# My new Honda lawnmower is defective. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 11, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-honda-lawnmower-is-defective/634408 "2012-09-11T16:52:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-honda-lawnmower-is-defective/634408/1 "2012-09-11T16:52:10Z")
A month ago I bought a new Honda self-propelled walk-behind lawnmower, model HRX217 with Easy Start Auto choke system. It cost $550, which is not cheap. It shuts down automatically when the bail on the handle is released, which is a safety feature. It starts fine when the engine is cold, but would not start again after having been off for a minute such as when the grass catcher is being emptied. I took it to the mechanic and he replaced a spring on the automatic choke. Now it will start again after a minute or two, but will not start normally after 5 or 10 minutes. This is a serious problem since I use it in my business. It _will_ start if I remove the air cleaner and stick something stiff into the carburetor to open the butterfly valve. That is a Very Bad Thing to do, since dust and so on will get into the carburetor, shortening the life of the engine. The mechanic says the Honda company “is aware of the problem” and is working on a fix. That doesn’t help me (or other customers!) presently. I’ve been very pleased with Honda products in the past. This is a bad omen, though. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-honda-lawnmower-is-defective/634408/2 "2012-09-11T16:53:48Z")
Can you return it? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-honda-lawnmower-is-defective/634408/3 "2012-09-11T17:27:41Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Can you return it? The store I got it from might let me trade it for one with a manual choke. If the Honda company doesn’t come up with a fix in a few more days I’ll get more insistent. In the meantime they are still selling that same identical model of lawnmower. My purpose in starting this thread was to warn anyone who might be considering buying a mower. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-honda-lawnmower-is-defective/634408/4 "2012-09-11T17:41:34Z")
Did you buy it with a credit card? Some cards will go to bat for you and help get it credited back (such as Amex).