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Honda Accord (2003-2007) Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    I might also give up some mpg for a safer tire, but the tire with the least rolling resistance also happened to be rated the highest overall. It was more expensive though.

    If you take the safe tire analogy all the way you need to use snow tires in the winter (as I do) and dedicated summer tires in the summer (I don't - still have oem) as all seasons are a compromise all the time.

    At 60,000 miles all I did was the air filter, but I don't have an automatic tranny. I know our Toyota automatic says it is not supposed to be changed under normal circumstances (whatever that means).
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    If you take the safe tire analogy all the way you need to use snow tires in the winter (as I do) and dedicated summer tires in the summer (I don't - still have oem) as all seasons are a compromise all the time.

    Considering we've had one measurable snow since 2000 (it was 2.5" back in March of this year; fell mid morning, melted by sunset), I'm thinking I can pass on the snow tires in the winter. :)
  • elroy5elroy5 Member Posts: 3,735
    Safe for me, is wet traction (the bridgestones were near the top, and the Michelins were way down the list in that regard). I want the most traction, when the roads are slickest. It rains often, here in South Louisiana, but we might get 1 or 2" of snow every 10 years or more. Snow tires would be useless here.
  • chucko3chucko3 Member Posts: 793
    Maybe you haven't checked out all Michelins.
    Primacy MXV4 handles much better in wet & snow road than MXV4 Energy Saving (OEM).
    The trade also lasts longer.
  • chucko3chucko3 Member Posts: 793
    I have 4 Primacy MXV4 V rated on my 03EXV6.
  • tankbeanstankbeans Member Posts: 585
    You sound like me. :)

    When I replaced my tires in Feb, with the same ones you got, my mileage went down a solid 4 mpg. I was upgrading from Republic Ensigns, apparently they're Goodyear's off-brand, which I assume were lighter. With the Ensigns I was pulling 27 mpg at 75 mph on the freeway and about 60% city driving. Now I'm getting around 24ish. I have yet to find the weight of those old tires. Long story short these new tires are great and with the snow we recently had up here in MN they were grand and I didn't feel like the car was going to break loose going around corners at low speeds. Last year with the Ensigns the car was sliding around fairly often. They sucked.

    As for maintenance I remember having my drive-belt replaced. It had 6 or 7 cracks per inch, whatever that means.
  • jhuckabyjhuckaby Member Posts: 14
    I read somewhere a few years back to lubricate the rubber stripping with a rag sprayed with silicone. I do this a few times a year and it seems to make a difference. I saturate the small piece of rag and do all the doors and stripping in the doorjambs. Hope this helps!
  • jojosnetjojosnet Member Posts: 9
    Hello friends,
    I have recently bought a Honda accord ex V6 and the car keeps pulling/ drifting to the right. I had the car aligned 6 times in Tire Kingdom and no luck. I called Honda and they said they need to do another alignment and a vehicle inspection. I went to safercar.gov and found a service bulletin about it. Does anyone else here had this problem? Please give me your suggestions on how can I fix this issue.

    Here is the Bulletin.

    http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov
    Make : HONDA Model : ACCORD Year : 2003
    Manufacturer : HONDA (AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.)
    Service Bulletin Number : 03036 Date of Bulletin : JUN 03, 2005
    NHTSA Item Number : 10003480
    Component : SUSPENSION
    Summary :
    VEHICLE DRIFTS TO THE RIGHT. *TT

    Thanks in advance,
    John.
  • chucko3chucko3 Member Posts: 793
    It was an old TSB and replaced by a new TSB 06-068 (05/02/2009).

    According to the new TSB, new tools were developed to diagnose the problem.
    I read the TSB, it's time comsuming to diag the problem.
    Mention the new TSB to your Honda dealer.
    The work is covered under basic & extended warranties.
  • jojosnetjojosnet Member Posts: 9
    Thanks for you help Chucko3.

    I have a 3rd party extended warranty with Fidelity Warranty Services [Platinum Coverage]. Does anyone know if this is covered under warranty?
  • ijafwijafw Member Posts: 2
    I found that I could not remove the clip that supplies power to the (dead) bulb. Just no way to get enough leverage on it in such a tight location. And then the thought hit me... Archimedes (what I always tell my daughter).. Leverage, I need a lever! And there is a strut of somesort that can be used to put in a long wooden stick (3/4x3/4 worked for me), and slowly pry off the clip. I worked from side to side and slowly took the clip off. Worked like a charm.
  • daveturnerdaveturner Member Posts: 25
    Wow, I wish I knew this TSB existed a few years ago...I hit a pretty deep pothole with my 2004 Honda Accord in Jan 2007, so I immediately self-tested the alignment and noticed my car drifts to the right. I brought it to a Honda dealer and had the alignment done, but the service rep said the technician couldn't fix the drifting and said the set back (a type of alignment measurement) on my front right wheel was out of the acceptable range by just a little bit so they said I would need to go to a body shop to fix it because they don't have the equipment to fix the set back problem. I've been driving my Accord since then with the steering wheel drifting problem and I have been kind of used to it, but next time I will bring up the TSB to the Honda dealer during my next scheduled maintenance to see if I can get a good will out-of-warranty repair for that TSB....
  • jojosnetjojosnet Member Posts: 9
    I took the TSB to the dealer and the stupid service tech said "Oh this look you found this on the internet, well my guys need to get paid for what they do so I need to charge you for inspection 89$".

    I told him I told you what the problem is. He said he still have to do the inspection.

    IDIOTS!!!!:mad:

    I took the car to Tirekingdom, since they done the alignment 10 times so far. Thanks to the lifetime alignment plan. lol

    They were trying to get me new tires, and they said the problem is caused by tires.
  • tankbeanstankbeans Member Posts: 585
    ...since they done the alignment 10 times so far.

    So excepting the TSB that is being discussed you notice that the car's alignment needs readjustment fairly often? I'm not noticing that the car drifts to the right I notice that my alignment needs adjustment about every 6 months. I've had it done twice already.

    I have an 03 LX Coupe 4 cyl. I do notice that if I hold the steering wheel dead center the car will track right, maybe this is what you guys are talking about after all. I've just gotten used to it I guess.

    So I guess my question is whether the alignment needs to be redone every now and then?
  • tankbeanstankbeans Member Posts: 585
    ...I recently had to use some touch-up paint due to a minor dent that occurred when I grazed a lamp-post and took out a large smallish chunk of paint, 1.5 in X .5 in, whilst trying to jump my mom's car. My question is how to blend the touch-up paint so that it isn't as obvious?

    I can handle having it not look the best, since the car is 7 years old and I live in MN. Cars don't maintain their youthful looks very long up here for various reasons. I'm chalking the blemish up to character, but does anybody have any ideas about how I can fix this minor issue?

    Thanks.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    No dealer is going to do a TSB for free, though. These TSBs are merely suggestions from the factory, not recalls. So the factory is telling the dealer "we aren't going to pay for this after warranty", leaving the dealer little choice but to charge you, or do it as goodwill out of his own pocket.
  • flowergemwflowergemw Member Posts: 2
    Hi there!

    I still have my original pilot which I took pretty good care of it but have notice recently that my rear air vents are not blowing any air whether on heat or a/c. The front vents are working great and I have to blast it so my two girl would get air. I've been avoiding taking it to the dealership because if it's something I can do, I would prefer to save some money.

    Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
  • flowergemwflowergemw Member Posts: 2
    Thanks tankbeans.

    I'm checking to 1) see if anyone else have this issue and 2) if there's any tips on what to look for or what to try.

    Flowergemw
  • jojosnetjojosnet Member Posts: 9
    Lot of people are having the problem. But I wonder why the Honda dealers are ignoring us and saying its the alignment and tires. All they are doing is cheating their customers by making them pay for unnecessary work.

    I found some of these comments online. Let me copy and paste those here so you can read them.

    Quotes

    "ALIGNMENT PROBLEMS: My biggest problem - I cannot get the car properly aligned. It is ALWAYS drifting or pulling to the right. After repeated attempts to the dealer, to no avail, I have given up. The dealer will not acknowledge that there is a problem. I have been driving for 18 years and have owned multiple cars. This is causing excessive wear on the outer edges of the tires. I am now pursuing after-market components. Any feedback or comments by readers would actually be helpful.

    SHIFTY SEAT: The driver power leather seat has play in it if not pushed all the way back. While braking under normal conditions, the driver is pitched forward slightly before the seat settles back. While seated, any sudden move, such as trying to pull yourself up or forward, or shaking of the seat, produces a noticeable knock or rattle as a result of the play. The dealer does not know what the problem is - there is no fix for it. They don't quite admit it, but acknowledges it. An attempt at a defense sometimes is: power seats have a certain amount of play in them. I have had power seats on cars before; this never happened."

    "I have had the same problem with my Honda Accord pulling to the right. Have had it into the Honda dealer at least five times for this problem. They claim that the problem comes from my tires. The problem is unresolved. It makes driving miserable to have to be fighting the steering wheel constantly. I'm going to sell the vehicle due to this."

    "My 2003 V6 EX also has play in the driver's seat and pulls to the right. It sounds like these are common problems. The transmission is starting to slip between 2nd and 3rd gears after just 65,000 miles. I guess they don't make them like they used to."

    " I am the original owner of a 2003 Honda Accord EX V-6 Sedan, and have experienced the following problems;

    1.) Steering/Alignment problem - Car pulls to the right at only 1,000 miles (and despite returning to the dealer 3X, they were never able to resolve the problem).

    2.) Driver seat loose (at 70K miles) and shifts when I round corners or quick start/stops. (Have not taken to dealer for this).

    3.) Stereo display went completely dark at 70,000 miles.

    Had internal resistor replaced. (Honda has recall for this problem).

    4.) Driver seat squeaks like crazy in all positions (problem began at 90K miles)."

    :mad: :mad: :mad:
  • jojosnetjojosnet Member Posts: 9
    Even if you do the alignment 100 times. Trust me it won't fix the problem. :mad: :mad:
  • chucko3chucko3 Member Posts: 793
    I believe if the problem was reported and unable to have it fixed many times before the
    warranty expired, Honda should fix it again when they revised the TSB.
  • robgraverobgrave Member Posts: 65
    I've had this "drifting to the right" problem for at least a year, probably closer to two (2006 4cyl EX). It took a while to discover that it wasn't uneven tire pressure, but now I don't know what to think.

    It would certainly help if we could clearly identify the problem, and arrive at some ballpark figure concerning the fix. A trial-and-error approach can be both frustrating and expensive. I'd rather live with the drift than go through that nonsense.
  • lbirunnerlbirunner Member Posts: 8
    I'm the original owner of a '04 EX - 4 cyl Manual, with about 97k miles. I can't remember when I noticed the pulling (to the right) but I'm sure it was with the factory set of tires. I had the car aligned by the dealer, to the point of loosening all bolts on the subframe(?), attempting to shift everything enough to stop the pulling, that didn't work.

    Sometime later, after replacing the tires (Michelins) I took my car to Dallas Frame & Alignment and for about $300 had all wheels aligned, including correcting the camber on the rear wheels (they sag with age and are usually up to 2 degrees off from the factory). This didn't fix the problem.

    BTW, this pulling didn't cause excessive wear on the tires (on any tires).

    Then, about 10k miles ago I needed to change the tires again (my third). And it just so happened that my son got a job as a mechanic at the local Firestone. So I accepted the discount he got for some falken ziex tires and he did the alignment with their alignment machine (I remember him saying they had just spent some money having the machine checked out and calibrated). He just did the normal alignment and the pulling disappeared. I don't know if it matters or not but my son is a perfectionist.

    In all of this I don't think it was ever the tires that caused the problem because I always rotate my tires and the problem never changed (I rotate them myself).

    Hope that helps,
    lbirunner
  • tankbeanstankbeans Member Posts: 585
    I believe I should go and have mine checked again at Tires Plus. I believe they are owned by the same people who own Firestone, unless that's just the franchise in my area, and may have the same machines. Luckily I still have 2 years of unlimited alignments.

    I've noticed that, in mine, my vehicle only drifts when I hold the steering wheel dead-center, but if I hold it a couple centimeters, maybe more I'm not very good at guesstimates, to the left it tracks dead straight. Maybe the problem I'm having is different.

    Thank you.
  • techy2468techy2468 Member Posts: 3
    my 2007 accord se(v6) is only 2.5 year old with 24k miles, but they say that front tires need to be replaced(3mm tread or something).

    do these tires last only these long?

    i used to think that tires last upto 40k miles easy.

    i just use my vehicle for normal commuting...and i dont do quick acceleration or braking.
  • corkscrewcorkscrew Member Posts: 254
    Re: our 2007 SE with 30,700 miles. Just returned from the dealership after the 30,000 mile service. They gave us an '09 Civic to use while ours was being serviced. When we made the appointment we asked what would be done and the estimate would be about $300; ok-no problem. Well, I expected something more than changing fluids, filters and the like, from reading posts here on the Accord forum, and the first thing that goes thru my mind is rear brakes. Sure enough, an hour later the phone rings and the service rep says "you need rear brake pads." Well my wife is not happy, not one bit, so I told her that this is a problem with Accords and some folks don't get 20k out of them and there is an ongoing class action lawsuit. Well, when we picked up the car my wife spoke to the service manager and told him that although this is the best dealership we have ever dealt with, we are really upset to be replacing brakes at 30,000 miles. This is a first for us and we've had plenty of new vehicles before buying our new Honda. The service manager did tell us he is sorry that this happened, but the problem is because of the third party brake manufacturer. My wife told him in case the higher-ups at Honda want to know what first time Honda owners are thinking, tell them to have better brakes put in the car rather than risk having customers not buy a second Honda. I guess we were lucky that the rotors didn't need to be turned. :(
  • tallman1tallman1 Member Posts: 1,874
    I thought the brake issues were mostly with the current generation of Accords. I don't remember reading any overwhelming problem with pads wearing early on 07s. FWIW, I'm on the original pads on my 06 EX-L at 76k miles.
  • elroy5elroy5 Member Posts: 3,735
    This may at least explain your problem with early pad wear. If you live up North (road salts), the brakes need to be serviced more often. Pad wear is the 4th subject on the list (scroll down a little).

    http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/Brakes.html#Pad wear
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Does anybody have a particular type of black foam with the tape backing that they recommend for putting in the glove box to block out the light that shows through there? I know Honda fixed this under warranty, but I'm beyond 55k now (still have powertrain coverage left though). I'm not paying them to do it.

    Thanks!
  • mrbill1957mrbill1957 Member Posts: 823
    What was applied to my 03 Accord was a black foam approx. 1/4" wide, 3/16"-1/4" thick. My guess (and it's only a guess) is it's something the dealership has on a roll, and may be easier to just get a piece from the parts dept. Since they didn't apply one to your car already, maybe they will just give you a piece as a goodwill gesture.

    My local home improvement stores do offer numerous foam insulation tapes that look similar, my only concern is the tapes were not designed with high temperatures in mind, which means the adhesive may get too soft during summer months.

    You can try online sources for foam tapes, but you will most likely have to buy a whole roll when you need less then 2 feet.

    Mrbill
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Thanks mrbill. I'm going to take my car to the dealer to get all of its 60k mile work done (I'm at 30% oil life and 56k miles, so it'll be soon; getting the transmission serviced there is something I want to do). I'll set up an appointment, and ask about that in the process.
  • frostyculhanefrostyculhane Member Posts: 1
    My 2006 Honda Accord just started doing the same thing while driving at around 65 miles an hour it will hesitate.
  • corkscrewcorkscrew Member Posts: 254
    Sorry for the delay, we go south for the holidays and I like to travel at night.

    Yes we live up north where salt is a problem. Most all of our driving is around town, 10 miles or less, and add to that a heavy foot on both gas and brake and now I can see the rear pads wearing out at 30k.
    Corkscrew
  • billpaulbillpaul Member Posts: 103
    It's a front wheel drive car. Front tires will wear out first. 24k miles is not unusual, especially if you do not rotate tires.

    Your thread seems to indicate you do not know how to judge for yourself whether your tires have enough tread. If true, you had better learn about this.
  • srizvi1srizvi1 Member Posts: 263
    Back on 11/11/2009, I took my wife's 2007 Accord coupe in for an oil change at the dealer. It wasn't too bad, they only charged $25.41 total for the oil change and all the checks. The maintenance minder display indicated sub code "a." The one thing I didn't do was get a tire rotation and usually I have a coupon that includes this.

    The mileage at the time was 24784 (right now, the car is at 26807 miles). Everything in their multi-point vehicle inspection checklist was fine except they said I need to take care of the air and cabin filters. I was expecting to change this at 30k miles but I guess it could be due now since it's been a little over 2 years since ownership of the car (we bought new in late 2007).

    Planning on taking care of this myself by first taking a printout from http://www.handa-accessories.com/ and getting the dealer to match the price for both the filters.. Not sure if there's anything else I should look out for.

    I'll try to see if I can get the tires rotated and balanced soon too. Otherwise, I think that's all I need to do to get the car at 100%.

    Not putting any Synthetic oil in the car like I've been doing in my 2004 Honda Accord (which has been handed off to my sister) and my current 2008 IS 350. If I was to do it, I'm not sure how long it should last and everything.

    Anyone else with a 2007 Accord doing Mobil 1? How often do you go on your oil and filter with it? With my 2004 Accord I go 10k miles in between oil changes, the same amount I could have gone w/ standard oil as per the manual. and on the filter, I could go 20k miles since the manual says to replace the filter every 20k miles ( I usually just do every 10k though)
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    I use mobil one in my 2007 I4. I go by the minder pretty much - sometimes go over a little. Usually change at 9k or so. Not real big into super long intervals.

    I prefer synthetic for the small mpg gain (I use 0w-20), better cold starting (gets well below zero in SD) and overall peace of mind knowing I am using better than the standard spec oil. I expect the engine to go about 300,000 miles with no major problems. Have about 76k right now.
  • wise1wise1 Member Posts: 91
    ALL ACCORDS have alignment issues!!! I test drove several accords 2006-2007 models and they were all off from the factory!!!My 2007 SE has been realigned 2 times and the tires are feathering. I have kept the tires inflated within the tires specifications at all times as I have a compressor at my house and religious keep them up. I know Honda will say it's my fault since they do not admit to making vehicles with problems!!! My old 1992 accord had this issue also. It took many alignments before SOMEONE who KNEW what he was doing finally got it close to right. I had a set of Michelin x-ones that wore smooth across the tread for 789xx miles so it must have been right or it would not have wore smoothly. The 07 SE has 24K and is feathering or some other term that I can't explain and it makes me sick that I'll have to pay out of my pocket to get it aligned most likely it will NOT be correct. These cars are x-tremely hard to get correctly aligned. Either the factory has set the camber way off- MOST LIKELY- or the operators of the alignment machines don't know how to operate their machinery!!!! The room for variation in the alignment process commonly know as TOLERANCE- should not be allowed because if it is within tolerance it will not be aligned correctly. HONDA doesn't have ANY room for tolerance!!! :lemon: :lemon: Literally and figuratively!!!
  • wise1wise1 Member Posts: 91
    I recently experienced the loud screeching noise associated with so called low brake pads. The warning sound scared the*&$# out of me. I went to the dealership and they checked the brakes and said I had 90% on the front and about 80% on the rear. Why did it sound if the pads were not low???? I don't drive hard or in heavy traffic often. Any clues??? These pads are poorly constructed and made of inferior material as it has been an ongoing issue with hondas for several years!!!! Likewise with the rotors. The car had 21K miles on it at the time. :confuse: :confuse: :sick:
  • wise1wise1 Member Posts: 91
    I've been going by the maintenance minder and use Mobil 1 5-w 20. I usually get about 6000-6500 miles per change. Anyone know of a couple of web sites that sell genuine Honda parts at wholesale prices on the EAST coast??? handa- accessories is located in California and the shipping charges to the east coast is way too high for my budget!!! I QT. of transmission fluid would be over $10. One air filter over $30??? :shades: :shades: Thanks!
  • paul1975paul1975 Member Posts: 7
    2006 Honda Accord EXL.

    1) Driver's 8 way power seat was recently opened to check for any problems with lumbar and no problems found. The seat was put back. However, i see that the plastic cover that goes around the seat did not snap in correctly on the driver's left hand side towards the end of the seat i.e. in front of the pillar in between the front and rear seats.
    Does anyone know how to fix this ? I tried to snap it in manually but it wont and there is a gap there. (The part is 37 in the driver's seat picture on http://estore.honda.com)
    2) The upholstery shop who removed the seat scratched the side kick panel(inner side) near the bottom of the seat. How do I replace this ? Is this just a pull up and put in the new one ? (The part is 18 on the picture for floor mat on estore honda)
  • tallman1tallman1 Member Posts: 1,874
    they said I need to take care of the air and cabin filters. I was expecting to change this at 30k miles

    For some reason, the MM advises to change these early. I have waited until 30k for mine. Cabin filter was fairly dirty but air cleaner wasn't bad. Both are easy to change, cabin filter especially.
  • srizvi1srizvi1 Member Posts: 263
    thanks tallman1. I've changed the air and cabin filter in both my old 2004 Accord and my dad's 2007 CR-V so I don't anticipate this will be hard.
  • srizvi1srizvi1 Member Posts: 263
    dudleyr, seems you're using Mobil 1 for all the reasons I Want to. Here in MD we don't get cold starts terribly often, usually at nights in our cold days I think we're in the 20s or 30s. I'm not sure I would be uing 0w-20. I'd have to check the manual.

    and wise1, seems your'e a Mobile 1 user too. But you should be getting more mileage than that right - I Think the oil's usually good for 10k+ miles. For pricing, maybe you can get your dealer match like I'm trying to do.
  • williamreganwilliamregan Member Posts: 2
    I'm negotiating with my sister for the purchase of a 2004 Honda Accord that she inherited and I'm trying to determine the kelly blue book value. It's a 6 cylinder sedan with a power driver seat so it's an LX, EX or EX-L. Where is the trim level identified on the vehicle?
  • buyahomebuyahome Member Posts: 26
    The model is usually located on the back of the car just above the rear bumper on the lowest part of the trunk lid. It is a little "EX" on mine. You could also run a carfax using the VIN which would describe the car in detail. Good luck.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    If it has leather and automatic climate control, its an EX-L.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    If it has leather and automatic climate control, its an EX-L.
  • chucko3chucko3 Member Posts: 793
    and alloy wheel rims.
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