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I have a 2001 Honda Odyssey which has recently developed a low idle problem when first turning on. Upon turning on the car the revs drop down to practically nothing and the car judders and cuts out with the battery and oil lights lighting up on the dash. The only way the engine will stay on is if I rev the engine until it is warmer, once I have been driving for 10 minutes and the engine is up to temp its fine. At first there seemed to be no pattern but now it seems that it happens particularly first thing in the morning when its cold (I'm living in Wanaka for the winter).

I went to a local mechanic and they said it was a crack in the air intake which they have now taped up. It was fine for a few days but is now happening again. We asked about a replacement part and they said it was such a common issue that no local scrapyards had a part and the replacement would have to come from Honda in Japan, for approx 140$.

My questions are; Does this sound like the correct diagnosis of the problem? Is that a fair price for a replacement before labour? Or is it cheaper/possible to get a replacement myself and fit it? (the pipe is right there under the bonnet and looks easy to detatch and replace???)

Hi there, the fact that they taped it up and the car ran fine, would suggest that it was the pipe that caused the problem. Tape would only have been a temporary fix, and wouldn't last too long.
If it is a common fault, it would be unlikely to find a decent 2nd hand pipe, and a new one may only be available ex japan. I wouldn't imaging labour would be very much, due to the ease of location. $140 sounds reasonable for a new pipe including freight from Japan.