Honda Accord (2003-2007) Maintenance and Repair

stickguy

well, normally the dealer will be quite a bit pricier. Depends on how much you want to pay for convenience.

also, many tire shops give lifetime free rotation (and sometimes balancing). That can be worth quite a bit over the years, but again, you need to make a special trip to get it done. You can also get the road hazard warranty for a nominal cost, for piece of mind.

costco and BJs also do tires, and have very good prices.

As to brands, it depends partly on what your criteria are (aside from price). Do you drive in snow? Lots of rain? are you more interested in traction or a quiet ride?

I put yokohama Avids on my 2005. They work very well, but are not really highly rated for snow. Kumho also has some good deals.

On my Tl (same size) I got B.F. goodrich toruing TAs, and they have worked very nicely. very good deal too. From BJs.

You can go to Tirerack.com and read reviews on different models, and see how they were rated.

steve1

I've had pretty good luck with National Tire & Battery (NTB) but I'm not sure how they compare to Costco or BJ's in terms of price. I think the dealer would be the most expensive, so I would avoid them.

As far as tires go, like the other reply said, I would go to tirerack.com and check out the reviews. My 2003 Accord came with Michelin Energy MXV4 tires that were very good in all conditions but they're not cheap (about $130 each when I replaced them at 55,000 miles). There are other tires out there for less than that which will do well for you (I just don't know what to recommend since I've always had good luck with Michelins). Tirerack.com has a lot of really good info, though. Good luck!

hondahenry

very good info. appreciate very much your help, steve and stickguy.

stickguy

actually I got advantage TSs at BJs. Nice tires. and made in the USA!

thegraduate

I love the performance of my Bridgestone Potenza G019s, as they're a high-performance all-season. Great in wet & dry alike, sharp-handling, but not particularly quiet; they were $95 a tire at Big Ten Tires for the 16" wheels on my '06 EX Accord. For quiet tires, the relatively inexpensive Firestone FR380 are good, as I recommended a few posts back. I don't remember cost per tire, but they were $407 installed on our '02 Accord LX with 15" wheels.

jp2004

I can see the display fine during daylight hours, but the LCD light doesn't usually light when I turn on headlights. I've researched the PCB issue, learned that the 4-cylinder is not covered under the extended warranty from both the dealer and Honda USA. I understand that what's causing the issue with the LX V6, and EX models is a burned out resistor on the PCB (e.g. poor design -- it sounds like the resistor is overheating because of its proximity to AC related components on the same board -- the resistor is in place in order to keep the bulb from burning out).

A couple days though, a strange thing happened -- the light came on -- suggesting that the resistor isn't burned out and that their might be some other issue. The light has gone out again, but I think the issue may be either a loose wire, or it could be that I inadvertently reset the radio console somehow (this is an used car). What I did differently from the past was that I inserted a CD into the player, then turned on the headlights. I've used the CD player before but never in conjunction with the headlights (I've only had the car for a few weeks at this point). After about 10 minutes I noticed that the display light had turned on. I was able to turn the engine off and the radio display light came back on twice after stops of about 30 minutes. The next morning it appeared that the display was still lighting. However, two days later the radio went dark again, and I haven't been able to trigger the display light again (suggesting that maybe there is a loose wire -- or perhaps some other issue). Has anyone else with a 4-cylinder LX sedan 2004 experienced a similar issue? (e.g. the display light stopped working and then came back on?) Any ideas for fixes?

crazygrrrl

I've got a 2007 Accord coupe 4 cyl w/ automatic transmission. I bought the car new and it's reached 39,000 miles (80% smooth freeway driving; cruise control at 65 mph).

The owner's manual says to change the automatic transmission fluid at 60,000 miles!

Most of the cars I've had before recommends a transmission fluid change at 30,000 miles.

Should I change it ASAP or wait for the next 21,000 miles?

Also, when should I change the power steering fluid? The manual doesn't mention when it should be changed.

Thanks.

jonahdog

If you are planning on keeping the car I would definitely change the tranny fluid now. I currently have an 02auto with 180K, 03auto with 135K and 07 manual with 40K. I try to change the tranny fluid @ 45K or sooner if needed. If you drive in Mts, extreme heat or pull something definitely change it more often. Once that that tranny acts up you may find yourself hating your car and changing the fluid is a lot less $$ than a new transmission. My 2 cents. :shades:

crazygrrrl

Wow, 180K! Looks like you're doing the right thing.

I'll sched an appointment to have the transmission fluid changed next month. I plan to keep my car until the wheels fall off or it gets stolen or totalled, whichever comes first.

Thanks.

thegraduate

The maintentance minder just hit 15% on my '06 Accord 2.4L and indicated A13 (Oil Change and Trans Fluid Change) so I plan to have my fluid changed in the next two weeks. Never had it done.

I'm at 63,100 miles.

buyahome

I recently had my transmission fluid changed by the dealer. I asked how much fluid they remove and was surprised (well not really surprised) that only a small amount of fluid is replaced. In my mind it is like taking a bath with old bath water and a pan of fresh water to add to the tub.

My question is this. What is the best way to do a transmission fluid change and get most of the fluid out and replace it with new? I have been the Ji%%y Lube route on other cars...please don't suggest that.

elroy5

The best way to change the transmission fluid is to use the transmission's own pump to pump the fluid out, and pour new fluid in at the same time, until it comes out clean. Of course this will use up a lot of fluid (more than the transmission's capacity), by the time the fluid is perfectly clean. If you pay a shop to do it, it will probably cost $200 or more. It is possible to do this yourself, but I've never tried it. I change out 3 quarts every 15k miles, and change the filter every other change or so, and my fluid stays pretty clean, so I'm not going to try it myself. What you positively don't want to do, is use a "power flush" machine on a Honda automatic.

swhits

I have an 07 V6 Sedan and I get the exact same shudder. Only on light acceleration and usually through 2nd and 3rd gear. If I am going up a hill, it's even worse, just as you mention. It's not as violent, but all I can compare it to is exactly like having a manual and dropping the clutch out in too low of a gear once you're already at speed, kind of a bucking and jerk for a few seconds until things settle down. I'm still under warranty and have been scared by all the 03-05 V6 transmission issues, so I took it in. They "had trouble recreating" the problem (which is a joke, because it does it every time under the right conditions), but ended up saying my rear engine mount was collapsed and replaced that. I should have turned around on my way home from the dealer, because it is no better. I was wondering about the torque converter - does anyone have any advice? I'll make another appointment and take it back in, but I am looking for anything specific I can tell them to look for or check, so hopefully it will get fixed right, and I won't have to make a 3rd appointment. Any help is appreciated.....

jonahdog

I have an 03 accord 4cyl auto with the same shudder as well. I notice it most in morning when I am slowly accelerating uphill on interstate from @ 50-65 mph in 4th gear with overdrive engaged (ie. low RPM @ 2000). Strangely, after I crest the hill I don't notice the shudder so much on the rest of the drive. Car has @ 130k. I have read about the motor / transmission mounts going bad on the @03 models but have not had mine looked at. The tranny itself works very well, smooth and appropriate shifts, has never hesitated or acted strange in any way. I remember a few posts that mentioned a complete change (all the motor mounts). Seems like this was an issue when the 03 model change occurred. Anxious to hear other suggestions as well.

grampy1

This is driving me crazy!! Manual says 60 k under extreme driving conditions of heat,cold, dusty,etc. No mention of time elapsed.

Two dealers say 105,000 ,or 7 years.

What is others experience?

elroy5

It's 105k miles, or 7 years. The conditions that would require you to change it earlier are VERY extreme ( if the car is driven in minus 20 degrees, or plus 120 degrees regularly). Unless you live in the middle of the desert, or the North pole, I don't think your car will regularly see these extreme temperatures. I don't think dusty conditions have anything to do with the timing belt (it is under covers). My 03 V6 is at 80k miles, but getting close to the 7 year mark. I plan to take the front timing cover off, and inspect the belt at the 7 year date, and determine when I will actually change it. If the belt doesn't show any significant wear, I will wait a while longer. I have never heard of a belt breaking on these engines before the 105k, or 7 year interval. One guy, who did a how-to on the timing belt job said he thought his belt could have gone to 120k miles easy. Changing it at the 105k/7 year interval is the safe way, but chances are it would last much longer, under normal conditions.

chucko3

Dealers are right.

ezshift5

Owner's manual: 105k. Dealer folk tend to agree. Bring money. Local Honda folks vary from a high of $1600 to a low (so far) of $850.........

A lot less of my Naval Reserve dinero that a new Acura TSX with the same 6M but a lot less power and about the same fuel efficiency (freeway).

No real complaints, ez....

thegraduate

I had mine done by my local reputable mechanic. He charged $400 + $78 for the water pump. The dealer wanted $850.

stickguy

elroy, since so much of the job is the labor, why not just put the new belt in when you have it all opened up and be done with it?

for the person with the shudder that (no surprise) the dealer "could not reproduce", the best thing is for you to take the service manager/writer out and recreate it yourself, since you know when it will happen. Most likely they just had a tech make a quick lap around the parking lot, so of course it isn't going to do anything!

grampy1

Thanks to everyone who replied. My local mechanic is around $500 also.

elroy5

elroy, since so much of the job is the labor, why not just put the new belt in when you have it all opened up and be done with it?


Taking the front cover off, to inspect the timing belt, should take less than 1/2 an hour, and cost nothing. Taking both covers (front and rear) and the bottom cover (which requires removing the crankshaft pulley (which sounds like a job all by itself), and changing the timing belt, will probably take me a full day, if not longer. If I decide to change the water pump, tensioner, and timing belt pulleys it will also cost about $300 for the oem parts. There is a BIG difference, between checking the timing belt, and changing it.

elroy5

I had mine done by my local reputable mechanic. He charged $400 + $78 for the water pump. The dealer wanted $850.

Changing the timing belt on the V6 is a lot more difficult than changing the timing belt on your 96 I4 engine. There is a lot less room to work, which makes the job that much harder. I think I could change the timing chain on my 4 cylinder truck in half the time (I've done it twice already). I doubt that mechanic would change the V6 timing belt for the same $400, unless he is your best friend.

thegraduate

Gotcha. You know I have a limited scope of knowledge, so thanks for chiming in to help out our poster.

hondalova

In reading this thread, I'm surprised nobody mentioned the issue of close tolerance valves. I don't know for certain that the V-6 3.0L Accord has them, but if it does, I would not take ANY chances on running my timing belt past manufacturer's recommendations b/c, if you guess wrong, and the belt fails, you will destroy the top half of your motor - and any math that favors saving $500 at the daily increasing risk of spending $3000 is math that don't work.

Oh, and my local mechanic charged me $645 to the belt and water pump at 106k - car now has 145k and still running OK (though it has developed some, um, er, uh, "personality" as the mileage has climbed).

-FS

hondalova

I was wondering if any of you out there with the new V-6 Accord Coupe and the manual transmission can tell me what kind of mileage you're getting. I'm about 6-8 months away from going shopping and I hear the current generation gets worse mileage than my 2004 V-6 6 spd. I'm averaging 26-27 mpg on a 70% hwy. / 30% local driving cycle with a 100 mile roundtrip commute every day.

Oh - and its NY metro traffic, so the cylinder de-activation thingy ain't gonna work so good on my commute.

-FS

elroy5

I would not take ANY chances on running my timing belt past manufacturer's recommendations b/c, if you guess wrong, and the belt fails, you will destroy the top half of your motor -

The owner's manual says 105k miles, or 7 years, whichever comes first. My car will be 7 years old in September, but I only have 80k miles. I plan to change the belt myself, and I don't want to remove all the covers, etc. to find a belt that has very little wear. I will remove the front cover (easiest to remove), and check the condition of the belt. If it looks as good, or better, than my drive belt, which is also the original, I will probably go another 10k miles (really depends on what the belt looks like at that time), Honda's 7 year time limit is IMO a very low estimate on how long the belt will last. I don't run my engine hard at all 90% of the time, and I don't live in an area where extreme temperatures are common. I've not heard of any 3.0 V6 timing belts failing early. I have read quite a few posts from owners who've taken everything apart, to find a belt that is barely worn at all.

I would NEVER advise anyone else to go beyond the 7 years, but I am willing to bet my belt will not break before I change it. I don't think it's a gamble really, as long as I check the condition of the belt, and not just assume it's in great shape. To each his own.

accord6mt

FYI The newest accord V-6 6MT doesn't include the cylinder deactivation - only the V6 automatics get that feature. The new engine is 0.5 liters larger than the previous V6 and the car is bigger and heavier than the previous generation... so it would make sense that the mileage might be less than the previous generation V6...

Good luck!

daveturner

I have a 2004 Accord EX 4-door automatic (75k miles); I went to my usual Honda dealer for my 5000 mile service and the service adviser said that my front shocks were leaking fluid and need to be replaced at a cost of $695! I did some research such as looking up repair estimate in my area via the web site repairpal.com, and the price range is $321 to $497 in my area (east of Los Angeles suburb), so it seems what the dealer wants is way above typical repair prices. I asked the adviser why did the shocks fail so fast, he said it might be due to running over potholes...but I don't remember running over any big potholes since my last dealer maintenance visit about 6 months ago.

I bought a Honda because i wanted to avoid these high repair costs--especially at such relatively low mileage (75k miles), and I feel disappointed that I face such a high repair bill for what is supposed to be a reliable car; and my Honda has had all the maintenance done at Honda dealerships but I am currently quite upset with the dealer's quote of $695 and I am looking at possibly getting the repair done at an independent shop (there's a repair shop in my area that specializes in Honda/Toyota so I'm going to get a quote from them).

Has anyone else had problems with their Accords front shocks leaking fluid and needing replacement?

Mr_Shiftright

75K-80K is about normal lifespan for shocks---I mean, that's not to say they all leak at the mileage, but on most cars, they are tired at 80K.

Many people will insist otherwise, but that's usually because they have no basis for comparison. Since shock absorber degradation is so gradual, it's hard to notice the deterioration unless the shock absolutely collapsed--which they rarely do. Once NEW shocks are put on, the difference becomes apparent.

75K is a lot of bouncing up and down through potholes and who knows what else.