Honda Accord (2008-2012) Maintenance and Repair

dpmeersman

I own the same car and I had the oil changed when the indicator was @ 15% which for me was 7,600 miles. I'm told it is break-in oil and should be left alone until it reaches the 15% oil life indicator or one year, which ever comes first.

chiralpaul

3000 miles and 70% life sounds about right. I have 6000 miles and 40% and the dealer says this is fine. I plan to change the oil at 7500 even if the computer says I don't need to because I want the tires rotated around that time. The manual says you should change the oil when the car tells you but AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR so I would advise you to change it in December at the latest. Make sure to check your oil level. The break in oil is thin and there are several reports of oil usage. I recently topped mine off because it was nearly a quart down.

thegraduate

Posts 514 and 515 are correct - you should get your oil changed at 15% or 12 months, whichever comes first.

hank119

Graduate
My manual seems a little ambiguous about the time to change oil on the 2008 V-6.
On page 308 it states " 15 and 10% oil life indicators remind you that your vehicle will soon be due for maintenance."

It also states "when the remaining oil life is 5 to 1% you will see a SERVICE message along with the same maintenance codes ...."

Inasmuch as it's desirable to keep the factory oil in the crankcase as long as possible I opted to perform my first oil change when the 5% message first appeared. This occurred at approximately 9400 miles.

golfrski

in My experience Honda does NOT stand behnd ALL of their products.. check out the Honda Accord VCM forum for more detail...

rkirchoff

According to the service manager at the dealership where I get my 08 Accord serviced, it is first recommended to not change the first factory oil until the remaining oil life is 15%. No explanation was given as to why this is important.

According to other car manufacturers such as Mercedes and Porsche, it is recommended to get your oil changed at least one time every year regardless of miles driven.

duke23

My understanding is that the original factory oil contains special additives that are designed to aid the engine break in process. So changing oil less than 15% life is contrary to what Honda specifically designed the factory new Accord oil for. I believe though that the owners manual states it should be changed at 1 year regardless of mileage.

rich505

The A/C Condenser does not turn on and off!! The condenser coil is the heat exchange radiator in front of the cooling system radiator. The condenser coil cools off the hot liquid Freon after it leaves the compressor. The liquid Freon then passes through an expansion valve where it turns into a gas and passes into the evaporator coil inside car where the now cold gas removes heat from the air inside the car. The gas then goes back to the compressor to be liquified again. The electrically-operated A/C compressor clutch turns the compressor on and off.

I'll bet the problem with the I4 Accords and the lights dimming has to do either with the current draw by the compressor clutch or the load on the engine when the clutch kicks on. Does this problem happen with the V6?

I had all sorts of idle problems with my 1984 Accord. I traded that for a 1984 Toyota that had fast idle problems. In fact every Toyota I have owned since my first one in 1982 (I4 and V6, stick and automatic) has had what Toyota calls a "heat soak problem". If you shut the engine off while warm and attempt to restart it after 10 minutes the engine will die and you have to crank it several times to restart it. Other than a ECU-fix for one of them Toyota called this a feature not a problem!

macsan

The thing that comes on and off is the electric condenser fan motor. When the car is travelling a bit up to highway speeds, the system doesn't call for the a/c condenser fan motor to kick in that much. It kicks in more at stop lights since there is no air moving through the coils to cool the condenser. The air flow turns the hot gas back into a liquid. That in turn gets sent back to the evaporator to cool the interior again. Thats why the lights "flicker a bit at night with the A/C on and parked and idling. You can see it kicking on and off with the hood up-its next to another fan motor-the engine coolant radiator fan motor. I hope that helps. MAC

ljgbjg

Please do no attribute inacurate statements to me. I never said the condenser goes on and off, nor did the person to whom I was replying - there are only two things that could go on and off with the AC - the compressor (through the clutch mechanism) and the condenser fan. SOMETHING is causing a major power draw that the electrical system seems inadequate to handle, but the flickering is endemic - the majority if not all 2008 I4s have the problem.

rich505

Sorry about the placing of the post. This was my first post on Edmonds CarSpace and it was directed at the person who made the original statement about the condenser going on and off.

I absolutely agree with you regarding the problem. I had one of the first 84 Accords that was made in Ohio. I had a similar problem with the headlights dimming when the A/C came on. It also had a problem with the idle dropping too low sometimes. It was in the days before fuel injection and I had to set the idle to 1000 RPM from the normal 750 to keep the engine from almost dying.

I was in the process of buying a new car and had driven the 2008 I4 Accord and the 2009 I4 and V6 Camry.

Honda's solution to the idle dropping problem was to leave the A/C turned on so the fast idle kick up was working all the time. Of course I took delivery of this car in December 1983 so running the A/C in the winter wasn't a good solution.

It has to be one of several possible causes:

1. The compressor clutch is momentarily drawing more power than the system can provide or the startup load of the compressor is very high.

2. The clutch relay or wiring is too small to carry the startup current draw.

3. The load is so high at clutch turn on that the engine cannot provide enough power to the alternator. You would think the battery could provide enough reserve.

Does the problem happen with both the 177 and 190HP 4-cylinder engines?
Does it happen with the V6?
Do the lights dim significantly with the engine and the key in the On position?

dpmeersman

I have not had this issue with my V6 nor do I remember any other V6 poster experiencing this problem.

ljgbjg

I agree.

rich505

The A/C compressor cycles on and off as well. I thought the problem was the lights dimming when the compressor kicks on, not the A/C condenser cooling fan. But that is an interesting possibility.

This is off-topic but in 1994 the V6 Camry employed hydraulically operated A/C condenser cooling fans using the cooling system water/antifreeze.

elroy5

There is a lengthy thread on another forum about the headlight dimming issue. From what I've read, only the 08 4 cylinder Accord does it. Some say it is the ELD (Electric Load Detector), which is located in the under hood fuse box. The ELD would be my guess for the cause. The techs say that "all Accords do this, and it is normal", but there are many 08 (4cyl) Accord owners who disagree.

rich505

Very interesting! You are the first person, I think, to mention the ELD. Is it: a) not working; b) is working as designed; c) or the engine management system A/C idle-up can't respond quick enough when the compressor kicks on?

I had issues with my 84 Accord which was one of the first made in Ohio and was pre-fuel injection days. The idle speed when set at the 750 spec would drop down almost to the stall point. Honda's cure was to keep the A/C on so the A/C idle-up kicked in. I adjusted the idle speed to 1000 (ah the days of carburetors).

rich505

I just searched the Honda forums and found a reference back in 2006.

The ELD, first implemented in the middle 90's, cuts the output of the alternator under low load to increase gas mileage. That might explain why the lights dim sometimes when the A/C kicks on.

Too many doodads all in the name of gas mileage.

elroy5

Back when I had my 92 Accord I was under the impression that the ELD would increase the idle speed when an Electric Load was Detected, but now techs say it increases the output of the alternator. :confuse: Either way, some owners have had success changing the ELD. On some Accords the ELD is part of the fuse box, so those are not cheap to replace ($250-300). Some are separate parts.

rich505

That post mentioned something about a service bulletin explaining the ELD. They didn't reference the bulletin number, date, just that it was mentioned in a previous post. The post mentioned something about the ELD being made by DELCO.

I found this doing a Google search for ELD + ELD:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3828/is_199907/ai_n8866330

elroy5

There was a TSB for the ELD issue, but it was on previous generation Accords. Sounds like it could be a lot of things including the ELD or the alternator.

katanapilot

My '08 Accord 4 cylinder has the same issue. Taken it to three dealers and they cannot fix the problem. Honda is reportedly working on a fix, but the fix is expensive and invasive. The ELD system is partially to blame, but there is more to it than that. The dimming issue would not be unusual if it occurred at idle (low alternator output) but it occurs also at highway speeds. The ELD signals the engine computer when to place the alternator in high output mode. The alternator is in low most of the time primarily for fuel savings - less load on the engine.

I have sent Honda the "Final Opportunity to Repair" notice as directed by the Georgia Warranty Rights Act (Lemon Law). They will have 15 days to fix the problem and then they will either have to replace the vehicle or give me my money back. Since there is no fix available, Honda will be in a bit of a dilemma if I ask for a replacement vehicle. It sounds like all of the I4 Accords have the problem. I'm guessing it doesn't bother everyone, but I have been "flashed" by oncoming cars and more recently cars behind me that think I am repeatedly stepping on the brakes and releasing them.

If you have this vehicle, I would suggest you take it to your dealer and start documenting the issue. File a report with the NHTSA website, call Consumer Reports, the Institute for Highway Safety and anyone else who will listen. Honda will fix this but only when it gets painful enough or the word gets out to prospective buyers. Good luck to you all.

duke23

After reading posts regarding this issue, I decided to duplicate the problem. In order to do so, I had to put the car in park, put the ac to max a/c with radio on and turn up the a/c. Sure enough, a flicker every 30 seconds. However while night driving I have not experienced this phenomenon. The car is so perfect in every other regard, ( 2008 ex 4 cyl at ) I've decided to ignore it. What are you going to do katanapilot if they replace your vehicle and it duplicates? File Lemon law again?

canddmeyer

None of my 3 Toyota's have had the 'heat soak problem'. My 99 Accord does have the headlights dim slightly when the A/C kicks on but it has always been that way for my Honda and probably some other vehicles I've owned too. While this may be aggravating to some, it isn't a problem for me or the car.

rich505

I was just commenting on the fact that Toyota only fixed the "problem" either in my 87 Tacoma. They always called it a "heat soak" problem even though it would do it during in the winter as well. It wasn't serious, just an inconvenience. If it died on a restart you had to let it crank for 2-3 seconds. It was almost as if the mixture got too rich or was fuel starved.

The flying fickle finger of fate determined if would occur depending on outside temperature, how warmed up the engine was. and how long it had been off.

mazda6dude

I have 8,000 miles on my accord the oil life is at 15%. I want to know if its safe to go till 10% or even 5% to change the oil? Any suggestions and feedback would be appreciate.

rich505

I don't own a Honda but I change the oil/filter in my Toyota Camry and Ford Ranger every 3 months or 3000 miles. My experience is oil is cheaper than an engine job in any vehicle .

thegraduate

15% is preferred, but DEFINITELY get it done before you wind down to zero.

ljgbjg

An historically good practice but we are talking about break in oil here, which Honda recommends be left in for the full time according to the computer.

ehamilto55

I have a 2008 Honda Accord and have about 6K miles on it. I have just noticed that when I hit a bump or go over railroad tracks I hear a Rattle inside the cabin. It sounds like it is the rear brake light in the window. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to check it? I can not find a way to the light and I do not see any clamps or bolts that might be loose. Please help the noise is driving me crazy.

ehamilto55

I would like to know if you ever figured it out. I have a 2008 Honda Accord and I have the same issue. When I go over railroad tracks or a bump I hear a rattle in rear of car. I beleive it is coming from the rear light in the window but have no I dea on how to tighten or check to see if something is loose back there. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

thegraduate

Check under the parcel shelf/speaker shelf in the trunk for anything hanging loose that could rattle... just a thought.

If not, take it to the dealer and let THEM figure it out. For $20k + it is the least they can do.

Let us know what you find out.

ljgbjg

I have read about others with the same problem.

pitt3

My experience has been the noises from the back come from the cheap styrofoam jack holder. This holder can rotate and its back-right hand corner can be rubbing against the trunk wall.

macsan

The noise ended up being a loose bolt near the rear quarter panel holding up the rear "tray" that mounts across the back and holds the speakers and trim. I took it to the dealer- the maintenance head and I took it for a drive and they got in there to tighten in up- That did the trick-no more noise.

mcast1286

HEY!!! Someone mugged my beautiful new '08 Honda Accord LX-P Sedan, by stretching a line of gum out across my hood :mad:.

Does anyone have the Honda paint-specific answer to cleaning up this problem? I don't want to ruin my beautiful metallic finish.

Thanks.

ehamilto55

The issue has been solved.... I took the car in for an oil change and explained to the dealership the rattling noise. It ended up being the 3rd Brake Light. No way to tighten but it was covered under warranty and they removed the light and sealed it in position with rubber molding. Dealership said they have had several Hondas come in with same issue. Not 1 rattle noise since

thegraduate

Try something called "Bug and Tar Remover." It leaves a waxed shine, but removes abrasive stains on paint; it's good for bugs, and bird poop especially. I think it might work well for gum, also.

rich505

You might also try GOO-GONE. Try a little in an inconspicuous place to make sure it isn't too agressive.

master_ryu

Hi guys,

Has this happened to any of you?

1.

My Navi Knob is getting screwy. At times when i turn the knob, there seems to be no input on the screen; at times the selector will only move to the next item and then come back. So it makes selecting items a giant pain as I have to turn the knob multiple times to get the selector to actually move across the menu to different items. I'm trying to determine if it has to do with the heat or what. Certain days it works perfect, other times not. One note: I did get the interior illlumination light (the blue ones in the driver and passenger carpet areas). I wonder if the they dealer screwed something up when installing that. Does anybody know if they had to take out the whole dashboard instrument panel to install that? If so it could be a problem with them putting the panel back on incorrectly or something. Thanks for help guys.

packer3

One of the best and safest is, believe it or not, is Laquer thinner for almost anything, it will also work on paint over spray if you are touching up you car,

packer3

08 Honda Accord LX-P, should the air bag light be on, reading air bag off, when nobody is in the front seat of the car.

monkeygwd

No, the airbag off light will only illuminate if the seat is occupied, and the occupant (or item) is less than the cutoff weight, which I believe is 60 pounds. Other manufacturers (such as GM) usually illuminate the airbag off indicator even when unoccupied.

packer3

Thanks

parviz

I am not sure how long you've had your car or how often you use the knob, but this being an 08 it can't be more than 10 months. It dose not sound right. I bought mine last December and use the knob all the time, no problem yet.

ashton_n

Ok I didnt have any luck elsewhere so I'll try this forum!

I just bought a brand new 2008 accord (EX-L V6) 2 days back and maybe i didnt pay close attn to this but I feel the car vibrates too much (low frequency vibrations) when at idle (in park, neutral or D). I love the car but this problem is really bugging me. When idling in D on a traffic light, I can even see the seat vibrating when observed carefully. Heck, even my 97 altima doesnt vibrate that much when idle!

Anyone else noticed the same? I will be calling the dealer and setting up an appointment to check it out. Any inputs will be appreciated.

elroy5

The car should not vibrate. Get the dealer to check it.

ibg123

Recently purchased a 2008 Accord Sedan. Am having intermittent A/C problem where blows cool one moment, then blows outside warm air before returning back to cold again. This occurs on all A/C settings, and car has less than 2,000 miles on it. Anyone else having this issue? Can anyone help?

kiawah

Pretty sure if you read the other existing Honda forums, you'll see that is as designed. AC compressor clutch is turned off when power is needed, or if I remember reading correctly at idle. I also think it's mentioned in the manual.

dpmeersman

I have the same vehicle and haven't experienced vibration to the level that you are describing. Having said that I don't feel that the larger displacement 3.5 idles as smoothly as the 3 liter did. As the average family sedan has grown in size and weight they've taken engines that were really in their comfort zone @ 3 liters and increased their displacement to gain torque and hp and lost some of the refinement they originally had. With today's engine control modules hard at work to keep tail pipe emissions as low as possible we have cars idling @ 750 rpm and occasionally lower and doing so idling relatively smoothly when not so long ago they would surge and stall at such a low rpm. At what RPM does your 97 Altima idle at? I would venture a guess that it is 150-250 rpm higher then your new Accord. This might be an apples & oranges comparison as your Altima has a four cylinder engine which usually idle @ higher speeds. As elroy suggested best get it looked at.

dpmeersman

I usually leave my AC on 68-70 deg on the Auto setting. After sitting in the sun all day when I first leave work it blows quite hard and runs with the yellow recirculate light on so after a few minutes it's recirculating already "conditioned air" which is now very dry. Once the temperature has moderated the recirculate light will go out and now it is conditioning outside, generally more humid air, which doesn't feel as cool. I can usually tell when this happens because of the denser air presence in the cabin and depending on how humid the outside air is, you can usually smell the difference in the air quality.