Again the original poster here, just an update. I ended up going to an independent Honda mechanic who has done similar jobs before(total job estimate 1000 - 1200). I paid off $400 to the earlier mechanic and had the car towed. I had asked the old mechanic to give me 12 month warranty for the job but he said he can’t take the risk with high mileage engine as it could develop other engine problems due its age. I told him I can’t be in the same situation 3 months from now(after spending 1500 to fix the problem) when I might have to pay him again to fix any problems with engine. I did not feel comfortable and said good bye to him and still need to figure out if I need to report to BBB.
The new mechanic did the leak down test and determined that cylinders 1,3,4 and 6 had exhaust valves bent. He is going to send the cylinders today to a shop where they will further test to validate all bad valves. He said there is a slight nick on one of piston heads but said nothing to worry about(but I did share tip that was given above by ok4450 about rounding off any sharp edges in the nick to avoid any future damage). There was lot carbon build up on piston head due vehicle mileage which he said he will clean it up. I also asked him to validate whether old mechanic replaced new parts for timing belt, water pump, tensior, pulleys etc.).
I might ask him to replace them if they are not OEM(as I had requested the old mechanic to do so when he did the job for first time and also second time when these parts were replaced under warranty). The replaced timing belt was of the brand Bando, which I found out was actually manufactured by Gates, who is the originaerl supplier to Honda but not sure if there would be difference in OEM belt compared to after market belt though they are both made by Gates. I know this might be paranoid but all this experience makes me not want to deal with bent valves because of poor quality products.
So, the new mechanic would have the cylinder heads examined for any cracks etc. and also test them for any leaks after the new exhaust valves replaced. Also, the new head gasket kit is being replaced. If everything goes well, 1-car hassle for the family for the last one month should be over.
Thanks for the update. Please post back with the results.
Good luck
I think you got harpooned on this deal by the original shop and I hope the current mechanic is not taking any piston nicks lightly.
Those small nicks can glow red on a running engine. This can start the process of detonation or aluminum disentegration of the piston top. In the future, or maybe even never, the engine could suffer major problems due to this.
Think of the old analogy about a horse losing a shoe. This leads to the loss of the horse, then the king, then the battle, and then loss of the war. The small stuff is important.
Any sharp edges from the nicks should be rounded with a Dremel, emery cloth, etc. It only takes a few minutes and it’s cheap insurance.