I just wanted to get some info from you guys. My car taps pretty loudly at idle (valves) and has been doing so for quite some time. The car currently has 39K miles. I performed a search on past posts, and have seen many members with this problem. I believe a lot of you guys were able to get the valves adjusted under warranty (if you were still under warranty).

I currently have my car in the shop and they did in fact confirm the valves need adjustment. However, they are claiming this is a maintenance item and will not cover the adjustment under warranty. They want to charge me $370+ bucks. The car's manual says the valves need adjustment at 105K miles or "whenever noisy". The dealer claims the "whenever noisy" clause constitutes the work as a maintenance item that will not be covered under warranty.

I plan to call Acura corporate to escalate. I was also under the impression from some of the posts in this board that the valves were not difficult to adjust. The dealership is telling me it requires to pull the manifolds, pull the top of the engine, 3 hours of labor, etc... to do this. Does this sound right? Any other suggestions on how I should proceed to get this work covered under warranty. I believe with this low of miles, my warranty should cover the costs (the valves have been tapping since 30k, I now have 39K).

 

I mentioned it to my dealership but they said i don' t need it and if i wanted it done the labor wouldn't be covered.

 

Valve adjustment is not a defect so is not covered under warranty.

 

Go to another dealer. Then get acura involved if that doesn't do anything. For labot that is about right.

 

If at excess milage. Shouldn't be happening on any car with less then 40K miles.

 

That's kind of my issue here. IMO it would be a defect if they need adjusting this early. What could cause the valves to be out of alignment this early on? I have not abused my car.

 

i have a certified pre-owned cl-p that i bought at 33k i'm now at 58k.

i'm going to take it in for warranty work next week.

i hope they fix this issue with my car too.

thanks everyone for pointing this out.

i have to get them to check my motor mounts also.

 

the valve adjusting at 100k is recommended by the dealer so your car is always in tip top shape evn at 100k. the only way they will cover it, is if you were to blow ur head or bent one of the valves.

 

Okay, finally got a call back from Honda America Corporate. They firmly stated that valve adjustment is a maintenance item no matter how early it occurs and would not be covered under warranty. Of course they could not give a reason why valves would need to be adjusted so much earlier than 105k. They did not seem to be the least bit concerned that maybe there was some kind of design, manufacturing, or assembly deficiency that could cause the valves to need adjustment this soon.

I realize this is kind of a grey area, and if I drive a little more aggressively than the average owner, the valves may need adjustment a little sooner. But this soon??? I don't by any means abuse my car.

I think Acura needs to go back and see if they have really engineered the valves on this car to handle the performance they advertise in their commercials. Hmmm, sounds kind of like the transmission issue we all know so well...

 

Does anything bad happen if you drive with noisy needing-adjustment valves?

 

Possibly some HP loss. Also they will only get worse over time.

 

I seriously doubt you can feel the hp loss from valve adjustment.

 

Drive around to another dealer. Is this dealer not mod friendly?

 

Valve adjustment on these cars does involve removing the intake manifold, valve covers etc. Of course when the dealer removes all of this, they put new gaskets as well... so the cost can be $350 - $450.

On the J-series motors, the exhaust valve tend to looses up a bit with some mileage and you can hear ticking. There are dual valve-springs on the intake valves, but single valve-springs on the exhaust side.

Valve adjustment should be done on a COLD engine... as-in... left overnight before any kind of adjustment.

Properly adjusted valves will increase hp, better mileage and throttle-response. Significant temperature cycles (weather & type of driving) can cause valves to go out of adjustment early... or just wear on the cam lobes to do with the type of oil used etc.

I am going to be doing a valve adjustment soon... I'll update on how it goes.

 

Thanks allmotor - good info as always.