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The real test is whether VCM will be offered across virtually all Acura offerings. Most notably the next TL will be the one to watch. If VCM is offered, that will be a significant development and a further acknowledgement that Honda believes that the technology works and has application to a broad audience spanning luxury and performance.
Or, Honda will simply crash and burn in a flurry of lawsuits if a handful of people on this forum are correct. Time will tell.
Just as an FYI - I was considering this car but decided against it because of $$. I went with the Accord and now 100% regret it. I have been working with the local Acura dealer to try and minimize my loss if I do a trade in. Acura/Lexus or Infiniti will be my next car here shortly. As soon as I can find the right deal. So long VCM!!!!!!
Assuming your prediction of the VCM failure on the RL (a big assumption), I don't think the well-off people would care about suing a car company. Just look at the reliability issues with all the big names including Range Rover, Jaguar, MB and BMW. How many law suits have you heard of, only jokes about how unreliable they are and life goes on.
On a related note, I think technology and efficiency belongs where the luxury is as well, Cadillac Escalade is coming up with a hybrid version and we all know it is going to be pricey.
Those in the LS600h chose a hybrid over a V12 for the same money, so I'd say some apparently DO care about economy, even if it's not a matter of affording the gas or not.
People paying over $50k for a Lexus RX400h or a GS Hybrid are paying lots for hybrid powertrains that improve economy (and performance) as well. Honda is doing the same, just with a different type of technology - having lots of power without the power penalty.
Also - I need to find the website that did the dyno test on the new accord. It never did put out 260 horses, more like 230-240 and that was only when they ran the crap out of it, not something you could do on the normal highway.
Hold it, first you are talking about $70k cars not worrying about economy, then relate it to the plebian family-car Accord? I can't make much sense out of that one.
They sell, or Lexus wouldn't still have these on the market, as the RX400h and its GS brother have been on sale for a nice little while now. Whether or not you'd buy one is a different story (you are obviously biased against VCM/MDS technology, which I don't have a problem with; it's still obviously a fact though). Other automakers don't have an issue with it in their large sedans (Impala, Chrysler LX platform sedans, etc).
It never did put out 260 horses, more like 230-240 and that was only when they ran the crap out of it, not something you could do on the normal highway.
First-of-all, all cars will have driveline losses from the flywheel to a dyno. A typical amount is 15% from what I understand. Second, what gas-powered family car DOES NOT have to be wound up to get the max amount of power? The Malibu's peak hp is at 6300 RPM. The Accord's is at 6000 RPM. Gas powered engines make their power peaks up high in the RPM range typically. In this class it shouldn't be a problem. Punch the pedal and you're there.
I have an idea; why not create a topic based on the 2010 Acura RL VCM, if you'd like to continue discussing it. I just realized what this forum really is, and our discussion is headed off topic in a big hurry!
If 70% don't have the problem how can someone find six cars in a row that do have the problem? Consider the probability.
I am very sympathetic to the posters here who complained about VCM problems with the cars they actually own. But considering all the posts from the very few individuals who insist that VCM problems is wide spread and which they have determined through extensive testing of demonstrator vehicles, I have to consider myself extremely lucky.
So lucky I should be considering investing heavily in Lottery tickets.
Incidentally, itochu what color is your 2008 Honda Accord. Mine is White Diamond Pearl. I drive it a lot. Not just test drives.
POST 4979 Honda Accord Sedan and Coupe
It is in this forum - within the past two weeks - or the Sedan and Coupe forum - same time frame.
POST 4979 Honda Accord Sedan and Coupe
For everyone, here is the link to the post itochu copied and pasted in #1144: cody3764, "2008 Honda Accord Coupe and Sedan" #4979, 13 Mar 2008 12:14 pm
For future reference, it couldn't be easier to link to another post here (although it could be way more obvious than it is, indeed ). All you need to do is right click on the post number, which is actually a link, and choose Copy or Copy Shortcut or whatever similar choice your browser provides.
Then go to a new message, right-click and choose paste. You won't see all the fancy stuff until you post the message, but, just like that link above, it will be there then.
Hope this helps!
That's not to say it should be written off, I just want all of us to keep a cool head about what we're reading.
The reason I keep posting about this is that I'd like to help folks not to jump to conclusions. Take the words for what they are worth. Don't read more - or less - into them than what is there.
When did Toyota start making Maximas? :confuse: Which is it? A Toyota, or a Maxima? Can't be both.
If you insist. :confuse:
Are not the online Tech help people and Honda techs in California Honda employees? Do they not represent Honda? I never said Honda of America, the corporation itself, had admitted anything as you suggest. That was your mistaken inference.
We need to stop talking about other posters. If you continue to do that, your posts will be deleted and your posting privileges here may be removed.
We need to get back on topic. If you have questions or comments for me, please email me, do not post them here.
Thank you.
my vcm does not seem to be as severe as some out there, but basically i echo others' sentiments when i say it is absolutely annoying. in essence it feels like the car is either inappropriately downshifting (giving the lurching feeling of being in too low of a gear so that the car needs to slow down quickly on its own), or a slight surge of power as the eco light goes off.
give me a break. i spent 30k+ with options on this car and my prior ride (05 mazda6) along with every other automatic transmission car in the universe rides smoother than mine new one. i hope to god they come out with a way to at least give owners the option to override vcm completely if they want. i'll eat the gas money (assuming vcm saves me any) just to have a smooth riding car.
at this point i'm not going to return the car as I feel like there are a lot of other benefits and things i enjoy about it, but damn if i'm not a little upset about this.
At a press conference at the New York Auto Show, Honda CEO Takeo Fukui indicated, "Variable Cylinder Management is the single greatest technological advancement since the advent of the CVCC engine in the 1976 Accord. We are proud to announce that VCM will be available as a standard feature on all of our power products within the next 4 years. R&D has begun for the next generation of the Hondajet Advanced Compact Business Jet to be released in 2014, and we plan to offer VCM on the next ASIMO Humanoid Robot. ASIMO tends to rattle too much when he laughs at my bad jokes. I trust that VCM will help him relax and calm down a little."
Bingo. I agree with Parviz that it may not be VCM, but instead the transmission shift points. Or perhaps some changes they made in the transmission shift points to accommodate the VCM.
It's good for you that you're prepared to live with it, b/c when I discussed this with the American Honda CSR, he said it's normal, end of story.
First thing the SM tells me when I arrive is that if there is an issue with the car that needs to be fixed, I will have to take it back to the dealer I bought it from. Any car with less than 3000 miles (mine has 749) has to be fixed by the originating dealer due to some finance issue relate to the check list they should have followed when the car was pulled off the truck. (I have never heard of this??????) I did not argue, I figured I would deal with that later.
So he gets a tech and we take a test drive. Before the drive, I tell him (the tech) the issues that I am having with the VCM. I could tell by his eyes and facial expression this was not new to him. As it turns out, they get a couple of cars a month returning because of the VCM issue. We take the test drive and the car performed as it normally does for me. He was not surprised but said my car was better than most (what does that say about the other cars????).
We return and he determines that it is working as it should (I assumed that would be the answer. I don't believe anything is broken, it's just a poor design) and there is nothing they can do (surprise surprise) So we chat a little more and he says that "the car is not seamless, and unnoticeable to the user". "Every Accord V6 does the same thing as mine". "The difference is the driver". "Some are more in tune with their car like me, and some people are in la la land and don't know anything is going on under the hood". "Honda should have never put that seamless information in their info" (no kidding). He said the older Odysseys are worse (I don't own one so I can't verify that). Since the Odysseys have had the VCM issues for years and Honda has never fixed them, don't expect a fix on these either. On a good note, he has not seen any engine problems because of the VCM (I did not ask about the Odyssey tranny issues).
So that puts me back to square one. When the Honda Case Mgr calls me back after talking to the dealer, I'm sure I'll get the "there's nothing we can do" answer and that will be it. And since the Odyssey has never been fixed, I would not expect a fix on this either. I'm very disappointed. I spent alot of money and am not happy with the car. Now I have to start the whole test drive/email/price neg thing again on a different car.
On a side note, when the Honda Case Mgr did ask me what I wanted Honda to do, I said fix the car. Since that does not look good now, has anyone negotiated anything else in a situation like this, like an extended warranty, or a car buy back with Honda?
Having ridden in (but not driven) a 2005 EX-L Odyssey (brand new with less than 2k miles at the time) on a short trip from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa, AL, I can say that I felt nothing; although I did look at the ECO light to try and see when it changed. Never noticed a vibration or surge.
The owner of that Odyssey is a mechanic that fixes up old sports cars (a '62 Corvette and a Porsche 914, to name the most recent ones). He's never mentioned a problem with it, and WE recommended the Honda dealer to them, so i feel like we'd have heard something by now if they had issues with it.
I say all that to say this: it sounds like the Accord VCM has more issues than the Odyssey VCM based on personal experience with an Odyssey, and what I've read about the Accord. Don't be so sure Honda won't fix it just yet.