Originally Posted by
Isaiah
My wife bought a 2013 CRV just before we met. Several months ago, it began making an obnoxiously loud sound from a cold start that sounds like a bunch of marbles being shaken in a can. I can best describe the sound as a combination of very loud grinding and crunching of metal. The vehicle makes the sound for a few seconds and then operates normally.
My sister-in-law has an older Accord (2005-2010ish) that makes the same sound when started and we were in a parking lot last week and heard the same godawful sound coming from a civic so this is clearly a common issue with Hondas.
We booked the vehicle into Village Honda and were advised that it was "more than likely" a problem with the Variable timing Control (VTC) Actuator. The tech told us they could keep it for the day and confirm 100% but they had to take the engine apart to confirm the issue which would be a diagnosis charge of several hundred dollars. We opted to take a quote for the repair of what they expected was the problem (VTC) which came in at $1,269 broken down as follows:
$220.98 // VTC Actuator Part Cost
21.98 // PKG Head Cover
31.92 // Seal Spark Plug T x 4 @ $7.98
14.75 // Hazmat
68.88 // Shop Supplies
$850.50 // Labour
274.88 // Parts
84.63 // Misc.
60.45 // GST
They've advised that if the timing chain, chain guides, and sprockets are also required, the total cost will increase by about $300 to $1,550 + GST
Has anyone had this issue before? Alternative shop recommendations? Long term implications if not immediately repaired?