I agree, I've only got about 150 miles on mine, and it sits too because I cannot stand the VCM. I'm planning on taking it in to the dealer to get the ball rolling on either fixing it or working towards getting it declared a lemon.
I won't take it back to the dealer where I bought it though, because they have already proven themselves to be turds for a variety of reasons since the sale was completed.
This is what I was thinking too. Unfortunately it would surely void the warranty. I do wish Honda would offer a switch to turn VCM off. Heck, I wouldn't even mind if it defaulted to on at each start-up.
dpmeersman I live in a warmer climate (Florida) with flat highways reasonably devoid of suspension jarring potholes. I have no problems with the performance of my EX-L V6. I have 1700 miles on the odometer. I travel at 50, 60 or 70 miles an hour with or without cruise control and experience no vibration or surgeing with the ECO light on or off.. On some of our residential roads I drive at 30, 40 or 45 miles per hour with performance smooth as silk. Cruise control is great and I use it whenever possible.. I use the steering wheel controls when traffic speeds vary only slightly. Under heavier traffic conditions I use gas pedal control and of course find that the ECO light goes off when I accelerate and comes on as I decelerate. I reiterate, I experience no vibration or surgeing. As for power when you need it, the six has plenty to spare.
I agree with your reply to fusionacid. Based upon my car's performance, I wouldn't hesitate in recommending the Accord V-6 with VCM.
I do feel that some of the posters have real problems. Some of the problems may or may not be associated with VCM. I hope these individuals are fortunate enough to have a Honda dealer who behaves like donegal's (see his post #643). But if you follow donegal's posts, his approach should be a model for all those with performance problems.
Incidentally, I'm about to start a trip to colder climate, hilly roads and pot holes and heavy traffic. The round trip will be more than 2000 miles. I shall see how my Accord V-6 behaves under those conditions.
I called corporate today and put my "car in the system". They gave me a ref # etc.. so we'll see what happens. I am not interested in taking it to the dealer, people here have already done that to no avail. I'm willing to work with corporate to find a fix but I'm not holding my breath. I have been considering what my other options are, I just have not made any decisions yet.
hank thanks for your post. I've been waiting for this accord for almost 2 years and have been very discouraged with all the problems i've been reading on this forum. I also took into account that most posts are mainly by unsatisfied people. You have to figure most people that have their hondas running fine generally won't seek or post here. Your experience has given me hope in buying the accord EX-L V6. If in any case problems are experienced, I'm sure Honda will find the solution.
Sorry - my bad. Some of the cars I tested while cruising at about 40 with the eco light on, hesitated when I stepped down hard on the accelerator as if passing someone. Once operating on all 6 cylinders the car was very smooth - no surging sensation - but there was some hesitation on that change from 3 or 4 to 6..
I have been investigating this issue further on another car tech support website - a 13 year gold Honda Tech in West Islip, NY has reported that, yes, they are having people complain about the VCM issues mentioned here and that I have experienced testing the cars. They have been reprogramming the automatic transmission and some of these issues have been corrected. Hope that might be of help to some of you who own these cars already. I think I am going to opt out on the VCM V6 and Honda at this time. Just seems way too complicated for long term reliability, regardless of Honda's reputation, and ability to address the issues I experienced. That is not how a car is supposed to run and I do not need a mechanic running along side the car to ensure it runs properly all the time! :P
Not sure if your message was directed to me but I'll respond anyway. Better gas mileage then what? This car without VCM? We'll never really know, will we?
I bought the 08 Accord because I felt Honda had finally made a styling statement with the new design. Not that previous Accords were dogs in the looks department, but they certainly didn't turn any heads as they went by. Now some people don't like the looks or the additional size of the new Accord but at least Honda took a chance and didn't come out with another car that would just blend in with so many others on the road. I also wanted a car that ran on 87 octane so it met that criteria. Other things on my new car checklist were at least a 5 speed auto, disc breaks on all 4 corners, 6 cyl of 250 HP or more and the reliability and re-sale value of a Honda. Time will only tell about the reliability and re-sale, but the other items were to be found in this Accord. My fuel economy has been 21 MPG overall and I have seen 29 MPG on the hwy. I don't think anyone that purchased this car bought it because they wanted VCM, we got VCM because we had no choice and believed Honda's claim of it being seamless. Some of us have found out otherwise and in varying degrees object to it's activity. But I didn't purchase the car because it had VCM.
It is great that you are experiencing no difficulty with your VCM and I am sure those having problems with it, or even living with the sensations they are aware of, wish their cars were like yours. In my opinion there is nothing more annoying day to day than a new car giving you trouble. It would be like buying a new house and having the plumbing not work, or bang every time you flushed a toilet or turned on a faucet, and then having the builder tell you it is "normal".. I have been lurking here reading posts trying to decide what to do. While the I4 is smooth and reasonably powerful, it lacks the silkiness of my friend's 2007 V6. I need an automatic, I love Hondas, but the V6 equipped cars I have test driven have all had the issues about which people here are complaining. Of course when asked about it the sales men deny anything - they claim they cannot feel what I feel, and that their service departments have had no reports of problems. Hard to believe given what I read here. I may have to resort to trying ti still find a leftover 2007, a used one, or go with something else. I know, experiencing what I have with those I test drove, that I could not live with that kind of performance day to day. I found the surging and the hesitation when the V6 is called on for acceleration, again, compared to my friend's 2007, unacceptable. I would consider the TL but it requires premium gas and is a bit of a stretch for my budget.
I am afraid this got buried in my earlier post. It could be important to all of you.
"I have been investigating this issue (VCM problems) further on another car tech support website - a 13 year gold Honda Tech in West Islip, NY has reported that, yes, they are having people complain about the VCM issues mentioned here and that I have experienced testing the cars. They have been reprogramming the automatic transmission and some of these issues have been corrected. Hope that might be of help to some of you who own these cars already."
I found the surging and the hesitation when the V6 is called on for acceleration, again, compared to my friend's 2007, unacceptable.
It's funny that you point out that you felt the VCM activity unacceptable during acceleration as all posts I've read and my experience with my own 08 V6 has been silky smooth during acceleration. Whether I'm accelerating lightly or aggressively from a stop or @ hwy speeds I've never felt the VCM to be a factor. It shouldn't be for this is one area that Honda has accurately presented the technology in all of it's literature. When power is required you get all that the the 6 cyl has to offer. Only when driving under constant speed situations does VCM try to determine the appropriate cyl configuration to deliver optimum fuel economy. It's during these times that I can feel minor interruptions to the usual smooth operation of the engine. In my particular car these interruptions are less noticeable then the car shifting and to date no passengers in my car have shown any indication that they are aware of what I can feel thru the accelerator and the seat of my pants.
Can you provide more info on the other website or more information on that tranny reprogramming? I would be shocked/happy if it's a simple as that. Then again it's the tranny and I already did this once with the 2001.
You post your question and choose your expert - and they have at least one Honda expert. I was curious if the VCM issues being raised on this forum ,and that I experienced on my test drives, were "normal" and widespread, or unique, and what might be being done to fix them, if possible. That was the answer I got - I am trying to get further clarification and will post the response I get.
"They have been reprogramming the automatic transmission and some of these issues have been corrected."
I would be very interested in finding out more about this -- is there a TSB or some other publicly available information (at least public throughout Honda dealer service network)? I don't have the vibration issues, and I don't think I have what others describe as the "surging" issues (though I agree with others that there is a slight but still perceptible gear hunting type feeling when the car is cruising in the low 60s and low 70s). However, I must say that the transmission is extremely rough, particularly when downshifting, but also occasionally when upshifting. Others have said that less than completely smooth shifting is characteristic of Hondas, but this seems beyond the pale.
So, how does one find out whether there have been updates to the transmission programming. I'm fully prepared to go to the dealer and to Honda corporate if necessary, but would like to have some ammunition when I get the inevitable "operating normally" line.
Car is great in other respects, but I would not recommend it to those who value a smooth ride. (And yes, I test drove it extensively, but there are some things that don't become apparent, or as apparent, until you have the car day in, day out for a period of time.)
Actually, the "only solution" is if a very large number of consumers complain and sales, service, reliability, expenses and loyalty are impacted. Time will tell. Honda sells 400,000 Accords each year. And there are well over 100,000 Odysseys and Pilots on the road with VCM. And that doesn't include the Hondas that are sold worldwide, some of which may also be equipped with VCM. Suffice to say that there will be lots of test examples in the real world, beyond the thousands of test miles Honda has already invested prior to VCM being released to the market.
An override button will never happen. Either the system works, or it doesn't. To allow a bypass switch strictly based on perceptions of vibration will never happen. Think about the additional design and expense involved with installing such a switch. And the potential liability of allowing the driver to decide how many cylinders to be utilized in any given time. You're giving the typical driver way too much credit for brain capacity. The average consumer isn't smart enough to comprehend a bypass option and think as deeply about that "ECO" light as you are. We're too busy on our cell phones, juggling our lattes, and eating our sandwiches!
My mileage has been a little better than the EPA mileage for this vehicle. My average mileage over 60 gallons of gas has been 24.1 MPG vs EPA Combined of 22. I currently have about 1700 miles on the odometer. My last fill-up was about 275 miles ago.
My best tankful was 27.2 MPG after a trip of 274 miles with 85% H'way travel. My worst tankful was 21.56 MPG with 65% H'way travel.
I'm pleased with the performance of this vehicle as well as the gas mileage.
As Pat has stated several times. There is a forum for the mileage discussion. This thread is about VCM issue, concerns and experiences. Why are we back on the gas mileage topic?
HI,all i can tell you of my experince with this car i drive all highway miles at 60 -80 per......there is a vibration felt in the steering wheel .....,it is not a tire problem..tires have been balanced twice no inpvovment.........have driven the chevy malibu..much less road noise, and no vibration at highway speed....i would lose a lot of money trading in the accord ,word is out at this dealer..they know of the problems with the v/6 accord....as they say sometimes the parant is the last to know of a problem....
It looks like the most vocal person in this forum is the most talkative in that other forum too. Hopefully he will finally take his car to a dealer to see if whaty he is experiencing is a real problem that can be fixed!
It could be a software reflash will solve his problem>
I just came back from a lengthy test drive, (45 minutes or more) in the V6 sedan. I am looking at the coupe but is seems they are getting harder to come by. I put the car through many driving conditions. I had the car on the hwy and in city streets, cruising, slow and fast on the highway and in city traffic with the headlights on, a/c blasting,(even though it was 30F outside. I tried it with the cruise control and without the cruise control. I did not notice a problem when the ECO light was on or through the accelerations and then when slowing down. Being from North Jersey our roads are rough to say the least but I did not feel a vibration when hitting speeds up to 80 and cruising between 45-50.
Like I said this is my 2nd test drive. I will continue to look into the reported VCM problems and probably take another test drive before making the final decision.
A quick PS: I was at this dealer last week and they had 2 08 V6 w/Navi, this week they had none, same as a dealer I went to on Tuesday. They are selling and seem to be getting harder to locate.
HI,was the car right out of the box.or was it a demo??my vibration came when i had about 800 miles on the car.......could be when the motor mounts have running time on them that the problem shows up.....
As your screen name suggests, you got lucky. Take the car for a longer period of time.. open hwy for 30-60 mins. Oh and read other forums about all the owners problems / dissatisfaction with the VCM operation in this car and you will gain an even better understanding of what looks to be a growing concern.
The first test drive was a car right out of the box with just about no miles on it. The car today had 1120 something miles on it when I got into it. Another poster said to take it for a longer drive....I think 45 minutes or so was a fair run at all speeds under all traffic conditions, any longer and the dealer will be reporting the car stolen!!!! Now that you mentioned that I will do another test and make sure the car has miles on it.
One thing to try is to run a constant speed on the highway (for me it's 70 mph when this happens) and see what happens when the eco light goes off and you start to climb a hill. Mine lurches forward when the cyclinders kick in. When going down hill, it almost feels like the brake is turned on when the eco light turns on. And when I say uphill/downhill, these are slight grades, not like your on the side of a mountain.
Or, he could be told that "mechanical things, and systems, by their very nature will be felt when operating, and this is just a normal thing", as I have been told by my dealer. And this is before they even had the service department look at it! You could see where that was going. That is why I pointed out in another post that I would have my car looked at by another dealer.
It would be nice if it were something as simple as a computer reflash, but since the dealer is is already in denial mode, I'm guessing that they may have drank some of the same "Honda kool-aid" that you have.
This is Honda's answer to my problems with VCM. Actually I wrote a letter but apparently this is their stock response.
"We appreciate your recent phone call to our office regarding the design features of the Honda Accord.
Currently there are no plans to change the design feature of the 2008 Honda Accord. We do appreciate imput that we receive on our vehicles from our valuable customers. This information is of interest to us as it helps us to know what customers are concerned with.
Thank you for taking the time to notify us of your concerns. I have documented your comments for the record. This infomation will now be available for consideration in future model changes."
Looks like I need to starting looking for anothe car.
golfrski Apparently you objected to my answering philj1 who responded to my favorable post about VCM with a reasonable request for mileage performance of the V-6. I am quite aware of the "real world mileage" board but felt that philj1 deserved an answer on this board. As steevo aptly put it, VCM is all about mileage.
I am hoping that is the case since I like the car but this talk has me going crazy reading and taking it out for another test drive. I have test driven cars before but never looking for a problem, usually it is just to see how it performs on the road and how I feel inside of the car. On both test drives I was super-sensitive listening and looking feel anything that could even be a potential problem. I did not have anything but a great experience with the car.
My wife has a Nissan Murano with CVT and that trans feels different than my CTS. When I first drove the CVT it was weird feeling but I like the CVT and enjoy it more than my CTS. Maybe it is just new and feels different to past owners. I'll keep testing before the big decision, thanks everyone for your comments.
Np but again, this forum is not about mileage. Thats not the purpose of this discussion. This thread is about "issues", with the "operation" of the VCM not it's intended purpose. It's operation looks to have side effects that do not match the marketing and or explanation given by Honda to potential and new owners. Lets be clear these are 2 distinct discussions.
From Honda.com:
"To help keep engine vibration from reaching the cabin in every mode, active engine mounts automatically adjust their firmness to help absorb energy. The transition between the three operating modes is completely seamless and goes unnoticed by the Accord’s passengers".
The above statement is the start of the problem.... this is simply not a true statement and as a result, many owners like myself believed what Honda told us and our sales people, took the $30,000 leap only to discover after extended driving that what we purchased is not quite what we had expected. So, we post here, share experiences, console each other and search for answers..2-3 mpg savings is the last thing on our minds.
golfrski I'm sorry that your V-6 does not perform properly. Mine does.
I can understand your frustration but your problem is probably best addressed as being specific to your car, not as a design problem. If you experience annoying vibration and I don't, then something is probably wrong with your car. Not the design.
My car has no vibration, doesn't surge and gets better gas mileage than the EPA standard.This is all as advertised. This information has as much legitimacy on this forum as your complaint about the "VCM design problem".
Keep after your dealer and Honda to fix the malfunction. If they say that this behavior is normal refer them to my post and those of others who do not have these problems. Based on my experience VCM is not supposed to operate the way you describe.
I wish you the best in your attempt to get your car fixed.
HI,just for the fun of it take a test drive in the chevy malibu ltz v/6.......much less road noise, and less money then the accord......and just about the same gas milage..plus 6 speed auto ....and no vcm.....
Also keep in mind that most negative posts are from a handful few. I am not claiming some don't or may not have a problem with their VCMs, but some of the posts here seem more in the line of Honda bashing rather than trying to discuss VCM related issues. I for one, have no problem with the VCM operation in my V6 w/ Navi.
As a prospective purchaser of an '08 Accord V6, I have read all available road tests, including those that have also been noted on this website and on Honda's own webpage where it has been noted by many reviewers that the VCM operation was at the very least noticeable, and confirmed my experiences test driving the cars myself. I love the car in every other respect - but don't believe I could live with the types of sensations I felt, and obviously many others here sense too. I applaud the efforts of those here and on the Temple of VTEC site to publicize the issues they have experienced, so people like me, considering the car, have not only Honda's official statement to rely on, and from which to form judgments, but also real world experiences of actual owners. I also appreciate the compliments of the car by those not apparently experiencing the difficulties of some and could not agree with you more about styling, Honoda reliability, etc.. I have to weigh all these in my decision making process.
However, I sympathize with those that have posted their problems only to have been met with what seems to be derision, and almost taunting and mocking of their plight as if they are making these things up by those who do not experience the same sensations. Those of you not having any problems should apparently consider yourselves lucky, and at least offer some sympathy to them - not simply consider that since you don't have any negative experiences, they can't possibly either. I ompliment Edmunds for providing these forums for open discourse of these issues, and for the open airing of problems by owners - the manufacturers certainly would not offer that!!! But I do consider it a shame that those with the problems cannot express their opinions and experiences without having some with clearly vested interests in Honda sales jumping all over them. Good luck everyone - to those without problems - may the cars continue to serve you well - and to those with problems - I wish you the best getting them resolved to your satisfaction. That letter from Honda was not encouraging.
I agree, I am just coming out of a Caddy CTS, (Smart buy), with a trade and found that the car is not worth anything. They want more for me to buy the car than if I went to the lot and picked out another same year CTS. I am the only one in the family, (4 cars), that had an American car and that will change in the next month, we will all be driving something out the Far East. The CTS is a good car but hard shifting, so I am sure that there posts somewhere about the shifting on a 2005 CTS.
Np but again, this forum is not about mileage. Thats not the purpose of this discussion. This thread is about "issues", with the "operation" of the VCM not it's intended purpose. It's operation looks to have side effects that do not match the marketing and or explanation given by Honda to potential and new owners. Lets be clear these are 2 distinct discussions.
The title of this thread is "2008 Honda Accord VCM", not "2008 Honda Accord VCM (issues)". Not allowing any positive (including mileage) responses on VCM would hardly be fair to the potential buyers.
Comments
I won't take it back to the dealer where I bought it though, because they have already proven themselves to be turds for a variety of reasons since the sale was completed.
I live in a warmer climate (Florida) with flat highways reasonably devoid of suspension jarring potholes. I have no problems with the performance of my EX-L V6. I have 1700 miles on the odometer. I travel at 50, 60 or 70 miles an hour with or without cruise control and experience no vibration or surgeing with the ECO light on or off.. On some of our residential roads I drive at 30, 40 or 45 miles per hour with performance smooth as silk. Cruise control is great and I use it whenever possible.. I use the steering wheel controls when traffic speeds vary only slightly. Under heavier traffic conditions I use gas pedal control and of course find that the ECO light goes off when I accelerate and comes on as I decelerate. I reiterate, I experience no vibration or surgeing. As for power when you need it, the six has plenty to spare.
I agree with your reply to fusionacid. Based upon my car's performance, I wouldn't hesitate in recommending the Accord V-6 with VCM.
I do feel that some of the posters have real problems. Some of the problems may or may not be associated with VCM. I hope these individuals are fortunate enough to have a Honda dealer who behaves like donegal's (see his post #643). But if you follow donegal's posts, his approach should be a model for all those with performance problems.
Incidentally, I'm about to start a trip to colder climate, hilly roads and pot holes and heavy traffic. The round trip will be more than 2000 miles. I shall see how my Accord V-6 behaves under those conditions.
I have been investigating this issue further on another car tech support website - a 13 year gold Honda Tech in West Islip, NY has reported that, yes, they are having people complain about the VCM issues mentioned here and that I have experienced testing the cars. They have been reprogramming the automatic transmission and some of these issues have been corrected. Hope that might be of help to some of you who own these cars already. I think I am going to opt out on the VCM V6 and Honda at this time. Just seems way too complicated for long term reliability, regardless of Honda's reputation, and ability to address the issues I experienced. That is not how a car is supposed to run and I do not need a mechanic running along side the car to ensure it runs properly all the time! :P
Not sure if your message was directed to me but I'll respond anyway.
Better gas mileage then what? This car without VCM? We'll never really know, will we?
I bought the 08 Accord because I felt Honda had finally made a styling statement with the new design. Not that previous Accords were dogs in the looks department, but they certainly didn't turn any heads as they went by. Now some people don't like the looks or the additional size of the new Accord but at least Honda took a chance and didn't come out with another car that would just blend in with so many others on the road. I also wanted a car that ran on 87 octane so it met that criteria. Other things on my new car checklist were at least a 5 speed auto, disc breaks on all 4 corners, 6 cyl of 250 HP or more and the reliability and re-sale value of a Honda. Time will only tell about the reliability and re-sale, but the other items were to be found in this Accord. My fuel economy has been 21 MPG overall and I have seen 29 MPG on the hwy. I don't think anyone that purchased this car bought it because they wanted VCM, we got VCM because we had no choice and believed Honda's claim of it being seamless. Some of us have found out otherwise and in varying degrees object to it's activity. But I didn't purchase the car because it had VCM.
Well, I hope you take it to another dealer to have it looked at!
"I have been investigating this issue (VCM problems) further on another car tech support website - a 13 year gold Honda Tech in West Islip, NY has reported that, yes, they are having people complain about the VCM issues mentioned here and that I have experienced testing the cars. They have been reprogramming the automatic transmission and some of these issues have been corrected. Hope that might be of help to some of you who own these cars already."
It's funny that you point out that you felt the VCM activity unacceptable during acceleration as all posts I've read and my experience with my own 08 V6 has been silky smooth during acceleration. Whether I'm accelerating lightly or aggressively from a stop or @ hwy speeds I've never felt the VCM to be a factor. It shouldn't be for this is one area that Honda has accurately presented the technology in all of it's literature. When power is required you get all that the the 6 cyl has to offer. Only when driving under constant speed situations does VCM try to determine the appropriate cyl configuration to deliver optimum fuel economy. It's during these times that I can feel minor interruptions to the usual smooth operation of the engine. In my particular car these interruptions are less noticeable then the car shifting and to date no passengers in my car have shown any indication that they are aware of what I can feel thru the accelerator and the seat of my pants.
I'm still waiting to hear of this or experience this myself other than in these forums.
You post your question and choose your expert - and they have at least one Honda expert. I was curious if the VCM issues being raised on this forum ,and that I experienced on my test drives, were "normal" and widespread, or unique, and what might be being done to fix them, if possible. That was the answer I got - I am trying to get further clarification and will post the response I get.
I would be very interested in finding out more about this -- is there a TSB or some other publicly available information (at least public throughout Honda dealer service network)? I don't have the vibration issues, and I don't think I have what others describe as the "surging" issues (though I agree with others that there is a slight but still perceptible gear hunting type feeling when the car is cruising in the low 60s and low 70s). However, I must say that the transmission is extremely rough, particularly when downshifting, but also occasionally when upshifting. Others have said that less than completely smooth shifting is characteristic of Hondas, but this seems beyond the pale.
So, how does one find out whether there have been updates to the transmission programming. I'm fully prepared to go to the dealer and to Honda corporate if necessary, but would like to have some ammunition when I get the inevitable "operating normally" line.
Car is great in other respects, but I would not recommend it to those who value a smooth ride. (And yes, I test drove it extensively, but there are some things that don't become apparent, or as apparent, until you have the car day in, day out for a period of time.)
An override button will never happen. Either the system works, or it doesn't. To allow a bypass switch strictly based on perceptions of vibration will never happen. Think about the additional design and expense involved with installing such a switch. And the potential liability of allowing the driver to decide how many cylinders to be utilized in any given time. You're giving the typical driver way too much credit for brain capacity. The average consumer isn't smart enough to comprehend a bypass option and think as deeply about that "ECO" light as you are. We're too busy on our cell phones, juggling our lattes, and eating our sandwiches!
My best tankful was 27.2 MPG after a trip of 274 miles with 85% H'way travel. My worst tankful was 21.56 MPG with 65% H'way travel.
I'm pleased with the performance of this vehicle as well as the gas mileage.
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.ef7c366/40!make=Honda&model=Accord&ed_mak- eindex=.ef7c366
It could be a software reflash will solve his problem>
Like I said this is my 2nd test drive. I will continue to look into the reported VCM problems and probably take another test drive before making the final decision.
A quick PS: I was at this dealer last week and they had 2 08 V6 w/Navi, this week they had none, same as a dealer I went to on Tuesday. They are selling and seem to be getting harder to locate.
http://www.vtec.net/forums/one-message?message_id=738800&page_number=1
It would be nice if it were something as simple as a computer reflash, but since the dealer is is already in denial mode, I'm guessing that they may have drank some of the same "Honda kool-aid" that you have.
"We appreciate your recent phone call to our office regarding the design features
of the Honda Accord.
Currently there are no plans to change the design feature of the 2008 Honda Accord. We do appreciate imput that we receive on our vehicles from our valuable customers. This information is of interest to us as it helps us to know what customers are concerned with.
Thank you for taking the time to notify us of your concerns. I have documented your comments for the record. This infomation will now be available for consideration in future model changes."
Looks like I need to starting looking for anothe car.
Apparently you objected to my answering philj1 who responded to my favorable post about VCM with a reasonable request for mileage performance of the V-6. I am quite aware of the "real world mileage" board but felt that philj1 deserved an answer on this board. As steevo aptly put it, VCM is all about mileage.
My wife has a Nissan Murano with CVT and that trans feels different than my CTS. When I first drove the CVT it was weird feeling but I like the CVT and enjoy it more than my CTS. Maybe it is just new and feels different to past owners. I'll keep testing before the big decision, thanks everyone for your comments.
From Honda.com:
"To help keep engine vibration from reaching the cabin in every mode, active engine mounts automatically adjust their firmness to help absorb energy. The transition between the three operating modes is completely seamless and goes unnoticed by the Accord’s passengers".
The above statement is the start of the problem.... this is simply not a true statement and as a result, many owners like myself believed what Honda told us and our sales people, took the $30,000 leap only to discover after extended driving that what we purchased is not quite what we had expected. So, we post here, share experiences, console each other and search for answers..2-3 mpg savings is the last thing on our minds.
I'm sorry that your V-6 does not perform properly. Mine does.
I can understand your frustration but your problem is probably best addressed as being specific to your car, not as a design problem.
If you experience annoying vibration and I don't, then something is probably wrong with your car. Not the design.
My car has no vibration, doesn't surge and gets better gas mileage than the EPA standard.This is all as advertised. This information has as much legitimacy on this forum as your complaint about the "VCM design problem".
Keep after your dealer and Honda to fix the malfunction. If they say that this behavior is normal refer them to my post and those of others who do not have these problems. Based on my experience VCM is not supposed to operate the way you describe.
I wish you the best in your attempt to get your car fixed.
However, I sympathize with those that have posted their problems only to have been met with what seems to be derision, and almost taunting and mocking of their plight as if they are making these things up by those who do not experience the same sensations. Those of you not having any problems should apparently consider yourselves lucky, and at least offer some sympathy to them - not simply consider that since you don't have any negative experiences, they can't possibly either. I ompliment Edmunds for providing these forums for open discourse of these issues, and for the open airing of problems by owners - the manufacturers certainly would not offer that!!! But I do consider it a shame that those with the problems cannot express their opinions and experiences without having some with clearly vested interests in Honda sales jumping all over them. Good luck everyone - to those without problems - may the cars continue to serve you well - and to those with problems - I wish you the best getting them resolved to your satisfaction. That letter from Honda was not encouraging.
I simply stated that neither I nor any of our other salespeople nor our service people had (and still haven't) heard of this or experienced it.
So, I don't understand, that's all. I don't know if some people may be hyper sensitive or if a real problem exists in some cars.
I do hope poeple from Honda read these forums and if a corrective measure is needed that they get to work on it.
No car will ever please everybody.
The title of this thread is "2008 Honda Accord VCM", not "2008 Honda Accord VCM (issues)". Not allowing any positive (including mileage) responses on VCM would hardly be fair to the potential buyers.
I hope you are able to find the perfect car.