I think the Accord coupes lack side mouldings for one reason. They would spoil the looks of the car! I'm careful where I park mine and have so far, been lucky.
I do have to ask...why do the door handles "bother" you? Just curious...
My 97 Accord got a noise around the instrument panel. I noticed that the noise could be stopped if I push the up left corner of the plastic instrument panel. Therefore, I insert a small piece of rubber to support it. However, it is temperature dependent. When the temperature is getting hot, there is noise WITH the supporting piece. So, I have to put it on in the morning and take it off during afternoon. Anybody can tell me how to disassemble the instrument panel and get the problem solved? Thanks. -Kent
I own an '03 Accord V6 sedan, 7000 miles, and noticed what sounds like an engine knock when driving up a grade. It occurs at around 30-35 mph, while the transmission is up-shifting. No relation to A/C, or type of gas; I tried switching brands, and then switching to premium, with no effect. Only occurs when the engine is under some load; rarely if ever happens on level ground. Dealer has several other '03 V6 Accord owners with the same problem, and the dealer has informed Honda. Hopefully, they will come up with a "fix" soon.
On all of the timing belt (rubber) there is no need to remove the oil pan but I do believe (although I have not done one yet) that you have to remove it to do a timing chain replacement..
I'm used to the handles of the sedans; it looks more European(?). It seems few cars use those pull-up style handles anymore.
I don't think having a side molding would ruining the look of the car. The coupe looks too smooth from the side. I think it needs something to break the slate. Plus, I'd really hate to get dings from some careless jerks.
I agree with you on the door handle and moulding. The sedan's door handles look more upscale. Side moulding also wouldn't look too bad unless you go overboard and do what Audi did with the new S4!
I've got this annoying buzzing noise from the driver's side dash/pillar area that occurs around 50-60mph. The dealer diagnosed it as a wind noise from the front windshield seal and replaced the whole front windshield. Right after I drove out I heard the buzzing noise again. They want me to bring it back in but I don't like idea of my interior being taken apart piece-by-piece. Has anyone experienced anything similar? Mine is an EX Auto "J" car assembled in Dec 02. I've tried holding down areas on the dash to see if it'll stop but no luck. My next area is under the hood area on the driver's side.
Have you tried pressing down on the lower bottom corner of the instrument cowl (fronting the tach) ? My "J" car also has the noise, which goes away when that part is pressed down.
I've got a speedometer with a mind of its own. Sometimes it works fine, sometimes it'll indicate 19 mph at idle and stay there, regardless of speed. When this happens, the odometer doesn't work, either (not surprisingly.) Oftentimes after about ten minutes of driving, it'll "catch" and start indicating the correct speed. It's a '94 LX 5 speed with about 131,000 miles. Have you seen this before? Is it just the cable, or am I gonna have to have someone rip my dash apart?
bodble2 The two exterior belts also come off on all models without having to remove the oil pan.
tnguyen74 To eliminate the possibility that it could still be a windshield molding as we do see alot of these, masking tape off all sides of the glass and see if the noise is gone if so un tape a little at a time until you locate the area. If it is not from there tape off the mirrors.
lancerfixer Most of the time this is a bad speedo head which means replacement of the speedometer. The dash is not very hard to get apart so it is not that big of a deal. As with anything there are other possibilities but 9 out of 10 it is the sppedo..Good luck
lancer... couldn't hurt to check it out. Have had that problem before in my older corolla. it was loose on the back of the speedo. Can't hurt to check it. Changing out your speedo will probably cause some issues if you decide to sell the car because I believe it may become a TMU(true mileage unknown) vehicle since most manufacturers include the odometer with the speedo. =o(
Thanks. At this point, though, the TMU situation and resale's the least of my concerns; my wife uses it for her 35-mile (one way) commute, and she wants to keep it until something fatal occurs to it. (Fine by me; I don't mind not having a car payment, either!) It's running perfectly, so that could be a while.
The dealer sold me the wrong oil filter (larger, old style) for my 03 accord and I didn't realize this until the car was on the ramps and the oil was drained and the old filter taken off. The one on the car was a much smaller one. I called the dealership and they are sending me new ones. They also said that the one I put on wouldn't hurt the engine. Should I remove the filter immediately, or wait until my next oil change? The filter on the car fits and it doesn't leak.
If its not leaking.. then there is no rush. Change it when you have time. As long as its FILTERING the contaimants then thats all you have to worry about.
This may cause a stir, but I have read and heard that with today's engine technology and oil specs, that a filter isnt really needed..??
Just got an '03 EX Sedan. I'm questioning whether the a/c is working correctly. It seemed like the air temp increased dramatically when we were idle compared to cruising. I bought a thermometer and here were by results. Cruise: 40; Idle: 60; Idle w/recirc: 50. Does anyone know what the specs should be and should it fluctuate that much? Thanks.
When the AC is on, and I am idling the air will not be as cold as when I am moving. THis is normal. The air will not be as cold when you are at a stand still when compared to traveling at higher speeds.
I've always thought the temperature is the same whether moving or not. However, when moving, regardless of fan speed, you will get more airflow out from the vents which may make it seem cooler.
I realize the oil pressure light is not meant as a gauge for oil level, but is there a rule-of-thumb that the oil pressure light WILL come on if you're down to a certain level?
I post my problem with engine knocking sound for this car, I switched to use 93-grade gas this weekend, the sound went aways mostly, but I think I still hear the minor knocking sound ( much less noticable) when the A/C is ON, car acclerates from 40-60 MPH before the transmission is downshift. I think at this speed, the car engine runs around 2000rpm, the engine is working hard to speed up the car -- a lot of engine load, engine knocks. By the way, this engine runs very good with 93-grade gas. I think Honda should be honest with its customer and recommends to use premium gas. I am going to write to Honda headquarter complaining about this.
when honda america redesigns it by themselves instead of using the japanese engine, they hv prob. i don't think engine knocks is normal and i recommend u to take it back to your dealer.
Hello, I've been having brake problems with my car since I had 8k miles. Every time I hit the brake, my brake peddle starts to vibrate. I finally had a chance to take the car back into my local Honda Dealer and have the brakes checked. They replaced my front brake pads and machined the rotors and "told me it was only a one time deal". They told me that I was "ridding" my brakes and this would not be under warranty the next time it happens. I never ride my brakes, I paid 27k for this car, I baby it!! Well here it is a few months latter and same brake problem, I feel that this is a bigger problem then Honda would like to admit. Does anyone have any more information about this? Please let me know. jambriz@cox.net
My 03 V6 coupe's motor sometimes "pings" during acceleration with regular unleaded; other times it doesn't. It seems like gas quality is the culprit, knowing that some gas stations sell cheaper, off-spec fuel.
I've tried a 50/50 blend of regular/mid-grade gas and it works, but lately I've found that sticking to one gas station with on-spec regular gas is better. Not too many, but in my area, the Walmart and Kroger gas stations fit the bill (the branded gas, surprisingly, has sporadic quality according to location).
That is the only way you'll get a response from Honda. Using nhtsa as few as 50-100 complaints can get them to investigate a problem. Using the dealer or Honda directly it could take 1000's of problems for them to do anything about it.
Everyone should read through the complaints listed on this page that jambriz cited. There are 91. These included acceleration when put into reverse and others that should be considered a major problem -- not just "new model year" things.
Hmm, they sell how many cars a year. 400,000 cars and there are only 91 complaints. Not too shabby. Some of the complaints I read are "Rotten Egg smell", (MAJOR PROBLEM HUH) umm many cars I know have experienced this problem, its called cheap suflur content gas. My car use to experience this problem, but only with premium gas and when I went WOT.
The nonsense with the vehcile going fast in reverse, seems like a rare problem.
I read a complaint in regards to an Acura whose tire mysteriouly fell off, or some guys Lexus who's transmission wouldn't shift out of park, or another MB owner who's moonroof wouldnt close, the list can go on and on.
These complaints are going to occur, especially when you sell as many cars as Honda does.
Look up any car,lexus,toyota, porsche, you name you will see complaints.
Then again I do agree with Jimbiz in regards to the brakes. I had to have mine resurfaced at 15,000, but then again I drive rather aggressively.
I don't see why there would be a problem with brakes. Let's see..., they sell 400,000, you would expect a few problems with rotors!!!! Only 91 people..., the guy who says he's resurfaced rotors every 5000 mi is just not understanding he's supposed to overlook this. The other people complaining about insufficient quality in their brakes must all just drive too aggressively for the design of the car; maybe they should have bought an ES300. Every new car has that kind of thin rotor problem???
The transmissions that hang 2-3 and accelerate in reverse must just overlook that because Lexus' have problems too??? Read through the list then check other numbers... I think LeSabre has 4..., Camry 51, Lexus ES300 has only 10, most of which are transmission drivability problem from some software which the company (Toyota) acknowledges and says they are working on -- they sell a lot of those in my area.
Let's get real here. Lots of problems for a wondercar.
These exact types of problems were being experienced by buyers of new Maximas when I purchased mine in early 2000. (I now drive an EX V-6). Anyway......it was determined that the cars were being delivered to the U.S. with the lug nuts severely overtightened resulting in warped rotors later on and within a few thousand miles. I am now the owner of a $100.00 torque wrench purchased at Sears and use it every time anything is done in the way of tire rotation, etc.
You can tell techs to be sure to "hand torque" your lug nuts to 80 foot pounds but ultimately I double check mine to be sure they have done what I have requested. Just my two cents.......
What is the average age of a Buick driver. The older you get, I believe the less you complain about a car, atleast that is my impression. My grandfather and uncle have a buick. The thing rattles, a problem with the brakes, but in their mind these are MINOR problems, but these may be MAJOR problems for an Accord owner. Everything is relative, and yes the Honda Accord may not be the wonder car everyone makes it out to be, but it is the best in its segment, especially better then any buick.
"What is the average age of a Buick driver. The older you get, I believe the less you complain about a car" Now it's an age thing, not a build quality thing? But don't they build more Accords?
"...but these may be MAJOR problems for an Accord owner." The younger buyers spend less time on computers complaining. They also tend to accept the marketing mantra that it's better build because we can it and you shouldn't complain.
I think that topic has already been discussed here.
Let's see how the Avalon compares.
Berbel: I agree about having your own torque wrench and checking lug nuts after wheels have work done on them. I jack up each corner and loosen all nuts and retighten to the correct torque. The "torque sticks" used at some places do a pretty good job of hitting the right torque evenly from lug to lug, but it is a skill on the part of the mechanic to get them to do it evenly. I've retorqued for years.
But I doubt that's the honda accord problem, i.e, having the lug nuts uneven from the factory. I think it's thin or an inadequate type of metal. They made a change to save weight and it's not working right.
So the runchannel for the windows arrived and I took the car in. After 6 hours I went to pick up the car and on the way home, I noticed the driver side door panel was cut by what looks like prying of a screwdriver. The service manager ordered a new door panel for me and was really apologetic but that doesn't change the fact their mechanics are incompetent. I now noticed there are more rattling coming from the seatbelt anchor (presumably taken apart at my last visit) and the rear deck, but I'm tempted to leave them along. Are they hiring kids from high school to work on my car these days?
Warping rotors due to overtightened lug nuts is particularly bad news on 97 and older accords cause to replace the rotor-you also will probably have to replace the wheel bearings-also should use a machine shop to press them and the rotor into the hubs.
After going thru replacing wheel bearings/rotors due to overtightened lug nuts-bought a 1/2" Snap-On-Tools/Billie Jean King Special torque wrench just for lug nuts. Had new X-One's mounted last week by a franchise tire dealer and took it in for their guys to use on the lug nuts. They said they had their own-well I asked-why didn't you torque the lug nuts to 80 ft pounds last time I wuz here-but they were nice about it-stood and watched and listened for the "click".
The newer accords rotors can be replaced by just removing 4 bolts-along with moving the caliper of course-big improvement.
I have a 1999 ExV6 with 85000 miles. I have recently noticed that my steering wheel has a slight vibration that becomes more obvious at higher speeds. (50 mph +) I have had the tires rotated and the wheels aligned recently. It did not help. Has anyone had this problem? Anyone have any ideas what to do?
not wanting to read through hundreds of messages, what exactly are people experiancing with the brakes? is it just warped rotors or more? I have a new EX-V6 which is somewhat refreshing after trading an Olds intrigue plagued with problems. one thing I did not want to fall into though was the notion that just because it's a honda it's perfect. I do expect normal wear & tear, even what appears to be premature wear & tear. most manufacturers "cheap out" on parts not covered under the 3/36 warranty and obviously brakes is one of those parts. I guess If I bought a Rolex and it lost a minute each week, I'd take it back & throw it in the jewler's face. But I gotta remember that the Accord is still a machine with moving parts that degrade over time. I want to consider the entire ownership experience which has got to be better than my intrigue.
I dunno, the transmission has never gone out on my '99 Intrigue, which is more than I can say for my aunt's '99 Accord EX V6. Sure I've had some minor problems with my Intrigue, but I feel it's been more reliable than her Accord was.
After a full stop, when I release the brakes. I can hear the noise from the brakes. Anybody noticed this on his/her 03 LX V6? It gives me the feeling that something there sticks. Thanks.
The lack of the side moulding is one of the reasons I wanted the coupe. I have never seen much evidence of dents being prevented by side mouldings (most don't lineup with other car door height). I wax my car every other week and it is much easier to clean and wax without the side moulding.
I also bought a torque wrench at Sears and have never had warped rotors on my 4 Hondas.
I have a '98 EX V-6 Coupe with 80,000 miles and the car just developed a "whine" that appears to come from the engine bay. It is most audible when it is started and when the car is in idle and goes away (or is muffled by road noise) once the car gets under way. There does not appear to be any other irregularities with the car except for this noise. Has anybody else experienced this and know what may be causing it (and possibly a fix?). Thanks for your help with this issue.
Our stable of vehicles includes a 2000 Honda Civic and a 2003 Honda Accord, (both four cylinder vehicles). We use premium fuel in both vehicles. We also use an upper cylinder lubricant for the valves, piston rings and the injectors (4oz to each 10 gallons of fuel). Both engines operate very smooth, have great acceleration, and are VERY quiet. We also change the engine oil and filter every 3,000 miles. (This is our formula for preventive maintenance)! The "book of Honda" states that you need 86 or higher octane fuel. It does not say that you cannot burn premium fuel. As far as the fuel additive goes, my dealer recommends using a "fuel injector cleaner periodically, so my choice of using an upper cylinder lubricant on a continuous basis is just preventive maintenance. My formula works for me. (YES, the additive is safe for the Cat converter and the O2 sensor). Both vehicles are covered by a Honda extended warranty. Both vehicles are trouble free. Honda makes high quality vehicles. ----Just my opinion.------Greg
Just broke the dial trying to adjust temp-is there any way to lubricate the control rods/wires. I see a metal donut under the dial-hate to have to take off the dash-any suggestions-plan to use spray printer lube.
I have a 2003 Accord EX V6 I always feel a little jerk (and the noise) on the accelerator when I accelerate the car from rest. Seems like some obstacle in the initial movement. What can be the possible cause of this problem? Does anybody have the similar experience?
You need to look under the passenger side of the dash near the center for where the cable coming down attaches to the heater box. Take this one off by unclipping it and see if it turns better, If so now reconnect that one and disconect the one that goes through the firewall, either at the heater box or under the hod at the heater/hot water valve. Now see how it works. let us know...
Found the cable end-detached it-sprayed in some real lubricant-not wd40-also sprayed some on the firewall side of the cable at that end. Would be a bear to get to that one. Seems to work easier-will get a replacement knob and see how it works-hopefully no firewall side repairs to play with.
AS with the older accords, a cable was used to control the throttle. With our 03, Honda decided to add the ETC. Instead of a wire being used, a computer sensor system is used instead. It took me a little while to get use to it, mainly becuase it is very sensitive.
I have a 1993 Honda Accord EX with about 160,000 miles on it. It cranks but has failed to start after sitting in a hot parking lot at my work several times in the last week. Also it might not restart right after I shut the car off. After I get the car started it will stay running. When the car starts I can hear a click after the check engine light goes out, but I don't hear the click when the car won't start. I am pretty sure this is a relay problem and not a problem with the igniter or the coil. I am planning to drive to Florida in a few weeks so hopefully I can get this resolved. Thanks for any input.
Comments
I do have to ask...why do the door handles "bother" you? Just curious...
Anybody can tell me how to disassemble the instrument panel and get the problem solved?
Thanks.
-Kent
I don't think having a side molding would ruining the look of the car. The coupe looks too smooth from the side. I think it needs something to break the slate. Plus, I'd really hate to get dings from some careless jerks.
I've got a speedometer with a mind of its own. Sometimes it works fine, sometimes it'll indicate 19 mph at idle and stay there, regardless of speed. When this happens, the odometer doesn't work, either (not surprisingly.) Oftentimes after about ten minutes of driving, it'll "catch" and start indicating the correct speed. It's a '94 LX 5 speed with about 131,000 miles. Have you seen this before? Is it just the cable, or am I gonna have to have someone rip my dash apart?
Thanks.
The two exterior belts also come off on all models without having to remove the oil pan.
tnguyen74
To eliminate the possibility that it could still be a windshield molding as we do see alot of these, masking tape off all sides of the glass and see if the noise is gone if so un tape a little at a time until you locate the area. If it is not from there tape off the mirrors.
lancerfixer
Most of the time this is a bad speedo head which means replacement of the speedometer. The dash is not very hard to get apart so it is not that big of a deal. As with anything there are other possibilities but 9 out of 10 it is the sppedo..Good luck
This may cause a stir, but I have read and heard that with today's engine technology and oil specs, that a filter isnt really needed..??
I've tried a 50/50 blend of regular/mid-grade gas and it works, but lately I've found that sticking to one gas station with on-spec regular gas is better. Not too many, but in my area, the Walmart and Kroger gas stations fit the bill (the branded gas, surprisingly, has sporadic quality according to location).
Everyone should read through the complaints listed on this page that jambriz cited.
There are 91. These included acceleration when put into reverse and others that
should be considered a major problem -- not just "new model year" things.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Hmm, they sell how many cars a year. 400,000 cars and there are only 91 complaints. Not too shabby. Some of the complaints I read are "Rotten Egg smell", (MAJOR PROBLEM HUH) umm many cars I know have experienced this problem, its called cheap suflur content gas. My car use to experience this problem, but only with premium gas and when I went WOT.
The nonsense with the vehcile going fast in reverse, seems like a rare problem.
I read a complaint in regards to an Acura whose tire mysteriouly fell off, or some guys Lexus who's transmission wouldn't shift out of park, or another MB owner who's moonroof wouldnt close, the list can go on and on.
These complaints are going to occur, especially when you sell as many cars as Honda does.
Look up any car,lexus,toyota, porsche, you name you will see complaints.
Then again I do agree with Jimbiz in regards to the brakes. I had to have mine resurfaced at 15,000, but then again I drive rather aggressively.
1) Rattles in the dashboard, driver's armrest, and rear window.
2) Key noticeably warm after 45 minute drive. When I have time, I will drive it for a longer period of time and see if I get the Hotkey problem.
3) Dual-zone climate control doesn't work at low temperatures. If I turn one side down all the way, cold air blows out of both sides.
4) Steering gets lighter at fast speeds instead of getting tighter.
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/results.cfm
I don't see why there would be a problem with brakes. Let's see..., they sell 400,000, you would expect a few problems with rotors!!!! Only 91 people..., the guy who says he's resurfaced rotors every 5000 mi is just not understanding he's supposed to overlook this. The other people complaining about insufficient quality in their brakes must all just drive too aggressively for the design of the car; maybe they should have bought an ES300. Every new car has that kind of thin rotor problem???
The transmissions that hang 2-3 and accelerate in reverse must just overlook that because Lexus' have problems too??? Read through the list then check other numbers... I think LeSabre has 4..., Camry 51, Lexus ES300 has only 10, most of which are transmission drivability problem from some software which the company (Toyota) acknowledges and says they are working on -- they sell a lot of those in my area.
Let's get real here. Lots of problems for a wondercar.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
These exact types of problems were being experienced by buyers of new Maximas when
I purchased mine in early 2000. (I now drive
an EX V-6). Anyway......it was determined that
the cars were being delivered to the U.S. with
the lug nuts severely overtightened resulting
in warped rotors later on and within a few thousand
miles. I am now the owner of a $100.00 torque
wrench purchased at Sears and use it every time
anything is done in the way of tire rotation, etc.
You can tell techs to be sure to "hand torque"
your lug nuts to 80 foot pounds but ultimately
I double check mine to be sure they have done what
I have requested. Just my two cents.......
berbel
Now it's an age thing, not a build quality thing?
But don't they build more Accords?
"...but these may be MAJOR problems for an Accord owner."
The younger buyers spend less time on computers complaining. They also tend to accept the marketing mantra that it's better build because we can it and you shouldn't complain.
I think that topic has already been discussed here.
Let's see how the Avalon compares.
Berbel: I agree about having your own torque wrench and checking lug nuts after wheels have work done on them. I jack up each corner and loosen all nuts and retighten to the correct torque. The "torque sticks" used at some places do a pretty good job of hitting the right torque evenly from lug to lug, but it is a skill on the part of the mechanic to get them to do it evenly. I've retorqued for years.
But I doubt that's the honda accord problem, i.e, having the lug nuts uneven from the factory. I think it's thin or an inadequate type of metal. They made a change to save weight and it's not working right.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
After going thru replacing wheel bearings/rotors due to overtightened lug nuts-bought a 1/2" Snap-On-Tools/Billie Jean King Special torque wrench just for lug nuts. Had new X-One's mounted last week by a franchise tire dealer and took it in for their guys to use on the lug nuts. They said they had their own-well I asked-why didn't you torque the lug nuts to 80 ft pounds last time I wuz here-but they were nice about it-stood and watched and listened for the "click".
The newer accords rotors can be replaced by just removing 4 bolts-along with moving the caliper of course-big improvement.
I also bought a torque wrench at Sears and have never had warped rotors on my 4 Hondas.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I have a 2003 Accord EX V6
I always feel a little jerk (and the noise) on the accelerator when I accelerate the car from rest. Seems like some obstacle in the initial movement.
What can be the possible cause of this problem?
Does anybody have the similar experience?
-Amit
No I didnt know about the ETC. I would apprecite if you explain a little further or give me some web reference.
thanks auburn