[EstorilM240]

Yeah, I've tried two different centers so far. I will try another location, hopefully third time's the charm! I searched local threads for recs, but it seems like the best ones might be an extra hour away. Part of the aggravation stems from the time wasted, so I'll have to weigh this tradeoff a bit.

Anyway, if it seems that dealerships in general are like this I will just put up with it and and use my lessons learned to minimize fricton. I actually don't remember if Honda had a service advisor middleman for the one or two times I did try the dealership. The free maintenance period is only 36K miles which is "good" in that I will have to put up with them for a shorter period of time. I think the service has been done fine mechanically, just the entire process feels too optimized for dealership $$$.