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As you are no doubt aware, the Value Package (VP) model is an Accord DX with an Air Conditioner. There is about a $2,500 difference between that model and the Accord LX that adds (among other features) Power Mirrors, Power Windows, Cruise Control, Variable Speed Wipers, Map Lights as well as Remote Entry System with Power Door Locks.
I believe that due to the complexity of dismantling the doors to install the appropiate components, you will not find any Honda dealer willing to tackle the job of adding power door locks. Even if you can find some kind of local body repair shop or customization shop willing to attempt such a job, the cost of doing so (plus the cost of the components) would easily exceed the cost of a brand new LX. Then you have to consider what problems could be caused by the work.
My recommendation: Don't consider it any further.
Thanks for the help.
I thought the Honda Sunroof guards were big and ugly. As far as protecting from stones, what about your headlights, hood, windshield etc. They are bigger targets then the sunroof. I personally have never heard of a sunroof being broken from a road rock. Being parallel to the ground, stones would have a better chance of sliding across, then getting a direct hit. I would opt for a smaller wind/rain deflector if an after market one is available.
The Accord is a firm-riding car compared with a Camry, but many owners consider that an advantage
There is a plastic sunroof wind deflector thing that covers about half the opening and is supposed to suppress wind noise. I don't know if it works or not, but it doesn't look very good IMO.
Even if it works, it covers so much of the sunroof's area that it cancels the value of having a sunroof at all.
If the sound you hear in the door could be a nominal squeak and not a hard rattle, try spraying WD-40 on the 2 weather strips around the door and the door opening.........Richard
For those of us young and energetic enough to drive a MANUAL TRANSMISSION, we love having the handbrake in the center console.
If we have to start on a steep hill, we use the handbrake to hold the car steady while we ease up on the clutch and press on the throttle.
I made sure to teach this skill to both of my kids when they were learning how to drive, and I will probably teach it to my grandkids in a few years.
I'm coming from an 88 Accord with 185 70R 13 tires that have 26 psi in them (per manufacturers's spec) Obviously, the 205 60 R 16 tires on my 04 Accord will give a stiffer ride just with the size difference.
By the way, my Accord came with Michelin Energy MXV4 tires. Anyone else get something different from the factory? I do have a while before I need tires, but I would be interested if anyone else has found a smoother ride with a different tire. I also wonder how well these tires will do in the snow.
Thanks
MrBill
I grew up in a town with STEEP hills and there were lots of them. None of us would have EVER grabbed the parking brake.
We didn't slip our clutches or roll backwards either.
THAT is a skill and that's how I taught my son!
Not the bobst I thought I knew!
As for some factory cd players being able to play CDRWs, Honda is not alone...many other ones can also play CDRWs. It's actually becoming rather common now, I don't see why you are so surprised. Also, for whatever reason the manual almost never says even if the players are CDRW capable, probably because much of it depends on the type of RW disc or the fact that everyone is taking heat at this point for anything having to do with burned music.
Instead of using the handbrake and being gentle, I guess it would be kind of fun to rev it up to the redline and dump the clutch, but I only use that technique if I am test driving a brand new car.
Not really. I could never be mean to an automobile, one of God's finest creations. Fords don't count as automobiles, do they?
As far as the ride goes, PSI is the first thing to check. Car tires DO NOT break in, but over many years can degrade. Shocks are what "wear in" progressively over their life, and over time you wont notice them getting soft until you drive a newer car than yours.
Still not satisfied with the ride? You'll need a new car, because the Michelin Energy MXV4 tires are classified as "grand touring" which are generally very quiet, long lasting, and easy riding tires.
Personally, I consider the ride to be a perfect balence...slightly tight with a nice highway ride.
"As far as the ride goes, PSI is the first thing to check. Car tires DO NOT break in, but over many years can degrade."
See website below:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=5
I think a brand new Accord will ride better after a few hundred miles. Mine did............Richard
1. When you get it the car, as soon as you lock all the doors, the ilght around the keyhole goes off. If you were being chased at night, you would need to have that light there to help you get away fast.
2. Apparently the automatic seat height adjustment was removed from the '05 (I have it in the '03 but it shows up as extra on the '05). WHY????? I have a bad back in several places and need that on long trips.
3. The metallic green should be available with grey seatcovers. For that matter, all colors should be available with grey seat covers. Beige gets dirty. Why not let people choose which color they want - you could charge an extra $1000 for the special order. How difficult is that?
OK, that's all I would change. Is that asking too much, Mr. Honda? Please? I want to buy an '05 but will be forced to buy the EX to get the autmatic seat height adjustment. I don't want the moon roof, I don't care about alloy wheels, I just need what was already on the '03.
ruby2zdy
Olympia WA
My 04 EX-L has electric seat height adjustment, but nothing is automatic about it, you still have to push a button. Are you talking about menory seat adjustment? Now that's something I would like to see.
If you read ruby2zdyl's entire post a bit more closely you will find your answer.
We have an EX 4-cyl with cloth interior, so we have the button to make the seat go up an down. Since my wife is shorter than I am, this feature is wonderful. The LX model should at least have a manual seat height adjustment.
I agree, the grey cloth would be nicer than the black cloth we have now. However, we didn't like the colors that came with the grey interior.
What kind of neighborhoods are you hanging out in that you are concerned about getting chased? Also, if I were getting chased I'm not cranking my head down looking for the ignition - it would come pretty naturally!!!
Here goes the only option available to us poor sods with "bad luck" to buy a new Accord and with burning desire to add a an mp3 option without paying thru the nose for a single-CD mp3 player (of course if you are willing to completely replace your head-unit that will work too but I really didn't want to do that and I am guessing a lot of you guys are of the same opinion):
Step 1. Buy SNHOND3 interface from Soundgate (for instance, from www.logjamelectronics.com) and make sure you buy correct version - depends on whether you have navigation or not (I don't). Another interface you can use is HON/SNY ITI v.1 or v.2 from BlitzSafe (but it is the same interface just with a different brandname sticker on it). Cost: $95-100
Step 2. Buy Sony 6-cd mp3-capable changer - the only one available now is CDX-T70MX which was discontinued by Sony in the US in 2003 but you can still buy it on eBay (new, unopened items! - I was loathe to buy a refurbished item, some company in CA sells them a bit cheaper). Cost: $150-180
Step 3. Go to a local Tweeter or CircuitCity or some other installation place or do it yourself. Cost: from $0 to $60.
Short testimonial: so far it works fine on my Accord - with a couple of small obvious quirks such as displaying only two last digits of a 3-digit track or blank when it hits track # 100 or 200 etc. Also buttons 1-4 don't do anything, 5 and 6 work as Disc+, Disc-. But this is inevitable - there is only room for two digits under track number and it is not clear what buttons 1-4 should do (I have some ideas but they obviously would not be implemented for wide use).
You have to survive the creash first! Seatbelts must be engaged and doors must be locked to prevent secondary impact and being thrown from the vehicle.
1. I wrote a letter to Mr. Koichi Kondo, CEO of Honda, complaining about the terrible seats (yeah, yeah, I know - our opinion) in this car, and also about just being waved off by customer service, and his office just forwarded my comments to customer service anyway. Talk about the fox guarding the hen house! Apparently the CEO does not want to hear from Honda customers. Anyway, "Herbert" called me, and to make a long story short it seemed he was reading from a script or something. The seats are not "defective" and there's no recall on them, so buzz off buddy. He said ALL Accord seats were built at the same plant, so they are all the same. I told Herbert maybe there was a design defect with the seats. Bottom line, we're stuck with this boat anchor. It's been sitting in the street for 13 days straight now while my wife drives her beautiful, COMFORTABLE, GMC Yukon. I told her to dump that trash bucket Honda.
2. Yesterday I ran into a guy I worked with over a decade ago, and he asked me about my old Corvette and we got talking about cars. Unprompted, he told me he was relieved to get rid of his Honda after 3 years and he got a new Toyota two months ago which he loved. I asked why and he said he couldn't stand those terrible seats in the Honda.
It ain't just a few of us folks. Those seats are HARD and uncomfortable for more people than you know. My wife is parking the Accord at the airport this week, and I hope somebody steals it! ;-). I hate that car.
He says, "If thy eye offend thee, pluck it out." That is really, really great advice.
You told your wife "to dump that trash bucket Honda." EXACTLY!!! Get rid of the thing.
Remember, WWJD : What Would Jesus Do?
I think Jesus gave some great advice, and I am not even a Christian.
It's funny though, I've got an '05 EX V6 and love the seats. I like them better than my Volvo S60 and Suburban. I liked my Corvette's racing seats a little better...only a little better.
You're in the decided minority here--many of us bought our Accords because the seats were so GOOD among other reasons why we chose the car. Good luck..........Richard
So you would rather have someone steal the car, have your wife stranded at work, and have to deal with your insurance company than go and have the seats replaced for her with comfortable aftermarket models? Your wife is a lucky woman.
To add insult to injury, you come into an accord board and expect sympathy with that after we have given you multiple solutions to your problem. Bravo.
There is nothing to be gained by continuing to discuss it here.
Uncommonman, we do hope this has a happy ending for you and your wife. Best of luck to you.
But why are V6 LX's so hard to come by? Far as I can tell, they're a good deal and they have some nice extras over the I4: 240HP (vs. 160), 6-CD changer, 16" tires (vs. 15"), power-adjustable (8-way) driver's seat, steering wheel radio controls, traction control, electronic brake distribution, drive-by-wire throttle, and security system. The down side, which I'm willing to tolerate, is the considerable extra $$$ and lower MPG. I test drove both and the V6 was noticeably quieter and had way more muscle. Not sure if the seat (a hot topic of late) was different between the two. Anyone out there have a current-gen V6 LX? How do you like it?
Having trouble finding the TSB you're talking about. Can you tell me exactly where to look. Thanks.
Oh, and about the auto headlight discussion here--is there any problem if one sets the headlights to "on" and leaves them there? They seem to turn themselves off after a few seconds; this doesn't drain the battery, does it?
Your car has the cloth interior and there's not much to do but vacuum it as needed and don't spill anything on it. Don't let anyone smoke in your car, either--ashes burn through the velour fuzzy stuff.
If you drive your car often enough it's unlikely that leaving your lights on until they automatically shut off will drain the battery enough to strand you. Still, I think it's best to turn the lights off before you leave your car. Just my opinion.
There is a cargo net you can buy to hold grocery bags upright in the trunk--I think it requires drilling holes, etc. But there are also cargo carriers that are folding box-like things that you can use to keep things confined within the trunk of your car. I think they have velcro strips on the bottom to hold them in place so don't required any special installation. See site below for an example:
http://stacksandstacks.com/html/73057_trunk-organizer-folding-cargo-bag.htm
Hope this helps.............Richard
thanks
dmbst68
The model number is CM5675JNW
Louise
Louise
The security that you are seeking is probably going to be elusive. Honda is no better or worse than most other brands in that regard. If someone is determined to expropriate your car, and they are in the business of doing so, they will be off with it in a minute or two.
The only thing you can do is to make their job harder, so that they will abandon your car if the job takes too long. Although it is probably not a commercial product, the best solution that I've read of is to install a simple manual fuel cutoff valve (petcock-style) in a location that you can reach from the driver's seat. It should one that you can turn off when you park and turn on before you turn your key in the ignition switch. It should be mounted near the floor and disguised so that its purpose will not be obvious.
The fuel line should be cut between the front and rear of the car, and the appropriate tubes would be routed up into the passenger compartment to the valve, and back down to continue forward to the engine compartment.
With that arrangement, the thief would be able to start and drive the car only a couple of blocks before they ran out of fuel. They would not figure out what happened or how to re-start the engine and would abandon the vehicle, looking for easier pickings.
Good suggestion. I thought it was very difficult to defeat the computerized key and engine cut-off security system built into new Accords. Have many been stolen because the built-in security is inadequate?............Richard
Louise