Ask the Car People.SM


Honda Accord (2003-2007) Maintenance and Repair

5868 messages,  Last post on May 07, 2013 at 7:55 PM

You are in the Honda Accord Forum.

What is this discussion about? Honda Accord, Electrical, Engine, Coupe, Sedan

    
Go to NHTSA to file a safety complaint.
Or call Monday-Friday (8 am to 8 pm ET) (888) 327-4236 TTY: (800)424-9153

Messages Page 541 of 587

#5399 of 5868 Re: 2004 Honda Accord EX 4cyl--personal experience after 185,000 miles [edhollow] by srizvi1

Sep 06, 2010 (2:42 am)

Replying to: edhollow (Mar 07, 2010 9:38 pm)
Not too far behind you with my old (now my sister's) 2004 Accord I4 sedan. Today when I did the air filter and cabin air filter change, the car was at 166,371 miles. Been Mobil 1 Fully Synthetic since 30k miles I think or something around there. And I do 10k miles in between oil changes. According to the manual, you can do 10k in between oil changes w/ even just Honda oil. And other "big" items like coolant, transmission fluid didn't even show up til 120k miles.
 
Only unexpected thing so far has been an Internal failure of the Canister Shut valve which occurred in November, 2008. The car was at 122,566 miles at the time and the cost was $300ish or something (I got it lower w/ a $100 off coupon I randomly had for that dealer).

#5400 of 5868 Re: 2007 Accord Coupe 4-cyl (i4) maintenance and service up until 9 [srizvi1] by edhollow

Sep 06, 2010 (8:44 am)

Replying to: srizvi1 (Sep 06, 2010 2:31 am)
With regards to your air & cabin filters; Look for NAPA monthly specials on oil and air and cabin filters. NAPA Gold air filters can be had for free; or $10 to $15 apiece. Oil filters can be bought from free (as in 2nd filter free), to $5 apiece, as in their most recent August '10 monthly special. Cabin filters can be had for $10 apiece, in certain monthly specials, especially since you replace them every 15,000 miles---gives you time to plan & keep more "monies" in your pocket!! Pretty cool--hey? Hope this helps

#5401 of 5868 accord by stickguy

Sep 06, 2010 (8:54 am)

the fuel system item is probably them trying to sell you an overpriced but unneeded (and sometimes bad) fuel system power cleaning.
 
as to the 17" tires, you can go with them, but of course you need new wheels too, so will not be cheap. the V6 model came with 17", so there is a plus 1 size that will get you right about the same overall diameter. the 55 series ones with the same section width will be lower overall, one impact of which is screwing up your speedometer/odometer slightly.
 
not sure I would want the firestone dealer touching the idle speed (since it is no longer a little screw on the side of the carb!). not sure what there is to do other than look at the tach to make sure it is idling at the approriate speed, and evenly.
 
I had brakes done at Mr. Tire. did a nice job, and used upgraded aftermarket pads. and a lot cheaper than the dealer. With 166K on the clock already, I would not worry too much about having the dealer do this!
 
and the serpentine belt, if original, is probably on borrowed time. Look for dry rot/cracks, etc. As noted, not very expensive part, but can be a hassle in labor, but certainly DIY if you want to give it a try!

#5402 of 5868 Re: Maint for 06 Accord lx [intck] by tallman1

Sep 06, 2010 (9:41 am)

Replying to: intck (Sep 05, 2010 7:18 pm)
is there anything which is not alerted by the Maint Minder system?
 
That depends on who you talk to. Some don't like to wait that long for oil changes but that is an ongoing debate for all cars.
 
I think the next two things that I see most around here and elsewhere is changing brake fluid and changing transmission fluid. You may want to seek advice on those items and then decide how you will handle it on your car. Otherwise, I don't think people have any major issues with the Maint. Minder.

#5403 of 5868 Re: Maint for 06 Accord lx [intck] by tallman1

Sep 06, 2010 (9:42 am)

Replying to: intck (Sep 05, 2010 7:18 pm)
is there anything which is not alerted by the Maint Minder system?
 
That depends on who you talk to. Some don't like to wait that long for oil changes but that is an ongoing debate for all cars.
 
I think the next two things that I see most around here and elsewhere is changing brake fluid and changing transmission fluid. You may want to seek advice on those items and then decide how you will handle it on your car. Otherwise, I don't think people have any major issues with the Maint. Minder suggestions. Although some have problems with the system in general and like to do things strictly on time and/or mileage.

#5404 of 5868 2004 Accord I4 service items post 166371 miles by srizvi1

Sep 06, 2010 (11:40 am)

Replying to: srizvi1 (Sep 05, 2010 11:45 pm)
I wanted to post an update on my 2004 Accord I4 sedan and respond to some of the replies I have already gotten (thanks guys!)
 
The car had been left with a Honda Dealer here in Clarksville, MD. They got back to me this morning and the following have been handled.
 
1) Oil Change was $20 since I had my own oil and filter.
 
2) The brake fluid flush was $169.95 but then I told them that I had the fluid already in the trunk which took the price down to $125 for labor only. Then I made them aware of a 15% coupon I had and that made the total $85. I was ok with that, and that was along same lines as firestone's pricing assuming I could even convince them to use a part I didn't get from them (I mentioned they were giving me a hard time about this and they hadn't a few months ago w/ the '07 CR-V brake fluid flush).
 
3) They said with a $129 diagnostic fee they would hook my car to the computer and could take care of the ABS light and inspecting the idle speed in one shot. Luckily, a coupon saved me here also because I had a 50% off engine light check coupon so that took it down to $65.
(Stickguy, you had some concern on only having the dealer handle idling speed in your post. I only intended to have this done at the dealer. )
They just got back to me and said that regarding the ABS, the rear wheel sensor is needed and that's $232.
 
4) Headlight would be $15 and no charge for the labor. I mentioned I may already have a headlight inthe car passenger side that works and they said if it did, there would be no charge for it which I ws happy about because from what I understand, i's not easy to take care of the headlight (haven't done it myself yet on any of the hondas).
 
So all those item are being carried out right now. The total will be $191ish to $205ish depending on the headlight.
 
So here's what's not being handled by them right now which was mentioned earlier
1) Brake light - they said it was $6 but I think I can handle that on my own. Just need to figure out what to grab and how much it would cost. Maybe I can just grab something from dealer when car is picked up.
 
2) The brakes-The verdict was severe on their end too. Replace rear rotors and pads. The front brakework is pads for sure, and they said they may or may not need new rotors but then looked closely and said they should be replaced.
The cost breakdown is:
Rear: $205 rotors + $80 pads + labor = $500ish more or less
Front: rotors are $17 each more + pads and labor similarly priced = $34 + $500ish more or less - or (if the front rotors don't have to be replaced I'd be looking at $325is)
What I don't know is the actual parts, assuming OEM.
 
Compare these costs to Firestone which I will most probably go with:
Rear: wagner therma quietp pads ($69.99) + qualis rotors ($105 each) + $90 labor = $370
Front: same brand pads ($59.99) + same brand rotor ($68.99) + labor ($90) = $290
 
Pretty decent savings in going with Firestone. If the dealer had said the the front rotors didn't need to be replaced and could just be resurfaced. I could then try to see if they would accept another local competitor coupon for a Honda dealer nearby which has a front brake special which includes resurfacing rotors for $189.95 (down from their normal cost of $250 which is still cheaper than this dealer.
 
(Stickguy, you mentioned how Mr Tire put in upgraded after market brake pads in your post. What kind of brake pads were they? Would you recommend I use them in my car?)
 
3) The battery was never brought up but pretty sure there really is an issue there and I want to try to see what sears would do with it anyways
 
4) serpentine belt never brought up so I called and left a message on that to hear the dealer's thoughts (thanks for making me aware of it in your same post stickguy), I don't recall seeing anything in the maintenance guides about it. The dealer got back to me and said it would be $175 to handle.
 
Regarding everything else that was brought up in the replies that I haven't covered:
Stickguy, regarding your posts which I have referred to already, you also mentioned fuel system item, yeah I think it's probably junk too.
 
The only thing remaining is your tire feedback which I'll cover in my tire series of posts.
 
Edhollow, in your post, you gave some advice on cheaping out on the air filter and cabin air filter and oil filters. Thanks for the info, how do these compare to what I get from the dealer or handa-accessories.com? Also you mentioned replacing the air filter and cabin air filter every 15,000 miles but I do it every 30k miles.

#5405 of 5868 info by stickguy

Sep 06, 2010 (3:02 pm)

I forget now if they were wagner or raybestos. But they were a much higher line pad then standard (and claimed to be better than the less than stellar Honda OEM, aka crapola, pads). most of the brake job is labor, so spending $10-$20 extra on much better pads seemed like a smart idea. I just had the rotors redone (this was the back only).
 
dealer is very high for this job.
 
taillight bulbs is simple, but for $6, I would let them do it (then again, I am lazy).
 
The serpentine belt I believe is only listed as an inspect and replace if needed item. 160K, you are pushing your luck most likely, and that baby has given it's all.
 
Do the battery at Walmart. 1/2 the price of the dealer, and free install. They are also top rated by CR. get the higher output one if they have it, for maybe $10 extra.

#5406 of 5868 brakes by stickguy

Sep 06, 2010 (3:10 pm)

I forgot to mention, I also had the brake fluid changed when the rear brakes were done (at 40K, about 3.5 years). Had a coupon, so it cost about $65? maybe a little more. I did not worry about the fluid. I know it was not honda OEM, but it was whatever grade it called for.

#5407 of 5868 Re: 2004 Honda Accord LX radio display light out [jp2004] by pfield56

Sep 12, 2010 (3:58 pm)

Replying to: jp2004 (Jul 27, 2010 10:50 pm)
I bought a 2003 Honda Accord Coupe EX 4-Cylinder and 2 years after I bought it the radio light went out. I went to Honda about it, but because I didn't buy the extended warranty (because I paid cash for the car) they said it would cost me $800 to get it fixed! I finally had the radio replaced in 2008 and just last month (2 yrs. later) the light went out again. There seems to be only a 2 year life on their radio light. I wrote Honda a letter and they had some minimum wage worker call me to say it was just an isolated incident and it sucked to be me. What I want to know is HOW MANY MORE ACCORD OWNERS OUT THERE ARE HAVING TROUBLE WITH THEIR RADIOS? No way can this be just an isolated incident. I love my car, but I WILL trade it for a Toyota or Nissan, because I love their cars too.

#5408 of 5868 Re: 2004 Honda Accord LX radio display light out [pfield56] by woogie03

Sep 13, 2010 (7:49 am)

Replying to: pfield56 (Sep 12, 2010 3:58 pm)
This is NOT isolated. Mine went out two years ago. Honda did have a recall, but only for a certain VIN number (and mine wasn't one of them). I called them and they will not do a darn thing about it and I won't buy another Honda again.

Messages Page 541 of 587

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement