Faults:

The usual consumables.

A slight gear-change delay/shudder (automatic) that seems to have been sorted by a Honda gearbox oil change in keeping with the service schedule, which recommends the same at 120,000 km.

Driver's seat (fabric) has a tear in it, but a quick stitch has held it together.

Rear wheel adjustment bolt has seized, but the garage were able to align the car to correct a bit of left-steer.

Throttle position sensor light came on, but went away after a reset. Honda dealer inspected the unit, but found no issues.

General Comments:

This is my first Honda, but I have owned a lot of other cars including BMW, Saab, Toyota, Mazda, and Seat.

The build quality and attention to detail are very impressive. You can see where thought has gone into the design of the cabin, such as storage space and ease of reach/adjustment for things like the radio.

It is not as comfortable as some cars I have owned, but it feels more connected to the road, so that would appear to be the trade-off.

The acceleration is very impressive; it never feels like it needs more power. On previous cars, most notably BMW, they always felt underpowered. This car just goes where you want with a reassuring level of power.

The steering is actually a bit heavy in my opinion, compared to my previous cars. I usually hear people complain about light steering in Hondas, but that is not the case here.

Faults:

Exhaust manifold cracked, don't know when, because there was no change in exhaust note, but when I notified the Honda dealer, they knew all about these manifolds cracking, as they had sent a bulletin to all dealers on 22/01/08 re HUK1079.

This is a dangerous fault, which is only evident when you realise that the exhaust fumes in the vehicle are not coming from the vehicle in front of you, but being pumped into your vehicle through the heating and ventilation system (no need to connect a pipe to the exhaust if you want to end it, just buy one of these faulty Accords).

I have just had the manifold changed, at my own expense (£650), as Honda don't consider this known inherent fault to be their problem. The new replacement part is one piece cast iron, the faulty ones are two piece steel welded; with so many welds, no wonder they fail.

Having worked for the AA as a Patrol mechanic for 27 years, I knew Honda to be 2nd to none for reliability and safety; when did it all go wrong!

If Honda had covered the cost, I would still be recommending them, and would have definitely replaced it with another Honda, but due to their dodgy dealing over this dangerous fault, how can I recommend them to other people?

Must just finish by saying that I intend to recover my cost through the small claims court, as I feel I have a good case, as Honda are fitting a totally different manifold. If the cracked one was not a problem, why change it, and why warn dealers there's a problem?

Michael Rooker.

General Comments:

Reliable, cheap to run, hard ride, paint work thin, not as perfectly built as they used to be, just another motor. Seems Honda have lost their way