- Acura TL Type-S owner hit with a shocking $9,644.87 service estimate.
- Dealer’s quote included timing belt, fog lights, and spark plug work.
- Commentators slammed the estimate, urging an independent mechanic.
As cars get older, they inevitably need more and more maintenance. With a (very) few notable exceptions that only prove the rule, usually low mileage collectables, most vehicles lose value over time as well. When these two things come together, we see bills that can explode far beyond the value of a certain vehicle.
In fact, that’s why plenty of folks prioritize buying cars with a record of reliability and low ownership costs. Perhaps that’s what led the man in this story to buy an Acura. What he didn’t bank on was a maintenance quote that was more than what the car was probably worth. $9,644.87, to be exact.
What’s Going On Here?
In a post titled “Please tell me this isn’t right,” the owner asked others on Reddit how legitimate this bill was. It’s not as if they rolled into the dealer with 400,000 or more miles. They simply went in for their routine 120,000-mile service – and the Acura dealer seemingly recommended just about anything it could.
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According to the invoice, at least nine separate jobs were suggested. Among them, $2,400 for a timing belt replacement that showed no apparent issues, recommended purely on schedule rather than symptoms.
A List That Keeps Growing
The list didn’t stop there. The dealer said that the car needed valve cover gaskets, valve adjustments, and new spark plugs for another $1,644. Oh, and let’s not forget $1,599.15 for the fog lights.
Add to those big charges $680 for a power steering pump reseal and $390 for hood struts. There are even two different battery-related charges that total over $500.
Keep in mind that this car is likely worth around $10,000 to $11,000 if sold by a dealer, or about a thousand less in a private sale, meaning this quote effectively is more than the car’s worth.
These facts came together to make the comment section both sobering and hilarious.
“The $1600 for valve cover gaskets really takes the cake for me. The OEM kit is $70. Felpro kit is $35. Are they hand-making new valve cover gaskets out of racing horse [genetic material] or something?” said one.
Perhaps the wisest comment in the bunch was this: “My rule of thumb for me personally is to never bring any vehicle not under warranty to a dealership.”
Dealerships make the majority of their profit from service, not sales. So when an older car like this rolls in, you can almost hear the ka-ching reading this story. It’s easy to imagine how some service departments start seeing opportunity rather than maintenance.
Please tell me this isn’t right
byu/jayceguthrie7 inAskMechanics
