[sandimdx]

Took my "X" in yesterday to an Acura dealer here in San Diego for its 15000 mile service. Cost is $225 for.....the service listed in A&C in the manual. That is basically the oil, filter, and all the other "inspects." It also includes rotating and balancing the tires. My question is.....do you really have to do all of the "inspects" to keep the warranty valid? And...what is the rotate and balance tire thing? I never did it with such frequency in my "cheap" cars...Accords....and the tires did just fine. Is this really necessary? One more thing...dealer recommends front end alignment check at this mileage service...but I did not get it as it does not specify in service manual.

Would appreciate any thoughts/comments anyone might have on this. I don't see why I can't just get the oil, filter changed.

Also a comment....dealer says Southern Cal is listed as a region for severe driving conditions....but I drive freeway at 60 MPH or greater 99% of time with no stop and go...off times...and I don't categorize the weather in San Diego from Sept to April...time since my last service...as "severe." As in another quote I saw on the forum, customers need to be proactive in tailoring maintenance to their specific situation and to applying it to the times of the year in their location.

 

[Warzau]

With my Honda,I always skipped the inspection. You can get you tires rotated anywhere else. I just get the oil and filter changed at the required intervals. The only thing I really did was make sure the fluid like anti-freeze, tranny etc. where changed at their required intervals. The only time I follow what the dealer recomends is the major tune-up and even then I tell them to omit some items.

 

[DaleB]

To think of all the people that moved to San Diego because they thought is was 'less severe' (my hometown, I love it!)

The dealerships will or may tell you all kinds of 'stuff'. You are only obligated to follow your owner's manual for warranty requirements. The manual also calls out what is severe and what is not.
Even following the severe schedule is not that bad, but use the manual not the dealer's 'suggestions'.
Unless it's a warranty concern tire, brake, and alignment fall under 'normal wear' items, and you are not obligated to have them serviced at the dealer. Do keep your tires rotated and the pressures set. One reason to do such adjustments at a tire/brake shop is when it comes time for new tires or brakes, you will get them done less expensively than at the dealer.
I found by using common sense, following what's in the manual, and taking responsibillity for learning more about my vehicles, and even doing some of the easier tasks myself, I don't have to rely on the dealer to tell me what they think I should do.
Then again, if they offer things like transmission fluid flushes every 30,000 miles, that is better than doing the simple drain recommended as a minimum in the manual. You can learn about a lot of these things by reading this forum.