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Thinking of a Tourer - buying advice?

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Hi Guys,

First of all thanks for the informative site that you've got here. I've had a bit of a read and I'll be back for more.

I'm looking at replacing my old Volvo V70 diesel with a 7th Gen Accord Tourer. But I'm interested in what things I should be looking at when viewing a car and a few other bits of info.

Are timing chain issues really widespread - I see the extended warranty info on 04/05 cars. Does that warranty cover new injectors as well? - I've seen reference to the injectors needing to be changed at the same time - can anyone tell me why this is? Are the chains not an issue on newer cars?

Can I get software for decent diagnostics? I've had a couple of Audis in the past and the VAGCOM software was excellent for fault checking/code reading/re-callibration.
Can I easily check a car for fault codes through the driver info system?

Is there a buyers guide around? Any places to check for corrosion?

I'm likely to go for either the 2.2 diesel or the 2.0 petrol - I'd like reasonable economy and most of the time I'll have a couple of small children in the car so I'm not going to be going mad. Am I right in ***uming that the diesel is the better bet? I'm ***uming that the 2.0 petrol would need hammering a bit ?

Many thanks.

Mark
 
Mark welcome along I changed from a V70 to the Accord tourer and I've never looked back. The type of fuel will be down to personal choice bearing in mind how many miles you drive etc. I have a diesel and I love it and of course our very own Fahad can work his magic to make it even better pushing it from 140 bhp to around 186bhp. I've not had any problems with my timing chain I've done 81K + and it's fine. Others will be able to tell you more on this, the other thing to look out for is the manifold has had problems cracking and this can be diagnosed by the fumes getting into the car. The clutch will cost around £585 under Honda happiness if it needs replacing and another £1000 ish if the duel mass fly wheel nees to be replaced as well. Again others more knowledgable about these two issues will add their advice.

Definately check out the service history make sure if poss it's been done by a Honda dealer, the diesel engine likes to be looked after properly and any short cuts esp on service intervals or the quality of parts and oil used will cause problems in the long run.

CJ aka Pepster will be able to give advice on diagnostic software and looking at where you are he's prob not to far away from you as is Fahad.

All the best in your search
 
What he said.... fantastic car is the 7th Gen, would definitely go for the diesel, not that I am biased or anything, but I think it is too heavy a beast for a 2 litre petrol.

A stage 1 remap from Fahad/Elite remaps would be a must - as I am sure all i-CDTI owners will confirm.

The usual checks, should be enough. You can always check the relevant Honda dealer for any work that has been carried out. The type of oil for Diesels is uber important.

If you go for a 56 plated model there are all the benefits of the facelift not least the 6th gear.
 
Yep if you have kids and want to lug some load around, and plan to cover some miles etc. then a tourer diesel is a good bet. Try and go for the facelift car (2006 onwards) as the 6th gear and few other enhancements are worth having B)
 
There's not much difference fuel consumption wise between a 2.4 and a 2.0. I went for the bigger engine on those grounds, and wasn't sorry at all.
 
Depends on what mileage you expect to do really, if below 12k a year i would go for a petrol as any problem with a diesel will wipe out any fuel savings not to mention the cheaper purchase price of a petrol model in the first place. These cars are super reliable but as you know there are weak points unfortunately the weak points tend to be on the diesel cars.

Oh and welcome to the forum Mark B)
 
Thanks Guys!

I'm expecting to cover around 15K/year which is why I have the hesitation over the diesel, it might go well or it might not... Old School diesels were reliable and cheap if anything goes wrong, but somewhat agricultural. The new common rail jobs seem to be excellent - unless they go wrong. Those costs for DMF etc are a bit eye watering.

What sort of real world economy do you get out of the petrols?
 
The reason for the diesel clutches being change is an unusual one, therefore having a DMF replaced is very rare. In fact the last 5 clutch changes I know off all did not require the DMF to be changed. Therefore the only real concern is the potential for having to budget for a honda happiness clutch change at £585 altho some dealers may even offer this a bit cheaper.

If your max miles per year is going to be 15k and most of those miles are going to be fairly short journey Im not sure the diesel is going to offer you that much. The 2.0 tourer is a very nice drive if you just cruise everywhere you cant beat it.
 
Again, I'd urge people offering advice on diesel vs petrol to exercise some caution in their choice of words.. Not having a go at anyone, it's just sometimes when someone reads your posts who are totally new to the Accord, they could misinterpret them to think the diesel Accord is unreliable. It is not...

The few common issues on the diesel are covered by Honda with an extended warranty for upto 125k or 7 years (timing chain noise and cracked manifold) and the clutch is heavily subsidised at fixed price £585. It's good quality, enjoyable and reasonable priced motoring.

As always, I would say go and drive both variants and make up your mind that way - they are both very different drives.
 
I'll agree with Fahad, one needs to drive both variants to see which one suits better. Both petrol and diesel have their advantages and disadvantages, and as the diesel is the first diesel engine Honda has ever done, it needs to be understood better by the customer (regards to servicing and care, much more important than other diesels). I personally switched to diesel with my 406 after trying both petrol and diesel engines and finding the petrol lacking the torque for a big saloon car. I have never looked back, although I enjoy driving my petrol civic and my bmw 318, but only when my wife downgrades me from the accord...
Reliability is not an issue with both models, it's a Honda after all! And as all cars break sometimes, it does happen to Hondas also, but not so often.
And last but not least, the diesel offers a lot more in terms of tuning (ref Fahad or Adam).
 
'Again, I'd urge people offering advice on diesel vs petrol to exercise some caution in their choice of words.. Not having a go at anyone, it's just sometimes when someone reads your posts who are totally new to the Accord, they could misinterpret them to think the diesel Accord is unreliable. It is not...'

I am glad you keep posting things like this Fahad - I must admit I am getting a pit paranoid about the reliabilty of the Accord diesel..

Almost to the point of thinking about changing...
 
LOL well you own one Justin, you would know if it's reliable or not.
 
well mine has been perfect apart from one (literally) hiccup on a trip to Wales...

but all the talk of expensive issues does worry me !

Good job its the best car I've had...
 
I wouldnt worry about diesels mate in the end of the day both Faddy and I have icdti's and we wouldnt have them if they where frought with issues.

Properly maintained and looked after they are a joy to own simple as that.
 
Justin - and to be honest that literal hiccup was down to a fuel filter which hadn't been changed in possibly the 5 years since it left the factory due to its low mileage.

I did warn you when we met that if you weren't sure about, have it changed :(

As Andy says, just enjoy the motoring.
 
Just to say thanks for all the info.

Just need to find a couple of suitable cars and test the petrol against the diesel.

thanks
 
Hi Mark,
there is one common problem which effects the Tourers...it's the Tailgate motor. they have a tendency to start playing up (motor clutch slips) and basically the tailgate won't rise by it self. Honda UK have realized that this is a common problem and have extended the warranty on these to 7years/ 100000 miles. I had mine done recently.
to take part in the diesel/petrol debate, I have a 2.0 petrol and I must say the engine is excellent and economical (i get around 35/37 MPG mixed driving) it's smooth, quiet, and warms up quickly which is good on cold morning. but I must also say that I sometimes do miss the extra torque and of the diesel (used to have a tdci Mondeo).
I have had my Tourer for almost 2 years now and it has never had any problems. the only money spent on it is the usual: tyres, brake pads/discs, services etc.
all this said i would definitely recommend the Accords to anyone, be it petrol or diesel.
Cheers.
 
I wonder why there is a 100000 mile limit to the 7 year warranty on something that is not going to wear out by driving :rolleyes:

What is the output of the 2 litre petrol? The Tourer is heavy, I would have thought a 2.4 or the torque of diesel was mandatory?

Mind you Honda petrols should not be under estimated I suppose!?
 
Dan Robinson said:
I wonder why there is a 100000 mile limit to the 7 year warranty on something that is not going to wear out by driving ;) What is the output of the 2 litre petrol? The Tourer is heavy, I would have thought a 2.4 or the torque of diesel was mandatory?Mind you Honda petrols should not be under estimated I suppose!?
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Hi, I believe the output of the 2.0 vtec is around 155bhp
 
Tailgate doesnt like manual opening and closing best use the motor function if you want to prevent such wear and tear.
 
Cheers Andy, I was wondering about that - and you confirmed my suspicions... Just gas the woman a bollocking 'cos she opens it manually more often than not...

155bhp is not too bad I suppose, but in nearly 2 tonnes of car that seems a might low.
 
the manual opening of the tailgate should not have any effect on the motor as it has a electro-mechanical clutch ie. when the tailgate is opened manually the clutch is disengaged, and when tailgate is used electrically the clutch engages and the motor drives the mechanism....the common fault happens to be caused by grease getting onto the clutch plates.
I pulled my motor/clutch apart and tried to fix it before i realised that it was still covered under warranty, Lucky the dealer didn't spot that I had fiddled with it :unsure:
 
Interesting that there are differing opinions on how to lengthen the life of the tailgate motor...... Are the gas struts always trying to open the boot? If so then presumably the motor is stressed more closing the boot than opening it?
 
Simon said:
Interesting that there are differing opinions on how to lengthen the life of the tailgate motor...... Are the gas struts always trying to open the boot? If so then presumably the motor is stressed more closing the boot than opening it?
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No, it seems the struts are only there to help the boot open and once up, hold it open. when my tailgate motor was playing up it always worked closing the tailgate but only sometimes worked opening it.
 
intersting about the tailgate - i called my woman lazy for using the button all the time too! my thoughts were to use it manually unless i needed to use the autoclose, i.e., when i'm carrying large items from b and q out of the car! i can hear something electromechanical when i put my hand on the opening handle - is that the motor clutch disengaging?
is the conclusion then to do it yourself and keep auto open/close for when needed ? or just use auto and hope it breaks in warranty for replacement??! mine's done 73k miles....
 
I use it purely to show off and scare traffic wardens.

Shame Ford have stuck it into the new S-Max... Will kinda take the shine off in the next year or two when everyone is doing it :lol:.
 
Dan Robinson said:
I use it purely to show off and scare traffic wardens.

Shame Ford have stuck it into the new S-Max... Will kinda take the shine off in the next year or two when everyone is doing it :D.
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I'm genuinely useless with mine. I can never open it before reaching the car.. which leads to an awkward pause at the super market waiting for the boot to slowly open as we stand there staring at the trolly/

In this weather though.. it keeps your hands clean :)
 
I've trained my 5 year old to do it on the way back to the car so I don't have to worry about it. :lol:
 
I've started singing Chemical Brothers songs - sad I know.
 
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