2003 Honda Accord EX Sedan 4 cyl. 1,000 mile report

Bought an '03 EX V6 with Navi (Graphite Pearl)- Runs great; gets 27-30
MPG (70% highway). Had a 2000 EX V6 prior. Agree with the side
mirrors way out. Agree with the steering wheel button lights. I
added the wing to dress up the rear. long with SS tips. Also helps
with backing up. My #1 problem is rattles in the drivers door and
center console. Got the car on 7/31 and it now has 3000 miles on it.
V6 power is amazing. Drove the I4 and that was great also. I was
just used to the Ex V6 so I stuck with it again in '03.

Good luck!

 

I have an EX 4 cyl/5 MT. Agree with rattle/vibrations in center console, also
my passenger door. In , fact rattles are worse with this car than any I've
ever owned, which is sad because otherwise interior is very quiet.

 

IMO, it *is* a big deal. I live in SoCal, and the necessity of locked
doors is enormous. My Lexus RX300 doesn't have this feature either, and
it really sticks in my craw. I had a RAV 4 that auto locked, my son's
Civic auto locks, my husband's Grand Prix auto locks, but my 'Lexus'
doesn't.

When we were growing up in the '60s and '70s, the general thinking was,
'Don't drive with doors locked because of accident potential and
extracation.' Nowadays, the threat of being carjacked outweighs any
threat of being stuck in the car because the doors are locked, IMO.

Give me auto locks!

 

This post might help with your doors rattles....
http://homepage.mac.com/julioardz/pages/accord/rattlefix/index.htm

The center console rattle is the console doors vibrating side to side.
Wedge something between the side bottom of the door and the console
side and it will stop. From there you can determine your own long
term fix. I told the dealer to install some felt.

 

I agree with you, and after all these years of autolocks I have to
remind myself to lock the doors - it always surprises me when I don't
hear that little click that they are locked when I hit speed. I'm
surprised to hear that the Civic locks...I wonder why Honda REMOVED auto
locks, since they obviously had them.

 

Thank you. I'm not ready to disassemble the passenger door just yet but I
will try the fix for the vibrating console door. Thank you.

 

Rick,
I'm taking that fix with me to the dealer tomorrow when I get my first
oil change. I'm going to ask them to fix it correctly. I printed out
the pictures so they know where to look. I will post my results later
in the week (Wed)

 

From:
wrote:

It was a feature of the alarm he had installed, like my Rav 4 had. But
my Lexus cannot be programmed like that.
It's bums me up.

 

To be honest with you I am glad my doors don't auto lock, my brother has a
01 focus that auto locks, and it drives me nuts...
If I want the doors locked I will lock them, I don't want the car doing it
for me.

 

I can understand that. My Passat locks at 10 mph and I thought at
first it would drive me crazy. Turns out to be a kind of nice feature.
However, what's nice about the capability is that you have choice. My
understanding is that if the car comes with the capability, you have
the option to leave it on or turn it off. I like having the option.

 

Followup - Rattle not fixed but they tried twice.......
I just went to the dealer to pick up my car, which I dropped off
yesterday for it's first oil change and some rattles. I also asked
them to check the tranny because it took a bit to engage into drive
from P, R or N(1 2 second delay to engage D). No biggie, I thought...
I was hoping that they would say that this is normal.....been like
this from day #1 Nope, "Re manufactured Transmission" has been
ordered. Service told me that this is not "normal". They also told me
that they have replaced transmissions on other '03's. I didn't ask for
details but I did want to let you all know because I have seen posts
on these boards with this same symptom. Question: They tell me that a
"Re manufactured Transmission" is not a "re built transmission"
because ALL the innards are new (perhaps used casing) and it's not
assembled in an assembly line, but rather by humans at Honda motors...
Is this true? I also demanded a new torque converter.. they told me
that Honda only sends them as together to eliminate contamination
concerns. Does anyone have the facts on these two items? Anyone out
there work or have worked in Service? Lastly, has anyone had a tranny
replaced before? If so, what everything right after that major repair
(alignment, rattles, no damage, etc.) They tell me that the car will
not need wheel alignment. Can anyone confirm that? Sorry for the long
post, but given all the tranny issues and questions, I thought the
replies to this one would be helpful for others as well. Thanks!