I’m going in tomorrow for my first A01 service. The dealer sent me a reminder email which listed what would be done. As expected it’s an inspection, and oil change, but then not just a tire rotation but wheel balancing and rotation. I can’t imagine why wheels need to be re-balanced when they are rotated, I don’t think anyone has ever done that before on any car I’ve owned. It looks to me that this is just a service designed to add profit to the dealers margins. But I’m willing to be corrected if this is something that is common and needed. Is rebalancing tires with rotation necessary?
Is this just dealer profit making?
- Thread starter KClark
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craze1cars
Well-Known Member
No need unless you have a vibration.
I've never had tires rebalanced other than when first put on the wheels (not the car).
Even the "inspection" is mostly visually inspecting items that are readily visible while rotating the tires/changing the oil (like the brake depth) and should be part of the free inspection that most dealers, tire shops, etc offer. I would specifically ask for an oil change and a tire rotation. Some dealers/service writers are better than others at knowing when to stop pushing their service "package"
Even the "inspection" is mostly visually inspecting items that are readily visible while rotating the tires/changing the oil (like the brake depth) and should be part of the free inspection that most dealers, tire shops, etc offer. I would specifically ask for an oil change and a tire rotation. Some dealers/service writers are better than others at knowing when to stop pushing their service "package"
I think if I question it they’ll probably tell me it’s the same charge for just rotating, if they do I’ll just get the oil change, I have a great mechanic I trust who will rotate the tires. I get 2 free oil changes as part of what they included with the purchase. So if you tack on rebalancing with the rotation you can recoup the oil change. Can you tell I don’t have a very high opinion of car dealers? Unfortunately they have earned that reputation time and again over the years.
Mowcowbell
Well-Known Member
They don't make the lion's share of their profits from sales of vehicles; the profit mainly comes from service. What will happen when more and more vehicles are electric? They won't need very much in the way of service, drying up that profit center for dealerships.
K8QM
Active Member
Since I'm at 35k miles I've had (I think) five A01 services. I have free oil changes for life so no charge for that and the inspection. Since the tires are expensive and I wanted to make them last, I've anted up $21 each time for the rotation also. I got caught by the balance thing once - an additional $35 for balancing. $21 for the oil change and rotation is a decent deal, $56 not so much.
I always specifically state that I want the A01 service and no balance and they've never questioned it - mainly because it is indeed not part of an A01.
geo
I always specifically state that I want the A01 service and no balance and they've never questioned it - mainly because it is indeed not part of an A01.
geo
stacey burke
Active Member
I agree that the rebalancing is not needed. And a tip... Tire rotation is needed every 7-8 thousand miles but not the oil changed. If you rotate the tires and go to the reset and ONLY RESET the tires being rotated, the maintenance minder will give you another 3 to 4 months before giving you the code to change oil.
They bundle these services together so you do not need to come back to the service dept as soon. And if you believe that I have some blinker fluid to sell you. Give it a try, just reset the tire rotation and the maint. minder will give you up to 4 more months before the oil needs changed.
My Clarity Electric has hit 8K miles with no service reminder. Hitting the gear wrench says that service will be due in 3 months - or one year from when we got it. It will obviously never throw an Oil Change request (forget whether that is the 0 or 1), but it will be interesting to see if the tire rotation triggers at 10K or is set to a specific time interval.
The Fit EV wanted tires rotated every 7,500 miles, and the service nag started 1,000 miles before that so I often had it done early. ALL maintenance was covered in the lease so why not? They even put new tires on when they wore out at about 40K miles.
And, no, a tire balance isn't required and I wouldn't do it unless there is a vibration that is bothersome. Yes, car dealers are in business to make money and don't know of a single one with non-profit status, so they will try and up sell you. Even fast food workers are trained to push fries, larger drinks, combos etc. You can always decline.
The Fit EV wanted tires rotated every 7,500 miles, and the service nag started 1,000 miles before that so I often had it done early. ALL maintenance was covered in the lease so why not? They even put new tires on when they wore out at about 40K miles.
And, no, a tire balance isn't required and I wouldn't do it unless there is a vibration that is bothersome. Yes, car dealers are in business to make money and don't know of a single one with non-profit status, so they will try and up sell you. Even fast food workers are trained to push fries, larger drinks, combos etc. You can always decline.
2002
Well-Known Member
So Clarity PHEV pops up with tire rotation at 7,500 (or earlier) but BEV at 10,000 (or more)? You get the feeling they don't really want you coming in because they won't be able to upsell you on anything
MPower
Well-Known Member
I have about 7,500 miles and the A01 says I need the service NOW (actually that I am 1 day over). That got me going to reset the MM since I have had the tires changed twice, all season to winter and back again. Although this was done by the dealer, they clearly did not set the MM for tire rotation. Following the instructions on page 479 of the Owner's Manual (thank you KentuckyKen), I reset the MM #1 for tire rotation and it now says I have two more months.
My guess is that it will actually be longer than that because I do not put as much mileage on as I do in the winter with a 3,000 mile trip. It will probably be at the one year of ownership time.
My guess is that it will actually be longer than that because I do not put as much mileage on as I do in the winter with a 3,000 mile trip. It will probably be at the one year of ownership time.
RobinBrain
Member
How do you rotate the tires? Do you just swap the front for the back or do a cross rotation where the front left becomes the right rear?
Attachments
I had my A01 services done today at my local dealer.... The guy asked 3 times what the car was :\
Seemed pretty pricey but who knows... what has everyone else's cost been?
Not to mention I asked twice (both when calling for appt and when dropping it off) to get any service bulletins done and also asked what the battery charge % looked like and they didn't do either.
There was no "attached ED-18 printout" either.
Seemed pretty pricey but who knows... what has everyone else's cost been?
Not to mention I asked twice (both when calling for appt and when dropping it off) to get any service bulletins done and also asked what the battery charge % looked like and they didn't do either.
There was no "attached ED-18 printout" either.
KentuckyKen
Well-Known Member
Count your blessings anytime you get out of a dealer service dept under triple digits!
I was too scared to ask my dealer how much the A01 service was. I change my own oil and paid my trusty local mechanic $20 to inspect, rotate the tires and change the oil using my oil and filter. (I got lazy)
Long time reader, first time poster. I've learned a ton about my car from the collective wisdom in this forum. 
Got my Clarity in December of last year from a dealer 45 minutes away after the car was sitting on the lot for 9 months (54.5 Ah capacity at pickup after enduring an NC summer) and finally took it in for my first 01 service today with ~6800 on the odometer.
I went to a closer dealership with a $10 tire rotation special and $28 oil change special that couldn't be combined (they sum up to $73 at normal a la carte prices with free inspection, or you can get the A01 "package" for only $130!!!). I figured a lot of the folks on this forum have been seeing extensions on oil service schedules after tire rotations, so I opted to put off the oil change. I also asked for a battery pack capacity reading, which my service manager was happy to add free of charge, and requested that SB 18-091 be reapplied since the other dealership failed to complete the installation (I've had a tank fill-up read 999 miles HV range since then).
3.5 hours after arriving for my appointment(!!!), I got my car back with a printout of the 12V battery test (derp) and was told that they can't apply the SB because American Honda views it as a closed item and won't reimburse them. Of course they were too backed up to hook up my car to the i-HDS for the requested battery reading, and I wasn't about to wait longer. At least they didn't charge me the $10 for the rotation.
Maintenance minder reset to 8 months, which is confusing because 1 year from the date of purchase for my first oil change would be 5 months from now. I'm wondering if the clueless service tech reset all due items, but it still seems to me like strange timing for next service, given what others have been reporting.
I truly love this car, but after a disappointing experience at the first dealership, this one wasn't any better. My service manager said he sees 2-3 Clarities per week, and there are numerous other service managers, so I was hoping for a better experience than the other dealership, where mine was the first Clarity their service department saw.
Got my Clarity in December of last year from a dealer 45 minutes away after the car was sitting on the lot for 9 months (54.5 Ah capacity at pickup after enduring an NC summer) and finally took it in for my first 01 service today with ~6800 on the odometer.
I went to a closer dealership with a $10 tire rotation special and $28 oil change special that couldn't be combined (they sum up to $73 at normal a la carte prices with free inspection, or you can get the A01 "package" for only $130!!!). I figured a lot of the folks on this forum have been seeing extensions on oil service schedules after tire rotations, so I opted to put off the oil change. I also asked for a battery pack capacity reading, which my service manager was happy to add free of charge, and requested that SB 18-091 be reapplied since the other dealership failed to complete the installation (I've had a tank fill-up read 999 miles HV range since then).
3.5 hours after arriving for my appointment(!!!), I got my car back with a printout of the 12V battery test (derp) and was told that they can't apply the SB because American Honda views it as a closed item and won't reimburse them. Of course they were too backed up to hook up my car to the i-HDS for the requested battery reading, and I wasn't about to wait longer. At least they didn't charge me the $10 for the rotation.
Maintenance minder reset to 8 months, which is confusing because 1 year from the date of purchase for my first oil change would be 5 months from now. I'm wondering if the clueless service tech reset all due items, but it still seems to me like strange timing for next service, given what others have been reporting.
I truly love this car, but after a disappointing experience at the first dealership, this one wasn't any better. My service manager said he sees 2-3 Clarities per week, and there are numerous other service managers, so I was hoping for a better experience than the other dealership, where mine was the first Clarity their service department saw.
2002
Well-Known Member
In North Carolina? That doesn't pass the giggle test, no wonder you had so many problems there if they start out with whoppers like that. Here in Atlanta in over a year I have seen about five Clarities on the road.