Dealer Alternative
The Honda & Acura Dealer Alternative in Orlando
By the Import Auto Service Center team · 35+ years of Honda & Acura experience · Updated
You do not have to service your Honda or Acura at a dealership to protect your warranty. Here's an honest comparison — including the cases where the dealer really is the right call.
First, the warranty question
The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act makes it illegal for a manufacturer to require that you use their dealers for routine maintenance in order to keep your factory warranty valid. What is required is that the maintenance is actually performed, on schedule, to the manufacturer's specification, with appropriate parts and fluids — and that you can prove it.
That last part is where people get burned by cheap service. We document every visit with photos, an itemized record of parts and fluids used, and the mileage. If a warranty claim ever comes up, you hand that over and the conversation is finished.
One genuine exception: an open recall or a repair covered under warranty or an extended-warranty campaign should go to the dealer, because Honda pays for it. We'll tell you when that's the case instead of charging you for something you can get free.
What's actually the same
Honda and Acura specialization
We've worked on these platforms for 35+ years. It's not a brand we also happen to service — it's the brand we service.
Factory-specification parts and fluids
OEM or OE-equivalent from the same suppliers, and Honda-spec fluids including ATF DW-1, HCF-2 CVT fluid and Type 2 coolant.
Proper diagnostic equipment
Full-system scanning with live data, not a generic code reader.
Warranty on the work
Our repairs are backed by a parts and labor warranty.
What's different
You talk to the person who knows your car
Not a rotating cast of service writers with a sales quota. The same small team sees your vehicle every visit.
Photo-documented inspections you approve line by line
You see the worn part before you pay to replace it, and you approve or decline each item from your phone.
We tell you what can wait
A recommendation with 40% life left gets flagged as 'watch it', not sold today. That's the whole reason people switch.
No dealership overhead in your invoice
You're paying for the technician's time and the parts, not the showroom.
When you should still go to the dealer
We'd rather be honest than win every job. Go to the dealer for open safety recalls, factory warranty repairs, extended-warranty campaigns, and any repair where Honda or Acura is footing the bill. Also go to the dealer for the rare case that needs a factory software release we can't obtain.
For everything else — maintenance, diagnostics, brakes, timing belts, A/C, suspension, transmission service — an independent Honda and Acura specialist does the same work with the same specification.
Switching is simpler than people expect
Bring whatever service history you have, or none at all. We'll inspect the vehicle, photograph what we find, and build you a maintenance plan based on your actual mileage and Maintenance Minder code rather than a generic upsell menu.
From that point forward you'll have a documented, photographed service history that's arguably better than what most dealership records look like.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try us for one service
Book a single visit and compare the inspection report to what you're used to. Most people don't go back.