Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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When I drive over a bump or some uneven road, I hear some squeak noise from rear. It's very subtle and high-pitched. But I can't tell where it's coming from. I'm not even sure whether it's coming from outside or inside.
Any suggestions for isolating this noise? I checked the rear suspensions but I didn't know what to look for.
Really? How much will you give me for my '04 EX, 31K on the odo? Has issues with creaking windows, cd player went out (don't worry the dealer replaced it but the mechanic left his "mark" on the surrounding plastic), windshield had to be resealed, windshield washer hoses routed wrong, poor flow from washer nozzle (corrected by dealer)and minor imperfections in the clear coat, but hey it's a HONDA and someone will buy it. Pretty sad track record for a "new" car. I've paid 1/2 as much for so called lesser vehicles that continue to be defect free. Been owning Accords since '98 and Honda motorcycles since the early 80's and I am willing to stand up and say honda just ain't what they used to be. Oh yeah, mine was assembled wholly in Japan.
Sounds like yours was assembled on a Monday.
Have you checked the rear license plate and braket (if so equipped)? Have you checked that your spare tire and jack are securely mounted? Have you checked to make sure that the rear folding seatbacks are securely affixed in the up position?
Unethical salespeople have a list of these false comebacks in their pockets. They are trying to win sales over the Camry. Everyone knows why Accord loses sales to Camry - ride quality & noise. Just look at the '07 Camry interior...it is almost an exact copy of the Accord - go figure.
I will ask my Honda dealer next time I get one of my cars serviced. They seem to be pretty honest people. If they say yes, I will ask where the insulation was added.
And Carrman...Sounds like your Accord has many other issues outside of the ride. I don't think I want that one. :P
If you get the used '05, the original owner has already taken the biggest hit on depreciation. You'll save some money and have a virtually identical vehicle.
Obviously, you must have the vehicle checked carefully by a mechanic before making an offer.
That's terrible. You want to give us the name of the dealership so we can all know to not go there?
So after all this, are hondas bad or good. They had a good reputation, which is why I wanted to purchase a honda and only a honda. But yall scaring me with all this talk....
Your car is far from a lemon. If you think other makes will treat you better then buy one but saying you won't buy another Honda due to the problems stated doesn't make sense.
- Unfortunate about your cut but it is fixed and shouldn't happen again (Honda issue)
- Finish problem sounds like dealership prep issue or environmental factors (not Honda issue)
- Window creak (Honda issue but minor and should be easy fix)
- When be bought our Accord we had to activate XM as they need your info (not a big deal and not a Honda issue)
- Don't know about trunk leak (could be dealer or Honda issue) but appears to be corrected. They should replace the damaged components, though.
Honda and most manufacturers (including Toyota and Lexus) do not pay for rental cars, gas or your time - this is unreasonable expectation. Your 160 mile round trip is by your choice - you've either elected to live in an area far removed from car dealerships or chose to use a dealership 80 miles away.
Most vehicles today have a few issues when new. I have worked with and owned several brands of vehicle including Honda, Toyota and Nissan and have found Honda to be one of the most concerned with customer satisfaction.
And, I'm having to live with the interior creaks and suspension rattles left unresolved. Another Head Unit black-out ? Before that $800 repair comes again at 70k miles, Honda needs to have announced a 100k warranty on it or the car will have been sold.
Just being rational about it, but for another Honda or Acura acquisition to make sense, I'll have to increase my expected cost of ownership by about $6,000: 1) $1,000 for an extended warranty, and 2) approximately $5,000 worth of personal productivity lost in repair downtime.
The all-in cost of, say, an 08 Accord V6 - something I'd be interested in - would thus be in the neighborhood of $31k ($25k acquisition plus $6k contingency cost).
A lot of interesting options "outside the Accord box" come to mind with that number.
just curious, what neck of the woods do you live in? If the Toyota dealer is any closer, that me be a better choice.
You knowingly purchased the 2003 model, the first year of the seventh generation Accords. I've done such things in the past too.
Now you are thinking about the 2008 Accord? It will be another first year of its generation model. Keep those growing pains in mind.
The dealer is Miller Honda Culver City California on Washington Bl next to Miller Toyota. The whole deal with this car has been kinda weird. I actually purchased the vehicle from the 'sister' dealership in Van Nuys Ca. and got a pretty good deal. Everything seemed ok till the sales man "Jim" called me at MY HOME a few days after the sale yelling at me because I gave him low marks on the after sale survey. The conversation became heated and good 'ol "Jim" hung up the phone. Subsequent calls to dealer revealed he no longer works there. Sure, OK. A few days later my car was vanalized, a deep to the metal scratch on the rear quarter panel. I'm not accusing "jim" but it makes ya wonder......anyway, you ask if Honda's are good....well I like the way the accord drives but I agree the ride is rough compared to my '98 accord and no major handling prowess to justify the roughness in my opinion. I love the motor and 5 spd auto tranny. My basic '98 dx with roll up windows built in marysville ohio had a better build quality to be honest. Overall I wouldn't buy another accord, that's for sure , if someone put a gun to my head I'd maybe get a cr-v. Maybe. My wife has a '03 cr-v that is worlds better than my accord, it just does everything you expect it would, no bizzare unfixable window squeeks, good interior fit & finish, etc. I would seriously test drive many other vehicle before making a decision, better yet see if you can rent the vehicles you are seriously thinking about before you buy.
Oldjoe,
Honda, being a Japanese company, actually does produce cars in Japan for export to the USA. My '04 accord ex was assembled in Japan, still got the sticker and of course the "J" vin on the car. The car was purchased NEW off the lot, one of many on the lot with "J" vins. While your theory of used flood damaged vehicles being sold as new is intriguing, that's simply not the case here. We're talking fubar from the assembly line. :shades:
The whole point is, Honda will - as it's wont to do - make the next Accord another compelling value proposition, but given its ongoing quality issues, I'd add the cost of extended warranty and in-shop downtime to the purchase price.
Come to think of it, this Accord generation's growing pains apparently haven't abated on its 3rd year.
Umm, don't you have a 3 months trial period with XM radio after purchase? What took you so long to call XM? You can't blame Honda for that. :surprise:
But Honda is covering the radio problem. If the dealership won't help you, Honda will reimburse you if you call corporate. In fact, Honda seems to be very willing to work with many issues if you give them a little time and don't get too stupid on the phone when you call them.
I don't think there are more serious "ongoing quality issues" with the Accord than there are with any other car. And when you narrow it down to cars the anyone who wants an Accord would actually want, the pickins get even slimmer. But hey no car is perfect. If you get a bad one, I sympathize. But Honda does have the right to let the warranty work first. They aren't just gonna buy the car back or anything. So if you really hate the car, you are gonna have to take a monetary loss and get rid of it or lose some time and take it to the shop and let the warranty work.
My father had a 2002 CR-V LX (now known for their oil-filter problem) where, at 36k miles, his oil filter fell OFF. All services were always done at the dealership. The selling dealership offered to give him a 7 yr/100,000 mile warranty for his trouble. He still wasn't happy with them...They ended up buying the car back, giving him $18,000 for it. It had cost $19k new! He got a 2003 Accord from them after that, and actually had his payments go down, despite the fact that he got an upscale EX model. Honda went above and beyond the call of duty, and for their trouble, we have since bought a 2003 Accord, 2005 Accord (replaced the wrecked 03) and my new 2006 Accord.
It pays to keep the customer happy, as we also sent my great aunt (2005 Odyssey, 2000 Ody, 1997 CR-V), grandmother (2002 Accord, 1996 Accord that I now drive, 1991 Civic), and other grandparents (1997 Civic) to the same dealer, and they would have lost all that business if they had screwed us.
1) replaced my motor mount, headunit, wrinkled window trim, and unglued sunroof panel cover,
2) retrofitted the transmission with the oil jet kit, and
3) attempted unsuccesfully to remove brake/suspension rattle and various interior noises
I was simply not - based on my previous Honda ownsership experience - expecting the above repairs and concommitant hassles and indirect costs.
Apparently Honda is today a great carmaker because it's able to fix car defects at no cost to us, whereas before it became a great carmaker because their cars just didn't have defects.
The 90-93 Accord models had distributor issues that were pretty common. Civics from that era had head gasket problems. I've owned examples of each of those that didn't have those problems but that doesn't mean they didn't happen.
I've owned 3 of this generation Accord with pretty much zero issues. Although I did have to have my brakes resurfaced once but that was done for free while getting an oil change. The brake issue is no secret here. That has been about it though. Not bad for a total of about 80K miles between them. Oh yeah..The light behind my passenger seat heater switch is out now. Time to trade.
WDS1...You really can't blame Honda the Manufacturer for that one. That was your dealership's issue. I just walked out of a Honda dealership Friday after I'd signed everything except the finance contract. The F&I guy simply pushed me too far. So I left. I'll buy my Civic somewhere else. But I recognise that it's not a Honda problem. It's that stupid hick dealership I was trying to deal with. I don't know how 3 months of free XM got frittered away but it just seems it would take a combination stubborness, ineptness or both for that to occur.
I have just started looking into this problem, I am going to ask Honda for a new engine straight away. The problem with the dealer installing the wrong oil visc. is unreal.
I still think it is a great car, except for my oil problem.
gee35coupe, "Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous" #5509, 18 Feb 2006 7:03 am
Add to those issues the fact that Honda was running a 4.9% special and I feel even more justified in leaving.
He also denied Honda raised the powertrain warranty to 60K when he was trying to sell me that extended warranty crap. It wasn't even Hondacare. tried to tell me my insurance company doesn't sell gap. I've been with Progressive through over 10 cars for over 4 years. I kinda know what coverage they offer. I had to go.
http://world.honda.com/jet/