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Re: Request opinions on my sort-of-new Accord
Honda/Acura Vehicles Discussion group for Honda/Acura vehicles. (alt.autos.honda)
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#1
 
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Re: Request opinions on my sort-of-new Accord -
09-17-2009
, 10:32 PM
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General questions which is why I included five NG's. I've actually had the car for almost a year (bought 9-25-08). The car had a mild steering wheel shimmy at 60-70 mph that I noticed driving it home from the dealership the day I bought it. The car had not been sitting on the lot long ( a week or so, being recently delivered), so I doubt there were flat spots on the tires. I decided to let it go and forget about it. Still, you don't expect this with a brand new car with six miles on it and equipped with Michelins. The shimmy pretty much stayed, but as I said, it is mild. I rotated the tires at about 6500 miles a couple of months ago, which is when the little Honda Maintenance Minder told me to (cross to front as the manual said). Since then, I've noticed that, along with the usual shimmy, it gets a good deal worse when I press the brake at highway speeds. I doubt very seriously that the rotors are warped, but that the wheels were somehow not completely balanced at the factory. And maybe crossing the tires at rotation made the effect worse. That's my guess. I took the car out to the dlership today, explained, and the guy wanted to check the brakes (he said three hours for some reason) and possibly *turn* the rotors. Why? I've never had rotors turned in my life; if they got too grooved I'd just replace them. Considering the time, and his talking about turning rotors, I decided to hold off for now. Do you think I should take the car in and have them at least check the balance on the wheels (free till the 1 year anniversary of purchase)? I could just see those guys working on the car, and driving off with it *worse* than before. I've had this happen occasionally over the years. And a-n-o-t-h-e-r thing..... I was recently talking casually to a guy who runs a body shop. We were near my Accord and he immediately mentioned that the gap between the hood and fender on the left was not the same as the corresponding gap on the right side of the hood. And sure enough, it wasn't, and very noticeable even though I never noticed. He said that was very unusual for Honda and even asked me if the car had been wrecked. Pic link below. There is sunlight reflection a little on the left gap, but you should still be able to see it. The gap on left is noticeably bigger than the one on the right. The hood opens and closes nicely and everything seems tight and right, but it does look kind of bad. What do you guys think? Should I complain to Honda about it? Thanks a lot. http://s603.photobucket.com/albums/tt116/LyraVic/?action=view¤t=GEDC0178.jpg |
How could it be a wrecked Honda? You got it new. If you're worried about
this, the body-fender guy should be able to tell if it's been in a
accident pretty easily. Nice looking car though...
#2
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Otis wrote: General questions which is why I included five NG's. I've actually had the car for almost a year (bought 9-25-08). The car had a mild steering wheel shimmy at 60-70 mph that I noticed driving it home from the dealership the day I bought it. The car had not been sitting on the lot long ( a week or so, being recently delivered), so I doubt there were flat spots on the tires. I decided to let it go and forget about it. Still, you don't expect this with a brand new car with six miles on it and equipped with Michelins. The shimmy pretty much stayed, but as I said, it is mild. I rotated the tires at about 6500 miles a couple of months ago, which is when the little Honda Maintenance Minder told me to (cross to front as the manual said). Since then, I've noticed that, along with the usual shimmy, it gets a good deal worse when I press the brake at highway speeds. I doubt very seriously that the rotors are warped, but that the wheels were somehow not completely balanced at the factory. And maybe crossing the tires at rotation made the effect worse. That's my guess. I took the car out to the dlership today, explained, and the guy wanted to check the brakes (he said three hours for some reason) and possibly *turn* the rotors. Why? I've never had rotors turned in my life; if they got too grooved I'd just replace them. Considering the time, and his talking about turning rotors, I decided to hold off for now. Do you think I should take the car in and have them at least check the balance on the wheels (free till the 1 year anniversary of purchase)? I could just see those guys working on the car, and driving off with it *worse* than before. I've had this happen occasionally over the years. And a-n-o-t-h-e-r thing..... I was recently talking casually to a guy who runs a body shop. We were near my Accord and he immediately mentioned that the gap between the hood and fender on the left was not the same as the corresponding gap on the right side of the hood. And sure enough, it wasn't, and very noticeable even though I never noticed. He said that was very unusual for Honda and even asked me if the car had been wrecked. Pic link below. There is sunlight reflection a little on the left gap, but you should still be able to see it. The gap on left is noticeably bigger than the one on the right. The hood opens and closes nicely and everything seems tight and right, but it does look kind of bad. What do you guys think? Should I complain to Honda about it? Thanks a lot. http://s603.photobucket.com/albums/tt116/LyraVic/?action=view¤t=GEDC0178.jpg It sounds like your rotors are warped. |
extremely common for surface rust and incorrect torque procedure to
create symptoms /like/ warping.
solution: clean the disk and wheel interface of rust. apply a little
antiseize. re-bolt the wheel with a two or more stage torque process,
using a torque wrench.
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How could it be a wrecked Honda? You got it new. If you're worried about this, the body-fender guy should be able to tell if it's been in a accident pretty easily. Nice looking car though... |
#3
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General questions which is why I included five NG's. |
perhaps Honda's Zone Office if you aren't happy with the response you
receive from your dealer. First and foremost the car is under warranty
and you should have taken it in immediately after you discovered the
"shimmy" when leaving the lot.
#4
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it's extremely rare for honda rotors to actually warp. it is however extremely common for surface rust and incorrect torque procedure to create symptoms /like/ warping. solution: clean the disk and wheel interface of rust. apply a little antiseize. re-bolt the wheel with a two or more stage torque process, using a torque wrench. |
I've owned had the standard warping rotors. OTOH, I've never had a car
that was sensitive to rust on the wheel hubs. Does this happen mostly
with steel wheels or alloy wheels?
Those grease monkeys sure do like to over-torque those wheel nuts!
#5
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jim beam wrote: it's extremely rare for honda rotors to actually warp. it is however extremely common for surface rust and incorrect torque procedure to create symptoms /like/ warping. solution: clean the disk and wheel interface of rust. apply a little antiseize. re-bolt the wheel with a two or more stage torque process, using a torque wrench. I've never owned a Honda so I defer to your expertise - all the cars I've owned had the standard warping rotors. |
torque wrench solution.
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OTOH, I've never had a car that was sensitive to rust on the wheel hubs. |
iron to actually warp.
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Does this happen mostly with steel wheels or alloy wheels? |
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#6
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It sounds like your rotors are warped. it's extremely rare for honda rotors to actually warp. it is however extremely common for surface rust and incorrect torque procedure to create symptoms /like/ warping. |
I have seen it happen on Toyotas, Dodges, GM products, etc. Heat
and improper torqueing seems to cause these problems, and the warp
can be a real issue.
There are however other possibilities, including the buildup of rust or
dirt which can cause the rotors or wheels to run out of plane. Roundness
or eccentricity and planar trueness of wheels are other factors that
can occur.
Tires are yet a third. Even Michelins can occasionally give a little
shudder.
A really good shop can measure and correct these for the most part. A good
shop does not necessarily mean a damn dealership. A dealership might be
good, and an independent might be the pits, but take the time to find a shop
with good equipment and conscientious mechanics to look into this, as I
know how irritating it can be.
#7
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"jim beam" <m... (AT) privacy (DOT) net> wrote in message It sounds like your rotors are warped. it's extremely rare for honda rotors to actually warp. *it is however extremely common for surface rust and incorrect torque procedure to create symptoms /like/ warping. Almost any rotors CAN warp if they are mistreated seriously enough. I have seen it happen on Toyotas, Dodges, GM products, etc. *Heat and improper torqueing seems to cause these problems, and the warp can be a real issue. There are however other possibilities, including the buildup of rust or dirt which can cause the rotors or wheels to run out of plane. *Roundness or eccentricity and planar trueness of wheels are other factors that can occur. Tires are yet a third. Even Michelins can occasionally give a little shudder. A really good shop can measure and correct these for the most part. *A good shop does not necessarily mean a damn dealership. * A dealership might be good, and an independent might be the pits, but take the time to find a shop with good equipment and conscientious mechanics to look into this, as I know how irritating it can be. |
this work
should be warranty work. I guess I'll take it back over there next
week and
have them do their thing. BTW, I rotated the wheels myself and used a
torque wrench and tightened to specified torque. And I have driven
every
single mile since purchase.
So, as far as the hood/fender gaps; it appears most of you don't feel
it's
much of an issue. I'm kind of on the fence about it.
#8
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On Sep 18, 9:35*am, "hls" <h... (AT) nospam (DOT) nix> wrote: "jim beam" <m... (AT) privacy (DOT) net> wrote in message It sounds like your rotors are warped. it's extremely rare for honda rotors to actually warp. *it is however extremely common for surface rust and incorrect torque procedure to create symptoms /like/ warping. Almost any rotors CAN warp if they are mistreated seriously enough. I have seen it happen on Toyotas, Dodges, GM products, etc. *Heat and improper torqueing seems to cause these problems, and the warp can be a real issue. There are however other possibilities, including the buildup of rust or dirt which can cause the rotors or wheels to run out of plane. *Roundness or eccentricity and planar trueness of wheels are other factors that can occur. Tires are yet a third. Even Michelins can occasionally give a little shudder. A really good shop can measure and correct these for the most part. *A good shop does not necessarily mean a damn dealership. * A dealership might be good, and an independent might be the pits, but take the time to find a shop with good equipment and conscientious mechanics to look into this, as I know how irritating it can be. Well, the reason I took it back to the dealership is because all of this work should be warranty work. I guess I'll take it back over there next week and have them do their thing. BTW, I rotated the wheels myself and used a torque wrench and tightened to specified torque. And I have driven every single mile since purchase. So, as far as the hood/fender gaps; it appears most of you don't feel it's much of an issue. I'm kind of on the fence about it. |
have/had absolutely perfect fit & finish; every gap aligned, every panel
perfectly flush with those surrounding it, etc. The one Honda I had that
was built in the US on the Accord line (a 2000 Acura TL) did not have
perfect fit & finish. There were minor but obvious misalignments around the
rear bumper and in a few other places. Check your serial number. If it
doesn't start with "J", you probably have your answer.
#9
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On 9/18/09 8:51 AM, in article b9380ec6-c2d5-4001-82a2-9932b09a8... (AT) h30g2000vbr (DOT) googlegroups.com, "Otis" rev_otis_mcn... (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote: On Sep 18, 9:35*am, "hls" <h... (AT) nospam (DOT) nix> wrote: "jim beam" <m... (AT) privacy (DOT) net> wrote in message It sounds like your rotors are warped. it's extremely rare for honda rotors to actually warp. *it is however extremely common for surface rust and incorrect torque procedure to create symptoms /like/ warping. Almost any rotors CAN warp if they are mistreated seriously enough. I have seen it happen on Toyotas, Dodges, GM products, etc. *Heat and improper torqueing seems to cause these problems, and the warp can be a real issue. There are however other possibilities, including the buildup of rust or dirt which can cause the rotors or wheels to run out of plane. *Roundness or eccentricity and planar trueness of wheels are other factors that can occur. Tires are yet a third. Even Michelins can occasionally give a little shudder. A really good shop can measure and correct these for the most part. *A good shop does not necessarily mean a damn dealership. * A dealership might be good, and an independent might be the pits, but take the time to find a shop with good equipment and conscientious mechanics to look into this, as I know how irritating it can be. Well, the reason I took it back to the dealership is because all of this work should be warranty work. *I guess I'll take it back over there next week and have them do their thing. *BTW, I rotated the wheels myself and used a torque wrench and tightened to specified torque. *And I have driven every single mile since purchase. So, as far as the hood/fender gaps; it appears most of you don't feel it's much of an issue. *I'm kind of on the fence about it. Re your hood issue. *The Hondas I have owned that were built in Japan have/had absolutely perfect fit & finish; every gap aligned, every panel perfectly flush with those surrounding it, etc. *The one Honda I had that was built in the US on the Accord line (a 2000 Acura TL) did not have perfect fit & finish. *There were minor but obvious misalignments around the rear bumper and in a few other places. *Check your serial number. *Ifit doesn't start with "J", you probably have your answer. |
vast
majority of Accords sold in U.S. are built there. As you said,
and as I told my wife last night, that probably explains it.
The transmission was built in Japan though. Yayyy!
#10
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On 09/18/2009 01:38 AM, dsi1 wrote: jim beam wrote: it's extremely rare for honda rotors to actually warp. it is however extremely common for surface rust and incorrect torque procedure to create symptoms /like/ warping. solution: clean the disk and wheel interface of rust. apply a little antiseize. re-bolt the wheel with a two or more stage torque process, using a torque wrench. I've never owned a Honda so I defer to your expertise - all the cars I've owned had the standard warping rotors. it's probably for the reasons i said. try the scrape, anti-seize and torque wrench solution. OTOH, I've never had a car that was sensitive to rust on the wheel hubs. the two are connected. seriously, it's very unusual for the brake disk iron to actually warp. |
before. What happens to me is that heavy braking, such as when slowing
down at the bottom of a hill, will tend to cause an oscillating feedback
at the steering wheel.
Hopefully, you're right and I've been seriously misinformed, after all,
it's cheaper to wire-brush wheel hubs than to machine them. Will try
this - thanks!
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Does this happen mostly with steel wheels or alloy wheels? it's more noticeable with steel.. Those grease monkeys sure do like to over-torque those wheel nuts! |
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