Bad Ball joints? Ok I really just want to vent!
 

02 V6 Coupe, 222,359 auto.

I took it to the Stealership for and SRS light that I couldn't get out. It was covered under warranty, drivers seat belt buckle. However they performed their courtesy inspection.

cabin air filter needs changing
spark plugs need changing
external belts need replacing
timing belt due
oil pump and oil pan leaking
and both lower ball joint excessive play "my mechanic said he would drive this car across town"

OK, I know that it's a common practice to identify items that the general public may not have a great knowledge of. I'm sure that in fact they may actually get quite a number of people that actually agree to this "repair needed" from the dealership. However, this car didn't get to 222,XXX by me neglecting anything, all of the tires are perfectly inflated, and tread wear is even all the way around. It just frustrates me to no end that they would try and milk people out of their hard earned dollars like this. OH I need a new battery!! Because one of their tests indicated such. Of course it says the battery has 12 volts, ok I have no idea what it has under load, just a slip of paper from some scan tool that says battery should be replaced. The Battery is 2 years old. And the Ball Joints, this is the best handling car I've ever driven.

Now I'm not someone that doesn't work on my own cars, I do. I have had this car up on my lift hundreds of times. Have shaken and twisted the front suspension I don't see any problem. I would think that if there was a serious problem with Ball joints I'd have seen it or felt it. I've jacked it up and stuck a bar under it and lifted it... unless there is and extra set of ball joints some where other than where they are suppose to be I can't find the bad ones. Thanks for allowing me to vent!!!

Ok One More Thing! IF they were so concerned with the public and my safety why didn't they identify the cloudy headlights due to the inferior plastic headlight lens's.

I've gotten similar lists and have always tanken the approach to give them the benefit of doubt and "show me" the proofs. In one case lower ball joints were diagnosed, and while I never felt any symptoms of worn joints, and while my tires were all wearing evenly and lasting well beyond the 50,000 mile mark, once up on the lift and the test performed, sure enough, the joints had roughly 3/16" of vertical play.

By asking for proof you've got nothing to lose, and if the dealership refuses, or of they fail to produce said proof, you know it's time to take your business elsewhere.

Of course the flip side of all of this is when things don't get diagnosed. In late February I took my Accord into a dealership near where I work and had them perform a transmission service and mount and balance four new tires (which I provided). That particular dealership always does a complementary safety check on every car in the door, and the sheet they gave me showed my car passed with flying colors. Two weeks later I took my car into a shop near my house to have the mandatory annual inspection performed, and when up on the lift, the right rear wheel had so much slop in the wheel bearings it almost looked like you could pull the wheel off; brake rotor, caliper, hub, and all. There is no way that hub (which encases the wheel bearings) when *that bad* in just two weeks.

sorry but you did use the word stealer ship ,this would indicate that they have to make £10,000 before they open the doors ,honda,s are not made for diy you have to have prior knowledge prior to working on one otherwise its a Chinese puzzle box the cabin filter being a case in point these things are for dealer ship time ,they could have made them easier to work on but there was no money in that ,the only time i would go to a dealer is when i could not the part i needed any where else . as for the bottom joint go to you tube and check out Eric the car guy this is the site to go to if you have the where with all to fix your own car !