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I can say the same thing for my 89 Accord, but for my 03EXV6, the brakes have been flawless for almost 2 yrs now.
What you might need is a new set of calipers for the front.
We've already got the Acura TL buy-date on the calendar.
I have a 90 Honda Accord that I purchased new and will be replacing soon. I can think of two problem areas.
The first area is minor. The temperature controller knob and attachment point is made out of plastic. The male part that the temp controller knob fits into is made out of metal. The plastic knob cracks. Was $6 to replace. Just pull the knob off.
The other area was a bit of a surprise. I couldn't get into or out of the car one day from the drivers side. Appearantly there is a design flaw with with the door locking mechanism that causes it to fail. The dealer knew enough about this problem that they stocked the parts. To repair the problem, the front drivers seat had to be removed, the door panel had to be removed, and the door lock had to be drilled out just to open the door. All this was done in 2002. I had just 88,000 miles on the car at the time. The labor rate that the Seattle Honda Dealer charged was I think $72/hr. HERE IS THE WHOPPER! It cost $800 to have the repair made. I don't know where you live but where I live now the labor rate at the Honda dealer is now $97/hr so the repair would cost $1,000 to be done at the dealer now.
One other problem that I had is the speedo, tach, and odometer went dead a year ago. The computer failed which cost $240 in parts plus labor. It was really hot when it happened (100+) so could have been the weather.
One pain with the 5spd manual is that the clutch engagement is really high which makes smooth starts difficult. Most people stall the car before getting the hang of things. Might want to checkout clutch wear.
On the great side, the car is still very solid and has no rattles or squeaks. I get 30 mpg on the highway.
I think the 90-91 models didn't have airbags or abs. I think the ex models there after had airbags and possibly abs.
Good luck hope I didn't scare you!
not sure if the V6's weight up front coupled with soft rotors and hard pads are just too much for the car, but Friday will be the 3rd time in 13k miles that the car will have the brakes serviced. scary huh?
well, second to saying or hearing the words "compassionate" and "conservative" in the same sentence.
yup, i sense this post will be deleted soon...;)
are you really hard on the brakes? it would have to be a constant thing, to get them that hot to warp them.
to be honest - what I have seen more of is people who (inadvertently) wash the car just after driving it with the brakes hot. spraying a hot rotor with cold water from a hose will warp them (especially a rotor that is thin to begin with). if you hand wash, do so only with cool brakes. if you see steam rising from the brakes when you wash the car, you've made a mistake. if you use a car wash, don't get on the brakes too hard on your trip to the car wash.
My car is also affected by the transmission recall, though I haven't had any issues with the transmission.
I just moved to an area with excellent public transportation, so I'm considering selling the car. I like driving it, but I don't want a brake job every few months for the life of the car, particularly after the warranty period is over.
I still shudder at the thought of taking a brand new transmission out of a brand new car and replacing it with one that has an unknown pedigree. However, if that's what it takes to correct the defect, so be it. My service manager said he did not know if the replacement transmission was new or remanufactured.
I'm hoping that's the end of my transmission story, and that I can get back to enjoying the car. So far, so good.
snakehair,
Since my service manager can't tell me if the replacement transmission is new or not, he obviously has no idea when it was built, or rebuilt. So the larger passages you mention to solve the lack of lubrication around second gear is an unknown factor to me at this point. I didn't realize that was the exact cause of the problem -- thanks for the info.
I mentioned to my service manager the idea I've seen floated on this tread, that it's the higher torque of the 6 cyl. putting more stress on the transmission that causes the problem, whereas the 4 cylinders are not part of the recall because of their much lower torque. He didn't have any reaction to that, but seemed a little ironical about whether or not the recall will be extended to 4 cylinders. I really hope the 4 cylinders are not having that problem, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.
As to other noises you may be hearing -- I think my replacement tranny has a few noises of its own, but I'm willing to live with them. The loud whine I had just went way above my threshold. Of course, that's up to each individual to judge for themselves. When driving the car yesterday with the "new" tranny, I realized I have been spoiled, in a way, because my last two cars -- Camry and Buick Regal -- had very quiet transmissions. I just accept that the Accord is not quite as quiet overall as those cars, as a tradeoff for the more engaging driving experience I think it offers. But that's just my take on it.
That's pretty much my take on all my dealings with auto dealerships over the years, both during the buying experience and then the service part. I get some good information, some clearly bogus information, and sometimes just a lack of information. So you're kind of on your own. That's one reason I like this Edmunds thread -- we can help each other make up for some of those gaps in information.
if you call the parts department and ask for a set or rotors for 03 Accord, the part # is the same as a set for 04 Accord. so i don't really feel better about new rotors either....
and no, i avoid puddles and carwashes at all costs.
i don't see me being able to keep the car, and my sanity, through the end of the summer. maybe they will surprise me though.
When they eventually had to replace the pads again, as well as the rotors, I thought that they put on the newer, reformulated pads. Either they didn't (since I'm having the same problem again) or the reformulated pads aren't up to snuff either. I think they probably just didn't put on the reformulated pads the last time around.
Honda Corporation has been fairly cooperative throughout, and I hope that continues. I've dealt directly with Honda Customer Relations since the problem began.
not too worried about the tranny. it performs flawlessly strangely enough. i won't have the car past 36k miles anyway...
Is this a good price?
I have a EXL V6 with Navi
they said they haven't even received one shipment of oil jet kits yet. they haven't done a single recall repair yet. they are waiting on instruction and kits.
i think i like the idea of NOT being the first one to have the work done. let the Honda techs get the hang of it first seem like a great idea considering...
can i just say how much i still love the climate control system in my Accord? i love my Miata, but there is nothing like starting the Accord and having to touch NOTHING the whole trip with regard to being the perfect temp.
I've been involved in many discussions in the Mazda 6 vs. Acura TSX forum, and the Mazda fans would directly compare the base 4-cyl. 6i to the 4-cyl. TSX. They were trying to make the point that the TSX was so overpriced compared to the 6i, as they placed little to no value on the luxury features.
I brought up the automatic climate control, and they acted as if I had just dropped in from another planet. "What's so hard about turning a couple knobs?"
I replied "don't knock it until you've tried it", but they weren't convinced in the slightest. Their loss, IMO.
But to be honest, before I got my first Accord EX with climate control, I thought it was frivolous, too. But the EX had other features that I wanted, so I had to take the climate control anyway. After I had it for a while, I really began to appreciate, as you say, the perfect temp control all the time. Now I'm really spoiled...
the mazda6s had climate control that i test drove, but it also didn't have breakaway side mirrors. breakaway side mirrors are really important i think. not a deal breaker all the time, but still a very nice touch.
also sometimes if my car is parked and I have not put the parking brake on. and then i move it out of park. It makes a decent thud noise?
the dealership claims its normal?
Is that so?
I grew up with manual transmissions in hilly areas, so I learned to always set my parking brake (for some reason we called it the "emergency brake") when parked. That may help.
If the shift noise is very loud or delayed, you may want to get a second opinion from a different dealer.
By not using the parking brake the entire weight of the car is being held by the parking pawl in the transmission. It'll hold the car but there is trememdous pressure on it and, of course, it's going to clunk when that pressure is released.
Use your parking brake. That's what it's there for!
My 94 Toyota Camry didn't thunk when shifting, nor does my husband's Lexus ES300 (and he's very bad and never uses his parking brake).
Though I don't consider the noise problematic with my 03 Accord, it's definitely more noticeable than with other cars I've driven.
I do agree, though, that using the parking brake reduces the noise and strain.
oddly enough though, the THUD just doesn't bug me like it used to.
car is still in the shop for brakes as i type this - no word yet from the dealer.
My point was that the Accord seems to shift in and out of park a bit louder than some other cars I've owned or driven.
The 4th makes the worst thunk. For the latest generation (V6) I hardly hear any thunk when shifting from P to D.
Applying the parking brake reduces the strain and lets you easily shift out of P when parking on an incline, but you still can hear the thunk.
third resurfacing on the rotors in 7 months and less than 10k miles.
looking into lemon laws and/or arbitration i think.
After that, he had no Park and that was on a Chevy. Hardly the car's fault.
I guarantee you, I can make ANY car clunk when I take it out of park on an incline. Some may clunk harder than others.
Again, just use your handbrake, that's why it's there.
i also laugh when i hear people say "blinker" instead of "signal".
nothing beats my Aunt from SE Missouri - its "roll down that winder!" she means "window" haha.
The other term no longer used is "firewall." It's the dashpanel now.
I am thinking to install a Viper 350HV security system into my 2004 Accord LX. Anyone knows if this alarm could cause any problem? I certainly don't want it to affect the Accord's own keyless entry function or Immobilizer system. Is there any this compatibility problem?
Thanks a lot.