er, but I don't really have specific tools so I will be at the mercy of my local mechanic. I have checked the prices of the Timing belt (Dealer $390, Pep Boys $190)
Do you think that Pep Boys Auto is properly trained to replace the belt and water pump and adjust the valves on a VTEC 4cyl motor?

 

I don't know about PepBoys for that. It really depends on the individual mechanic, not the whole chain-store organization. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of a GOOD mechanic working there, but I guess I'd be inclined to not trust them.

Not too much in the way of "SPECIAL" tools, but it's difficult to remove the bolt in the center of the crankshaft pulley. Want pointers to try it yourself? I think there's a good write-up in the DIY section.

 

Actually, I feel a bit better about PepBoys than I do about my local mechanic, I was OK with the local guy ($68/hr) for the Ford, but the Honda is more sophisticated, and they don't see many in their shop, they repair mostly Chevs, Fords, trucks and SUVs. PepBoys, it seems to me, has done this job more than a couple of times before.

I have been inching along, Cleaning and waxing clearcoat, cleaning carpets, treating leather, greased door hinges and sunroof track. Refinished wheels with Rustoleum Wheel Coating and Clearcoat. (turned out nice BTW)
Suspension and sway bar links have been replaced by the previous owner. Exhaust replaced by previous owner.
I replaced the air filter, cabin filter, wipers and changed the oil/filter.

But back to my basic question.
How do I approach keeping up on a maintenance schedule when I don't know the history? Where do I start?
Transmission fluid? (auto), Coolant? Plugs and wires?

 

Well, like I said, it's all about the individual mechanic(s) that work there. I wouldn't make a blanket statement that ALL PepBoys mechanics are good or bad.

Find the maintenance schedule in the owner's manual. Take your best guess when each of the items was done. If you don't trust the previous owners, then pretend that NOTHING was done. I used to have a 1998 but don't remember all the intervals. Probably 100k miles for a ton of little stuff like sparkplugs & valve adjustment.

Overdue for a timing belt (like you originally said).

Automatic trans?? Drain & fill with Honda ATF, not Dexron (there's a difference). If it's dirty, plan on a couple more drain/fill operations at 3 quarts each. The torque converter doesn't drain, so you're diluting the dirty stuff out 1/3 at a time. Honda autos do not like to be "power-flushed".

Coolant should be rinsed & replaced every couple years. It's not the anti-freeze ability that dissappears, but the anti-corrosion packages gets used up.

New brake fluid (flushed thru by bleeding the brakes) every couple years. Everyone forgets that one.

Honda sparkplug wires seem to last forever. Check for arcing by starting the engine cold, in complete darkness, & watch for arcing.

Hondas seem to like NGK sparkplugs best.

 

ps... This is turning into a General-Tech thread, so I'm gonna move it over there.

 

let me get this right........Dealer only charges you $ 390 for a timing belt ??? A Honda dealer ???

what does it include??? is it the timing belt kit?? ( includes both belts, water pump, all seals , outer belts, coolant and labor ??? if it is parts and labor ,, JUMP on it ASAP.....

is there a shop that specializes on Hondas in your area??

in the DIY section there is a write up on what to do at service intervals ,,

 

$389.95 Don Davis Honda Niagara Falls Blvd Amherst NY w/coupon
Timing Belt/ Balancer Belt (if applicable) inspect accessory belts. inspect water pump.
PepBoys includes water pump if needed. without water pump $154.00. That was a phone quote, though.
Honda Dealer charges $79.95 for 4 wheel alignment w/coupon. Local shop charges $59.95.

I need to find a local Honda club, or the Tuner guys that show at the mall for a local shop. This is Chevy territory.

Thanks for the advice guys.

 

Yeah, wow. With those prices, I had assumed it was parts only not including labor.

 

Go to the dealership and look in the area that the mechanic's park and see if there's a Hot Rod Honda somewhere's back there. Find out who owns the car and then go talk to him/her and see if they do all there own work.
If they do and it looks like this Honda person knows what's up from What's down..Then that's your Mechanic..stick with him..
Try this and let us know what you find out..if no one there go to another dealer..

There are other ways to get a good Tech but try that one 1st...

WheelBrokerAng

 

Impressive!! Honda dealers out here on the left coast get at least double that for the TB, water pump ..... (105,000 mile service: I have an 05 6M).

ez....