Timing belt + water pump Acura 2012
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That's more or less a reasonable current dealer price depending on your location.
I know a lot of people are very surprised to hear about this major maintenance item costing so much, but it is what it is. You can probably shave about $800-900 off of that if you go through an independent shop. Just make sure all of the TB components you replace are either OEM or from the Aisin kit.
Another note: you probably want to reseal your oil pump while you have the TB removed (it's only possible then). It will add up to the procedure, but should cost too much. Highly recommended to avoid oil leaks down the road.
Hope this helps!
I know a lot of people are very surprised to hear about this major maintenance item costing so much, but it is what it is. You can probably shave about $800-900 off of that if you go through an independent shop. Just make sure all of the TB components you replace are either OEM or from the Aisin kit.
Another note: you probably want to reseal your oil pump while you have the TB removed (it's only possible then). It will add up to the procedure, but should cost too much. Highly recommended to avoid oil leaks down the road.
Hope this helps!
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5,236 Posts
The normal interval is 7 years or 105,000 miles for the timing belt change +/- water pump plus coolant change (serpentine belt kit, spark plugs, oil change, coolant, valve adjustment). It was around $1600 when I did my 11 MDX back in 2018 for the same service. Some folks have gone 10-12 years or 125,000 to 150,000 miles without any issues; but, do so at your own risk. The only exception is if you live in hot southwest and the timing belt service can be as low as 60,000 miles. If you are planning to keep your MDX +2 years, changing the belt will have to be done at some time. I would probably delay longer it if you are planning to replace the MDX under 2 years.
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Yes, it sounds crazy, but that is not too unrealistic. Better learn to do things yourself. Or find a local shop you really trust.
One tip is that you can change the spark plugs yourself. That will save you about $200. The rest should be about 1200. Add serpentine belt and its related components, maybe 1400.
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The risk of going beyond the recommended interval (which you have already done, at 10 years) is that the chances increase of the timing belt failing (breaking). If that happens, it jumps the timing (google it) and you will probably need to replace or rebuild the engine in your car, which will cost much, much more than it costs to change the timing belt (and water pump) while it is still intact. So do it now. Shop around for prices; in addition to the dealer estimate, you can ask friends for recommendations for a good independent mechanic, which will probably cost less (as noted above by AcuraAddicted).
I’d really look for a better price. Look for that independent Honda / Acura specialist shop with great reviews. It’s not THAT hard of a job. You could also call Honda dealers to see if they have any interest in doing it for less. I DIYd it on our Pilot with the Aisin kit. Took me all day and I’ve done about 10 timing belts before over the years in various cars.
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Shop prices are getting very high just like new and used cars prices. My Acura dealership looks more like an used car lot in a sales slump (one car in showroom and the rest of the new/used spread out to make the lot look full-ish). It would only cost me $26 for an oil change at my Acura Dealership pre-pandemic (purchase Mobil 1 at Walmart, use dealership's oil filter/labor). Same oil change is now $35.
The OP might have to really shop around for cheaper labor prices with a mix of DYI and purchasing parts online to get the timing belt price in the high 3 to low 4-digits range.
The OP might have to really shop around for cheaper labor prices with a mix of DYI and purchasing parts online to get the timing belt price in the high 3 to low 4-digits range.
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Replaced the timing belt, serpentine belt, water pump, all pulleys, tensioners, radiator fluid, etc for just over $900...labor $660 parts $250. My mechanic did the work. The biggest problem was the harmonic balancer bolt....had to be heated and leveraged with pipe on extension. The Aisin kit was fantastic. Got a new bolt to hold timing belt tensioner(recommended by Honda). Spark plugs separately for about $180 in total. My mechanic is sixty years old and knows his stuff. The dealer would've been $5-600 more I'm sure. This was done in April 2021.
Hello, My 2012 MDX had that work done last year at an independent shop for $1200. This also included an oil change and replacement of one engine mount. Full disclosure, my son owns the shop so I did get a discount. However, it wasn’t an $800 discount. You should be able to get the work done at a reputable indy shop for much less than $2000. Hope this helps.
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Absolutely make sure the parts are OEM or Aisin. There are more expensive and may be hard to get right now. There are a lot of inferior parts available. I was upset at the price the dealer offered when I did mine, so I went to an independent shop and they did not use OEM parts. The TB broke after about 85K miles. It cost $3800 to rebuild the broken parts and that was 6 years ago. The cost surely has gone up. The engine is an interference engine meaning that if the TB breaks all sorts of things get broken. There is a lot of labor in the job and a lot of expensive parts.
This point cannot be stressed enough... and even "experts" can guess wrong... so make sure you KNOW who you're buying from. Rock Auto is a trusted source as is the dealer.
There is a shop in Warren Michigan that I used for my 2016 MDX Advance with 70K. It’s a big Indy shop I found on Craigslist. I believe it’s called 5 star Auto or something like that. It was a great place and the owner was cool.
I got a all OEM parts-kit on Rock Auto for under $200. Labor was $350. All in I only paid about $550-ish. It was a stupid killer deal.
FYI, on his ad on Craigslist, he had 50-100 listed labor charges for various things. Timing belt jobs were listed at $350 labor. I called him and he verified the price for my car. It took him 7 days, kinda slow I know.
BTW, I also have a 2008 V6 (J35) Honda Accord Coupe EXL with a 6 speed manual with only 20K miles. It’s museum clean and it’s my commuter car and toy. He also did this V6 Accord for $350 labor. His shop has about 6 bays. I’m very happy and he even gave me all my old parts back. The Accord pump and belts looked brand new, but were original 2008 stuff.
I got a all OEM parts-kit on Rock Auto for under $200. Labor was $350. All in I only paid about $550-ish. It was a stupid killer deal.
FYI, on his ad on Craigslist, he had 50-100 listed labor charges for various things. Timing belt jobs were listed at $350 labor. I called him and he verified the price for my car. It took him 7 days, kinda slow I know.
BTW, I also have a 2008 V6 (J35) Honda Accord Coupe EXL with a 6 speed manual with only 20K miles. It’s museum clean and it’s my commuter car and toy. He also did this V6 Accord for $350 labor. His shop has about 6 bays. I’m very happy and he even gave me all my old parts back. The Accord pump and belts looked brand new, but were original 2008 stuff.
From a dealer, yes, but not from a good independent acura/honda mechanic shop. They will do it for about $1000 - 1200, imo. If you love DIY and have some good tools, and some time off work, and a lot of WD40 or bolt-off, then you can do this yourself given a day or 2. Lots of good videos here and on youtube.
Just called the local Acura Service for estimate on Belt service + Water pump, they said its usually around CAD $2300 after tax including water pump and whatever else is needed based on their experience. Which is not bad, don't have to worry about part quality and finding a reliable mechanic, they said its a day job and if I book in advance will give a loaner as well which is not bad lol.
I have asked them for a quote on the oil consumption fix as well, the lady was aware but didn't have the Service Bulletin number for this, can anyone share that? I think if I get both done, I can keep the MDX for a really long time, its a 2011 with 94k Miles right now
I have asked them for a quote on the oil consumption fix as well, the lady was aware but didn't have the Service Bulletin number for this, can anyone share that? I think if I get both done, I can keep the MDX for a really long time, its a 2011 with 94k Miles right now
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I don't hear a lot of talk on here, just because your car says Acura you don't have to take it to an Acura dealer. Call your local Honda dealers they will work on this car as long as it's not under factory warranty. A Honda dealer cannot handle warranty related issues those must be done through Acura. Acura prices are higher than a Honda dealership.
This is not dealership, but a local reputed shop.
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