Honda 97 civic timing belt replacement dilemma

Lex wrote:
> would you use OEM parts at a grease monkey garage? is that grease monkey
> "Honda Trained"? "you get what you pay for" is my favorite saying. i would
> go to the dealership to do it. is that grease monkey going change the front
> crank and cam seal? ive seen aftermarket water pump crap out in a matter of
> months.

sometimes the grease monkeys are honda trained. the smart mechanics move
on and open up their own shops. id imagine if they dont use OEM, they
still use a good source. mechanics dont like having to do jobs over for
free. id still insist on OEM for almost everything.

Randolph wrote:
> Lex wrote:
>
>>would you use OEM parts at a grease monkey garage? is that grease monkey
>>"Honda Trained"? "you get what you pay for" is my favorite saying. i would
>>go to the dealership to do it. is that grease monkey going change the front
>>crank and cam seal? ive seen aftermarket water pump crap out in a matter of
>>months.
>
>
> Said the man who works at a Honda dealership.

LOL. he will change his tune when he opens up his own "honda/acura only"
shop. and i bet he will undercut the dealer as well.

SoCalMike wrote:
> Lex wrote:
>
>> would you use OEM parts at a grease monkey garage? is that grease
>> monkey "Honda Trained"? "you get what you pay for" is my favorite
>> saying. i would go to the dealership to do it. is that grease monkey
>> going change the front crank and cam seal? ive seen aftermarket water
>> pump crap out in a matter of months.
>
>
> sometimes the grease monkeys are honda trained. the smart mechanics move
> on and open up their own shops. id imagine if they dont use OEM, they
> still use a good source. mechanics dont like having to do jobs over for
> free. id still insist on OEM for almost everything.

using oem for honda is /so/ true - quality is very high. but if i were
doing domestics, i wouldn't be so bothered as initial quality can be
real low.

Lex wrote:
>
> would you use OEM parts at a grease monkey garage? is that grease monkey
> "Honda Trained"? "you get what you pay for" is my favorite saying. i would
> go to the dealership to do it. is that grease monkey going change the front
> crank and cam seal? ive seen aftermarket water pump crap out in a matter of
> months.

There is a HUGE difference between a "grease-monkey" joint and a
good, independent mechanic.

You want to go to the dealer?
Be my guest.
I will support your right to do so.
I will also say you are nuts to bring the car back to the dealer
for oil changes and for ANYTHING after your warranty runs out.

--

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to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. Having said that,
all options are on the table,"
George Bush, Feb 22 2005

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Randolph wrote:
>
> Lex wrote:
> >
> > would you use OEM parts at a grease monkey garage? is that grease monkey
> > "Honda Trained"? "you get what you pay for" is my favorite saying. i would
> > go to the dealership to do it. is that grease monkey going change the front
> > crank and cam seal? ive seen aftermarket water pump crap out in a matter of
> > months.
>
> Said the man who works at a Honda dealership.

He also said, "Look, pal...I HAVE to charge you for four hours labor,
even though I did the job in half the time! Honda MAKES ME do it!"

--

"This notion that the United States is getting ready
to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. Having said that,
all options are on the table,"
George Bush, Feb 22 2005

http://www.quantumphilosophy.net/fil...yan_Medium.mov

http://www.bushflash.com/thanks.html
http://www.worldmessenger.20m.com/weapons.html#wms
WHY IRAQ?: http://www.angelfire.com/creep/gwbush/remindus.html
http://www.toostupidtobepresident.co...ickenhawks.htm

"Bubba got a BJ, BU$H screwed us all!" - Slim

SoCalMike wrote:
>
> Randolph wrote:
> > Lex wrote:
> >
> >>would you use OEM parts at a grease monkey garage? is that grease monkey
> >>"Honda Trained"? "you get what you pay for" is my favorite saying. i would
> >>go to the dealership to do it. is that grease monkey going change the front
> >>crank and cam seal? ive seen aftermarket water pump crap out in a matter of
> >>months.
> >
> >
> > Said the man who works at a Honda dealership.
>
> LOL. he will change his tune when he opens up his own "honda/acura only"
> shop. and i bet he will undercut the dealer as well.

Thats not hard to do! LOL!!!!!!

--

"This notion that the United States is getting ready
to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. Having said that,
all options are on the table,"
George Bush, Feb 22 2005

http://www.quantumphilosophy.net/fil...yan_Medium.mov

http://www.bushflash.com/thanks.html
http://www.worldmessenger.20m.com/weapons.html#wms
WHY IRAQ?: http://www.angelfire.com/creep/gwbush/remindus.html
http://www.toostupidtobepresident.co...ickenhawks.htm

"Bubba got a BJ, BU$H screwed us all!" - Slim

Thanks everyone for the responses.
I checked up with another mechanic who specialises in Japaneses cars,
and he mentioned two options.
a) For $395, if my car has only one belt.
b) For $585, if my car has a balancer belt. This he would know only
after looking inside. He also mentioned that i could verify whether my
car has a single belt or dual belts using my VIN number.

Do you guys know about this dual belt concept?

Please respond.

Thanks again

Regards
Savita

Savita, your Japanese mechanic does not know if a civic has 1 or 2
belts....he did you a favor with that response. Avoid him and go to the
dealer. They have real experience on your car and have a reputation to
stand by their work. You really do get what you pay for. Is there
another Honda dealer within 50 miles that you could get a price quote
from? Again have the dealer break out the parts and labour costs. Were
not sure what parts your dealer is going to change? Help us to help you.

That $185 quote sounds like belt only. Honda dealers here were doing it
for $169+tax (coupon price). OEM belts only cost $20, so charging $205
for the work isn't a scam. But
I'd make sure they warranty their work and request the old belt back.

wrote:
>
> Thanks everyone for the responses.
> I checked up with another mechanic who specialises in Japaneses cars,
> and he mentioned two options.
> a) For $395, if my car has only one belt.
> b) For $585, if my car has a balancer belt. This he would know only
> after looking inside. He also mentioned that i could verify whether my
> car has a single belt or dual belts using my VIN number.
>
> Do you guys know about this dual belt concept?

Yes, some Honda 4-cylinder engines have a harmonic balance shaft. Just
like a cam-shaft, the balance shaft needs to be in the right relation to
the crank shaft, and thus a timing belt is used for the balance shaft as
well as one for the cam shaft. As far as I know, no engine with a
balance shaft ever made it into a Civic (not from the factory, anyway)
but I could be wrong.