I want to do it, but it's expensive.
October 4, 2010 11:17 AM Subscribe
Should I take my car in for its 90k maintenance?
I have a 2004 Subaru Forrester and it's time for it's 90k maintenance. However the dealership wants to charge me $700 dollars. As this is not an insignificant cost, I wonder whether it's worth it. I mean, I want to be responsible about this (I have a history of being negligent with cars). So if it's something worth doing, I will. I just don't want to get taken for a ride.
So could you offer your answers to these three questions (in order of importance):
1) What exactly does the mechanic/dealership do during the maintenance?
2) Does the car need the maintenance (my non-dealer mechanic suggested once that a problem he fixed might have been prevented by the 30k or 60k maintenance which I didn't get)?
3) Is the typical maintenance a good value, generally speaking (I know that this is subjective, but your informed opinion may be useful, too)?
Thanks.
I have a 2004 Subaru Forrester and it's time for it's 90k maintenance. However the dealership wants to charge me $700 dollars. As this is not an insignificant cost, I wonder whether it's worth it. I mean, I want to be responsible about this (I have a history of being negligent with cars). So if it's something worth doing, I will. I just don't want to get taken for a ride.
So could you offer your answers to these three questions (in order of importance):
1) What exactly does the mechanic/dealership do during the maintenance?
2) Does the car need the maintenance (my non-dealer mechanic suggested once that a problem he fixed might have been prevented by the 30k or 60k maintenance which I didn't get)?
3) Is the typical maintenance a good value, generally speaking (I know that this is subjective, but your informed opinion may be useful, too)?
Thanks.
Typically what needs to be done is listed in your owner's manual. There should be a planned maintenance section. At 90k you might be looking at a transmission fluid change and/or fuel filter change, which are a good idea if you plan to keep the car for a while. I'd also suggest going to a trusted local mechanic and having him do the work instead of paying the inflated rate your dealer is giving you.
posted by damn dirty ape at 11:24 AM on October 4, 2010
posted by damn dirty ape at 11:24 AM on October 4, 2010
This document (pdf) outlines what happens on the various maintenance schedules for a 2004 Subaru. I also drive a Forester but it's slightly older than yours. Generally speaking, if your car is out of warranty you can get the maintenance done at any place that regularly services Subarus. The cost will be lower. I go to my local dealer when I need new parts, but otherwise there are a ton of local reliable garages that work on Subarus just as often.
posted by jessamyn at 11:28 AM on October 4, 2010
posted by jessamyn at 11:28 AM on October 4, 2010
Cars indeed require maintenance. Call the dealership and ask what exactly they will be doing. According to a chart I found online, the 90,000-mile maintenance is just an oil change, new spark plugs, and replacing/inspecting the rest of the brake system, in which case $700 sounds a little high.
I assumed that the maintenance would include a new timing belt, but the chart indicates that should be done at 105,000.
FYI, your non-dealer mechanic can perform the maintenance, it doesn't have to be one at the dealer.
There is a reason for maintenance, it's to help the car perform better, and to replace parts that get wore down, making the car last longer /run it's best for as long as possible.
As I mentioned above, having the timing belt changed is quite important. It may cost several hundred dollars, but if doesn't get replaced and fails, it will end up usually costing several thousand to repair/replace the engine. This is just one example.
If you could call the dealer, find out what they are specifically going to do, and report back to us, I could advise you better.....
posted by peewinkle at 11:33 AM on October 4, 2010
I assumed that the maintenance would include a new timing belt, but the chart indicates that should be done at 105,000.
FYI, your non-dealer mechanic can perform the maintenance, it doesn't have to be one at the dealer.
There is a reason for maintenance, it's to help the car perform better, and to replace parts that get wore down, making the car last longer /run it's best for as long as possible.
As I mentioned above, having the timing belt changed is quite important. It may cost several hundred dollars, but if doesn't get replaced and fails, it will end up usually costing several thousand to repair/replace the engine. This is just one example.
If you could call the dealer, find out what they are specifically going to do, and report back to us, I could advise you better.....
posted by peewinkle at 11:33 AM on October 4, 2010
I just took my car to an independent mechanic the other day for its 90k maintenance. They looked at it, said nothing needed to be done, and sent me away, no charge (it already got a new timing belt and water pump at 70k). $700 kinda sounds like you're being snowed.
posted by phoenixy at 11:35 AM on October 4, 2010
posted by phoenixy at 11:35 AM on October 4, 2010
Seconding damn dirty ape. I have typically found dealers to charge higher hourly labor and more expensive parts (if needed). A local mechanic (that you trust) may complete the specific maintenance activities (that your owners manual identifies) at lower cost. Although, a 90k maintenance on an SUV probably wont be less than $300-500 (an uneducated guess based on my experience :-) )
For what it is worth, I have not exactly been super-diligent about car maintenance. But I generally got the 30/60/90 done a few thousand miles after the fact. After the first 30k, I wld try to find reliable shop to do the needful on my car (instead of the dealer). If you intend to keep the car after the first 50k (as you have), it probably makes sense to invest in regularly scheduled maintenance (if needed)
posted by justlooking at 11:38 AM on October 4, 2010
For what it is worth, I have not exactly been super-diligent about car maintenance. But I generally got the 30/60/90 done a few thousand miles after the fact. After the first 30k, I wld try to find reliable shop to do the needful on my car (instead of the dealer). If you intend to keep the car after the first 50k (as you have), it probably makes sense to invest in regularly scheduled maintenance (if needed)
posted by justlooking at 11:38 AM on October 4, 2010
Here is the the maintenance schedule for your vehicle.
What does it say?
Inspect drive belts, camshaft belt, coolant hoses, etc., fuel lines, etc, transmission, transmission fluid, brake pads, brake lines, parking brake, CV joints, inspect steering & suspension, clutch, and tires.
These are all good things to do. Obviously, none of them are 100% essential. A competent non-dealer mechanic will look at many of these things for free or very little money during a regular service. If you are halfway mechanically apt, you can check many of these things yourself.
Change oil and filter. Replace coolant. Optionally, replace fuel filter. Replace air filter. Replace brake fluid. Rotate tires.
Changing the oil and filter is required. Scrimping on this is silly. If I assume correctly that you have never had the fuel filter, air filter, brake fluid, and coolant changed yet on this car, then yes, you really should do them all now. You should rotate your tires, but the schedule for that doesn't have to go along with the rest of the maintenance schedule.
In general, maintenance like this is a good idea. If you don't, e.g. change the oil and filter regularly, your engine will wear out much faster, so you'll be losing more money than you'll spend on the oil changes. If you want to try to scrimp and stretch out the maintenance intervals for things like air and fuel filters, brake fluid, or coolant, you can do that a little, but you do run the risk of things breaking or suboptimal performance. In my opinion, these things are so cheap, relative to the cost of a vehicle, to the cost of repairs, and to the annoyance of mechanical failures, that they are worth doing as scheduled.
You don't need to go to the dealer for maintenance. Is there any reason you aren't asking your non-dealer mechanic for a quote on the maintenance work? You should be able to get this all done for less than $700.
posted by ssg at 11:42 AM on October 4, 2010
What does it say?
Inspect drive belts, camshaft belt, coolant hoses, etc., fuel lines, etc, transmission, transmission fluid, brake pads, brake lines, parking brake, CV joints, inspect steering & suspension, clutch, and tires.
These are all good things to do. Obviously, none of them are 100% essential. A competent non-dealer mechanic will look at many of these things for free or very little money during a regular service. If you are halfway mechanically apt, you can check many of these things yourself.
Change oil and filter. Replace coolant. Optionally, replace fuel filter. Replace air filter. Replace brake fluid. Rotate tires.
Changing the oil and filter is required. Scrimping on this is silly. If I assume correctly that you have never had the fuel filter, air filter, brake fluid, and coolant changed yet on this car, then yes, you really should do them all now. You should rotate your tires, but the schedule for that doesn't have to go along with the rest of the maintenance schedule.
In general, maintenance like this is a good idea. If you don't, e.g. change the oil and filter regularly, your engine will wear out much faster, so you'll be losing more money than you'll spend on the oil changes. If you want to try to scrimp and stretch out the maintenance intervals for things like air and fuel filters, brake fluid, or coolant, you can do that a little, but you do run the risk of things breaking or suboptimal performance. In my opinion, these things are so cheap, relative to the cost of a vehicle, to the cost of repairs, and to the annoyance of mechanical failures, that they are worth doing as scheduled.
You don't need to go to the dealer for maintenance. Is there any reason you aren't asking your non-dealer mechanic for a quote on the maintenance work? You should be able to get this all done for less than $700.
posted by ssg at 11:42 AM on October 4, 2010
Scheduled maintenance also tends to find other stuff to fix. All those "inspect" items that ssg listed above. $700 may just be a drop in the bucket if they suggest new tires, or new belts, or a battery.
posted by smackfu at 11:44 AM on October 4, 2010
posted by smackfu at 11:44 AM on October 4, 2010
To add a word to what others have said: "preventive" maintenance.
These periodic checks are scheduled in part because they usually check over other items (boots, belts, valve covers - anything that's not metal and subject to degradation over time - this includes all the fluids that get changed).
Not doing this is sort of like not getting an annual (or twice-annual) checkup at the dentist - sooner or later it's gonna cost you - usually a *lot* more.
Find a good (factory trained) Subaru mechanic (there's usually at least one in a major metropolitan area) and take your car there. They should be able to get Subaru parts as needed, and will undoubtedly be less expensive.
posted by dbmcd at 11:44 AM on October 4, 2010
These periodic checks are scheduled in part because they usually check over other items (boots, belts, valve covers - anything that's not metal and subject to degradation over time - this includes all the fluids that get changed).
Not doing this is sort of like not getting an annual (or twice-annual) checkup at the dentist - sooner or later it's gonna cost you - usually a *lot* more.
Find a good (factory trained) Subaru mechanic (there's usually at least one in a major metropolitan area) and take your car there. They should be able to get Subaru parts as needed, and will undoubtedly be less expensive.
posted by dbmcd at 11:44 AM on October 4, 2010
On non-preview, I forgot the spark plugs in my list.
Also, this: Generally speaking, if your car is out of warranty you can get the maintenance done at any place that regularly services Subarus.
Even if your car is still warrantied, you have the right to take it elsewhere than the dealer for maintenance.
posted by ssg at 11:49 AM on October 4, 2010
Also, this: Generally speaking, if your car is out of warranty you can get the maintenance done at any place that regularly services Subarus.
Even if your car is still warrantied, you have the right to take it elsewhere than the dealer for maintenance.
posted by ssg at 11:49 AM on October 4, 2010
A few years ago, wondering this same thing myself, I read an article that said that if you just tell the dealer to do the X-mile maintenance, they will often do a bunch of stuff that doesn't appear in the manual, and that you should always go over point-by-point the list of things you want them to do. As people have mentioned up-thread, you want them to do what is in the manual but you don't want or need them to do more. That seemed like good advice to me, so I have followed it. You might double-check whether that $700 includes things that aren't on the scheduled maintenance list in the manual, and/or, armed with the specific list, call around elsewhere for estimates.
posted by not that girl at 12:07 PM on October 4, 2010
posted by not that girl at 12:07 PM on October 4, 2010
I always get the major services, because I am a big believer in preventive maintenance. I can't prove it has saved me money and problems, but I think it has.
I never go to the dealership. I actually just had a milestone service on my Honda, and I took it to an independent mechanic I trust - he didn't even give me a price beforehand, because he said they would evaluate what needed to be done and not do anything unnecessary. It was still a chunk of money, but less than a dealership, and I didn't get any big upsell push.
If you're comfortable with the dealership and don't want to go somewhere else, maybe try getting some quotes from other places - even other Subaru dealerships? - and try to bargain on the price.
posted by mrs. taters at 12:10 PM on October 4, 2010
I never go to the dealership. I actually just had a milestone service on my Honda, and I took it to an independent mechanic I trust - he didn't even give me a price beforehand, because he said they would evaluate what needed to be done and not do anything unnecessary. It was still a chunk of money, but less than a dealership, and I didn't get any big upsell push.
If you're comfortable with the dealership and don't want to go somewhere else, maybe try getting some quotes from other places - even other Subaru dealerships? - and try to bargain on the price.
posted by mrs. taters at 12:10 PM on October 4, 2010
Inspect various belts / hoses, etc. - $40 for 30 minutes labor.
Oil change - $30
Coolant Flush - $100
Air Filter - $20
Brake fluid - May have been done if you had brake work recently.
Fuel filter - not sure on your car. If it's a recommended service item it's probably a relatively cheap part - let's say $50. (On my car it's permanently embedded in the fuel tank - can't be serviced)
Rotate tires - usually included with oil change for free if you ask.
Spark Plugs - $4 each X 6 - plus an hour of labor ($80)which you could yourself if you need to cut costs.
So itemizing the list above with rough east coast prices, I'm getting about $350 plus the cost of a brake system flush, which is probably in the $70 - $100 range.
posted by COD at 12:48 PM on October 4, 2010
Oil change - $30
Coolant Flush - $100
Air Filter - $20
Brake fluid - May have been done if you had brake work recently.
Fuel filter - not sure on your car. If it's a recommended service item it's probably a relatively cheap part - let's say $50. (On my car it's permanently embedded in the fuel tank - can't be serviced)
Rotate tires - usually included with oil change for free if you ask.
Spark Plugs - $4 each X 6 - plus an hour of labor ($80)which you could yourself if you need to cut costs.
So itemizing the list above with rough east coast prices, I'm getting about $350 plus the cost of a brake system flush, which is probably in the $70 - $100 range.
posted by COD at 12:48 PM on October 4, 2010
I'd look for a Subaru specialty mechanic that's not the dealer (your dealer may have a wonderful mechanic, but my experiences with them have been less than optimal). Yelp or the Car Talk website are both pretty good places to look for mechanics.
posted by doctor_negative at 2:28 PM on October 4, 2010
posted by doctor_negative at 2:28 PM on October 4, 2010
Go to the library and get a book on how to do basic car maintenance, or take a class at the local learning annex.
Half the things on the PDFs that have been posted can be done in the parking lot of Auto Zone, most of the other half can be done in your driveway. Few of them require anything more than a screwdriver and a pair of plyers. If you shop around, you can probably do it all for under $100 in parts, expendables and tools. And it'll be done right.
As John Muir put it 'Come to terms with your ass, for it bears you.'
(Yes, I have in fact put my money where my mouth is - I started off a few years ago doing oil and filter changes, and just (last night, in fact) finished a successful valve-body rebuild of my automatic transmission, all 130+ parts. I'm not blessed or a genius. You can do this. )
posted by Orb2069 at 4:26 PM on October 4, 2010
Half the things on the PDFs that have been posted can be done in the parking lot of Auto Zone, most of the other half can be done in your driveway. Few of them require anything more than a screwdriver and a pair of plyers. If you shop around, you can probably do it all for under $100 in parts, expendables and tools. And it'll be done right.
As John Muir put it 'Come to terms with your ass, for it bears you.'
(Yes, I have in fact put my money where my mouth is - I started off a few years ago doing oil and filter changes, and just (last night, in fact) finished a successful valve-body rebuild of my automatic transmission, all 130+ parts. I'm not blessed or a genius. You can do this. )
posted by Orb2069 at 4:26 PM on October 4, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by zsazsa at 11:24 AM on October 4, 2010 [1 favorite]