VCM Muzzler - long term review (5 years 70,000 miles) 

I have VCM Muzzler on my 2012 Honda Pilot. I installed it in 2015 in have over 100,000 mile on the vehicle now and it works great . As Andrew said I forgot about it.

I need to buy Mr. Verbatim a beer. What a great contribution to society this invention has been.

I disabled my VCM several years ago with a Muzzler. My excessive oil consumption stopped right away. Night and day. I have had annual emissions tests since then without any problems. Honda should offer a disable button on their vehicles so people have the choice of using this feature or not.

I installed one on a 2009 Honda Pilot, which was fouling out the #1 spark plug about ever 15,000 miles. It cured the problem, and it's been on there so long I've pretty much forgotten all about it. Worked great!

I have a 2011 Honda Pilot. I went to a 5000 mile oil change interval with full synthetic or synthetic blend oil for high mileage engines, and regular use of Redline Fuel treatment using 5 oz per tank about every other tank or so, or I put name brand detergent gasoline in it. The plugs run clean and the piston tops are much cleaner. I put a scope down through the spark plug holes during oil change to inspect. At 122,000 miles the pistons and plugs run cleaner then when I bought it at 66,000 miles. To be honest it didn't use oil, but it did foul the plugs a couple of time before I changed the plugs at 96,000 miles. On the current maintenance routine it has not errored or fouled a plug at all in 25,000 miles.

Thanks for the information about your VCM experience.

Thank you for this video Mr Wang. This video was professionally done and explained about vcm.

Best thing I ever did for my Odyssey. Mileage dropped about three MPG and the rumbling disappeared, well worth the mod.

Thanks Andrew, for an extremely concise and informative video! I've recently purchased a 2018 Pilot EX and definitely leaning towards doing this hack because I generally keep my cars until their only value is for recycling lol. We also currently own a 2003 Pilot with 253K miles and it still runs strong, although it's finally succumbing to body cancer(located in northern IL). The '03 is our local beater and as a retired ASE Master tech maintaining my own vehicles, I keep the '03 ("The Beast") in safe/sound shape. Lord willing, the '18 will serve us as well as the beast has🙏

Thank you for the explanation of the VCM muzzled and mpg results. When choosing between high maintenance and motor damage, over lower mpg with lower maintenance costs and less damage to your investment, I think you made the correct choice. In the long run, paying a little more in mpg is better than ruining your investment. Smart choice. Thank you for sharing this valuable information. Good work.

Thank you for your excellent feedback!

I had one sitting in a drawer in my desk that I meant to install but never got around to it till today! It took only a few minutes to put this on my 2011 HFP Accord and now I need to take a nice long drive to see how it functions. Thanks for posting this video!

Thanks for posting this, Andrew. I also have a 2014 Odyssey, and have not experienced any of the downsides to VCM that people have talked about. But I may still want to install it for preventative measures. My van has always gone into and out of ECO mode very smoothly. Thanks again for your efforts!

We just bought a VCM tuner; appreciate your feedback on "tricking" the VCM.

thank you for the information, planning on installing on my 2016 odyssey

2012 accord exl 90000 miles no issues no oil fouling or burning car runs like the day I bought it muzzler is the way to go !!!!👍

Best review I have watched! Thank goodness for the vcm

Thank You Andrew!

I installed this on my 2019 ridgeline let me just say I love it ...it's lot more responsive when you wanna pass some one on the hwy and at a stop. Gas mileage about the the same on my dailey commute. I ve had it for month now and very impressed with the results..

I added the vim muzzled ll to my 2009 Honda Odyssey several months ago. I was shocked at the positive, instant difference it made. No more random shudders and hard jerking at road speed. No difference in fuel mileage, but a very noticeable improvement in response and power! I’m very happy I installed the muzzler ll. It took less than 5 minutes. No more eco mode light coming on and off, just a very smooth drive.

Andrew thank you for the long term report. I have a 2015 Odessey EX-L that left me stranded in the Upper Michigan (Hancock - Keeweenaw Peninsula) last week. I do all my own meticulous maintenance....and was shocked to see "Engine Check Light" go on at 68K miles. Worse....it's out of warranty AND closest Honda dealership was almost 100 miles away. AND the small dealership was booked 2 weeks out. The next closest dealership was Sault St Marie. Fortunately our friends recommended Northern Driveline Transmission shop for diagnosis & repair. P0303 showed badly fouled carboned up sparkplug at #2 cylinder. Part of porcelain was missing. Northern Driveline mechanics were superb; frankly I was relieved to find competent mechanics. The R&R the plug with Autolite ....this is GM / Ford / Dodge country. FYI I'm an old time Shade Tree home mechanic. After a lot of research....I'm replacing all plugs and PCV and running some fuel cleaner. I'm buying this kit. My only regret was I should have bought the Toyota Sienna...

Thank you, that was a great video!

Thank you for this video!!!!

Thank you Andrew! I was about to avoid buying a Honda Pilot because of issues I've heard the VCM engine. Now it's back on the list along with the they highlander, and I like the Highlanders interior much better than the Toyota. The other issue is that the Toyota has a timing chain which I never have to worry about ideally and buying these vehicles used means that I automatically have a $1,000- $2,000 dollar service bill changing a timing belt with the Hondas have. Again thank you thank you, nice video

I installed VCM Muzzler Gen 2 on my 2008 Odyssey EX-L in June 2015 with 60 K miles on the odometer. I never removed the device after installation and no auto mechanic made any mention of it. 6 years later the van is at 95 K miles and I am happy with this device. As others reported, the ECO light turns on occasionally if car is idling for a while in hot weather. The van never shows any sign of engine overheating after installing the device ( and I reside in Central Texas ). I replaced my 6 spark plugs recently at 95K miles and all the plugs were bone dry. Maybe the VCM Muzzler prevents the plug fouling on my Odyssey, I am not sure. But in other aspects such as engine vibration and hesitation I can say the van drives smoothly with all 6 cylinders producing power at all times. I am getting about 18 mpg city and 24 mpg highway, pretty much the same as before VCM Muzzler installation. And perhaps my engine mounts will last longer since there is much less vibrations with VCM Muzzler in place. Thanks verbatim for such a clever invention.

Thanks man, that was so helpful.

If you're hesitant, don't be. I bought a 2010 Honda Accord V6 and had not even put 5k miles and already two trips to the shop, both trips, misfires. Sitting at 103,sum miles. Today was my first day of installing the part and already feel a difference. Less vibration and no more jerking when coming to a stop (thought it was my transmission.) Maybe now I won't trade my car in 😂

Hello Andrew, thank you for this review. I purchased one for my '06 Odyssey. I must say, it has been working great for the past 3 months. My van runs smoother than before. It is very easy to install and to change the resistors as the outside temperature changes. Looking forward to another update in the near future. Thanks.

I appreciated very good information thanks

THANKS BROTHER!

thank you for the video!

Great video thanx so much

Thank you for providing this. A reliable Honda mechanic had suggested this to me to get rid of a meddlesome P3497 error code that periodically appears on a V6 Accord - and then, only during highway driving. I've never had a problem with engine mounts or oil consumption. It's a car frankly that we need to replace as it has now gone over 200K, but I would love to milk for a year until the car sale craziness stops. I am always hesitant to add something to a vehicle that's not suggested by the manufacturer. However, the periodic error code has made the car unreliable for highway driving as the car performs very poorly once the engine light appears. Let the car cool, clear the code and it runs fine again. Unfortunately, the VCM Muzzler II is out of stock due to the idiocy of COVID shutdowns, so I will be trying a different brand (S-VCM controller) that also gets good reviews. I feel much better about adding this component to my vehicle after seeing this review. People like you are a godsend to taking the time to review products for their reliability. Much appreciated!

I just ordered mine. We been replacing spark plugs every 6 months and having check engine light and vcm light on. hopefully this will fix old of that. Great review.

I installed my yesterday on Honda accord 2008 v6 VCM muzzler 2, no problem and no more ECO light for now im happy 😀!!!

Top notch review..Thank you so much, Sir.

Excellent, thanks

I did not know VCM until my odyssey started to vibrate at cruising speed, I installed VCM Muzzler it worked and smoothed car. But the engine mounts were already damaged and caused CVJ leaking. Fixing all the problems costs more than the car's worth. I fixed the problem by driving a new car without VCM.

Very helpful. Just bought my wife a 2013 Honda Pilot. She loves it. But was upset about its response. This settles it and makes me feel more comfortable attaching the muzzler. Thank you.

I just removed my VCM delete because I need to get my 2010 Accord smogged soon. I probably could've left it in, but better safe than sorry. I forgot how much worse the car runs with the VCM 'working'. Even on the freeway, the engine feels so jerky and unresponsive compared to when it's turned off.

I'm buying a new Ridgeline 2022,(currently own 2011) and had questions about VCM controller, and your video answered them all and some I didn't think about. Having it on for 5 years is also a good test, recommendation. Thanks.

Andrew - got my VCM muzzler installed. So far no dash board codes, ECO indicator has not lit. Only symptom I had was some oil consumption and two fouled plug occurrences so if no more of that I will know the muzzler worked. Thanks for your help and support.

Between 3.5 Vtec and 3.5 I-Vtec VCM Which one is better in Honda Pilot 2006-2008 models? Thank you.

I re-ringed under Honda care at 55K, today at 118k I have to re-ring, but this time, I have to pay $3000. The eco is definitely not worth it if I have to pay $3000 every 50k miles. I have a 2012 Odyssey. I will pay the re-ring job and will install a muzzler. Thank you so much for their video.

I am getting the svcm for my 2012 Honda Pilot just bought the Pilot like 3 months ago I didn’t know about this. I don’t fill any problem driving the car but I am putting it on my car. I wonder if the dealer or someone else did the pistons rings already it has 125000 miles on it?

Andrew, Thanks for posting your 5 year assessment of the Verbatim VCMUZZLER. I agree with everything you have said about the Muzzler. I own a 2017 Ridgeline and I’ve had my VCMUZZLER from Verbatim installed since the vehicle was new. Never had to return to the dealer for warranty work so it stays installed In my case, I hated the what I call the rumble strip vibrations when the VCM engaged. I live in Southern Florida where summers are hot and winters are warm. After trial and error with the different color resistors I found the Red resistor to work best in my vehicle. In the last 2 years of use I’ve had 2 error messages (check emissions). I think the computer in my 2017, finds it and calls it out... Both times it has occurred right at first start up of the day. There is no affect on the vehicle as I have driven it with the error message and fixed after my return home. The fix is simple clear the code by disconnecting the positive connection of the battery, code clears and that’s it. For me it has not been a problem, even with these 2 codes. Again thanks for sharing your post. 👍

Thanks for the video Andrew. I think I'm going to install this on my 2012 Pilot.

Hello Andrew, great vlog! On behalf of the many users, much appreciated. A concern though, have you or any of your followers reported a check engine light as a result of it's use? If so, what code was it and are they still driving with it on or does it go away?

thanks for the info.

Believe it or not this may sound crazy but with my driving habits the vcm muzzler actually gave me better mileage in my pilot ( from 21 hwy to 26). I have a suspicion this is because the 4 cylinder mode of the pilot has a harder time cruising on the highway and maintain speed than the 6 cylinder thus my rpms sit higher and more fuel is burned.

Hello Mr. Wang thank you for this very informative video. ONE MAJOR QUESTION Sir. Does installing the VCM Muffler VOID the Honda Factory warranty? I just purchased a 2019 Pilot EX for the Mrs and she totally loves it. She does complain about something odd when she drives it which brought me to this video after two month of research. So again does the VCM Muffler VOID Hondas Factory Warranty? As we keep our cars very long term I purchased the Honda Extended Warranty. So you all know I myself and still driving an 02 Accord LX 2.4L with 5 speed manual tranny. Why? She is the best car I have Ever owned, although as of a year ago mechanical things are just now breaking down in her and I'm replacing these parts as they appear.

I'm at 112,000 miles. Just installed Muzzler. I've gone through two sets of spark plugs, miss fire error several times and over a quart of oil consumption between oil changes. I sure hope this helps and I'm not too late. I saw you can ruin rings. Fingers crossed. Of course, I'm beyond the time for Honda to pay due to the law suite.

Andrew, my issue seems to be the vibration issue due to the VCM and not necessarily fouling plugs. Our 2006 Odyssey has over 150,000 miles on it but runs great. We have been experiencing increased vibration not only at idle but very noticeable at higher speeds when the ECO mode kicks in. Being that engine mounts are so expensive unless you buy aftermarket ones (and I have not seen many positive reviews for using aftermarket) I am thinking of trying this before I spend $1000+ for mounts on a car worth $3-4000 and a weekend day ripping old mounts out. My only issue is not knowing if the mounts are already ruined from the past 14 years of driving before putting this in to resolve the issue??? Recommendations?

@andrew wang - it's dependent upon the coolant temperature so my question is have you ever gotten the engine hot enough where the Eco mode with the vcm still finds a way to turn on?

Thank you so much. I was wondering of the jerk when VCM kicked in as transmission problem. Since it tricks engine temperature sensor into reading low, any effect on radiator fan?

Thanks for this video. You said it all. Honda did VCM to meet EPA standards, it's not and I say NOT good at all for a long term engine, this VCMuzzler is the best thing you can do for this engine. So if you want your engine to last and run good for a long time this thing is a must. Their are forum's out their explaining the damage VCM does and how it works. I remember back in the day when GM made a V8 that had cylinders cut out at running speed, what a pile that was.

I have a 2009 Honda Odessey the problem is the Left bank acts as a compressor no spark or valve action, they should have added a compression release.

I have installed the new s-vcm on both of my Honda 3.5 So far no oil consumption anymore 👍

Considering for a 2013 Accord. Wouldn't it be simpler to have the VCM feature turned off by tuning the PCM computer? I had this done for a GM V8 to prevent V4 (DOD) mode.

Thanks' Andrew.. I wish i slaw your video sooner.. I have a 2005 odyssey; 123K miles. It has premature oil burning issue no cylinder 1; 2; 3. 2 engine mounts failures and spark plug fouling. Where can is purchase the VCM muzzler II? Please let me know. I want to extend the life of my engine..

I was completely unaware of my 2013 V6 Accord having VCM until it developed a bad vibration at 84,000 miles, and car would literally growl at me when sitting and idling at a stop light. The diagnosis was that the active engine mounts on it were shot and needed replacement, which is quite expensive. These active engine mounts are electrically adjusted by the computer to counteract the increased (unbalanced) engine vibration that occurs when the cylinders deactivate. Coupled with the known spark fouling and oil consumption issues, it was a no brainier for me to disable the VCM in my 2023 Ridgeline. I'll gladly trade a few less mpg's for increased reliability.

Hello! Thanks for this post. Where can I get one of these muzzlers? Do you know if there are newer versions out there or different brands that are street legal and okay to leave on for smog checks? I live in california. Thanks in advance 🙏

Do you have a link on where to buy for my 2011 Honda Odyssey? Would greatly appreciate.

My van has white smoke and rough idol. Now it hardly runs. The VCM light came on with a triangle next to it. It’s the head gasket blown or can I install the muzzled and will it run again?

Great video. Question: After installing the VCM Muzzler, you experienced no more spark plug fouling, right? More general question: Im curious about the spark plug fouling. They seem like they're easy to change oneself--could that be cheaper than all the extra gas used when using the Muzzler?

My 06 Honda Accord V6 doesn't have an ECO light. Plus I did not see a VCMuzzler compatible with my make/model/year. Does that mean my car is not equipped with VCM?

Hello, before i ordered, quick question is it possible to foul any spark plugs?

Where can I buy this product for my 2013 Pilot???

Hi andrew, is the vcm muzzler safe for long distance driving? I travel from Sf to LA about 800-900miles round trip one or twice a month. Thanks for the video. 2012 Honda Odyssey with only 37k miles

I think Honda’s are just about the most moded cars in the country, just look at all the tuners for Accord, Civic. I’m pretty sure they have seen EVERYTHING, and this device is no secret to Them. I think I am going to give it a try.

After the dealer wanted to replace my piston rings (15 Odyssey) I started researching and found that possible the VCM has caused this. I plan on adding the VCM muzzler but is it too late and too much damage has already been done to the engine?

I’m getting a 22 Ridgeline, and I don’t know if it has VCM or not.If it does, there’s nothing I can do until the warranty is up.At that point,I’ll consider a device like this.Thank you.

I get my 09 pilot from the Honda dealer shop tomorrow morning. 4K worth of repairs. Luckily warranty I bought with it is going to cover it! I’m just out $100 deductible and plugs. Car was about dead!Dealer said 4 of my piston rings were faulty. Went through two sets of plugs. Prior. An egr valve. An alternator. Consuming 1qt of oil every 2.5 weeks! I was livid! Can’t wait to get this muzzler.

Hey sr ..can you explain how to use the resistor colors? Or why diferent resistor colors .cus some times eco light turns on ..and i like to see if changin the color resistor eco light goes away..here in nc climate is 90f degres..is sumer season..

Does the VCM Muzzler II allow for full coolant temperature monitoring?

Andrew, just watched your video after installing my VCM Advanced II. I have a 2014 Odyssey EX and the transmission juddering was driving me nuts (main reason for the VCM install). Have you noticed a decrease or increase in the juddering during your 75K miles? I have had Honda flash the transmission with the latest update and have completed a transmission fluid change. Those helped for about 20K but now it is coming back. Maybe I just need to change the fluid every 20K. Interested in your experience. Thank you for your time. Scott

Hi Andrew, The VCM Muzzler II is not available due to IC shortage. Looks like it won't be available until possibly til the end of the year or sometimes next year. However the Muzzler I is currently available. Do you recommend getting the version I? (believe they are $90)

I have a 2015 Accord coupe v6 automatic (40k miles). I’ve been experiencing a vibration sound that only occurs between 2k-3k rpm when the engine is up to temp, light throttle is applied and kept constant , and I’m in 3rd gear (or 4th, 5th, 6th but never in 1st or 2nd). However it goes away the throttle is applied harder. When I do this it makes a medium to low pop sound and everything is normal again. This vibration never occurs during harder acceleration. Could this VCM be my problem by causing vibration on my engine mounts due to engine imbalance from deactivated cylinders?

question, I just replaced the coils and plugs a month ago. Engine light came back. If i install a vcm muzzler will it help me with this issue or is it too late?

How late is too late to install the SVCM/muzzler? My Pilot is at 94,500mi, gave me code P0303 two days ago. Changed cylinder 3 plug and coil, now it’s fine again.

Thanks for the vid, installing one of these on my pilot to remove the shudder at 40mph, its very annoying and has to be hard on the motor and transmission as it really has a hard time finding the right gear with light throttle etc around town.

S-VCM is a superior product

Any over heating issues or bad engine temp reading ? Just asking if it affects the temp gauge or cooling fan operation? Thing to buy a crosstour .

Will the 2007+ work with a 2008 Odyssey touring model? It seems the touring model uses alot of different parts than the non touring models. I rarely take my odyssey to the dealer . The last time it was there they tried to sell me a $4000 catalytic converter In which I replaced for $200 and a new 02 sensor for $100.00. I also replaced a bad coil pack in which they could not find out what was causing the misfire on cyl #5. I had a po305 code and the coil was intermittently bad. I thought Mercedes dealerships were rip offs…..Honda sucks.

My 2011 Odessy started acting sluggish while I was doing 65mph, then serious vibrations, then it felt like the engine blew out and the check engine light came on. I pulled over and turned off the engine waited 5 minutes and restarted the van, it drove good for a few mins and the vibrations returned. Returned home saw the code researched it, replaced all spark plugs. Plugs 3 and 4 were extremely fouled and a small piece of the ceramic on plug 3 had broken off. I called Honda. They stated although the car only had 65k miles it was 10 years old and was not covered under the lawsuits extended warranty. I purchased the VCM Tuner and so far it’s been 1 year and the van drives great. I needed to buy a vehicle to replace my 2004 Altima SE in December of 2021. purchased a Toyota Highlander Limited the week before Christmas. While deciding on my purchase a friend mentioned how great the Honda Pilot was. I explained that my first Honda gave me VCM problems at only 65k and Honda customer support did not offer any assistance at all and I would most likely never buy another Honda. I hope Honda sees this post. Any Honda purchasers need to install a VCM Muzzler/Tuner etc. ASAP!

What year did Honda introduce VCM? Does my 2003 Odyssey have it?

I would like to know where you got the muzzler at I just bought a 2012 Honda pilot I would like to get one to disable the VCM

Wear can i buy this? My 08 accord acts very weird when switching gears on eco mode but when its not on its perfectly fine!

Thank you for your video. Please can you tell me which vcm muzzle did you use? I noticed there are ones for sale where you have to change the resistor and there are others where you do not have to. Thank you

Part # Where to buy this cant see to find it for my 08 Accord

It’s just a resistor in series with coolant temp sensor, it tells ecu that normal temperature has not been reached. Cost ? 50 cents plus a bit of shrink tube. Ps 84 Ohms is what I’ve heard for the resistor.

Hi andrew, I installed the VCM muzzler last night and test drove the car for the whole day with around 80-95 degrees outside. At the beginning everything looks good no ECO lights on but after I keep driving it for like few hrs then the ECO come back on and off few time around 70-80 miles. Also, come back on and off few time around 20-30 miles. Have you ever experience something like this? Thanks

So it consumes more gasoline if I install the VCM muzzler?

Good video, i have 2012 Oddysey, who sell VCM muzzler.

How do you turn off Eco mode on a Honda Odyssey 2014 touring thank you

Where can I order one and the part # would be helpful for a 2012 Honda Odyssey..thank you

Andrew send me the link to purchase the VCM Muzzler 2 TY

Where to buy? Please add a link. I have a 2018 Ridgeline RTL-E with 28K miles

I'm doing an experiment now. I've had the muzzler installed for 6 months now and am going to see what the gas mileage is like. I installed brand new spark plugs before installing the muzzled as well. Because it's been 6 months I forgot how the van ran without the muzzler on and I must say I really don't notice the vcm kicking in but notice the gas mileage go down (at least 2L/100k). So far my impression is just change your spark plugs every 100k and the vcm will not cause issues. I have a 2012 Odyssey with 135k on it (brand new spark plugs went in about 5k ago). Will see if the vcm causes pre mature wear on the spark plugs or not.

Which one should we buy? They one I got triggers the overheat sensor. I have 2016 odyssey. 137k The tuner I got worked great for a year. Thanks for suggestion.