1992 Honda Accord EX review from North America

Distributor bearing failed just after the warranty ended, but Honda replaced it for free as part of a recall.

The solid state transmission control unit burned up at 88,000 miles leaving me stranded on the road. The dealer wanted $670 plus labor to replace this single circuit board. I bought a used one for $220 and the car appears to be working fine.

The car tends to idle too low and cause a rough vibration at idle, particularly when the air conditioning compressor kicks in. I've had this adjusted before and it needs it again.

The radiator began leaking at about 78,000 miles. The leak is where the top cowling of the radiator is glued or otherwise joined to the actual radiator body. It is not economical to repair the radiator, so I'm about to purchase a new one with a lifetime guarantee from an independent shop for $280 to 300.

At the last shop visit, the dealer also said the CV boots need replacement and that the master cylinder on the brakes is leaking. The valve cover gasket is leaking.

The car has been a very solid performer. Honda has assuaged any major complaints by taking care of the distributor bearing despite being out of warranty.

Now that the car is reaching its golden years, I feel that the Honda dealer service is becoming something of a rip off and I'm shopping for more trustworthy specialty repair shops.

I wish I had known that the gear indicator light on the dash also served as a diagnostic alert. When it failed, I assumed a bulb was just burned out in the dash. In reality, this was an indication that the very expensive electronic transmission control unit was problematic. Had I responded to that earlier, I may have been able to get Honda to give me some credit toward the repair. Instead I waited until it stranded me at 88,000 miles. At that point I did not even bother pleading with Honda.