Acura offers customer new engine

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Click and Clack
Saturday morning newspaper, The Fresno Bee
November 01, 2014
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Dear Tom and Ray,

I am the owner of a 2012 Acura TL with the tech package (AWD, etc.). It has a six-speed manual transmission. It was purchased new in the spring of 2011. It is my fourth Acura ... all of the previous Acuras went over 250,000 miles without major repairs, and no engine repairs of any type. They were all very reliable.

My newest Acura is a wonderful car -- handles great, rides beautifully, the most powerful one yet. However, it is using oil excessively. Specifically, it is using a little more than a quart every 1,000 miles, and this problem existed right form the start (warning lights went off at 3,500 miles ... "return to dealer"). Since then, the oil level has been monitored continuously, and I'm adding 2-3 quarts between oil changes (Acura is giving me the oil for free). They have looked into the engine with fiber-optic cameras, they have installed a mini-computer under my dash to monitor engine performance (and probably to check whether I was driving the car like a nut), and have found nothing.

We've tried using different-weight motor oil, we tried synthetic oil, all with no change. The car currently has 52,000 miles on it, and it is still running beautifully. Although no problem has been found with the engine, Acura is offering to replace the engine with a new one (not a factory-rebuilt one, either). They're not sure it will stop the oil-use problem, but it is the only option they feel they have left. The amount of oil use has increased only slightly: It started at about one quart every 1,000 miles, to now slightly over 1 quart.

Also, the dealer had me bring the car in every 1,000 miles to check the dipstick (perhaps they thought I didn't know how to read a dipstick). So, that's the story. Now the question: Do I take Acura up on the offer to replace the engine with a new one (free -- it is under warranty)? -- Lars

TOM: Duh! Are they open now?

RAY: Sure. You definitely should accept the offer. Then you'll have a brand-new engine in a car with 50,000 miles on it. So you'll get 300,000 out of this one.

TOM: And good for Acura for doing right by you and replacing your engine under warranty.
Acura is acknowledging that your engine must have been mis-manufactured somehow -- which happens, unfortunately -- and they're taking upon themselves to make sure you get a car that works as it's supposed to.

RAY: We've noticed a fair number of engines these days will burn oil like that from the very beginning. We don't know why that happens. Most manufacturers, since they can't afford to keep giving away engines, tell the customers that a certain amount of oil burning -- a quart every 1,000 or even 500 miles -- is "normal," or "acceptable."

TOM: And while it probably won't hurt the engine to burn a small amount of oil over time, as long as you keep a close eye on it and never let the oil level get low, it really ticks you off, doesn't it? I mean, you spend a large chunk of a year's salary on a brand-new car, and it's an oil-burner right out of the showroom.

RAY: If you wanted an oil-burner, you could have bought one of my brother's cars for $400.

TOM: And it's likely that those oil-burning engines will only burn more oil as they get older. So I don't think a quart every 500 or 1,000 miles on a brand-new car should be acceptable.

RAY: I actually had a knock-down drag-out with my Volvo dealer about my wife's new car a few years back over this very issue.

TOM: He eventually got his new engine, but I think every Volvo dealer in the region now has Not Wanted posters of his face near all the doors.

RAY: So some manufacturers will try to stonewall you, but good for you, Lars, for going through all the tests and being polite and persistent. And good for Acura for doing the right thing and giving you a properly functioning engine for your car. Drop us a note if you get to 300,000.
 
Nice to see Acura step up to the plate and not dish out the typical B_S when it comes to oil consumption.
 
Quote:
RAY: If you wanted an oil-burner, you could have bought one of my brother's cars for $400.



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Yep, I'll miss Tom.
 
A manufacturer that is willing to replace the engine that is an oil burner should be applauded for doing the "right-thing". A co-worker had to go to war with a dealer and manufacturer over oil burning and after more than a year long battle finally got the dealer to take back the car under the lemon law in the state of California with the help of his attorney. The whole process took a terrible toll on him and his family in part because of the arrogant attitude of the dealer. I think it's a fair bet that no one in his family will ever own a GM vehicle again. His problems started with burning a quart of oil every 500 miles. He was told that it was just the break-in and would get better. It did not. Then is was an intake manifold gasket, then the intake manifold itself. Next it was valve seals and a timing cover and gasket, a PCV and on and on. I drove him to the dealer or picked him up several times when a loaner was not available. Repairs took weeks instead of days, totally unacceptable. The oil burning became so bad he was checking the oil level every time he drove the car, adding oil and charting the activity on a spreadsheet often times confirming the oil level at the dealer while going through the lemon law process. The day that he received a final settlement check and turned in the rental car he went straight to a Honda dealer and never looked back. His agreement to purchase his new car included an additional statement in the contract that specifically covered oil consumption which the dealer signed. He is now the happy owner of a Honda Accord and his daughter is now driving a new Fit and his son is looking at a new Civic. His wife got rid of their other GM car and she is driving a just purchased used Acura. It's been 2 years and this family has switched from 3 generations of always GM to never GM.

This problem of the oil burning engine that burns a quart or more oil every 1K miles need to have a better resolution than hearing it's normal. I have an 03 4Runner with the V8 engine that has over 130K miles on it. This engine sees dirt roads, towing and although not abused has to work hard for its living. The oil level has never moved and observable amount on the dipstick between oil changes, ever. To compare this to that GM vehicle that was burning a quart every 500 miles for a year and a half while being used as a daily driver on an easy 10 mile commute to work and back on a freeway with no traffic problems, driven in a very conservative manner has got to mean that something is very wrong. There should be a better path to a resolution for the customer that put down a lot of money for that vehicle.
 
I hope this is all true and, while it was an inconvenience for Lars to get to this point, is certainly commendable of Acura.
 
Acura I think due to lack of uptake recently goes way above and beyond for customer issues and known problems most makers dump on consumers.

My 2007 MDX(first year) has had a lot of items fixed/updated free under consumer goodwill and campaigns. These are not recalls. Every time I spend $30 for an oil chang eand was handed a loaner vehicle(Acura).
 
My parents always had a great experience with Acura, with their (and now our) 2005 MDX. They liked it so much, they went for another one (a 2014 MDX) after they were done rock crawling in Wranglers. They always had a loaner vehicle and service was always prompt and courteous. We've had our '05 to the dealer twice I think...once for a transmission software recall and once for a shift interlock recall. Both were done in about 30-60 minutes and the experience was pleasant. My boss has a 2007 MDX and she's got it at the dealer for an oil change and she drove a new 2015 MDX to work today.
 
That is a strange story. It is burning oil since day 1 yet they only decide to offer a new engine after 50k miles have passed. There is something wrong with that. And trying different oil weights???? It almost sounds like the person was trying that on their own, hard to image the dealer suggesting to use a heavier weight oil.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
A manufacturer that is willing to replace the engine that is an oil burner should be applauded for doing the "right-thing". A co-worker had to go to war with a dealer and manufacturer over oil burning and after more than a year long battle finally got the dealer to take back the car under the lemon law in the state of California with the help of his attorney. The whole process took a terrible toll on him and his family in part because of the arrogant attitude of the dealer. I think it's a fair bet that no one in his family will ever own a GM vehicle again. His problems started with burning a quart of oil every 500 miles. He was told that it was just the break-in and would get better. It did not. Then is was an intake manifold gasket, then the intake manifold itself. Next it was valve seals and a timing cover and gasket, a PCV and on and on. I drove him to the dealer or picked him up several times when a loaner was not available. Repairs took weeks instead of days, totally unacceptable. The oil burning became so bad he was checking the oil level every time he drove the car, adding oil and charting the activity on a spreadsheet often times confirming the oil level at the dealer while going through the lemon law process. The day that he received a final settlement check and turned in the rental car he went straight to a Honda dealer and never looked back. His agreement to purchase his new car included an additional statement in the contract that specifically covered oil consumption which the dealer signed. He is now the happy owner of a Honda Accord and his daughter is now driving a new Fit and his son is looking at a new Civic. His wife got rid of their other GM car and she is driving a just purchased used Acura. It's been 2 years and this family has switched from 3 generations of always GM to never GM.

This problem of the oil burning engine that burns a quart or more oil every 1K miles need to have a better resolution than hearing it's normal. I have an 03 4Runner with the V8 engine that has over 130K miles on it. This engine sees dirt roads, towing and although not abused has to work hard for its living. The oil level has never moved and observable amount on the dipstick between oil changes, ever. To compare this to that GM vehicle that was burning a quart every 500 miles for a year and a half while being used as a daily driver on an easy 10 mile commute to work and back on a freeway with no traffic problems, driven in a very conservative manner has got to mean that something is very wrong. There should be a better path to a resolution for the customer that put down a lot of money for that vehicle.








I had a similar experience with Ford, and traded it on a GM. Haven't bought a Ford since. There are bad ones with every manufacturer. GM makes some of the best cars on the road IMO. It's a shame they didn't make good on their car.
 
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