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Warranty battles over broken OEM motor mounts

15K views 22 replies 10 participants last post by  Maraudermick 
#1 ·
Hey guys - thanks for stopping in

Went to the dealership last week for an oil change and to have them inspect my motor mounts as I suspected them to be on their way out with all of the engine movement I was getting between shifts as well as engine bounce after shifts

Rear lower broken - Side mount broken

I had already ordered Boombas (thanks guys) and had them in the car should the dealership come back with this kind of news

I have a certified 08 FA5 so I had them ask if I could have the techs just throw on the boombas and sign away future warranty issues relating to the mounts

Corporate told my advisor that they could not approve the boombas because they "might" cause issues somewhere else - although no cases of boombas have been reported to them they preferred I just use OEM mounts

While I cant say I am surprised at corporate spending MORE money than just letting me get my boombas installed I am happy the techs listened to my advice on the mounts and caught the faults early.

Honda WILL cover motor mounts as part of their powertrain warranty - my dealership DID NOT STOCK the mounts so I have to wait until they order them and receive them "by monday or sooner" I was told

I will ask for the broken mounts and take pics to upload for others who may have issues with their dealerships not warrantying stock mounts which are known to fail.

I am also going to get the rear update for the "belt sander" tire wear problem -- my rears had the wear others have cited as an update so I will let you know how that goes as well. So far its par for the course and while I am not jumping for joy at stock torque mounts I am releived that the engine movement will be put in check until I can have the boombas installed at RACELINE USA - they do amazing work but obviously labor costs arent cheap and I just threw on RS3's on all 4 corners, bought boombas and Hybrid Racing EM1 CMC kit lol Car is getting alot of love and feeling better every step
 
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#2 ·
What's the battle? They're going to fix your broken OEM part with a non-broken OEM part. Honda will NEVER EVER put anything else in but the correct OEM part. When I took my RSX-S back in for the 2nd (or was it 3rd) CMC replacement I told them that others had luck using the EM1 CMC and they said they couldn't do it. The service advisor was a really nice guy and he said they were actually instructed to send back the defective part (to honda) and in order to get paid from honda for the warranty work, they had to order the correct part to replace. I don't know how true that is but it sounded pretty legit.

I am interested in seeing pics of the busted mounts however...
 
#3 ·
There have been other threads with the motor mounts no being covered etc...the title was a bit dramatic but having agreed to release liability for future warranty issues relating to the mounts I didnt see why the fuss over poly mounts --- if they were solid I could see issues but we are talking just the torque mounts -- OEM driver and passenger mounts in tact and not being touched

The torque mounts limit what is most of the issue is with the clutch as well -- I dont understand why these mounts would be so soft and break so regularly --- enough for so many members to have the same kinds of issues. I think the biggest one was a broken transmission because the factory mounts gave and they didnt want to cover repairs which obviously go well beyond my simple torque mount install (which is $500+ USD) -- in the case of the trans I beleive they were the drivers side? mount that failed and cause the case damage.

Anyway -- I will get pics because the more pics we have the easier it is to see trends in wear and failure

For your CMC issue I could see Honda wanting to take a look at where the part was failing and see trends themselves as the CMC issue has been a big one -- all stemming from the plastic use really

The torque mounts failing should be interesting to see where -- I am guessing the rubber is badly torn -- I knew they were bad from feel but knowing boombas were on the way I didnt think much of it to look as vibrations were not too bad and it was mostly the annoying engine movement on/off power and during/after shifting.

Perhaps they up the stiffness a touch in future models or just call it par for the course and replace the ones that owners bring in? Time will tell on the next Si models
 
#4 ·
Definately post pictures.. I'd like to see how they fail. I've broken rubber mounts before on other cars... just seems they aren't up to anything but gentle driving.

I understand them not putting your parts in though, I've worked at dealers and even though they could get the task done for cheaper since they don't have to pay for the new part... it just doesn't work like that at a brand dealership. Corporate policy, they only focus on the "what if". Now if you bought it used from Ricky's corner auto dealer, he'd be quite happy if you bought your own parts :)
 
#6 ·
SergEK, how many miles/km's do you have on your vehicle? To all other members who've had issues with their Motor Mounts, how many km's/miles were on your vehicle before you noticed that your mounts were starting to fail or not performing as they were designed to? I'm just curious when I should be concerned if at all.
 
#9 ·
At the moment I have about 89k miles - I purchased the car in Sep of 2010 as a certified car with about 45-46K -

The shifting has been a little off since I bought it - random 3rd gear pop outs - lock out 1st into 2nd gear shift at redline

I believe most of my issues really developed with my RE11s - they have amazing grip and I think the lack of slip between hard shifts perhaps wore the mounts as they had to take on more shock loads. Keep in mind I have yet to really launch the thing so these are just rolling/shifting loads. As my RE11s wore I got more and more virbration and cupping - the rears suffered from the 'belt sander' wear alot of other guys talk about and I am having the rear upgraded to fix that per the new parts through Honda.

I also upgraded my clutch to an Exedy stage 1 with flywheel - with grippy tires and a grippy clutch I think the mounts had even more work to do and I started to get much more engine movement on/off throttle and inbetween shifts where I would even get grinds into 3rd and 4th from the rocking.

Im sure these issues will go away for now once the torque mounts are fixed but its still like a fuse waiting to blow - I went with RS3s all around and I love these tires -- but again - hard shifts and no slip means loads are high.

I have an EM1 CMC going in soon and I hope that helps with the shifting issues - the Boombas should keep the engine in place and the upgraded CMC should help with the throws and engagement/disengagement issues the plastic OEM one has with upgraded clutches with higher torque ratings.

I am still waiting for a call tomorrow for the parts to be in and the 4hr install they quoted - if not tomorrow most likely tuesday and I will snap some shots to put up of the broken/torn pieces.

I am still impressed with this car - I bought it as an economical commuter I could have fun with and haul my kids in - with tires it puts a huge smile on my face -- its not an EG or EK hatch but for what it is I keep wondering how far you can push the stock chassis with small upgrades to track it lol.

I may be upgrading the brakes and heading to Buttonwillow with it - braking is the only area where I feel any concern for track days - engine feels solid - tires are great and suspension is pretty good for stock -- maybe some sways for roll but Im eager to get back out on track again. Dont really care if it turns fast laps so much as having fun without looking over my shoulder for squad cars. :dancingcoolsmiley:
 
#8 ·
Yes Raceline USA - Elo has been building and racing Hondas since before you were born - time attack, Land speed racing, drag racing - I have been using his shop for 12 years now - a shop he opened up as a teenage mechanic because he had already been working on Hondas before that. He has taken a young kid under his wing and is training him too -- kid does good work and the prices are HALF the cost of other shops in SoCal that prey on rookies in Hondas. Id do the work myself if I still had my 4 car garage, air tools and backup cars -- this is my sole transport for now and I live in a gated condo complex with underground parking - no garage and no working on cars so I dont have much choice for now.

Also if you read, the battle isnt my specific case but others who have NOT had their failed mounts/damage covered under warranty

This falls under the powertrain warranty portion and if members are having engine movement/rough shifting I would have them have the techs take a look at mounts for possible broken pieces before they cause other damage aka torn transmission case etc..

I didnt ask them to fix a non OEM part - I simply asked them to fix the BROKEN/FAILED OEM garbage with my CNC billet pieces that have yet to fail even under heavy track use

Good day sir
 
#10 · (Edited)
Chill out, I'm only kidding. Goddamn.

And I've had a busted passenger mount before, OEM. I couldn't get it covered under warrenty because I was, well, ourbof warranty. I replaced it myself with another OEM one I got from the wreckers.

Also. If you read what I posted as well, I said they wouldn't replace it with a nonOEM part. You know how dealers are.
If you have like aftermarket light bulbs or something, they wouldn't even touch your car.
 
#11 ·
I dont need to chill when you insult someone I consider a friend. He is for the most part a one man shop that he built from the ground up with just his own labor working on Hondas and other various japanese brands. He had associates who pitch in when he needs the extra hands for the bigger jobs but he is probably the fastest swapper Ive ever seen - legit work and prices that frankly dont match up with how good he is.

I called him on a thursday to swap in a motor on Saturday - drove from Idaho 16hours - picked up my motor friday and dropped the car off with him that sat at 10am - he swapped my hatch and an H22 accord in the same day and had me back out on the road with no check engine lights by 9pm and everything wired up perfectly for the Sunday trip back to Idaho so I could be at work on Monday morning with an ITR motor in my EK - squeezed me in without a complaint and only charged me like 450 for the wiring/swap/odds and ends when most shops were charging 1500-2000 for labor at that time.

He drives hard, builds to his standards and stands by his work and has been in business a LONG time - yes his shop is full of motors, cars, a dyno, 2 lifts and a bunch of customer parts people leave at the shop but he is legit and takes care of his customers - speaks from the heart and always gives you hard facts on parts and their performance.

There is a reason his little one man shop shows up in magazines and works on magazine cars for editors etc...you can always count on him.

So when a little kid tries to clown his shop - Im not gonna chill - Im gonna tell you like it is - and thats that - thanks for stopping by and please refrain from posting further in this thread - dont want to cloud it up any further.
 
#17 · (Edited)
WOW! Car is back on the road with new mounts - what a difference

I was unable to take the broken pieces home because the Honda guys wanted to take a look at them

The rear mount tore almost all the way through and was holding on for dear life - you could pull the two sides apart by hand and see the seperation clearly

In the pics it look like a hairline but when you add force you see it goes all the way through almost to the other side

The passenger side was more difficult to see the seperation without load so I couldnt get any real shots of the tear but it was at the crease/seam near the center of the rubber meeting the outer ring - if you had it in front of you it would be obvious but without pics all I can say is the damage was not as significant as the rear mount but kudos to the tech for catching it - I had to alert them to a possible failure but I know most service departments just nod and forget you even asked.

Good news - Honda warranties these mounts and its about 5-600 labor + parts so if you are having shifting issues and/or engine movement I would have the techs take a look at your mounts - the powertrain warranty is 5 years/60,000 miles so many of you guys should still fall in that range - This car was a certified car so my warranty was extended to 100k otherwise this failure would have cost me for something that shouldnt fail so easily.

My hopes are they increase the stiffness of at least the rear mount so that the engine flexes less and doesnt tear it apart like this one.

For the record I had my warranty work done at Honda World here in Westminster CA - top notch service and the blue glove in the pics are the service advisor helping me take pics for you guys. Really stand up service crew - and I have no affiliation with them whatsoever as most of my work gets done by myself or someone I can trust to do things right -- Dennis E. Service Advisor there - gets a firewall 5 of 5 for keeping his word and making sure I was taken care of.

Next on my list is the drivers side window visor lol - I'll keep you posted
 

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#18 ·
Update

A few months after replacement mounts were put in I began dealing with more and more engine movement.

The car began acting like it did before, much to my frustration.

I had purchased the boombas and was trying to wait to put them in along with a header upgrade but the movement got too severe again so I had the boombas installed yesterday

Upon further inspection one mount was visibly useless,

When I took this car in about a month ago because I knew another mount had failed I was told by the same dealership (after having the car for several hours) that its my clutch and I needed a new one - for the bargain price of $2000 including their amazing labor.

When I told them I just installed a clutch in December they just shrugged their shoulders and said the mounts were "fine"

I will try to take a couple pics to post them but anyone can clearly see the one mount is toast.

I was back at Raceline yesterday (awesome guys) and when I went to pickup the car - yes on the 4th of July they were open to help me - I had voiced my concerns about a "loose" noise coming from the passenger side of the car and they said its a broken compliance bushing. The dealership was told about this noise and told me they were "fine". What else should I expect right?

Putting two and two together my guess is the hard driving mixed with the high mileage (95k+) and weather (this was a NJ car for 45k) took their toll on the compliance bushings and when that one gave out it added more stress to surrounding bushings.

I am ordering Full Race traction balls today and will have them installed next week along with my Hybrid Racing EM1 CMC I have been dying to put in - I belive these mods will add up to better shifts and being able to drive the car hard without worrying about wheelhop/failed bushings/gear lockout.


My tip for those of you who frequent dealerships for warranty claims --- get under the car yourself and check things with your own eyes if you can --- the dealership gave me the song and dance because they only get paid ONCE to do a job - knowing they would have to replace the mounts again they lied and said they were "fine" when clearly they were not.

Also the compliance bushings are horrible on our cars and really effect everything including adding stress on other bushings when they fail and allow more movement ---

Upgrade your
engine mounts
compliance bushings
Clutch Master Cyl

Replacing OEM with OEM will result in more frustration and more false diagnosis by service writers telling you to replace a brand new clutch, leaving the true problems there for more headaces even after you take their "advice"

Side note: I love the boomba mounts - engine does not move and vibration is more than reasonable -- having raced EGs and EKs with hard mounts this chassis is far more solid and does not rattle like a hatch would with mounts like these. Cabin noise is noticeably louder however so be ready
 
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