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Honda Accord VCM

2713 messages,  Last post on Oct 23, 2012 at 6:25 PM

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What is this discussion about? Honda Accord, Transmission, Sedan

Messages Page 264 of 272

#2631 of 2713 Re: Buyers Remorse [remorse1] by rcummelin

Aug 03, 2011 (2:52 pm)

Replying to: remorse1 (Aug 03, 2011 9:00 am)
Road, tire & wind noise are all problems with newer Hondas. One reason is a lack or a reduction of soundproofing material. Saves money and weight I suppose, but the high level of noise on the highway is most annoying.
 
I stripped the trunk and removed the rear seat in our 2010 Accord EX-L 4-door and glued in a huge bunch of Dynamat on all the exposed surfaces. This dropped the noise level to the point that it is now tolerable. It took an entire afternnon & evening to get the job done, but you can have Dynamat installed by some car stereo shops--expensive though. They can also do the inside of the doors & entire floor if you want more noise reduced. If you don't like noise, Dynamat is your friend!
 
When I removed the back seat, there was only one very small strip, about 2" x 12-15" of what could be considered sound deadening material stuck on the sheet metal. I was able to simply pry it out and toss it away. I can't imagine it deadened or reduced much noise as it was less than 1/4" thick and resembled dried mud.
 
High levels of road, tire & wind noise was mentioned by Consumer Reports as one of the reasons they no longer recommend the new 2011 Honda Civic. Older Civic models had been high on CR's list for many years.
 
What the heck is going on at Honda?

#2632 of 2713 Re: Buyers Remorse [rcummelin] by dpmeersman

Aug 04, 2011 (5:28 am)

Replying to: rcummelin (Aug 03, 2011 2:52 pm)
What the heck is going on at Honda? That is the question that many are asking. When I'm watching their marketing materials on TV as well as print, I see a company that is resting on its laurels. With tag lines like Accord – The One and Only – I’m reminded that this claim is the result of accolades accumulated over many years. If they were to cull items from recent reviews they would read something like: Accord – a decent choice but no longer the top in its class. They worked hard and rose to the top as a result of that hard work. Over the last few years there has been little innovation and their vehicles now trail the competitors in area like automatic transmissions and ride refinement. To achieve the robust connectivity offered in many Hyundai’s and Ford and GM products, you would have to move to an Acura. While most of us want to remain loyal to the brand, in today’s economy we all want the most for our hard earned dollars and to get that we may be forced to bypass Honda in the future.

#2633 of 2713 So far, we are happy with our Accord by indydriver

Aug 04, 2011 (5:56 am)

First, we had a great buying experience: Internet quote for $5,000 off sticker. The car is beautiful with White Orchid Pearl paint over tan leather. All driving inputs are superior--acceleration, braking, steering and suspension. Space is commodious. I am 6'-4" and fit in the back comfortably. Granted, we only have 3,000 miles on this 2011 EX-L but it hasn't burned one drop of oil. It is sad to see other owners displeased but the point is, they are not all lemons.

#2634 of 2713 Re: So far, we are happy with our Accord [indydriver] by rcummelin

Aug 04, 2011 (10:06 am)

Replying to: indydriver (Aug 04, 2011 5:56 am)
The newest generation Accord is still a very nice vehicle, but it is being surpassed (easily?) by its competition. We still enjoy ours and expect to keep it awhile longer, but it may likely be our last Honda. There's no valid reason, except brand loyalty, to keep buying inferior products. Honda really needs to stop resting on its past successes/laurels and start building vehicles that are at least competitive in the marketplace. I have read that Honda's new CEO, a fellow named Ito, is primarily to blame for the lack of innovation & state-of-the-art features in Honda products. If true, Honda's board should immediately replace him.
 
The seemingly never-ending problem with excessive wind, tire & road noise is SO easy to fix, yet Honda won't step up and do what is needed. This issue will continue to plague Honda and become a primary reason potential buyers reject their products. IMHO, this issue shouldn't exist, especially in cars that were much quieter in the past.
 
As a side note, this particular topic has seemed to attract an unusually high number of dissatisfied Accord owners, especially those with VCM problems/issues that Honda refuses to fix. Perhaps that's due to not having a different topic on this forum where problems/issues can be openly discussed/debated. Whatever. It's good for the soul to have a place to vent & rant, especially if you have been treated badly.

#2635 of 2713 Re: Buyers Remorse [dpmeersman] by jmillerjmiller

Aug 08, 2011 (8:58 am)

Replying to: dpmeersman (Aug 04, 2011 5:28 am)
IMO - Honda is discovering that you can't cheapen the cost of the product without buyers noticing the results. A missing courtesy light here, more hard and cheap plastic there, topped off with less attention to detail on the design.
 
If it's a person's first Accord, they don't notice. But if you have owned an Accord from certain prior generation models, it's painfully obvious.
 
The car has gone from a slightly tight interior size with nice features/performance/build quality, to a butt large living room sofa (ala the Crown Victoria) with any model other than the EX or higher model feeling like a rental car due to strippage of features. That my opinion, as I have an 08 Accord EX-L V6 NAVI, and got an a 08 LX loaner from the dealer during service - BLEAH!
 
The Acura TSX is what an Accord is overseas, and seems more in tune with what prior generations were. I should have looked at it, but I didn't expect the Accord to have certain issues, but it does.
 
It also seems like the dealers are turning into the stereotypical domestic car dealers of old - feeding people bs on service issues, getting back into pushing packages of services for mileage intervals (instead of what the auto maker recommends), etc.
 
And yes, every time I drive a decent highway trip, the VCM is right there bogging in and out, along with the rear package shelf rattle the dealer applied the supposed fix for. Top off with the brakes shuddering in hot weather on high speed braking, yet that issue doesn't seem to present on lower speed driving - weird.

#2636 of 2713 Re: Buyers Remorse [jmillerjmiller] by robtroxel

Aug 08, 2011 (9:36 am)

Replying to: jmillerjmiller (Aug 08, 2011 8:58 am)
You really sumed it up nicely about how Honda has cheapened up the Accord! My son was looking for a replacement car for his 99 Civic Lx which gave him 200,000 miles of dependable travel. Wanting to upgrade, he went looking at the V6 EXL Accord. He test drove the vehicle then asked me my thoughts. His observations he noticed the "hunting" and the constant VCM light. He thought the transmission was the issue. Also noticed was the lack of the Key Lock on the seat back, something his Civic had. After learning more about the VCM, he quickly crossed the Accord off the list!
 
 He Ended up with a loaded Toyota Venza (ruled out the ugly slow selling Cross V6)with none of the VCM crap and a six speed auto>>something Honda is trying to avoid! While this may be an apple to an orange comparision, the Toyota V6s has NO VCM, is turbine smooth, with 6 speed auto and gets the same economy!.
 
Honda is way behind the curve..even consumer Reports said the new Civic is no longer a class leader. The Accord is nothing more than an also ran. Too bad, as I had enoyed many years with the older Accords! Reminds me of how the old GM lost its way>> paving the way for me to go to Honda to begin with! Now GM seems to get it!

#2637 of 2713 by jmillerjmiller

Aug 08, 2011 (1:13 pm)

Yes, there is no inside key release for the rear seat fold down (you have to pull the release in the trunk) - one more thing that vanished during cost cutting. Though there is a key released pass-through behind the rear armrest for long items (at least on the higher trim lines).
 
I always notice the VCM, don't need the eco light to tell. The people who pay attention to their cars functioning will notice the vcm easily after driving it a bit. Only reason I haven't traded mine, is the low mileage, and job uncertainty at the moment. Normally it's three years and out for my cars - and lately that's been before the 30K mile mark.
 
I got a very good price on this car, even with dealer add-ons that I wanted. Trouble is, price is secondary to quality for me. My prior car was a 06 Subaru Outback Wagon XT Limited (4cyl turbo w/five speed manual) - which is a pricy vehicle for it's size. It's sticker in 06 was equal or higher than the 08 Accord EX-l V6 Navi.
 
This Accord has the most paint flaws of any new car I've had since 96. Kinda sad, but since I had to wait for it to be produced and delivered, I couldn't turn it down for those minor things...
 
I'm not ready to say GM has 'got it', yet. Have to remember that all the bankruptcy did was allow them to cut their personnel costs. It didn't suddenly create great designs, better quality, etc. The models on sale now are from before the re-org, and while they may be OK, it remains to be seen if GM will put too many incentives on them - resulting in the same 'dime a dozen' issue when getting rid of a used one (low resale).

#2638 of 2713 Re: Our gas mileage isn't bad! [indydriver] by michael0137

Aug 10, 2011 (12:32 pm)

Replying to: indydriver (Jul 10, 2011 5:20 am)
Thank goodness - or I would be driving something else.

#2639 of 2713 Re: Finally got rid of my Coupe [rcummelin] by michael0137

Aug 10, 2011 (12:36 pm)

Replying to: rcummelin (Aug 03, 2011 6:05 am)
Pilot now has VCM too.

#2640 of 2713 Re: [jmillerjmiller] by michael0137

Aug 10, 2011 (1:18 pm)

Replying to: jmillerjmiller (Aug 08, 2011 1:13 pm)
While Toyota has had its own issues regarding quality, I applaud your son's decision. The VCM is not "seamless" as Honda advertises - how they get away with that I have no idea. We have had 14 Honda/Acura products over 30 years and NEVER a problem with any until the '08 EXL V6 with VCM. The hunting drove me nuts. And gas mileage was nothing to write home about. At 28k it went berserk - lights flashing on the dash, speedometer stop working, D light flashing , VSA light flashing, and the tranny downshifting into what seems to be 3rd gear - all by itself. Fortunately it happened within about 20 miles from home and we were able to limp - literally - back. Paragon Honda replaced input/output sensors and pronounced it fine - I drove it - uh-uh. Was not downshifting when slowing down and going around a corner - stayed in 5th. They wouldn't listen to me - so bye bye. Overall, I would say the car was not the best built Honda I have ever had - certainly the biggest and nicest equipped - but the ONLY Honda product EVER to scare me that it would leave us stranded, and that includes a 1990 Legend with 180,000 miles on it that ran like a top when we got rid of it. Our newest acquisition - 2008 Acura RL with Tech package gets BETTER mileage running on all 6 cylinders at 75-80 than the Honda did with 3!!! Never again VCM for me. Interesting that if VCM is such a great idea, why it is not on any Acura - including the V6 TSX - the European Honda.

Messages Page 264 of 272

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