Older Honda Accords

ray_h1 · November 2006

Check your tire pressures if you haven't done so. It's not unusual for new tires to lose a few pounds initially until their beads fully seat. Maintain at least the tire pressure your owner's manual or tire pressure decal on the driver's door specifies. Adjustments to pressure should always be made when the tires are cold - no more than three miles since cold start-off. Presumably you've checked motor oil and transaxle fluid levels extra closely during break-in, too.

(elroy5, maybe deewof's '03 Accord's lease was up?)

thegraduate · November 2006

(elroy5, maybe deewof's '03 Accord's lease was up?)

Or that poster could be like my dad who drives a 2005 Accord and has 67,000 miles on it already. By 4-years old, it will likely have 140,000 miles at this rate. I imagine he's getting ready to trade in his car soon (my dad). He rarely keeps a car over 70 or 80 thousand miles. (it's not that they've developed issues, he just wants something new by then).

elroy5 · November 2006

Please forgive me. I just assume everyone else buys a Honda for the same reason I do. Because they last a long time. It's all good though.

thegraduate · November 2006

That's why I wanted one (I plan to keep mine for a looooong time), but my dad likes the fact that it gets great mileage, has all the features he wants, and he likes the sporty/comfortable handling mix.

butterflyjones · November 2006

I took a short test drive of an 07 SE Accord and would like to know if a vibration in the brake pedal is "NORMAL". Also I noticed that it had the infamous pull to the right when you take your hands off the steering wheel for about 5 seconds. Fit and Finish was very good and power was very good. When putting it in Reverse it made a clicking noise anyone have this with your 07 Accord? Rear brakes sounded like they were scrubbing. Salesman said this is normal just the film of rust coming off the rear rotors! :confuse:

butterflyjones · November 2006

Also wanted to comment on the droon sound the engine makes when going about 38-40mph or about 1300-1600 rpm is this happening on your 06 or 07 Accord? This problem I thought was on the CIvic but it must be an Accord problem too! :confuse: :sick:

elroy5 · November 2006

No, vibration in the brake pedal is not normal. The steering wheel will pull to the right a little, if the road is leaning to the right (for water runoff). Yes, you can hear the transmission when shifting from park to reverse or drive (this is normal for Accords all the way back to my 92 EX). I certainly haven't heard any scrubbing brakes on my Accord. I would not know about a drone noise, because I have a V6, and it is almost silent at any speed.

ray_h1 · November 2006

)) Rear brakes sounded like they were scrubbing. Salesman said this is normal just the film of rust coming off the rear rotors! ... Also wanted to comment on the droon sound the engine makes when going about 38-40mph or about 1300-1600 rpm." ((

If the car had been sitting quite a while - especially in damp weather, maybe there could've been a thick enough rust layer on the rear cast iron rotors to account for the scraping noise you noted. Also possible the parking brake hadn't been completely released. (Most cars with four wheel disc brakes use an auxilliary "top-hat" drum cast integrally with the hub of the rear rotors for parking brake service. Not Honda Accords. March-to-the-beat-of-a-different-drummer Honda uses a clever mechanical system to apply rear pad pressure directly against the rotor facings when the parking brake is set. The only other car I've owned that used a similar principle was a Peugeot 505.) The "droon" sound (? - is that anything like a "droning" sound?) in the range of 1300-1600 RPM - I'm guessing perhaps an exhaust and/or unsuppressed body shell resonance. At 38-40 mph, were you in 5th gear overdrive by any chance? If you were driving a car with the 2.4L I4 engine and manual transaxle, you might've been "crowding" the engine's low end torque if the engine speed dropped much under 2000 RPM while accelerating (or maintaining speed on an incline). If there was any bucking or ignition pinging, you were definitely lugging the engine.

butterflyjones · November 2006

I drove the car in the middle of the road and it still pulled to the right, the salesman said it was the crown of the road that causes the car to pull to the right. I disagree. These Hondas are out of alignment. As I let my hands off the steering wheel and count to 5 the car has already pulled to the white line and I have to steer it back to the center of the lane. The sound when I put it in reverse was as if the automatic door locks had just clicked in.This is when the car in still and I put the shifter in reverse. My 92 Accord has always clunked when putting the shifter in reverse this sound on the 07 was alot different.

butterflyjones · November 2006

The car had been setting and there was rust buildup on the rotors. The parking brake had been fully released. This car was an automatic and I misspelled droning or a deep bass note sound. Yes it was in 5th or it might have been in OD. Yes it was the 2.4I-4 auto. The droning sound the salesman conviently couldn't hear but assured if I bought the car their service department personnel would fix any problems I found. HA HA!! :surprise: :surprise:

ray_h1 · November 2006

3rd gear is direct drive. I think 4th & 5th gears are both overdrive ratios, but since it was an automatic, I doubt the torque converter lockup was engaged. I suspect a low RPM exhaust resonance under partial load. High crown roads will cause any car to pull to the right - and had it been safe to pull over the mid-divider line, suprise! - the car would've pulled to the left... However, in addition to the possibility of front wheel misalignment, low right front tire pressure could cause sufficient rolling resistance to also account for an exagerated pull to the right.

butterflyjones · November 2006

I went to a different dealer and drove another SE to compare and it has the same issues. The droning sound of being in too high a gear at 1200-1600rpms. I was test driving on long straightaways on roads with little traffic which allowed me to test it down the middle of the road and BOTH SE's had a significant pull to the right. The crown of the road isn't the cause, its the way these Accords are aligned at the factory. Anyway I don't think I would like to hear that sound day after day doing the driving that I have to do. I checked all 4 tires pressure before leaving the dealership and they were each different. 29-33 lbs.each.
The guys are always surprised when they see me pull out the tire gauge and the thermometer for the a/c vent. The salesman said the pulsation/vibration in the brake is the antilock brakes telling me its safe to steer to the left or the right. Any COMMENTS???

elroy5 · November 2006

Maybe you would be more satisfied with a Maybach, but I doubt it. You remind me of the guy who complained that the Accord doors did not stay open, when he parked his car on an incline. There is no such thing as the "perfect" car.

blackexv6 · November 2006

Don't buy the car if there is a droning noise that will bother you - it will drive you nuts. My $35k '06 Odyssey has a droning noise that cannot be fixed and I'm at my threshold with the car. It was too expensive for this B.S.

I admit this is the first time hearing of this issue with the 4-cyl. You should have years of trouble free operation with that engine + trans setup (stay away from the V6's).

It is also my experience that Honda Accords pull to the right based upon owning a 2003 & a co-worker's '03 LX. Our cars never could be aligned properly.

After buying 2 new cars in the past 4 years, I came to the realization that the bulletproof Japanese cars built in the late 80's & early 90's (Honda & Toyota) will never exist again. Those cars only required gas & oil changes. I don't think there is a perfect car out there...you can only try to minimize buying problems with forums like this.

Personally, my next new car will be a basic Accord or maybe the CRV LX. I've learned my lesson buying the top-of-the line models with inherently more reliability issues.

IMO for the money, the 2007 Accord SE is probably the best sedan on the market right now. It is in its last year of production before the '08 redesign comes out & should have the major bugs worked out. Also, the 4-cyl Accords get great gas mileage.

elroy5 · November 2006

I came to the realization that the bulletproof Japanese cars built in the late 80's & early 90's (Honda & Toyota) will never exist again.

Excuse me, I own an 03 Accord EX V6, and I think it is much improved over previous generation Accords (no problems at all). The car is smoother, roomier, and more powerful than the Accords that came before it. What do you think is wrong with the V6 top of the line models? No bugs here.

blackexv6 · November 2006

"Excuse me", my '03 Accord EXV6 Had the following problems:

1. Transmission failed at 45k miles.
2. Front tie rod ends replaced around 40k miles (steering column jiggle).
3. Rear struts blown & replaced around 40-45k miles.
4. Side curtain airbags reinstalled around 10k (creaking noises).
5. Headliner removed & replaced at delivery(ink marks from factory).
6. Unresolved popping noises from front end (some reported defective welds).

All were legitimate complaints acknowledged by the dealership. I traded the car in April but still have the piles of paperwork. So...I am justified in saying my car had bugs.

Also, it is a known fact that V6 equipped Honda cars had defective transmissions. Didn't you take yours in for the oil jet recall? Keep your fingers crossed.

elroy5 · November 2006

I hang around on many Honda web-sites, and these issues are not common. My car has been flawless from day one. The Honda Techs say the transmission recall has worked like a charm.

tamu2002 · November 2006

I keep a log of the mpg figures of my new 06 Accord VP, manual. It now has ~4K miles. The drop starting in early Nov might be due to the gas formulation change, or the starting rainy season in Seattle. Other than a few intermittent rattles, the car has been great. The oil life monitor says there's 60% life left.

32 mpg 1st tank
34.5 mpg break-in
34.3 mpg break-in
33 mpg
33.2 mpg 10/21/2006
34.2 mpg 10/28/2006
31.8 mpg 11/5/2006
32.5 mpg 11/13/2006
32.8 mpg 11/22/2006

ray_h1 · November 2006

)) "Also wanted to comment on the droon sound the engine makes when going about 38-40mph or about 1300-1600 rpm is this happening on your 06 or 07 Accord?" ((

Honda issued a service advisery in August of this year concerning a similar noise in some '05 Accords. Read the description below (or go to the linked URL above) and post if this sounds like what you experienced. Sounds to me like a few samples of current production are still arriving "haunted"...

"Front Speakers Growl or Hum with Radio On or Off

Got a 05 Accord Hybrid with front audio speakers that growl, rumble, boom, or hum whether the radio is turned on or off? A bad active noise cancellation (ANC) unit could be the culprit. You only hear this noise when the ECO (fuel economy) indicator is on. And youre most likely to hear it when youre going between 30 and 60 mph (with the A/T in 3rd, 4th, or 5th gear), the engine is running between 1,600 and 1,800 rpm, or both. To fix this problem, refer to S/B 06-005, Humming or Booming Comes From the Speakers, and replace the ANC unit and both front speakers."

w9cw · December 2006

I know this is trivial, but what trim level (LX, SE, EX, etc.) of the Accord offers the finished underside of the trunk lid. By "finished" I mean a covering similar that's used in the trunk itself, and not simply the painted steel underside of the trunk lid.

Honda's website is absolutely no help in this, as all of its gallery photos are of the EX-L. And, believe it or not, I just called a Honda dealer, and they couldn't answer my question either - which, I must say, is rather shocking.

thegraduate · December 2006

I think it is V6 models only, but I'm not positive.

magicpsn · December 2006

It is the V6 that has the finished trunk lid underside. I did check with the dealer, when I purchased my I4 (about a month ago)and I believe that it was only around $50. The hole pattern looked like they were the same on the I4 as the location of the retainers on the V6 but I have not purchased one so I dont know for sure.

nkcar_research · December 2006

Not sure if this is the right place to post this question... If not, please point me to a more appropriate forum.

On my first tank of gas, I got 18.2 mpg, which I felt, was on the low side, considering the advertised ratings 24/34 (city/hwy) ( http://automobiles.honda.com/models/specifications_full_specs.asp?ModelName=Acco- rd+Sedan&Category=3 )

Is this cause for concern? What could be the reasons for getting a lower mileage.. I fill gas at Costco ( 87 octane - the dealer adviced me this should be okay)..

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
NK

ray_h1 · December 2006

For goodness sake, IT'S A NEW CAR! The bearings and piston rings in your new engine haven't achieved their optimum seating against the parts they mate to for least friction. (Though Honda takes exceptional care to very precisely machine all moving parts on computer-controlled equipment at the factory, final milling takes place under actual operating conditions - aka, "running-in" or "breaking-in".) Just be patient and use common sense. If the car is driven excessively hard initially, that doesn't aid break-in; it merely results in excessive initial wear in a still-tight machine. The V6 motor in my Sonata didn't hit its fuel economy stride until around the 5,000 mile point, though it continued improving more subtly on out to 21,000 miles. Once properly broken-in, your I4 Accord engine shouldn't have any trouble delivering at least its EPA-rated fuel economy and quite probably bettering it by two or three more miles per gallon.

robr2 · December 2006

Hondas typically take 5-10K miles to break in. It should improve.

Also keep in mind that the mpg ratings are measured by an EPA standarized test done on a computerized treadmill. They have no relationship to real world conditions IMHO.

w9cw · December 2006

Thanks magicpsn - I wondered if one could order the item, and install it. The hole pattern should be the same, as I don't think it would be cost-effective to manufacture two different trunk assemblies - one for the I-4 and the other for the V6.

These are the small details which Honda always included in previous years. Honda is excellent when it comes to "attention to detail." Recently they seem to have been cutting back on these small, somewhat trivial, items, but one's that can impact a buyer positively. I guess it's all due to the ever increasing cost of manufacturing and the competitive marketplace to keep prices down??

tamu2002 · December 2006

Well, not so fast. I would've for sure been concerned too if I got that kind of mpg, even for the first tank. My 4-cy Accord VP got 34 mpg for the first tank. I drove it off the lot with 13 miles. So I know how most of the miles were racked up in that 1st tank. In your case, I don't know how many miles the car had when you bought it. If it had 100 hard driven test-drive miles and you drove the rest of the 200 miles in city traffic. Yeah, that could result in 18 mpg. I would drive it gently for the 2nd tank and see if it improves. If not, there for sure is a problem. Oh, check the tire pressures too.

tamu2002 · December 2006

FYI, for the first tank of gas I mostly drove below 60 mph at varying speeds. I was very gentle with the gas pedal too. Still, I was kinda surprised to get 34 mph. Mine is a manual.

dudleyr · December 2006

The Accord manuals are hidden gems. My brother gets an average of 38+ mpg with his - commuting to work 40 miles highway and 5 or 6 miles city each way. He does keep to about 65 to save fuel on the highway - getting in the low to mid 40's. He has a scangauge II to give him his mileage, and he has checked it to be accurate.

He also got 33 to 34 for the first tank, but it kept going up - and he put a little extra air in the tires as well.

nkcar_research · December 2006

Thanks everyone for the info...

I had about 5 miles on the car when I drove it off the lot and the rest is mostly city driving..

- NK

tallman1 · December 2006

The city driving will kill mileage. You might want to follow the advice of many who say to take some long trips (25-50 miles) during the break-in period. Vary your speed and don't do any hard accelerating or braking. And try to get out of the city.

ray_h1 · December 2006

)) "I had about 5 miles on the car when I drove it off the lot and the rest is mostly city driving.." ((

It's been drummed in previously but bears repeating - you get zero miles-per-gallon when you're stopped at an intersection or jammed in gridlock. elroy5 brought up a point previously that might also apply: some Accords are delivered from the factory with the parking brake cables are adjusted a bit too tightly. The result is that the rear pads drag against their rotors even with the parking brake lever released. If such is the case with your car, it obviously wouldn't favor maximum fuel economy. Might wanna have your dealership's service department check for this and adjust Accordingly. (couldn't resist the bad pun - if it weren't for bad puns, I wouldn't have any pun at all...

)

nkcar_research · December 2006

Thanks much.. I will get out of the city for a longer drive and see how it fares.

Really appreciate all this helpful advice.

- NK

jimby452 · December 2006

Does anyone know if a headrest from a 2005 accord will fit in a 2006 coupe?

thanks
Jim

jimmibondi · December 2006

Does anyone know a way to simulate an alarm trigger without doing an actual break-in? I would like to be familiar with the racket before I hear it for real.

thegraduate · December 2006

Push the panic button; it does the same thing. Also, if you sit in the car, lock the car with the key remote, and wait for the alarm to arm, THEN press the unlock button in the interior, you will see the same thing. (it does the same thing as the Panic button). The horn sounds and the lights blink in time with the horn (in about 1 second increments for two minutes until you cancel the "panic" by pushing the "unlock" button on the key's remote.

jimmibondi · December 2006

That was easy! Thanks.

bolivar · December 2006

Roll the window down.
Get out.
Set the alarm.
Reach inside and open the door.

The alarm doesn't know the difference between an open window and someone breaking a window out.

odie6l · December 2006

check out the video I just put up on my carspace for the contest entry. This is only the second attempt at making one of the video's with my computer.
Enjoy

http://www.carspace.com/videos/play!id=.59cc661e

Odie
Odie's Carspace

jc9821 · December 2006

I recently purchased the '07 SE V6 and overall am very satisfied with the vehicle. The V6 is smooth and quiet.
Recently however I have noticed a popping sound coming from the drivers side front dash area. It occures mostly when first accelerating and stopping and sometime when crusing and hitting an uneven patch of road. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this and what a potential fix might be. I will be scheduling my first service interval soon and would like to have some information to present to the tech. Also any TSB would be helpful.

kingr · December 2006

What you are hearing is very common in the Accord, I also have it in my 2006 as many others do. It is most noticeable when the temperature drops below 40 in my case and goes away as the car heats up, When the outside temp is above 45 I don't hear it. I have not seen a definite fix on any site yet. I am living with it because I don't want the dealer to tear the dash apart. I'm afraid they will create more rattles or worse. Good luck

4x4toy · December 2006

It is true, just bought an 07 and to my dismay there is no service schedule. I will be buying a Haynes mechanic's manual so i can know when to expect the service to be needed. This is definitely BS, wish i had known before i bought it.

thegraduate · December 2006

Try the maintenance minder. It tells you more accurately when service is due (and which service needs to be performed) than guessing with the service schedules.

ray_h1 · December 2006

There is Honda's maintenance minder light that tracks time and engine RPMs. While it's a bit more optomistic than I and other traditionalists are comfortable trusting (Mercedes-Benz, itself no slouch in engine technology, had to pay out a disastrously expensive 23M dollar judgment from a class action lawsuit brought by disgruntled owners following engine failures in "FSS"-equipped models.) there's nothing to prevent you from following a more conservative oil maintenance schedule of your own choosing. In any given displacement, Honda motors are as tough as any and tougher than most. Short of some pimply-faced, delayed-pubescent dweeb mounting twin turbochargers set to 20 lbs boost on a stock entry level Civic (and promptly spitting his connecting rod endcaps through the oil pan) how often has anyone heard of a Honda motor being consigned to boat anchor status?

elroy5 · December 2006

I copied this from the 03-05 Accord service manual (Helm). You can go by this, if you like.

Not exactly in order, but it will give you what you want. This is the "severe schedule" I4 engine.

bolivar · December 2006

Service indicators will be displayed on the dash and explained in the owner's manual.

Or, change the oil and filter every 4,000 miles and you can't go wrong.

Not much else on a Honda to do.

tamu2002 · December 2006

Yesterday I tried to get it done at 5K miles and was turned down by the service dept. The minder indicated 50% oil life. I ws told to come back at 15% life. I've had my car since Sept, 06. I understand Honda's wensite recommends leaving the initial factory oil in for a reasonably extended period of time, but can someone explain to me why? Also the service dept told me Honda's engine doesn't produce fine metal particles during break-in due to their special machining. I'm a bit skeptical.

Has anyone done oil analysis on their first oil change?

thegraduate · December 2006

Change your oil when the Oil Life monitor reccommends. Honda engineers knew what they were doing when they recommended that. The service techs are just trying to save you money. The Oil Life Minder counts engine revoltions, and knows how used up your oil is. The first oil is made to stay in the engine until the first regularly scheduled oil change, not 1,500 miles like it used to be.

Don't worry, they are telling you right.

ray_h1 · December 2006

I don't doubt that the dealership service department felt it had your best interest at heart (Why else would it bite the bullet and turn down business that intentionally drove in?!

), but I'm on the other side of the coin on this issue... I like to do an oil change relatively sooner rather than later on a new engine. Honda definitely builds great engines, but they use the same CNC machining tooling that other automakers use, and their engines are subject to the same initial wear as other makes' engines. If you wish to take a more conservative approach, it's your car - and an early oil change is not going to harm anything. This is especially true if your driving consists of short trips in stop and go urban traffic conditions. By contrast, steady-speed extended highway miles, with the engine fully warmed, are the easiest miles any engine will ever see. If you have a particular brand of motor oil you wish to treat your new baby to, buy whatever quantity the owner's manual calls for, pickup a new filter and have an independent mechanic do the oil change for you unless you like to get down and dirty yourself. (I did my initial oil and filter change on my '03 Sonata at 600 miles just to show you how anal I am... Was it really necessary? Probably not. But I felt better, if only theoretically, knowing that I had drained whatever initial wear metals, and leftever machining flash and core sand that had escaped Hyundai's best efforts at repeated flushings instead of letting that gunk remain in suspesnsion as a continuing source of abrasion to the continuing run-in process.) One extra oil change early in a car's life isn't gonna bust the bank, either.

tamu2002 · December 2006

"Honda definitely builds great engines, but they use the same CNC machining tooling that other automakers use, and their engines are subject to the same initial wear as other makes' engines."

That's what I incline to think too. And it's my practice also to do the first oil change early. But maybe Honda's machining IS different? Since Honda's website specifically says to leave the initial oil in for enough time, maybe that has some merit that escapes my limited understanding in engineering. Could someone give me a scientific rational besides just empirical observations and trust in Honda?

Older Honda Accords

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