Honda Accord Accessories

treoster

Ramblin....find the guy that does the local Mercedes or Lexus (etc.) dealer car.

Thatg's the guy you want. It might be pricey but believe me, it's worth it for a job done right.

tblazer503

but in OR, it's hella easy to get a deal during the winter. It's real easy when no one is knocking the door down to get some tint and you can hear the crickets...

mikek37

Anyone know of any internet sites that sell touch up paint for the 03 accords. I scanned through college hill and partscheap, but had not luck. Thanks

robr2

handaaccessories has touch up paint.

But IMHO, the savings of buying it on line is offset by the cost of shipping. Wouldn't it just be easier to go to the local dealer's part desk and buy a bottle for $4??

ramblinwreck85

Thanks for the replies.

anonymous, thanks for the tip, but I don't think I can find the time to take it to Clearwater.
treoster, I will call the lexus/mercedes dealers to see who they use. Thx.

I was wondering if anyone else has the tinted windows with the Desert Mist color (don't exactly know how it will look with this color).

anonymousposts

I'll take it for you We are going to take our coupe this weekend, or maybe my 02 SI. Haven't decided yet.

Here are some pictures of our coupe .. they are kinda bad but it was rainy.cloudy at the time.

http://www.printroom.com/ViewAlbum.asp?userid=civicminded&album_id=126352

ramblinwreck85

I like the coupe. That's the first 03 coupe that I've seen (the dealer I used only had the sedans when I bought mine).

I need to have the sedan, but the coupe does look nice.

gwleong

I have a 98 Accord EXV6 4 door that has the stock AM/FM Single CD headunit. I would like to swap out the unit for a 2001 or 2002 stock headunit w/AM/FM CD Changer/Cassette combo.

Does anyone know if this is a simple job or will modifications be required? The sizes appear the same. I read somewhere that the 2001-2002 radio is designed to fit ONLY the 2001-2002 Accords. Any input on this?

Thanks in advance!

Gary

chapel1

Help me please I'm a newbe?Doe's the Accord E/X V-6 come with the chrome or Stainless exhust tips and the premium floor mats?Were waiting for the dealer to find a 2003 with leather with a Graphite Pearl and I think these might be standard but I can't verify this in the Edmund's new car site? I really like the power this V-6 has. Thank you

mikek37

The accord ex-v6 doesnt come standard with the Chrome Stainless steel exhaust tips, nor does the V6 include the premium floor mats. You can purchase the tips and matts from various interenet sites for a much cheaper price then at the deler. The tips are nice, I ahve them on my car, its a nice addition to the chrome trim. i also suggest picking up the Honda Rubber floor mats for the winter.

blumsden

I'm thinking about getting a 2003 LX-G coupe. In Canada, there is no EX model, only EX-L, and I don't want to have leather, so I have to stay with LX. But, I want to get a nice set of allow wheels. Can someone recommend a size and what I should get?

I flipped through the ones available at tirerack, but there are so many styles, and so many sizes (18 inch ?!). I do prefer the 5-spoke style...

Can I easily put a 16" wheel on this car, even though the stock ones are 15"? Do I have to change tire sizes when I do this? Does anyone have a good link that might explain the repercussions of increasing the wheel size?

Appreciate any help and recommendations.

atlantabenny

One of the better real-world info source for aftermarket wheels is this:

http://www.v6accord.com/forums/

I say "better" because you need to analyze and not take at face value the various posts to come to a solid conclusion. But the info is embedded there.

Since I've gone thru the threads myself, researched tirerack.com and tires.com and actually put on a 17" wheel & tire on our 03 EX, here are observations, suggestions and "words of wisdom" which you might consider:

1) Yes, you can easily "upsize" your rims/tires from 15" to 16" and even 17." Just remember that keeping the "rolling circumference" the same as the original is important. To know this, go to tirerack.com, pick out your original tire size and note "revolutions/mile." You can now pick any other tire size that's nearest to if not exactly the same as this rpm. This number is important to keep your fuel economy, odo, speedo and other tire revolution-dependent elements of the car the same.

2) Rule of thumb is that price, ride firmness, and road noise go up with tire diameter (i.e., from 15 to 16 or 17) and not necessarily so if you keep diameter same but the tire wider (e.g., from 205x65x15 to 215x60x15).

Decreasing, as tire diameter goes up (particularly with 17"), is the treadwear or lifespan of the tire.

3) Personally, the 17" is the largest size I'd recommend (and this would be tire size 215x50x17 and 215x55x16 for 16") because of price, treadwear and appearance considerations. Also, going beyond the 17" size increases your risk of bent rims/ripped sidewalls with normal driving.

4) Other than the obvious lug-pattern requirement, I cannot overemphasize the importance of the "offset" spec of your replacement wheel. The Accord's (and the Acura TL/CL's) offset number is 55mm. The rim sticks out more as this number decreases, say from 55 to 40mm.

Having the wrong offset can cause fender & strut rubbing and/or accelerated drivetrain wear due to stress on the components.

Bottom line, there's only so much offset difference you can accept on the replacement wheel, especially if you have occasional rear passengers. Based on the threads I mentioned, this would be a range of 55mm (original) to 45mm for a 7" wide, 17" rim.

Don't hold me on the 45mm, because "tire bulge" can still cause fender rub with this offset. The rim/tire combo I tried, a Konig Imagine 17" w/215x50x17 tire, had a 40mm offset and it looked ready to scrape with 2 passengers in back.

Thus, your best bet would be aftermarket rims that have a 55-47mm offset or better yet, the Honda/Acura OEMs.

Hope this helps.

maxhonda99

blumsden,

YOu can enlarge to any size you wheel you want, my suggestion would be to stick with either 16" or 17" wheels. I wouldn't recommend going any larger unless you plan on buying more wheels, because you will bend them. If you have alot of potholes, I would recommend staying away from even 17" wheels from most makers. My friend recently purchased a set of 4 Mille Miglia 17" wheels for a 2002 Accord coupe from Tire Rack, and in about 5K miles, 3 wheels have been bent! Expensive! If you want 17" wheels, spend a bit more for better brands like BBS. Of course, whether or not 17" wheels will bend all depends on how you drive and how the roads around you are. Here in NJ, the roads suck, therefore wheels bend more easily.

THe basic repurcusions of changing wheel size, is 1) your speedo is going to be slightly off, by slightly I mean very slightly-something you probably will not even notice.
2) Larger wheels are generally going to mean a firmer ride, unless you find wheels that are considerably lighter, like Axis brand wheels, BBS, or Centerline. A lighter wheel will reduce unsprung weight which improves ride somewhat.
3) Handling will improve-a positive.

Typically you do have to change tire sizes.

For example if you have 205/65-15 tires on your car now and you want to increase to 16" wheels, your best bet would be to increase to 215/55-16(increase one increment in width and decrease 10mm in sidewall height). OVerall, this will bring your overall tire/wheel diameter the closest to what your stock is. If you want 17" wheels you can increase to either 215/50-17 or 225/45-17 tires.

atlantabenny

On an Ebay auction for 16" factory rims & tires from an 03 Accord EX (3 days remaining).

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item- =2401333202&category=10368

aming

The best tire calc that I've found so far.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

cheers....

blumsden

That set on eBay is exactly what I am looking for. I used the tire calc suggested by aming, and it is only off by 0.8%, which I assume is acceptable. Only problem is, the guy won't ship to Canada!

I really don't like the wheel options for the Accord. I don't like the split spoke design too much. I do like the 15" alloys offered for the CRV though (the 5-spoke, not the split spoke). Hard to say what they would look like on the Accord coupe though. Tire Rack is pretty cool for that if you can find similar wheels on there to compare.

blumsden

aming,

Do you happen to know any decent Canadian parts/accessories places? Either online or mail order?

Thanks

atlantabenny

Too bad you missed out on that one.

There might still be a couple of 2002/2003 Acura TL 16" rims on Ebay, solid-5-spoke style. They're a perfect fit for your 03 Accord, exactly same specs.

The 1999-2001 Acura TL 16" rims will also fit perfectly but have split-spokes.

The 2 options above are relatively inexpensive on Ebay. Buy-now prices hover at $250-$300 for a set of 4 without tires.

Next notch, there are the 17" 5-solid-spoke rims from the Acura TL Type-S that would go for about $600 without tires, $900 with.

A word of caution on Tirerack.com/Tires.com/other online stores: choose your style first then call a rep on their 800 line to discuss offspec (should be 47-55mm). Tirerack doesn't show offspec #s in their gallery.

blumsden

aming,

Do you happen to know any decent Canadian parts/accessories places? Either online or mail order?

Thanks

aming

Canadian parts/accessories places: I'm looking for them myself.

I want a ton of options installed and if I don't find a place equal to collegehillshonda.com I'll end up paying a ton with the dealer.

Any takers on opening a Honda parts place in Canada ala. collegehillshonda.??????????

atlantabenny

Here's an E-bayer who seems to have lots of 5-lug Acura rims that will fit 03 Accords perfectly.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item- =2401828805&category=33748

atlantabenny

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item- =2402492105&category=33748

agie1

Check out these website:
Wheelmax.com or Victoriatire.com
They have more selections and cheaper than direct tire or tirerack.

krillin

Hey all,

Do any of you know if body-colored splash guards are offered anywhere for the '03 Accord?

quisp411

I'm interested in knowing how integrated the Accord mp3 player is with the navi LCD. Does it give you artist/title info? Can you navigate between albums/folders? Etc.

mikek37

It seems that one of my chrome exhaust tips on my EX V6 has either fell off or been stolen. Has anyone experience this.

mikek37

THE "INFAMOUS" chrome exhaust tip, that was missing, has been found in the parking lot of my job. It seems the damn thing fell off. After picking the thing up it looks like a mack truck ran the damn thing oer.

I had the tips installed at the dealer when I purchased the car. I was a bit disappointed to see that one of them had fallen off. After finding the thing, I called my salesman and he stated that there was nothing he could do for me. Considering they installed it, and it obviosuly fell off, do you guys think they should be held liable for it. Any thoughts would be welcome. Thanks.

pj23

Did they install it at the time of purchase? All accessories installed at the time of purchase of the car carry the 3/36 warranty. So you should be able to get it replaced under warranty, as properly installed accessories don't spontaneously fall off.

mikek37

Thanks for responding PJ. You are correct , they were installed the time of purchase.

I spoke with the salesperson that I dealt with and he stated that there was nothing he could do. He said for one it may have been my fault, implying that I could have backed into a snow bank or that it was stolen. Even if I did back into a snow bank, I dont believe it should fall off, wouldnt you agree.

 Im a little bit disappointed that I am having such a hard time with this. If worse comes to worse I will contact Honda , but that is the last thing I want to do.

stockmut

I was wondering if anyone has retrofitted their 2003 Accord with Homelink? It looks like the overhead console for the EX-L 4 cylinder is identical to the EX-V6 except for the homelink buttons. Has anyone tried ordering and installing the homelink part in their 4 cylinder accord?

Thanks!

tblazer503

its by tapping a hole in the exhaust pipe and running the bolt through it. The only problem is that the exhaust pipe may start developing rust or corrosion in that particular area.

The other thing you can try is using loktite and tightening it down enough to compress the pipe slightly... this should also prevent it from falling off.

nfjimc

I will be taking ownership of a '03 EX tomorrow, my first Honda by the way. One thing I am interested in is upgrading the speakers without spending a fortune. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance for your help.

clint98v6at

Go to crutchfield.com. You can enter your vehicle information and it will list the speakers that will fit your car. Unless you are also upgrading the stereo unit, do NOT get high end speakers. The stock stereo does not have enough power to drive high end speakers. High end speakers on a low power stock stereo will sound awful. Then call Crutchfield and ask for their advice. They are very knowledgeable and will not sell you something you don't need.

I went to Best Buy and they tried selling me a set of high end speakers for my 98 Accord even though I was keeping the stock stereo. I'm glad I called Crutchfield because they recommended a better match on a lower end speaker that was much less expensive. I spent a little over $200 and they sound great. Quite an improvement, especially when listening to CDs.

Crutchfield also includes wiring harnesses so all you have to do is plug in the connectors and screw in the new speakers. I also purchased a door removal tool from Crutchfield (less than $10 I think) because on the 98 Accord you have to remove the inside of the doors to get to the speakers. Not sure if you have to remove the doors on the 03 Accords. You get detailed instructions with your shipment. I'm no mechanic and I installed all 4 speakers in less than an hour.

maxpower02

listen to the system with the music you usually listen to. You might find the speakers are fine for the music you listen to. Clint is right, crutchfield is a good place to start. I checked out their sight for my '03EXV6 Sedan, found only 1 set of speakers that would fit in the front without cutting or modifying the doors. Another thing is that I would not want to take the front door apart,(even with instructions), because by opening the door up, you might create leaks, squeaks or whatever. JMHO! Let us know what you decide to do!

nfjimc

Picking up my new '03 EX this weekend and am wondering if upgrading the stock speakers is really worth the money? I know that the cost would be in the $200 range to upgrade to Alpines or something similar, but again is it really worth it? I don't plan on turning up the CD's to max but I do enjoy some good volume and bass once in a while. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

nfjimc

Good advice. I guess the only thing with that is you might not know what you're missing. But you're right about the doors. I'm currently driving a '94 Intrepid and the sound system in there has been adequate for me, but no CD player. Maybe what I'll do is listen to a CD that I enjoy on the home stereo and then go listen to the same tracks in the car and try to make some sort of A/B comparison to the overall quality. Not that I expect the car audio system to match the in house one but it might just give me an idea of what the speakers are capable of.

clint98v6at

I suppose there is a chance that you may get creaks if you take off the front doors for a speaker change. I haven't noticed any creaks on my car though. You just need to pop out the plastic hooks that hold the inside of the door together, take the housing out around the door handle, and remove the connection for the power windows. It can all be done with a screwdriver. Mine is the previous generation Accord though. Yours may be different. If you are concerned about the front doors, you could always just switch out the back speakers which only require removal of the speaker covers. Sound quality will still be improved.

I have Polk 6 1/2" GXR6 in front and Alpine 6x9 3-ways (I don't remember the model) in the rear. Sound quality is MUCH better than stock. Much better clarity and much more bass. The sound quality is most noticeable when listening to CDs. Radio quality is somewhat improved. The only drawback I have noticed is on AM stations. Certain deep voices cause the tweeters to buzz on occasion. So if you listen to a lot of talk radio, I wouldn't waste the money on speakers. If you listen to a lot of CDs like I do, it's well worth it.

dmert

Recently bought a Graphite Pearl 2003 Accord Coupe. The grille that contains the "H" is also gray, so it kind of blends into the Graphite. At the dealer I seen posters that show a chrome grille. Have not been able to find this item. Any ideas.

lakatos

Yep, the stocker gray grill has to go. A chrome one would make all the difference in the world on the front end.

When you find one let us know. I have been checking the yahoo accord board for this item as well.

lakatos

Anyone have Honda's MP3 player?

I am torn between attaching RCA jacks to the unit

http://www.logjamelectronics.com/piex3auxconv.html

or getting Honda's player. I have heard unconfirmed reports that the interface for the mp3 player is not that good (ie, song titles, artists, folder mgmt, etc) In other words if you want the 110th song on a disc full of mp3s you have to press next 110 times (as compared to pressing "next folder" 10 times.

Sure would like to hear from someone who has seen the player.

sani

Wow, that's what I'm looking for, basically, if that thing (the Logjam Electronics Harness) can be installed in my 03 LX. Here's the post I made over in Accessories - Steve the Mod recommended I move it over here:

The dealer lists the cassette player as a $300 accessory, not including installation... Is there any way to install a stereo miniplug somewhere (for much less money) so I can just plug my MP3 player in and use it, rather than get the cassette player installed and use a cassette adapter? I found the plug on the bottom of the radio/AC unit where a cassette or CD changer would be plugged in, but I have no idea if I can just hook 3 wires to it (L/R/Ground) and buy a $5 jack at RadioShack.

And having looked at the manual and some installation instructions for the cassette deck, it seems like the different components (cassette, MP3 player, changer) send codes to the main radio which activate the "CD/AUX" button and tell it which component they are. If so, would it then be impossible to put a miniplug on, since the port wouldn't be activated by the radio? Anyone else having this problem?

agie1

Hi! Has anyone ever heard about yokohama prodigy tires? Are they good tires?
I'm thinking to buy 17x7.0 rims for 2003 accord lx coupe. Should I use 225/45/17 or 235/45/17 tires on the rims above? Btw, offset is 40, I can't find offset 48-55. Thanks.

atlantabenny

235s will better match your car's original operating specs (speedo/odo reading, fuel economy, etc.) and as an added bonus, the rims will be less prone to pothole/curb damage.

A 40mm offset will cause fender rubbing with 2 rear passengers or a loaded trunk and will accelerate wear of suspension parts.

Let me point you to a site selling reasonably priced 17" rims with a 48mm offset:

http://www.v6accord.com/forums/showthread.php?s=5f03a80483cb04cbf- 18ade2da47a9039&threadid=15880

As to the Yokohama Prodigy, couldn't find this on the tirerack site but you might consider the Yokohama Avid H4. Again, reasonably priced and the consumer reviews (click "Reviews") are generally favorable. Here's a link:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compare1.jsp?compare=true&partN- umber=&make=&model=&clarifier=&price=&width=2- 35%2F&ratio=45&diameter=17&sortCode=&speedRating=- &qty=&stockMessage=&type=T&URL=&newCompare=tr- ue&prevprice=&frontTire=&frontLeftTire=&rearTire=- &rearLeftTire=&goWhere=%252Ftires%252FCompare1.jsp&Ad- dToUser=true&startIndex=40&sortValue=1&qty_345WR7CEC_- =4&qty_345WR75000_=4&qty_345YR7SPORTAS_=4&qty_345WR77- 000S_=4&qty_345WR7HTRPL_=4&qty_345WR7DBS2_=4&qty_345H- R7TA42_=4&qty_345HR7RE950_=4&qty_345HR7RSA_=4&qty_345- HR7XGT4P_=4

stockmut

All,

I answered my own question. I retrofitted my 2003 EXL with the homelink module for the V6 Accord and it works great! Piece of cake to install as well. The part number for the homelink module for those without the Navigation system(ie no built in microphone) is 39180-SDA-A32ZB. This is for the EXL with an ivory(looks beige to me) interior.

atlantabenny

Jeff (stockmut), where did you get your homelink and for how much ? You can email me separately if you prefer.

Thanks.

wwevans

I am so wanting to get an Acccord coupe but it is so frustrating to see the lesser of the competition offering Xenons on their cars yet Honda only has them on their Acuras...anyone heard of any good news!

mikek37

If you really want the coupe, go for it. Then get a nice aftermarket pair of HID's. But to be honest, the HID's arent all they are cracked up to be. I have read many studies, no I dont have the links, but the main benefit is that HID's increase the overall lighting to the left and right of the car, but its main disadvantage is the actual long distance range is marginally better then halogens. I have noticed , that many upmarket cars (Volvo, some BMW's, some Audi's) do not have HID equipped headlights. But hey I wouldnt mind a set on my 03 accord.

agie1

Thanks atlantabenny! I have another question: should I look for lugs:5x100 or 5x114.3 for 03 accord? I read the v6accord.com forum, most of people are using 225/45/17, is this because they want to lower the car or what? Thanks.

atlantabenny

You're welcome, Agie. Captioned is the correct lug pattern for the 03 Accord.

I guess some folks have 225x45x17 for that "low profile-" meaning-"thinner tire," look and/or to lower the car as you said. 4 points:
1) odometer reading will be slightly higher than it should be because they're smaller-diameter tires (tirerack measures this by a tire's "revolutions per mile") versus the original,
2) fuel economy will be slightly poorer,
3) with less sidewall, rims are more prone to damage as per my previous post,
4) "low profile" is actually determined by the "45" number or the tire's aspect ratio. It's the numerical relationship of the tire's sidewall height with its width. Thus, a wider tire is necessarily a taller tire, and
5) properly lowering the car requires changing the springs and eventually the shock absorbers ("struts"). "Fender gap," important to some, is also minimized this way.

Not many rim & tire stores are aware of proper rim & tire sizing, unfortunately.

Good luck.

stockmut

I bought it at www.cheaphondaparts.com . The list price is $300.72 and I was able to get it for $246.50 with free shipping.

I probably would have shopped around more if I had known the part number ahead of time but the customer service at the site was very helpful in answering all my questions and helping me locate the exact part I needed.(you don't need the whole console assembly only the small 2x2 piece in the middle)