2018 accord sport. all of a sudden won’t accelerate well – engine revving but not accelerating
all warning lights on the next morning and engine problem continued. to dealership same day… spark plugs BLACK, fuel injectors shot, all cylinders misfiring. error codesPGMFI, MAF. They claim likely bad fuel, contamination. May not be warranty issue/defect. less than 3K miles on odometer. just filled at UnoCal (not likely bad fuel… major company)
I’d fight that ‘bad fuel’ claim. That’s often used for ‘we don’t know what went wrong, this is a good excuse’ applies. Elevate the claim within Honda if necessary. They need proof that it’s bad fuel, not just a guess.
contacted Honda corporate customer service. they called service mgr who made a visual diagnosis of diesel contamination and Honda dropped the case, now a customer-pay issue, not warranty. Nothing in Honda’s handling has been valid or honorable. still pursuing.
You need to get the gas tank sampled, see if there is diesel in it.
It’s possible to determine if diesel fuel got into the gas tank, so that’s likely the cause. It might not be something you did however, but instead a contamination problem at the gas station. I wouldn’t have guessed this would damage the injectors though. It seems like all you’d have to do it drain the old gas out and replace with fresh uncontaminated gasoline. Suggest to try that before embarking on anything major. You might have a valid claim against the gas station, so do what’s necessary to keep that active. Honda can’t be responsible for contaminated gasoline, but they might be willing to drain the old gas out for you if you ask, since it is nearly a brand new car. Rather than arguing with them, suggest to say something like "My spouse is also looking for a new car, we’d like to continue to be long time Honda customers … "
That sounds more like a slipping transmission.
Tester
it’s a busy station. doesn’t even have diesel (yeah, I know a delivery truck could screw up… )and if it was a station issue that’d result in hundreds of affected cars/trucks in the area. and they clearly cannot prove the contamination… visual inspection is not sufficient, so I’m learning. and these guys are quoting astronomical numbers…replacement of entire fuel system!!! that is not going to be the first approach, for sure.
will likely go on facebook to see if others in the area have a sudden engine/fuel system problem (of course w/o naming names of the station or Honda dealership…yet). I am currently shopping for an Acura… and honestly the outcome of this will determine whether I abort that effort. I have a Honda, bought at this same dealership.
analysis by a lab is the only reliable method I’ve read about…
and may do so, but there is now a chain of custody concern
That’s definitely possible. If so, probably station specific. But there was a problem w/contaminated gasoline affecting the entire Baton Rouge LA area 1-2 years ago as I recall.
fyi, I discovered a year or so ago gas station owners don’t like customers to even inquire about the possibility of bad gasoline from their station. I was having a problem w/my truck, came on sudden, and just wanted to know if that station had anyone else asking about bad gas. The answer I got was unprintable … lol … turned out the problem wasn’t bad gas, failure to keep up the routine engine maintenance on my part. I had to rebuild the carb, for which I was honored here for ‘taking the longest time to rebuild a carb’ 
What did you think of the fuel sample that they showed you? Not convincing? Did you ask if you could take the fuel sample with you for an outside evaluation?
hi Nevada. My fuel sample was not impressively different from the fuel sample from their pump… and both were poured into somewhat dirty glass beakers… you’d think the guy would be brighter than to pour a sample he claims is contaminated into a dirty vessel… there was no sort of separation of fluids in a 10 minute period.
will likely acquire a sample for analysis prior to draining and refilling. but… still can’t guarantee chain of custody (yes, I’m suspicious of them now)…
hi George. what do you recall the Baton Rouge problem was. There was one station in Fresno (hi neighbor) that got a bad tank delivery a few yrs ago… made the news and lots of screwed up cars! not sure if it was diesel…
Diesel and gasoline mix well, there wouldn’t be any separation.
Water and fuel will separate, diesel fuel and gasoline will not.
Diesel fuel has a different odor than gasoline.
If you spill a few ounces of gasoline on the shop floor it will evaporate in 10 minutes, if you spill diesel fuel on the floor it will be there all day.
Ask to take a fuel sample that you witness drawn from your car and take it for a second opinion. If you have your fuel receipt that may be useful, when I find a fuel receipt on the center console of a problem vehicle I make a copy of it to support the diagnoses.
I don’t know the specific issue, but here’s a link that might be informative.
thanks, George.
will be getting a sample… but now have a chain of custody issue as the car has sat in the dealership’s lot/garage awaiting disposition. Yeah, a little mistrustful…