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Comments
Thanks for you input
Thanks everyone...
Of the things you mention, the water pump going at 40K is the only thing that I see as being out of the norm. My water pump was still fine when it was replaced with the timing belt earlier this year.
My driver's side window is getting really slow and I should try to lube it. There's a funny noise in the front suspension when slowly going over speed bumps.
Personally, I'd mark it all down to just owning a ten year old car. I suspect when I get past these couple of issues, we'll have a another long quiet period.
Oh, I'm using Mobil 1 (5w-30 along with a Pure One filter) and our engine really has no discernible oil consumption between changes (5,000 mile change interval which equals every 3 months).
i have a 98 accord v6 coupe with 55k miles on it.
last week during a routine oil change, my honda dealer found a leak in the drivers side muffler (2 really small holes).
i was advised to replace it with an estimate of almost $350. i declined at that time, but was told i shud get it done asap.
i also showed it to 2 other people one of which said it was a weep hole and was required since the passenger side muffler didnt have one. the other guy said it WAS a leak and because the passenger side muffler didnt have one, i need to get it replaced.
i went to another honda dealer. he said that there were 3 holes that signified rusting. but when i asked him whether the driver side muffler should have a weep hole or not, he said he wasnt sure. estimate from him was almost the same.
now my questions:
1. whats going on here ? who's right ?
2. if i need to get it fixed, dealer - 350, independent - 250. which one is a better option ?
please help. im not very familiar with mufflers and whats the right answer here.
thanx in advance ....
Water is a by-product of the combustion process and many cars have a steady trickle of water coming from their exhausts. Water collects in the mufflers and promotes corrosion. Many muffler shops will ask you if you want a tiny weep hole punched in your new muffler so that the water drains instead of accumulating. Not a big deal.
Does the independent shop warranty the muffler for life? Also the quote is for one or two-muffler replacement?
the independent shop warranties the muffler for a year and the labour for 90 days. the dealer warranties the muffler for as long as i own the car (both muffler and labour). apparently this is a standard honda warranty on all mufflers.
all the quotes i have are just for the one muffler - the drivers side one.
I would go with the dealer.
Since the muffler doesn't make any loud noise, I wouldn't bother replacing it now.
Now the question : is this "normal - just part of the engine warming up" - or should I get the dealer to look at it ?
Sunil
Am having brake problems with my 2000 accord v6, hope someone else has some similar experiences
When I brake very lightly at low speed, as when coasting up to a stop, I am hearing a "creaking" noise from the front end, loud and in sync with the turning of the wheels. Increasing pressure on the brake pedal slightly usually stops noise. I am not feeling anything in the pedal or the steering wheel when this happens, but sound is very easy to hear.
I have had a shop i trust check it out, he had 3 of his mechanics check everything out and he says all is good, car is safe to drive and i just have "noisy brakes", that this is not uncommon with Honda after the rotors have been turned as part of a brake job.
Anyway, if this sounds familiar to anyone out there, I would much appreciate to hear from you as right now I am unsure what to do next. This is my fifth honda, and have never had problems like this before.
Good luck.
FOR SALE 01 ACCORD COUPE EX V6 in exc condition...
Do you have evidence of problems in the current V6 automatic transmission that you can point us to?
No doubt that part of your problem is that the technicians working on your squeak aren't skilled enough to find and correct it. Hopefully, your Service Manager isn't being stubborn and assigning the same technician each time you return. The Honda rep may know of a technician in your area who is particularly good at fixing your type of problem - ask him. If that other dealer is too far away to visit, get the other technician's name and phone number and give it to your Service Manager so they can call for advice.
Should I be thinking about trade-ins? I am very much upset by the noise as my only reason to buy a new car was "being trouble free".
The dealership asked for 4900 to switch to a 05 accord with same features.
Any thoughts?
If I were in your shoes, I'd stick with it even if I had to find and fix the squeak myself. Hopefully, the Honda rep will be able to help you when he sees your car.
If Honda can fix it, OK, they can state that is not a safety issue--it was just a rattle, squeaking noise...
If they can't, how can they (and we) know this is not a safety problem?
After all, it's not a "Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back" law.
The area rep will probably be genuinely interested in fixing your problem. He is your last line of defense - be sure and approach him with a good attitude. Most get yelled at after 5 visits to the shop to fix a problem.
Unfortunately, Honda sees this as "just a noise" so other than trying to fix it forever - you'll get no reparations from HOA.
You can view my past messages about my efforts to get this fixed "pre - TSB" and experiences with the BBB help line (it really works but it takes time that you may not have). No need bringing it up again.....
We have a 2003 Honda Accord with 41,000 + miles and it is very quiet. What noise are you talking about? There are no "Creaks or Rattles. Maybe it is the way you operate this vehicle.
---------------
How does the way you operate the vehicle (other than hitting potholes) determine whether or not your vehicle rattles? In my trips back to the dealer with my 2003 Accord, I have driven several 2003 & 2004 Accords and Civics as loaners (all with < 5k miles). Some were tight and rattle-free; others were not. When products are mass-produced, not every one is perfect.
From what I've read in your posts, you take very good care of your car. I am truly happy that your car is still solid--but not all are. Mine is not. I had noises from A-pillars, glove box, window regulators, door panel, sunroof, stereo panel, bin under stereo, etc. Many of of these appeared at 10k-15k miles. My car now has 48k miles and most of these have been fixed, but a couple still remain. I take care of my car and avoid as many potholes as I can, but I live in Indiana--smooth roads are hard to find.
Before I bought my 2003 Accord, my previous Accords (1985 & 1989) went well over 200k miles. When you drive older cars, you tend to listen for anything that doesn't sound quite right. Unfortunately, that means I hear every little noise. My previous cars were still pretty tight--not perfect, but pretty solid--even after 200k miles.
I have complete faith that the driveline in the 2003 will hold up for many years. But it is the interior that has been substantially cheapened (in terms of assembly *quality*). For years, Honda had a clean, simple 1- or 2-piece dashboard. Now there are several panels. The interiors used to be screwed together, but now everything is held together with 2-cent plastic clips. Add this to the fact that the interior is more insulated from road and engine noise than previous Accords, and it is no wonder some/many owners have noticed rattles.
Other than the noises, I like my car. It is comfortable for 4 people, gets 35mpg on the highway, and will cruise effortlessly at 80mph all day long. I have been in some other cars recently (Intrepid, Jaguar X-type, Cavalier, Malibu, others), and the Accord is quieter than most, but noises are still annoying and ruin an otherwise enjoyable experience. Good luck to everyone in their attempts to eliminate noises and rattles.
And clearly, many of the complaints about creaking and other noises on this forum are coming from owners of 4-cyl Accords, not just from owners of V6 Accords. Here's a sampling...
dizzy01, "Honda Accord Owners: Problems & Solutions" #4953, 2 May 2003 1:07 am
atlantabenny, "Honda Accord Owners: Problems & Solutions" #4955, 2 May 2003 9:24 am
samironi, "Honda Accord Owners: Problems & Solutions" #5632, 25 Aug 2003 12:03 am
ystress, "Honda Accord Owners: Problems & Solutions" #6313, 20 Nov 2003 11:26 pm
eney, "Honda Accord Owners: Problems & Solutions" #9073, 20 Dec 2004 2:52 pm
And Honda has issued 2 TSBs for rattles and creaking that apply to both 4-cyl and V6 Accords.
03-018 - Rattle From the Rear Shelf
03-058 - Creaking or Popping When Accelerating and Decelerating
So a little research demonstrates very clearly that it's inaccurate to claim that creaking and noise problems among Accords are limited to the V6 models. The truth of the matter is that, unfortunately, some units of the 4-cyl Accord also suffer from these problems.
Do a search for popping noise or check my post #6616 from Jan. 7/04
Honda Service Bulletin 03-058
Creaking or Popping When Accelerating and Decelerating
SYMPTOM
A creaking or popping when accelerating and decelerating.
PROBABLE CAUSE
Body panels are rubbing against each other at the front of the floor tunnel.
VEHICLES AFFECTED
2003 Accord L4 2-door:
From VIN 1HGCM7...3A000001 thru 1HGCM7...3A020335
4-door:
From VIN 1HGCM5...3A000001 thru 1HGCM5...3A068936
2003 Accord V6 2-door:
From VIN 1HGCM8...3A000001 thru 1HGCM8...3A022702
4-door:
From VIN 1HGCM6...3A000001 thru 1HGCM6...3A050879
CORRECTIVE ACTION
Add two welds so the body panels do not rub against each other.
A creaking or popping when accelerating and decelerating
I don't recall that the people commenting about creaking said that it only occured with flexing of the engine cradle and the main body during acceleration or deceleration. They seemed to be saying it just occured with typical road driving.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
On overall build quality of the 7th vs 6th gen Accords, having owned both, there are definitely more rattles and other bugs in the 7th.
As Honda crams more new features into cars, it needs more R & D, testing and other resources to approach zero-defect as it once did with older, simpler cars.
It's interesting that in a recent (Dec 04) survey on initial quality, Honda vehicles show less defects than Acura. Conversely, Toyota products show predictably more defects than Lexus. Honda however has less defects overall than Toyota.
My '04 Accord V6 Coupe is virtually SILENT, compared to many other vehicles that I've driven, or been a passenger, in.
But if only it were true that rattles and creaking were limited to the 2003 model year. Unfortunately, a quick perusal of recent posts shows complaints about rattles and squeaks from owners of 2004 and 2005 Accords. So it seems that the issue isn't completely under control even now.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I know a few people who have 03-04 Accord's at my work and nobody has said anything about rattling/creaking problems.
I hope Honda works out these rattling/creaking issue's on the next generation Accord's and puts more thought into the exterior styling. I have slammed Honda for over 2 years with the 03 Accord bodstyle on these boards. I think they made a mistake with the current exterior design of the Accord. The 98 Accord looked better in my opinion than the current generation does.
I don't think a rattling/reaking is a big deal but it is a big deal when the service department cannot fix it. It has to be annoying hearing that sound all the time.
I have ridden with people that have rattles and creaks in their cars. I ask how do you stand that noise? Most say what noise? I don't think the average person even notices the little creaks and squeaks that some cars have..