2004 Honda Accord Executive saloon 2.2 i-CDTi from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Great engine, not yet convinced about the rest

Faults:

First day of "ownership" under a company car scheme.

Nothing has gone wrong per se, but several concerns.

There is a whistling sound from the window of the driver's door.

The brakes are spongy and ineffective, especially when braking hard from motorway speeds as I had to last night on my way home.

General Comments:

Surprisingly uncomfortable - having read all the reviews, and having driven a demo car, this one surprisingly made my back ache after only a few miles. After a hundred miles, I might not have got back in it except for the fact that I was 100 miles from home, and it was dark.

My kids don't like being in the back, due to the lack of visibility compared to the Scenic we've just given back.

But I like the engine, I like the economy, and I like the very low company car tax.

Maybe the tourer model would be better for families, but I have a tow-bar on this one, and I'm planning to invest in a trailer for those trips to the dump.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 13th July, 2005

27th Jul 2005, 09:48

Problems found in weeks 1 and 2 of ownership:

1) uncomfortable drivers seat - being addressed next Wednesday by Honda dealer - they suspect a faulty seat cushion or mechanism. My physiotherapy starts today to sort out a back problem that has been aggravated by this seat. Not the first one of these that they have seen apparently.

2) Squeaky windows - both front windows squeak against the rubber surrounds. Honda dealer has replaced the rubber seals which has reduced the noise, but not eradicated it.

3) Brakes are not as efficient as I expected - a second push on the pedal is often required to bring about effective stopping power - being addressed by Honda dealer

4) Air Conditioning - on de-activating or starting the a/c, the car fills with a mouldy fridge smell - again being addressed by Honda dealer

5) After "engine work" was done yesterday by Honda dealer under their recall program, the car is noticeably noisier and possibly less responsive than before. Honda dealer is going to re-programme the central engine management system to try and address this.

6) Wiring Harness in the boot - one of the recall items that could not be corrected previously due to part shortages.

Kids are a bit happier now, thanks to booster seats, and recent long trip got the economy up to 44mpg, but still some way short of the 53mpg composite figure claimed by Honda - how do they achieve that?! Oil has been topped up too, another common problem according to other owners.

Otherwise, I'm really enjoying the er, erm, well, it looks nice, and everyone I've met comments that it's a lovely colour.

"Isn't it nice when things just work?" Hmmm...

View 15 more comments

2004 Honda Accord LX 4-cylinder from North America

Summary:

Despite the build-quality, it's still a pretty good car that gets great gas mileage

Faults:

I had my Accord Coupe for only a few weeks before the interior rattles began. A few months later the A/C began clunking when I turned it on, so I brought it to the dealership... They said there was nothing wrong. Now there's a grinding noise when I switch the fan from blowing on the floor to defrost (or any other setting for that matter). Not only that, but little things have gone wrong too: The passenger-side interior door handle is peeling from the door, which looks bad, but doesn't feel like it's going to break much more. That and the paint chips/scratches very easily (it's pearl gray).

I've called Honda and explained these things along with some other problem I had specific to the dealer where I bought my car. The only response I got was a Honda survey in the mail. I filled out the survey and reiterated my problems, but never head a thing since. It's too bad that a company seems not to care much about their customers.

General Comments:

Overall, it's a good car despite the problems, I'm not too disappointed in my decision to by an Accord. The 5-speed manual is slick. The engine is very smooth for a 4-cylinder and felt more powerful than the Camry, Mazda 6 or the Nissan Altima. The car has good ergonomics, plenty of room and is fairly nice to look at (the coupe anyway). One other issue I have is that the slightly harsh ride along w/thin padding on the seats does make long trips kind of rough.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 30th June, 2005