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Car Forum / Honda Cars / January 2007Accord V-Tec Engine
I am thinking about buying a Honda Accord EX with a V-Tec engine that a friend of mine is leasing. She leased for 3 years and the car looks great and has given her no problems. We were all set to complete the deal with the leasing company when she told me she only changed theoil once during the 3 year period. At that point I hesitated. She has 26,500 miles on the car and did not overheat or have any engine or oil light come on. If I buy the car now, change the oil regularly, etc., does anybody have any advice about how much of a risk I'm taking? What about the engine's lifespan? I'd appreciate any help. It's more money than I've ever spent on a car and don't want to make a stupid mistake. > I am thinking about buying a Honda Accord EX with a V-Tec engine that a > friend of mine is leasing. She leased for 3 years and the car looks great and [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > any help. It's more money than I've ever spent on a car and don't want to > make a stupid mistake. first things first - why don't you check what the service schedule is for that vehicle, then compare that to the maintenance undertaken? >> I am thinking about buying a Honda Accord EX with a V-Tec engine that a >> friend of mine is leasing. She leased for 3 years and the car looks great [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > first things first - why don't you check what the service schedule is for > that vehicle, then compare that to the maintenance undertaken? One oil change in +26K miles would be beyond pretty much any service schedule (even for synthetic oil) and a good reason for concern. There may not be a current issue with the vehicle, but the probability for future issues would be higher. >>> I am thinking about buying a Honda Accord EX with a V-Tec engine that a >>> friend of mine is leasing. She leased for 3 years and the car looks great [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > not be a current issue with the vehicle, but the probability for future > issues would be higher. ok, so i'll ask again: what is the service schedule for that vehicle? >>>> I am thinking about buying a Honda Accord EX with a V-Tec engine that a >>>> friend of mine is leasing. She leased for 3 years and the car looks [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > ok, so i'll ask again: what is the service schedule for that vehicle? and i should have added, "what is the basis for the leasing company's information?" if it's only been serviced at the dealer once, but serviced at an independent other times, the leasing company would never know about the latter. >>>>> I am thinking about buying a Honda Accord EX with a V-Tec engine >>>>> that a [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] >> >> ok, so i'll ask again: what is the service schedule for that vehicle? You're apparently not reading the responses OR the original question. Ken Harris, who also owns a 2003 V-Tec said that the recommended change for "normal" driving comes at 7,500mi but he uses "severe" at 3,750mi to stay ahead of the game. > and i should have added, "what is the basis for the leasing company's > information?" if it's only been serviced at the dealer once, but > serviced at an independent other times, the leasing company would never > know about the latter. Please re-read Truble's original post which you requoted above. He's buying a friend's car off lease and SHE told him that SHE only changed the oil once during the 26,500 miles she drove it. Ergo, in the kindest of worlds, she ran it to 13,250 miles before touching the oil. Truble you should probably ask her WHEN she changed it. If she's beaming and telling you "you won't have to change the oil since I just changed it 2,000 miles ago when I noticed it was really low" you may want to "walk on by." If she tells you that she found that she had to add a quart every 3,000 - 5,000 miles with an oil and filter change at 13,000 then maybe it'll be okay. >>>>>> I am thinking about buying a Honda Accord EX with a V-Tec engine >>>>>> that a [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > for "normal" driving comes at 7,500mi but he uses "severe" at 3,750mi to > stay ahead of the game. i don't have that service manual, but i think you'll find it's 10k, not 7.5k. "staying ahead of the game" is great business for dealers and jiffy lube but a waste of your money. >> and i should have added, "what is the basis for the leasing company's >> information?" if it's only been serviced at the dealer once, but [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > the oil once during the 26,500 miles she drove it. Ergo, in the kindest > of worlds, she ran it to 13,250 miles before touching the oil. ok, i misread that - i misunderstood it to be the leasing company that said that. but the fact still remains, with modern oil and a 10k service interval, there's really not much to worry about. > Truble you should probably ask her WHEN she changed it. If she's > beaming and telling you "you won't have to change the oil since I just > changed it 2,000 miles ago when I noticed it was really low" you may > want to "walk on by." If she tells you that she found that she had to > add a quart every 3,000 - 5,000 miles with an oil and filter change at > 13,000 then maybe it'll be okay. >>>>> I am thinking about buying a Honda Accord EX with a V-Tec engine >>>>> that a friend of mine is leasing. She leased for 3 years and the [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > serviced at an independent other times, the leasing company would > never know about the latter. If you read the initial post, he states that "she" (assuming the "she" that leased the vehicle is one and the same "she" he refers to as to giving him this information) stated the oil was only changed once. The leasing company was the party he was arranging the financial aspects of the deal with. >>>> I am thinking about buying a Honda Accord EX with a V-Tec engine >>>> that a friend of mine is leasing. She leased for 3 years and the [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > ok, so i'll ask again: what is the service schedule for that vehicle? 3750 severe, 7500 normal, as Mr Harris has already alluded to. 1 change in 26K miles is well beyond any service schedule for any vehicle that I have ever owned or investigated or for any synthetics that I have looked at. >>>>> I am thinking about buying a Honda Accord EX with a V-Tec engine >>>>> that a friend of mine is leasing. She leased for 3 years and the [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > 26K miles is well beyond any service schedule for any vehicle that I have > ever owned or investigated or for any synthetics that I have looked at. m1 extended service is 15k. >>>>>> I am thinking about buying a Honda Accord EX with a V-Tec engine >>>>>> that a friend of mine is leasing. She leased for 3 years and the [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] >> that I have looked at. > m1 extended service is 15k. Well, I guess it depends on when the oil was changed....though I doubt if the car was shipped with it! We have a 2003 Accord EX and the oil change interval suggested for "normal" service is 7500 miles. I've always used the severe service interval of 3750 miles (approximately). So, to me it seems like the oil has not been changed often enough. Ken > I am thinking about buying a Honda Accord EX with a V-Tec engine that a > friend of mine is leasing. She leased for 3 years and the car looks great and [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > any help. It's more money than I've ever spent on a car and don't want to > make a stupid mistake. When in a lease, isn't one required to perform all scheduled maintenance and present records when surrendering the car the end of the lease ? Otherwise will incur "excessive wear and tear" charges ? Just asking... never leased a vehicle before, but always assumed it was safe to buy a previously leased car - at least as far as maintenance is concerned. Well, not anymore ... Regards, Stan >I am thinking about buying a Honda Accord EX with a V-Tec engine that a > friend of mine is leasing. She leased for 3 years and the car looks great [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > any help. It's more money than I've ever spent on a car and don't want to > make a stupid mistake. Nothing was mentioned about when the oil was changed. We don't know if she went 13K and then changed the oil or if she went 26K before changing it. Al > When in a lease, isn't one required to perform all scheduled maintenance > and present records when surrendering the car the end of the lease ? [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] >> any help. It's more money than I've ever spent on a car and don't want to >> make a stupid mistake. Thanks, everyone for all of the info and advice. I'll be asking my friend at what point she changed the oil. Even though the V-Tec seems like a pretty durable engine, my tendency at this point is to "walk on by" unless I get satisfactory info...Pretty irresponsible not to perform regular maintenance even if you are not keeping the car long-term. One last question...would regular maintenance undo any potential damage done? >Nothing was mentioned about when the oil was changed. We don't know if she >went 13K and then changed the oil or if she went 26K before changing it. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >>> any help. It's more money than I've ever spent on a car and don't want to >>> make a stupid mistake. > Thanks, everyone for all of the info and advice. I'll be asking my friend > at [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > even if you are not keeping the car long-term. One last question...would > regular maintenance undo any potential damage done? My opinion is that is is like stopping a smoking habit. There is a lot of immediate value to getting back on track, and the crank bearings are probably safe. The steel-on-steel contacts that depend on oil will have suffered already and may give trouble before the engine's time is due; valve guides definitely, along with possibly cam bearings, lifter surfaces and possibly the control hydraulics for the cam. Mostly, a revelation of inadequate maintenance is reason enough to make me look elsewhere. I always wonder - has tap water been used in the cooling system? You can look under the oil filler cap for varnish or (shudder!) deposits on the rocker arm assembly and you can look for signs of rust or cloudiness in the radiator, but I use those checks to answer the questions about maintenance that I couldn't be sure of getting a candid answer to. You have the answer already. Mike >> Thanks, everyone for all of the info and advice. I'll be asking my friend >> at [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > >Mike With only 26K and only one oil change behind it, I would feel pretty safe saying that nothing has been done to the cooling system or anything else. Nothing else critical is past due so I wouldn't worry on that account. The timing on that one oil change is pretty critical. I am guessing she might have changed it at 3K and never again. If it was changed at 13K it's probably OK. I would put in Mobil 1 immediately and then change it again in a couple thousand miles in hopes of washing out any sludge that might have formed. The other question I have is whether you are going to get a good price buying her off-lease car. I have a friend who had a car coming off lease. She asked the price to buy it and the lease agency quoted a price thousands higher than market value. She tried to reason with them that they had to sell the car to someone and that no one was going to pay that price, but they wouldn't budge. She walked, of course. > Thanks, everyone for all of the info and advice. I'll be asking my friend at > what point she changed the oil. Even though the V-Tec seems like a pretty > durable engine, my tendency at this point is to "walk on by" unless I get > satisfactory info...Pretty irresponsible not to perform regular maintenance > even if you are not keeping the car long-term. One last question...would > regular maintenance undo any potential damage done? No, it will never UNDO the damage which MAY have been caused, excessive wear, etc. All you can hope for is maintain the status quo and prevent further, excessive wear by performing proper maintenance. >> Thanks, everyone for all of the info and advice. I'll be asking my friend at >> what point she changed the oil. Even though the V-Tec seems like a pretty [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >wear, etc. All you can hope for is maintain the status quo and prevent >further, excessive wear by performing proper maintenance. Most, Most helpful. I agree that damage done is irreversible. I also spoke with my current mechanic and a good friend who owned his own auto shop. They pretty much said the same thing-the life span of the engine may be affected. The price was a littele better than book, but there was no getting the dealer to budge. I've decided to let it go. Thanks for all the candid and helpful advice. >>> Thanks, everyone for all of the info and advice. I'll be asking my >>> friend at what point she changed the oil. Even though the V-Tec [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > there was no getting the dealer to budge. I've decided to let it go. > Thanks for all the candid and helpful advice. Funny that the dealer wouldn't budge due to inadequate maintenance. I could imagine what he would have said if it was brought in for warranty work...... > Most, Most helpful. I agree that damage done is irreversible. I also spoke > with my current mechanic and a good friend who owned his own auto shop. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > to budge. I've decided to let it go. Thanks for all the candid and helpful > advice. I've never regretted *not* buying a specific car! Mike > I am thinking about buying a Honda Accord EX with a V-Tec engine that a > friend of mine is leasing. She leased for 3 years and the car looks great and [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > any help. It's more money than I've ever spent on a car and don't want to > make a stupid mistake. Might work out fine, might shorten the life, but I'd certainly expect a LARGE discount over book price, for which you could find an Accord with meticulous maintenance records. Of course, you probably can't tell the leasing company, or your friend will get the bill, no? >> I am thinking about buying a Honda Accord EX with a V-Tec engine that a >> friend of mine is leasing. She leased for 3 years and the car looks great and [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >meticulous maintenance records. Of course, you probably can't tell the >leasing company, or your friend will get the bill, no? I very much doubt whether there is any problem with the engine. What I would do is to have the oil pressure checked. If there is excesive wear, clearances within the engine would increase leading to a fall in oil pressure. The oil filter is very efficient at taking out particulate matter and with gas engines there is no or very little dilution of the oil by fuel so lack oil lubricity, which will lead to wear, will not occur. What might be a problem is a loss of additives in the oil that leads to some sludge. That can easily be rectified with an engines as young as this one by flushing. In conclusion if the price is right, go for it, you are most unlikely to have problems. |
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