Car advise anyone?

[SenecaBoy]

First Situation I am facing:

I have an 05 accord v6 sedan which has been golden to me so far, but recently i have been getting this wierd notchy/really hard clunky feeling from the transmission. Car has only 52k on it after I did some research I find that Honda has had known issues with its automatic and manual transmissions, and fixing of this sort of issue will usually be covered under warranty, but it is my only car and I cant afford to not have my car for like a weeks or so incase the trans goes. I have heard some of these repair jobs take weeks if not more by the dealership.

I have gotten the dealership to check it, they say its nothing but I am a little bit worried, they even changed the trans oil and did a full check on it but this clanking/ or what appears to be a hard gear change from Park to Reverse or from Park to drive is sort of worrying me. Anyone else had this sort of issue w/ their accord v6s of that era? What was the outcome? If the tranny does give should I be looking forward to the dealer to provide a replacement vehicle for the time they keep my car for repairs? or am I out of luck?

Second situation:

I plan on keeping the accord regardless of how the trans situation plays out. but at the same time I want something more peppy more fun to drive, the accord is paid off and I do want something a little more fun. Recently I switched jobs and got what I would say is a decent raise in income, so I want something a little bit more fun/peppy.

I was thinking of a sports coupe...in the price range of 40-70k max. What would you guys suggest? Or I can listen to my friend and build a car, I have never built a car in the past, although he has, and I dont know what it entails, he said he will help me out with it :S

 

[Doug]

First off, I am not a car mechanic, but am mechanically inclined.

You are correct in stating thàt Honda has a history of transmission problems associated with the 3.5 litre engine. Most of the problems were with the older models, years 99 to 04 but there remain some problems with late model transmissions too.

I own a 03 Odyssey, purchashed this spring. This vehicle also had tranny probs starting a week after my purchase. So I did web research at www.odyclub.com which was v ery helpful for that problem and continues to be of service. You would find its information to be pertinent to your situation too. See the forum section and select the correct year range and you will find lots of threads on transmission problems.

In my case, the D light in the transmission shift indicator was blinking, a general warning of imminent tranny problems. The solution was three-fold: intensive flushing, installing a large after-market ATF cooler, and a replacement of filter screens et al. This cost $1400, a major investment, but much less than the alternative.

Your 05 tranny is more robust but may have some similar issues, so do your research and don't believe the dealer entirely. When I took my car to the dealer they rather off-handedly saod I needed a new transmission, that's it, cost of $4000 for a rebuilt one. So much for rapport with the dealer!

On the positive side, my previous Odyssey was retired at 460k km, not by mechanical failure but by rubber aging (seals, suspension bushings), and this "new one" is at 220k km and heading up! Yours should reach a high odometer reading too. Repairs are cheaper than repacement for many years.
Doug

 

[JEFF247]

I have a 2003 Honda Accord EX with 221,000 miles (356,000 klm) that I bought new. Not a single problem. I do my own oil changes every 3-5000 miles myself and follow owners manual normal maintenance schedules. Great car.

Another 17,000 miles and I could have driven to the moon!!!

 

[anon1]

I can listen to my friend and build a car, I have never built a car in the past,

"The journey is the reward"

Build a car. You have a buddy to guide you.

 

[toughb]

For what it's worth. I've had a similar problem in a non Honda car.

I created my own solution. Move from drive to neutral, pause and them to reverse. It eliminated the problem for me.

May help you.

...

 

[landscaper]

For what it's worth. I've had a similar problem in a non Honda car.

I created my own solution. Move from drive to neutral, pause and them to reverse. It eliminated the problem for me.

May help you.

...

Do you park on a slope? if the tranny is holding the weight of the car against a slope you can get a bang as it cycles.

Going from park to neutral wait a second then shift to drive, sometimes the bands can stretch a little and cause rough shifts, they would still be in spec as far as the dealership is concerned.

On a related note make sure you documant the complaints , the dealer actions and most importantly the dates of everything, if you have a transmition problem htat does not get fixed you jsut know it will let go 10 minutes after the warrantee runs out and the documentation could save you some money

 

[SenecaBoy]

First off, I am not a car mechanic, but am mechanically inclined.

You are correct in stating thàt Honda has a history of transmission problems associated with the 3.5 litre engine. Most of the problems were with the older models, years 99 to 04 but there remain some problems with late model transmissions too.

I own a 03 Odyssey, purchashed this spring. This vehicle also had tranny probs starting a week after my purchase. So I did web research at www.odyclub.com which was v ery helpful for that problem and continues to be of service. You would find its information to be pertinent to your situation too. See the forum section and select the correct year range and you will find lots of threads on transmission problems.

In my case, the D light in the transmission shift indicator was blinking, a general warning of imminent tranny problems. The solution was three-fold: intensive flushing, installing a large after-market ATF cooler, and a replacement of filter screens et al. This cost $1400, a major investment, but much less than the alternative.

Your 05 tranny is more robust but may have some similar issues, so do your research and don't believe the dealer entirely. When I took my car to the dealer they rather off-handedly saod I needed a new transmission, that's it, cost of $4000 for a rebuilt one. So much for rapport with the dealer!

On the positive side, my previous Odyssey was retired at 460k km, not by mechanical failure but by rubber aging (seals, suspension bushings), and this "new one" is at 220k km and heading up! Yours should reach a high odometer reading too. Repairs are cheaper than repacement for many years.
Doug

ok, thanks Dough, I will do more research about this problem on that site, I started noticing this lately so I am kind of worried, i do not want it dying on me when I am in the middle of a morning commute or on the way to visit someone.

Yeah the dealer seems to think it is something ordinary. I even showed em the noise / clanking that happens when I shift from park to Reverse to neutral or to drive. Anyways I have the extended warranty, i hope it helps me out in case the entire trans has to be removed and replaced.

For what it's worth. I've had a similar problem in a non Honda car.

I created my own solution. Move from drive to neutral, pause and them to reverse. It eliminated the problem for me.

May help you.

...

Hmm mine does not seem to go away, I am very careful about my car and try to get the proper services done and not modify it or do anything to harm it..oh well looks like this trans clanking is here to stay.

 

[SenecaBoy]

"The journey is the reward"

Build a car. You have a buddy to guide you.

Since I am not really mechanically inclined I tend to be a little weary about modifying my car.

But I have seen his car, it seems like something out of mad max...lol. It is definitely faster than any car i have been in, but I dont get the point of the whole bulging hoods and massive belts spinning something called a "supercharger" or w/e it is.

Anyways time to learn i guess, the next few months should be interesting.