Honda Car Forum

I have the same minus the nav system.

I agree with number 6, but don't have any of the other problems you mention.
My biggest beef is that after 15000 miles my Accord still has that nasty
rotten egg smell after punching the gas. The dealer kept saying it would go
away after a few more thousand miles, but it's persistant and extremely
annoying when waiting at a stop light and basking in sulfer.

John

"John Horner" <jthorner@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:vjaaies7n3uffc@corp.supernews.com...
> 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 revers
e
> 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
>
>
>
>
>
>

That hydrogen sulfide smell has got to be from the catalytic converter.
I have not yet noticed it in my Accord V6, but my state requires
oxygenated fuels and I have just left break in. (When I checked out
complaints about the new Toyota Corolla for a relative, I was surprised
that complainst of the "rotten egg" smell was also very common for the
Corolla.)

I was wondering about the Accord because of it's new placement of the
catalytic converters in the V6, but when I see complaints about the same
thing in a totally unrelated model of car, then I stop wondering. My
guess is that the new lower emissions requirements are prompting some
changes to emission systems in new cars that might be causing this for
some drivers.
This problem appears not to be unique to Honda or the Accord. I feel
lucky. So far I haven't had it.

Honda's explaination about it going away sounds like a stall. My guess
is that there is nothing they are prepared to do about it.
They may be hoping that your car's computer will fix it given enought data.

What kind of driving do you do? I mostly do highway. What gas? (Shell,
Mobil) I wonder why some people get it all the time and some don't.

RE: #6

Holding down the seek/scan buttons will go forward or backward within a
track. The manual lists it. (Thanks to another user who posted this
recently.)


JWGroovin wrote:

>I have the same minus the nav system.
>
>I agree with number 6, but don't have any of the other problems you mention.
>My biggest beef is that after 15000 miles my Accord still has that nasty
>rotten egg smell after punching the gas. The dealer kept saying it would go
>away after a few more thousand miles, but it's persistant and extremely
>annoying when waiting at a stop light and basking in sulfer.
>
>John
>
>"John Horner" <jthorner@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>news:vjaaies7n3uffc@corp.supernews.com...
>
>
>>
>>Problem 6: The built in CD player does not offer a fast forward or revers
>>
>>
>e
>
>
>>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.
>>
>>
>
>
>