This is not good but what is really bad is when coolant gets in the oil-it generally goes both ways. Coolant will turn your oil into jello-destroy most of your engine.
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.
I also have 03LX, 5speed manual. This sounds serious.
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.
Nothing to report. My dealer tech has been online with Honda's tech and can't find what causes the problem, or at least he won't tell me. Very frustrating. Since I have left my car with them for over twelve hours! and it's a 45 min. drive. Trust me, I wont put up with this popping. I'll just find the dang thing myself!
Catalogue everything especially what the service manager said and send it along to the attorney general's office in your state. They in turn will pass your info on to the bureau of consumer fraud or they will assign an investigator. Tell Honda you have contacted the attorney general because you were treated badly at the dealer.This will start the ball rolling you will get results. If you really want to cause problems for the 2003 Accords contact Ralph Nader if Honda does not give you satisfaction. Look up his address on Google, good luck!
I'm keeping a diary of every detail. I'll try to deal with Honda before taking any further action. While the troubling part is that the svr mgr was unconcerned and tried to blow it off, but that's more a reflection of the dealer, not Honda. He just wants it to go away since he doesn't know how to fix it. However, I'll give the manufacturer time to resolve it before taking it further, although 3-5 days is about it.
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.
jonesok1--your dealer's attitude is totally uncacceptable by any standards. As I've posted before, after much aggravation I got Honda to replace my vehicle, picking up new one tomorrow. My car has been returned to Marysville for further testing because neither the dealer nor a Honda engineer could figure it out. So for those of you that think the dealer will diagnose the problem, I seriously doubt it, if its the same problem mine had. I echo jonesok1 appeal for posts from others having this problem. Its probably the only way to get Honda to realize this isnt a one-off situation like they tried to convince me. I kept asking them if others were having this problem but they said no. Now I'm worrried my replacement will have it as well!!
The dealer is telling me its probably one of two things-Head gasket or a porous engine block. Porous engine block translates to a new engine. Any thoughts on whether or not I could get a new car if they had to replace the entire engine? Only 5 months old with 12K.
I agree, shift handle a little small, considering the aftermarket leather shift knob, not sure it it would help. Stereo certainly could use some help, mine sounds like it goes in and out of Stereo even though the Stereo indication stays on, I wonder if its me or a radio issue. Also looked into upgrading speakers only at Crutchfield, still may do that.
Gotribe, I guess I could drive to Cleveland and show him a second one with the same problem! Plus it sounds like he doesn't BS you like the svr mgr tried with me. Good luck with your delivery. I'm just curious, what did you have to go through to get Honda to replace the original vehicle? Did you have the option just to take a refund? Did they offer you the deal or did you suggest it? Did you have to get threatening or were they fairly reasonable in dealing with you?
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.
On my new EX the CD player won't play Copied CDs very well. I use Nero on my computer to copy CDs.
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??
Media: 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.
Many Foregin cars are built in the USA :BMWs and Acuras and Many USA cars are sublet to Mexico and Canada.
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.
You'll need to reread the original post which was a response to earlier messages. Check them for the context. 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.
I tend to agree with your opinion in regards to how important service for specific car manufacturers is. After reading your post I came to the conclusion that the only way to differentiate between reliablilty ( one car being better then an another) pretty much comes down to the service of the dealer/ manufacturer.This seems to be a bit far fetched.
The problem levels may approach the median, but the median will also move (improve) if higher-quality cars are built here. Also, I would argue that Hondas, anyway, may to some degree approach median quality but will not ever reach it. Especially when we continue to see cars such as the new Saturn Ion, to name an example, that are built here.
Portable GPSs rarely ever lose the satellite signal (most use 7-12 satellite signals simultaneously). You can insert other memory cards , download new maps, etc. A Garmin Street pilot III loaded with beanbag mount (kind of leaded weight mat) costs around $800 (less than half) and is truly portable. You can take it with you and plop it in any rental car anywhere.
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.
Good points, the parent companies are still in their country of origin and that's where taxes go. However, I know BMW has a major plant in South Carolina and the workers at the plant are paid and thus helps the local economy. The Acura TLs are built in US and workers are paid here.
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.
All foreign companies pay taxes to the local, state, and federal governments through payroll, social security, medicare, property, sales, and yes Income taxes. Honda in the US is an American subsidiary of Honda in Japan. What goes back is profits that may be paid out the the shareholders - in many cases Americans.
The most frustrating part of the process was getting Honda Customer Service to just return my call--it took them a month. By that time the dealer and regional mgr intervened with Honda and really got the ball rolling. I did not ask for a refund because I love the car and hoped I was just experiencing a one-off problem. I did get quite adamant about a replacement vehicle when they told me they wanted to take my car to Marysville for further investigation. My feeling was once it goes back to the factory its THEIRS not mine. The other thing that may have helped me is that I own 4 Hondas, and have been dealing with my dealer for quite some time. But, having said that, if ANY car is defective, and cannot be repaired the mfr. has to replace it. My advice is to be persistent. BTW picked up the new one today with NAVI--which is awesome!
Congratulations on a good resolution with you issue and delivery of your new Accord. I hope my situation turns out as well, or I may need your help to testify!
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!
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.
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.
I have a question on Accords with the dual-zone climate control. At night, the driver's temp control (round knob) has a small light so you can see where in the temp range you are. The passenger's temp control has no such mark.
Has anyone else noticed this? It would seem the passenger side control should have a lit indicator like the driver's side.
The passenger's side climate control knob does not have the mark because the knob has no stops and its position will be different each time you turn on the dual zone. In other words, the knob is in position X when you activate dual zone, and the passenger increases the heat (say from 70 to 75) by moving the knob to position Y. Then the dual zone is turned off, returning the passenger temperature to the main setting. But the knob is still in position Y, it doesn't move back to position X when you deactivate to dual zone. So the next time that dual zone is activated, the main temp. may be the same as the first time, and the passenger may increase the heat the same increment as the first time (70 increased to 75) but now the knob is moving from position Y to position Z. So a lighted mark would not necessarily point to the correct portion of the blue/red color band for the temperature the passenger side is set at. The knob can't have stops because of the way the mechanizm is designed.
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.
Sounds like your case is moving faster then mine did. Very good news that the noise is HEARD. Tks for your NAV comments, I'm still learning it. No, Honda did not upgrade me, I paid the difference for the NAV, but only dealer cost ($1798)which I thought was nice. I've heard rumor that the popping noise is the result of a bad weld on Marysville built Accords. Whether its only V6;s or all, who knows. If the problem lurks in all 03 Accords, and roughly half the model year has been produced, worst case could be around 200,000. Yikes!! Continued good luck, keep us posted.
i write a tiny weekly auto feature for a major business daily and am looking for drivers of the Accord to share their experiences with me and possibly be listed in the small piece (in the paper) as a driver of the car. Executive-types preferred (ceos, VPs, doctors, lawyers etc.) but all are welcomed to contact me about their Honda Accord. My email is LANETEF@YAHOO.COM
I havent had a problem with them at all. Give it sometime, 5 days max, and if you havent received the goods, then start to worry. I ordered mudguards,edge guards and some other things, all were received within 5 days.
Do any 03 Accord Sedan Owners have the deck lid spoiler installed on their car? If so, did you do it yourself, was it difficult, things like that. I saw one today on a passing 03 accord and it looked quite sharp. Thanks
the accord was rated the best 4 cylinder family sedan but the v6 variant was bestowed to the passat. in my opinion the accord's v6 engine out classes the passat's v6 engine in virtually every way. better auto transmission, more power, better gas mileage. is this because the new accord v6 has not been given a full road test and CR is comparing the passat v6 to last year's accord v6?
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.
Maybe you better re-read some things. First, the Matrix/Vibe werent rated best small SUV, that would be the RAV4. Second, V6 engines change more about cars than just acceleration. Historically, for Accords, the V6 models (owing to the increased weight over the front tires) handle less nimbly than their 4 cylinder counterparts. To answer one of you other questions, the V6 Passat, V6 Accord, Mazda 6, and Hyundai XG350 will be rated in either the May or June issue, so thats where those ratings come from.
i stand corrected. i was going from memory. it's the affordable versatility category. still seems crazy.
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?
Historically, the results of any auto tests conducted by CR for the May issue are reported in the ratings of the month earlier April Auto Issue. MEANING: The Accord V6 rating, Passat V6 rating, Mazda 6 ratings, and the XG350 rating represent CURRENT vehicles, on sale now, and recently tested. You will see the full road tests in the May issue (June the latest). I dont know how to be any more explicit than that.
Consumer Reports rates the Pilot higher than the MDX because it is slightly roomier, and it believes, handles slightly better.
I took a 5 speed 2003 Accord EX Sedan out for a test drive. I was very impressed.
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.
anyone read the reviews of the Acura TSX (Euro Accord) it was touted as a super smooth 4 with 6 engine mounts. Anyone know how many are on the virating USA versions.
My EXV6 graphite pearl has a deck lid spoiler installed. It makes the butt of the car lower and smaller. Installation cost me $127.50 and I bought the part from handa-acc, installing it yourself is difficult because of installing the trunk springs, you need the special tool for it.
That must be a very heavy spoiler if it actually makes the butt of your Accord lower. Is it also so heavy that it crushes in the trunk to make the butt smaller as well? :-)
It visually makes the rear look smaller. He was commenting on the actually physical affects, such as weight. The spoiler weighs about 6 pounds, which wont have any impact what.
I understand moolman was likely trying to tell us the spoiler made the rear end look lower and smaller, not actually physically makeit lower and smaller. I just tried to introduce a little levity here, OK?
Am I not seeing it or is there no way to open the gas cap door on the '03 Accord if the inside release breaks or gets stuck? Most cars have some type of secondary release in the trunk.
Comments
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.