Honda Accord 2007 Maintenance and Repair

grampy1

2007 Accord,V-6,auto. I'm thinking of having a remote start installed in my car,and am wondering what others have done in regards to the Honda dealer doing it,or a independent shop. My concerns are screwing up the car and warranty. What is the price range for a system? I don't need one that makes my coffee to.
Thanks

bauer24

1.Previus and or current cars are 95 chevy lumina, 99 gmc sonoma, and 94 toyota camry.

2.If these noises were presented @ several test drives before we bought the car, do you think we would have bought it? You must be fortunate to get a quiet one. Friend has a 2007 Accord and isn't loud. Was just posting messages to see if any one knew mechanics as to WHY the car would be so loud before taking it in!

bauer24

Would you say the loudness occurred shortly after buying it? During test drive was fine, not loud at all. Maybe a seal is busted somewhere! Ours has 2,000 miles and especially in the 25-30 MPH in city I feel it in my seat. Also, just got a squeky shoe type sound inside cabin but can not figure out where it is coming from! Anyone out there know what either of these could be?

thegraduate

Well, the fact that you have a friend with a 2007 Accord and it isn't loud like you say yours is tells me that something is wrong with yours. The reason I was asking (and again, pardon my ignorance from earlier) was that a lot of people coming from cars known for being quiet (Toyota) into Hondas (which are known for having more noise than competitors) have a hard time realizing that the car is made this way. You obviously understand this having ridden in your friend's Accord and it being quieter.

Good luck with your quest for a quieter Accord; let us know how things progress!

Best regards,
TheGraduate

P.S. - The post I had replied to was not specific in the noise they talked about, unlike you. I had not responded to your post in actuality. This is why I was having trouble figuring things out with your post; I thought I was talking to someone else!

bauer24

Applyarea, mine does the same with 2,0000 miles on it. I don't think it is normal either! Way too loud going 25-30 mph in city. Let me know if you find out what it is! Thank you.

thegraduate

Just a hint for you, as I see you are a fairly new user:

If you'll click "reply" on the post you are directly responding to, that person will likely be able to follow your conversation much more easily. Replying to my post, applyarea is more likely to skip past it. Many people return to their previous posts to see if it got any replies, and since you replied to mine instead of his/hers, they may be less likely to read it.

I hope this helps you, as I'm certainly not picking on you! Welcome to the boards ! And do let us know how things progress with your car.

bauer24

Applyarea, mine does the same with 2,0000 miles on it. I don't think it is normal either! Way too loud going 25-30 mph in city. Let me know if you find out what it is! Thank you.

Feel better now Graduate? I placed this in the most recent post on purpose, but to appease you here you go! :surprise:

thegraduate

I wasn't trying to be ugly about it bauer, as I was hoping the "Welcome to the Boards!" and the smiley face would help portray that. Just trying to help you find the answers you were looking for in the best way. I'm sorry you took it that way.

srizvi1

Hey guys, Just grabbed an '07 Accord Coupe for my wife yesterday - it's an EXL-NAV thats Auto, Black, and I4. (If anyone's interested in the story of the purchase, check out my post here in the prices paid: srizvi1, "Honda Accord: Prices Paid & Buying Experience" #17540, 1 Oct 2007 7:20 am )

I'm Looking forward to being a part of this thread in offering and receiving advice.

Update:
The following question:
I guess the first step is to figure out when to get the 1st oil change. I have an '04 Accord and as per the manual, I go 10k in between oil changes. Apparently, that's not recommended on these new ones?

I'm posting before scrolling through the threads so I'll update this post if I find answers.

Was answered below by both thegraduate, and my own finding of Tallman1's advice a few pages back.

thegraduate

Just go in when your Oil Life Monitor reaches 15% (at this time, a wrench light will come on as well). By the way, you'll probably see this oil life monitor shorthanded with "OLM" around here.

Congrats on the new wheels! I have a 4-cyl sedan and it is a wonderful vehicle.

srizvi1

Thanks for this reply tallman1.

I'm starting maintenance on my new '07 Accord Coupe that I picked up yesterday and coming from an '04 Honda Accord that I bought new and the manual said to change the oil every 10k miles so that's what I've been doing for the past (almost) 3.5 years/ (almost) 100k miles. So when I didn't find any answers on when to do things in the manual (like in our new '07 CR-V's manual as well), I figured I'd hit up the forums and see what others were doing.

So 1st oil change no earlier than 5k miles/15% oil life. Sounds good to me.

srizvi1

hey thanks for the advice thegraduate. I just replied to tallman1's post as you were posting your own advice.

so far in scrolling through the past few pages, I haven't seen too much advice on synthetic oil. I've been using Mobil 1 in my '04 Accord EXL-NAVI Auto 4 cylinder from around 30k miles to present.

I'll still keep scrolling through earlier posts to see if questions on this were answered, but I was wondering if I Should start using Mobil 1 in my new '07 Accord too.

thegraduate

The OLM will not know you are using this syntheitic oil, and will read that you need an oil change before it is likely necessary if you use synthetic. As for me, my OLM sends me in for a change every 7,000 or so, and I use good ole Castrol without a problem.

In fact, my 1996 has had the Dinosaur juice run in it every 3,500 miles since it was new (now has 175k miles). It doesn't burn oil and still delivers the EPA listed MPG (23/31) to this day.

I've never used synthetic, so I wouldn't be the best person to ask probably.

srizvi1

Thanks for the reply thegraduate.

But I wanted to confirm with any fellow synthetic users - Is it a fact that synthetic lets you run longer than regular oil? like with my '04 Accord, the manual said to go 10k in between oil changes. But it seems this was based on using regular oil. But even though I was using synthetic, I still went just 10k miles inbetween regular oil changes (not sure what hte limits are for Mobil 1).

I'm ok to keep track of things myself without the OLM so if there is indeed a benefit for using Mobil 1 for the engine, and I can go longer in between oil changes, than that would be preferred.

user777

1 vote for not modifying your vehicle with remote start. cost 0$. headache: 0. reliability impact: 0. warranty void: 0.

elroy5

If I were going to get remote start, and the car was still under warranty, it would definitely be from the dealer. That way the dealer cannot claim the remote start installer screwed something up. If it was not still under warranty, I would still probably go with the dealership, just in case there is a problem with the immobilizer system. Remote Start is not something I would get in any case.

applyarea

I hear you...the other day I passed by the dealer's place and went in for some opinions. Since I didn't make an appointment, I couldn't find the salesman I know. But I finally got a service person to look at my car, surely you can guess what he would say. I was in a hurry and didn't have time to test drive another EXL located at the other lot.

By the way, you car has 2,000 or 20,000 miles? Same as your experience, I didn't notice the loud engine when I was testing drive. I guess I had too much confidence at Honda's engine and paid too much attention to the speakers...

I want to schedule a time again with the dealer but it's just too much trouble. I don't know... the car might be just normal.

grampy1

I guess if i get one I'll have it installed by the dealer.
Its under warranty And i don't want any issues if the car develops a problem that could be attributed to the starter

elroy5

Exactly, even if the remote start is not the cause of the problem, that doesn't mean they will not try to say it is. However, if the dealer installed it, they have no excuse (no one to blame the problem on but themselves).

garrick

2007 Accord Sedan 1 mth old shut down while idle at a stop light and wouldn't start again for 5 minutes. Any thoughts?

elroy5

Seems like there would be an error code stored in the computer from when this happened. Maybe you should get the codes checked out. It may happen again, and maybe not?

srizvi1

I'm interested in this too. But my top priority is getting an ipod jack into both my new accord (the '07 Coupe EXL-NAVI Black Auto I4 that I purchased Sunday) as well as in my old Accord ('04 Sedan EXL-Navi Blue Auto 4 cylinder).

I'll try to find a more relevant thread than this one for the discussions on that.

But I'd like to know how it all works out for you grampy1 once you (if you do that is) get the remote start installed.

rsd1

Car's stiff ride - I am convinced it's the tire and tire pressure related. When i test drove the car it was smooth (evening, temp in 50-60s). Lately, the ride has been getting rougher(daytime driving to work, temp in 70-80) and i was wondering why. Today, i drove in the evening (temp in 50-60) and the ride was again very smooth. Maybe these Michelin tires are sensitive to correct tire pressure.

blackexv6

It's the car's suspension and not the tires.

The '08's suspension has been softened due to many owner complaints.

thegraduate

I can't help but wonder why he said it was smooth at one point then not at another?

elroy5

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I have the same car you do (03 EX V6, and yes it's even Black). My car has been the picture of perfection from day 1, to day 1500, and the ride is far from stiff or harsh. If you really want to know what a stiff/harsh ride feels like, you should drive an 03 Altima. If the car really rode that bad wouldn't you have noticed this during a test drive? Seems like someone with this much desire for a smooth ride would have bought a Camry, or a Buick. :confuse:

rsd1

Ok, we need to define what we mean by stiff ride. People need to stop saying go buy a Camry or Buick each time someone says something about Accord's ride quality. Camry/Buick - Floaty/smooth ride but too much roll. BMW - Firm/Smooth ride but great handling. You see the difference? I have owned BMWs and love the way BMW rides and handles. Honda is closest among economy cars in matching that trade-off.

Having said that, i am surprised that the car is appreciably smoother last couple of days. Same route and no changes except changed tire pressure to 32 in front and 30 rear.The car simply glides over same road bumps with faint thump that earlier used to transmit some to the car interior.

I have just completed 1000 miles on the car. My main complaints were 1. Sear comfort 2. Stiff jarring ride 3.Buzzy 4-cylinder noise.

1. Sear comfort - Initially, i used to get very uncomfortable with the seat bottom position. But I have adjusted to the seat now and now find it comfortable.
2. Ride - Somehow, the Ride is great now.
3. Engine noise - All the buzziness gone and the engine is smooth with very little noise.

I would say the car is truely broken in and i am satisfield.

yury

my 2 cents:

07 SE V6, 9000 km. The ride is firm, but, i suppose, due to 17 alloys, that stifness is actually quite tolerable. I had inexpensive hard riding compacts before, and I think the similar stifness of the ride was more annoying (steel wheels). The accord, however being firm, is actually quite pleasurable and to me the handling benefits are worth it comparing to, say a Malibu i drove before.

Btw, no fluctuations, ride seems to be quite consistent day after day.

joeqpublic

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if anyone has some general maintenance tips in order to keep my 07 running for many years. I have had the car for about a year now, and have had it serviced regularly as per the odometer readings, and drive carefully in general. Are there lessons learned that others can share?

One area I am trying to solve is getting better gas mileage. Presently, I am only getting about 450 kms (~280miles) on a tank of gas until my fuel light indicator comes on. Is there anything I can do to get more, or should I raise this with my dealer?

Thanks for all your help.

thegraduate

Considering that the low-fuel lamp comes on after about 13 gallons has been used, that's not just terrible (21.5 MPG)depending on the engine choice and what type of driving you do.

Judge mileage by:

1.) Filling up the car
2.) Driving until you feel the need to fill up (for me, it usually comes after about 10-12 gallons)
3.) Divide gallons it takes to refill your car this time into the number of miles you drove on that tank. (If you put 10 gallons into the car and drive 250 miles = 25 MPG).

Don't judge the MPG by the fuel light - you still have 3.5-4 gallons left in the Accord if the low-fuel lamp is on. That's my experience!

As far as long term maintenance, I'd change my auto-transmission fluid every 30k (not flush every 30, just change), I'd change my air filter every 60k, and if you have a V6, get the timing belt changed when the book says to do so (if the belt breaks you will be out some serious $!). Rotate tires every 6k-10k miles (I have it done at each oil change, which for me, comes around 7,500 miles based on my maintenance minder).

I can't think of anything else right off-hand at the moment, but if you have any questions, this forum is a good place to find help!

elroy5

Isn't the air filter supposed to be at 30k miles Grad? Other than that I agree with all your maintenance tips.

blufz1

Just get some Goodyear assurance comfort treads if you want a smoother ride. See if you can get $150-200 for the Michelins. The Goodyears just don't handle as well and you'll get 1.5 less mpg but the ride is very comfortable.

thegraduate

After looking at my filter, and still getting consistently good mileage (which hasn't wavered more than 1 MPG either way since tank number 2 when on my regular commute), I'm going to make it go longer. I'll clean it with compressed air at 30k.

elroy5

I tried the compressed air once not long ago and it didn't do anything (works great on lawn mower air filters though). Maybe the I4 is different, but it didn't blow anything out of the filter. It's not a dry dust, that will come out easily. More like a soot. I tried blowing out the A/C filter too, and no dice on that either.

imidazol97

The composition of my AC cabin filter is like fiberglass threads. I read someone has washed theirs. I didn't find a new one at Chinaworld so I rinsed mine out in Dawn. Dried it in the sun. Took out lots of "mud"; you might check to see if that works on your cabin filter. The cabin filters may get moisture in them because of their location, so I figured they were somewhat waterproof.

srizvi1

ooh, I can give you some great advice in terms of tires and keeping costs low.

Back in April '06, I popped a tire on my '04 Accord EXL-NAVI when I scraped a curb. At the time, my 2 other tires were real crappy as well (I can't remember the mileage that all this went down at so I wil have to check and let you know). So basically, I Decided to replace all 4 tires. Plus, there was a nice rebate going on if you replaced all 4.

I went with the Bridgestone G009s and got my online quote from TireRack.com. I got my local Firestone to match the prices of tirerack.com and then I took all 4 tires over to walmart to get them mounted. if you get 4 tires mounted at wal mart, you get free lifetime rotation and balance.

So ever since since then, everytime I do an oil change or so, I go to walmart and get my tires rotated and balanced for free (a $30 value).

More detailed accounts of the story are here (as well as feedback and discussions from others):
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=452925

Hope this helps some people out.

joeqpublic

Hi everyone,

What are your thoughts re: changing gears (starting in 1, moving to 2 and D3) in my AT as if I were driving MT. I found recently that in stop-n-go traffic (e.g. rush hour) driving in D the whole way (20-30 mins) makes revs go down & engine sounded it may stall (but of course it won't since it's AT), but the minute I switched to D3 and 2 gears, the car drove much better in that traffic.

My question is: Does it make sense to switch back and forth between gears in an AT car (on flat roads), or should I stick to driving it in D all the time (note: I live in Ottawa, Canada, so no hills here

Thanks!

joeqpublic

Thanks very much on the tip to chck mileage. I'll give it a shot this weekend, and let you know how it goes...

blufz1

Exacerbates wear. I only use D and R and I tow a "little rig", 700# bass boat.

thegraduate

No problem! A lot of people figure their mileage incorrectly these days. It's a simple as dividing the miles you've just driven by the gallons you've pumped at the station (Assuming you fill up everytime). I do it before I ever leave the station.

kiawah

The mathematical error that most people make in figuring out their total MPG over many tankfuls, is in averaging averages (which is incorrect, and "weights" each tankful equally whether you added 3 gallons or 18 gallons).

When you want to calculate your total average mpg you must take your total miles over the timeframe, and divide by your total gallons used over the same timeframe.

wise1

What state are you in?? Walmart in Georgia will not mount and balance tires you bring in. Only tires that you buy from them. And you have to pay for the rotation and balance package when you buy the tires. I've asked at several Walmarts and they all strictly adhere to this policy!! :surprise:

gncrrr

I have had this car for less than a week with approx 750 miles on it and it has started to considerably drift to left and right. I need to keep moderate pressure on steering wheel at all times to keep from drifting. When slowing then braking the steering wheel and car will turn moderatley to right or left depending on degree of steering wheel placement. I had apptmnt for alignment today at dealer. after 45m there the service advisor comes out and states he took for test ride and it seems normal...I then drove with him to show him exactly the condition, which BTW the car did...drifted like it's out of alignment...and then he stated this is normal due to where crown of road is you're driving on and the low profile Michelins (there only 16" wheels on alloys, I don't consider these to be low profile...are they??) that come on the SE model...WHAT!!!! I was speechless. I've never owned a car that has had this considerable alignment issue(My 1st Honda BTW)as I've owned 2 saturn L100's previously with nary a problem...but decided to go in a different direction this time. Anyway after pushing the subject with him he seemed to begrudgingly suggest an alignment...he stated he needs to keep it for 2 days per a Honda bulletin, to do a full realignment and tire rotation and then test drive and another tire rotation to "try and correct what I percieve to be a problem" (then he stated it may still be there after service is done...HUH??). The SM showed me the Honda Service Bulletin regarding this issue but stopped short of saying it was a major problem. Why would HONDA issue a Bulletin if it was not major?? Has anyone else experienced this problem as well?? I hope they can correct it as it adds to the car not handling as well as it should and feel unsafe at high speeds on the highway with potential drift into another lane. Thanks in advance for any opinion and advice.

edp6

I've noticed that on my 2007 Accord, the rear defrost doesn't seem to do much of anything to help defog.

This is strange because on my 1998 Accord it would defog the rear glass in about 2 minutes.

Is this normal or do I need to take my 07 in to get it checked out ?

thegraduate

Check it out. When my window is fogged in my 06, pushing the button usually makes the little "stripes" appear in the fog within 10 seconds, and it clears soon after (a matter of a minute perhaps).

You are a new owner and should be well under warranty. Get it checked out if you have some spare time.

nrborod

Hello Everyone on this thread,
I took delivery of an '07 Accord EX-L 6Cyl sedan (automatic) a couple of weeks ago. And while fully aware that it has a ways to go to be broken in, I'm alarmed at the horrible gas mileage it's getting even with my moderate driving style. I'm curious what others experiences have been--new And Broken in. Please contact me at nrborod@yahoo.com to let me know. Neil

nrborod

Hi, I just took delivery of an '07 EXL v-6 and I notice the same thing about these Michelins. Wondering: do the tires need to "wear in"? By the way does anybody know what kind of mileage I should be expecting at 1000miles? Right now my mileage is LOUSY!!

yury

i took mine on a road trip right after the delivery. on the trip i was getting 29.4 - 25 mpg.

right now at 6000 miles i get 23-24 in mixed city/highway....i think once i got 27, but that week was more highway than usual.

my driving style...well, i overdo the throttle sometimes, but not constantly.

V6 auto

nrborod

Thanks for posting a reply. How long was it before you started getting decent mileage? I've only got 1000 miles now.

elroy5

What kind of mileage are you getting, and how do you calculate it? I get around 30mpg on the highway, and just over 20mpg around town(03 EX V6 Sedan Auto). Anywhere close to that would be acceptable to me. Of course your driving habits, and traffic situation (a lot of stop and go) can make a big difference too.