RL had 6,200 miles on it. 15% oil life left. The wrench was lit, bell ringing and service soon A 1 flashing. I know I could have waited a bit longer. I can't stand to have any lights on or things flashing. I called around to a few local dealers, including the purchasing dealer. Cost quoted were $81.00, $88.00, $120.00, and $55.00 and change. All checked out and provided same service.
While getting service done, I had them check the balancing of the tire that was repaired a week ago. That tire was rotated to the front. Not to my surprise the tire needed to be balanced and has weights on both sides of the rim. The dealer that did the service has always treated me very well. I wish I could have worked a deal with them when we purchased RL. I spoke with the sevice manager and he didn't mind that we didn't. I will return for future service.

I still have awhile to go (only 2450 miles) but I agree about shopping around between dealerships. I am finding a similar discrepancy on accessory installations so when time comes for servicing, I will do the same...

Thanks for the information.

RL had 6,200 miles on it. 15% oil life left. The wrench was lit, bell ringing and service soon A 1 flashing. I know I could have waited a bit longer. I can't stand to have any lights on or things flashing. I called around to a few local dealers, including the purchasing dealer. Cost quoted were $81.00, $88.00, $120.00, and $55.00 and change. All checked out and provided same service.
While getting service done, I had them check the balancing of the tire that was repaired a week ago. That tire was rotated to the front. Not to my surprise the tire needed to be balanced and has weights on both sides of the rim. The dealer that did the service has always treated me very well. I wish I could have worked a deal with them when we purchased RL. I spoke with the sevice manager and he didn't mind that we didn't. I will return for future service.
That seems awful high for a oil change which is what maintence A is supposed to be. Did they do something additional to the oil/filter change?
Maintenance Minder A Scheduled Maintenance

Replace engine oil*1

*1: If the message, "SERVICE DUE NOW" does not appear more than 12 months after the display is reset, change the engine oil every year.


Independent of the maintenance messages in the information display, replace the brake fluid every 3 years.

Inspect idle speed every 160,000 miles (256,000 km).

Adjust the valves during services A, B, 1, 2, or 3 if they are noisy.

That seems awful high for a oil change which is what maintence A is supposed to be. Did they do something additional to the oil/filter change?

Tire rotation, Grease all hinges, latches, inspect and adjust rear brakes, parking brake, check and top off all fluids, including diff. Tire pressure, oil change w/ filter. I couldn't see paying $120.00 for this service. $55.00 isn't so bad, and it's on record. I will be doing most of this stuff soon. I also plan to switch to synthetic oil.

Tire rotation, Grease all hinges, latches, inspect and adjust rear brakes, parking brake, check and top off all fluids, including diff. Tire pressure, oil change w/ filter. I couldn't see paying $120.00 for this service. $55.00 isn't so bad, and it's on record. I will be doing most of this stuff soon. I also plan to switch to synthetic oil.
That's a lot more than what's required per the quote in my previous message (which is copy/paste from Owner's Link).

Um, yeah. I would say you got ripped off. Greasing hinges at 7,500 miles? Aside from the tire rotation, I'd say this should have cost about $20 - $25 at one of many oil change locations. I believe another member mentioned Walmart's costs elsewhere, which included, as I recall, the tire rotation part of things.

My dealer provides the first oil change and tire rotation/balancing free. Me thinks you wuz robbed :(

:eek: As does mine. Thought it was customary.

Had own oil and oil filter (Mobil 1 synthetic 5W20 and a Mobile 1 oil filter). Had oil and oil filter changed and a sample drawn for Blackstone Labortories and the tires rotated at Wally World for $13 and change. Was in Maryland and the local Honda dealership wanted over $36.00 with me suppling the above mentioned items and well over an hour wait...in and out at Wally World in less then a half hour... :rolleyes:

Um, yeah. I would say you got ripped off. Greasing hinges at 7,500 miles? Aside from the tire rotation, I'd say this should have cost about $20 - $25 at one of many oil change locations. I believe another member mentioned Walmart's costs elsewhere, which included, as I recall, the tire rotation part of things.

Wow, tuff group.
The money came from my wallet. I thought I did pretty good. What does your Honda dealer quote for 7,500 mile service? Not simply Oil Change. I'll tell you what sport. Look on your receipt from Walmart or any other quick oil change/ lube. If they replaced the crush washer, I will mail you a check for your next oil change visit to Walmart. I will be the judge if I got ripped off or not. But thanks for your opinion.

Wow, tuff group.

No kidding. Can we spare the ripoff commentary on other people's purchases, please? It's not helpful, and it's not within the spirit of this forum.

Wow, tuff group.
The money came from my wallet. I thought I did pretty good. What does your Honda dealer quote for 7,500 mile service? Not simply Oil Change. I'll tell you what sport. Look on your receipt from Walmart or any other quick oil change/ lube. If they replaced the crush washer, I will mail you a check for your next oil change visit to Walmart. I will be the judge if I got ripped off or not. But thanks for your opinion.

I'm not in this discussion to say if you got ripped off or not... just offer a different opinion.

Tire rotation... I agree that this should be done. I buy the lifetime rotate and balance the first time and have this done for free at every oil change on my vehicles.

Grease all hinges, latches... Fluff. This should have been checked on the PDI inspection and lasts for years. Just a fluff item of no value.

Inspect and adjust rear brakes... total baloney. The rear brakes have no adjustment.

Parking brake adjustment... the Service Manual has a procedure for adjusting the parking brake after shoe replacement. It involves taking off the rear wheels, etc. and it's extremely unlikely that they did anything of the sort, and even if they did it would be completely unnecessary.

Top off all fluids, incl. diff.... any oil change joint does the same thing. There is no differential on the Ridgeline, but assuming they meant the VTM unit. Should have been checked at PDI. It's a sealed unit and unless it shows signs of leakage it's full if it ever was.

Tire pressure... any oil change joint does this as well.

Now before I go into the Wal-Mart issue I'll say I have no association with Wal-Mart (don't even own any of their stock at the present time).

I've watched my oil being changed at many places. Dealers, quick-change joints, mechanics, gas stations, etc. I can honestly say that out of all the places Wal-Mart is the most consistent. They have strict policies in place. They do the exact same service if I have it done in St. Louis, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, or anywhere else. They honor my lifetime rotate and balance at every location... I'm not bound to one location. A supervisor double checks every single item. At least two people check every single lug nut with a torque wrench. I have never seen a dealer use a torque wrench on lug nuts.

I always provide my own oil (a five quart bottle of Mobil 1 5W-30 and a Honda 15400-PLM-A01 or Mobil 1 oil filter). Wal-Mart chages a $10.00 labor charge (some locations charge $13 if memory serves me correctly) when you provide your own oil and filter. The 5 quart Mobil 1 cost $19.88, and the filter about $6. So for under $36 I get the best oil change money can buy, a top quality oil fiter, tires rotated and balanced, all fluid levels checked, windows cleaned, and interior vacuumed.

I am not a fan having your oil changes and minor service done at dealerships. Yes, the dealers have some very skilled technicians, but the oil rack kids are usually not trained at all and have little or no supervision. If there are procedures for checks and balances in place it's up to each individual dealer. Some may be great. At least at Wal-Mart I know they have national policies, regular inspections, and I've never seen one that didn't follow the policies.

As for the crush washer... I sell Honda oil filters (the good ones not the junk ones you get at the dealer)... a BUNCH of them. I supply a crush washer for every filter, but to be honest I've never bothered to change one on any of my Honda / Acura vehicles, and I've never had a drip. As long as it doesn't leak it's not an issue since the crush washer offers no other value. I could easily provide the crush washer to Wal-Mart and they'd install it, but the whole crush washer issue means nothing to me.

Everyone has their own way. The lowest price is not what I'm after. The very best quality at an affordable price is my pet peeve. If someone has a way (other than self-service) to get better service at a lower price I'm ready, willing and able to take advantage of it.

Wow, tuff group.
The money came from my wallet. I thought I did pretty good. What does your Honda dealer quote for 7,500 mile service? Not simply Oil Change. I'll tell you what sport. Look on your receipt from Walmart or any other quick oil change/ lube. If they replaced the crush washer, I will mail you a check for your next oil change visit to Walmart. I will be the judge if I got ripped off or not. But thanks for your opinion.
.....lol...lol......easy killer............ ;) but i think i agree with you......55 wasn't bad for oil/filter/tire rotation at the DEALER. is it higher than what we think it should be? oh yea it is........but for a DEALER, not bad.............good point about that washer too.

I prefer to perform my own oil changes, tire rotations, and inspections. It gives me an opertunity to "see" what is going on with the vehicle. Plus I have only my interest in mind, not trying to sell additional services

I just change the oil in the Ridgeline for the first time. I found it to be very easy, although I have to admit the oil plug facing toward the aft instead of down gave me a small issue. I fully understand and agree with the design, I will now insure I use a deflector for the drained oil. I did not expect to "shoot" hot oil about 10" - shot right passed the catch pan - I must have been qiute a sight flipping around on my back, under the truck, moving things :rolleyes:.

I must admit, I do find it amusing on the few occasions I have been too busy and send the wife to just get an oil change or tire rotation - She always comes home with an estimate of the ~$700 worth of stuff they say I desparately need - Yeah, right! I fully understand that that is their business, but why is it always $700? Who figured out that magic number?

I did not expect to "shoot" hot oil about 10" - shot right passed the catch pan - I must have been qiute a sight flipping around on my back, under the truck, moving things :rolleyes:.

I must admit, I do find it amusing on the few occasions I have been too busy and send the wife to just get an oil change or tire rotation - She always comes home with an estimate of the ~$700 worth of stuff they say I desparately need - Yeah, right! I fully understand that that is their business, but why is it always $700? Who figured out that magic number?
LOL.........LOL............WHAT A SIGHT THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN ;)
you know, dealers would make a lot more money in volume if they wouldn't try to cheat so damn much.......folks would rather go to the dealer than some quick oil place but they know the dealer will come up with over charges, etc......

Sorry if the term "ripoff" is considered inappropriate on this forum. What I meant to say is that I think RRPRTS's dealer overcharged and provided unecessary service, if indeed they did provide all the service they reported.

I personally find it bothersome that despite the emphasis Honda places on the limited amount of service necessary for its vehicles (note another poster's detail of what is appropriate for a 7,500 mile checkup), a dealer would offer, for example, to grease hinges at 7,500 miles, or imply that this was done as a necessary part of such service. In my view, that is unethical on the part of the dealer if the dealer is actually suggesting that such service is necessary or appropriate. It seems like service upselling to me.

Just an opinion. Not an intent to insult anyone.

Went to my dealer for a new vehicle introduction that they do each month to get you introduced to your vehicle and it's maintenance department. The cost for there 3750 oil change which is what they recommend is $91.00. This includes everything, oil, oil filter, balance and rotate tires, check and top off all fluids, check a bunch of other stuff under the hood and around the vehicle. Also included a BG oil additive. I asked them why there were adding an oil additive to a new engine on the first oil change and they said that was to help to make the engine last longer as a preventive measure. When questioned about this they said if you don't want it then they would not install this item and if all you wanted was just an oil change that would be 24.99 + tax and environmental fees for the waste. So all said and done not a bad deal. Also the first oil change is free. I think I'll check out the Wal-Mart thing once I get the free oil change... The thing to remember is if you think you got a good deal then you got a good deal no matter what someone else say to the contrary. Everything is relative.

silverridge, just wanted to throw 2 pennys worth........hope you don't mind.
but.........no dealer is putting any additive in my ridge. especially brand new.
oil change they recommend is waaay to early for you. drive that break in oil until the oil life reads 5-15 percent. seriously, the manual tells you not tomake that first oil change before recommened. then, 3750 really is a ploy just to get you in there....nicholas's oil analysis that was posted on here shows that you can go atleast 6000 miles between changes. and hey, rotating your tires at 3750? nope. every other oil change would save you money and is in line with what manual suggests wich i believe is 10,000 miles.
one owner to another ;) .

I have aboyut 5400 miles on, and just yesterday the beeping wrench alarm went off indicating <15% oil life left. I drive mostly city mileage. I will run it down to Service Due Now. I have the Mobil 1 and SuperTech filter ready to go.

I just called my shop and to my surprise they actually use Mobil 1. $35 for the oil change. :)

That's a great deal.

I have aboyut 5400 miles on, and just yesterday the beeping wrench alarm went off indicating <15% oil life left. I drive mostly city mileage. I will run it down to Service Due Now. I have the Mobil 1 and SuperTech filter ready to go.

I was over at this oil forum (yeah, I know I don't have a life), and there seems to be some debate over the super tech filter (after I already bought 2). Some lube guy has been cutting these open at his garage and isn't to impressed at how the media is holding up especially at extended drain intervals which as RL owners we will be running the filter to 7,000 miles if we follow the computer. Anyway, just a heads up. Take it for what it's worth.

There seems to be a universal consensus about the Napa Gold brand (which is the best Wix filter) I haven't heard bad word about it and looks very well made and will hold up well during the extended drain interval. I would use the Honda (Filtech brand by wix), but they're hard to come by and the Napa Gold is the same thing I think.

I was probably at the same oil geek's forum and have been asking questions there about HAL, oil types and weights, dino vs. synthetic, various oil analysis (like Nicholas reported here a couple weeks ago), change intervals, time/mileage factors, etc., etc. The amount of information out there, as well as different opinions is staggering (and confusing). In fact, I've changed my mind several times during the past month!

All my life, no matter the vehicle type I owned, no matter the kind of driving I did or any other factor notwithstanding, I changed oil and filter every 5,000 miles, whether I drove those miles in a month or 10 months. I have never had an oil related engine problem and I've been driving cars for over 40 years.

The opinions at that oil forum as well as at here our Ridgeline forum vary considerably - and none are wrong. Some people are comfortable with the old stand by 3,000 or 5,000 oil change interval while others will rely on HAL as the guide. Some will swear by synthetic while others want a blend or just plain dino. Much depends on your driving habits (a nice feature of our Ridge is the computer that makes assumptions on oil life based on these habits), and just how often you want to change oil. To a slightly lessor extent, factors such as your climate and budget come into play (although the difference between a $2 qt. dino or a $6 qt. of synthetic is not really a big deal - ditto the filter costs).

My Ridge has about 1100 miles on it and HAL show 90% left. Here is what I plan on doing from this point on: change oil (and filter - a good one like the Filtech) when HAL shows around 20% or 15%, or 5,000 miles, which ever comes first. My first oil change will be Motorcraft 5W20 dino as it has shown very good used oil analysis figures for Honda engines (although we all know the Ridge is a slightly different animal than Honda has ever offered before). Havoline, Exxon SuperFlo and Pennzoil are also highly rated. Actually, most 5W20s are blend oils and any should provide good protection for 5,000 miles. At least during warranty, I will use 5W20 no matter how enticing that Amsoil 0-30 looks.

After the initial oil change with dino, I will go with HAL to the 15% level, no matter the mileage. I will top off with the exact same oil if necessary. At that point I can pretty well determine how many miles of my driving (normal conditions) it will take for the oil monitor to make its "service soon" determination. I will then get an oil analysis to see if the figures show adequate protection. If so, I will use HAL from then on (although I may switch to a synthetic at that point if I am going over 7500 miles or one year before HAL kicks in). I will stick with this routine until my driving conditions change or I notice something unusual with oil consumption or some other engine related factor.

I don't put a lot of creedence in some guy cutting up filters in his garage. I'll go with the facts.

Oil change opinions are like the wind, there are many different directions they come from, and they are constantly changing. I follow the most relaxed policy in the manual that comes with the car and nothing more. I do not buy in to the severe driving condition rhetoric that always seems to come out. They stuck a 3700 mile sticker on my car, and I promptly removed it and said no. When the car tells me to go in, I will, not a moment before, unless it has been close to a year (and yes this is possible for me) at which point I will also take it in regardless. My goal is to make it to year 7 which will be the end of my warranty and then sell my car. I have done this repeatedly and never in the time I have kept a car have I had any issue with the engine. In fact with all my vehicles the only thing I have had to repair are brakes and tires (and the occasional dent). Of course I am not a typical user, I had a vehicle I sold at 7 years that only had 46k miles on it. I have never driven a vehicle beyond 50k miles, although this one certainly has a chance since we already have several long trips planned with it. My wife's 2.5 year old Civic only has 13500 miles on it and is our primary vehicle. We change the oil in that once a year based on Honda's recommendation.

If the car manufacturer misstates the requirements and the car is damaged because their recommendations were wrong they would open themselves up to all sorts of legal action. They obviously put a great deal of testing into making these recommendations. Even if you can get better life, better performance by adjustments, for me the normal user of a vehicle, I just want the silly thing to work.

I would use the Honda (Filtech brand by wix), but they're hard to come by and the Napa Gold is the same thing I think.
How many would you like?
Try here.... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Honda-and-Acura-OEM-Oil-Filters-case-of-30-FILTECH_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33661QQitemZ798 5479778
Don

[QUOTE=RRPRTS;14800]Tire rotation, Grease all hinges, latches, inspect and adjust rear brakes, parking brake, check and top off all fluids, including diff. Tire pressure, oil change w/ filter. I couldn't see paying $120.00 for this service. $55.00 isn't so bad, and it's on record. I will be doing most of this stuff soon. I also plan to switch to synthetic oil.[/QUOTE

Can't adjust rear brakes, probably mean parking brake. ( I have 52000 miles and never adjusted and it still has same amount of clicks since it was new) I also hate when the dealer checks tire pressure. I have just driven 15 miles, the tires are hot. They always let air out then the tires are low. Tire pressure should be checked when cold preferably after vehicle has sat overnight..My dealer is $22.00 and that includes a free 19 point inspection...just my 2 cents..