[nittering]

I've been very disappointed with the quality of the assembly of my 2015 Accord EXL. In general, there seem to be a lot of loose or misaligned parts. Performance-wise, the car is fine, but cosmetically there are a lot of imperfections, and I bought the car from a Honda dealer with only 15 miles on it.

I'm wondering if anyone else shares some of these same concerns. I'm trying to gauge whether or not I have a legitimate gripe or if I'm just being finicky.

Here are some lowlights (list truncated):

- Misaligned exterior trim

- Loose molding

- Warped panels

Slightly misaligned trunk

...you get the idea...

A tech at the dealer where I purchased the vehicle said "well y'know, it's not a Mercedes." He promptly apologized and vowed to address all of my concerns immediately. But part of me agrees with his curt sentiment. I'm also not thrilled with the prospect of my brand new car being taken into a body shop.

What do y'all think?, and thanks.

- Nitter

 

[tnhondaman]

Take car into selling dealership, have Dealer Principal examine this with you and together decide if he needs to request district parts/service manager come in for inspection.

 

[ltxi]

I have none of these issues

 

[tjh94403]

Did you check anther 2015 EX-L

A tech at the dealer where I purchased the vehicle said "well y'know, it's not a Mercedes." He promptly apologized and vowed to address all of my concerns immediately. But part of me agrees with his curt sentiment. I'm also not thrilled with the prospect of my brand new car being taken into a body shop.

What do y'all think?, and thanks.

- Nitter

in the dealer lot see if they have same problem?

Your car might be inspected by a someone who was not doing his/her job during QA.

BTW, my previous BMW and MB Mechanics told me 'It is not Honda' when I was complaining about fixing my old BMW/MB cars.

 

[ousooner2]

I have none of these issues either. That's why you inspect before you buy and/or have a warranty though...

 

[steve88]

in the dealer lot see if they have same problem?

Your car might be inspected by a someone who was not doing his/her job during QA.

BTW, my previous BMW and MB Mechanics told me 'It is not Honda' when I was complaining about fixing my old BMW/MB cars.

That was funny...thanks! :lmao:

 

[Miker]

in the dealer lot see if they have same problem?

Your car might be inspected by a someone who was not doing his/her job during QA.

BTW, my previous BMW and MB Mechanics told me 'It is not Honda' when I was complaining about fixing my old BMW/MB cars.

Baroom-boom-tisch !!!!

 

[steve88]

I've been very disappointed with the quality of the assembly of my 2015 Accord EXL. In general, there seem to be a lot of loose or misaligned parts. Performance-wise, the car is fine, but cosmetically there are a lot of imperfections, and I bought the car from a Honda dealer with only 15 miles on it.

I'm wondering if anyone else shares some of these same concerns. I'm trying to gauge whether or not I have a legitimate gripe or if I'm just being finicky.

...you get the idea...

A tech at the dealer where I purchased the vehicle said "well y'know, it's not a Mercedes." He promptly apologized and vowed to address all of my concerns immediately. But part of me agrees with his curt sentiment. I'm also not thrilled with the prospect of my brand new car being taken into a body shop.

What do y'all think?, and thanks.

- Nitter

My EX-L came with one item that I noticed after a few weeks of driving (the chrome trim on the passenger's side door is slightly misaligned at the top when compared to the chrome trim on the driver's side door). It's off by maybe 1 centimeter where the door closes. But, other than that, I'm very happy with everything else. No rattles yet after 15 months and 12K miles and nothing cosmetic that I've noticed so far. It doesn't bother me that much except when I'm washing the car and I really notice it. At my next oil change, I'll try to remember to mention it to the dealer to see what they can do.

But, what you've got there IMHO is a bit much for a new car and I would take it back to the dealer and point out all of those things. I don't think they would have to order any parts for that stuff. It looks like just some adjusting and adhesive work needs to be done.

I believe Honda produces about 1,000 Accords every single day (about 375,000 per year) so it's to be expected that some of them will slip through the QC process with defects like this. That's why they have a bumper-to-bumper warranty. I'm not saying it's acceptable, but it's the law of averages. I'm sure plenty of cars that cost twice as much slip through the manufacturing process with similar defects.

Go back to your dealer and make good use of that warranty...good luck!

 

[Adam3612]

My Accord had some of the problems you have. Hood and trunk were misaligned, thin paint on one small section of my front bumper. The trunk was easily fixed by factory adjustments, the hood I couldn't fix with factory adjustments so I had to adjust the hood latch (on a side note I saw a show on speed channel a few months ago were they test drove a 9th gen coupe on a track and the hood had the same problem mine did, sat too high/low on the passenger side). The thin paint is only one small spot. Honda's fit/finish is certainly not up to par with say Toyota but their reputation for quality/dependability is second to none. Honda has let things like fit/finish and their overall quality slip the past couple of years as they've been more focused on increasing their overall sales numbers, according to the company president in Japan they've scaled their numbers back and will focus on QA/QC for the foreseeable future.

Go back to your dealer and make good use of that warranty...good luck!

Most dealers will laugh you out the door or say good luck with that when they see things like this, sad but true. They try to tell you that you're too picky or "you didn't buy a Mercedes". Some dealers who still believe in offering great customer service will attempt to fix it, while others will do it just for the warranty money Honda pays them all the while making the problem worse.

 

[Flyboy]

If you are unhappy then take it to the dealer and have them make the repairs. My car doesn't have those issues but they should fix them to your satisfaction. The car comes with a bumper to bumper three year or 36,000 mile warranty. If the service manager doesn't agree call Honda on their toll free number in your warranty booklet.

 

[steve88]

Most dealers will laugh you out the door or say good luck with that when they see things like this, sad but true. They try to tell you that you're too picky or "you didn't buy a Mercedes". Some dealers who still believe in offering great customer service will attempt to fix it, while others will do it just for the warranty money Honda pays them all the while making the problem worse.

That hasn't been my experience with Honda and I've been driving Accords for over 17 years (I'm currently on my third one). I've worked with three different Honda dealers here in Northern VA and all of them have bent over backwards with regard to any concerns I've ever had with my cars.

Like Flyboy said, if you go back to your dealer for warranty work and you're not happy with the service you receive, contact Honda at the 800 # given in the OM and they will get involved. You could also contact the general manager or even the owner of the dealership.

Trust me, they would much rather spend the small amount of time it would likely take to fix things like this than take a chance on getting bad publicity in the local media by someone who goes to "7 on Your Side" or something like that.

I'm not saying all Honda dealers are great to work with because I know they're not. I actually had a bad experience with one a few years ago. They recommended almost $1,600 in suspension work that wasn't necessary (I got a second opinion from a different Honda dealer and they said there was nothing wrong with my car). Guess what? I don't go to that dealer anymore. I find dealers who treat me like I'm the most important customer in the store (because I am, after all) and I treat them the same and life is good. :yes:

 

[khol]

BTW, my previous BMW and MB Mechanics told me 'It is not Honda' when I was complaining about fixing my old BMW/MB cars.

I completely agree. My mother has had 3 Mercedes E-classes in the past 5 years (2004, 2007, 2011) and every single one has had issues. Her current one, for instance, in the 13 months that she has owned it she has had some of the following issues:
water leaking into the trunk lid and collecting in the wheel well, seam on the driver seat came apart, paint coming off of interior trim, and engine misfire. Basically she is at the dealership every one to two month getting something fixed.

 

[nittering]

in the dealer lot see if they have same problem?

Your car might be inspected by a someone who was not doing his/her job during QA.

BTW, my previous BMW and MB Mechanics told me 'It is not Honda' when I was complaining about fixing my old BMW/MB cars.

lol. Well done.

Sorry my pictures turned out so crappy. The forum UI vexes me.

The dealer assured me they'd address whatever concern I have and get it fixed. It's just a matter of finding time in my week to deal with it.

None of the above issues rises to a "deal breaker" kind of degree. I'd still buy a Honda, primarily because they're always easy to sell (when the time comes).

 

[pruettfan]

I drive a BMW and just bought my wife an 2014 Accord EX-L in July. I have overall been impressed with the quality and fit and finish. Comparing the Accord to a BMW or Mercedes is really not fair because those cars are far more expensive and frankly not as reliable as the Honda. I drive a 2014 Chevy Malibu for work which is a direct competitor to the Accord and I find the Accord to have much better fit, finish, durability and overall engineering. There are some issues with the Accord but they are minor, the Malibu on the other hand is not holding up well at all and had visible flaws when delivered.

 

[Mechanic]

Every once in a while, just for the heck of it, I venture over to the Bimmer boards to see what's up. This is usually in response to my brother-in-law's comments about the various BMWs he's owned over the years. I usually respond by linking threads such as this one, a recent one, regarding BMW's damn expensive "top-of-the-line" (sic) twin-turbo V-8 5-series sedan:
http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1074012

You can see for yourself that the entire V-8 engine series has had, and continues to have, almost incredible failures of all sorts. And if you spend any time on any of the BMW boards, you'll soon discover there's nothing unusual about this. The same sort of thing occurred when BMW introduced the 3-series turbos. It's almost the norm.

What's my point? Simply that it really is hard to beat the reliability of a Honda. Any Honda. The fact that occasionally one has to have a couple of pieces of trim re-aligned seems pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things automotive, don't you think?

 

[14v6]

Honda is definitely slipping. My family has had Hondas/Acuras going back to 1980. Without a doubt and by far the Acuras had the best build quality (1990 Integra, 1991 Legend). A 1986 Prelude SI was an absolute gem and a blast to drive. I remember that Prelude my brother in law took a page out of Karfreek's playbook and redlined every gear with only 39 miles on the car. That car was sold with over 140k on it and it was absolutely mint.

I don't want to open a can or worms here, but the Hondas that had a Japan denotation in the vin# were very good too. Never had to go back to the dealer. I know that a Japan noted vin doesn't necessarily mean the car is 100% from Japan. I can tell you that my more recent Hondas from the mid 2000's to present do not have the same quality. For example, when I went from a 2004 Odyssey to a 2008 Odyssey, it's was like a bean counter went through the car and decided how to save on every button, knob, switch etc. Just saying.

 

[OneTwo]

personally, I think general quality is slipping overall across the line (collectively), but Honda and Toyota are still up there....

 

[LAF]

My first Honda so no way to compare to overall quality.

I have had no flaws or fitment issues at all. The paint is fine but seems soft for sure. Fit and finish inside and out is great on mine.

I will keep this long enough that I probably will have it painted at some point. There is a car restorer I know who will paint it in the 2000 range. I will have him paint it with the change color stuff as I think it looks cool.

I have to say I love mine and while never been to the dealer for work they call from time to time and ask how I am doing and if I like my car. Never a sales pitch or service pitch.

Ohh I did the radio TSB but that was the only time they have seen my car.

Although if if someone would have said it is not a BMW to me I would be asking for the Manager or Owner loudly and with conviction. We all know that, but service and more importantly respect is something we deserve as consumers. We must demand that if not given as that is our power. Vote with your dollars and your voice in advertising about bad service or products. It matters.

And enough bad surveys really hurt a dealer as car allotment, and choice of cars, is tied to customer survey results.

 

[karfreek]

For what its worth...

Honda scraps 2017 sales target amid concerns over quality

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/02/16/honda-scraps-sales-target-focus-quality/


OP, personally I think your car was worked on post dealer delivery. That is based on what you posted and not looking at the car in person.

Jay

 

[kyden]

I agree with the molding issues. I'm not really seeing the trunk alignment issue based on your pics. And what am I looking at in the latch pics?