Just want to gauge if I am getting a good quote for timing belt service. What have you guys typically done yours for? Thanks!!
Cost to do Timing Belt in So Cali?
- Thread starter supra2nv
- Start date
~1100 parts & labor, independent shop, ~1 day worth of work.
thanks for the input. I prefer to go through Acura on something like this. If things go wrong, I would rather have someone with a deep pocket!
Nearly every time I've had my car into Keyes Acura, something has gotten screwed up. First time they did my clutch, they scraped my Wings West front lip up bad, even cracking the paint on it. I never got anything out of complaining to them. A few days later, I found out that the engine mounts weren't right. I went back a few days later and sat around seeing my car bake out in the lot till after 4:30 and they finally got around to it and still didn't get the engine mounts right.
Two things I learned, first, taking it to an Acura dealership had no advantages. They were not careful with my car and you even pay a premium for their services.
Niguel Motors I know I can trust to do a good job and I get to talk to the guy that works on my car (Ramon). His prices are much better as well... I hear great things about Autowave as well. So don't rule out going to an independent shop like Autowave or Niguel Motors, you can get better service and results...
Two things I learned, first, taking it to an Acura dealership had no advantages. They were not careful with my car and you even pay a premium for their services.
Niguel Motors I know I can trust to do a good job and I get to talk to the guy that works on my car (Ramon). His prices are much better as well... I hear great things about Autowave as well. So don't rule out going to an independent shop like Autowave or Niguel Motors, you can get better service and results...
I got mine done for under $1,000 at an independent. I had quotes of up to nearly $2,000. Expect a dealer price to push the limit.
Through fellow prime members, I found that the place I had mine done was very reputable and for this type of service so I felt comfortable. I didn't focus so much on the "dealer factor" since I've actually had trouble with dealers in the past (other cars, not my acura). I looked at if the shop had worked on a number of NSX's.
If you drop into Niguel Motors, you will likely see an NSX being worked on. Also the owner/mechanic (Ramon) owns one as well. I was told very good things about his honesty and quality work on maintaining NSX's. I had a great experience with him and have talked to several NSX owners that use him and everyone talks positively about Ramon.
Autowave in Orange county is also a great independent shop. If you drop by there, you will likley see several on any given day. There are a number of folks that ship cars from quite a distance to have them work on their cars. I believe they are the most experienced on NSX's and are focused on perfomance tuning in addition to maintenance. Their Timing belt change includes actually removing your engine and replacing a number of other items that they recommend at the same time while the engine is out and their is limited labor involved. This, of course, adds to the cost but also takes better care of your car and reduced cost long term.
If you want to get it done at the dealer, you might look into South Coast Acura. that is where the NSX-CA club meets every month and they offer discounts for parts and I'm not sure if that also applies to service. Because of their support of the NSX-CA club, they end up working on quite a few NSX's and would rate high in my book.
I would be cautious in taking your NSX to just any dealer. they may have deep pockets, but "Junior" that just came out of Acura mechanics school might not have been taking notes the day they talked about NSX's and you would hate for him to learn on yours. I would recomend one of the 3 above if possible.
All this being said, I'm not sure that a timing belt is the most complicated maintenance for your car and is fairly comon, so you're probably OK at all of these places. "Junior" could even do it with a good manual!! That is why I went for the low quote. I know the ramifications are high if its done wrong, but I think that is somewhat rare. Others might want to chime on this however since I'm also relatively new to the NSX crowd.
Ultimately, it comes to your choice and how much $$$ you can afford vs. your read on the dealer/independent factors. I would definutaly avoid just any dealer or independent. but eh above 3 are all great so you probably can't go wrong.
Good luck!
Through fellow prime members, I found that the place I had mine done was very reputable and for this type of service so I felt comfortable. I didn't focus so much on the "dealer factor" since I've actually had trouble with dealers in the past (other cars, not my acura). I looked at if the shop had worked on a number of NSX's.
If you drop into Niguel Motors, you will likely see an NSX being worked on. Also the owner/mechanic (Ramon) owns one as well. I was told very good things about his honesty and quality work on maintaining NSX's. I had a great experience with him and have talked to several NSX owners that use him and everyone talks positively about Ramon.
Autowave in Orange county is also a great independent shop. If you drop by there, you will likley see several on any given day. There are a number of folks that ship cars from quite a distance to have them work on their cars. I believe they are the most experienced on NSX's and are focused on perfomance tuning in addition to maintenance. Their Timing belt change includes actually removing your engine and replacing a number of other items that they recommend at the same time while the engine is out and their is limited labor involved. This, of course, adds to the cost but also takes better care of your car and reduced cost long term.
If you want to get it done at the dealer, you might look into South Coast Acura. that is where the NSX-CA club meets every month and they offer discounts for parts and I'm not sure if that also applies to service. Because of their support of the NSX-CA club, they end up working on quite a few NSX's and would rate high in my book.
I would be cautious in taking your NSX to just any dealer. they may have deep pockets, but "Junior" that just came out of Acura mechanics school might not have been taking notes the day they talked about NSX's and you would hate for him to learn on yours. I would recomend one of the 3 above if possible.
All this being said, I'm not sure that a timing belt is the most complicated maintenance for your car and is fairly comon, so you're probably OK at all of these places. "Junior" could even do it with a good manual!! That is why I went for the low quote. I know the ramifications are high if its done wrong, but I think that is somewhat rare. Others might want to chime on this however since I'm also relatively new to the NSX crowd.
Ultimately, it comes to your choice and how much $$$ you can afford vs. your read on the dealer/independent factors. I would definutaly avoid just any dealer or independent. but eh above 3 are all great so you probably can't go wrong.
Good luck!
this is VERY helpful guys! I will likely call those shops tomorrow and price them out. Wish there was someone closer to Valencia
So what should I look to pay at an independant? I got a quote for $1350 from Acura but if I can get it for less than $1000 that would be awesome!
Thanks again!
Jack
So what should I look to pay at an independant? I got a quote for $1350 from Acura but if I can get it for less than $1000 that would be awesome!Thanks again!
Jack
I've never gotten a straight answer on how much they charge for those services. Everyone else had combined services.I think Niguel should be cheaper as I know Ramon is able to change the belt without having to go through the standard timing belt change procedure. Only problem is I hear he's pretty booked up nowadays.
Checkout fkong777's post on this thread to kind of get an idea...
Checkout fkong777's post on this thread to kind of get an idea...
