The problem is the piston rings. I've already done 2 08 accords this month. One got new pistons and rings and the other a new short block. I believe the problem is the maintance minder intervals. I've seen them go 8-10k before it show 0-5% oil life. Thats too much! Change your oil more often then 8-10k. How about every 3k. Honda should recall every vehicle sold since 2006 and reprogram the maint. minder intervals for oil life. Then I wouldn't have to replace engine blocks for 7hrs warranty time anymore.

 

I have a friend with the new 2012 SI Civic. He said there are a slew of people having issues with Oil Consuption. He has less than 6,000 miles, and has already been to the dealership 5 times. 1 qt every 800 miles.

This seems like a big issue.

This is good information PATS. My 2011 Accord, I have free oil changes for 5 years. - The dealership will not change the oil til its less than 10%. I had 7000 miles on mine, and they turned me away.

 

Hopefully you're right in my case PATS and that replacing the piston rings in my case alleviated the problem.

 

Depending on engine operating conditions, the estimated oil life varies. The oil life is calculated, it does not actually analyze the oil or know the fluid level. -- If they used synthetic motor oil, then there is less to worry about. For the 2011-2012 Accords, Honda recommend 0W-20. Honda 0W-20 is a synthetic blend, which is probably okay. If the dealership put in some non-synthetic 5W-20 oil, then I would be somewhat concerned.

For 4 cylinders, which have the timing/cam chain; infrequent oil changes can cause the chain to wear and stretch, which may cause the timing to skip a tooth or more, with possible engine damage.
See link: https://www.hondaaccordforum.com/for...-cam-chain-jpg

Note: Although the pic. link I attached states 08-10, the 11-12 are same K24 engine block.

 

Good Info. I appreciate it.

 

I just found this forum (and a few others) because I was getting concerned that the dealership was blowing smoke. I'm actually taking my car back tomorrow for the tail end of a consumption study. I've taken my car to them three or four times because the oil light was coming on... each time they had to put over two quarts in... and only a few thousand miles since the previous change.

Will they need to repeat this oil study two more times to make a determination?

I've got a 2004 Odyssey with 210K miles on it... and it doesn't lose ANY oil. What I'm reading leaves me astonished that Honda would somehow find this loss of oil in a relatively new car as "normal".

I'm pretty sure I had the programming update already, but I'm going to check with the dealer in the morning.

Have people reported that replacing the small block / piston rings fixed the problem?

Thanks!

 

Here's the latest update on the situation with the excessive oil consumption:

After Honda resurfaced the heads, replaced the piston rings, replaced the guides and the gasket, I drove roughly 1300 miles. In that time the Honda consumed 3/4 of a quart of oil. I took the car back to Honda and began the 'excessive oil consumption test'.

I drove 300 miles and checked the oil. The dip stick showed that the oil level was exactly where it needed to be. I drove another 300 miles (600 total) and once again the oil level was perfect. I drove another 300 miles (900 total) and the oil level had not moved. Since the 'oil consumption test' requires for Honda to check the oil every 1000 miles, I drove the car for another 100. This morning (8/6/2012) I let the car cool down for an hour and checked the oil level once more. It doesn't look like I'll need to add a single drop! I’m almost in shock. I’m so use to adding oil that I literally felt uncomfortable not having to!

Anyway, I just called the Honda Service Department that did the work to let them know that the problem appears to be resolved, but there are two goals that need to be met at this point.

The first is to drive another 2000 miles without having to add oil. By then I'll have driven roughly 5000 miles and it will be due for an oil change. The second goal is to go an entire 5000 miles without having to add a single drop. If I can get through the second goal, then I'll consider this issue resolved entirely.

The only explanation that I can come up with as to why the car continued to burn 3/4 of quart of oil after the repairs is possibly due to the Piston Rings being replaced and needing time to seal.

Without question this has been an EXTREMELY frustrating experience with the multitude of phone calls that had to be made and emails that had to be written. It took nearly 2 ½ years, but I feel as though things are looking better for the Honda. I’m sure if I had a Toyota, Chevrolet, Hyundai or a BMW, the response would be essentially the same as what I experienced with Honda. Some guy that I met yesterday at a BBQ was checking the oil on his 200x GMC Yukon. I asked him if he was burning oil to which he replied yes and went into detail as to how uncooperative GMC has been to determine the cause. I really felt bad for the guy. I know exactly how difficult that mountain is to climb!


stu

 

Thanks for the update Stu.

I understand that other car brands have their issues... but we pay more for Honda's so that we DON'T have theses issues.

If Honda is just like the others in reliability / issues, then it doesn't pay to buy Honda.

To be honest, I'm moderately disappointed in my Accord overall. The navigation system had to be replaced... the screen would not come on about 1 out of 3 starts - the system would function and give me the prompts and navigation, but no visual. They ended up replacing the entire unit.

Then there was the whole rear-brakes issue with the rear brakes wearing out before the fronts (which SHOULDN'T happen). I never got anything out of that... I replaced the brakes myself just before the recall.

Then, once in a blue moon, my bluetooth would feedback through the stereo when I'd try to make a call... and it would get so loud as to impair driving! This happened with multiple phones and brands, so it wasn't a phone-specific issue. I even got a recording of it... and it baffled the techs.

And now this oil consumption issue has cropped up (along with a start-up rattle that's been happening for quite a while).

I've been very happy with my Odyssey - it just keeps on keeping on. Very reliable, although the transmission appears to be on the tail end of it's life... taking a long time to go from reverse to drive, harder than normal shifts, etc. I've replaced two engine mounts which appeared to help for a while, but it's about where it was.

But this Accord has soured me on Honda... and depending on how they handle it, that perception will ultimately determine my next purchase.

Just my two cents worth.

 

I forgot to mention what happened on the oil measurement today... all they did was pull the dipstick out and check it... he said it was half way between the dots which was where it was supposed to be.

I told him that I thought I remembered them filling it to the top dot on the last oil change, and that means it's lost about a quart (isn't it two quarts between top and bottom dot?) He said they don't fill it that much on oil changes.

Lo an behold, when I checked the paperwork from last time, they did specifically note that it was filled to the top dot. I called them back and he supposedly updated something in my record.

Anyway, I'm supposed to bring it back in ANOTHER 1,000 miles. What a pain in the rump.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomas Stock

Thanks for the update Stu.

Thomas,

I could not agree with you more. Because Honda has the reputation of making the most reliable vehicles is the very reason why I bought a Honda. I also had the issue with the brakes. I also have heard the grind at startup at least once or twice, which is due to the car having very little to no oil at all. I've had problems with the xm receiver fading in and out and continued to have the problem after they replaced the receiver. The leather in my car has torn in multiple places, but it's clearly due to the cheap quality of the leather chosen by Honda. I did not get the navigation package, but the fact that you're having a problem with that doesn't surprise me. Let's assume that the work performed by Honda resolves my oil consumption issue, would I recommend a Honda to others? Absoultely not! I think it's ridiculous that I had to put 40,000 more miles on my car, before they would address the issue. Their policies are a joke and they have no appreciation for their customer base. When Honda says that it's acceptable for a 4 cylinder 2008 Honda Accord to burn through 1 quart of oil every 1000 miles, there's something clearly wrong. I would find this policy somewhat acceptable if we're talking about an S2000 or some other Honda high performance vehicle, but we're talking about a vehcile that mom throws her 2 kids in the back and drives to the store to pick up groceries. Do they really expect mom to check the oil every time she gets gas? That's EXACTLY what Honda expects the consumer to do. Honda also claims that the engine in my car can go 100,000 miles before it's first tune up, but having to add a quart every 1000 miles is totally normal. There's clearly an engineering flaw and unfortunately you have to play Honda's game if you have any chance of finding a resolution that will not break the bank. My honda is paid off and I really don't want to start making payments on another car, so it's very important that my car runs for as long as possible.

Whatever the next car is that I'll be getting it DEFINITELY will not have an H on the hood. I don't know what it will be, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Yeah, Honda is full of crap. They most definitely filled the oil level to the highest dot. It has to be the case because an oil change would require emptying out the dirty oil and readding 4.5 quarts of new oil, which will put the oil level right at the highest dot on your dipstick.

The way I was able to make any head way is to have Honda perform a Leak Down Test. Unfortuantely the test is like $166.00 and you may have to pay out of pocket. Hopefully they'll recognize that there is an issue that you had no control over and they will do the right thing and cover all of your costs, and by costs I mean everything I had to do with my Honda (see prevoius posts).

Good luck Thomas!