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Honda Accord VCM

2715 messages,  Last post on Oct 23, 2012 at 6:25 PM

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What is this discussion about? Honda Accord, Transmission, Sedan

Messages Page 269 of 272

#2681 of 2715 Re: My 2 cents 2010 EXL [elliott2] by michael0137

Apr 07, 2012 (3:24 pm)

Replying to: elliott2 (Apr 07, 2012 8:56 am)
Thanks - I felt the same way when I dumped my 2008 EXL V6 after many years of very satisfactory Honda experiences. It was a piece of junk by comparison - I put some very hard miles on a 2000 V6 without ANY problems - this was my first Accord since our 2004 coupe - and I agree with you - never again will I even LOOK at a Honda V6 unless they dump the VCM.

#2682 of 2715 Two more cents worth of opinion. by rcummelin

Apr 09, 2012 (6:26 am)

I totally agree with Rob, Elliott & the two Mikes--I will NEVER buy another Honda with VCM. There are many rumors afoot that Honda will add VCM to the "new" 2013 Ridgeline to increase gas mileage. If so, our 2010 Ridgeline will be our last Honda. Too bad, as Honda used to make a decent product.
 
Other rumors from inside Honda indicate that a 6-speed tranny many be 3-4 years away for Honda vehicles, while Acura may see a new 6-speed in 2013.
 
BTW- our Ridgeline is going back to the dealer today to fix several problems. Sheesh.

#2683 of 2715 Re: Two more cents worth of opinion. [rcummelin] by michael0137

Apr 09, 2012 (10:06 am)

Replying to: rcummelin (Apr 09, 2012 6:26 am)
The real shame of it is that they have treated long term loyal Honda customers like you , Rob , Elliott and me the way they have - they don't give a sh**. With that attitude, they'll go the route of Studebaker, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, etc. If I get the same treatment from Acura? Will have to look elsewhere.

#2684 of 2715 What Honda will never know... by indydriver

Apr 09, 2012 (11:45 am)

This spring was time to finally retire the wife's 12 yo Dodge minivan. Try as I might to get her into something else (our kids are grown and gone), her comfort level was with the minivan and that's where she wanted to stay. Normally, Honda would have been at the top of our list but because the Odyssey comes only with the VCM V-6, we went with Toyota.

#2685 of 2715 Re: What Honda will never know... [indydriver] by rcummelin

Apr 09, 2012 (6:59 pm)

Replying to: indydriver (Apr 09, 2012 11:45 am)
You are most lucky that you chose the Toyota van over the Honda.
 
There were several links (on the Ridgeline Owners Club forums) to several threads on Odyssey forums where Ody owners are having lots of problems with the transmissions misbehaving. Now get THIS--several of the problems have been linked to the VCM systems in the Ody. Surprise, surprise!
 
In addition, I met an ex-neighbor at the Honda dealer today. His 2011 Ody (with less than 20K miles) was having ALL FOUR brake rotors and all brake pads replaced as all four rotors had warped due to overheating. Honda was attempting to claim he didn't know how to drive in the mountains, after he had been doing so for 40 years. Really? What a stupid excuse. They finally relented and fixed the brakes under warranty. BTW- Not the first case of warped rotors on both Accords & Odysseys I have read/heard about. Sounds like rotors that are too small or too thin to do the job adequately.
 
Didn't get our Ridgeline back today as the dealer's service dept was totally overwhelmed with other repairs. Well, I DID tell them to keep it as long as they needed, just give it back to us fixed. Keeping my fingers crossed--again.

#2686 of 2715 Well it's finally happened by dpmeersman

Apr 14, 2012 (1:14 am)

I never thought that Honda would spread it's VCM technology to the Accura line, but they have. The 2013 RDX has dropped the turbo 4 for the 3.5 six yup with VCM. And Edmunds testers have proclaimed something Honda has even shyed away from, they say it's seamless. For your browsing pleasure:
 
http://www.insideline.com/acura/rdx/2013/2013-acura-rdx-full-test.html

#2687 of 2715 Re: Well it's finally happened [dpmeersman] by indydriver

Apr 14, 2012 (3:08 am)

Replying to: dpmeersman (Apr 14, 2012 1:14 am)
Honda obviously believes they have the VCM technology conquered. Maybe the 2011 tweaks worked? It just seems to me that changing the oil control ring and impregnating the piston skirts with moly is a bandaid, not a long term fix. Oh well, we will find out with our 2011 Accord.
 
I must say, I drove this car for the first time in a while over the Easter weekend (it's my daughter's DD). It is now a year old with 9500 miles and has operated flawlessly. It used 1/3 qt of oil in 6300 miles on the FF before I changed it. I did a UOA on that oil just because of all the controversy, not to mention creating some proof of proper maintenance if there is a problem. The oil was loaded with break in metals as one might expect, although I've never seen 250+ppm CU in checking lots of UOAs on BITOG.
 
During my 45 mi drive, which was a mix of highway and rural driving, i was watching the eco light closely. While I could detect the VCM engaging I can also see where the typical Accord owner (my daughter) wouldn't notice it.
 
I will also add one more observation that I think may be key: our Accord has been driven 95% city miles where the VCM gets exercised frequently but for only short durations.. From what I've read by owner's with problems, they have driven more highway miles where presumably, a long deactivation of cylinders could create a cooling differential that sends oil out the tailpipe. Anyone else see this correlation with highway miles?

#2688 of 2715 Re: Well it's finally happened [indydriver] by michael0137

Apr 14, 2012 (3:52 am)

Replying to: indydriver (Apr 14, 2012 3:08 am)
I honestly can say I never bothered to check the oil so I don't know if there was a useage problem or not. I simply changed it every 7000 miles with synthetic. Your analysis is logical - our car was pretty much 50/50 hwy and city. But what us amazing to me is that our gas mileage was WORSE with the Accord and VCM in ALL cases than what we now get with our RL. 28 tops on the hwy with the Accord, 29-30 with the RL on the SAME roads, and about 20-21 in the city versus 21-22 with the RL - and the RL has 290 HP and 4400 lbs to pull around. I just don't get it with VCM - the techology and complexity of it to accomplish what? Seems to me they just don't want to pul back from it - an admission if its being a mistake in the first place. All I know is I will if at all possible, never own one again. SInce we only put 6000 miles on our Acura in one year and I am 64, I may never need another car! Fine with me - timeless design and every luxury I could want.

#2689 of 2715 Re: Well it's finally happened [michael0137] by rcummelin

Apr 14, 2012 (8:44 pm)

Replying to: michael0137 (Apr 14, 2012 3:52 am)
I never noticed any oil consumption with our 2010 Accord V6. It used less than 1 qt. between changes 5000 mile intervals, which seemed OK.
 
I think Honda would "lose face" if they pulled back from VCM. OTOH, they may get even more embarassed as owners pull back from Honda because of VCM. Only time will tell.
 
Rumors abound that if Honda builds any more Ridgelines beyond 2012, that VCM will likely be added. Even though I'm looking forward to a "new" Ridge, VCM will be a deal-breaker for me. No thanks!

#2690 of 2715 Re: Well it's finally happened [rcummelin] by dieselone

May 17, 2012 (8:19 am)

Replying to: rcummelin (Apr 14, 2012 8:44 pm)
I didn't realize there is a reliability issue with VCM. My dad has an 09 Accord EX-L v6 with 85k miles on it. Well he called me yesterday and come to find out a week ago the engine pretty much self destructed. My dad's not mechanically inclined, but he told me something about it burning quite a bit of oil and his engine being completely torn apart and a cylinder kit installed, due to one cylinder not working (loss of compression is my guess).
 
Regardless, Honda completely stepped up to the plate. He didn't have an extended warranty and Honda gave him a new car to drive while they fixed his and only charged him $100.

Messages Page 269 of 272

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