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Lemon Law applies if there is a problem with your particular car, and they can't fix it. Not if all the cars have a certain standard feature (vibration because of 3 cylinder operation of a 6 cylinder engine). VCM was never a secret. They even use it as a marketing tool (it beats me why).
Before buying my car, I rented a similar one from a Honda dealer, for a 4 hour test drive. I drove it in the mountains, in the city, on the highway. I even had lunch with my wife, while looking at it in the parking lot. If you keep your car for 10-15 years, like myself, it's worth paying for a rental. It wasn't a new car, but it was the exact trim I later bought. The dealer doesn't care if you put miles on a used car.
I have a '13 EX-L V6 Coupe and I've never run into any vibrations - not in any RPM band or on surface streets, freeways, parking lots, etc.
The only thing I've noticed is when I turn off ECO I can feel the car switch over - I wouldn't call it a vibration, but it just comes back to life.
I ask about the ECO mode because maybe it's trying to drive on 3 cylinders as much as possible if it's ON - which includes slow stop-n-go urban driving. Just a thought, idk.
I think you are spot on. I was told by a Honda technician that the ECO mode favors the 3-cylinder operation. So, when you disengage it you may notice an immediate difference if it changes to 6 cylinder mode. However, in normal "Drive" the 3-cylinder mode will also engage automatically but perhaps not as much as when in ECO mode.
However . . . at lower speeds on level ground at constant speed, the vibration @ 1800 rpm is quite noticeable and annoying. I do not accept that this should represent "normal operation" for this automobile. The problem is further compounded by the fact that the Accord V6 seems to like to hang out at this RPM so it does not happen once in awhile but rather frequently. Drives me crazy.
If other owners of the V6 are not experiencing this, is it possible it is only present in certain cars (e.g., a certain production run?)
V6 cars. Under 5000,10000,15000,20000.
These are sequential vin numbers, lower number the earlier the production,
I4's are up over 100000 now but the highest v6 at local dealers, around 23000.
20000 and up would be pretty current production.
Old Mike
http://automobiles.honda.com/accord-coupe/specifications.aspx
On today's commute the vibration is noticeable from 1000-2000 RPM, with the most vibration at 1700-1800 RPM. Believe me, this cannot be normal operation.
Hope this helps.
Old Mike
I have found that my car performs very well at highway speeds over about 65 MPH (and over about 2000 RPM) -- very smooth. The vibration is most noticeable at slower speeds (30-60 MPH) and most prominently at 1800 RPM. Since you do not experience this, I am beginning to believe that the vibration issue may be with my vehicle -- not the entire production of V6 sedans. However, I did note that some others have mentioned the same issues as I have.
I'm curious, just in case I come across this in the future, how distinctive is this vibration you are feeling. Is it a drastic, no doubt, something is not right feeling or is it minor? Also, was it always there since you purchased the vehicle?
I own a 10-year old V6 Subaru Outback with 159,000 miles on it. If it made this noise I would take it in for service before the next oil change.
Does that help?
My VIN is around 10000
One owner has said he will pursue this as a Lemon problem. Another responded that it's only a lemon if it is not built correctly, as opposed to poor engineering. I wonder about that. Certainly seems that it's conceivable that ALL examples of a certain model are indeed lemons.
I have not been to the dealer yet about this, but will make an appointment tomorrow.
It's interesting that Acura management said "no thanks" to the VCM technology. And they have lots of Honda V6 engines on their Acuras.
Me ... probably I would feel what you feel. It would drive me crazy.
It's very driver dependent. You have to drive a couple of VCM cars by yourself. You can't trust what unknown people say on this website.
Will you please post the Honda tracking numbers for the screeching audio and the vibration when in 3-cylinder mode problems. I am very interested in buying an Accord Touring IF all the sexy features work properly. I would like to be able to track these two issues myself. Frankly they are deal breakers for me for this car.
I test drove an Accord EXL V6 with Navi yesterday. The car was absolutely beautiful, and the different, yet subtle exterior styling changes really work. When I got in the car, I was extremely impressed with the luxurious feel the car has to it. Absolutely loved the dash layout, and how comfortable the car was. Didn't care so much for the push button start (not sure why the auto industry has created a need for push button start). I'd prefer not to have it in my car. I also didn't care for the right side mirror camera; I really don't think I can ever stop the habit of looking over my right shoulder, regardless of the camera or not. Other than that, Honda really hit the mark with overall exterior and interior styling.
But, most importantly, the very first time I pushed down the gas pedal, the car stuttered at first, and then started to move along. It did it several times during the test drive. I was disappointed, and then I thought that I have never purchased a first year new model production Honda. Jmaxe brings up a great point. And, it is one that I preach all the time. Yet, I simply got caught up in the moment of purchasing the 2013 Acccord. However, I didn't get it. Hopefully, they will get the issues sorted out, and I look forward to test driving a 2014.
Issue with the '13 Accord is that the 6 cyl engine is new - it is part of their earth dreams program where the engine is more efficient. This engine will be going into other honda and acura products so in time, they will work out any vibration issues but as a first year product, it may take time to find a workaround.
"... there is a counterbalancing system in this engine ..." !?!
I would bet $1,000 that you have no clue what you are talking about. A mechanical counterbalancing system, to compensate for the 3 dead cylinders, would be extremely complex and costly. With or without VCM, the engine is basically the same. They stop feeding 3 cylinders, and I think they disable the valves. The coupes (2012 and 2013) have a VCM V6 if they are automatic, and a regular V6 if they are manual. Do you think Honda developed one engine for the the automatic V6 coupe, and another engine for the manual V6 coupe ?! It's absurd.
They installed some fancy engine mounts (to allow the engine to shake freely, without transmitting too much vibration to the car body), and an "active noise cancellation" which is a signal sent to speakers which cancels some of the engine noise (not the vibration obviously).
I never understood why some people post, when they have no clue what happens under the hood. It makes the discussion more confusing, and less interesting.
Seems as though Honda needs to get new software developers for the dashboard system and ... I can't imagine what the deal is with the CVT.
I want to honestly thank all of the posters here for giving me a "heads up" on this car.
Can you provide some pluses/minuses for your current 2012 camry SE? Toyota has some awesome lease deals right now that i am reviewing while i wait for Honda to offer something on the Accord. For example, the 2012 Camry SE Limited Edition that retails for $27084 can be leased for 35 payments of $250 (6.5% tax included) with zero down. i realize that TFS does not include gap insurance and there is a $350 disposition fee but wow, what a deal...
I had no idea, BTW, that I'd end up with a Camry. I went looking for an Accord, but the last generation was such a ponderous, poorly-equipped barge that I crossed it off my list with little additional thought. Nothing made me sadder; I've been a Honda guy for years.
That said, here are the pluses to the Camry SE: very roomy, extremely quick for a 4-cylinder, excellent 6-speed automatic (very smooth shifting with little lag), paddle shifters (for those so inclined), idling so smooth I sometimes forget it's running (went shopping one day with the car running the entire time I was in the store - YIKES!!! - came out and tried to restart the car), nice handling with well-weighted steering (biggest surprise for me, given my experience with rental Camrys of the past), nicely firm ride, and extremely comfortable front seats with lumbar support on the driver's side.
From what I've read here, Toyota is much more competent with respect to electronics. My car has the Entune system, which I'd highly recommend. It comes with Siriux/XM, GPS navigation (if so ordered), backup camera, a fully-functioning bluetooth implementation (I have had two iPhones pair with it flawlessly), a very fine six speaker stereo system (Panasonic), no static (LOL), and software for monitoring your gas mileage real time if you'd like. I also think the car looks nice in an understated way. Also, the brakes are excellent - very well weighted and much more communicative than on my Accord.
Cons: You see yourself coming and going 15,000 times a day (LOL)! I really wish the car still came with a 6-speed manual (discontinued this year, a sign of the times), gas mileage - while good - isn't what I'd hoped (@33 highway and 24 city), handling - again while good - isn't as responsive as on my old Accord (I'd like to drive a 2013 Accord to see how it feels).
Otherwise, I really can't complain. So far, with 14 months of ownership, it hasn't given me any troubles (very Toyota). Only time will tell. At the moment though, I'm quite satified.
I hope this has helped.
"Thanks everyone for the great information. The thread should help many make the decision which may or may not be the same as mine.
I think the main points are:
1. Make sure it is Honda Care and not some Fly by Night Company.
2. You do not have to get it at the time of sale.
3. It is usually cheaper to get it from a different Honda dealer. http://hyannishondacare.com/ was the cheapest of the ones I looked at.
I've a strong believer in being self insured. I get insurance for catastrophic things like health, home, and auto accidents. Auto accident is more that should I get sued up the wazoo then auto body damage. Being self insured means sometimes I will have to pay but over the long run, I will be well ahead. I was concern about the DI and CVT but the power train warranty which comes with the car is 5 years/60k miles. I also believe in Honda engineering.
Peace of mind means different things to different people. To me it means not spending money for something I did not need or want. I often spent money on things I did not need but wanted.
At this time, I decided not to get Honda Care."
Just been at dealer last week to checkout new Accord and I think difference is huge especially with the (more expensive) EX-L. But best to check it out yourself. Finish is lot better and as good as my Acura I'm driving now. Haven't done a test drive though yet but supposedly it drives lot better than Camry (which feels to me little bit floaty and steering feel is not very direct).
There are always some problems with new cars. You could certainly wait a year or so until some issues are fixed but also remember forum is mainly about reporting problems so you don't know how widespread it is.
Not sure if there's any TSB yet for those or if Accord is even working on a fix (and how many vehicles are affected).
When was your Accord LX built?