| icantremember |
The Acura dealer has had my car 3 weeks. After my 60,000 mi service, the check engine light came on. I took it in, they said it was the throttle body and replaced it free of charge since it began happening right after the service (despite the fact it was out of warranty).
The light came on again the next day. I took it in, they tweaked something (not sure what), got my car back, and in the lot of the service dept, the light came on again. A week into it, the mechanic explained that it was difficult because every time he tweaked something, he had to drive the car for 30-40 miles to get the light to come on again.
They've had my car 3 weeks and said that they finally ordered a new computer from Acura to test with, and with the new computer the light does not come on. According to them, that means that the computer itself is faulty, and it's $800 to replace it. The service rep said that there are no hidden problems and that it won't be dangerous to drive it with the check engine light on if I did not want to replace the computer.
Any ideas? Is it worth replacing the computer if its only fault is making the check engine light come on unnecessarily? I know that may hide future problems... And what about replacement pricing? Is that a fair price? Is this a somewhat common problem?
I need to decide soon because I'm in a loaner still. Any help would be greatly appreciated. |
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| shootist |
| It may be tough to sell with the Check Engine Light on. Are you planning on driving it 'till the wheels fall off? If not, you'll probably lose at least $800 in trade in or sale value with the Check Engine light on. |
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| cob206 |
$800? :rolleyes: Damn that's steep.
If it were me, I'd be complaining first to the dealer and then directly to Acura Customer Care if necessary to try to get them to pay for it. Electronics are something that just shouldn't prematurely fail like that especially just outside of warranty.
If they didn't help me on something like this, Acura would be eliminated from any future purchase considerations. But hey, that's just me. :roadtrip: |
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| Ceenit |
I agree that you should put pressure on Acura to cover.
1) The issue happened right after their service (and the fact that they started replacing items at their expense is an indication that they felt somewhat at fault).
2) I believe the computer is also an integral component of the emmissions check system (ie if there is an emmissions problem, the light should go off). Emmissions systems are typically covered under longer warranty periods becuase of mandated federal laws.
Either way, you should definitiely get it fixed. |
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| cob206 |
quote:
Originally posted by Ceenit
2) I believe the computer is also an integral component of the emmissions check system (ie if there is an emmissions problem, the light should go off). Emmissions systems are typically covered under longer warranty periods becuase of mandated federal laws.
That's a good point. Many of the Emissions Control components are covered under an 8/80,000 Warranty. Sounds like what they are replacing is the ECM which should be covered. |
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| icantremember |
ok so my warranty pamphlet says:
Federal and California Extended Emissions Warranties Parts List
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FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
Engine/Powertrain Control Module 8yrs/80,000 miles
My question now is: is the "computer" that is responsible for turning the check engine light on and off the same as this ECM/PCM? |
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| icantremember |
UPDATE:
i went to the dealer and talked to the actual mechanic. turns out the "computer" they referred to was the PCU (engine/powertrain control unit) which IS covered by Federal and California law up to 8yrs/80,000mi!!!!
The service rep looked it up, verified the coverage, and they ordered the part immediately. I wish they had given me the heads-up on this law instead of telling me that it was going to cost me $800, but they gave me no trouble when i showed them the warranty info.
I'm glad I did my research and had the help of this message board. Thank you all who contributed!! |
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| phins2rt |
| And hopefully your experience will help someone else out. Thanks for posting! |
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| cob206 |
| That's good news. :29: |
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| Ceenit |
Great news!!! I love happy endings. Glad it all worked out.
Honestly, I would think that the dealerships know the warranty stuff better than us. I maybe wrong, but it smells like a case of the dealer trying to get double paid. |
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| shootist |
quote:
Originally posted by icantremember
ok so my warranty pamphlet says:
Federal and California Extended Emissions Warranties Parts List
---------------------------------
FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
Engine/Powertrain Control Module 8yrs/80,000 miles
My question now is: is the "computer" that is responsible for turning the check engine light on and off the same as this ECM/PCM?
Good catch! Yes, the "PCM" is the main engine computer. Now, why didn't the Acura dealer know this? |
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