Hey guys!

I have a 2008 Honda Odyssey and several months ago I had a valve replaced. Forgive my ignorance, as I'm only a dabbler and have only had this vehicle a short while, but it's a valve that opens up when the engine is running and then the "eco" light comes on (I sound like an idiot).

This is way beyond anything I can deal with right now and with twin babies and my wife and I both working full time and no way to temporarily take the vehicle out of service, I gritted my teeth and had the local Honda dealer fix it for $400+.

They fixed it, I passed inspection, and I noticed a few weeks later that we had slowly started leaking oil. Being a busy man, it took a few weeks to get it over to them, but they eventually took a look at it and said it was a bad gasket, $200+. I pointed out that this happened after the last repair, and, after the receptionist spoke to the tech, she announced that it was an internal gasket, possibly related to the repair, and they would take care of it--$0.

We picked it up right after the shop closed Saturday and my wife drove it for about 5 minutes before the check engine light came on. The shop was closed Sunday, so I took it by Auto Zone to get the error code and was told Oxygen Sensor. I had him reset to see if it was real. Also, the SRS airbag error light came on for the rest of the drive home, but I guess that was related to the check--weird--it has gone off now. The check engine light did come back on later in the drive. I did not tell Honda about the Oxygen sensor code, because I wanted to see what they found.

My wife took the vehicle to Honda and they advised it was a loose sensor pin related to the work they did. They fixed it--$0 and reset.

Check engine light came back on again and we went to Honda last night, just missing the tech, and then again this morning. They called me 30 minutes ago to tell me it's the #2 Oxygen sensor and when I pointed out the coincidental nature of the Oxygen sensor going out 5 minutes after a repair, he assured me that there is no connection between the two and that the other check engine light had been because the sensor pin had not been properly reconnected. I revealed to him that I had already learned of the oxygen sensor code before he had fixed the sensor pin and that I was sure that was the original reason for the check engine light coming on 5 minutes after we left the lot. He went through the whole thing again assuring me there could be no relation.

Coincidences happen. So do screw-ups. I don't know if someone can damage an oxygen sensor while fixing an internal oil gasket. To this point I've liked the way my local Honda dealer has handled this situation, but, now that they are dipping into my pocket again, I'm suspicious.

Honda enthusiasts, what do you think? Am I just too suspicious?

Thank you for reading my long-winded account. I appreciate you in advance.


--Shane

 

The original problem was a P3400 Valve pause system (VPS) stuck off, I believe.

 

its possible the connection pin could have been damaged during removal from excessive force but you would be hard pressed to prove it. if your mechanically inclined you could easily replace it yourself since it just unscrew's that would save a ton of dealer cost. the sensor itself is pricy around 100-150 for the DENSO oem replacement at advanced auto. remember only use DENSO or NTK brand.