2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT: 15,000-mile Serivce

After typing our car's information into the computer, Adam showed me a sheet detailing "Fresno Mitsubishi's" 15,000-mile recommended service. As we've reported on in past articles, including How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off and Maintenance Madness II, dealership service departments typically have their own service schedules that include more inspections than the vehicle's owner's manual actually calls for. Naturally, these recommended services usually cost more, too. Fresno Mitsubishi's price for the 15K service? About $270.

Having familiarized myself with the owner's manual previously, I told the advisor that I was only interested in required regular maintenance, which included an oil and filter change, a tire rotation, an inspection of the brakes and a replacement of the cabin air filter. This dropped the estimate to a more reasonable $150. After waiting about 1 hour and 30 minutes, the advisor told me our Eclipse was about ready. He also said that the technician had inspected the engine air filter (something not part of the required service) and found it dirty. I authorized its replacement with no labor charge. The final tally for our 15K service was $172.47 after a small discount.

Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor, Edmunds.com