VTec Reliability - its never unreliable.

Discussion in '6th Generation 2002-2013' started by Hopsterman, Mar 9, 2007.

  1. Hopsterman

    Hopsterman New Member

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    I read today in Zoo magazine, in amongst a whole lot of automobile trivia -

    "The Honda VTec Engine has never had a warranty claim"

    Thats pretty impressive - even the VTec knockers out there must be impressed.

    :ranger:
     
  2. stewartj239

    stewartj239 Member

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    This to me is not surprising at all. Honda is known for its reliability. I was a 5th Gen owner and loved the bike, but I have now upgraded to a 6th Gen and I'm sure will like this bike just as much as the 5th Gen and my 2nd Gen!

    The Interceptor, since the 1990 models, has been Honda's innovative platform and the VTEC is a logical step in the progression. Personally, I love the entire line, 1st to 6th Gen. How can you go wrong?
     
  3. DANIMAL

    DANIMAL New Member

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    yeah what stewart said. these are great bikes fast and quick, agile and stable at all speeds. I love both of mine. I am planning on getting a yellow Y2K 5th gen. love that color.
     
  4. tremaineiz

    tremaineiz New Member

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    wow! that is amazing but has it really ever changed much?
     
  5. Def-E-nition

    Def-E-nition New Member

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    gee , thats Good news to hear .

    I just bought the 6th gen . Only done 200 km since I've had it , and Ill tell you what man , -absolute Pleasure ..........
     
  6. VaRollOn

    VaRollOn New Member

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    Not to be contrarian, and I have an 04' and love it but, it sounds like hype to me. No cataclysmic engine seizing failure maybe, but NO warranty claims period on the engine, I say BS. Came out in 02', thats thousands of units worldwide translating to perhaps millions ridden, certainly hundreds of thousands.

    Who did they site...Honda...:pound: Zoo's editor might be Michael Moore!

    I'm not trying to start an argument it just sounds suspect. A call to a Honda District Sales Mgr would be interesting...I bet they monitor this site.
     
  7. brianereed

    brianereed New Member

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    I am also suspicious... However, I have 42,000 miles on my 02 and the valves still don't need to be touched!

    The motor seems as strong to me as day 1.
     
  8. mello dude

    mello dude Administrator

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    I'm not.

    MD
     
  9. John451

    John451 Member

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    Did they mean Honda automobile engines ?

    Honda is sold at a premium on it quality of build which also relate's to its bikes but agree that's still pretty impressive nonetheless.
     
  10. stewartj239

    stewartj239 Member

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    VTEC on the VFR is not a new technology. Honda has had it on their cars for a while now. Overall, it is a very proven technology and I am not suprised about its reliability. Honda is known for quality which is one of the main reasons why many of us bought our bikes.
     
  11. tbones86

    tbones86 New Member

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    Your forgetting one thing it states there have been no warranty or warrantable failures or repair. What is the standard warranty I guessing a year with extended variations out to four years. All this really says to me is there are no workmanship issues relating to VTEC, which is impressive but Honda has had over a decade of playing with this technology on the automotive side. You can't help looking good with that much R&D behind you; there are variables one must consider when reading between the lines. How many units where sold w/ only base warranty. How many units where sold for example to a Canadian customer from a US dealer that was not close enough to a US dealer to get warranty work done. How many claims where denied due to being examined & determined to be abuse/neglect/ improprerly recorder casting or s/n's or any of those other things warranty analyst's like to deny warranty for. Possibly something was taken care of by a DSM under policy consideration & therefore not recorded as warranty. I'm not discounting the claim but like everything if you take @ face value you may not be looking @ the whole picture.
     
  12. Spike

    Spike New Member

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    Having made warranty claims before on Honda cars, they tend to be pretty generous -- or at leat they were wiht me. And Honda cars come with 3 year warranty, not one. As far as bought in US by Canadians, that has to be an absolutedly miniscule percentage of US sales. I would guess less than a tenth of one percent. And if you have a major engine issue, I think most of us would drive a little out of the way to get it fixed for free.
    By Federal law, it would have to be provable that abuse was meeted out. And if you abuse or neglect the car or bike, you deserve the failure and to have your claim denied.

    And Harley still has recalls and warranty claims, even though their "technology" if it can be called that is far older than anything on Honda.
     
  13. tbones86

    tbones86 New Member

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    I am in total agreement with you, just pointing out that the picture may not be as pretty as it appears. I deal with all aspects of vehicle warranty on a daily basis; some of the reasons behind claim rejections are just plain silly. The ones more aimed having a proper paper trail vs. a proper repair are the ones that irratate me the most.
     
  14. stewartj239

    stewartj239 Member

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    Maybe the question that should be asked is whether there are any VFR owners out there that have ever had a VTEC related problem of issue that required service. Anybody???
     
  15. Hopsterman

    Hopsterman New Member

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    I had a warranty claim on my 87 model VFR700. Gear driven cam spring retainers were recalled.

    Nothing wrong with my 2006 Vtec - 12000km in about 4 months

    I do not know if the statement of no warranty claims included motocycles.
     
  16. Hopsterman

    Hopsterman New Member

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    So your saying honda are dodging warranty claims?

    They honoured my claim back in 1988 - and the bike was out of the year warranty then, and they still honoured the claim when they legally didnt have to.

    As far as I am aware Honda stand by thier product. Funny thing is, Hondas hardly ever fail, cars or motorcycles - especially in first 3 years.
     
  17. Hopsterman

    Hopsterman New Member

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    Quality control

    I would imagine Honda would have strict quality control systems in place in thier manufacturing plants.

    All engine components would be manufactured to strict tollerances and checked, materials would be thoroughly tested etc.

    They then end up with motors that are more or less identical.

    This would mean if one motor was to fail prematurely - there would be a high liklihood that all motors in that batch would fail.

    And thier motor development - designing and testing of new motor models must be sharp.

    This must inccur a high cost for development of a new motor, and perhaps this is part of the reason why the 6th gen hasnt been changed yet.
     
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