In the past, Honda would give squeaks and rattles top priory. It's strange that
the dealership would try to downplay the issue. I would have contacted Honda
Canada (or American Honda) after the first episode with the dealership.

Personally, I'd never get the Accord Sedan since I think it's ugly. However, the
TSX seems like a very nice looking package.

Pars

John Horner wrote:

> About one month ago I purchased a 2003 Accord V6 with navigation, which
> means with every factory installed option available. So far I have not been
> impressed by the supposedly amazing level of quality Honda is reputed to
> provide.
>
> Problem 1: The driver's seat rocks back and worth when stationary. After
> the dealer had the car for three days to "fix" this problem they told me
> that Honda USA would be sending them some special bushings to fix it and
> that they would call me when these special parts arrived. That was three
> weeks ago, and no call.
>
> Problem 2: The dash board has multiple annoying squeaks, thumps and rattle
> which come and go depending on how much sunlight is beating down on the
> dash. Dealer was not able to do anything about this.
>
> Problem 3: Both front door inner panels also have random squeaks, buzzes
> and rattles. Again, dealer unable to do anything about it.
>
> Problem 4: Paint has a large particle of foreign matter in it which clearly
> happened at the factory. Dealer agrees it should not be there and "will
> advise" what to do about it.
>
> Problem 5: The navigation system's lookup function is so badly designed as
> to be almost unusable. Tell it to find the nearest "Wells Fargo Bank" and
> it is more likely to lead you to one 1500 miles away than it is to the one 2
> miles away. The software is lacking sorely in real ease of use
> sophistication.
>
> Problem 6: The built in CD player does not offer a fast forward or reverse
> function. You can only go ahead one full track or back one full track.
> Considering that the interface is a touch panel LCD, offering the normal
> expected range of controls is a simple thing to do which Honda left out.
>
> Problem 7: The factory speakers were some of the cheapest, most horrible
> sounding things I have run across in a long time. Considering that this is
> the top of the range Accord, Honda should have done better. I fixed this
> problem with good aftermarket speakers.
>
> Problem 8: The handbrake control has sharp edges at the mold lines of the
> plastic. This is the kind of thing auto magazine reviewers always pillory
> GM for, but here it is on that supposed paragon of excellent, the Honda
> Accord. The transmission shift lever is likewise a very cheap feeling bit
> of plastic.
>
> If I had bought a Hyundai I would expect to find these kinds of problems.
> Now I'm wondering if Honda's cost reduction engineers have taken their jobs
> too far. Maybe the Ohio plant where my car was built doesn't really have
> their act together on the new generation Accord. In the past I have always
> followed the policy of not buying the first model year of any design. This
> time I thought that Honda would not have such problems, but I was wrong.
> Yes, my expectations when spending $27,000 for a new car are high. So far I
> regret having bought a Honda. Our two year old, much maligned Olds
> Silhouette minivan has delivered a much better initial owner experience (30k
> miles so far) than has the much vaunted Honda.
>
> John