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You might try this - with the engine stone cold-take off the radiator cap-hopefully there is enough coolant in the radiator to be full to the top-if not top it off-start the car-if coolant starts jumping out of the neck of the radiator-that is engine exhaust being leaked into the cooling system-it also sucks coolant in and this is what can jell your oil. This is not good. You can identify which cylinder (s) are involved by pulling the plugs-those with the red twinge have coolant on them.
There are other gaskets that can let this happen but don't drive it if at all possible- good luck.
Just hit 1000 mile after 10 weeks.
Here are good and bad and Ugly
Good - Quietest Accord I've own, but still louder than say 2000 Camry (my wife's)
No rattles of any kind, a solid sedan.
The engine rocks. Really.
Returned 30 MPG on mostly local driving. Can't wait till all freeway driving.
Bad - Gear shift knob too small, center console too big/wide(less room for the legs)
Speaker tattles whenever AM talk radio is on
The low gas light comes on too early. In two time, I only manged put 13.2 gallons to top it
Ugly - Oh those rear lenses. Still trying to like it.
You are wrong to think that USA cars are built in the USA and Foreign cars are built in thier country.
Many Foregin cars are built in the USA :BMWs and Acuras and Many USA cars are sublet to Mexico and Canada.
My experience with Ford and GM quality has been less than Toyota, Lexus, Honda and Acura and BMW
This is not a good reflection on Honda's dealer service quality; but it's more a human issue than fraud. So far I'm not too impressed with how its been handled, that much is certain.
Odds are your second one won't do it. But at least you know the routine if it does. At this point I'm not sure I'd accept one unless they would agree to an immediate refund if the replacement model develops the same problem.
Keep us informed!
The CDs play fine on home and other auto CD players. In my Accord, when they are first accessed they Flash a "Disk" message and won't play when first accessed. I can skip forward to track 2 and it plays fine and then skip back to track 1 and it plays fine.
Anybody else having problems with burned CDs?
In the owners manual it says to only use Writable Audio CDs for copying. I thought writeable audio CDs vs data grade CDs only needed to be used when copying on home stereo CD copiers. Is this some kind of security feature in Honda's CD player to prevent playing Copied CDs??
A lot of the compatibility issues with cdr discs are caused by poor quality media. As cdr discs are approaching "free with rebate" status, the quality of reflective material on the disk (which holds the digital data) is less and less. You can tell this by holding an inexpensive piece of media up at the light and can nearly see through it. Where as a tier-1 piece of media is opaque (very robust reflective layer).
CD players (home, disc man, car, computer, etc) all have varying degrees of readability. That explains why some or even most work but one player will not.
Software:
Assuming you are burning a typical audio cd and closing it properly in Nero, the burn s/w should not be the issue. If you are trying to burn multiple sessions on an audio disc, you will likely have problems with some players recognizing the disc as an audio disc.
Not true. The Acura 3.5RL is still built in Japan, and many of the BMWs are still built in Germany. As far as I know, only the X5 is built in the US (not even sure if THAT's the case). The VW Passat is built in Germany, but the Jetta is built in Mexico, and Beetle built in Argentina.
Typically, a foreign car built in the county of origin is better built than in other country.
-Craig
As the original says, profits are by US headquartered companies. It doesn't mention where they're built. GM is in Detroit. Ford is another US company paying taxes here. (Chrysler is gone out of US now...) Honda, Toyota, Nissan are not headquartered in US; they ultimately pay taxes to their home country.
As I recall the context of the original articles to which I responded, as the cars are made here more and more, their problem levels approach the median or all cars built in US. As their dealers have to face realistic images, they begin reacting as did the Honda dealer recently cited here telling his valuable customer to live with it.
Talking up the image of a car is important, no mattter where it's built. I buy my cars based on the dealer who will give good, no, I mean great, service, much as HOnda, Toyota, did in the decades past which built the car's image.
The dealer is most important to the car's image and repeat customer base. In the past decades, American dealers took sales for granted which foreign car dealers nurtured, groomed, did fixes to prevent future problems in a car, all leading to a satisfied customer; the car may not have been much better, but the car the dealer kept returning to the customer was because of good customer care.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
That being said I am planning on getting a 6-speed with NAV , but first I need to see the 2004 Acura TL 6-speed. Some of us like performance , manual shift sedans better.
Anyway, after owning many types of new cars of a span of many years, I can say I probably like the Honda/Acura line the best and the Toyota/Lexus line second best.
The new Accord is outstanding, I only wish the 6-speed came in the sedan even though the Coupe's looks are much better. The last Accord I had was a 89 SE 5-speed and I traded for a 90 5-speed Taurus SHO because it didn't perform well enough. I think 240 hp solves the performance problem. And there are still a set of people, abiet small, that crave manual shift. I currently have a Lexus IS300 with a 5-speed but it is actually too smooth and too bland, not really a driver's car. I have recently test driven an Accord 5-speed 4, auto V6 and a 6-speed Acura CL-S. I actually got to perform true test drives. In each case I was given the keys and drove by myself for 15-20 minutes. The power-to-weight ratio of the Accord's V6 and the Acura S are about the same even though the S has 20 more HP. I think the Accord would be a perfect car with HID, heated mirrors and traction control and skid control. I am not sure why the entry level luxury sports do not included Traction control and skid control with with manual transmissions, only automatics.
Anyway, I am going to wait until the 6-speed arrives and goes below MSRP and also look at the TSX and the 6-speed TL. Understand the CL is going away.
Cheers,
Midnight
I met with reps of Honda today and unlike the service manager, they were professional and quite sympathetic. They wanted the dealer to try one more time to find the problem, although I noticed that after 5 hours the car still was in the parking lot and hadn't moved(I had to go back and get something I left in the car). The defect did cooperate as they all (well, everyone but the svr mgr who didn't seem interested to come along) did hear the noise fortunately during a test drive so acknowledgment of the problem is now no longer a concern. Resolution of it still is.
I recevied a call back today from Customer service today, so at least I have their attention.
Did your original vehicle have NAV or did Honda upgrade you at their expense? NAV works well in cities and major roads, but I've found it doesn't work as well as my Garmin GPSIII+ on routing in rural areas. It would be nice if they would provide a method for manual routing as the auto routing doesn't always pick the best route. There is a PC port on the DVD, but I'm guessing they will never implement it. It's kind of funny with it telling you (repeatedly) to turn around when you are going the best way. And the constant warnings about going off verified areas will quickly have you silence the voice.
Voice activation is neat for about a week and works pretty well, although at highway speeds sometimes a wrong command will be intrepreted "No, not the *(& temperature, change the track on the CD!") Then you find its easier just to turn the radio knob up or push the temperature buttons. Actually tuning the radio is harder than in the non NAV model in my opinion.
One thing I don't like about the NAV model is the placement of the controls on the left part of the steering wheel. At least for me, they interfere with a comfortable grip on the wheel.
But I'm just nit picking. I just want a car that doesn't pop like the rivets on the Titantic as it ran into the iceberg! I'm not going down with this ship!
Eleven years in a row that the highest reliability in the family category has been a Nissan or Infiniti. Never a Honda.
I guess that's a reality check.
I am in Jersey City , I got a Car from my brother recently which had its window glassess tinted. NJ law requires that it be removed. Do let me know any reliable contacts who can do this for me in NJ.
Thanks
Eleven years in a row that the highest reliability in the family category has been a Nissan or Infiniti. Never a Honda.
I guess that's a reality check."
No, not really.
First, it would have been extremely difficult for a Honda to beat the Maxima in this category for this year, since there was no Honda included! This rating is based on track records for the exact vehicle listed, so a new-for-2003 vehicle such as the Accord isn't rated. So if a "victory" by the Maxima compared to the Accord is what you're celebrating, it's a hollow victory as the Accord didn't compete.
On the other hand, it's a given that the Accord will beat the Maxima next year, since the new Maxima won't compete. ;^)
Second, "Maxima on top again" is NOT accurate. In fact, in 2002, not only was the Maxima NOT the top car for CR in this category, it ranked UNDER the Accord. Both were under the G20, which shouldn't have even been in that category in the first place, being that it was a gussied-up Sentra.
So the last time the Accord and the Maxima actually were in competition in this category, it was the Accord that beat the Maxima, not the other way around.
Finally, in other categories, Honda/Acura has a far better showing than Nissan/Infiniti:
Civic trounces Sentra (which scores below average)
Acura RL tops luxury cars (Q45 is a no-show)
Acura TL smokes I35 (which scores below average)
CR-V tops Xterra
Acura MDX and Pathfinder are tied
So, if Honda reliability as opposed to Nissan is the reality, things are looking just great... no reality check required.
Has anyone else noticed this? It would seem the passenger side control should have a lit indicator like the driver's side.
I hope that makes sense. Notice how it works the next time you're in the car, and I think it will. I had wondered the same thing about the passenger knob when i first got my car.
Also, look at the VIN. If it starts with 1 or 5 it is US made, J is made in Japan, 3 is made in Mexico.
if the four cylinder passat was rated higher, fair enough. but how does the v6 passat leap frog ahead of the v6 accord. is this because v6 passats are available with their 4motion system? is the passat worth $5k more?
some of their ratings seem crazy among a number of manufactures. the matrix and vibe being rated the best small suv is crazy to me.
~alpha
the Passat would handle less nimbly in v6 form too. maybe VW does a better job with the extra weight in CR's judgment.
but you didn't answer my question. i know a future comparison test is coming. but do their current ratings take into consideration the brief drives of the Mazda 6s and accord v6. or after this comparison test, the accord may be the top rated family v6 sedan. no big deal either way, i'm sure they'll say it comes down to small personal preferences among the Accord, Camry and passat.
if my memory is correct (i'm 0 for 1 so far though) the Pilot is rated higher than the mdx. that seems strange to me. is this because the mdx test was done before it received numerous improvements and the pilot was done later with this SUV being based upon the mdx with the improvements?
Consumer Reports rates the Pilot higher than the MDX because it is slightly roomier, and it believes, handles slightly better.
~alpha
Previously I had been concerned it would be a float boat. It handled very well. it shifted as smooth as I ever remembered by 1992 Prelude.
If the TSX has a touch more handling and some nicer interior bits, it will make a fine auto. Probably for $4k more!
Funny though, when I was done testing the accord, the salesman all but insisted I take a Civic Si out. 10 years agao this would have been my thing. Now, it seemed like a kid's car. If I am going banzai sport mode, I'll get a WRX.
The salesman's point - hey - its $5k less! Si compared to Accord.
Not biting.
Same argument as Accord 4 v. TSX -- its $4k less. (EX 4 cy with leather is about $23k). Are you going to bite?
I guess we will all know when we get to test drive the TSX.
Alex
we'll see in a month (maybe two) if you're correct about CR. you were explicit this time (but with an attitude), not so clear previously.