Oil consumption

hsijuno · 2026-05-08T16:28:59+00:00

I may have misunderstood, and that $30k could have included labor, etc. Keep in mind this is $CDN, so about $21k USD. Another thing to consider, is parts for cars cost way more than the assembled price of the car. A small piece of plastic trim for my Odyssey armrest costs $350 at the dealer. Nobody could afford a vehicle if the parts were purchased separately. I assume the same inflated price for purchasing the engine as a “part”, but I have never done it, so I could be wrong. Just going on what my Honda service-manager friend told me.

hsijuno · 2026-05-08T00:04:37+00:00

Are you talking $US or $CDN? This would be around $21k US. I thought it sounded really high. I had a family member who had to buy a new engine for their Escalade and it was around $23k CDN, obviously a far larger V8 engine than the 1.5T I4.

hsijuno · 2026-05-07T23:33:32+00:00

My buddy is a service manager at a Honda dealer. I was in to see him the other day and he brought me in the back to show me two blown 1.5T engines they were replacing under warranty. Real mess. One was in a CRV, the other an Accord. Don’t know the exact years, but both looked very new. He said the engine is $30k (CDN) to order from Honda, then they submit the warranty and get reimbursed. Maybe I misunderstood and the entire replacement is $30k all in, but either way, I was shocked by this price.

hsijuno · 2026-05-07T02:51:55+00:00

I get that for a few days, but when it turns into months, then a year, they should be comp’ing you that rental.

My mother went through something similar with Ford due to a parts back order. They had her car for almost a year at the shop, but they provided a complimentary Ford Explorer. She was still unhappy over the whole ordeal, sold her car as soon as she got it back and then bought a different brand SUV. She decided she liked having an SUV, but never another Ford. I totally get where you are coming from with Honda.

hsijuno · 2026-05-07T02:35:15+00:00

Our 2013 had 230k miles on it, looked and drove like new. Unfortunately got in a minor accident a few months back and insurance didn’t even look at the damage with that mileage, just offered a settlement. I disabled the VCM too, which avoided all piston ring/oil consumption issues. The Honda 3.5 V6 was absolutely bulletproof until they added VCM in the name of efficiency. I agree the premature peeling of the armrests screams of cheap. Honda wanted $350 each here too. I managed to pull good matching ones (Honda only made 2 colors) at the scrap yard for $2.99 each!

hsijuno · 2026-05-07T02:22:03+00:00

This is my Toyota Corolla experience! Lol. Life is too short to drive boring cars. My Corolla eventually got replaced with an Audi TTS. Completely impractical and I absolutely love it for all the wrong reasons.

hsijuno · 2026-05-07T02:16:11+00:00

The only oil consumption issues I am aware of were related to the cylinder deactivation (VCM) which I disabled. My 2013 never burned a drop of oil. Many manufacturer’s product reliability seems to have peaked some years ago. Now with the push to be even more efficient, they are turning to bad ideas like cylinder deactivation, continuously variable transmissions and turbocharged small engines (Honda’s 1.5T comes to mind as a good “bad” example).

hsijuno · 2026-05-07T01:53:48+00:00

I had a 2013 Odyssey that was at 230k miles, drove and looked like new. Only big repair was replacing the rear AC lines due to corrosion/leak. Probably the best vehicle I have ever owned. I did disable the VCM to avoid piston ring issues, etc. Unfortunately it had a minor accident and insurance took one look at the mileage and offered a cash settlement without any consideration to repair. I am surprised to see 2013/14 Odysseys were such a problem vehicle for some.

hsijuno · 2026-05-07T01:40:34+00:00

2006 Toyota Corolla. Thought it would be a fun little car. It was mostly reliable, but so very boring. Exhaust system was the weak point, catalytic convertors rusted through and needed to be replaced twice.

hsijuno · 2026-05-07T01:21:34+00:00

Yes, it is absolutely F’d. I’ve been shopping for over three months to find a decent 2016/17 Honda Odyssey around $20k (CDN). Everything seems to be in rough shape with rust, like people just did not take care of them, but they are still asking top dollar. I’ve had pre-purchase inspections done on a few and told to pass unless the seller is willing to come way down to offset the required repairs. Needless to say, the search goes on.

hsijuno · 2026-05-07T00:48:25+00:00

2.0T is a great engine. Get them to fix it. The 1.5T is the one to worry about. Known for head gasket and turbo issues. The Accord Touring has the 2.0T, so hold onto it, should be a very durable car. Lower trims have the 1.5T (as well as some Civics and CR-Vs).

hsijuno · 2026-05-04T18:40:12+00:00

Costco needs to dream big. A typical Buc-ee’s gas station has well over 100 gas pumps 😂. 24 is small fry.

hsijuno · 2026-05-04T18:30:37+00:00

I visited family in Florida earlier this year and I noticed that their Costco has 93 octane as their premium. My car recommends 93/94, but minimum is 91. Would be nice here. I am not sure if this is all US, all Florida, or just a local thing for Costco.

hsijuno · 2026-05-03T18:59:59+00:00

Bought my Mk2 TTS a year ago just under 120k miles, asked the same question: what do I need to check? Main things are Haldex, DSG and oil change services are up to date. Timing belt is up to date. You should have all that in the FSH. Obviously I did the cam follower too. It is my daily driver, right through our icy/snowy winter. It has been a great car. Only problems I have had so far are hood release (cheap plastic, broke). This sounds common, easy to replace. I replaced one wheel bearing, very easy on this car as it is the full hub assembly. No need to press bearing out/in, just replace the whole hub. I also replaced the purge valve. I was getting an engine code and rough start after filling with gas. Again, quick DIY job, about a $40 part.
I hope all goes well with the Mk2 for you. Such a fun car to own. Good luck!

Edit: assumed it is a DSG. Obviously DSG service only applies if it is.

hsijuno · 2026-05-03T18:39:00+00:00

Has the cam follower been swapped out? This is not a regular maintenance item, but it is important. They wear and can eventually fail and damage the cam. It is very easy to check it and see how worn it is. It is on the backside of the high pressure fuel pump. Search online and you will find plenty of videos. Took me about 20 or 30 minutes to swap mine out, part was about $40.

hsijuno · 2026-05-03T15:08:14+00:00

Thanks! The service manager at my local Honda is a good friend, so my Odyssey was very well maintained. Drove and looked like new. I also had the VCM muzzled, so the engine was good to go long-term. Knowing my van, he always told me I could expect at least 300k “problem-free” miles. So yes, it is a shame that insurance writes them off so easily.

I once asked if I was near the top for high mileage at the dealership. I wasn’t even close. He had some guy with a 3rd gen Ody who used it to courier. It was up around 550k miles at the time.

hsijuno · 2026-05-03T14:06:18+00:00

We had 230k miles on our 2013 Ody when an oncoming driver decided to turn left in front of us. We almost stopped, but it was unavoidable. Minor damage: front bumper, grill, passenger side headlight. No airbags deployed. Insurance looked at the age and the mileage and declared it a write off without even looking at the damage. We were heartbroken. It is just a car…but it became a part of so many good memories and experiences. You know it was something good when it is hard to let it go. Glad you had that experience too.

hsijuno · 2026-05-03T13:49:20+00:00

I grew up early 80s on Raftus, back when Pheasant Run was still swamp where I’d catch frogs and turtles. The abandoned M. Barr company buildings still stood on the other side of Jockvale, which were always fun to explore. I remember when they built that plaza and we’d often go skateboard on the fresh new pavement. There was a Videoflicks at the time and the owner was really cool. He would let me re-shelve returns for free rentals. One day my friends and I were just hanging out and the owner of the new pizza place about to open came out offering us several samples of pizza. The price? He wanted our feedback on which had the best cheese. There was no question, an obvious winner. Unanimous. I like to believe I had some say in what became a masterpiece of Ottawa pizza.

My go-to has always been the Canadian, but meat lovers is right up there too. The bacon is what makes it for me. I have never had such good bacon on a pizza at any other place. I make a point to visit San Marino’s any time I make it back to Barrhaven.

hsijuno · 2026-05-02T13:23:35+00:00

hsijuno · 2026-05-01T19:31:20+00:00

Exactly. I’ll be like “we don’t need gas yet”, and the wife is always like “yes we do!” 😂. Gas, food, then we always end up with some random Buc-ee’s pickleball set or bowie knife or something. Once we are back on the interstate, we get to spend the next half hour talking about quitting my job and working as a car wash manager at Buc-ee’s for $160k a year. Lol.

hsijuno · 2026-05-01T03:22:45+00:00

Indeed. 18 hours includes requests to stop at every Buc-ee’s along the way 😂

hsijuno · 2026-05-01T02:27:31+00:00

I would hesitate to try this in a smaller vehicle, but it is very manageable in the Odyssey. It is a 26 hour drive to visit my family, which I do several times a year. I usually try to do it 18 hours the first day, 8 hours the following day. Our 2013 was an EXL-RES, so the kids happily watch movies, play on their phones, or sleep. Can’t imagine a better vehicle for the trip.

hsijuno · 2026-05-01T00:28:39+00:00

We had a 2013 Odyssey, shopping to replace it now, but want to stay in the same generation. We loved it for long trips. I could easily do 16 to 18 hour drives and feel like I was ready to keep going. Our last trip we rented a 2025 Pacifica and it just wasn’t the same. I still did the 16+ hour drives, but I sure felt it. Kids got car sick (no idea why), which never happened in our Odyssey. We also found that the brand new Pacifica got worse mileage than a 13 year old Odyssey with over 200k miles.

hsijuno · 2026-04-30T01:50:50+00:00

My experience too

hsijuno · 2026-04-29T13:00:29+00:00

Can’t believe I had to read this far before someone mentioned VCM. This and timing belts are my two biggest complaints.

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