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MY first accord - are there any danger signs?

C

conyoman

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Saltash
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Accord SE 6th Gen
Hi all,

Tomorrow I'm test driving an accord....I would really love to buy it as it looks great, reviews of the dealer are good and of course accords are great cars. The details are:

2002 (52) ACCORD VTEC SE EXECUTIVE
74k -> full main dealer service history
Year MOT & 6 months tax

Priced at £1,595

Not sure on warranty yet as I've only spoken to the dealer on the phone.

It seems too good to be true.....or am i being paranoid? If it drives well I was just going to part ex my focus and take it.

But are there any big things I should look out for when I test drive it? What should I look for in the servicing manual? Is the price reasonable or should I try to get it down a bit?
 
Check belts, tensioner etc was done at 60k.

Peel back the rubber on top of the doors above the wing mirrors and check for rust.

Check the rear arches for rust bubbles.

Check the boot for any leaks, pull out the boot lining and spare wheel and see if it is rusty underneath.

Check the bushes and look out for rusty brake lines.

All the usual stuff, make sure the dash lights come on (especially the EML light, ABS etc) and then go off when you start the car. Check panel gaps. Look at the state of the oil (head gaskets do go on Accords). Listen out for any noises at the bottom end.

Check the seat and steering wheel wear match the mileage.

Check all the electrics work.

Get them to start it from cold, drive it from cold, and also drive it warm, to make sure it is firing right.

Check 5th gear and reverse work fine.

Not sure on the price these days, check on autorader etc, but the price has dropped over the last year.

I'm sure there are lots of other things, but that will do from me.
 
Check the climate control works and that you don't get a noise around the passenger foot well when the air con is turned on (turn on climate control and turn temperature to 18 guarantees AC is on)

Run your fingers under the rear arches, if loads of muck comes off it is either suffering with rust or going to soon.

Check under seal on the arches, the use of pressure washers just strips this.

Check operation of drivers seat (it's fully electric erupt for the lumber support handle on your left as you sit in it)

Get the price down to 1200 or 1300 and your laughing
 
Don't be paranoid, it's priced perfectly, obviously try and get some money off :D
From my experience, check that the carpet isn't ripped near the seat base or in the rear
Check for trim rattle
If it's an auto, run through all the gears in Auto mode and then cycle through the four gears in tiptronic, don't worry if there's a bit of lag between pushing the lever and switching cogs, all the 6th gen Accords have this
 
Ask them to clean the IACV and EGR before you collect it, it'll save your knuckles!!
 
Ok, test drove it tonight bearing in mind all the points above. All is perfect with it! Not a spot of rust. The service history is legit and the cam belt done 9k ago.

Started easily from cold. Drove it hard in the test - way harder than i'd ever drive it and it was absolutely fine.

Got him down to £1250 if I px my old 406, 3 months warranty.

The only concern was water in the boot. I lifted the cover to check the spare wheel and there was a fir bit of moisture in there....as in a small puddle. I asked and he says it's from the steam clean it had earlier that day. There was no rust in the boot so he could be right?

So - all of me says yes go for it.....what's the opinion on here?
 
If there's no rust I'd very much doubt the water came from a leak and he was probably telling the truth. Go for it
cool.gif
 
conyoman said:
The only concern was water in the boot. I lifted the cover to check the spare wheel and there was a fir bit of moisture in there....as in a small puddle. I asked and he says it's from the steam clean it had earlier that day. There was no rust in the boot so he could be right?
Click to expand...

Yeah an intensive steam clean always leaves moisture behind in the boot, particularly after getting rid of a body...... :D
 
Get them to renew the boot seal and rear light seals just in case they are stringing you a yarn. Leaky boots are a common problem and if they steamed it, how come it went under the boot liner!

Even if they dont, a new boot seal is only £40, not sure if the light seals are readily available though.
 
So it seems the general feel is to go for it....? I'll ask about the boot seal. If he says no. Then I'll dry it out, wait for rain (that won't be too long), check the boot. If it's wet I'll take it back under the 3 month warranty and point out that it leaks....

Brilliant.....it is an awesome car!!! Just checked insurance and that's not too bad either.

Is the MPG realistic that I've seen quoted? 41mpg on a motorway?
 
Petrol Honda mileage is pants. Every Honda I've owned has been ***** on mileage and a thirsty dog.

Enjoy the car, petrol consumption is secondary to enjoyment.
 
I think i'd go for it. Don't worry too much about the consuption. You're getting a lot of car and peace of mind for sod all money. You should see about 350 miles to a full tank. But it depends on how you drive. I get more than that out of my ATR.
 
I managed 460 miles once from a full tank of petrol to warning light with 440 of them on the motorway. I didn't go above 65mph though and hardly used the brakes when chiming up to junctions etc.
 
that's it - car paid for. It's getting MOT'd Monday, pick it up Tuesday.
I'll post some photo's when I get it......in fact: here's the link to the car......don't mind sharing it now that I've snapped it up! :)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221047249126?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_500wt_1202
 
That is a very nice example, I love the colour.

I suggest you get some leather care stuff onto the drivers seat and do it regularly from then on because as it gets older it will eventually split (especially if you wear a belt).
 
AcesHigh said:
That is a very nice example, I love the colour.

I suggest you get some leather care stuff onto the drivers seat and do it regularly from then on because as it gets older it will eventually split (especially if you wear a belt).
Click to expand...


Thanks aceshigh - i'll make sure i'll get some of that leather stuff. It looks great doesn't it!

Ok, so I doubt the GPS is up to date....is there a way to update the software or is it all locked down?
 
Adam that's a great looking car dude!!! Congratulations!!!! You've pretty much got the spec of the Type V, but on an Exec and hatch, so that's a he!! of a find! Well played sir!

And half a years Tax too!!! Gotta be a win.
 
Picked it up today....it's awesome! Really comfy down the A38, nice through the lanes.....well impressed.

Quite like the pitch of the engine too.....
 
Congratulations Adam,

Looks like you picked up a great example and if the boot seal has gone, it really isn't that much to worry about considering but as Shiny has said if you can get it changed then even better.
 
GLad you like the car dude. Not that you'll need it, but did you manage to get a warrenty or any 'extras' from the seller?
 
luvmyaccord said:
GLad you like the car dude. Not that you'll need it, but did you manage to get a warrenty or any 'extras' from the seller?
Click to expand...

Yeah - got a 3 month warranty.

Gonna get Honda to service it (from what I've read it's not worth going to an independent with a honda) for it's 75k service interval. I'll ask them to check it to make sure there's nothing that should be fixed by the warranty. If they pick anything up - I'll go back to the dealer.

It seems fine though.
 
If you are happy to pay £80 an hour for an apprentice to service your car, then go for it.

On the other hand, at half the rate, there are plenty of decent independents about and some really good independent Honda specialists.
 
ah shiny that's interesting! I'll look up some independant honda specialists. I don't suppose you know of any near Plymouth?

Lucky I have the 3 months.....remember the issue I noticed when buying? The water in the boot. Well after last nights rain thought I'd check out the boot. No word of a lie, there was about an inch of water under the spare wheel!!

So I start to dry it with a towel and help remove the water, and I hear something crumble, the water dissapears.....there's rust that i've just stuck my finger through. Just in front of where the spare wheel bolts to is a round plug shape, well that has gone. ....so i'll be back to the dealer tomorrow.

Here are 2 pictures to show the water that was in there:

333088.jpg


333087.jpg
 
As has been said the water is a semi-common problem, and the usual culprit is the rear window seal, or a seal on one of the rear lights. Could also be that the drainage channels are blocked.

With regard to indi garages. You really just have to find a good one.

When you get your sevice done at 75K you'll be needing a new cambelt. A good indi won't change the auto tensioner unless you ask. They will also usually use genuine parts, or a good alternative. I personally use Hamp filters, and 0-50W fully synth oil. But that might be overkill on your car. So just go for a good quality 10-40W fully synth and you'll be fine.
 
luvmyaccord said:
As has been said the water is a semi-common problem, and the usual culprit is the rear window seal, or a seal on one of the rear lights. Could also be that the drainage channels are blocked.

With regard to indi garages. You really just have to find a good one.

When you get your sevice done at 75K you'll be needing a new cambelt. A good indi won't change the auto tensioner unless you ask. They will also usually use genuine parts, or a good alternative. I personally use Hamp filters, and 0-50W fully synth oil. But that might be overkill on your car. So just go for a good quality 10-40W fully synth and you'll be fine.
Click to expand...


Yeah I'm sure it's an easy fix for the water. Just a bummer that there's now a hole in the boot!

Cambelt was down at 65k according to the log book I have. So I'm safe on that one.
 
Fair play to the car dealer -> no quibble. He's even replaced the battery today as I mentioned it was seeming to not hold it's charge.

Luckily there was rain today. So we could actually see the water dribbling in to the boot. It's coming from the corner where the passenger side light cluster is. Rubber bung ordered as well as this crumbled away when touched! So it looks to be the light cluster.

Taking it in Thursday to a garage where they'll strip the fabric all away and do a test to make sure it is the light. Then they're going to fix it. Happy boy today!!
 
Make sure that is the only place it leaks. It can leak from the boot seal, both light seals, the rear window seal and also the aerial (if the aerial is on the rear wing).

My leak was as a result of the boot seal.
 
Shiny said:
Make sure that is the only place it leaks. It can leak from the boot seal, both light seals, the rear window seal and also the aerial (if the aerial is on the rear wing).

My leak was as a result of the boot seal.
Click to expand...

Ah ok -> the garage said they're going to strip out all the interior of the boot and then test it. From first observation, it looks to be the light cluster. But then again if the boot redirects water around the edges and down past the lights, then it could easily be that.

We'll see thursday. It's their problem to solve now.
 
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