Fuel/Oil Dilution Issue Overblown ?

[civicdabest-foo]

The letter that Honda Canada sent to owners of recalled CivicX's definitely makes it sound like the whole issue was overblown to begin with. It just bolsters my belief that I will not be finding CivicX's dead on the roadside.

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[dougb]

Viscosity was under 6.0 . All the tests
we're taken at around 4,000 miles
only halfway to recommended change
time .

 

[wilbur_the_goose]

I think it's overblown. And most cars have some overblown issue in the minds of people thanks to the internet.

Example - my other car is a really nice BMW F30 (328i, all wheel drive). That model's issue is a timing belt issue. Yes, the issue exists, but the percentage of cars that have/will experience it is very low.

 

[rraayy3]

I actually find my car driving a lot better as the miles add up. I don’t have a ton, but even after the initial break in period the car seems to drive better the longer/harder I push it

Obviously after warming the turbo/engine up properly and minimizing my short trips haha

 

[mis3]

Not overblown if Honda issued a recall. A recall costs millions and is basically an admission of fault.

If my car is qualified for the recall, how would they notify me (Canada)? Will they send me a letter? Will the dealership call me?
Once I receive the notification, how long can I wait for the service? I just did an oil change a few weeks ago, my MM must be 90% now.

 

[EvildoerTsui]

Not overblown if Honda issued a recall. A recall costs millions and is basically an admission of fault.

If my car is qualified for the recall, how would they notify me (Canada)? Will they send me a letter? Will the dealership call me?
Once I receive the notification, how long can I wait for the service? I just did an oil change a few weeks ago, my MM must be 90% now.

Go to Honda.ca and type in your VIN in the support/recall page...You will see if your car need the recall...I have the 18 hatch sport and it's not on the list yet

 

[mis3]

Go to Honda.ca and type in your VIN in the support/recall page...You will see if your car need the recall...I have the 18 hatch sport and it's not on the list yet

Thanks. Will they notify me in person, email or otherwise?
And can I wait, like wait 3-4 months?

 

[REBELXSi]

Thanks. Will they notify me in person, email or otherwise?
And can I wait, like wait 3-4 months?

If you go to the site and put in your VIN, it will tell you about any pending recalls. If not, the oldest living son of Soichio Honda will come to your door with the information you need.

Or they'll send a letter to the address used to buy the car as they usually do.

 

[rraayy3]

So they will actually send a notice?

VIN search says no recall as of now (not Canada)

 

[Dicecube]

I wouldn't wait months to save 50 bucks give or take, the fix may prevent damage. My oil was at 80% and I had it done immediately. Didn't wait for a letter, email
or call. Nothing beats peace of mind

 

[Scathe]

It's a Honda. I see so much panic in this forum about direct injection carbon, CVT reliability speculation, the fact that turbochargers are historically unreliable, and oil dilution. I think people sometimes underestimate Honda and just want to find things to worry about, either so they can find some way to prevent the perceived issue, or just because they're naturally worriers, or maybe they're pessimistic or dramatic.

For example, 1.) The DI thing has been expelled many times already; there's never been any known issues with carbon buildup in direct injected Honda engines, because they've taken various steps to alleviate that issue in the engineering of the motors, such as recommending the use of Top Tier fuels with detergents that are known to help prevent carbon buildup, and by spraying a tiny amount of fuel on the valves to "wash" any deposits off before they can bond. 2.) As far as CVTs go, many manufacturers have had issues with CVT reliability, Honda has not, even under extreme conditions and people TRYING to kill them. 'Nuff said. 3.) Turbos have been notoriously unreliable since their inception many, many decades ago. Lots of car manufacturers lately have been slapping turbos on their 4-bangers to make them perform more like a V6, and many (such as Chevy) have had major known issues with the turbos seizing up. Honda has never had any such issues.

Honda has spent their entire lifetime as a company working to build up their reputation as one of the most reliable brands on the road, and they achieved that through extreme R&D that most other manufacturers don't bother doing. They didn't do it by overlooking known issues with CVTs and turbos, just slapping them on all willy-nilly, or overlooking known issues with direct injection and just doing it for the sake of doing it. They achieved their reputation and are able to keep it because they don't put out a product until they've engineered and tested it ad nauseam and are 100% sure that it meets their standards and the expectations of their consumer base. They aren't going to allow a product to be released that jeopardizes the reputation that the company was built on, or fails to meet the quality their customers expect.

In short, it's a Honda, and it will last until you decide you're ready to upgrade to another Honda That's their business model, and that's why most of us drive Hondas. Stop worrying, maintain your car properly, and trust that Honda has never led anyone astray and they aren't about to now.

 

[Gruber]

Not overblown if Honda issued a recall. A recall costs millions and is basically an admission of fault.

Yes, a car manufacturer will sometimes issue a recall even if the issue from the engineering point of view is overblown or nonexistent. It may be better to pay millions and avoid paying hundreds of millions or losing the market.

Recall decisions are often a matter of PR and politics and are made not by engineers but by lawyers and PR experts. Whether the technical issue is real or not, owners still can panic, organize, and may in the end involve the government (like it happened in the PRC) or at least class action lawsuits (as it could happen easily in the US). Honda could not possibly win with the Chinese government. This kind of customer is always right.

For example Toyota (Prius?) had an alleged issue with the gas pedal or throttle programming causing it to randomly becoming stuck open and the car would then accelerate uncontrollably. In my opinion this issue was totally bogus, but because of rather hostile climate at the time towards Japanese manufacturers at the US auto safety regulating agencies and threatening lawsuits, they issued recalls. Such hostile climate sometimes happens because of politics and trade disputes or other payback situations like in the VW scandal (which of course was very real, but influenced by politics).

 

[Design]

Viscosity was under 6.0 . All the tests
we're taken at around 4,000 miles
only halfway to recommended change
time .

Were that accompanied with a moderate uptick in wear metals, after a couple OCIs, we might be a tad concerned. But we have several readouts where low heat viscosity readings are well under the "specified average." And aside from typical contaminants related to break-in, wear metals so far have been fine.

Again, feel free to post your readings in the UOA database if you want a better explanation from folks much smarter than me. But so far, all iterations of the 1.5T (including the Accord's) aren't showing any real trend of being problematic.

 

[Mcclaughry95]

Does anyone know if the stupid dealership mechanics will drain my Amsoil and put worthless Honda oil back in after the update? My only concern is the fact I paid alot of money to have a smooth idle.

 

[Captaindicki]

As long as your not overdue your next oil change, I don't see why you can't just get the update only, and instruct them not to change your oil. I did the opposite. I had them change my oil and told them no update

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