Honda Accord (2003-2007) Maintenance and Repair

mrbill1957

The LCD navi screen uses a florescent type of bulb for a back light. They are known to have a delay in reaching full brightness, esp when it gets cold.

I would think you can verify everything is OK by rechecking the display once the car is warm.

Mrbill

ol07

Has anyone had any problems with their Accord Navigation Screen?

I began noticing this in the mornings shortly after I got my car. I figured it might be the colder temperatures, but did not really think too much into it.

neteng101

http://www.driveaccord.net/

They gave you the wrong link.

chucko3

That's normal. That's how the LCD works. It takes several seconds for the back light to come to full brightness.
Longer if the temp is cold.

kcrossley

Then I guess the consensus is that this is normal. Thanks everyone.

Kelly

p.s. I'm still loving my Accord!

tallman1

Now that's strange that this message appeared again.

jasonjyu

Thanks, ez.. It seems very easy. I can get it done.

blane

thegraduate,

You asked, "How long have you typically kept these vehicles (time and mileagewise)?"

I probably have averaged 4 to 7 years and 60K to 110K miles. Never a concern with any available fuel.

thegraduate

Thanks for the info, and I will keep that in mind in case price differentials widen as summer comes on. For now, I'll probably keep paying $2.04 for Chevron vs. $2.02 for Kwik Stop.

Thanks for the insight however

chucko3

It might have something to do with message #2121 out of
sequence.

tallman1

I used Arco and Costco gas mostly on my '95 and it is way over 200,000 miles now. There is quite a difference between those stations and Chevron around here. Gas tax in Washington is very high so I'm jealous of what thegrad is paying. I think my last tank was $2.31. Of course, we don't have a state income tax.

gopik

i have a 2006 lx 4 cyl and i have the same slight vibration in the steering wheel and under the seat while driving and when stopped at traffic lights. sometimes it is a little more and sometimes it is less. i think it is normal. you cannot expect a vibration free car i guess.

bmwshin

What's the best way to maintain the interior of my car? What do you use for wiping the dashboard area and the seats (cloth)? I've used Armor All before, which has worked well, but do you guys have any preference that seems to have worked well for you? Thanks!

vrborg

i have accord 2006SE, silver with black interior. i am curious to know how to take care of the clothes seat. it doesn't look good with dust and fur all over the seats. very difficult to remove them. help please.

tallman1

I used Armor All at one time too. Then I discovered this place: Griot's Garage

Look for their Vinyl and Rubber Dressing. No silicone, nice finish, lasts quite awhile.

The other cool thing about this place is that they have a free Detailer's Handbook that you can download, whether you use their products or not.

tallman1

A good vacuum cleaner usually works well. Use the brush attachment if you need to get hair off. You can always use one of those sticky lint rollers... or the poor man's version: masking tape wrapped around your fingers with the sticky side out.

thegraduate

As tallman mentioned, the sticky lint-rollers have always worked for me at getting off the fuzz. Never had "fur" on them, but I think it should come off too.

As for the previous post about cleaning things like the dash, I simply use a slightly damp cloth to "dust" the dashboard and wipe away any smudges; it always seems to do the trick.

chucko3

Armor All works well for me for 17+ yrs. No fading, no
cracks.

altair9

(05 ex 4cylAT Accord)I recently had a battery drain down. I have a charger with start assist, which I used to start and further charge the battery. I notice the Honda owners manual says to disconnect both battery terminals when using a charger to avoid damaging the electrical system. What damage is Honda referring to: a surge or what? I read this after charging with a charger (slow charge), but have not seen any negative effect. I thought I might have a bad cell, but the dealer checked the electrical system and it was fine (incl. battery) Was I playing with lady luck here? Thoughts. Thanks in advance. Altair

elroy5

I think if it's a "trickle charge" the chance of damage would be slim (the alternator probably charges just as much). If it would be a stronger "quick charge" situation, then I suspect damage could occur.

mingum

Hi - after today's snowstorm, the first bad one I've been in with my 06 Accord I notice that even after driving with all the heaters on for 2 hours, the snow/ice stuck underneat the windshield wipers never melted, and the nozzles for the fluid were never able to work due to the ice on top of them. There was so much ice I couldn't chip it away. I thought it would eventually melt from the heat of the engine and the heaters but it never did. Any advice?

blane

Wasn't your climate control system set to the DEFROST mode? That would have put maximum heated airflow to the base of the windshield. If you jst had the heater on, most of the heated airflow would have been directed to your feet.

If you live where such icing conditions are regular events, you might want to consider installing special WINTER windshield wiper blades. They won't clog with ice as normal ones do on occasion.

You might also want to purchase a spray can of windshield de-icing fluid. That could have helped with the frozen washer nozzles.

rzpac

I have a 2005 ex with ~15k mi on it, and the battery has now died on me 3 times so far. Each time, it is caused by me leaving a dome light on inside. But this last time, the dome light was only left on for only 3 hours or so. That seems too short of a time to drain the battery, even on a 30 degree day. Could this be a problem with the battery or something else? Or is a dome light on for 3 hours a legit reason for a dead battery? In my Nissan, i've left the dome on for a day and had no battery troubles at all.

Any suggestions (other than remembering to turn the light off)?

Many thanx

thegraduate

When my car (06 Accord EX) was new, I left one of the map lights on over night (probably 11 PM - 8 AM) and the battery was not dead. The car was garaged however, and had less than 5,000 miles on it. I don't know what to tell you, honestly, all I can do is tell you my experience. It could be that the other two instances shortened your battery life (just throwing out a wild suggestion with that one)?

mrbill1957

I would suspect that your battery needs replacement. If the car sat for a while during winter before it sold, the battery may have fully discharged, and possibly froze. That will damage a battery that charging will not fix.

Mrbill

rzpac

thanks. I did buy it in late '05, so that is entirely possible.

mamamia2

Isn't the battery still under warranty?

rzpac

If it is covered in the original manufacturer warranty, then yes it is. I didn't realize that the battery is covered - i should take it in.

blane

I was shocked the last time that I brought my 2004 Accord into the Honda shop for an oil change. When I picked up the car they told me that they had done a routine check of the battery (I hadn't asked for one and never experienced any electrical concerns.) and determined that the battery needed to be replaced under warranty. No complaints from me.

mrbill1957

My 04 Accord's battery has a built in hydrometer. You might want to see if your 05 also has one. Those built in ones have a limited usefulness, so if it does show green, you still could have a bad battery.

Mrbill

wowtran

My 04 accord doors wont unlock with the keyless entry buttons or manually with the key. Not sure if its an immobolizer problem or something else. It seems to lock when i press the lock button on my keyless and the trunk opens with the keyless so I have no idea what the problem is. Any info of help would be much appreciated.

ol07

Out of sheer curiosity, how do you get into your car? Will the remote let the windows down?

wowtran

Still can't get into the car and the windows wont go down either.

ol07

Maybe crawl through the trunk and take it to the dealer...??...

user777

right, i don't think i would rely on that little indicator, unless it wasn't green, but it showing green?

anyhow. maybe that person with battery issues / dieing with a map light isn't driving the vehicle far enough each day for the alternator to do it's thing. then again, the alternator could be marginal.

rzpac

I'm driving to/from work everyday, which is about 30 min each way. That should certainly be enough. I'm taking it in to Honda express service to see what they say.

ezshift5

..finally weather was bright, sunny, rainfree and Miller time was upon us.

...the procedure is so easy, I really don't see how the dealerships can change $60.00 - sometimes more - with a straight face.

..at 30k - - per Honda maintenance schedule - - I found two deceased honey bees, a few leaf bits, some discolouration. But then I really don't use a/c all that much.........

...anyway, it sure was easy....

best, ez..

mingum

Yes in fact it was on Defrost and I did buy that de-icing spray but it didn't help because the fluid was frozen within the lines. What I wound up doing was having the dealership drain out the washer fluid and replace it with a very heavy concentrated fluid that is supposed to be good up to -25 degrees so we will see how that works out.

toslat

Hi,

I have an 03 EX V6 (42K) with a leaking left-front shock absorber. Went to the garage and was advised to replace both front shocks.
I never really liked the handling of the car and was wondering if I cld use the opportunity to improve the handling of the car by replacing the shocks with non-oem ones.

Looked around and came across the Monroe sensatrac and kyb gr-2. Cld someone pls recommend a replacement shock. Am not looking for anything thats too expensive.

thanx

chucko3

Did the red LED light up when you press the unlock button?
If not, you need to replace the battery.
What I don't understand is why you couldn't open the
driver's door manually with the key.
The immobilizer only prevents you from starting the car, not
opening the doors.
Try the valet key.

toslat

The car is a 4dr Honda Accord 2003 EX V6 with Navi.It has 42K miles

blackexv6

Why are you paying for new struts? 42k miles is a premature failure for supsension components. First, take the car to your Honda dealer and make sure it is the struts that are bad. Then tell them 42k is too early for suspension failure.

My old '03 Accord EXV6 had rear strut & front tie rod end failure (plus transmission failure) around 40k & Honda replaced for free as "goodwill" gesture.

If anything, call the Honda 1-800# and let them know about the problem (open a case #). If you had your car serviced at the dealer you shouldn't have a problem getting the replacement covered 100%.

Hondas are great cars but they really cheapened some of the components over the years. Let them earn their "superior reliability" rating & have them pony up for their premature failures.

toslat

I bought the car used (38K). Think the leaky struts might have been due to a slight collision sustained by the previous owner.
The LF shocks are definitely gone. The fluid has leaked out over all the suspension assembly.
The right side is fine but was told it was better to replace both for balance.

brikcitytoy

I have a 2006 honda accord ex, the thing is that i changed the oil on the car and the maintnance light is still on, could someone tell me how to reset this light, thank you.

jhuckaby

If I remember correctly I had to do this earlier last year because the dealership forgot to reset. Put key in the ignition, press and hold the reset button for your odometer, turn the key to start and hold the reset button for 10 seconds. That should do it.

blane

Just in case, read your Owners Manual. The info is surely there.

exshoman

Had the same problem with my 2006 Accord. Guessing it came from the dealership with weak washer fluid. Once temp got below 32, I couldn't get any fluid out of the nozzles, even if they weren't restricted. Finally filled it up with some new fluid. Noticed when I pulled out the intake tube, it had some frozen fluid in the reservoir.

Unfortunately, this was the morning after a two inch snowstorm, so the roads were still wet with melting snow and salt and dirt. My windows got the dirtiest they've ever been, and I only made it worse by seeing if I could get the windshield washers to work. It just smeared it all over. Then I got on I270, and it was bone dry, so I was really out of luck.

A block away from work, I tried it one last time, and saw some fluid dribble out the right washer. Couple more tries, and It was working fine - guess the new fluid did the trick. Once the weather warmed up a couple degrees, both were working fine. Gotten down to 10 degrees and haven't had the problem re-occur.

ken972

Ive been told the rear brake pads are thinner then the fronts and thats why the rear sometimes wears out quicker.

elroy5

The rear pads are thinner, and much smaller, in size. Still they should not wear out before the front pads.

nthe

the battery was dead, and now the radio in an 04 accord won't work. i've been told there is a code to punch in, but does anyone know anymore about this?