Hey everyone,

Over the Weekend, my engine started knocking (a lot) I pulled off to a gas station and everything is cool, there was plenty of oil, so I started it back up, and it was worse... i recognise the noise, I THINK it's the crank bearing. So Monday I towed it to the acura dealership, they have always been very nice and have always provided great service. So I drop it off, and on my way back to work, they called and said they will need records of all my oil changes with date and mileage stamps on them.
Now, I change my own oil, I go to a Local Honda Dealership and get the Honda Oil Filter, but I buy in sets of 3-5 at a time. the car has 41,000 miles on it, and I have changed the oil 12 times. Well, I got it done at the dealership 3 times and I have done it myself 9 times. Anyway, so they are talking like they might not cover my engine under warrenty, becuase I cannot show consistant oil changes. I have provided a recipt from the Honda dealership showing the purchase of 3 oil filters at the end of february, and now I am out of them. I told the regional guy that I can go to the dealership and have them look for the others if it would help, but again, they are 3-5 at one time, so they don't show when I changed the oil. So they will make their decision within a couple of days now. can anyone help, or has anyone gone through this at all. I am really Meticulous about engine oil the last car I had I took to the dealership, and they drained the oil and did not refill it, on the way home it seized up, so since then, I have done my own oil changes.... sorry about the novel, but I have a lot on my mind... any help out there?

 

you can hire a lawyer.

if the engine is damaged and they suspect oil starvation, they would have to be sure theres no other way it could happen....which, is nearly impossible to do since you could take a turn at a extremely high lateral G and cause the engine to starve for instance.

 

It is a common Problem? wow. they are making their decision in a couple of days, and if it is not covered, I will be seeking Legal help. I have a couple of friends that help me with all my car stuff, it does not matter if it is as simple as an oil change, or working on putting the new engine in my other car... so If i need them, they could be witnesses. I really hope it does not come down to that.

thanks for the help guys, and if anyone has anyother ideas, keep them coming.

Thanks,
-Neeraj

 

Call 800-382-2238 (Acura Corp) and complain. Mine did the same thing and the dealer beat around the bush and what not. Called Corp and bitched, had a new short block 2 days later.

 

That may be the reason your engine is fu** up now.

 

I wish I could provide some help but I'm in the same chit hole as you if my motor were to fail. I alway did the oil changes myself and never saved any recipts or had any evidence of doing them. For now on I'm going to save my recipts and pray for the best. 01PYITR wishes you Good Luck and a new motor for free.

 

Oil stavation should show other signs of wear. Camshaft jounals, rocker arms, signs of excessive heat would clearly indicate oil starvation. If you have spun a rod or main bearing I would think that would be very isolated. The burden of proof should be up to them.

 

Neeraj,

It has been said, but the burden is on them to show that oil starvation was the problem. Michigan has some pretty strong consumer protection laws, and they'll be screwed if they try to screw you and you fully exercise your rights. Is this Suburban? They have been pretty cool with me so far, but I am not thrilled about the $45 or whatever they charge for an oil change, so I can understand why you'd do it yourself. Good luck.

Mike

 

No it's not subarban, it's Jeffoery in Roseville. Yeah, It is just a rod bearing, so maybe I will call the Department of Automotive Regulations in Lancing to get some paperwork going over there. I will call acura (the 800 number) if they come back to me today and tell me that my engine is not covered. I don't see how the engine would be neglected if I changed my own oil, I did it every 3,000 miles MAX.

whatever, I can't control what they are going to tell me, so I won't stress till I find out. then I will do everything I can to get this taken care of quickly.

 

i cant imagine a manufacturer who thinks their warranty should be voided because the owner decided not to goto pep boys to change their oil for a receipt. any sane judge would throw that out.

 

Yeah, If you wind up having to seek legal help I am sure you'll win....and call acura too.....they'll be alot more inclined to help you than the dealer will be

 

Regional Guy just called and left a message here at work... I have to get a hold of him with out his phone numbers since they don't give those out..... WTF?

anyway, so I asume they know if they are going to cover the warrenty or not, so I am nervous as hell waiting for that call.....

I do have a bad feeling about this tho.

 

OHHHH they are doing me a favor and keeping an "Open Mind" while I can provide more Proof (recipts etc.) So the hunt continues. "We want to stand behind our customers because you bought an acura"

if they wanted to stand behind me, they would not make me jump through hoops to prove that I have enough common sence to change my oil every 3,000 miles.

 

what does this mean?? seized up?? did you not suspect any damage at that time?? I would have kicked some serious *** if that happened.

 

A few pointers you may or may not find useful in dealing with Honda:

1) Remain calm and polite, but do not take no for an answer.
2) Keep explaining yourself over and over until they understand that you did nothing wrong and they are responsible.
3) If the above fail, remain calm and polite, but mention that you will not hesitate to contact the BBB, and if that doesn't get results, that you will be forced into legal action. Mention Steve Lehto, a Farmington Hills attorney who specializes in consumer protection litigation.

Mike

 

I think he is talking about a different car. " the last car I had I took to the dealership, and they drained the oil and did not refill it, on the way home it seized up, ..."

 

thanks a lot for the help Mike.

I will keep that lawyer's name handy. I have been polite so far, but it is hard to keep smiling when you are getting the runaround, But I will keep a level head. And Yeah, it was the old car that I had dealership problems with... and yes, i did kick some a$$.

 

damn so many people with engine problems. Type R motors just dont last long. 40 000miles isnt a lot. Im also on my second motor at 60 000 kilometers so like 40 000 miles.

 

There's people on here with 100,000+ miles on thier ITR and no problems.

I'd say it's either a fluke or the way the cars been treated.

 

Lots of high mileage Type-R motors around, many with heavy duty track time behind them.

I would bet that all (ok, 99%+) of the problems are due to pilot error. Some (though not all) of the, em, pilots are clever enough not to mention their mis-shifting adventures. I have seen more than one 'I was driving along the road minding my own business and the piston just hopped through the block' type of posts.

As Type-Rs go down in value, allowing more kids to convince their parents to buy one for them, I expect we will see a lot more of these stories.


[Modified by norice, 2:25 PM 7/12/2002]

 

The build quality/reliability of Type R's is the same as any other Honda (probably a tad better). You might want to look at the type of people who are driving them.



[Modified by itrsport.com, 2:45 PM 7/12/2002]

 

I Know missing a shift will break Lot's of stuff. But this is not the case, nothing in the valve train is broken. And it really only matters that Honda believes that I change my oil every 3,000 miles, this is one of those fluke engines, I'm sure because I have driven a
1985 accord the same as I drive my Integra
1998 civic the same as I drive my Integra
My cousin's have a couple of '94 accords that are driven the same, and they have no problems. I am not questioning honda's quality, it's just my luck with this car, i think, and if people don't believe that, then I can't really worry about it, right?

Neeraj