2012 EX coupe 2.4L

Hello all, I’ve recently purchased my first accord/first nice vehicle and as such I’ve been trying to learn more about proper maintenance and the inner workings of a car. As the title suggests I currently have very little mechanical knowledge aside from the basics so it took me a couple months to even realize that the rattling sound coming from my engine on nearly every startup warranted investigation. In doing a little research I’m all but certain the VTC actuator is to blame but I’m having trouble assessing how damaging this could potentially be, how urgent this is, what needs to be replaced alongside the actuator, etc. The sound has been a constant since I bought it at 80k miles in June and nothing was mentioned during pre-purchase inspection or the mechanic visits that followed

(fixed sway bar links and oil pressure sensor).



I’ve read through a couple threads but I’m having trouble making sense of any of it between the technical stuff and the differing opinions. (E.g these threads: https://www.driveaccord.net/threads/vtc-actuator-issue-solved.446881/ https://www.driveaccord.net/threads/another-bad-vtc-actuator.291218/ )



Would it be worth contacting my local dealership being that I’m well out of warranty or would it be more worthwhile to go straight to a trusted shop for a diagnosis/quote? I know I probably sound like an absolute idiot but I’m a new-ish driver and I never had anyone to teach me nothing about anything growing up. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated, particularly that of the educational or time/money saving variety. I’m kind of out of my depth here and I would be extremely grateful if y’all were kind enough to give me a hand.

 

VTC rattle is a common problem. You should watch some youtube videos on this problem. Chrisfix on youtube has a video recently posted.

If it is the VTC rattle, then contact the dealership for a quote and a trusted mechanic. You can decide which route you want to go.