Recently a customer called to get a quote for a timing belt replacement on her Honda. When we gave her the quote she sounded surprised and told us that our quote was higher than the quote from the dealership.

We explained to the customer that our quote was for a "package" which included the drive belts, water pump, coolant, cam and crank seals along with the timing belt due to the overlap in labor. This way you only pay the labor to replace these items once. We explained to her that we did not think the dealer quote included the additional items and that is the difference in price. She said she would call us back.

After confirming the quote from the dealership she called us back. She thanked us for explaining the quote and scheduled her vehicle for service.

With today's economy and stiffened budgets we completely understand the importance of calling for quotes for any repairs or expenses considered on your vehicle. That being said we want to make sure you are comparing apples to apples not apples to oranges. If you ever have a question about service or maintenance on your vehicle, we are here to help so please give us a call. If you are clipping coupons for savings we take all dealership coupons.

American Honda Motor Company last fall announced a new core charge on all OEM alloy wheels it sells as an incentive to have the wheels recovered. Once returned to Honda, the wheels will be melted down and reprocessed.

Honda is also urging collision-repair shops to check

for any applicable safety recalls when repairing a Honda or Acura vehicle. In May, for example, it expanded a previously announced airbag-related recall of 2001-03 Honda and Acura vehicles to include the vehicles that may have had the original driver's airbag module replaced with a service part.

The automaker attempts to notify the current registered owner of any such recalls, but said not all owners receive such notices because of changes of address or out-of-date vehicle registration information.

Recall information from Honda is available by entering VIN at www.recalls.honda.com or www.recalls.acura.com.

  

1. Keep tires inflated to the recommended tire pressure.
2. Rotate tires every other oil change or every 5,000 to 7,000 miles.
3. Keep a record of all tire maintenance.
4. Inspect tires periodically, look for bumps or inconsistent wear patterns.

For your convenience, we keep all tire maintenance and service records on file for you.

Honda and Toyota Recalls