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Honda Accord (2003-2007) Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • iansdad1iansdad1 Member Posts: 10
    How about a lint free cloth misted with Stoner's Invisible Glass? :)
  • accordexl05accordexl05 Member Posts: 2
    When I first got my car December 27th 04 I loved it, now that I have been driving it a bit I have noticed little problems that drive me crazy. -When accelerating after being at idle I hear a all around creek...supsension? -Driver window creeps and sweaks when rolled all the way up....dealer fixed it, replaced parts and it started up again one week later. -Rattle noise from the passanger dash area...although it might be my glove compartment..sounds like a CD case was left to rattle in the side door...there isnt anything in there. Now these problems have been getting worse and worse over the past few months. I just hit 13K and this shouldnt be happening, this car is supposed to last me though university, who knows. However, I was in a minor accident at low speeds in a paking lot, the bumper and hood was replaced, and shouldnt have any affect on the windows. Anyway, thanks for reading, ANY feedback is welcomed, has anyone had these prob's? Did the dealer fix them accordingly and was it easy to get fixed. I'm planning on taking it in Martin Luther King day, since I dont have school, and can borrow my dads SUV....How long will it take to fix? Thanks, Casey
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    suggestion - have someone else drive while you ride in the passenger seat. often times sound localization is difficult from the driver's seat, specially when you are concentrating on the task of driving. ;)
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,147
    The pollution problem from spray painting in factories is an issue. I saw a plant (don't remember the year) where they spray the panel in a booth with a waterfall curtain in the background. The air was drawn through the waterfall which caught the overspray materials. Then it was separated from the water and the water was recycled.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • mrbill1957mrbill1957 Member Posts: 823
    I think the issue is really with the volitale thinners used with non-water based paint. I'm not aware of a cost effective way of filtering that out of the air in a spray booth.

    Mrbill
  • sockpuppet1969sockpuppet1969 Member Posts: 308
    My original Michelins lasted 61K miles ('03 EX-L) and still had some tread on them. I have about one thousand miles on a new set of Goodyear Assurance TripleTred's. Same size has the original tires but H rated. They were rated as a best buy by Consumer Reports. The ride is more quiet and I have more confidence when driving in wet or cold weather.

    I'm far from a tire expert, but I can't imagine how changing from a tire rated for speeds up to 149 mph to a tire rated for speeds up to 130 mph makes a bit of difference in a family sedan that most people aren't going to drive faster than ~80 mph.
  • master1master1 Member Posts: 340
    Check the owners manuel for recomendations. My guess is that it is probably better to just wipe it with a very soft cloth maybe with a small amount of water? On Hondas website, go to ownerlink and you can probably find out there too.
  • master1master1 Member Posts: 340
    Your car may just be one of the few that come out of the factory a little bad - its possible - there are always a few that come out like that. But your dealer should be able to help you with those problems anywayz
  • master1master1 Member Posts: 340
    I'm not sure if you can have tires that provide a quieter ride AND better rain and snow confidence. Snow tires have deeper groves in them - they have more teeth/tread. Noise reduction tires are very flat with very little grooves of deep spaces.
  • vadalavadala Member Posts: 1
    Please Help:

    I have 3 CD's which won't ejecy. Every once & a while I hear the motor attempt to eject them but nothing comes out. radio still works, but the 6 CD lights still show those 3 CD's are still in there. It seems like EVERYTHING has started to go wrong just as my warranty expired.
    rvadala@ibb.gov
  • bmr123bmr123 Member Posts: 60
    Yes thats very true and I hate it. I have a 05 Accord and the light comes on at about 13 gallons give or take .5 gallon. I learned about this on the first fillup when the guy only gave me 13 gallons and I was shocked. I usually drive another 50-60 miles so that I could at least get a 16 or so gallon fillup since I drive a lot during the week. I don't like it but I could see where it could be important safety wise. Since I live in jersey, you could find a gas station every quarter mile so I don't usually have a problem finding a station. My 2000 Accord would blink at about 15 gallons, I have to learn to get use to this new alert system.
  • bmr123bmr123 Member Posts: 60
    I have the same problems. I have gone to my dealer about 4 times to fix the rattling problems. My dealer has no idea how to fix it. He has replaced the glove box and run channels a few times. It usually goes away for a day or two then I notice it again. I get the noises in the passenger door and in the window area. The service guys don't even call me back once I call and they think im nuts. They tell me that I'm the only one with these complaints and that If I wanted a sound proof car I shouldve bought one of their bmw's next door.
  • master1master1 Member Posts: 340
    I'm surprised that the dealer told you that. Honestly, my suggestion to you is to call the American Honda Headquarters and tell them your problem. Make sure you tell them the part about them telling you about the BMW. It looks like the dealer was pretty rude to you?
  • sockpuppet1969sockpuppet1969 Member Posts: 308
    They are all season tires, not snow tires. There is a strip down the center that is designed for cold/icy weather. There are channels to direct water to the outside to improve wet weather performance. As far as noise reduction goes, I'm sure there is a lot more than just tread depth that contributes to this - including rubber composition and thickness and other design considerations. Check out the ratings in Consumer Reports or the reviews on TireRack.com. They are rated very highly in all areas. That's why I got them. They also have an 80K mile tread life guarantee.
  • arhondaarhonda Member Posts: 11
    I have a 2004 EX V6. After about 1.5 years and 18000 miles, the hood on my car began to develop a paint bubble/eruption as if it was rusting underneath the paint. This does not appear to be normal...no accident or other damage to the hood. Now after 2 years, another small bubble is forming.

    The dealer said they could not do anything about it and said it was probably cause by environmental issues.

    Has anybody else experienced this? If so, did anybody's dealer fix their car?
  • steven5steven5 Member Posts: 17
    It is covered under warranty. Got mine replaced at no charge.
    12/21/2005 28,387 SOUND SYSTEM REPAIRS $0.00

    Supposed to be a very common problem with the radio. The dealer was familiar with the problem before I even finished explaining.

    If the dealer you are going to says anything other than no problem, either go to another or ask for his supervisor.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    what does your warranty booklet indicate?
  • gpekgpek Member Posts: 1
    I have an '03; I hate the day I bought this car. It has all of these and many other problems... with the breaks especially and another weird sound that has started to bother me. When I apply the breaks and as the car comes to a stop, it sounds like a rotating rod, as if it should be tight-fit but it is not and making metallic friction sound [coming from the front of the car]. Dealer's service said it was the rotors and the pads, replaced them but still the same... My next car is NOT going to be a Honda...
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    2006 EX Accord

    My gas light came on, I filled up 40 highway miles later, and it took 13.8 gallons. I prefer this "early warning", since I live where commutes are generally over 25 miles of freeway driving. I tend to be one of those people that fill up a few notches above the red "E" line (usually takes 11 gallons). My 1996 Accord's light comes on at 3 gallons to go usually (I've only had it on twice).
  • steve58steve58 Member Posts: 24
    look back to message# 71. there is another case of blistering paint. am I becoming a watchdog ?
  • geraldp1geraldp1 Member Posts: 14
    Yep, same thing is happening to your Honda paint that is happening to the paint on our 04. The Honda dealers just love to blame the problem on the environment,they're trained to do that, when in fact, it is sub surface eruptions caused from primer problems. Honda even went so far to tell us that it was caused from "bird droppings" and that the birds had "eaten berries" which aggravated the problem. I had no idea that the people at the Honda Headquarters were into bird watching. Are you interested in maybe exploring the possibility of a class action on this issue? I can tell you from the experience we have had that Honda definitly does not want to deal with this problem---and it is their problem.
  • iansdad1iansdad1 Member Posts: 10
    Does the car give you any problem during braking other than a "metallic" noise? You have to understand that the rotors and pads may make some noise, especially "metallic" because metal is involved in the braking system. Ask a friend to ride with you and see what they think.
  • webby1webby1 Member Posts: 209
    Thanks....forwarded to my service mgr.
  • accordexl05accordexl05 Member Posts: 2
    I hope my dealer can fix it... I really do. The passanger window only started about a month ago. It cant be the weather becuase in Socal we have had high 40s-high70s. Idk about you but I have always had great people at my dealer. Now there is a rattle noise from the passanger door. Its been getting worse, and I think that my window pops a bit over bumps. I have a theory. The rubber around my driver door broke, becuase it was faulty, now what if the rest of the rubber that holds my windows is faulty? anyway. Anyone, please help.

    Casey
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    evidently bird watching and bird testing. ;) did you ask if a regional rep was going to be visiting the dealership and demand he look at the vehicle?

    my wife told me once, if you want something, you need to speak with the people in the position to say "yes".
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,507
    I'll try this here to start with.

    I have an '05 EX-L, and am considering putting on a suspension kit to sharpen up the handling. ALong with this, it makes sense to upgrade to a more performance oriented tire (although that could also be done in lieu of of the suspension pieces).

    Anyway, I actually prefer to keep the 16" wheels that came with the car, as opposed to doing a +1.

    So, my question is, does anyone know how wide you can go on the stock wheels, and when you would run into clearance issues? to complicate matters, the suspension kits lower the car slightly, and I really don't want to have the tires rubbing in the wheel well, or to compromise the great turning radius.

    I did the calculations, and 225/55-16 is almost identical in total diameter to the stock 205/60s, so basically the question is can 225s fit on the stock wheels and in the wheel wells without a problem?

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • geraldp1geraldp1 Member Posts: 14
    Of course,we met with the regional rep last June & he was so incompetent that he dcided he was going to side with the service manager of the dealership on the actual cause---which was then "tree sap" but later finally narrowed it down to "the birds". Which proves they really did'nt know what the problem was.
  • pdf8861pdf8861 Member Posts: 2
    Last summer the key could not be inserted into the ignition; same thing happened with the spare key so that ruled out a bad key. after spraying wd40 the key slid in o.k. Now a similiar problem just occured this winter where the key was stuck in the ignition and couldn't be removed until wd40 was sprayed into the ignition. The dealer could not do anything unless the problem occurs in their presence, unfortunatley I can't make it happen at will.

    Any idea on the problem or the solution? The car has 20k miles so it can't be over use. And second, is there an issue spraying wd40 into the ignition hole?
  • blaneblane Member Posts: 2,017
    How about your other key? It's possible that the key with which you are having problens has become slightly bent or distorted (by a fall, being stepped on, etc.).
  • atlantabennyatlantabenny Member Posts: 735
    The rim width range is 5.5"-7.5" for 205/60/16 and 6.0"-8.0" for 225/55/16; because ideally the stock and upsized tires are mounted on 7" and 8" wide rims, imo there could be longevity issues using the stock rims (spec source: Tirerack.com, Bridgestone Potenza G009).

    Reason (you probably already know this) is, wider-bead tires mounted on narrow-bead rims will flex slightly more because of the less-than-perpendicular relationship of the sidewall with the pavement, elevating carcass temps somewhat during extended interstate speeds.

    On clearance and turning radius, I'm guessing there won't be issues. I run 215s on my 03 coupe and as best as I can tell, the sidewalls have sufficient distance from the coil springs (inner clearance) and fender lip (outer clearance). Turning radius shouldn't change just because the tires are wider, as long they don't rub against underbody parts at full lock.
  • hithebeathithebeat Member Posts: 1
    My 2003 V6 Accord also had 5 or 6 cds in it. The cd player quit working also and it still displayed the cd lights for several weeks then one day the lights stopped indicating there were any cds. You still cant eject but just like yours every time you start up the car you hear the motor attempting to move some cds around but nothing happens. The Radio still works.. big deal.. so I have purchased a JVC In dash DVD with the 3 inch monitor and am going to have someone do a fiber glass custom install but (Because installing an after market DVD and the install price is cheaper than purchasing the factory 6 disk changer)... it gets worse... I was driving the other day and noticed all my Center consul lights no longer work. The radio still works but you can barely see the display in the daytime and at night you cant see anything even the AC and fan buttons are out. And the Dome lite is not working either. The right dome is off and not burnt out and the left turns on but flickers.. . I see that there are alot of other 03 Accord owners with these same problems.. HONDA THIS IS NOT GOOD...
  • andyrusandyrus Member Posts: 17
    My wife's 2003 Accord EX-L V6 radio has display light problem too. Radio and A/C controls work fine, however I can see only shadows on the display. The first time it ever occurred I had just a week of the warranty left. Took to the dealership and could not re-create the problem. Now I do not have warranty and I am taking the car to the dealership this Saturday. I hope Honda will have mercy. I will post my experience next week.
  • pdf8861pdf8861 Member Posts: 2
    Yes, the same thing happened using the spare key - that is it would not go into the ignition. I think it's something to do with the tumbler but the dealer can't confirm until it is brought in either situation; not able to remove or not able to insert.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    while i have seen bird droppings actually break-down paint, i think on a black VW i owned back in the mid 80s... i can't recall seeing anything like that recently.

    my '02 accord had a heavy amount of pine sap which i took off with 3M adhesive remover. when i re-waxed those areas, you couldn't tell i had deposits there.

    sounds exactly as you said, a problem from underneath the paint and clear-coat.

    when i said consult the warranty, isn't there one specifically for paint? maybe i'm imagining it. i suppose they'd say not covered by bird or tree droppings. ;(
  • geraldp1geraldp1 Member Posts: 14
    That's right, Honda will not honor the factory warranty on the paint if they feel the defects were caused by outside sources-- birds---environment etc etc etc.
    Thanks for your interest.
    Gerri1
  • blaneblane Member Posts: 2,017
    It almost sounds as if someone may have been trying to play around with your ignition switch (possibly trying to steal your car?) and caused some damage.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    The general rule on paint is "external influence"...if there's external influence they won't cover it.
  • djm2djm2 Member Posts: 712
    The same thing just occured last week to my Accord. I have an extended warranty on this vehicle. The Service Writer told me,(in a phone conversation), that most likely, they will have to order a replacement radio for this vehicle. I can't believe that Honda will replace the entire radio because the display is bad! (Why not just replace the display?)------Thank God for extended warranties. The vehicle will be taken to the dealer on Monday morning at 8:00 AM.. I will post any information dealing with this issue at a later date. :confuse: ---- Best regards. ---- Dwayne.
  • tpricetprice Member Posts: 46
    I have a 2003 EX and my radio display and all of the control backlights went out last night. I called the service department and the service advisor I spoke with said that there is a known problem with these. He also said that because it is so widespread that Honda has stepped up and has been covering these under warranty --even if well beyond the 3/36 period. I asked as I'm at 45,000 miles. He said he's certain Honda will cover. Actually, he was the second person I spoke with - the first person said that I needed to have the bulbs replaced - which didn't make any sense!
  • iansdad1iansdad1 Member Posts: 10
    TSB 04-027 is what you need to make reference to in this case.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    OK - this may sound like a stupid question, but what objective evidence could they have provided this poster that it was bird dropping or pine sap? i mean, if there is remnants of bird dodo ;) or a gob of sap surrounding the blemish - then that would be a no-brainer, but more than likely there isn't any.

    So - they just say the word "no" and it's no?

    Couldn't he take the vehicle to a paint shop and have a second opinion? One would think a specialist dealing exclusively with paint and finish would be better qualified to discuss a paint problem than some regional rep or a service tech. Some examples of paint blemish (photos to compare) could be useful too.

    Too much trouble to do that right?
  • geraldp1geraldp1 Member Posts: 14
    External, outside, same thing. Anything falling from the sky.

    Geri1
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    sure, a tree limb, acorn from a very tall tree, human waste from a passenger jet, pieces of a comet...
  • geraldp1geraldp1 Member Posts: 14
    Refer back to messege #71 for a little more indepth information on this story.
    Geri1
  • carpntr1carpntr1 Member Posts: 3
    o.k. Mr. shiftright, I'm satisfied with this past issue, (valve ticking). Oil filters I use is not of concern.Somehow my dealings with domestic auto customer service reps has made me fell as though I needed to get all worked up for no reason.Yet one hopefuuly last point on this subject is that the rep for honda told my wife the valve sounds were not normal and honda would change the oil without charge.
  • rcc8179rcc8179 Member Posts: 131
    I can't believe that Honda will replace the entire radio because the display is bad! (Why not just replace the display?)

    I had the same problem with my '03 Accord a couple years ago. They replaced the radio itself (which bolts into the back of the display). The reason is that the relay that controls the lights is located inside the radio itself. They did not replace the display--it had a couple scratches on it, and they were still there when I picked up the car.
  • chaz318chaz318 Member Posts: 16
    i was underneath my accord today and noticed the front anti rollbar appears to have one or two blemishes of rust, nothing major, but i really dont wnat it to become a problem, there is no way i am going to get an all new anti roll abr, but i have a touchup paint which has clearcoat in it, which i know helps stop rust formation, now this is what i think, and can someone guide me into whether this the most retarded idea ever, or a reasonable assesment that could probably work, but if i were to just put on a dab of touch up paint, or clear coat, over these two minor spots on the antiroll bar, will that be a reasonable solution to stopping anymore rust formation, and containing what is currently there? been loving my accord, and hate to see anything get rusted on it, so thanks for any help in advance

    btw-sorry if this seems liek a stupid question, but nobody in my family really knows anything about dealign with cars at all, and ims till a relatively new driver, so this the first car ive had responsibility for, and with this great power (of having a car) comes great responsibility (of not impulsively doing things without a second opinion, and making sure the car is in fine working condition, and that at all cost stupid things done to the car are avoided)
  • mrbill1957mrbill1957 Member Posts: 823
    Rust on a swaybar will be nothing but cosmetic. Other things will rust away long before that will.

    If you are still serious about stopping the rust, you should pick up something to neutralize the rust first before you put any type of paint on it.

    It's going to be an uphill battle stopping rust on suspension parts. I don't think they are well protected when new, and they catch alot of stones while driving, so there will be alot more rust spots to come.

    Mrbill
  • geraldp1geraldp1 Member Posts: 14
    It's just a very common occurance on about every used vehicle's under carriage to have some rust. On a sway bar it's about as common as rain. I would'nt fret about it.Enjoy your recent aquisition.
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Member Posts: 4,116
    Por-15 can be used to treat something like the sway bar, but I agree its likely unecessary.
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