Hi Scotty,
I am considering buying a 2015 Acura MDX with 100k miles no accidents and in great shape. Transmission oil has been changed and timing belt etc and spark plugs.
This car has 290HP 3.5L SOHC 24-valve direct injection VTEC v6 engine with Variable Cylinder Management (VCM). It is a 6 speed automatic transmission with sequential sportshift. It is a SH-AWD system with MacPherson Strut Front Suspension and Rear Multi Link Suspension.
Anything I should be concerned about with engine or transmission? I plan to do regular synthetic oil changes every 5-6k miles, drive with premium gasoline and transmission fluid change every 30k miles.
Thank you
Also adding @Dan to the discussion
@Yaser is correct. If the previous owner did not disable the VCM or religiously change the engine oil at no more than every 5,000 miles max (the cylinder deactivation needs clean oil to operate properly) then who knows what kind of wear and tear is present in the VCM system as well as in the engine.
Personally, I would pass on any Honda/Acura product with the 3.5L V6 that has VCM, especially if you plan to keep for a long time and put lots of mileage on it well past 200,000 miles.
I have discussed this exact issue regarding if i should disable VCM or not with trusted technician who has worked on Acura's all his life as well as second opinion from a friendly mechanic... both of them had same thing to say.. don't buy anything to manipulate the engine that is not OEM. They both mentioned Acura wouldn't let something so huge pass by where people need to buy a 3rd party VCM disabling devices... there has been same models going over 400k miles without needing any of that. They all recommend to do basic maintenance and wouldn't have engine or transmission issues for a long time 350k+ miles.
This is why I wanted Scotty's opinion on this..
If it's been taken care of, and runs without complaint, should be a good choice - but be sure to have it checked out for hidden accident damage, honest mileage or codes erased just long enough to sell, etc. Here's some data:
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Acura/MDX/
https://repairpal.com/2015-acura-mdx/problems
Do you have the video/source he mentioned this?
Here you go -
How can I request Scotty to respond to this?
Please be patient. He’s a busy man and may either reply to this thread later, or may feature this question in one of his YouTube Q&A videos.
Anything I should be concerned about with engine or transmission?
The VCM for the engine and direct injetion are two things you need to think more about them. The VCM results in more engine wear and the direct injection results in carbon build up on valves.
Also, realize that you are buying a Luxury SUV, it is a well made car but things finally break and on that car, parts are expensive.
This is why I wanted Scotty's opinion on this.
Scotty has said in the past it’s a good idea to disable the cylinder deactivation system. BTW, you can disable the VCM via software.
Honda may be a good car company but they are not perfect and their reliability has definitely slid over the years.
Every automaker has had problems with cylinder deactivation systems. There is a reason (one of many) that Toyota does not even use them.
Do you have the video/source he mentioned this? How can I request Scotty to respond to this? Should I send an email..
Thanks for your time
Scotty picks and chooses the questions he responds to - usually, if no one else has answered a thread yet he will usually answer it. Now, when it comes to his videos on YouTube, he may still pick your question and answer it that way.
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You can try to email him, but he gets tons of emails and not likely to respond back.
On second thought, it’s better not to email him with a car question. Think about it: he gets probably thousands of emails from folks all over the world, and the last thing he needs is yet another car question email when that’s the whole purpose of this forum.
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Everyone wants Scotty to answer their question, but he doesn’t have the time; that’s why this forum was created.
Why don't you ask for written proof that the transmission filter has been changed? Fluid changes alone do not cut it. Acura says every 30-50,000 miles.
How can I request Scotty to respond to this?
You can try to ask Scotty during his weekly live shows.