Is my Honda dealer trying to upsell me?
 

Long story bearable,
My 2015 Accord has a maintenance minder that tells me to bring it in for the B1 service.
Car just turned 36,000 and was bought in September of 2015.

The B 1 service is an engine oil and filter change plus tire rotation.

The service writer asks me if i want the multi point inspection which is complementary..........sure I say......go for it.

Out in the waiting room, the service writer approaches me and says that the auto transmission fluid is in need of changing because it FAILED there inspection criteria.

I replied that we should stick with the Manufactures recommended interval which would be a letter A or B and the number 3 which is a transmission fluid change.

She highly discouraged me from waiting until the number 3 appears as the fluid color has failed there inspection criteria. I mentioned that something must be wrong with the transmission in my NEW car if it really failed.

I feel this is such an upsell because when I checked the fluid when I got home it looks fine......anyone else experience this?

Your car is a 4-cyl model and has the CVT, right?
They may be trying to protect themselves. I think the CVT is still new enough technology to them that they don't want to get caught out by not recommending the change.
I know when I had my '02 Accord V-6, the indy mech I took it to for the 100k tune-up could not believe it hadn't had a trannie rebuild as I'd never changed the fluid during that time. He said he always recommended changing it every 30k on the V-6's. He test drove mine and said it shifted like new. I'd read the manual when I got the car and it never even mentioned the trans fluid as a regular maint item.
The dealers make their money on the service end too, so you have to factor that in somewhat.
With that many miles in a relatively short time, I'd bet your trans isn't working as hard as say one that has that many miles of stop 'n go driving on it.(I'm assuming you travel longer distances at a time.)

Warranty claim I feel. And keep all records in case it fails big time in a year or two.

It's the V-6 with the conventional transmission......no CVT

Good idea Bill !
Hit them up with the fact that it has FAILED their own test before the recommended time/miles, so it must be changed under warranty.

From what I've read on the Accord forum, I'd change it then. I have a 2011 V-6 w/32k on it now and am thinking it's getting close to time to change it. I really babied the '02 and that's why it lasted 153k before it started leaking at the gaskets, not the seals.
Does your fluid look real clean and doesn't smell like it's burnt?

The brown side of red.....smells like tranny oil. Not burnt

If you're going to keep the car for a while (ie it's not leased), then I'd just change it myself. If it's leased and you're not looking at it as a long term car for you, let it go until the MM tells you to do it.
I own mine so I'll be changing it.

I smell shakedown. But did you happen to ask the service writer what would happen if the transmission failed while still under warranty? Would it be covered? It seems that as long as the maintenance minder didn't tell you to swap out the fluid, a warranty claim should still be honored by the factory. Otherwise there's something defective about the fluid (or tranny) and it should still be covered under warranty now. You shouldn't have to pay the $150 or so for a transmission fluid flush at only 32K miles.

Changing the fluid in an automatic transmission is a PITA, IMO. You can only drain about 3 of the 7 or 8 quarts at a time, so unless you've got some way to power flush the system, you're left doing about 4 serial fluid changes (change, drive 15 min, change, drive 15 min, etc). Because I do my own oil changes, I just started changing 3 qts of ATF every other oil change. I'm down underneath there and the car/van is up on jack stands to facilitate the tire rotation, anyway. In the end, it works out to be about the same, fluidwise. I started doing it because both auto tranny Honda models we have owned had suspected issues with transmission longevity, and I figured a little preventive maintenance was easier and cheaper than worrying about a transmission failure.

But I'm a shadetree mechanic, so don't swear by what I say or do.

It is 100% an upsell. She makes commission off of every service- however accord transmissions are not the best- forums are littered with early failures - pay to change it early and sleep well tonight

Do what the manual and your heart tells you.

I have an '07 Accord with only 58,000 miles........At 50K, I took it to the dealer to have them change Trans fluid and Brake Fluid.......They tried to upsell me:
1) Timing belt because of the # of years, even though manual said 100K miles
2) Cabin Filter
3) Some rubber busing in the front suspension.....

I told them if the car built that poorly, I better leave and go see the local "KIA" dealer for a new car.......That shut them up.......

Odds are they are doing a drain/fill, most places do. Should take a few minutes to DIY if you are interested. Use the Honda fluid, save the receipt in your records and record the mileage. Do it every year or 2 if you want to over maintain it.

The ENTIRE reason they want to do a multi-point inspection is to find something you hadn't seen (and can't check) that needs servicing. Their whole reason for doing those inspections is to upsell the gullible client (usually a less knowledgable woman) and scare them into big unnecesary repairs.

+2

Our 04 Pilot gets a fluid change (by me) at every 30K. Drain and re-fill, 3 qts. with ONLY Honda fluid. Most maintenance happens at 30k.

Excellent response.

1) Up-sell.
2) Excuse to void warranty at a later date.

I'd have a chat with higher-ups (regional rep?) to make sure neither is the case.

I cant tell you how many cars I see that come in as a response to dealer scare tactics. Sure, sometimes there are legit concerns. Most of the time after I show someone the parts/fluid they see reality.

At the same time, I do a quick inspection at every oil change. No checklist but I've spotted many bad cv boots, oil leaks, exhaust issues, brakes near the limit... with a flashlight and 2 min. Something everyone should do every once in a while.

I took my new to me 2013 Miata in for its first servicing. I bought it in January and have only put on 3000 kms or 2000miles. They say servicing is every 4 months and not 6 months.

They are getting extra revenue for the shortened service intervals.

Then the gal tells me that there is an airbag recall that just came out and she will order the parts. I go on the Miata. net forum and mention this to the NC guys. One suggests plugging in the VIN to a specific website. It shows no recalls. So I say that I will wait for the paperwork before I do the recall.

Next time I will go to my local indy shop who I absolutely trust. It will be interesting to see if the recall notice comes up or not. I have no trust for dealerships that have big shiny new buildings. Servicing every 4 months is ridiculous.

The back story on my concern is that the Maintenance Minder Schedule that Honda uses makes sense to me. Oil changes come at fairly large intervals 7000-8500 miles and the other stuff that comes up on the Minder seems reasonable to me.

I own two of these cars, a 2013 V6 Accord with 75,000miles and this 2015 with 36,000. We have been sticking with the schedule on the 2013 without any hiccups. Never an upsell so far with this dealer and their prices are what I consider fair.....ie $40 for a 0-20W blend oil change

Ask them to put it in writing. You'll check w/manufacturer and schedule service later:
-Findings and recommendations.
-Testing procedures and equipment used.

2015 Honda Accord Problems, Defects & Complaints doesn't show transmission to be a problem on this model.

Should be a warantee item or recall either way.