Hestitation: could be the lack of low-end torque. My EX 4-cyl has absolutely no go below 2000 rpm. Once you break 2K, suddenly the engine perks up and is fine. It is like this cold or warm. This is likely just the way the engine is tuned.
Headlight dimming: mine does this if I let the rpm's die down too much as I let out the clutch. Do you have a 5-spd or an automatic? I would not expect this problem with an automatic, but if you have a manual try getting the lights to dim while launching at a moderate rpm (1800+). I don't think they'll dim on you then.
Dimming sounds like normal even tough it is not happening in my LX. (infact non of these weird things that are put into problem category by some owners are happening in my 99LX , I quess I am pretty lucky:)Because of stop and go traffic, cooling fan engages, during this engagement, fan requires power from engine therefore engine has to adjust the idle. But these thing happening in very short time. Hesitation, under no circumstances, is normal. You better get it checked. But also your description is not clear and informative either. Accords have very decent low-end torque, I can take off my accord from the second gear easyly on flat road, even with slight hill that could be the third gear. My previous 91 LX was in the same way too. Well, this is valid only for 5 spd, as you know.Good luck:)
If I start my 2001 5-spd in 2nd gear, the engine will lug unless I give it a very featherlight touch. Once the revs hit 2000, I can do WOT without complaint from the engine. If I shift into 2nd gear with the revs dropping to 1500 or so, the engine complains if I give it a good shot of throttle. 2000 rpms is the line. Under that, you need to use very easy throttle to prevent lugging. Over that, it's open game. My engine has 1200 miles on it.
The Accord does have "good low-end torque" if you qualify low-end as 2500 rpm, not 1500. If you look at the dyno chart, the 2.3L has its first torque peak around 2500 rpm. It then tapers off a little through 3700 rpm and then picks back up to the peak of 4900 rpm and then gently rolls off til redline. It feels nothing like a Civic/Integra engine...I only have to redline the 2.3L if I'm bored and want to hear some VTEC engine notes.
Well actually I was going to write something and refer it to posting #678 but realized that it was yours. It is indeed very strange, I quess some others can express their observations too. When I read your comments, I tryed to create same shifting environment to see whether I am ending up at the same rpm or not. Between 1.5K and 2K rpm at second gear, my accord has strong pick up but not fast and engine does not lug . Speed comes after I pass 2K line which is matter of second. Some how we are ending up in the same rpm range but my second gear responds strong and allows me to accelerate. I am not sure it could be clutch and gas combination. I think you can eliminate the engine lug if you focus on clutch. During my break in period (first 4k miles and first oil change)I shifted to 2nd immedialtely after take off, I got 3th at 30 mph, 4th at 40 mph to keep the engine at 2000 rpm always at 3th and 4th gear. This will put you at 2000 rpm always after shifting which gives you the best fuel consumption....I would not let my car to pass the 3000 rpm if it has 1200 mile on it. It might be early for that..... Well there are many thing to discuss but the room is getting hot, I might melt:) I have to leave...
Thanks for your help. I was able to remove the three screws and the fan and motor popped right out. Saved me a trip to the dealer (and some cash!). Thanks again for the info.
First, I am very brisk with the clutch. I let it out and engage the gear quickly...I ride the clutch for only a brief moment during engagement, usually under one second. I know that if I ride the clutch for a longer duration, engine power does improve, but that's just a lot of wear and tear on the clutch if you do that constantly during shifts. My engine lugs at 1500 rpm but I have the clutch completely out. Perhaps I need to lengthen the engagement period a little.
4000 miles is a VERY long break-in period. I'm at 1250 and I consider my engine completely open game. I redline it or rev it high whenever I want/need to. You say that exceeding 3000 rpm while the engine has 1200 miles on it is too aggressive? Hmmm. I'm sure that even on the night I drove my new car home from the dealership, I exceeded 3000 rpm at least once while accelerating. My word, you HAVE to if you don't want to get killed in traffic! And heck, this is a Honda VTEC 4-cylinder. Once you pass 600 miles, you can rev these things up without worry. Take it to 4000, 5000...it doesn't matter. You don't have to drive like this all the time, but if you need the power, let the engine spin. I've probably redlined my engine about 6-7 times since I took delivery. And I'm not sweating one drop! My dealer even told me, "once you hit 600 miles, let it rip. These engines can take it."
In all honesty, you might be actually hurting your engine if you don't let it spin. Your engine's hestitation problem MIGHT be a result of the lack of revving. I am dead serious. It isn't a big block V8 pushrod. It's a small overhead cam 4-cylinder. Let it rev...that's what it was designed to do. I'm not familiar with the mechanical reasons, but I've read here that a small engine that is never revved high will slowly lose performance and fuel economy. Don't get so worried over crossing some rpm limit. In other words, just drive it.
My father has some strange aversion to engine revving. He has a 97 SE automatic with the non-VTEC 2.2L. He complains it performs like a dog. I watched him drive and I commented "yea, because you never let the engine rev." I then told him, "why don't you keep your foot down and let the engine spool up and generate power?" He responded, "no, I'm not going to do that to the engine. This isn't a performance car, it makes too much noise and that's too much wear and tear." Ay! He shouldn't be driving a Honda 4-cylinder if that's his opinion. He'd be better off with the GM 3.8L V6.
Since I've been old enough to have my own car, I've driven 77K miles and NEVER had a single engine problem on the 3 cars I've had.
I think you mixed me up with one other owner. My car does not hesitate. I am one of the happy owners in this forum, my LX ticks like a Swiss Clock. I don't stay on clutch more than it needs. I don't take off with second gear but my car is technically and practically capable to do it, engine does not lug. Unlike some others state, between 1500 and 2000 rpm my engine does not act like dead, it is fully operational. I believe break-in period is not over until you change your special break-in oil. And I also believe things are not black and white to frame the break in period as 600 miles. If this was the issue, Honda might suggest the first oil change at 600 miles. Like surgery patient, after surgery first 24 hour is very critical, they stay in ECU. This does not mean that they can run after 24 hours, they still remain in care (but not in ECU room) until they recover. I totally agree with you to rev the engine time to time. I do it when I need, especially on the highway to pass others. My favorite gear is the third one. I believe, 3th one is the most powerful gear in Accords. My former 91 was in the same way too. I disagree with you ( agree with your father ) that Honda is not a performance car. Non of the mid size sedans are. But that does not mean that you can not drive it as performance car if you accept premature part failure and usually this comes almost anywhere except engine. Most of the engines are well capable to take the strees but not other parts of the car like tires, alternator, belts, cooling system, drive train system etc. I am not talking about 24 hour response time, affect will be come up in long term like if I never change my alternator you might chance yours, if I chance my CV boots at 120K, yours might be due at 60 or 70?? VTEC engine is put in these cars because of fuel efficiency not because of performance related concerns. (some people under the impression that if they pass the 4000 rpm they feel a kick or boost or something in the speed or movement.) Like as I said, majority of thing we discuss are in gray area. Only time shows us the results and results will be definetelly different for everybody:^) Good luck.
How much do valve jobs cost for the 4cyl Accords? Also, I heard that when Honda's do break that their fairly expensive to fix. Is there any truth to this? I have a Toyota and nothing has been that expensive to fix--aside from brakes. I'm debating about buying a Honda and what input I get from here will be very instrumental in my decision making.
i feel pity for you.. i am the frustrated owner of an Accord v6ex coupe who has the same hesitation.. its a slight hesitation that occurs when you slowly accel from around 50mph while still in torque lockup.. only occurs in automatic.. the fault is a weak torque converter and this issue has been discussed extensively in the past.. however, most newer 2000-2001 were supposed have rid this problem.. mine is a 1999 and i'm still urging American Honda about replacing my transmission for about 2+ years.. a bunch of us with this problem have gathered together to launch a class action lawsuit and have also talked to Channel 6 who has agreed to help us in this matter.. u know how they love to damage the reputation of brand name companies.. if you want to contribution is this effort against Honda, please feel free to contact me at maddogv6@yahoo.com
Hi everyone! I've been reading past posts and have learned alot about my new EX 6cyl. For instance, I was concerned about the sunroof not opening all the way...now I know! This is a great source of information. Better to ask someone who has owned the car instead of a salesman who just wants to tell the customer what he/she wants to hear. I have a question for all of you who have the black paint. There was a lot of discussion awhile back about Honda's paint not holding up, especially the black. These posts were from 1999 and 2000 I think. Does anyone know if the 2001 Nighthawk Black is the same paint and has anyone had problems with theirs. I am having second thoughts about choosing black anyway (it just looked soooo good sitting on the lot, I changed my mind at the last min. and my desires over-road my common sense.) The red just looked so RED. Let me know your experience owning a black Honda. Thanks!
I read almost every topic in Edmunds. So far, what I realized is car comapnies are not different than each other in terms of customer post sales satisfaction. Only difference is the # of cases they handle. Like Honda handles 100 cases a year, DC handles 500 cases. We, Honda owners, are kinda lucky that very big majority of us don't have to deal with American Honda because of good quality Honda cars I think American Honda is not different than DC, GM or Ford. Based on what I read from different topics, if you are dealing with corporate level customer service,they always give the same answer. They have tendecy to deny everything unless you are cleary %100 right. Therefore owning a honda does not bring you good level of customer service.
kaycee: I picked up my '01 V6 Coupe in Nighhawk Black back in October and have no problems with the paint. As with any black car it is harder to keep clean and it will show scratches easier but the black looks awesome in this car with the charcoal interior. My common sense told me to buy the silver but I just couldn't resist the black after I saw it sitting on the lot.
I have a 2000 Accord V-6 and I am having a problem with a clunk when I put the car in reverse and begin to back-up. If anyone has any info it would be appreciated. Thanks Paul
I consider myself to be a loyal Accord buyer; having bought a 87LX, 92EX, and now 98EX. Sandwiched in between, I have also bought 90 Civic EX and now 99 Civic EX. But my curiousity and question pertain to the Accord family. I have bought all these cars new and have always religiously taken them to the dealer for their scheduled maintenance.I kept the 87LX until I traded it in for the 98EX. My 92EX now has 130K miles.
It has been my experience that during the first 5 years , possibly 6, the Accord is practically fail-safe, but that after year 6, I have seen $1K or possibly $1.5K of repair work per year. (Note: I don't count maintenance, brakes, tires, batteries,etc). I have most of the records, so I could spend an hour trying to itemize the expenditures, but I honestly think that I'm not exaggerating.
Other older generation Accord owners.. Have you experienced this as well? I sometimes read posts where folks state that they have 150K or 200K on their cars with no repair work whatsover?? Is this the norm?? Or am I just at the unlucky extreme??
Reason I ask, is because my 98EX is about a month away from having its 3/36 warranty expire and I'm having nervous thoughts of whether to purchase HondaCare to extend warranty to 7/100K. I got a quote this afternoon of $1435 with free financing for 12 months.
This is a known problem with some production cars during the early part of the 2000 model run. See your dealer, and have them check the TSBs on this topic. You can also check the NHTSA site for the relevant Tech Service Bulletin number and verbiage. None of this should be a shock to a good dealer with a savvy service dept.
DO NOT PAY OVER $1000 FOR THE EXTENDED WARRANTY ON ANY ACCORD. Do a search of the web for dealers offering the extended warranty...there are several, and none of them want more than $750-$850 for the extended warranty. Remember you can buy the official factory warranty from any authorized dealer in the country - there are at least a half-dozen with good web sites that will save you many dollars over the figure you quoted. Even my local guy gives a lower quote than that over the phone, and he never low-balls anything. SHOP AROUND.
I took a quick trip to the NHTSA site - the bulletin number you can refer to when visiting the service dept is Service Bulletin #613531. [There is also a bulletin out for cars experiencing torque converter shudder at medium speeds, another problem that occurred early in the 2000 model year and was subsequently fixed.]
Another TSB that covers the transmission clunk in reverse is SB # 614081. Between this and the one noted above, you should have all the info needed to get the service people to work on your car. Let us know how it turns out.
If you want some interesting reading, and want to know if Honda is already aware of a problem you might be experiencing, go to www.nhtsa.gov, and click on "problems and issues" under the auto safety subtopic. Then enter the make, model, and year you are interested in, and it will display all TSBs that each manufacturer has filed with the feds [and available to all of the dealer service depts via their computers].
The problem descriptions can be terse and concise to the point of non-information, but you will immediatedly recognize something that applies to your situation. The three TSBs on 2000 Accord transmission problems, for example, are well-known in the Accord community, and were the subject of a lot of frustrated postings on this very site several months ago, when they first surfaced. If, for some reason, your service advisor feigns ignorance, it helps to be harmed with the TSB so there can be no doubt that American Honda knows about it and can advise the service people on what to do.
Understand that 99% of the TSBs on the NHTSA site have nothing to do with SAFETY, per se. It's just a catch-all bucket to collect this data, and it can be very helpful if you know what to look for.
Hey, I've got a question regarding aftermarket exhaust systems. I'd like to get a good quality stainless steel exhaust for my Accord (I'm tired of replacing exhaust components every winter when the roads get salty) but I'm not looking for a "high performance" system, merely a 1-to-1 replacement for stock. Does anyone make anything like that, or will I either have to continue replacing steel components or get a ridiculous-sounding "performance" exhaust?
I have not yet seen any aftermarket muffler sound as good as factory. Plus I think it is a Honda policy(and not our dealers only)that mufflers are guranteed for life once you buy the first one and keep the same car. I know our dealer does it but I think that it is a Honda thing.
I have a 97 accord v6 which has a ticking or knocking noise, can't tell which one it is,but if the v6 does not call for valve adjustment,then what else can it be?would welcome some feed back,thanks!!!!!
AcuraGRL: Thanks for letting me know how your Nighthawk Black paint is holding up so far. I agree that this car looks awesome when it's clean. Have you waxed yours yet? I bought a bottle of Zymol and I'm waiting for a nice day to wax it. Consumer Report gave Zymol an "excellent" rating on the scratching/hazing portion of their review on car polishes. I've never had a black car before, but everyone has scared me with tails of swirl-marks and spider-webs (what the H--- are those?) I choose the Zymol because of the review and because it was easy to find (I got mine at Target). Did you get a spoiler on your coupe? I like it, it makes the car look sportier. Awhile back in the posts someone said they didn't like the spoiler on the back...said it made the car look like a shopping cart! I loved that and yes, it kinda does! Now whenever I'm walking towards my car in a parking lot I think of that comment and have to smile. But I still like my spoiler.
I submitted a post about a week with this same subject line. My post had two parts to it: 1) I was interested in peoples experiences with Accord Reliabity in years 6,7,8,9 of life. My experiences with 2 older Accords that I bought new, was that I average about 1K-1.5K of repair work per year after year 6. Haven't seen any responses. Still curious. 2) I was also inquiuring about HondaCare 7year/100K extended warranty. I posted a quote of $1475 from my local dealer. "jct9454" responded with a suggestion to shop around and possibly ask for quotes for dealers over the web. I sent about 4 inquiries, and I did have one return my query with a quote for $1095. "jct9454" thought $850 would be a good figure. Has anybody gotten close to that?
Thanks for everybody's participation. I really enjoy this forum.
Are you talking about 6th-9th year reliability for an Accord you've owned since it was new, or an 6-yr old used Accord you are looking to buy? If it is a used Accord, nobody can predict its reliability. Every owner treats their car differently and you might be buying a car that was abused or improperly maintained. OTOH, You might be buying a cream puff. You can't always tell. This is why I prefer buying a new car so I am the only one responsible for the wear and tear and can gauge how good the car is running and probably will run in the future.
That $1475 figure is absurd. $1095 might be worth it if that's the best you can find. I would try to negotiate so that the warranty has a $0 deductible, not $50, but I'm not sure if this is possible.
Bgabel1260... I went into more detail in my original post, but yes I was commenting on Accords that I have brought brand new. I have always followed the required maintenance to the letter, and have taken them to the dealer's shop eventhough I know I save $$ by going elsewhere. I even take them for their oil changes there, as dealer only charges $20. I've had 2 different Accords (87,92) which I've kept almost 10 years each. It seems to me that 2 or 3 things go bad per year, and they usually run around $300 per visit to fix. To be honest, I am a little envious when I see people posting that they have 150K or 200K on their car and very little goes wrong or anything on their Accords. I have never bought the extended warranty, but I am not sure whether it is a good investment in that my cars seem to be indestructible for the first 100K. I've got three Honda right now (92 Accord Ex, 98 Accord EX, 99 Civic EX) , but as most married men, I always seem to drive the oldest, which now has 130K. So I was toying with the idea of getting extended warranty for the 98Accord EX. It only has 30K.
Does anyone know of a good mechanic in the Dallas area. My mother has a 96 Honda Accord Wagon that needs some tender loving care. Am tired of taking it to the dealership. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Since it seems you keep your cars a long time, it's probably worth it to get the HondaCare warranty depending on your aversion to risk. Let's say the warranty costs $1000. Would you rather spend the $1000 on the warranty or put the money in an account (money market) where it will draw interest and be available for repairs down the line? $1000 doesn't seem like much for repair reserves, but if the warranty comes with a $50 deductible, you "earn" $50 accounting-wise per each repair if you don't have the warranty.
You have to figure that Honda prices the warranty so that over time it will pay out less in claims than what it receives in premiums. The entire insurance industry works this way. By buying a warranty, you are basically transferring a majority of risk to the "insurer" (Honda), in exchange for an upfront premium. You basically have to choose whether you prefer a higher fixed expense mean or a lower expense mean with a greater variance.
Thanks for your comments. I could also look at it from this angle: Both my 87 & 92 Accords had to have their AC units replaced. I'm guessing close to year 7. Fixing the AC will easily pay for the warranty in one chunk. And it would give me ease of mind at least for an extra 4 years. Like you said, those savvy Insurance Pricers must do their homework so they still make a handsome profit.
My service advisor always uses this train of thought when I pay a $300 repair bill on my 92.. "Well consider it a monthly payment.. and remember you don't do it every month...".
I wonder what formula most typical buyers use when they need to make a decision.. "Should I keep my 8 year old car another year or should I trade it in.." With 2 car payments right now, the question is any easy one for me to answer.. No new car until at least you finish paying off the 98.
I realize that you are considering buying an extended warranty for a car you already own (as oppossed to buying it when you bought the car new). However, I have a few personal comments which you, or others, may find helpful.
I recently traded-in a 1996 Dodge Stratus with 62K miles. It was almost 5 years old when the tranny went. While I realize that it was quite out of warranty (3/36K), I still don't believe a car <5 yrs & 62K should incur the amount of repairs this one did. While I am fortunate enough to be able to pay for a $500-$1,000 repair (and did on several occassions), I would strongly prefer not to. In my case, buying a $1,000 extended warranty for the Stratus (if such a beast exists) would have been a good move.
I traded the Stratus for a 2001 Accord EX. Since I prefer to keep my cars for at least 5 years, prefereably longer, I decided to buy the Honda Care extended warranty. At around $1,000 at time of purchase, it added less than $20 per month to my payment.
I think (again, based on past experience), that an extra $20 per month is much better than a "surprise" repair bill of $500-$1,000, especially if they occur a couple of times a year. Of course, I hope I never use the warranty on the Accord, and even if I don't, I feel it will have been money well spent, just for the peace of mind.
You're going to love your new Honda. I have never bought anything other than Honda ever since 1987. The car that I traded way back then was a 1982 Buick SkyLemon. So I understand your experiences with the Dodge all so very well.
Interestingly, I went back and looked at all the posts in the Honda forum in Sedans, and saw some neat exchanges between several folks on whether or not to buy Hondacare. What caught my attention was that all 3 folks said that 1) They had had very excellent records in 250K of experience with Hondas and 2) The repairs that they did would not have been covered by HondaCare.
I then went to the Honda website and read their info on HondaCare. It is very sparse. So it didn't give me the warm fuzzies that it would fix small things. Maybe it only addresses major failures like engine, tranny, & a/c.. Was that your understanding when you read your brochure.
There was also a post that stated that the dealer cost for the warranty is around $650. Some markup huh??
These guys are authorized Honda dealers who offer the official warranties at discounted prices. You will note that none of the options exceed $1000 for a 4 cyl car already in the last year of its regular warranty - most are a lot less. There is a toll-free number to call, as well:
1-800-332-2872.
Hope this is enough to get you started - do not pay more than $1k for this coverage - as pointed out above, dealer cost varies between $500-$650.
Actually, the extended warranty is quite extensive, and I plan to buy it before my second warranty year is up on our '01 V6...but I will get it from this source or another dealer who discounts online, not pay through the nose at the prices I've seen bandied about in this discussion. Check it out....
Is it really necessary or even highly recommended to change the timing belt on a 94 Accord that has about 45,000 miles of mixed (500 mile trips and local) driving?
Took my lx 2k v6 to the dealer to have the alignment done and check out that ticking noise I mentioned. Macho, the ticking I have comes from the left side of the engine compartment. It only occurs at idle and when I give it just a breath of gas there's a slight "pop" and the ticking stops for 3 or 4 minutes. Then gradually starts again. Well according to the Honda tech this is the purge control valve working and is a normal noise. Now that I think about it that "pop" may be that valve closing when vacuum is applied(when lightly giving it gas). Is your noise in the same general location and display the same characteristics? Auburn, what do you think about that possibility of it being the purge control valve? Have you ever came across similar situations. You mentioned maybe a lifter going bad, but wouldn't the ticking increase in frequency with an increase in engine speed instead of disappearing? Thanks.
Honda recomends a time limit(6 years) due to drying and cracking rubber possibilities. Being that you are now at the 6 year mark, it would be the safe bet to replace it. However if your car is garage kept and the external belts still look good then you may be able to roll the dice and be ok.After you get past the recomended limits then it is always a gamble and a personal decision. Good luck
Tick noise, I will have to listen for the purge control valve and see if I can hear it or not. I don't think the valve works that often or atleast it don't when I am testing them but I will check inot it. As for the lifters, they sometimes get quieter on accel when they are partially clogged. The higher rpms allow them to pump up. But as of yet I have never done any lifters or cam work so unless you are a service criminal I wouldn't think that would be your problem anyhow, it was just a thought.Other than that I can't remember any similar problems.
There was an earlier post concerning having to frequently replace the exhaust system on an accord and the person wanted to know if he could get stainless steel replacement. I'm a little confused. I thought the accord had stainless steel exhaust. I have a 2k , does it have stainless or not?
I don't think the Accord ever had a stainless stain exhaust. This is how Honda saves a few bucks...how many people are not going to buy the Accord because the exhaust isn't SS? I'm not saying you're foolish for wanting it - SS is definitely the way to go - but that's how Honda competes on price. They do great on the features sheet, but they cut corners where you don't necessarily notice. Their radiators, for instance, seem a little on the weak/light side IMO.
Honda also gets cheap on the warranty, too. Their standard warranty package is probably the worst in the business. 3/36 bumper-to-bumper. No roadside. No 5/60 powertrain. No 3/50 b-to-b. They are a business out to make a buck, of course, but it's interesting to find the little "gotchas" in their products. It doesn't stop me from buying one after another, though.
They sure have some GREAT prices, but the site looks a bit shady. Links are inaccurate (I've clicked on Honda quote and got the Acura page), titles are wrong (Accord 4-cyl page has "Acura RL" on the browser title bar), the credit card page is not secure (no padlock on the browser status bar). They also have no mailing address or dealer affliation. You get what you pay for, I guess.
I had a 91 LX. First problem came up at 98K. Radiator was replaced ( i am not considering 30K,60K and 90K maintenance) for $350, break pads and rotors $300. Around 138K, balljoints were due and I sold it. I had purchased extended warranty for my 99LX but I returned and got prorated refund after first year. First example shows that out of packet repairs most likely start after or at 100K and your extended warranty is no longer in. If your car is not showing any sign of problem that are common to some owners in this forum, don't buy it. That was why I returned mine. I think 1K is OK for repair + maintenance. If it is only repair than it will be your desicion whether to sell it or not.
fritz1224-- I'm not sure if the new Accords have SS exhausts (like bgabel said, probably not,) but my '94 certainly doesn't.
vcuan- Aside from a couple minor issues, (the aforementioned exhaust replacement-- and to be fair, the system on my Accord is NOT OEM, I took it to a national chain for exhaust work; a mistake, I know) My '94 LX 5-speed has held up remarkably well over time. I've now got a little over 104,000 miles on it. I've had it in for the following (beyond normal scheduled maintenance): a broken power window cable @ around 85k, new CV joints at around 99k, and a starter problem which turned out to be a loose fitting on the starter itself (it was a small piece of brass, I'm not sure exactly what it was for) at 101k. I've also replaced the battery once. Though right now the car's pretty dirty both inside and out due to 67 consecutive days of snow cover here in Iowa, when it's cleaned up the car is frequently mistaken for a '96 or '97. The paint has held up well, except for the usual stone chips on the hood (the car is black, which makes them all the more obvious) and I just last week put a new set of tires on it, the second set I've bought. In summary, this has been far and away the most reliable car I've owned, and that includes the two Acura Integras I had previous to this (it goes without saying that in terms of reliability, it blows away the domestics I've owned) and I wouldn't hesitate to hop in the car right now and drive it cross-country. I had thought of trading it in because it's a coupe, and now with my two-month old daughter, it's kind of a pain to get her car seat in and out of the back, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. It's been too good a car to give up.
I also echo the feelings of bgabel1260 after looking at hondawarranty.net. When looking at the "Our Mission" link, I understood them to state that their affiliation was with Springfield Motors. When I search honda.com for this dealer , it doesn't come up. When I dial the 1-800 number, I get a message that I can't call that 800 number from my calling area.
The prices are great though.. And they seem to infer that we're talking HondaCare warranty.
I just got a 2001 Accord EX-L recently and was wondering if this is a problem OR it is the integrated antenna...
I tried my real defroster and noticed that the upper portion (about 4-5 inches from the roof) is not working. When I look carefully, I can see all the wires in the real window area but it is not doing it job; and I know that the 2001 has integrated antenna. So, is the upper portion (4-5 inches from the roof) of the real window with the tiny wire my antenna or it is part of my defroster and it should defrost for me and is time to bring it in to the dealer and have them fix it.
The ticking on my car is constant,it sounds worse when I give it gas and the noise is driving me crazy,I have an appointment with the Honda dealer on Tuesday,will let you know what they say!!!
Thanks for the info on the exhaust. Does seem to be scrimping a bit. I guess you have to move up to the acura line before they're expensive enough to warrant SS. Macho, good luck with your car. When I told the service tech about the ticking over the phone, he said there would be a 69.00/hour diagnostic charge to determine source of ticking. I mentioned it was still under warranty and he retracted that statement. I wonder what sophisticated diagnosis tools they use to justify that kind of money and I wonder if that same equipment was used when I said it was under warranty. Probably just the tech holding his ear close to the general area of the noise. "69.00 please" Auburn I looked up the purge control valve in my emissions warranty pamphlet and there's 4 associated components to the purge valve. Diaphragm valve, check and relief valve, vacuum switching valve and solenoid valve. The symptoms my ticking exhibit could possibly come from the vacuum switching valve since I hear that slight pop and it stops ticking when vacuum is applied. But then if this is right, why haven't I heard it before now and is it an indication of this part going bad. Questions, questions, questions!
I tried several differant cars today and could not get them to make any clicks. However that is not to say that your tech was wrong, after all he atleast has heard it and I am just on the computer.I will try again and see what I can come up with if anything. Does you noise happen all the time on slight throttle/accel or just once a day? Is it worse cold,hot or doesn't matter?Figured I would throw some questions back at you
Undoubtedly the wire on the top 4 or 5 inches of window is your antenna. That's where it is on my '94 coupe (never understood why coupes of that vintage got integrated antennas, but the sadans had retactables.)
Comments
Headlight dimming: mine does this if I let the rpm's die down too much as I let out the clutch. Do you have a 5-spd or an automatic? I would not expect this problem with an automatic, but if you have a manual try getting the lights to dim while launching at a moderate rpm (1800+). I don't think they'll dim on you then.
Hesitation, under no circumstances, is normal. You better get it checked. But also your description is not clear and informative either. Accords have very decent low-end torque, I can take off my accord from the second gear easyly on flat road, even with slight hill that could be the third gear. My previous 91 LX was in the same way too. Well, this is valid only for 5 spd, as you know.Good luck:)
If I start my 2001 5-spd in 2nd gear, the engine will lug unless I give it a very featherlight touch. Once the revs hit 2000, I can do WOT without complaint from the engine. If I shift into 2nd gear with the revs dropping to 1500 or so, the engine complains if I give it a good shot of throttle. 2000 rpms is the line. Under that, you need to use very easy throttle to prevent lugging. Over that, it's open game. My engine has 1200 miles on it.
The Accord does have "good low-end torque" if you qualify low-end as 2500 rpm, not 1500. If you look at the dyno chart, the 2.3L has its first torque peak around 2500 rpm. It then tapers off a little through 3700 rpm and then picks back up to the peak of 4900 rpm and then gently rolls off til redline. It feels nothing like a Civic/Integra engine...I only have to redline the 2.3L if I'm bored and want to hear some VTEC engine notes.
It is indeed very strange, I quess some others can express their observations too.
When I read your comments, I tryed to create same shifting environment to see whether I am ending up at the same rpm or not. Between 1.5K and 2K rpm at second gear, my accord has strong pick up but not fast and engine does not lug . Speed comes after I pass 2K line which is matter of second.
Some how we are ending up in the same rpm range but my second gear responds strong and allows me to accelerate. I am not sure it could be clutch and gas combination. I think you can eliminate the engine lug if you focus on clutch.
During my break in period (first 4k miles and first oil change)I shifted to 2nd immedialtely after take off, I got 3th at 30 mph, 4th at 40 mph to keep the engine at 2000 rpm always at 3th and 4th gear. This will put you at 2000 rpm always after shifting which gives you the best fuel consumption....I would not let my car to pass the 3000 rpm if it has 1200 mile on it. It might be early for that.....
Well there are many thing to discuss but the room is getting hot, I might melt:) I have to leave...
First, I am very brisk with the clutch. I let it out and engage the gear quickly...I ride the clutch for only a brief moment during engagement, usually under one second. I know that if I ride the clutch for a longer duration, engine power does improve, but that's just a lot of wear and tear on the clutch if you do that constantly during shifts. My engine lugs at 1500 rpm but I have the clutch completely out. Perhaps I need to lengthen the engagement period a little.
4000 miles is a VERY long break-in period. I'm at 1250 and I consider my engine completely open game. I redline it or rev it high whenever I want/need to. You say that exceeding 3000 rpm while the engine has 1200 miles on it is too aggressive? Hmmm. I'm sure that even on the night I drove my new car home from the dealership, I exceeded 3000 rpm at least once while accelerating. My word, you HAVE to if you don't want to get killed in traffic! And heck, this is a Honda VTEC 4-cylinder. Once you pass 600 miles, you can rev these things up without worry. Take it to 4000, 5000...it doesn't matter. You don't have to drive like this all the time, but if you need the power, let the engine spin. I've probably redlined my engine about 6-7 times since I took delivery. And I'm not sweating one drop! My dealer even told me, "once you hit 600 miles, let it rip. These engines can take it."
In all honesty, you might be actually hurting your engine if you don't let it spin. Your engine's hestitation problem MIGHT be a result of the lack of revving. I am dead serious. It isn't a big block V8 pushrod. It's a small overhead cam 4-cylinder. Let it rev...that's what it was designed to do. I'm not familiar with the mechanical reasons, but I've read here that a small engine that is never revved high will slowly lose performance and fuel economy. Don't get so worried over crossing some rpm limit. In other words, just drive it.
My father has some strange aversion to engine revving. He has a 97 SE automatic with the non-VTEC 2.2L. He complains it performs like a dog. I watched him drive and I commented "yea, because you never let the engine rev." I then told him, "why don't you keep your foot down and let the engine spool up and generate power?" He responded, "no, I'm not going to do that to the engine. This isn't a performance car, it makes too much noise and that's too much wear and tear." Ay! He shouldn't be driving a Honda 4-cylinder if that's his opinion. He'd be better off with the GM 3.8L V6.
Since I've been old enough to have my own car, I've driven 77K miles and NEVER had a single engine problem on the 3 cars I've had.
I don't stay on clutch more than it needs. I don't take off with second gear but my car is technically and practically capable to do it, engine does not lug. Unlike some others state, between 1500 and 2000 rpm my engine does not act like dead, it is fully operational.
I believe break-in period is not over until you change your special break-in oil. And I also believe things are not black and white to frame the break in period as 600 miles. If this was the issue, Honda might suggest the first oil change at 600 miles. Like surgery patient, after surgery first 24 hour is very critical, they stay in ECU. This does not mean that they can run after 24 hours, they still remain in care (but not in ECU room) until they recover.
I totally agree with you to rev the engine time to time. I do it when I need, especially on the highway to pass others. My favorite gear is the third one. I believe, 3th one is the most powerful gear in Accords. My former 91 was in the same way too.
I disagree with you ( agree with your father ) that Honda is not a performance car. Non of the mid size sedans are. But that does not mean that you can not drive it as performance car if you accept premature part failure and usually this comes almost anywhere except engine. Most of the engines are well capable to take the strees but not other parts of the car like tires, alternator, belts, cooling system, drive train system etc. I am not talking about 24 hour response time, affect will be come up in long term like if I never change my alternator you might chance yours, if I chance my CV boots at 120K, yours might be due at 60 or 70??
VTEC engine is put in these cars because of fuel efficiency not because of performance related concerns. (some people under the impression that if they pass the 4000 rpm they feel a kick or boost or something in the speed or movement.)
Like as I said, majority of thing we discuss are in gray area. Only time shows us the results and results will be definetelly different for everybody:^) Good luck.
Leo
I think American Honda is not different than DC, GM or Ford. Based on what I read from different topics, if you are dealing with corporate level customer service,they always give the same answer. They have tendecy to deny everything unless you are cleary %100 right.
Therefore owning a honda does not bring you good level of customer service.
Thanks
Paul
It has been my experience that during the first 5 years , possibly 6, the Accord is practically fail-safe, but that after year 6, I have seen $1K or possibly $1.5K of repair work per year. (Note: I don't count maintenance, brakes, tires, batteries,etc). I have most of the records, so I could spend an hour trying to itemize the expenditures, but I honestly think that I'm not exaggerating.
Other older generation Accord owners.. Have you experienced this as well? I sometimes read posts where folks state that they have 150K or 200K on their cars with no repair work whatsover?? Is this the norm?? Or am I just at the unlucky extreme??
Reason I ask, is because my 98EX is about a month away from having its 3/36 warranty expire and I'm having nervous thoughts of whether to purchase HondaCare to extend warranty to 7/100K. I got a quote this afternoon of $1435 with free financing for 12 months.
The problem descriptions can be terse and concise to the point of non-information, but you will immediatedly recognize something that applies to your situation. The three TSBs on 2000 Accord transmission problems, for example, are well-known in the Accord community, and were the subject of a lot of frustrated postings on this very site several months ago, when they first surfaced. If, for some reason, your service advisor feigns ignorance, it helps to be harmed with the TSB so there can be no doubt that American Honda knows about it and can advise the service people on what to do.
Understand that 99% of the TSBs on the NHTSA site have nothing to do with SAFETY, per se. It's just a catch-all bucket to collect this data, and it can be very helpful if you know what to look for.
Leo
1) I was interested in peoples experiences with Accord Reliabity in years 6,7,8,9 of life. My
experiences with 2 older Accords that I bought new, was that I average about 1K-1.5K of
repair work per year after year 6. Haven't seen any responses. Still curious.
2) I was also inquiuring about HondaCare 7year/100K extended warranty. I posted a quote of
$1475 from my local dealer. "jct9454" responded with a suggestion to shop around and possibly ask for quotes for dealers over the web. I sent about 4 inquiries, and I did have one
return my query with a quote for $1095. "jct9454" thought $850 would be a good figure. Has
anybody gotten close to that?
Thanks for everybody's participation. I really enjoy this forum.
That $1475 figure is absurd. $1095 might be worth it if that's the best you can find. I would try to negotiate so that the warranty has a $0 deductible, not $50, but I'm not sure if this is possible.
You have to figure that Honda prices the warranty so that over time it will pay out less in claims than what it receives in premiums. The entire insurance industry works this way. By buying a warranty, you are basically transferring a majority of risk to the "insurer" (Honda), in exchange for an upfront premium. You basically have to choose whether you prefer a higher fixed expense mean or a lower expense mean with a greater variance.
My service advisor always uses this train of thought when I pay a $300 repair bill on my 92.. "Well consider it a monthly payment.. and remember you don't do it every month...".
I wonder what formula most typical buyers use when they need to make a decision.. "Should I keep my 8 year old car another year or should I trade it in.." With 2 car payments right now, the question is any easy one for me to answer.. No new car until at least you finish paying off the 98.
I recently traded-in a 1996 Dodge Stratus with 62K miles. It was almost 5 years old when the tranny went. While I realize that it was quite out of warranty (3/36K), I still don't believe a car <5 yrs & 62K should incur the amount of repairs this one did. While I am fortunate enough to be able to pay for a $500-$1,000 repair (and did on several occassions), I would strongly prefer not to. In my case, buying a $1,000 extended warranty for the Stratus (if such a beast exists) would have been a good move.
I traded the Stratus for a 2001 Accord EX. Since I prefer to keep my cars for at least 5 years, prefereably longer, I decided to buy the Honda Care extended warranty. At around $1,000 at time of purchase, it added less than $20 per month to my payment.
I think (again, based on past experience), that an extra $20 per month is much better than a "surprise" repair bill of $500-$1,000, especially if they occur a couple of times a year. Of course, I hope I never use the warranty on the Accord, and even if I don't, I feel it will have been money well spent, just for the peace of mind.
Hope someone finds my experiences helpful.
Mike
experiences with the Dodge all so very well.
Interestingly, I went back and looked at all the posts in the Honda forum in Sedans, and saw some neat exchanges between several folks on whether or not to buy Hondacare. What caught my attention was that all 3 folks said that 1) They had had very excellent records in 250K of experience with Hondas and 2) The repairs that they did would not have been covered by HondaCare.
I then went to the Honda website and read their info on HondaCare. It is very sparse. So it didn't give me the warm fuzzies that it would fix small things. Maybe it only addresses major failures like engine, tranny, & a/c.. Was that your understanding when you read your brochure.
There was also a post that stated that the dealer cost for the warranty is around $650. Some markup huh??
www.hondawarranty.net
These guys are authorized Honda dealers who offer the official warranties at discounted prices. You will note that none of the options exceed $1000 for a 4 cyl car already in the last year of its regular warranty - most are a lot less. There is a toll-free number to call, as well:
1-800-332-2872.
Hope this is enough to get you started - do not pay more than $1k for this coverage - as pointed out above, dealer cost varies between $500-$650.
Actually, the extended warranty is quite extensive, and I plan to buy it before my second warranty year is up on our '01 V6...but I will get it from this source or another dealer who discounts online, not pay through the nose at the prices I've seen bandied about in this discussion. Check it out....
Auburn, what do you think about that possibility of it being the purge control valve? Have you ever came across similar situations. You mentioned maybe a lifter going bad, but wouldn't the ticking increase in frequency with an increase in engine speed instead of disappearing? Thanks.
Tick noise,
I will have to listen for the purge control valve and see if I can hear it or not. I don't think the valve works that often or atleast it don't when I am testing them but I will check inot it. As for the lifters, they sometimes get quieter on accel when they are partially clogged. The higher rpms allow them to pump up. But as of yet I have never done any lifters or cam work so unless you are a service criminal I wouldn't think that would be your problem anyhow, it was just a thought.Other than that I can't remember any similar problems.
Honda also gets cheap on the warranty, too. Their standard warranty package is probably the worst in the business. 3/36 bumper-to-bumper. No roadside. No 5/60 powertrain. No 3/50 b-to-b. They are a business out to make a buck, of course, but it's interesting to find the little "gotchas" in their products. It doesn't stop me from buying one after another, though.
vcuan- Aside from a couple minor issues, (the aforementioned exhaust replacement-- and to be fair, the system on my Accord is NOT OEM, I took it to a national chain for exhaust work; a mistake, I know) My '94 LX 5-speed has held up remarkably well over time. I've now got a little over 104,000 miles on it. I've had it in for the following (beyond normal scheduled maintenance): a broken power window cable @ around 85k, new CV joints at around 99k, and a starter problem which turned out to be a loose fitting on the starter itself (it was a small piece of brass, I'm not sure exactly what it was for) at 101k. I've also replaced the battery once.
Though right now the car's pretty dirty both inside and out due to 67 consecutive days of snow cover here in Iowa, when it's cleaned up the car is frequently mistaken for a '96 or '97. The paint has held up well, except for the usual stone chips on the hood (the car is black, which makes them all the more obvious) and I just last week put a new set of tires on it, the second set I've bought.
In summary, this has been far and away the most reliable car I've owned, and that includes the two Acura Integras I had previous to this (it goes without saying that in terms of reliability, it blows away the domestics I've owned) and I wouldn't hesitate to hop in the car right now and drive it cross-country. I had thought of trading it in because it's a coupe, and now with my two-month old daughter, it's kind of a pain to get her car seat in and out of the back, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. It's been too good a car to give up.
The prices are great though.. And they seem to infer that we're talking HondaCare warranty.
Anybody bought a warranty from hondawarranty.net?
I just got a 2001 Accord EX-L recently and was wondering if this is a problem OR it is the integrated antenna...
I tried my real defroster and noticed that the upper portion (about 4-5 inches from the roof) is not working. When I look carefully, I can see all the wires in the real window area but it is not doing it job; and I know that the 2001 has integrated antenna. So, is the upper portion (4-5 inches from the roof) of the real window with the tiny wire my antenna or it is part of my defroster and it should defrost for me and is time to bring it in to the dealer and have them fix it.
Thanks.
defroster
Macho, good luck with your car. When I told the service tech about the ticking over the phone, he said there would be a 69.00/hour diagnostic charge to determine source of ticking. I mentioned it was still under warranty and he retracted that statement. I wonder what sophisticated diagnosis tools they use to justify that kind of money and I wonder if that same equipment was used when I said it was under warranty. Probably just the tech holding his ear close to the general area of the noise. "69.00 please"
Auburn I looked up the purge control valve in my emissions warranty pamphlet and there's 4 associated components to the purge valve. Diaphragm valve, check and relief valve, vacuum switching valve and solenoid valve. The symptoms my ticking exhibit could possibly come from the vacuum switching valve since I hear that slight pop and it stops ticking when vacuum is applied. But then if this is right, why haven't I heard it before now and is it an indication of this part going bad. Questions, questions, questions!
The reservoir is located on the left, nearly under the battery.
I find it impossible to check if the reservoir is empty or full. Is there any trick to this? You need really small hands!
I think I had somebody hold a flashlight up from the bottom of the car while I looked from above for the fluid line.