Initially the car was near flawless except the trunk lid would open when I was driving. This was fixed by the dealer.
Around 60,000 miles one of the headlight lenses fell out requiring a new $200 headlight. This appeared to be an adhesive failure though the dealer said this was a fluke and they had not seen this problem before.
Around 62,000 miles the other headlight lens fell out. Same story with dealer.
74,000 the lower door panel on the passenger side popped from a broken clip. No, I didn’t hit anything; it just broke on its own. $85 repair.
75,000 miles, transmission began surging. (This felt like when you are driving and turn the cruise control off and get that little surge.) The first repair shop said it was the plugs and wires. This was $400 and didn’t fix the problem.
Took the car to a transmission shop and was told they couldn’t find anything wrong with it and thought it needed to go somewhere with sophisticated electronic diagnostic equipment and referred me on. There was a software upgrade for the transmission, but they also discovered that when the transmission was serviced as indicated in the manual, they apparently didn’t change out the filter and the fluid was very dirty and had more than the normal amount of metal in it. This was a $600 repair.
The car started running slightly hotter than usual so I took it back to the diagnostic place. They said the battery was rusted out and the coolant needed replacing with something other than that corrosive red stuff that came in it. Apparently this is a big job because together they wanted almost $1,000 to do it. I had my husband replace the battery and we simply added the same coolant and that seemed to fix the heating problem.
After all this I decided it was time to trade the car and since I drive through a rather nasty construction zone on the way to work I knew it needed an alignment. When I picked it up from the alignment shop and drove a few block, made a right turn and it felt like someone was jerking the wheel to the left…hard. I turned around and took it back and found the rack and pinion had broken. Lucky me. This was a $500 repair.
This was a nice car for the money and was maintained and serviced according to the Mfrs. schedule except that I changed the oil every 3,000 miles.
I would sell or trade these cars at 50,000 mile. When they go south on you, they go quickly.
The headlight problem is not a fluke; it is problematic for this design. My wife has a 1998 SE with 76000 miles. We purchased it used in 1999 with 23000 miles on it. Overall the car has been good to us for the past 4 years, other than the 2 headlight replacements ($80 each - we replaced just the headlamp assembly, not the entire set including the directional). Now there is an oil leak in the intake manifold - a $700 repair that I am attempting myself. This seems to also be the norm for the 3.1 liter engine. We plan to keep the car for a few more years. I drive a 1991 Honda Prelude that has more than double the mileage and it far more reliable (I bought it new 13 years ago). We will consider a Honda Accord for her next car because of the extreme reliability I have experienced with it.
Sounds like you have been taken for a RIDE! The dollars you mentioned are very excessive for the parts and labor! Contact your nearest labor department and show them the receipts and they will probably help you get some of your money back.
The best way to save money on services is to make friends with good mechanics. I've made two good reliable mechanics and they give me an excellent service for half the price they would charge a regular customer.
Small talk with the mechanics while servicing your vehicle is the key to making friends with them. Always, say how much you appreciate their work and getting it done on time. Go back to the same mechanic (if he/she is good) for your regular easy maintenance so they will get to know you.
Good luck!
I can't say this often enough; read reviews and service comments on the internet before and during ownership. It could save you a lot of money and headaches.
I just happen to be on my third headlight. I'm going to try some after-market headlights and see how that goes.
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