Honda Accord Hybrid Care & Maintenance

Karen_S

Discuss Accord Hybrid routine care and maintenance here.

peteshij

I have been a Honda owner for a long time. I'm on my third Accord every one of which I have "run into the ground". I am now faced with a situation where I drive 60 miles each way to work every day. I am thinking of getting a Honda Accord Hy-brid but since this is a relatively new entry for Honda I would appreciate any feetback (positive or negative) about the Accord Hy-brid.

Thanks,
Shirley

viet

I have been a Honda owner for over 40 years. I am currently own an Accord hybrid and have been "insane" with it. It is so smooth, so quiet, top Accord, great torque. It is able to "glue" on the road while travelling at high speed and at tough driving conditions. Minimum MPG of 29 - 37 as EPA rating, may be more as happy Accord drivers praised it in other Accord hybrid forums. I am not hesistant to buy another Accord hybrid soon. One last advise to you: Be careful with the Accord hybrid or you may get a speeding ticket. In fact, it is a very fast greyhound disguised under a sheep skin outfit while it sips fuel moderately. Some guys can make it more than 41 MPG on highway trips.

viet

One may want to lower his/ her "white collar back" to make friend in a humble manner with a good Honda engine mechanic and a great auto body mechanic to get good discounts for his/ her car services. That's a nice name of the game under George W. Bush's "adventurous war game" against the Muslim allies that has been making all of us in the edge of bankruptcy.

midnightcowboy

Viet,

It has been interesting reading your input and I am glad you are so happy and passionate with your Hondas, especially your HAH You said:

It is able to "glue" on the road while travelling at high speed and at tough driving conditions.

I have a 2005 Honda Accord Coupe 6-speed and it rides very well. I am not sure i would call it "glued" to the road though.

I just partipated in the the Susan G. Koman Drive for Cancer, "Ulitmate Driving Experience" and BMWs are really glued to the road.

Viet, my question to you is do you feel the HAH is more glued to the road than other Honda Accords, specifically the 17inch wheel 6-speed Coupe or to all other cars in general? How would you compare the handling ad "glue" of the HAH to a BMW 330 or 530 ?

Thanks,

Mid Cow

viet

Hi Midnightcowboy:

When I drive myHAH I feel blue, I feel "glue" (on the road at high speed) and I feel Heaven. I have not test driven BMW 5 series so I have no idea. However. I did test drive BMW 3 series and I turned off as its interior is so small and crowded. The BMW's engine is great too but the price is still high.

Karen_S

...this HAH Owners: C&M. Please keep the discussion to care and maintenance.

Thanks for your cooperation.

viet

Yes Ma'am. First oil change has been done using Extended Mobil 1 synthetic oil. Car tends to "take off" the road at all time after the break-in.

raytx_us

Sorry I can't be as enthusiastic about my HAH. at 3,000 miles so far and MPG sits at 25.9, far below the city standards set by the EPA, and most of my driving is on the hwy. I live in Dallas, TX where the A/C runs almost all year 'round, and the city street driving is almost as bad as NY as far as fast starts off the line least you get run over from behind. So I can understand some give and take in the ratings, but I was hoping for at least the low end of 29 MPG and I'm far from that.

Ray

raytx_us

Sorry I can't be as enthusiastic about my HAH. at 3,000 miles so far and MPG sits at 25.9, far below the city standards set by the EPA, and most of my driving is on the hwy. I live in Dallas, TX where the A/C runs almost all year 'round, and the city street driving is almost as bad as NY as far as fast starts off the line least you get run over from behind. So I can understand some give and take in the ratings, but I was hoping for at least the low end of 29 MPG and I'm far from that.

Ray

raytx_us

My maint schedule calls for an oil change at 15, 000 or one year. Nothing about an early oil change. I have a 2005 HAH V/6. Are the salesman telling you to bring your car in for an "early" check-up? Or are you getting a notification from your dealers service center? I'm just wondering, because I am fast approaching 3,000 miles and wonder if I should have mine serviced. Thank you for and light you might shed on this for me..

Ray

s2khah

When I picked up my HAH last month. My dealer (Princeton Honda) said to hold off on the first oil change until 7500mi.
Thereafter they recommend every 3750mi (or the severe schedule on the maintenence chart).
There seem to be two things for this disparity.
One is the first change allows a complete break-in of the engine. This makes some sense due to the fact that it is likely to get the best fuel mileage the engine should be well broken in.
Two the need for "severe" oil change intervals is mandated by the engine "auto shut off" feature which mimics the 'hard on the car driving' of frequent stops and starts.
Over the long haul, I plan to put synthetic oil in the engine (Amsoil) also maybe elsewhere,and then do several oil analysis cycles to see how the oil holds up. I suspect that the main problem with the oil may end up being fuel contamination of the oil due to the frequent starts.
I will try to post any information I learn from this exercise.

viet

Hi Ray,

Please be a bit more patient. You should eventually get 29 - 37 MPG. I usually get a little bit more with my "conservative driving style". Enjoy your new HAH.

peteshij

I started this thread and since have found a few other sites about Honda Hybrids. I found that with my type of driving (mostly highway and in Houston where you use the air conditioner all the time) the hybrids get about the same mileage as I get with my 2001 V6. I was initially concerned about the maintenance (it being a new entry for Honda) but have since found that it really doesn't make economic sense for me anyway.

Thanks,
Shirley

viet

Hi Shirley:

It makes more sense to me in term of its 255 (Honda) real horsepower and the torque. It runs very fast, quietly, responsively and effortlessly compared to my EX V6 2002. I must say it is very fast, no lag, especially when I wake up late in the morning and need to "fly low" on the freeway to get to work ASAP. And I have been thrilled with it. It is truely an awful piece of "ultimate driving machine". My MPG is always about 28.5 - 30 mixed. I am not quite satisfied with it but it's OK. My young son recently reminded me that I had promised him that when he gets admitted into a prestigious university in the next few months I will have to surrender the key to him. Eventually, I will have to buy another one.

If you are so concerned about the HAH's low MPG you may try buying a Civic Hybrid, an (Honda) Insight or even a Prius.

chaits

Hi, I am thinking about buying an Insight in a few months time, and wanted to get your thoughts about this car...

While I read many of its pros, I wonder what are the cons... As such, what are the disadvantages of Hybrid vehicles?

Also, how reliable/trustworthy is Honda when it comes to the maintenance? I ask, coz I had a Sony Camera under warranty, but Sony asked for $120 as labour charges to fix issues when they arose. One of the advantages of buying a first hand car, for me, is because of the 60K warranty. Is that without catches?

Thanks!

tpf

I had a 2000 Insight for five years before getting a HAH. The Insight is a wonderful car, fun to drive, incredibly efficient, and totally reliable in my experience. The drawbacks are that it is noisey, the ride was uncomfortable after an hour or so, felt unstable on the turnpike, bad in snow, and the stock tires are miserable. A change of tires led to a better ride and handling. The size was never an issue for me.

corkscrew

If your 2006-2007 hybrid has excessive engine vibration there may be a solution. TSB 07-059 issued on Oct. 26 says that an error in the engine control current measurement unit might be at fault and might need to be replaced. Honda says that payment assistance on out-of-warranty claims is available at the discretion of the district service manager.

mrmiles

I bought a new HAH in March 2005. It now has 85k+ miles, closing in on the rated life of the battery. Do any other long-time owners have experience with how the batteries hold up or anything I could do to lengthen its life? I can't see any way to do maintenance, it's a closed pack, right?

FYI, I can still get 37-38 mpg on the highway if I work at it. Mixed driving with a lot of hills gives an average around 32-33, not great but pretty good for the juice it puts out.

bnguyen

I'm debating on getting either an Accord or Camry. Does anyone own a Honda Accord 2008 ? I heard Honda has been having Transmission problem but I don't know on which car.

Please help

lebloom

Have 100,000 miles on mine and so far so good. I am 2nd owner and been told by a couple Honda dealers they have never replaced these batteries as of yet. I am looking for info on how I can somehow keep my batteries warmed in the winter. Is there a heater out there that can be attached for this because now that its turning colder I have noticed my mileage is dropping off considerably. Got any ideas?

r_ace1

Raytx, if you have a warranty with Honda check with their warranty department. They might allow you to change out the oil before the 15,000k mile mark. As long as you show documentation that the oil and oil filter was changed.
As for me, I just purchased a used 05 Accord Hybrid on the 9 of June, it comes with a 100,000k mile warranty but I'll be talking to the warranty dept about the oil, transmission, and other fluids. If I could change them out myself I would. It's cheaper to do it yourself and you know what you're putting in your ride.
So far I'm impressed with Honda's design for the Accord Hybrid. My only concern is with the IMA batteries (see new topic regarding IMA batteries).

Hope the above info helps

sewtek

Really love the car, but while driving cross country, when letting up on the gas, we experienced a "growl" or vibration which sounded almost like the sub-woofer for the stereo, or like rumble strip in the road. Realized it was the car. Only noticable around the 45-50 mph range. Been to the transmission shop and they serviced, ie. filter, fluid etc. They couldn't get it to do it again, however, less than 24 hours later this returned.

Also, the Gas economy display has disappeared and will not reset as the manual states.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

rhand3

All the Accord Hybrids have this problem. It's the Active Noise Cancellation problem. Your dealer should know about it. I have yet to find an after market solution.

jbo3

The growling noise is sometimes referred to as a harmonic drone. I have a 2005 HAH and I had the same trouble. The hybrid engine makes the noise when it shut down 3 of the cylinders. The noise originates from the exhaust headers. When 3 cylinders shut down, the headers become untuned and the noise is generated. The engineers at Honda are aware of the problem and countered the noise issue with an Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) system. The ANC works using the audio system in the car by creating a 50 Hz sound exactly 180 degrees out of phase with the header sound effectively cancelling out the untuned header noise. The noise is still there but you won't hear it.

Most dealerships are unaware of the issue or the fix. Your ANC is probably turned off. The fix is to reset the ANC to the on setting. To do this press and hold the on switch on the radio and press and hold the tuning switch at the same time. Look in the heads up display for ANC Then while the two switches are held down, press the scan button. You should see ANC ON or ANC OFF. By pressing the scan button repeatedly the display will toggle between ANC on and off.

This procedure fixed my harmonic drone but if you turn on the ANC and the sound doesn't stop, your ANC may need to be replaced. That'll cost you because the stereo speakers and the ANC are matched. Good luck.

soocitysue

I am really disappointed in the gas mileage my hybrid is getting. On a road trip, I watched it drop from 34 when I was doing 65 MPH to 25 when I was averaging 75 MPH... you almost can't do less on the interstates. I called my Honda dealer in a panic, thinking something was wrong. They didn't take the call; I left a message on the machine, and they never called back. Both Honda dealers where I live are... not helpful, let's say. Around town, I'm only getting about 24. I got much better gas mileage with a Nissan. Anyway, does anyone have a clue on this? The car has 80,000 miles on it, reasonable tires altho not the Pilot Exaltos I now know I should have put on. I had the noise problem, which has been solved, thank heavens.

snowtracks

I would also describe the noise I hear in my 2005 HAH as a harmonic drone. However, my HAH does not have a heads-up display. Can someone give a more detailed description of how to switch ANC ON and OFF? Thanks.

emmy6

I purchased my '06 HAH in Nov 2007 with 7000 miles. I was averaging around 29 mpg mixed in town/hwy for the 1st years. It was not the best but considered ok for a V6. When I took trips, I would reset and get upto 39 mpg hwy. Overtime, I have noticed a decline in the mpg. I am now getting 23/24mpg in town, 25 mpg mixed, and 30 mpg straight hwy. I am avid with the maintance schedule thru the local dealership and have Michelin tires. Aside from the disappointing gas mileage, I have really loved this car. I prefer the '03-'07 Accord models (hybrid and non hybrids) to the '08-'12 models. A new model has been released this year and haven't seen it yet. Has anyone else had the same issue the mpg?

tonysony

My miles per gallon dropped dramatically in my '05 HAH. I was averaging 10 miles per gallon less than usual and my engine light started coming on for no reason. The dealer did a software upgrade to my hybrid battery and my engine light went off however my miles per gallon remained very low (27 mpg or so). About a month later my engine light and integrated motor assist lights came back on. Miles per gallon dropped to around 23 mpg. I took it in about a month later and they checked the hybrid battery again and said it was defective and would be replaced under warranty. I'm picking it up today and we'll see how the repair went.

scm74

How's the MPG since you picked up the car with the replaced battery? So was your battery replaced within the 80K warranty? I have 120K on mine and just took in my car to the dealer this week. Honda is chipping in for repairs and I'll be paying about $500 instead of the $3K typical replacement cost. Was told the battery pack is "remanufactured", but confirmed w/Honda that the cells are brand new and only the casing is re-used. Hoping to get many more years out of my HAH.

srasor

I too have a 2005 Hybrid with the harmonic drone. I tried your recommended solution but pressing and holding the radio power and tuning buttons simultaneously did not get me to any view of the ANC on/off options - it just played the radio. I hope you can help me at least try your recommendation with different instructions so I can avoid the $800 ANC unit and Speaker replacement my dealer is quoting. Othewise, I may just try to avoid 25, 40, and 55 mph speeds when the drone kicks in. Thanks

geneal

I have a 2005 HAH with only 31,000 on it. Put a new regular (100 month) battery in it in November of last year. Now IMA and motor icons are starting to light up again. Last week it would not start. I had the IMA reinitialized, etc. but it is still showing the icons. and I am told that the big battery is weak and will need replacement soon. For the last year, it really has not seen much activity (and I guess you can say that it has not been overworked in general). I bought it in March of 2005, but they say that the warranty has expired. What's the best way to go?

bobo1942

I have EXACTLY the same problem. 2006 Honda Accord Hybrid with 29-32 mpg for years; 39 on extended highway trips. Have 75,000+ miles and thru last year mpg has gone down to 21-23 mpg. Went to local dealer and he has offered to replace with Honda warranted IPA for almost $600. You say it cost you nothing! How did that happen? Can you give me a hint how you achieved it? Thanks

bobo1942

My wife and I are experiencing the same problems with our 2006 Honda Accord Hybrid. The dealer is offering us a replacement IPA for about $600. Can you explain how you were able to receive a warranted replacement at no cost to you? Any suggestions on how you go about achieving? You didn't say how many miles were on your vehicle. Ours has 75,000.
Your message also only said you were picking up the battery, but didn't say how it went. How has it been going?

geneal

I am looking for comments. My 2005 Accord hybrid with only 31,000 miles on it has been acting very strange lately. The Honda shop told me that I probably needed a new battery pack, but the IMA was given a “reinitialization” to see if that would solve the problem. Since then I have been watching the battery report on the dashboard very closely. The Engine icon is on and the IMA icon has been on and off and now on again. Here are my observations on a recent 17 mile test run.

Started with 5 bars and in less than a mile, it dropped to 3 and then 2 and just as quickly went up to 6 and 5, then again just as quickly to 2 and 1. (Small charging started to show after the drops while doing normal driving, but sometimes coasting or braking showed no charging.) It next got up to 4 and then I pulled over to make some notes and the reading went up to 6. When I resumed it went to 5 for a while and then I noticed that it was doing some small charging on normal driving (but nothing on coasting or braking). Next thing it was 3 bars and all charging scenarios were at work. It then went to 6 bars and I called it quits. It seldom went one bar at a time. Also. The assist indicator only shows action for less than a second at a time and eve that doesn’t happen often. My opinion is that it is still a computer problem.

Here’s a little history. Back in April of 2008 after 16,432 miles, the car would not start and I was told that it needed a new battery. A 100 month battery was installed. Then in November of 2012 with the mileage at 30,385, when the car would not start, I was told that that 100 month battery was bad. On November 30, 2012, once again, the battery was replaced.

Finally in September of this year with the mileage around 30,900, the same problem occurred, and I was given the new battery pack recommendation. Of course, it was pointed out to me that at this point, in 2013, the warranty has expired.

Any thoughts?