Didn't know if I should start a new thread or add to this one, but add me to the list o' people who have gotten new pistons and rings thanks to the TSB.
I got new pistons and rings a few weeks ago while my Si was in for some routine maintenance (the B1 notice). They finished 1 Feb 2013 so it's too soon to say if it'll fix *my* oil consumption problem but I'm REALLY happy that they came through for me. It took me a couple of tries and, probably most importantly, working with a different service adviser than I have in the past (but at the same dealership). He started to take me down the same path the other guy did--it's not really burning that much oil for a performance engine (about 1 qt per 3500 miles), Honda says anything less than 1 qt per 1000 miles is normal, have we done an oil consumption test, etc.
I let him take me down that path and once he told me it sounded normal I told him that: (a) I wasn't going to let go of this issue because I've NEVER owned a new car that used ANY oil, and (b) there was a TSB out regarding excessive oil consumption that my car's VIN fell under. At that point, he said he'd go look into it and call me back because the TSB was new information to him. He called back a few hours later and told me that he'd had to make a couple of calls (sounded like he escalated on my behalf) and that, after being initially turned down, the district-level manager approved replacing my pistons and rings under the TSB.
As I said, they shot me down the first two times I brought it in and made them look at it. I think that, for me, what made the difference was: (a) having history because I complained every time I brought it in for service, (b) finding a service adviser who really cared vs. someone who's just putting in time and punching the clock, and (c) politely but firmly telling him that I wasn't going to let go of the issue. (I think he took the hint, which was that I was prepared to escalate it myself if they didn't replace the pistons and rings.) The nice thing about the TSB is that it's really vague--it doesn't say much more than if I bring the car in for service and the oil is low, replace the pistons and rings. So I could avoid the whole discussion about what is normal--I just had to keep adding just enough oil to feel comfortable running it low (but not too low) until I brought it in for service.
P.S. Checked my ECU when it got back just for grins, too. Unfortunately, no bonus reflash for me--it's still at -030. Rev hang might be a little worse after the work but it's hard to know if it's really worse or if I'm just paying closer attention to it again.
