VFR 2010 engine failure

Hi. I have a 2010 VFR1200f which i bought new. The bike has 28,226 kms on the engine. The oil was changed with Honda oil and filters 3000 kms before it needed to be,no additives were put in the motor. The end of July my engine seized while out for a ride. The cost to repair the engine is at least $10,000. Since the bike is out of warranty i called Honda's customer help line,which,several days later called to say,sorry the bike is no longer covered by warranty,we wont be helping. I contacted the President of Honda Canada asking for help with my situation,one that was of no fault of mine,and that i believe they should stand behind their products and reputation. My response to that letter was that i needed to pay my local Honda dealer to tear the engine down and if there was a flaw in the engine they would help. After 16 hours of labor the engine was apart and the cause of the engine failure was metal filings though out the motor, the #2 rod bearing spun. Honda Canada's reply was that the bearing did not have a flaw,it didn't receive enough oil which caused it to fail. Semantics! They agree the engine had enough oil and they had the dealer records of when i did my oil changes. Honda Canada says its an oiling issue, which they dont cover, not a flaw,there will be no help.
To say i am disappointed is an understatement. $350 towing bill, $2200 to the local dealer and now have a bike that needs $10,000 minimum in repairs.

 

Why do I want to say this is not unheard of, link:Honda UK recalls 392 VFR1200Fs over engine seizure concerns

Here's a link to recall info for Honda CA products. If the UK recall was expanded to other markets & if your willing to fight you might be able to get Honda to cover some of your loss.

Link: http://motorcycle.honda.ca/safety/recalls

 

Wasn't there a recall for the metal filings in the 1200 engine?

 

lol... great minds... Don't let this go. Lawyer up if need be.

 

I believe a similar issue happened to another member here, Fotodadi (He's from Africa) he went through a very similar run around but if I recall was able to get Honda to own up and get the motor replaced. It might take a bit more of a fight to get your situation handled as well. Maybe look up his post and see how it was handled and possibly use his case as a precedent for getting your issue handled. Good Luck!

 

Thanks Arnzinato. But that was one of the first things i brought to Honda's attention. They say they had that problem solved before any bikes made it to the North American market. They even had recalls for the swath in the engines in France and Italy as well. Have you heard of any other bikes with my problem?

 

I have talked to a lawyer,but i dont have a legal foot to stand on,since the bike was out of warranty and it is up to honda to fix it through "goodwill". Which of course they wont. I will try to find Fotodadi post to see if its the same issue. Thanks

 

That is piss poor customer service.

 

VFR1200FD engine failure at 23572km

MY STORY

Its been a while since I was here but thought to share my experience with you all. I have since sold off my VFR800 and was one of the firt with the VFR1200FDD.

So the story starts on Sunday 03.03

So...there I was....on my return trip from a Biker Event about 1000km from home.

About 200km to go I start feeling a very very slight vibration through my handle bars.

I stop my music and start paying some more attention to what's happening to the bike. I listen but can't really hear anything.....I am doing about 150km/hr. Slow down some and the vibrations increase.....I can also hear a strange sound. My first thought are of my front wheel bearings.

So I slow down some more and come to a stop to have a closer look at the front wheel. Strange thing happens as I come to a stop..the bike goes off. Oh well, what to do. I get off, put the bike up on the centre stand and have a look/feel of the front wheel. All appears ok. So I start the bike again and the knocking/crashing/grinding sound that greets me causes my heart to sink.

I am not going anywhere now....well at least, not on the VFR.

Hire a minivan and load her up. About 2 hours later I am home and she is standing on the driveway. I can't bear to listen to her again so I go in and call it a day! But as I go to sleep, I am filled with thoughts of having to purchase a new engine! Sleep doesn't come easy!


Monday 03.04

Get to her and start a visual check.
Oil level? Check
Water level? Check
Electricals or DTC? All good

So I start her up again.

The noise is terrible...but I listen on and I am pleasantly surprised to hear that the sound appears to be coming from the rear of the engine/gearbox assembly. perhaps the engine is OK and its just a shaft or bearing in the gear box? I engage first and the response is normal and as would be expected.

So dissassembly starts! I figure that I might be able to do some investigation from the sides. Taking the clutch cover doesn't reveal much....and I realize I have no choice that to take the engine out of the frame and open her up.

As the day ends I ponder on what might be wrong. Starting from what I know
1. noise comes with the engine running
2. gear selection appears to be "normal"
3. noise appears to be coming from the rear of the engine/gearbox assembly.
I figure that its either the countershaft or the main shaft thats screwed up.


04.03

So the pictures say the story.....for now.

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Fillings in the sump. Strange because I have only every serviced the bike with genuine Honda filters and I use the synthetic oil recommended by the shop I bought the bike from (I actually bought 6 4-liter cans along with the bike). My service interval is 5000km and I always change both the oil and the DCT filter.

What could have gone wrong???

So the digging continues and finally I have a damaged crack-shaft.

Piston 1 appears to have lost its bearings somewhere along the line and the pictures say the rest.

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00tv,,,,,you were right, i posted his story above. He was able to get some help from Honda over there,Honda Canada is refusing. Time to write to Japan with Foftdadi story

 

Be prepared to be able to substantiate your service history. This is usually the first thing the manufacturer will want to know. Hopefully you can reach someone @ Honda & they make the appropriate common sense decision.

 

Will your local shop you had your service done at get on board with you? Did you buy the bike from them? Ask them to help! Local shops don't like bad press from a local customer. Have this shop contact their Regional Factory rep. Build a case through proper channels. Then sue the piss out of them!!! I don't know about Canada but in the US you would have a good case with the substantiation of other prior failures and recalls!

And while your at it. See if you can bug them for the rest of us about R/R and wiring failures!!! Just sayen'....

 

I think you should try starting a " I hate Honda" protest outside the dealer and see if you can get it splashed all over the news big companies hate this sort of thing and it makes them sit up and listen

 

One lady a few years ago had similar experience with a Honda Civic...not the oil, but some type of catastrophic problem. She called the local news stations to make sure she got coverage, towed her car to her local Honda dealer, and proceeded to smash it to pieces in front of the dealership with the news reporters taking pictures and writing the story.
She got their attention and settlement.
I don't recommend the smashing part, but publicizing the story and getting it on consumer advocate organizations can be a powerful motivator. Also, if you have a consumer protection agency, file a report. Remember, just because it's legal doesn't mean it's right.....good luck.

 

Maybe e-mail the numb nut dealer rep a link to this thread.

 

Even supposing i had the money and was looking for a newer VFR, i never would have thought of buying a 1200 for alot of reasons, too complex for one and too new. Anyone that set on trying a 1200 had best wait a few years till the upgrades caoe and problems fixed.

Engine falure is a sensitive topic to any manufacturer, don't know if Honda admitts it ever m,ade a VF500; BMW always blames owner abuse 100% !:congratulatory::numbness:

 

Hello fellow Canadian, thanks for sharing and I'm real REAL sorry to hear that. So far all's good with my 2010, and my 2000 Honda 929 still starts every spring with no issues. But crap, this shouldn't happen, Honda needs to better support you - their image is one of the reasons why we buy Honda. Telling you to hand over $2200 for a tear down and then doing nothing to help you, esp. when you have all records that they changed the oil, is bullshit!

Please keep us posted if anything changes.