Honda Accord (2008-2012) Maintenance and Repair

mbusuttil

Hello i am new here,can someone tell me about the suspensions of the accord ES GT how they are because i am really not impressed with these.All i drove now is about 1000 km,so i think it is to early to say if these are bad, but when driving into not so good roads the suspencion make a bit noisy like boom...my tyers are 225/50/17 and the air press is 30 psi ,can someone tell me if this comes from the low profile or from the sport suspension,thanks.

elroy5

Honda cars all have road noise. The tires may add a little to it, but they ALL have road noise. Some of us don't mind it, or the roads we drive on are not that bad. The suspension has nothing to do with it.

mbusuttil

THANKS ELROY5

mwcarlso

I have a 2008 Honda Accord EXL with 33,000 miles and have had a steering wheel shimmy/vibration at highway speeds for quite awhile now. The dealer Road Force balanced the original Mich. MXM4's with little improvement and even swapped tires from a new Accord and the vibration was still there although less noticeable. I replaced the stock Michelin MXM4's with Michelin MXV4 S8's over the weekend due to one of the tire's being out of round and still the same vibration. Will be calling dealership in the morning to find out what they plan to do to look into the problem further but thought I would post to see if anyone else has this problem. The vibration is intermittent (occurs about 70% of the time) but if the vibration is present it will do it at all speeds between 55-75mph. It is not dependent on acceleration or braking and if it was a balance problem I would think it would occur all the time and only at certain speeds. Could there be something wrong with axles, wheel bearings or struts maybe? Any ideas would be welcomed as I drive on the highway everyday and am sick of the vibration.

4653

I also have 2008 Accord EXL 4Cyl. I had similar problem at around 20K miles. My vibration was from braking. When I brake from (similar to your range of speed) 55-75mph, I got a vibration on the steering wheel. My problem was the disk rotor warping. Not knowing how it had happened, I had to paid to fix it because the dealer said it was a "ware and tare" issue - not covered by the warranty. The fix was to "run/turn" the rotor. A new problem surfaced at 30K. I went in for a pre-mainenance - tire rotation and balance. After the job was done, I now get what it appears to me like a tire noise. The car seemed to be picking up significantly more road noise than before. Now I wondering whether this is a bearing issue... I'm puzzled. I'd like to see/read if other are experiencing the same.
Thanks

jmillerjmiller

Sounds like an exact description of the issue my 2008 EXL V6 Navi has. Two new front tires, and three road force balances, and the issue was minimized to the point where they say 'normal road vibration', and exhaust ones patience for ineptness, so that it stops coming back to the shop. Still a minor shimmy in the steering wheel at certain speeds - but they managed to get the peak out of the normal cruising speed for me.

NOW its time for tire rotation - out of the basic warranty, so now its gonna be my trouble. The dealer is worthless, every time I went back, a new tech would do the same thing - balance it, supposedly drive it, claim all was well. I would pick the car up and be pissed off.

I tend to like the solution that one early poster had found when he actually got a dealer to call in the field engineer for his two door - supposedly they found a tiny bit of play in one of the inner tie rod ends. Wide wheels like these are hard to balance as well as the narrower ones, and my theory is that the play allowed the wheel a little movement due to the imbalance, which translated into the shimmey as feedback from it.

You can get special beads to add to the wheels for the ultimate in tire balance, but it is a pain.

link title

Sooner or later I will have to tackle the issue on mine again. Hopefully with an independent shop that has an open mind, and someone who know a good bit about front end work.

LocaRoja

My 09 accord has the door moldings. Some jerk hit my car in the parking lot and left without a note. My door molding took the majority of the damage, so I'd like to replace it. Is there anyway to get it off safely without damaging the body paint (there is a lot of adhesive strips on it) :confuse: ?

mrbill1957

Take a piece of dental floss, and draw the floss up and down behind the molding using it like a saw. You will leave much of the adhesive tape behind, things like goo gone, or WD-40 will soften up the remaining adhesive.

Mrbill

LocaRoja

Clever idea! I'll try it this weekend. I had been thinking about trying to warm up the adhesive with a hair dryer, but the floss plan sounds better.

Thanks Mr Bill

foxwood_21

I just replaced my rear pads at 35783 miles the wear sensor on the passenger side just started to make a noise, I used OEM pads. I found that one of the slider pins was hung up due to a ripped rubber boot on the pin.
As for MPG I am getting 29.6 on a 200 mile round trip all highway I have 4 cyl.

mr_smith

I have an 08 Honda Accord Sedan 2.4Liter 4 cylinder. I've had the car for about a year and a half and I already have an oil leak in the rear of the engine :mad: :mad: . Luckily warranty covers it. Anybody else had an oil leak?? I can't believe this

jvsw

Hey,
My 2009 accord lx has a rattle in the dash that started 2 weeks after I got it. Also a squeaking noise in the glove compartment. I have to leave it open when I drive to stay sane.
I have just returned from my 4th visit to the dealership which claims the problem is fixed but as soon as I drive home( 30 minutes) the noises have returned.
I don't know where to turn. This is my first new car and I have not yet been able to enjoy it.

The dealership is now being rude and telling me nothing is wrong with the car...

Anybody got advise???

Thanks

tallman1

Go to another dealer. Any Honda dealer will fix your car under warranty.

mrbill1957

I'm not familiar with the glove box door on the 09, but my 04 has a periodic rattle in the door latch. I found if it rattles, I lift the latch a little and stick a napkin under it. The door won't rattle until I remove the napkin.

Maybe that will work with yours, and if it does, hopefully it will be something you can tell the dealer its something in the latch.

mrbill

jmillerjmiller

My 2008 EX-L V6 had a rattle in the glovebox area that showed up on low frequency vibrations, and was worse when cold. This TSB -
link title
that I found in another forum says it is only for the I4, but on my V6 it was missing the felt on one side, and adding it cured the issue.
Note that you don't need to remove the trim to see the felt, just look up from about seat height. I did not have felt, so I used a piece of wide 'loop' velcro that had a permanent adhesive backing. Bye bye to the rattle that the dealer told me they heard, but could not find - so I would have to let it get worse for them to locate it! What BS to close the service order with NTF.

ehamilto55

I had the same issue with the Glove Compartment. Took to the dealership and they realigned the Glove compartment and has not made a noise since.

jvsw

thanks everyone for your advice.
I hope something works so I can finally enjoy may new car.

jvsw

mwcarlso

I posted about a month ago about a steering wheel vibration problem I was having with my 2008 Honda Accord EXL 4cyl at speeds of 60-75 mph. The service manager finally called in a Honda engineer to test drive my car tomorrow so hopefully they will finally believe me that there is a problem and fix it. Interestingly enough, I got a 2007 Accord with almost 60,000 miles on it as a loaner car for tomorrow and I drove it on the interstate and it was perfectly smooth with no vibration. I will post again when I find out something tommorow.

jmillerjmiller

I'm looking forward to hearing it as well, thanks in advance for sharing. I've gone from feeling confident something would be done, and upon seeing the paperwork at pickup finding they just did another road force balance and claimed it was fixed. Never mind the question of what happens at tire rotation time when the balancing was used to try and mask the real cause (whatever it may be).

mazda6dude

I have a 2008 Honda Accord LX automatic with just a little over 40K miles. The one problem I have is there is a lot of road noise. I wanted to know is the Accord just a noisy (road noise) car or is it that the Dunlop Tires from the factory are noisy tires? Any feedback/opinions would be appreciated. Also, my steering wheel does vibrate at highway speeds. Not a little, but slightly. Thanks.

tallman1

Accords have always been known for a little extra road noise.

skywatcher_88

Yes to both. Road noise in Accord is common, oem Dunlop tires are not the greatest and at 40K miles I will be shopping for better replacements. Steering wheel vibration indicates your wheels / tires need re-balancing.

dgrge

I recently purchased a 2008 Accord EX and I am considering having the dealer install the Honda Hands Free Bluetooth which will run around $500 installed. Anyone have any experience with this unit and if it's worth it?

mitchflorida

For that kind of money, you can have a Garmin Navigation Device with built in Blue Tooth installed.

ramjet1

We have an 08 Accord EX, we have the same problem. The wipers do fine till about 45 MPH. From 45 on up the wiper drags the water back into the drivers line of vision. The dealer has changed the wiper and the blade and the arm. No help. I have sent a letter to Honda. I am awaiting their response. Next step, will be NHTSA if Honda does not cure the problem. Driving in the rain is unsafe with the current situation.

mitchflorida

Wow, Honda hasn't perfected its windshield wipers yet? I would have thought that would have been fixed about 30 years ago.

Mine work fine, but I also have an older model Accord.

rkirchoff

I had the same problem and then I kind of solved it or perhaps I should say that the problem is not as bad now. I bought some Rain-X for the windshield and after cleaning the windshield several times, I applied Rain-X 2 times. It must be put on a clean windshield that is dry and it must also be put on evenly. I reapply Rain-X every 2-3 weeks for 2 more coats each time.

ramjet1

Thank you I will try it. Have you driven in a stady rain at 70 MPH for 4 to 5 hours? We have and the problem is very taxing on the driver. As you can imagine it gets more frustrating when it is dark outside. This is a safety issue Honda needs to correct as quickly as possible. I suspect there are move people with the problem and have not found this forum to express it to others.

rkirchoff

As a former trucker, I spent many long hours in excess of 10 hours behind the wheel and mostly in excess of 70mph most of the time. I relied on Rain-X to get me through many torrential downpours. Now that I am retired, I travel often and would rather drive at night and when I do, my car is usually going at least 70mph and Rain-X has helped me everytime I've depended on it. I do admit there is a film on the windshield due to using Rain-X and can be seen especially at night during the rain when passing thru cities with streetlights over the roads. When that happens, I usually let my wipers wipe from time to time and then as soon as I get out onto the open road again, I turn them off and rely just on Rain-X to blow off the rain splattering onto my windshield.

tallman1

Rain-X has a lot of fans but I tried the stuff and hated it. It is pretty cool to see the tiny water drops shed off but using the wipers at night, especially with city lights (as you've noted) was a bit much for me.

If your wipers were broken, it would be a must-have.

jmillerjmiller

I posted on an earlier entry about this issue, I think its a design issue. Looks to me like the molding around the windshield on the drivers end, is elevated up, instead of flush like the older cars. This seems to create something like a venturi effect when the streamlined wiper body is close to parallel with it. I wonder what would happen if we removed the cover from the blade and tried it without, so that there was not another solid surface in parallel to the molding at the top of the upstroke on the wipers?

bud_foxx44

I have a new 09 4 Cy Accord. When exactly do you guys recommend my first oil change? Is it when my oil life indicator reaches a certain level or is it the actual mileage? I am at 6,000 miles and my oil life is at 50%. My sales rep said change it at 5,000 miles.

Thanks

thegraduate

Go with the minder (15%) for every change, including the first.

accordguy0325

Before the days of the Nanny minder, Honda's recommended oil change schedule for my 2003 Accord 4 cylinder was every 5,000 miles for severe conditions, and 10,000 miles for regular conditions.

I personally like to do mine every 5,000 miles (roughly) and or, annually as I put on 5,000 to 7,000 miles a year

jhinsc

With new or newer vehicles, go with the manufacturer recommendations or the maintenance minder. The tighter and more durable engine tolerances combined with higher quality oils allows you to extend the oil change intervals. I have noted on my 08 EXL V6 the minder has me going between 1,000 to 1,500 miles more than my 06 EXL V6 did before an oil change, typically around 8,000 miles or so. I will usually call to schedule service when it reaches 15% and make it in before it reaches 10%. For older vehicles, it's always best to stick to the original manfucturer change intervals.

guitar4him

I've developed a rattle in the rear shelf that only seems to happen when the car is cool...like when it's been sitting in the garage overnight and is 60 - 70 degrees. If the car sits out in the sun for a while, the rattle disappears. It appears to be the plastic shelf rattling. I stuffed a shop rag underneath the shelf and was able to pretty much solve the problem but I hate to have to resort to such tactics. I have the extended warranty and I checked the other day and it's covered, so I'm going to take it into the dealer soon. I was just curious....anybody else had such a rattle? If so, what did you do to fix it?

Ken
2008 Accord LX

cheeser

I have an 08 Accord with 11K miles on it that my wifr drives. We went with the break-in oil tll 5K and switched over to 5 -20W Mobil One. In over 5,500 miles I have burned almost 4 quarts. I took it to the dealer last week (when the Oil light came on and surprised me) to have them check it. They gave it back to me and did nothing to it. They claim that Honda say they burn 1 quart in 1,000 miles and they weren't going to test it.. I told them, I'm sorry but that doesn't fly with me. Our old 91 Accord with 250,000 miles burned 1 quart in 3,000 miles and my 93 Del Sol with 130,000 I presently own burns no oil at all. The dealer topped off the oil and since then we've driven it 200 miles and it's already down 1/3 of a quart. Honda's don 't burn oil like this? What can I do?? What reprocussions do I have??

elroy5

From what I here, it has to be over 1 quart per thousand miles. Did they explain where this oil is going? Vaporizing? I have been using Mobil 1 5w20 for a few years now on my 03 V6, at 70k miles now, and my car does not burn/consume a drop of oil in 4,000 miles (oil change). Oil doesn't cost that much, but I would be concerned about this affecting other parts of the engine.

cheeser

No, what pissed me off is that they didn't check anything. They also made the comment that there was an aftermarket oil filter on it and who ever changed the oil didn't fill it all the way. Well they topped it off and I set the odometer last Thursday and we've driven 200 and it's now a 1/3 of the way down the dipstick. They didn't say what could cause it, just treated me lile an idoit, gave me a tracking form and sent me on my way. I was bent! I thinking of pulling a spark plug and seeing if it's either wet or has a lot of deposits on it.

I have a 02 Harley with 65K on it that burns less oil than it. I'll have to see what recourse I have now. I'll take it bac tomorrow because I'm well over there oil consumption rating. I'm not takng it where bought it (70 miles away) but it might be my next option.

accordguy0325

I would definitely try another Honda dealer and file a case with Honda customer service - 1-800-999-1009.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Honda Automobile Customer Service
1919 Torrance Boulevard
Mail Stop: 500 - 2N - 7D
Torrance, CA 90501-2746

cheeser

Thank you for the info and I'll give the Thousand Oaks, Ca dealship one more try. I will call Honda Customer Service and document it anyways and get their take on it.This is our 5th Honda including my Del Sol.

jhinsc

Have you tried switching back to non-synthetic oil to see how it affects your oil consumption? My first thought is you did your first oil change a bit early.

rbbrick

Read my previous posts - rbbrick.
My engine was replaced at 24K by Honda
Roger

bud_foxx44

I don't see anything in the owner's manual that says when to change your oil except for the oil life indicator and even that is very vague.

jhinsc

For new Honda's, follow the maintenance minder. It's not set to remind you at specific mileage points, but based on your driving style. This is also stated in the owner's manual. Once the oil life gets down to 20%, then it will go down in 5% increments and will start "reminding" you service is required every time you start up. It's pretty simple and you don't have to think about it until it indicates it's time for service.

thegraduate

Everything posted by jhinsc is correct. In addition, it will alert you when it is time to change things such as air filters and other maintenance items.

edk57

I have the same Rattle issue on my 2008 Accord EX-L V6. I was planning on talking to my dealer next time I take it for oil Change.

elliott2

The V6 in my 2008 Accord has started burning oil as well. The Honda dealer suggested that we change the oil more frequently and ignore the maintenance minder. First car I've had in 25 years that burns oil. The mechanic that changed the oil said that off-the-record, the VCM engines are starting to have problems with burning oil.

jhinsc

I have almost 21,000 miles on my 08 V6 and except for adding a quart before the first oil change, my oil consumption is now the same as my previous 06 V6. My 06 would be down about 1/2 quart when due for oil change. With the 08, I noted when the oil got to the add mark at the 5,000 mile mark, I noticed the VCM wouldn't kick in like it used to. Once I added a quart, it went back to it's normal operation. So it appears the VCM operates by electronics and oil pressure, but not 100% sure.

jhinsc

The Honda dealer suggested that we change the oil more frequently and ignore the maintenance minder.

My dealer recommends the same - they aways have. I've always ignored dealer's "advice" and follow the manufacturers rec's, no matter what brand I was driving. My Chev Avalanche with similar VCM and about 50k miles goes about 13k miles between oil changes and it doesn't burn enough oil in-between changes to add more.