Bought a new banger

palgrave

Hi fellow Motoring posters,
I have recently purchased a 2005 Honda Accord 2.4 litre petrol automatic for £750. The car has 121k on the clock, and in good condition inside but some dents/scratches on the outside and hence the price.
I have recently got the engine oil changed using 5w30 and also flushed the automatic fluid transmission. Since the car feels a lot more responsive and picks up well. Small things that annoy me:

1. The SAT NAV disc does not work
2. The top dash temperature control/radio/clock display is intermittent. Seems like a loose connection but from trailing through Honda Accord forums this is apparently quite common and unfortunately the loose connection is on the PCB circuit for the actual radio/satnav so isn't an easy fix.
3. Steering wheel alignment is off.

Point number 1 and 2 re above don't concern me much. As for point 3, this is something I need to sort out. I thought I'd book the car for a simple diagnostic check with the main dealer to see what errors come up, which I may as well do as it needs a free Honda recall for its airbag. They charge £70 for a four wheel alignment so will add this on and £160 for their Honda 12 service.

Now, Honda only use 0w20 oil which I found a little odd. I used 5w30 oil but hopefully this should be fine? Can they fix the intermittent radio/clock/temp display when they sort out the airbags? If its a big recall fix they might need to open the dash for whatever reason and in the meanwhile solder that loose connection? Does their Honda 12 include a diagnostic scan? Crown Honda say they don't typically do a diagnostic check unless something is wrong, whereas the next nearest Honda dealer charge £60 for a diagnostic scan!
Finally, is it worth it to flush the power steering fluid?

Ebe_Scrooge

palgrave wrote: »

Can they fix the intermittent radio/clock/temp display when they sort out the airbags? Yes, but ask them how much they'd charge for this

For a car of this age and mileage I wouldn't be using a main dealer - apart from the recall item, assuming this will be done for free. For everything else, you'll be doing yourself a huge favour if you can get friendly with a decent local independant mechanic. You'll save yourself a fortune in labour charges over time, and a "proper" mechanic will more than likely be able to take a look at the niggly problems and advise you on things like the correct oil to use, and whether hydraulic fluids need changing.

palgrave

Honda have confirmed the recall would be free of charge. I have looked at their fixed price servicing and to be honest it's hardly a difference from what my local independent charges (I live in London). as I've said I need to book it in to the dealer for the recall anyway so don't mind paying a bit extra for the convenience

palgrave

Any advice?

tykesi

Jeez, give people a chance!

gabitzul

If it's the same price at the main dealers take it there then, it will save you time and should be more convenient (I suspect it will be done at the same time with the recall). Also do the 4 wheel alignment and see what they say, then you can decide if you need to do anything on point 3.

System

palgrave wrote: »

They charge £70 for a four wheel alignment so will add this on and £160 for their Honda 12 service.

Most places that do alignment charge half that.

Now, Honda only use 0w20 oil which I found a little odd. I used 5w30 oil but hopefully this should be fine?

It is if you want your engine to wear out quicker. Thicker oil, like you've put in, contrary to belief is not good for an engine especially in cold weather. Takes longer to get around the engine on starting meaning more wear. Also if your engine is a VTEC too thick an oil can affect its operation.

RickRastardly

0w20 is very thin though. Good when the engine during its warm up cycle but if it gets too thin once warmed up this can adversely effect lubrication just as badly as an oil that's too thick unless Tarambor is correct and its to do with the VTEC, although I just typed into Google (because im curious) VETEC engine oil and it came up 15W40, just to confuse things even more........ With that said, I'm sure Honda know what they're doing.... probably....

Rain_Shadow

RickRastardly wrote: »

0w20 is very thin though. Good when the engine during its warm up cycle but if it gets too thin once warmed up this can adversely effect lubrication just as badly as an oil that's too thick unless Tarambor is correct and its to do with the VTEC, although I just typed into Google (because im curious) VETEC engine oil and it came up 15W40, just to confuse things even more........ With that said, I'm sure Honda know what they're doing.... probably....

I'm sure Honda know what they are doing when it comes to new engines (pace F1). I'm pretty certain they arent too worried what you do with a 12 year old one and don't have any recommendations.

reeac

I've found very little difference in cost of servicing between my nearest Honda dealer and my local small garage. The latter is only 2 miles away and so more convenient but from time to time I use the former and for £10 insurance borrow a new Jazz which I can then compare with my 11 year old one. So far I've found no reason to update. Regarding oil, Honda seem to have standardised on 0W20 and I'm quite happy to go along with this.

almillar

Sat Nav - take the disc out, give it a clean, try copying it on a computer. Maybe the copy will work. Clean the lens of the sat nav's reader.
I'm sure there's a more up to date version of the sat nav disc on ebay, or for download from dodgy parts of the internet if the above doesn't work.