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Comments
emale--do you know where the sensor was located? I think my friend's explorer had it's temperature in a place that kept it more accurate in traffic and stop&go.
My 2003 Accord has about 8,000 miles on it and recently went in for its second oil change (the first one was complimentary at the dealer, the most recent one was done by a friend of mine who owns an independent shop), however, now the Maint Req'd light is flashing every time I start the car... how do I get it to stop doing that, especially since the car's had all the proper maintenance.
I found the answer. It is TRUE.
Last week the wife brought the car in for its first oil change (3500).
Today I looked at the service invoice.
The invoice indicated an oil change for an Accord 4 cyl when the car is an V6.
I was worried about the car had a wrong filter part.
1. It can get confused sometimes. When its confused, it may tell you to go in the opposite direction. If you don't already know where your going, watch out.
2. The entire isle of Manhattan is not officially mapped and is considered "off road". On top of this, the system seems to get confused by the tall buildings and has shown me heading east onto 5th Avenue when I'm heading west onto 8th Avenue. OK, most of Manhattan is a grid, but this still would have been useful to me.
3. I have not found that the enter the name of a place feature works very well at all. I seem to need the address,even for such basics as Home Depot. OK, maybe the store here is new -- but it should pull up the 15 Home Depots within 20 miles, not try and send me across the country or pull up related names like the Home Store Depot. This flaw requires advance planning.
4. The talk to it feature is going to need some practice, thats for sure. Currently, no matter what I say or how I pronounce it, the nav will tell me the time or do something similarly unexpected. I'd be a lot happier if it said "say again" which its supposed to use when it doesn't understand.
5. It doesn't do malls at all. Ok this should be a non-factor in most cases, buts its still a flaw.
Don't get me wrong, the nav *is* useful, and as I get more familiar I'm sure I'll get more out of it. I already like it. I just don't love it.
i'm not sure where the accords or trucks temp sensors are located. but i'd imagine they are both somewhere in the front bumper area ahead of the radiator.
anyway, i had a specific instance this past summer where the outside temp was approaching 95 and the accords temp readout never went above 80! i just need to get off my lazy butt and take it in and have it checked.
btw, on another subject...oddly enough now that fairly cold weather has set in...the rattles i've had have disappeared...strange indeed!
temp sensors on outdoor signs, banks, etc can be off as well
the temp on the radio/tv typically is the temp at a weather station, airport, et al.
The most that other radio info or TV info varied on the temp was 1 degree + or -
My temp gauge is well off that mark. Especially as it got cooler at night fall the outside temp was actually 85 degrees at night and my temp guage would still read 97.
as a weather forecaster for the government...i'm in a particular situation that allows me to tell whether my outdoor temp reading in the car is accurate or not. and unfortunately the accord is often wrong! guess i should quit bitching about it and have it checked out...
Here in Boston, the official temp is at Logan Airport which is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. In the summer, it can be 10-15 degrees cooler there than 15 miles away in the burbs. Further, I drive by a bank sign that typically on hot summer days will register over 110 degrees and it'll be only 90 according to the "official" weather.
I'm not saying there isn't a problem, but unless you can really measure what it should be...
As to whether it's accurate or not...when none of the local channels ever report the same temperature, and none of them are ever close to what weather channel reports, how can anyone know what is the "real" temperature? I do know this...when I turn my car on in the morning, the temp shown is always the same as the thermometer in the garage - tells me it's the same as one other thermometer, at least once a day!
I originally went to a Honda dealer and was very impressed with the Accord. A few days later, I came across an Accord of the same design on my way home. I decide to focus on the clarity of the brakes lights and turn signal lights from the viewpoint of a car following the Accord. The turn signals were fine, but I had difficulties seeing the brake lights on that mid-afternoon, sunny day. I later found another Accord of the same design and also had difficulties seeing the brake lights.
I made another trip to a Honda dealership and focused on this issue. Here's what I found: The center brake light that is inside the car, just behind the back seat does not have a problem in terms of visibility. The other two brake lights on the extreme sides of the car are almost invisible on a sunny day. If it's cloudy or if it's dark, there's no issue. However, on a bright, sunny day, I found it extremely difficult to see those light due to the design of those lights which seem to have a reflector built-in that actually blocks the brake lights' visibility from behind. I have focused on the brake lights of other cars and even earlier models of the Accord, and I have not found any other car that seems to have this problem. To make things worse, I have seen two Accords (2003-2004 design) whose center brake lights did not go on when the car braked!!! I discussed this issue with a manager at the dealer and he suggested that I get a spoiler (with a light on it). I do agree that this is a great way to ensure that you are seen braking during a sunny day by the driver following you so he/she doesn't rear-end you, but adding a spoiler will cost a few bucks.
Has anyone else noticed this problem? Again, in my opinion, these lights are difficult to see only on bright sunny days; I've seen these lights on cloudy days and at night and there's no problem. Did Honda goof?
Yes, I checked the owner manual and I was surprised the V6 is only 0.2 quart more than the 4. The oil dip stick is at a full mark.
So I am happy.
Thanks.
The system is much better than anything we looked at in other makes and we looked at a lot.
I love the trip computer function. It's nice to have all the trip info on one screen. The bar for instant mpg grabs your attention, once you realize what it is. The choice to manual or auto reset at refuel is also a nice touch. The history button is also a nice feature. I also spend a lot of time playing with the conversion feature on the calculator. DW also has made great use of the calandar/schedule function.
I hope this help ...
Terry.
I did notice the brake lights were smallish and at the very edge of the car, and the lights located on the trunk didn't light during braking--those only illuminate with the headlights. I just thought it was distinguishing.
If I were really concerned I would toss a couple of extra-bright bulbs into those locations.
i wonder if i dropped the ball by getting the accord. i love my accord but i wonder if i would of been even happier with the tsx.
On the new TL, Acura provide 3 months of free subsription to all owners. Do they have anything similar for our Accords? Due to the price and mkt segment difference, I guess this is not the case on a Honda???
But all last summer I worked at DFW Airport so I should be getting as close to the announced temp as possible.
I'll probably live with it based on what the dealer told post #12563.
ISELLHONDAS what do you think? Am I starting to sound like one of those ingrates who can't just be happy that I have a car that is head and shoulders above the competition in terms of luxury, style, features, performance and will provide me years of reliable service? But instead I'll complain about a temp guage that gives me the temp outside the climate controlled setting of the car I'm in. Besides I'm sure that the knowledge of the outside temp has added significant meaning to my life. And now Honda has ruined that for me!
venus:
i agree, the TSX feels more Euro than the Accord. but for me, like i said, i had the only Euro style car worth owning under $30k
i think i am getting my windows tinted soon. all of my silver and gold cars in the past looked great with this tasteful "onyx" tint - going to do it on the Accord too. it will make the chrome around the side windows stand out more too. everytime i look at the car, it gets better and better....especially from the side/rear angles. the front is typical Honda....neat headlights though.
This info comes from CR's "2004 New Car Preview" issue.
~alpha
Thanks,
Doug
Ditto for me on both items.
Wow - this thing moves like a bat out of hell. Very quiet and comfortable to drive. Bad tan interior color however, and I don't like the Amber gauges. May have to consider a used one in 11 month though insteat of an Accord EX-L 5spd. manual. Any opinions>
I'm really dismayed to find that this car with the sterling reputation for quality & reliability apparently has so many "issues" (or bugs, I guess you might say).
I've have the opportunity to ride in friends' '03 Accord and I'm impressed with how substantial and spacious it is. I'd like the gas mileage offered by the 2.4/5 speed auto combo. And the Accord is way more contemporary than Taurus and better looking to me than the '04 Malibu (yes, even the rear end). But, man, all these complaints (including those in the NHTSA online database) have me wondering.
I know it's kind of a general question, but...any words of encouragement? Or should I follow my instincts and go back to Taurus?
~alpha
beedublu,
From CR 2003 Cars (April 2003)
Taurus:
Reliability White dot
Satisfaction Half-Black dot
Depreciation Black dot
Accord:
Reliability Full Red Dot
Can't argue CR.
My 2¢: buck-for-buck there is no more fully realized car then the '03-'04 Accord.
i actually now live in Maine (outside of Portland), but BTV will always be my favorite place on the planet!
Here is the details:
I bought my new honda accord last Monday evening. When I was driving on a high way last night, suddenly all the meter indicators on my accord went to zero. After two or three minutes, my honda headlights went off and then the car slowed down in the darkness. Since I was in two lane highway with enclosed both sides, I had to slide for a while to find a tiny spot between ramp and high way and had my car parked. Then I called the towing company and they told me most likely it is due to charger system failure for the battery. How could this happen for a brand new honda accord in less than a week? I called the dealer for help in providing me a tempory car for job commuting and they just ignored my inquiry. I feel bad about honda now.
~alpha
Well...that's just the point. It has a seven year track record. The Accord was all new for '03 and I'm getting the impression that it takes Honda a few years to work the bugs out of its new designs, just like GM & Ford.
As for Consumer Reports: I have become extremely skeptical of their stats & methodology, having been burned so many times...GE kitchen appliances being one nightmarish example...by buying what they said was "Better than average" in reliability. That's why I'm doing so much other research, instead of just taking CR's word for it.
What's bothering me even more about Honda are posts like jasondd2 (#12584, above). It sounds like Honda and its dealers tend to blow things off, just like Detroit.
Thanks to all for their input...I'm still thinking it over.
almost all cars these days are fairly trouble free, but how their designed and engineered is a different story.
if you test drive both an accord and a taurus and you don't find there's a day and night difference between the two cars then you should probably get the taurus.
i wait with anticipation on what you decide to get.