I currently own a 1996 Honda Accord EX w/ F22 VTEC inline-4. I bought the car last year w/ 45,000 miles and now have 87,000 miles. Repairs have been limited to maintenance items such as tires, brakes, and a battery. My previous Accord (which I sold to buy the 96) was a 1991 LX, which had 275,000 miles when sold. Both were and have been the most dependable cars I have owned (Ive had quite a few, all different make/models) But a so-called Honda technician is telling me that the F22 VTEC in the 96 will not as long or be as reliable as the F22 that was in the 91. Is this true? I didnt ask for a detailed explanation, I know the basics of how VTEC works, and do not know how this could lower the reliability or longevity of the motor.... if anything, it should last longer than the standard F22! Who am I to argue, all I know is that so far its been a fantastic car, and still performs like a brand new machine. I use Valvoline Synthetic oil, which gets changed every 3,000-3500 miles and 95% of my driving is highway (I travel alot, and average 40,000 a year) Hopefully someone who knows more about the different configurations of the F22 and F22VTEC motor can shed some light.

 

All VTEC systems are bulletproof...not one warranty claim has ever been made regarding malfunction of the system. Your mechanic is full of shit and thinks that just because it's more complex it's automatically not as reliable. Your F22 is especially reliable

And welcome to HAN :thumbup:

 

i've got 191,000 miles on my 94 accord ex F22A (which has VTEC) and never have i had engine problems. ever ever ever. and i drive it as hard as it can be driven too, so it's not like i'm just babying it through the miles.

 

If you're using full synthetic, and driving mostly highway miles, then you're wasting a lot of time and money changing the oil that often. You should be able to reasonably get 5,000 miles out of regular oil when driving highway miles. With synthetic, I would let it go to 7,500 miles.

Honda's recommendation is 3,750 on regular oil, so you're way overdoing it. But to each his own...

 

Werd. I didn't even notice the synthetic thing. I have 116k on my Accord, with 98% of them highway miles, and have used regular 5W30 and changed it every 4k-6k miles and the only thing that has EVER gone bad on my car is an 02 sensor, which I got replaced for free because I had 45k and the dealer made Honda reimburse me for it. Oh, and a clock light bulb h:

 

I switched to Synthetic mainly to protect the engine from the Florida heat, and when I do drive in the city.. it's stop and go traffic in 95+ degree heat. Plus I heard many good things about Synthetic, such as better overall protection (especially at start up when most engine wear occurs) So I guess you could say it just felt like the right thing to do, ya know, like when buying a Honda. As for changing it every 3,000 miles... I do it out of habit I guess, but this time I will go abother 3,000 miles. I kept dino oil in my 91 and changed it every 2-2500 miles (275k miles, I didnt want to take any chances) Thanks for the replies, seems as though he was either misinformed or just didnt know what he was talking about. So other than having the timing belt/water pump/accesory belts, hoses, etc replaced...I should have no other engine repairs for another 100k miles? How long do the Honda factory alternators usually last on these cars? Another question...should or shouldnt I have the valves readjusted? The same 'tech' I spoke with said do not have the valves readjusted...it is normal for them to 'tick' when cold. Thanks again for the replies.