97 Honda Accord: Replace Engine?

Need your help, people.

I've got a 1997 Accord with 99.5K miles on it. It's had all major
services done by the dealership for the life of the car. Problem is,
the oil light started blinking yesterday, and before I could look into
the problem the car seized up and completely died.

The bad news I just received from the dealership is that oil got into
the engine and the camshaft completely seized up, requiring a complete
replacement of the engine! They haven't yet gotten me a final
estimate, but I can imagine we're talking about thousands of dollars
here for a car that's less than six years old and was bought primarily
for its reputation and reliability.

Anybody have any helpful advice? I don't believe my standard warranty
will cover this issue, and I'm furious at the thought of having to
spend a fortune to fix this problem. I may be out of luck, but if
anybody would have advice on the following questions, I'd love to hear
it:

-- Is it worth appealing to Honda directly for assistance, given the
situation, even though I don't have contracted warranty coverage?

-- If I do have to replace the engine, what would a fair cost be, and
should I get a second opinion through an independent mechanic or
another dealer?

-- Is there any way to prevent this type of problem? Obviously, I
could have immediately stopped driving the car when I saw the oil
light blinking, but that would have been highly impractical. Am I at
fault here or should a well-built car not have this problem after only
six years or operation?

-- Any other suggestions for how I can resolve this issue for less
than a complete engine replacement? Trust me, given the economy right
now, this repair is really gonna hurt...

Not sure if anybody out there can help, but any and all ideas are
welcome!

 

I feel bad for you about your loss......that is highly and unusual to happen
to a vehicle like yours. Thinking the worst case here, there are companies
that sell used Japanese engines, which typically have 20,000-30,000 miles on
them from Japan as their inspection laws are very tough. You might
investigate this avenue for an engine.
Good luck and have a beer or two to help deaden the pain.

 

I learned something from this. If my oil light starts blinking.... I'm
definitely going to pull over!

 

At least push in the clutch or put the car in neutral so you're not
forcing a crippled engine to spin.

 

I think it would be a good idea to get a second opinion from an independent,
who would also do the job for less, if it came to that. I suspect you could
get by with less than a replacement engine. Maybe just a new camshaft. Ask
the dealer.

Just wondering, how long was the light flashing before the engine died? Was
there oil in the engine?

 

Not very likely. Usually if you lock up a cam in an accord, you need a new
head too. It would be best for him to either build another motor, or get a
good used one from a salvage yard or importer.

 

Well, it certainly can't hurt to appeal to Honda. You certainly wouldn't
want to tell them that you ignored the oil light and continued driving.

If you already told to the dealer anything beyond "engine seized up", I
think you are about to find that the price of ignoring the warning light
because it was "impractical" is a new engine.