I own a 2000 Honda Accord LX with 60,000 miles and a good service history at Honda dealerships. While out shopping, after 4 or 5 stops (of 15-20 min apiece) where the car acted normally, the car coughs and sputters upon starting the 6th or 7th time, and continues to sputter while accelerating, and on a couple of occassions, it has stalled out. It will continue for a few minutes like this. The problem will disappear after several minutes and react normally, but the problem will arise again after the next stop. Honda performed an induction test (with no negative results), and they added chemicals to the gas tank since they thought there was carbon or water in the tank. I added Heat additive to a full tank of gas, yet the problem still exists. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Seldom is carbon or water the cause of a performance problem.
Any Check Engine Light on? Did anyone pull the codes?
Pulling codes should be the first step.
I can’t see where the symptoms would indicate carbon(?) or water in the tank. I agree You need to have the codes read. Some places will read them for FREE. Try Autozone or Advanced Auto Parts. Get the exact code (like P0123) not just their translation into English and post it back here.
BTW, having work done by a dealer is no guarantee that it will be done right, but it almost always will cost more. Dealers are no better (or worse) than independent mechanics for almost anything you might need done on your car. They will almost always charge more per hour and often more for parts and supplies. They also tend to look at repairs a little different than the independent.
A dealer may well recommend work that strictly may not be needed, but could be connected to the problem or maybe replace a part when a little repair would fix it ALMOST as good a new.
There is no need to bring your car to the dealer for any service other than service that is going to be paid for by a recall or original warrantee. During the warranty period be sure to document all maintenance work.
I suggest that most people would be better off finding a good independent (Not working for a chain) mechanic.