2012 Accord V6 - any problem areas?

My coworker with the 2006 base Cobalt, who has been perennially shopping to replace The Car That Just Won't Die, has finally gotten one dumped in his lap.

His parents bought a new CRV so they are selling him their 2012 Accord V6 for (I assume) a price he can't refuse.  About 85,000 miles and they bought it new.  Black over black heated leather, with a sunroof, if that says anything about the trim.  It's going to be a big improvement over what he's driving now, of course.

He has very little mechanical knowledge or ability.  Anything I should tell him to look for?

I was planning on recommending he take it to a Honda dealer and get the ATF flushed and filled if that has not been done already.  Is that a good idea?

Anything else I should recommend?  Thanks.

I would budget the eventual timing belt change for the V6 at 100k. Give or take around 1000 dollars. A friend of mine who was a tech has seen 150k to 200k on original timing belts, but that is pushing it. 

I would recommend to do a drain and fill on Honda automatic transmissions vs the mention flushed flush. 

It needs a timing belt *now*.  And replace the belt tensioner, it's probably already leaking.

Check the lower ball joints for vertical play with a prybar.  They can have zero radial play right up to the point where the joint separates, which is the first leg of a very bad day.

We have a 2010 V6. It's been a great car (138k now) but we had an issue around 53k.

Check Engine light ("Cylinder 3 Misfire"), rough running. It's a known issue related to the cylinder deactivation system. We were just out of the 50k powertrain warranty, but we contacted Honda through the dealership with the info. They re-ringed the rear three cylinders, reprogrammed the engine management software and extended our powertrain warranty to 80k. No further issues.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one, but I would pull the spark plugs and have a look first. If #3 is fouled, then assume that the engine is on it's way to a similar issue.

I agree with replacing the timing belt and belt tensioner. I'd also replace the water pump while you're at it. Consider using genuine Honda parts, if budget allows it (OEM parts are not always as expensive as we sometimes assume). Otherwise, go with a Gates or 'big' name brand T belt and Napa parts. And yes, simply drain and refill the ATF (flushing can cause problems).

Meanwhile, that is a very good car with a lot of life left in it (as long as it isn't suffering from heavy rust).

I don't know the service history, but I will check.  Thanks for all the input!

Just did the trans drain and fill on our 2011 V6 Accord which Honda made pretty easy to accomplish.  Gearing up for the timing belt change in the spring.  Previous generations have had rust issues with the subframes but the car seems to hold together pretty well otherwise as the miles pile up.  A good choice for someone to replace a car that wouldn't die.  

My wife has driven a 2013 V6 Accord since new.  It's been a very good car.  She's got nearly 150k miles on it now. 

Only one issue that I can recall.  A few years back, the car failed to start as the starter would not fully engage the flexplate.  I put a new starter on it, and that worked for a bit, then didn't.  Turns out the flexplate to starter gear clearance is not optimal.  There's a TSB, but it looks like it started with the 2013 and would not affect the 2012.   The flexplate needs to be rotated so the starter can find some fresh teeth.

https://www.tsbsearch.com/Honda/16-002

Yes, change the AT fluid.  Not sure of the recommended interval, but some people are saying change it every 30k.

That's all I can think of.  The body and interior looks near new, but cars don't rust around here.  The V6 is a beast and the car is faster than it looks.

This should be new enough that the service indicator display will tell you what services are due.  IIRC trans fluid is supposed to be a 60k item.

I've done hundreds of flushes and never had an issue.  If it has problems with new fluid, it would have been worse with old.  Flush vs. drain is really only about a quart, quart and a half difference on these models.

This was the source of our "Cylinder 3 misfire", the result of cylinder deactivation.

A timing belt with a new water pump, tensioner, spark plugs is the only thing to do on these V6 at 100k. Other than that, change the oil and drive it. Trans fluid is pretty easy to drain and fill every 30k. Use Honda fluid. A valve clearance check is recommended at 100k I think. I didn't check my wife's TL V6 til 180k. A few needed adjustment, the engine wasn't making much valve noise. I also changed the serpentine belt idler pulley and tensioner pulley because of bearing noise.

Duke said:

I don't know the service history, but I will check.  Thanks for all the input!

 

Since the parents bought it new....  It might be that they are not really car savvy and just regular automotive "commoners".  They might not keep receipts and they might not know what has been done in the past.  If that is the case, and the car was dealer serviced you could suggest that the parents stop by the dealership and pick up a copy of all their past services.  If not the dealership and they take it to a usual shop, that shop might be able to give them records.  

In reply to sergio :

For whatever reason, Honda valve lash tightens with age.  The V6s seem to need adjustment after 200k or so.  The symptom is a misfire only at light load/idle, that is also temperature dependent.  And you can't hear the valvetrain anymore 

John Welsh said:

Duke said:

I don't know the service history, but I will check.  Thanks for all the input!

Since the parents bought it new....  It might be that they are not really car savvy and just regular automotive "commoners".  They might not keep receipts and they might not know what has been done in the past.  If that is the case, and the car was dealer serviced you could suggest that the parents stop by the dealership and pick up a copy of all their past services.  If not the dealership and they take it to a usual shop, that shop might be able to give them records. 

Yes, I asked him if they had a file on the car, and if so, could I browse through it.  He said that apart from usual maintenance of consumables they had 1 recall performed on the car, but he wasn't sure what it was.  I am hoping that they have info but I will recommend that he ask them to have the dealer run a history (assuming they went the dealer maintenance route).

Thanks, everybody!