Honda Accord (2003-2007) Maintenance and Repair

dolfan1 · July 2008

I was looking at a copy of CR's Annual Auto Issue & while glancing at the Used Car Trouble area of the magazine I noticed at the bottom (the overall rating) most of the previous models from the last generation all had the top rating but the 07 V6 was given the next lower rating. One would think the 07 would have been the zenith of that generation. Any ideas about why that might be?

civic95 · July 2008

My 04 Accord's front bumper is dented. I'd like to remove, pop out dent and replace. The idea is to allow my 16-year old to learn to drive for a while before I replace the bumper, which was dented by my 20-year old. Any clues on on to remove the bumper? Thanks.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2008

You'll probably need a workshop manual that shows you the various bolts, screws, clips and hooks that you'll have to remove. The diagram will show you all the locations as well as the right sequence to get them all off. It's a fairly elaborate system.

This might help:

Diagram of '04 Bumper Fastenings

mrbill1957 · July 2008

Here is what is posted on the NHTSA web site.

"HONDA IS RECALLING 351,000 MY 2003 ACCORD VEHICLES. IF WATER ENTERS THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR BREATHER PORT, WHICH IS DESIGNED TO ALLOW THE MOTOR TO VENT WARM AIR DURING NORMAL OPERATION, IT CAN RESULT IN CORROSION INSIDE THE MOTOR HOUSING. THIS CAN CAUSE A FAILURE OF THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT BREAKER INSIDE THE MOTOR HOUSING."

If your referring to the vent intake screen, the size of the holes there probably doesn't apply. The motor vent hole is the culprit. The recall isn't mentioned if you search with 2004, just 2003 shows the recall.

Mrbill

chucko3 · July 2008

came on on my 03EXV6 yesterday. The lights went away after I turned off
and started the engine again. First time this happened.
They didn't come on today.
Anyone experienced once?

thegraduate · July 2008

Hey guys. Thought I'd let you know that my CD Changer has bitten the dust at 36,200 miles. I tried to change from disc 6 to disc 1, and it never would make the change, with continuous whining, then an "ERR" message. I tried ejecting the disc, and couldn't get it to stop whining trying to eject it. The next morning, the CD was sticking out of the slot. When I pushed the CD/AUX button on the dash, it didn't respond at all. I could play AM/FM, however. I could get to the CD mode by using my steering wheel "MODE" button, but when it gets to CD, it just says ERR and blinks the red LED at me.

I took it by the dealer this morning, and under the slightly extended warranty due to the class action lawsuit regarding odometers reading a little high, they ordered a new changer, citing that they are like transmissions; "we don't work on them, we just replace them." Whatever gets me my music back works for me

. The only little issue here is that they have to send my old changer back to the supplier (Panasonic?) with my 5 other CDs in it, to be returned to the dealer in about 6 weeks time.

Needless to say, I'm not happy that this component failed pretty early in life, but I am pleased with the no-hassle treatment from my dealer. They are calling me Wednesday to let me know if the new changer comes in, they said it'd take 90 minutes to replace, and would give me a shuttle to and from work if I needed one. I guess you can't ask for much better than that, eh?

blufz1 · July 2008

Honda service. Good for you,Grad. That's one reason I let my dealer do all my work,including state inspection stickers. They seem to appreciate the customers they see in the dealership frequently. .02.

thegraduate · July 2008

I was there for an oil change exactly one week ago!

Now, if only they could do something for my dad and his Civic's tires... you can check out the 2006-2007 Civic Issues thread for that though.

I guess they'll change the whole center stack with climate controls too? I have manual A/C controls.

mrbill1957 · July 2008

Were all the CDs commercially labeled, or did you burn and make your own CD label/s?

Mrbill

thegraduate · July 2008

Some CDs are burned, some are commercially sold. I never ever put labels on my burned CDs; I just write on the label-side with a sharpie marker and allow plenty of dry time before ever playing them.

pathosrising · July 2008

The burning smell is still there, 10,000 miles later... anyone think its a problem? It's not a plastic bag, they checked eons ago...

wds1 · July 2008

I would like some suggestions on replacing the tires on my 2006 Accord EX-V6, Automatic, 4 Door. The tires are P215/50R17 93V. I have the original tires on the car and am looking to replace the tires in the next couple of weeks. I live in the Southeast, so cold weather is definitely not an issue. Rain can be an issue or it was in the past until drought has seemed to set in....... Thanks for any input you can provide!

grampy1 · July 2008

How many miles on the tires? I have a 2007 V6 and have good and bad about these tires Honda put on.
Many say Bridgestone as a replacement,but i think Bridgestone are made by Michelin. I choked a bit when i saw what the original tires cost.

thegraduate · July 2008

Well, unless you do a lot of very high-speed driving, I'd forget about a V-rated tire and come down to an H-rated tire, or less, as these should cost less. H is still rated for 130mph. I have the Bridgestone Potenza G009 tires on my old Accord ('96 model), and they make them in a proper size for your car. I live in the southeast as well (Birmingham, AL) and find that they have excellent wet-traction as well as dry. They make a little more noise than the Michelins I had before, but the improved cornering response they had was more than worth it.

Check them out.

elroy5 · July 2008

I don't think Bridgestone is made by Michelin, but with the companies buying other companies these days, who knows? I have Bridgestone Turanza LS-Vs on my 03 V6, and I am satisfied with them. They are a stronger tire than the Michelins, IMO. They are not any noisier (maybe less), and have much better wet traction (which I think is most important). They are slightly larger in diameter, weigh a little more, and have more rolling resistance than the michelins, so I get 1-2mpg less. I could never get the stated mileage out of the Michelins before some road hazard would do them in, so I wanted a stronger tire this time. I don't think Bridgestone makes the LS tires any more. They supposedly changed the name to Serenity. I would recommend them.

stickguy · July 2008

I have Yokohama avids on my Odyssey and a contour, and they are very good tires (even Consumers reports likes them) and a good deal. If/when my Accord needs new sneaks, I would go that way too.

look at tirerack.com and do a search on the size you need. You can compare options that way, and read test results and reviews.

jhinsc · July 2008

I have the same problem, except I don't want to pay over $200 each for OEM tires. I have nearly 41,000 miles and I'm almost down to the tread wear indicators. I will have mine for only another 6 months or so before I have another vehicle. I don't relish the thought of spending nearly $1,000 for only a few months of use.

When at the dealer recently, the sales manager said not to replace them as I can go another month or two. He also said the value of the Accord has held up very well and I won't have any problems trading in a few months early. My LPP pymt is only $308/mo and I'm looking for another equally "killer deal" as the SM calls it.

blufz1 · July 2008

Don't buy the tires from your car dealer! Go to a large tire dealer like Discount tire.

packer3 · July 2008

Bridgestone is a stand alone Japanese tire mfg, they own Firestone Tires for one.
Michelin Tire is a huge French com. they also own BF Good Rich tires.
Bridgestone tires wear to fast they cant even keep up with the Mich's durability.

elroy5 · July 2008

Bridgestone tires wear to fast they cant even keep up with the Mich's durability.

Too bad the Mich's treadwear comes at the expense of wet traction. The sidewalls are obviously much less durable than the tread. Both of my Accords came with Michelins, and the combination of bulges, and cracks in the sidewalls, and semi-sharp rocks puncturing them, I could never get them to that high treadwear mileage. Durable is the last word I would use to describe Michelin tires.

packer3 · July 2008

If you stay away from hitting curbs and pot holes your side walls will last alot longer, the tread wear on most Bridgestones are poor and there traction capabilities are usually good up to until around 15,000 miles after that it's slidesville.

imidazol97 · July 2008

I've had perhaps 20 sets of Michelins through the years. I've had two that were replaced for defects. I've had NO sidewall problems. I can't speak to the wet traction vs some other stickier tires. The treads of most tires harden with age and wear. I assume that's true of most tires.

elroy5 · July 2008

Look closely at the sidewalls of your Michelin tires. They look like the desert, with all the cracking. And that's after only a year or so. It may have no affect on durability, but it looks real bad.

wds1 · July 2008

I am more confused than ever now! I do have cracks in the Michelin tires and was suprised when the Honda service dept guys told me they needed replacing. I had yet to hit 36000 miles at that point! They do look quite worn but I continued on several thousand more miles. Who knows if I am in danger? The service guys said some of the Michelins come in and need replacing at 20000 miles?? It does make me wonder.... Where is the truth? Like I said, I am confused on which way to go with new tires as far as brand.

hondalova · July 2008

I have to tell you - I run my original equipment Michelins on my '06 EX-V6 Coupe. I swap the fronts off in the winter to put on Blizzak's (orig. manufacturer's size) and rotate them when putting them back on in the spring.

I drive 25k-30k per year, much of it high speed (read as hot/high friction) highway travel. At least part of my commute to work every day involves driving the goatpath on the Bear Mountain Bridge Road after crossing the Hudson up by West Point. My original Michelins lasted almost 80k miles without a single problem and, even then, the treadwear bars were just about level with the surface of the tread. Plus, I've never enjoyed anything but excellent wet traction with them in all kinds of wet weather (except, obviously, snow and ice).

These are probably the 8th or 9th set of Michelins I've owned between my original '91 Accord, my '99 Maxima, my '04 Accord, and my '07 Odyssey. I swear by 'em - additional cost notwithstanding. I swear by the Blizzaks for snow tires too - great traction, minimal tire whine, de minimus handling impact beyond what you'd expect for a soft gushy snow tire.

Sorry more of you seem to be having trouble than not.

-FS

blufz1 · July 2008

If you want the Michelins,fine. Just buy them at a tire dealer like Discount tire. Same tires cheaper plus you get free rotations and balancing. I got about 45k out of oem Michelins on 3 different Accords. .02.

imidazol97 · July 2008

>Look closely at the sidewalls of your Michelin tires. They look like the desert, with all the cracking

I just checked my 3 year-old Harmony tires-no cracking.
I just checked my 1 year-old Harmony tires-no cracking.
I don't recall cracking on my Symmetry tires that were 5 years old when I replaced them with the now 1 year-old Harmony tires.

Are you sure you know what you're talkin about on the cracking?

bunkie1 · July 2008

Consumer reports top tire was the Dunlop SP Sport 5000. I had a set of Dunlops on a Miata a few years back and didn't have any complaints.

The last set of tires I bought were for my Passat in January and I bought the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S. These were rated second by CR and they're about 20% less than the Accord's MXV4. I've been very satisfied with them as I have with all the Michelins I've owned. I'll probably get a set (from Costco) for my Accord in a few months.

I got 60,000 miles on my first set of MXV4's and have about 62,000 on my second set. No sidewall problems at all. In fact, I haven't even had a flat.

elroy5 · July 2008

Both of my Accords had MXV4's and after only 1 year, the tires looked like 10 year old dry rotted tires. A friend of mine commented that his tires were the same way. Maybe they're not all made with the same compound, but if you have MXV4 tires, chances are they have cracks.

imidazol97 · July 2008

No, I don't have that particular one. Is it a low rolling resistance tire?

Curious question... where is your car parked? In your garage? Is there a refrigerator or furnace in your garage with ozone-producing motors?

elroy5 · July 2008

The car is parked outside all day, every day. It has everything to do with the tire compound, and nothing to do with weather etc. IMO. Next time you see a car or truck with Michelin tires, look closely at the sidewall. I'm not saying the tires are necessarily unsafe, but they look bad and old.

Yes, it (MXV4) is a low rolling resistance tire. But I think the same attributes that make it low rolling resistance, also make them less durable. The Bridgestones are heavier/thicker, and I am willing to give up the 1-2mpg penalty, for what I percieve as a stronger tire.

chucko3 · July 2008

Got the WW safety recall done today.
They inspected & found the motor corrode.
So they replaced the motor & put the cover kit on.
They did a good job of putting the platic crowl back.

Didn't want to do it, but they wanted to do it when I made appt
for the TCS light check.
The TCS light didn't come on again for a week.
So nothing is done. Could be a low pressure in the
VSA modulator which triggered the light twice, my guess.

dudleyr · July 2008

Actually location (weather and pollution) plays a large role in tire cracks (usually harmless).

I always had cracks with every brand in the DC area. I don't out in South Dakota. Ozone is an ingrediant in smog and we don't have any of that here. Large cities do.

ezshift5 · July 2008

...... Next time you see a car or truck with Michelin tires, look closely at the sidewall. I'm not saying the tires are necessarily unsafe, but they look bad and old

.......if beauty still remains in the eye of the beholder, can we extend this to bad and old? OEM HX MXM4 Pilot 93V 215/50-17 tars on my coupe measure 5/32 at 52,5k.

Only negative would be non-confidence inspiring wet performance - - - - - - IMHO.

OTOH, headlight bulb replacement on a Gen7 is a real [non-permissible content removed] - - - once again IMHO.

all the best, ez....

thegraduate · July 2008

My car is at the dealer today. They called yesterday and asked if I'd like an Enterprise rental for the day, while my car was being fixed, that Honda would cover it under the warranty. I'd love one, but since I don't turn 21 until a month from yesterday, I told them I wouldn't be covered, but thanks anyway. They then offered to shuttle me to work.

I got a ride, since a coworker lives near me, and offered to take me and bring me back on her way to and from work, but I was pleasantly surprised with Honda.

Hopefully I'll get it back good as new this afternoon.

tankbeans · July 2008

OTOH, headlight bulb replacement on a Gen7 is a real [non-permissible content removed] - - - once again IMHO.

You got that right. About 6 months ago I was changing the bulbs on my car and the plastic jobber in the passenger side wheel well cracked because I couldn't get enough give to be able to pull it back all the way.

Needless to say I was miffed. On the other hand it isn't visible so I'm not going to spend the money to fix it. I'll have to tell a future owner about it, but that is a long way off.

If I have my way the thing is going to be on the road a very long time, by that time it won't be worth a whole lot anyway.

elroy5 · July 2008

I've seen what you have to go through to change the bulbs, in the manual. I am still on the original bulbs though, so I haven't had the actual experience yet. Did the bulbs go out, or did you want different bulbs? Come to think of it, I haven't had one bulb go out anywhere yet (5.5 years 56k miles). Knock on wood. I don't do a lot of night time driving though.

plethysmo · July 2008

I changed a headlight bulb on my 03 Accord. After 2 months, the skin on my forearm had healed.

tankbeans · July 2008

I was having trouble seeing at night, I'm too young for night blindness, I hope, but I decided to try brighter bulbs and for the most part it's worked. I haven't had a bulb go out, but now I know what I have to do to replace them again. Hopefully that won't be for a while. Never mind the fact that it was winter and if you get water on the bulbs they will explode, and I was trying not to get too wet.

I'm telling you that it is an awkward thing to try and do. You have to go in through the fender, try to find the plug for the light and pull it out, all while not being able to see what you are doing, you're pretty much going on blind faith, pardon the pun. Whoever decided that that was a good idea needs to have their head read.

elroy5 · July 2008

Do you think it would help, if the whole plastic fender well was removed? I like to see what I'm doing, so removing more screws and clips wouldn't bother me. Better than skinning myself alive. I find the low beams are kind of dim, but the high beams light up a dark road pretty well. Did you change the low beams, high beams, or both? I don't want to be blinding other drivers either. What kind of bulbs did you get? Silverstars? They seem to be popular.

tankbeans · July 2008

Do you think it would help, if the whole plastic fender well was removed?

Absolutely, if you can figure out a way to remove the plastic cover go for it, however I think the thing wraps under the car and it's all one big piece, I'm not sure. I know that I was able to spot the bulb by peaking up through the wheel well, but it's difficult to see what you are doing. Again if you can figure out how to remove it more power to you.

I only replaced the low-beams, I rarely use my high-beams because I don't like blinding people either, I know that I always get irritated when people are driving around without even switching them off. I flash people and most get it, but others are oblivious.

I did buy Silverstars. They're nice. They have a bluish tint if you're staring straight on, but when you're in the car they're nice and bright.

bunkie1 · July 2008

All this headlight talk has me thinking of another question. How hard is it to remove the whole headlight assembly? I'm asking because they have a bit of haze on them. It's not hurting anything but the looks, but I tackled it anyway with a little wet sanding and a product called Plastx with good results. It sure would be easier if I could remove them and work on them inside though. I'd like to get them back to their like new condition.

elroy5 · July 2008

The service manual says you have to remove the front bumper

, to remove the headlight. That's enough to make me second-guess that idea.

tankbeans · July 2008

The service manual says you have to remove the front bumper , to remove a headlight...

It's the small things that make some cars a pain in the you know where. I love my car, but replacing the head lights is a pain, and the seats and interior in general collect more hair than any car I've ever driven. I don't even let my cats in the car, but it still seems like they sleep in it.

If they made these cars a little more user friendly they'd be perfect, but as it is they figure certain things have to suffer in order to make other things better. I guess that's the way it is with all cars in some way or another.

elroy5 · July 2008

My 92 Accord was the same way. You had to remove the bumper, to remove the headlight (had to do it twice). I think most cars are that way now. Remember when all cars had the same basic round or square headlight, and they were easily removed. You could go to the local parts store, pick up a new headlight, and change it in less than an hour. Now, no two cars have the same headlight design. Progress?

tallman1 · July 2008

Remember when all cars had the same basic round or square headlight, and they were easily removed.

The trade-off was that replacing the whole sealed beam was more expensive than just the bulb. However, making it tough to change the bulb now is just crazy.

bunkie1 · July 2008

Thanks for looking that up elroy. My '03 Passat is the same way. I guess the best bet would be taping the painted areas and work carefully near the edges, unless the bumper comes off easily. You could remove the Passat bumper in 5 minutes if they didn't make the hood latch connection so difficult. (The passat bumper has to be removed to service the timing belt.)

sidthesloth · July 2008

I recently purchased an '04 Honda Accord EX with a 4 cylinder and the engine seems to shift too soon, thus lugging the engine. I drove a '05 Honda Accord with the same engine and didn't have this problem or symptoms. The transmission had too much fluid so I fixed that issue. The exhaust system is not plugged and the platinum plugs are properly gapped so that rules out loss of power in those areas. Also, if I accelerate fairly aggressively the engine has a deep throaty sound similar to the oil fill cap being off when the engine is running. Any suggestions?

elroy5 · July 2008

sid,
I think the easiest and cheapest thing to check would be the PCV valve, and for a vacume leak. The PCV valve can be checked squeezing the hose, and listening for the little clicking sound. To check for a vacume leak, spray carb/throttle body cleaner on all the vacume hoses, when the cleaner is sucked in through a crack in the hose, the engine will let you know. Hope you find the problem.

sidthesloth · July 2008

Thanks. I'll try that.

Another question. What tells the transmission when to shift when accelerating or decelerating? Does the onboard computer get a signal from the position of the TPS (Throttle Position Switch) and that is one of the factors that helps determine when to shift? I am wondering if I adjust the throttle cable will this change how the car shifts?

Honda Accord (2003-2007) Maintenance and Repair

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles