[NKaufman]

I agree with you OP.

My 2007 EX has 87K miles. Just got new tires from Costco as my old one blew out recently and tires were close to being replaced anyhow.

My 10 years ended since car was bought in April 2007. So far it has been running fine.

Whoever claims that a 10 year old car will have problems etc has no understanding of usage patterns of cars specially for people living in or close to metro areas. Honda should cover engine as long as people own the cars, at least 'original owners' and/or people who've had the car serviced at dealerships.

I'd completely forgotten about this issue till now and it seems the car is living on borrowed time.

Does the engine crack all of a sudden or is there some symptom before it cracks?

What does it cost to get the engine replaced in case this happens in the near future? Reason is, being an original owner, I know the service history of the car and can easily run it for another 5-6 years without any issue. 3k-5k for engine is still cheaper than 20K for a new car. At least that is what I'm thinking right now but definitely am open to alternatives.

Also, is there something one can do to preempt this issue from occurring in the first place? Perhaps testing the head/block and replacing something now at a cheaper price compared to engine replacement later?

Thanks,

 

[NKaufman]

My Mothers car just started leaking at the engine block. It is a 2007 with 97,000 miles and is out of warranty. Have not contacted Honda yet but you can bet I will. They dident even send out a recall for this. They will do something or I will for sure hire a lawyer!!

Have you looked at small claims court route? I think that could be the best way to proceed unless Honda does something.

As mentioned elsewhere, now that cars are passing the 10 year mark, we're going to see more and more of this issue coming up.

 

[NKaufman]

Claims about TEN YEAR OLD car, Look a

https://www.cars.com/articles/your-car-is-so-old-1420694584395/

Average Age of cars is 11.6 ins 2016 and generally people keep Hondas/Toyotas longer than average.

From the same article:
"IHS Markit predicts that by 2021, the number of vehicles 16 years old or more will grow by 30 percent to 81 million, with 20 million of those more than 25 years old".

 

[NKaufman]

I agree with you. I have a 2008 Civic, hoping the motor develops a crack before June rolls around, which will be the 10 year mark. I would feel like I hit the lottery. Expecting a company to warranty a product that's 10 years old or older is insane. Unless the product has a lifetime warranty or life expectancy that is above average.

My car has almost 200k on it, so you people trying to decide whether or not to buy a 2008, I say go for it.

I think we'll agree to disagree. Honda is NOT doing any favors giving this warranty. Would understand if people did not keep cars for more than 10 years but like I posted above, that is not the case.

Further, Honda has been selling a product with a "known" defect, again "known" defect. I bet it is a cost vs benefit analysis and only a tragedy will change the thinking, nothing else.

Do you think the argument that the car is over 10 years old will hold good when the cracked block causes a tragedy? Will Honda be able to wash their hands off this thing? No way and that is why I think this is a ticking time bomb, can blow up any day now.

 

[NKaufman]

Mine stranded me on a south Texas Interstate last summer. Traffic was backed up due to a wreck and it was over 100 degrees outside when it quit on my wife and I. I had heat stroke and almost died from it. Honda did nothing for me.

Small Claims court, Small claims court.

If enough people file claims then it might force Honda to address this issue "appropriately".

 

[NKaufman]

They already did, its why they extended the warranty. Honda didnt do it as an act of "good faith", they were force by legal action.

Yes, the only option is to try and sue the manufacturer again, as an individual. Because the vast majority of these cars that have had issues have already washed out, totaled out, auctioned for parts, etc.

Im curious as to what you think the "appropriate" course of action is.

If we go based on the logic of "every car is 11 years old now!" then we assume that the cars have been driven approximately 165,000 miles. The end of life for an ICE is thought to be approximately 150,000 miles on normal highway city driving based on emissions, and age of use. Just because a Honda is expected to last 30 years, and this particular model was engineered more like a kia for the first few years and then it was rectified, doesnt mean that they have to lifetime warranty their engine. Its a :deadhorse::deadhorse::deadhorse::deadhorse: issue.

Am not sure what led Honda to give a 10-year warranty for this but nowhere is it mentioned that a car is not supposed to last beyond 10 years and nowhere is it mentioned that manufacturers can wash their hands off their "known defective" products after a 'limited' time.

Many people have low mileage on their cars, a bunch on this forum as well. I have only 87K miles on mine. Would like to keep it at least for 5 more years.

Also look at my other posts where average life of cars on the road is over 11 years and that is average. Honda/Toyotas typically last longer than average.

The average is expected to increase over 15 years in a few years time. So cars are being kept for more than 10 years.

I really feel that small claims court is the best option. Not expensive, about $50-$70 cost. That's the most that one could lose.

That is what I intend to do. Have all maintenance done on time and at a stealership (with coupons, of course).

Really would encourage people to go small claims route.

 

[NKaufman]

Well, another year passed without any issues so far. Am thinking on how to approach this issue if it occurs now. Mine is a 2007 EX with only 105K.

A little over a year back, I was thinking of replacing the block at the dealer (under 5k I was told) and then take Honda to small claims. Since 5k is still much less than 20K for a new car and I know that this one runs smooth, has been maintained well.

But as time goes on, I'm re-evaluating my options..

 

[NKaufman]

I have a 2006 Civic with ......wait for it.......
Only 36k in it. Bought brand new. Drove a few miles a day. Garage kept and maintain religiously. Today I got a cracked engine block diagnosis. If this car had more miles on it the out of warranty pill would be a little easier to swallow. Called Honda but after reading these lost I don’t expect anything

If I was in your situation, I'd get the block replaced and then take Honda to small claims. Your car is still - like new - after 14 years..

 

[NKaufman]

Exactly! Even an army of us can't win over a giant company like Honda! I talked to Honda customer support, wrote a complaint to BBB, sent an email to the media...Didn't get anywhere! ended up selling the car for $2800, it didn't cover the taxes of the new car but they are selling 08 for $6000 with running engine so $2800 wasn't too bad! The guy repaired it, changed the rims, installed a back camera and was going to sell it for $6000+. If you found a reliable engine and a cheap mechanic, I'd say repair it, but don't spend anything more than $1500 altogether and not even one dime in courts against Honda!

I hope you're not recommending to get a '08 because I think that year model also is affected by this, perhaps less in number but still..

My thinking had been that for people who have low mileage on the vehicles and who have had their cars for a long long time (I bought mine new), it makes sense to get it repaired if around 4-5K because we know the condition of the car, have had regular maintenance done etc.

And if I do take that route, I would take Honda to small claims where the filing cost is $100 approx