They are pushing the envelope. If you don't notice suspension degradation, I would hold off. If the suspension bottoms out or exhibits bouncing when braking or other abnormalities such as uneven tire wear, then Wait. Dealers rec. spark plugs at 80 - 100 but if there is no noticeable change in engine performance or mileage, then wait. The platinum plugs are $700+. Use top tier gas and wait. Most service departments are the profit centers for dealers. Would change the timing belt at 100,000 +. That ends up being $1200 + but it is an item you won't no needs replacing until it breaks and then it is too late.
It doesn't sound right at all. They were most likely scamming you or at least pushing the envelope of what 'needs' to be replaced.
A lot of local shops won't do this. you may have to search to find one (or be a regular customer of one) that will. Also, they won't warranty the parts.
Must be an issue in your area. I've never been turned away by a mechanic when I supply the parts myself.
Yeah I'm not down with genuine parts philosophy. Have found a lot of mechanical parts over the years from 3rd party that are designed much better than OEM.
I've also used aftermarket parts a lot. I'm just saying that 'some' aftermarket parts aren't as good as OEM parts such that some mechanics may choose not to want to use them indiscriminately. An example is some Dorman replacement parts. Other examples are lower priced lower end brake rotors and pads, water pumps, and the list goes on. If one is prudent in selecting the aftermarket part it's fine. In some cases the aftermarket part is made by the same manufacturer of the OEM part and might even be higher quality but the OEM parts are pretty much guaranteed to fit exactly like the part it's replacing (since it's identical usually) whereas the aftermarket is often trying to fit a wider variety of models and isn't always identical.
I can think of a few shops here that won't install parts people bring them. I talked to one of them. He admitted that he misses the markup but the real reason is the hassle of dealing with the customer if they have a problem that is a defective part. Enough of them insist he deal with the problem that he stopped installing parts people bring him. Also a lot of people apparently brought him parts from junkyards. His last reason was if they got the diagnosis wrong and bring him a part that doesn't fix their problem somehow it his his fault. My regular mechanic will, at least for me, but then I am a fairly regular customer.
It's cheaper to do it your self I did mines cost me like $700
I feel your pain, my 2016 MDX was puking oil from one of the front struts at 60K miles (an alignment shop wanted $1,400 to replace both with OE parts only) and unfortunately there is not a lot of replacement choices. To add insult my extended warranty only would replace one of the OE front struts, not the pair and I would still have to pay $700 for the other. There are a few aftermarket manufacturers that make 4 fully adjustable coil over units for $700-$1,300 for all 4 corners (to replace the shocks/struts for Gen 3 MDX's you still have to use a few OE pieces to make the aftermarket coil overs fit). I also replaced F&R sway bar links with Moog, F&R polyurethane sway bar bushings and rear upper ball joints (Moog K100199 camber adjustable ones) . I did most of the work myself but the drawbacks are that I gain handling but lose some comfort and the only shop that will align my new set up is the Acura dealer (because of the lane minding radar and adaptive cruise control), they stuck me with $400 for a 4 wheel alignment because of the aftermarket coil overs. I don't mind the stiffer ride and I gained some better handling.
