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Comments
To answer your e-mail query, I am unhappy to report that I am experiencing a no start issue with my now one year old Honda Accord LX..
My 2004 Accord LX (purchased in 09/04) has not started on four separate occasions within a two week period. One of these no start events really created a safety hazard as I was stuck in NYC rush hour traffic with a relatively new car that would not start with no apparent explanation or cause.
As soon as I experienced the no start twice, I went straight to the closest Honda dealer for repair under the warranty.
I have since brought my 2004 Accord LX 5 speed sedan with 15,000 miles to several area Honda dealers and I have contacted AHMC Customer Service several times...
When dealing with AHMC, I received no real assistance from the reps. I went onto the Internet and found the contact information for AHMC Corporate in Torrance, CA.
I left messages for the Customer Service Manager, and the Vice-President of Customer Service.
I received a more attentive return call from the Customer Service Supervisor, Doug Copeland. His contact number is 1-800-999-1009.
The first service team at D&C Honda in Tenafly, NJ thought that I was not engaging the clutch. Perhaps my all-weather floor mats were in the way of the clutch. Unlikely, as I had driven the car and engaged the clutch properly for the first ten months of driving with the same mats in place.
This is my third Honda and the sixth 5 speed manual transmission car I have owned and driven. I owned the identical model Honda Accord form 1997-2000. The only repair for the 97 Accord LX needed was a replacement of the driver's side window motor at 45,000 miles after 3 years of use.
I took the 2004 car back to D&C again two days later so they could keep the car for a day to duplicate the no start condition, run diagnostic tests, and repair the problem. As they could not duplicate the no start condition, they did no diagnostic tests for the electrical, starter, or ignition systems.
They then offered that a chip or battery in the key may defective. Apparently, if you have multiple keys with computerized chips together then your car may not be able to read the codes sent to the ignition switch.
I do not have multiple computerized keys on my key ring, just the one for the 2004 Honda Accord.
The only point is that a car that will not start is not reliable and potentially dangerous.
I talked with AHMC Customer Service Supervisor and he sent me to another Honda dealer's service department at Mahwah Honda.
This second Honda service team only checked the battery and returned the car to me.
All Honda parties, especially AHMC, said there were just too may codes that may cause the car not to start so they could not run any tests. The AHMC rep said that the car not starting was not his issue and reprimanded me that I was being uncooperative.
I asked them what their service technicians would do to test a car that did not start when it was brought to a dealer for repair, and they just said that there are too may computer codes to do any testing.
In my experience, the Customer Service reps at AHMC were of no assistance whatsoever...the rep blamed me and refused to provide a name or extension for his supervisor. It is absurd that a customer service rep would not know how to contact his direct boss...after all, he has to report to someone at AHMC. I spent time doing research and found the AMHC contact information on another Internet site.
As these two Honda dealers were unable to duplicate the problem, no attempt at any diagnostic intervention or tests; starter; ignition, main relay; electrical system were run.
You may want to research these potential causes and ask if there are any TSBs associated with the no start issue for your vehicle.
The service manager at Mahwah Honda was aware that there was an issue with Honda cars in the 90s and the main relay. The cars would not start if the main relay was overheated. The car could sit in direct sunlight and then just not start.
My next step is to request that a AHMC field engineer be sent to test and diagnose my car. It is my hope that he/she will look at the vehicle recorder box to find a code that the car is sending when it does not start.
If that fails, I may contact the Consumer Advocate media and the BBB.
If after I have exhausted all available remedies and the cause is not diagnosed and the vehicle not repaired, the service manager at Mahwah Honda said that I should research the NJ Lemon Law recourse. There are several helpful, straightforward Lemon Law sites on the Internet. The law was enacted to protect new and used car consumers.
Please note that my e-mail is intended only to provide information to the addressee not to be questioned or ridiculed by other site users that blame the car owner who is sharing and gathering information on this site.
Only relevant diagnostic information is welcome. Hecklers and enthusiasts need not reply.
I hope this information is somewhat helpful in testing, addressing and resolving your car's no start issue.
Good Luck!
Does the engine turn when you turn the key to the start position?
If the engine turns, and you let the key go back to the "run position" real quick, will the engine start?
Does this condition occur after driving the vehicle and letting it sit with the engine off for a period of time, or does the problem show up with the engine cold?
Do you have an alarm system on this vehicle?
When this problem occurs, how do you get the engine to start?
Did anything happen to the vehicle, prior to the problem showing up on this vehicle?
Did you have anything installed on this vehicle, prior to the problem showing up on this vehicle?
Possible causes:
Bad ignition switch
A problem with the ignition module
Low battery voltage. (Most computer controlled vehicles will not fire the engine with a battery voltage below 9 volts).
Please give us some more information on this subject.
You should have a rectangle plastic key with a metal thing in the end,look on yer dash, there should be a small round silver button, it should be next to the door, simply touch it with the end of the key for 2 second's, this will disarm it, NO throttle, just turn the ignition key and it should start.
Failing that, i cant say much more.. Cheers.
The service person told me that if they are willing to replace the car with an '06 its a better choice. The car comes with a 5 year 60000 miles warranty instead of the '05's 3 year 36000.
Anyone experience anything like this? Please guide me. :sick:
Your gaining a full model year, which is $ in your pocket when you go and trade it in.
Mrbill
No. The switch to 5W-20 motor oils is CAFE-driven. Corporate Average Fuel Economy ratings are what allow manufacturers to continue selling behemoth SUVs without penalty from the gov'mnt as long as the overall corporate fleet fuel economy stays below an arbitrary value set by the feds. If you pour 5W-30 motor oil into your new Accord you will not be in violation of any federal statutes, nor will you damage your engine in any way. (Shoot I used 10W-30 motor oil in my '96 Accord for 6 1/2 years!) If you were to go to the trouble of looking up the various bearing clearances in the same engine family group before and subsequent to the switch to 5W-20 motor oil recommendations, you'd discover they're exactly the same. Honda made NO running change in the basic mechanics due to the switch in recommended oil viscosity. Your actual fuel useage penalty isn't likely to be more than 1% different, either - but over millions of vehicles sold annually, the CAFE advantage makes a decided difference to Honda in avoiding fines from the EPA.
966 W Dana St
Mountain View, CA 94041-1221 Phone: (650) 965-8400
I haven't wrecked anything lately, but I used Dunn's back in the 80's and the work was flawless. Eighteen years later, the repair can't be differentiated from the factory look. My dad has the vehicle now.
Honda went beyond the call of duty and ate most of the cost of replacing your transmission when they didn't have to.
So, now, you will never buy another Honda and you slam them for doing this in this forum?
Mrbill
additional problems:
1) headliner cut too short such that the gasket does not cover headliner on driver side
2) passenger side front suspension sounds different absorbing bumbs, loose or too much play
Having doubts regarding Honda Quality
Bradd2
Is there any life left in this car at 260,000 miles?
Any possible solutions that are not cost prohibitive?
Good Luck,
MidCow
And any dealer who has to put up with customer complaints like hdisppointed's should be concerned, and seek recourse with the manufacturer.
BTW, 2000 and later trannies of the 6th gen Accord have had warranties extended to 7 years/100k by HOA. Why would the dealer decline free warranty repair ? Should hdisppointed have even footed $500 ?
The extended warranty on the Accord trannies only covered some 2000 and 2001 models, and then I'm pretty sure it was only V6-powered cars. My 2002, and a co-worker's 2000 fell outside the range, where Honda knew they had a bad batch of parts leading to an excessive failure rate on those transmissions.
If hdis's tab should have been picked up, then I should get my money back for the extended warranty I purchased. The dealer went above and beyond in that particular case.
1) Honda.com news, in Sep 2002, released this notice for 2000-2001 Accords.
http://world.honda.com/news/2002/4020920.html
2) Consumer Guide reports (publication date unknown) that 2000-2002 Accords were covered.
http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/Used/reviews/full/index.cfm/id/2289/act/usedcarreviewre- - - - - liability/
"...While only two percent of these vehicles have experienced these transmission problems, American Honda will provide extended transmission warranties on all potentially affected vehicles. 'Our priorities are making sure our customers are taken care of and reassured they can continue to depend on their Honda or Acura automobile for a long time to come,' said Tom Elliott, executive vice president for American Honda."
all potentially affected vehicles.
that does not mean all vehicles.
You're closer to the truth than you may realize - and it isn't just restricted to just "other products", either. At the close of WW-II, the allies were astounded at strange equipment found at German refineries. The German employees explained that it was used to re-refine by "hydrocracking" oil back to a nearly pure state in the presence of high heat, hydrogen under pressure, and a catalyst to drive the reaction. Several generations removed from the primitive German process is exactly how much petroleum derived base oil stock is "finished" all over the world today. When the process is applied under further elevated heat and time, the end result is classed as a synthetic base oil. (Castrol won an arbitration case against ExxonMobil in 1999 that allowed Castrol to market severely hydroprocessed base oil blended with additives as Syntec Full Synthetic. Don't worrly too much about ExxonMobil - they're crying all the way to the bank since they're also one of the largest producers of severely hydroprocessed base oils.) These base oils are sufficiently pure that they're water-white clear and, if ingested, would result only in a laxative effect. The amber color associated with motor oil is the result of the color of the various detergents, viscosity index improvers, antifriction and antiwear additives, and the carrier oil they're dissolved for handling. Additionally, there are three companies in the U.S. presently that process used motor oil in this manner, too, and sell the purified product to major blenders. Chemically and physically, it's every bit as pure as up-from-the-ground crude petroleum is after itself undergoing hydrocracking. There is absolutely no need to feel guilty about changing engine oil more frequently than the car manufacturer recommends for those wishing to protect their transportation investment. Those who arrogantly preach their allegedly superior social consciousness should do a little on-line research before presuming to pass judgment on others. Nothing petroleum derived is wasted when used motor oil is returned to a collection center for reprocessing. (I change my engine oil every 3,000 miles and take pride in my sense of environmental responsibility with the certainty that my engine's not grinding itself to oblivion and polluting to excess prematurely.
They should have been tickled that Honda stepped up and did what they didn't have to do. Instead, they complained and said they won't buy another Honda.
Who knows the treatment that car may have received in order for this to have happened?