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Looking to purchase 8th gen accord - need advise

NimBoy

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Honda Accord 2.0SE
Hope everyone is well, i've owned my mk6 accord for 5 years and have done over 70k miles on it. The reliability is amazing from my 2.0 petrol engine even after it was converted to LPG.

However i am now looking to get an 8th gen accord 2.2 diesel Honda Accord EX GT I-DTEC as an upgrade. I am going to view one on saturday and if i am happy with everything i will end up driving it home. However i am worried about couple of things


- How common is a Turbo failure?
- What do i need to look for when doing a test drive?#
- DPF, is this something i need to be worried about?
- Anything else i need to look out for?
- What should i be looking for in the Service history? (timing belt, water pump,)

I have been reading couple of posts and i am slightly worried about going from a petrol to a diesel,

The Car is a
2009 with 77k
 
They're pretty solid cars in my experience.

Although mine's given me no issues to date, the DPF is a subject I've monitored closely throughout my TA membership. There's a lot of stuff on here about them -but bear in mind people generally only post problems on forums rather than how great it's all going.

What kind of driving do you do? If you've a reasonably long / fast commute every day I wouldn't be put off buying a diesel. If you're mostly short / slow / start stop journeys I'd lean more toward petrol.

See what you can find out about the car's history: it seems low mileage for it's age so has it mostly done short journeys, or less frequent long ones? Has it got some / most / all service history from somewhere competent, and is there any evidence it has had low SAPs oil regularly?

If your conscience will let you, you might consider (risk) removing the troublesome component entirely if it plays up. Or your calculations may need to factor in a costly replacement (though this should be offset against your lower price per mile compared to a petrol).

I can't say how much better or worse the Accord is than any other diesel of its vintage, but to my knowledge there aren't any (old or new) that are known for amazing DPF longevity (especially if it's not given the opportunity to look after itself by doing trips long enough for it to fully heat up for any length of time). They are a consumable part that will eventually need replacing. Like a clutch. How it's driven will influence how long it lasts.

The timing belt is a maintenance free chain, so you're unlikely to find that in its history. I'm not sure I've read of any turbo failures on TA (though someone may correct me). Do a search for sunroof issues. If yours has one it may be rusty. If there's a smell of fumes the EGR pipe might be knackered (do a search).

As for your test drive all I can suggest is boot it hard in gears 3, 4 and 5 and look for clutch slip between 2000 and 3500 rpm. Not common, but there have been one or two that haven't lasted as long as you'd hope (mine included). If it has Nav make sure it comes with a (genuine) disc. Apart from that, just the usual stuff you'd check on any car: Ensure everything electrical works, there's some useful life in the brakes and tyres, it stops in a straight line under heavy braking, no clunks or wobbles, that kind of thing. Drive for a bit with the radio off and the window down so you can hear what it's doing.

Let us know how you get on :)
 
The only issues I've had with mine were:

DPF issue straight to limp mode at about 100k miles cleaned by Honda lasted 120 miles before needing doing again, DPF removed by indi garage and cleaned no issues since 12k miles and two MOT's, R/NS caliper seized, windscreen side trim started to come away last year even after the recall (there was a recall for this issue) - both replaced by Honda under warranty not bad on an 09 car . Other than that normal ware and tear items.
 
The 8th Gen Diesel is a good car.

When on the test drive, its the usual things you would check. Listen out for unusual knocks or bangs going over humps and potholes. Suspension is a weak point in my opinion on these cars due to the compliance bush. They normally collapse and knock out your alignment. I'm due to do mine over the next few days - although ive opted for brand new arms passenger and driver side instead of replacing the bushes.

My alternator packed up about a year ago. Replaced with a recon unit and its been fine. AC needs topping up every 2 or 3 years to keep it working well. Just keep it well serviced using quality oil filter and quality oil. You can get the Lubetech drum for about £90 and that will do 3 or 4 oil changes.

The DVD player for the sat nav may pack up. My one has just decided to die. Replacement mechanism on ebay for about £100 but im not bothered as I use google maps anyway. The sound system works fine so im not bothered.

As for the DPF, personally I wouldnt remove it. I have removed and cleaned it out myself and it has given the car a new lease of life. Its an easy process. I used a pressure washer to reverse wash all the crap out, then soaked it in WYNNS DPF OFF CAR Cleaner overnight. This really does work. My mpg has also shot up again - average 50mpg. I've taken videos and pics of the process if anyone wants it, I'll post it up.

As long as you look after the car, it will be fine. Basic things like a quick spray of CRC mass air flow sensor cleaner on the MAF sensor every few months also keeps it working well.
 
saj said:
The 8th Gen Diesel is a good car.

When on the test drive, its the usual things you would check. Listen out for unusual knocks or bangs going over humps and potholes. Suspension is a weak point in my opinion on these cars due to the compliance bush. They normally collapse and knock out your alignment. I'm due to do mine over the next few days - although ive opted for brand new arms passenger and driver side instead of replacing the bushes.
Saj (and anyone else with more experience on this than me) how soft is a knackered bush?

I'm still trying to pin down my body wobble (see http://typeaccord.co.uk/forum/topic/25147-diesel-22-es-gt-tourer-body-vibration/?p=257868 )

This little clip shows a stout screwdriver (not a huge pry-bar) and it doesn't take much effort to flex. I imagine if the full weight of the car were behind it it would be all over the place. Or does this look normal (I've not really anything to compare it against).

https://youtu.be/0fwlcPPG7ys

As replacement is beyond what I can achieve off axle stands on the drive at home, it might need open wallet surgery to eliminate it as the cause of my wobble. Will you be fitting OEM or can you recommend decent after market ones?

I imagine new arms (or even just bushes) would need new drop links too as the Honda items seem impossible to remove without busting them (and I suppose they've done 100K too :( ).
 
Matt - I think the bush should be a bit more firm than that in your video. Have a close look around the bush for any signs of cracking. If they are really bad, the arm will collapse and rest on the frame, almost as if its dropped out of the bush if that makes sense. Pry the arm again whilst looking for cracks.I think this could potentially cause wobble and destabilise the ride. Whats the mileage and have they been replaced before?? Do you go over many speed humps etc?
 
I am going to have a shot at replacing the arms tomorrow morning. Hopefully all goes smoothly
 
Justbre read your post Matt

Ive opted for febi comtrol armms for both passenger and driver side. I bought them a while ago off of amazon. They were really cheap for skme reason. Ive checked the febi part number and they are the correct ones.

Ill be doing the job using 2 jacks and a set of axle stands. No access to a lift unfortunately.

I dont have any new bolts and perhals i should have got some incase i end up cutting the old ones off. Hopefully I dont need to resort tk that and all the bolts comply.

As fkr droplinks I would recommend lemforder or meyle.
 
Matt

Before you try replacing the arm/bush, why not try locking it securely with a pair of circlips/adjustable clamps and see if the ride changes.

If there is no difference, then you know it cannot be a cause of what you are experiencing
 
Channel Hopper said:
Matt

Before you try replacing the arm/bush, why not try locking it securely with a pair of circlips/adjustable clamps and see if the ride changes.

If there is no difference, then you know it cannot be a cause of what you are experiencing
Quite like that idea. I'll see what I can come up with...
 
Just an update to my post above, i managed to change the control arms on both sides. The car has been transformed. Really sticks tl the road and control along with precision is spot on. Got the tracking done again as that was out but overal a really good i.provement. it does drive as if its on rails now.

I wod really recommend anyone to do this. You will enjoy the car so much more. I have the old arms still in the garage and will have a go at pressing out the old bushes and replacing them with polyurethane ones and keep them on standby if i decide to keep the car much longer.

With thw Ulez coming soon it will be sad to see the car go.

Also noticed inner tyre wear on the rears which is probably down to work inner arms perhaps. Need to investigate more on that. Might just get bushes and replace them out of the arms if i can find them online.
 
I cut some plywood chocks which could be tapped into place with the weight lifted off the suspension

8thblockcyjzk.jpg


The wire loop was to give me something to get hold of the pull them out again (good job, they were pretty tight)

8thblockfittedxokgx.jpg


As other had suggested, effectively taking this bottom bush out of the equation might make the situation better or worse. Either way it might point to some sort of involvement. It made no noticeable difference, the symptoms were identical in every way.

I can report that with the boot fully loaded and rear seat passengers the wobble is much less pronounced, but it's still there. Although there is no knocking of any sort, the front does feel a bit 'loose' over bumpy ground so generally worn bushes may be contributing to the resonance. My gut feeling is that it may be inner CVs.

I think I need to take expert advice, but but am reluctant to spend any significant money on it.
 
Its not the vertical movement that is the problem, its the lateral movement which causes issues, you can see the stock bushes have a void at two places and this is what allows the bush to move laterally causing problems.
I replaced them on my last Accord Tourer 7th Gen with Problems solving bushes (PSB) and had a marked improvement in ride and steering precision.
The bushes are a different size on the 8th Gen but are the same design.
I intend replacing mine with Poly again but looking at the PSB website they don't stock the ones to fit the 8th Gen Accords, However on doing some research I discovered a company called Siberian Bushings that sell a version suitable for the 8th Gen.
They aren't very expensive and are made from shore 65 hardness Polyurethane which is the same as stock rubber bushings which is unlike the super hard ones sold for track day and performance cars.
https://siberianbushing.com/part/7-06-1250

My symptoms when the bushings were worn, included wobble in the steering and the outside edges of the front tyres wearing while the middle had plenty of tread.
After replacement these issues disappeared and the car handled and steered with much more precision.
 
Little update for anyone with similar issues:

I bit the bullet and took it to a local garage for their opinion. As I described the symptoms he knew exactly what I was talking about, having had an identical issue on his own Accord (not sure if his was a 7th or 8th gen). He got the car in the air and confirmed the drive shafts were worn, one more than the other, but both worn. Not sure if he meant inners, outers or both.

This wasn't the answer I was hoping for given that the list price for genuine Honda full shafts is £600 quid each.

Anyhow, both sides have been replaced (with non-genuine parts) for £400 quid all in. Time will tell if they're made of Dairylea or not. I reckon the current Accord and I will part company before this time next year, so as long as they last that long I'll be happy.

The good news if the wobble is entirely gone :D

8thdriveshafts8vj4h.jpg
 
Glad it’s finally solved Matt
 
Odd indeed that a part, or parts that are designed to be fully independent of the steering / suspension is the root cause of the trouble.

Good to know some garage mechanics are worth their salt.
 
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