Maintaining My 7th Generation

I too just acquired a four cyl., an 03 EX-L coupe and after reading the owners manual noticed that if you live in Canada you must follow the extreme service schedule!

First time I seen a manufacturer consider canada as "extreme service":lmao:

Which maintenance procedures does your owner's manual inform you to do based on mileage? (what is your mileage?)

You do have an owner's manual, right? If not, eBay is your friend.

Everything is easy on a 4 cylinder. Every single maintenance procedure. You can do EVERYTHING for under $250 in one day...no kidding.

Easier than selling it and buying a V6

welcome ,car looks clean ! You change your air filter ,get a oil change and maybe change your plugs ( if close to 100k) but that won't get you HP but it would help with you Mpg.

If by performance, you mean power, then you aren't going to come close to what your car would be if it had two more cylinders without going completely broke. And even if you had deep enough pockets to add some good power, your car would be a ticking time bomb and a membership in AAA would be a wise investment. Focus your resources on looks, handling, and getting it in top running condition where you can achieve the best MPG.

Reduce the weight of both the car and operator will produce some gains.

Its a 4 banger 4 door Accord. Keep it maintained to the book specs (If you plan to keep it a while), and save your money. You won't increase the MPG by more than 1 or 2 with the BEST mods, and as stated before, will cost you waaaaay more than is practical for more "performance".

jimijam said:

If by performance, you mean power, then you aren't going to come close to what your car would be if it had two more cylinders without going completely broke. And even if you had deep enough pockets to add some good power, your car would be a ticking time bomb and a membership in AAA would be a wise investment. Focus your resources on looks, handling, and getting it in top running condition where you can achieve the best MPG.

Click to expand...

I don't want power. I just want my car to give me good mpg, good handling, and keep it in good running condition.

RickBlaine said:

Which maintenance procedures does your owner's manual inform you to do based on mileage? (what is your mileage?)

You do have an owner's manual, right? If not, eBay is your friend.

Everything is easy on a 4 cylinder. Every single maintenance procedure. You can do EVERYTHING for under $250 in one day...no kidding.

Easier than selling it and buying a V6

Click to expand...

I have not checked the owners manual. But I will. I bought the car with 144,000 miles from a honda dealership but I do not know what maintenance has been done to it so far. It runs really smooth, the power steering feels a little hard compared to my girlfriends civic. Besides that everything is running great.

Maybe a flush for the PS Fluid is in order, thumbs up to Dan for this great writeup. For the record, any brand (NAPA, AAP, Prestone, etc.) of Honda/Acrua approved PS Fluid works just as good as Honda OEM PS Fluid. Key word is "Honda/Acura" approved. Also, the Lubegard works wonders.

Linky: http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/showthread.php?p=1040082

I will sticky the thread and update the title.

SatinSilver said:

I will sticky the thread and update the title.

Click to expand...

Create a new thread for it maybe so it's the only post and Rick can update as he acquires more knowledge of the venerable 7th gen Accord?

cintocrunch said:

Create a new thread for it maybe so it's the only post and Rick can update as he acquires more knowledge of the venerable 7th gen Accord?

Click to expand...

+1 for cleaning it up ... I'm sure the OP won't mind his post getting deleted to make way for a sticky thread ? The greater good and all ... I've spent a far bit of time searching the forum for some of this info, kudos to Rick for pulling it all together.

*maybe even a "merge" into the Maintenance section of the 7th gen FAQ ?

I moved Rick's post to it's own thread and stickied it instead of this thread. Changed back the title on this thread and copy/paste some new info into the new thread. Looks better now. Here it is:

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/showthread.php?t=145746

I have very near now 160,000 miles. Oil change, fluid drain, filters will be your friend. In the city/ interstate I average between 26-28mpg. Which is fine for me. If I'm on a long drive about 31-34.

As for power its all sound. I wanted power too when I was new here. A few mods which may or may jot help.
Tsx intake - I did this with p2r gaskets
Cai or short ram - I did fujita Cai. Provides good sound. But mileage mpg is minimal.
Exhaust - again just a sound thing to he honest. 2.5" on mine.

And as always. Keep an eye on your tires wear, air, and rotations.

Replace all the fluids (brake, power steering, coolant, transmission), spark plugs, air and cabin filter, PVC valve, and that's pretty much it. Save money for failing suspension parts such as control arms and bushings.