Ohnothimagen

Thanks for the input. I've parked the car for now. Am I over-reacting?

Sabre

Mine does that.
The light is the VSA and the trigger (for me) was a Cyl4 misfire.
I have a Scangauge so I just clear the code and it stays away for a month or so.
I need to get a valve adjustment so I'm banking that is my personal cause after researching and reading Billman's analysis of Ap2 overtight valves.
That's my next step.

Ohnothimagen

Thanks Sabre that makes me feel a bit better. Taking the car to a different garage Monday for a check. May just ask them to check valves. I've had the car five months, only hit v-tec once. A few missed shifts, but fortunately revs were pretty low (city driving).

Ohnothimagen

So here is an update for anyone who cares.

First dealer I took the car to, the ones who thought it was an electrical glitch, but possibly a coil issue, never returned my voice-mail calls about the problem returning. Eventually spoke with a service adviser who said to bring the car in whenever it was convenient, but I could keep driving as it was nothing that would leave me stranded. They don't do loaners, but would be happy to rent me a car at $40 / day, and wouldn't commit to shuttling me the 25 miles home. So I decided to try someone else.

Second dealer (Victory Honda of Muncie, Indiana) was like night and day difference. Although covered up with recall work (thanks Takata), they would do their best to work me in. Took the car in Monday afternoon, they spent two hours running diagnostics and not only ruled out a possible "coil issue" but confirmed the misfire codes were accurate. They also could not believe the other dealer service couldn't find the misfire. They then did a compression test and leak-down test. Cylinder 1 and 2 were off, 1 by quite a bit. They were quick to assess it was likely the valves. They would need the car at least overnight and would check valve adjustment. They put me straight into an Accord loaner.

Next day they called with the bad news. They would need to send the head to a machine shop to access the damage. They also said there was some scoring marks on the cam that led them to believe the car had spent some significant time in v-tec. I've had the car five months and "think" I may have hit v-tech one time for maybe 10 seconds. So damage had to have come from one of the two previous owners.

I emailed the dealer I bought the car from (Baierl Acura, Wexford PA) regarding the two-year powertrain warranty they had on the car. They helped put me in touch with The Warranty Group and between them and the dealer doing the repairs, it appears I will only be out the $200 deductible as opposed to something close to 10+ times that.

Lesson learned that even a pristine looking, relatively low mileage car can be hiding issues if it was "ridden hard an put away wet", as they say. Baierl Acura obviously thought it was good enough to offer the warranty, and I am thankful for that and how thorough they have been will still providing service to someone five hours away. If the window sticker had a check on "As Is - No Warranty" I would be one upset guy right now. Grateful too for Victory Honda, and especially service adviser Brady and his mechanics for treating me and my problem as if I had bought the car from them. Although I had only one brief phone call with The Warranty Group, they were on top of the issue and, from what Brady tells me, have been very easy to work with.

Hoping to have the car back in the next couple of days. Thanks for enduring my long-winded story.

Rex

NNY S2k

Thanks for the update Rex, I hope all ends well for you.
Levi

B serious

Previous owner likely had poor maintenance habits and/or let it run low on oil. Spending time in VTEC doesn't cause cam scoring and burnt valves.