[PetitFrereAccord]

First time owning a Honda. First time owning a Hybrid. I like to make a thread to keep track of my maintenance, so here I am making one to always update it with all maintenance and upgrades done on my 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid LX.

I bought my 2020 Honda Accord today and will use this thread to keep very detailed maintenance logs and any upgrades I do on the car. I will also like to get tips from all of you knowledgeable folks on here.

I was principally looking for a Hybrid. I have never owned one before . After 2 months of going back and forth between Camry and Accord, I settled for Accord. I hope I will like and enjoy this car. I wish to keep this car forever. SO, I hope nothing arises along the way that I have to sell it.

Here are major details about my brand new 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid LX

• Model Year: 2020
• Odometer at purchase: 37 miles on odometer
• Date Purchased (Month, Day, Year): 10/03/20
• 1.5T or 2.0T engine: Hybrid
• Trim (i.e. LX, Sport, EX, EX-L, Touring, Hybrid, VP.... etc.): LX base model
• Automatic, CVT, or Manual transmission: eCVT (1 speed. No transmission)
• Price before Tax Title License (TTL) $23,035
• Price Out The Door (OTD) $25,104.07 (This includes me asking them to put leather on the base model)
• Miscellaneous add-ons/extras They claim they provided window tint and wheel locks
• Your country, state and city location Houston, Texas, USA
• Color: Modern Steel Metallic (or in simple words, Gray)

A good break down of mine;

Cost of Car 23,035.00
TINT ($399)/Leather ($899) 1,298.00
Sales Tax (6.25%) 1,377.19
Dealer's Inventory Tax 48.88
License Fee. 135.25
Inspection & Title Fee 59.75
Documentary Fee. 150.00

TOTAL OUT THE DOOR PRICE $25,104.07

We settled on a round number of $25,100. I put down $3,100. Financing $22,000.
This car comes with cloth seats. I asked them to upgrade my seats to leather and include the cost of leather into the drive out price. They claim the leather will be from Katzkin. I don't know if that is true or not. We will see. They will call me next week to bring in the car and drop it off for 24 hours and pick it up the next day when leather seats are installed.

Dealership tried to "force" extended warranty from EG Assurance on me for the cost of $9,000 or $7,200 or $6,200. For the different packages. I refused. It got tensed. He reduced the cheapest option from $6,200 to $1,850. I refused. He was not happy. He said he could customize something for me for $1,500. I refused.

I said I will buy the Honda Care from another dealership that I learned about from researching on this forum. By the time I was done from the finance office, the finance guy was not pleased at all with me for not taking any type of extended warranty and also for turning down GAP. I don't need GAP. I am not upside down.

What would be a good thread without pictures of the car? I really like this car so far. More attractive than the base Camry Hybrid.

Well, here are some pictures of my Accord. Let me know what you guys think and I would love tips on how to drive this thing to always get the best gas mileage possible.

Choosing my leather color at the dealership. I told them I wanted black. The guy said they will write it as OEM black. I said ok.

Odometer after my 17 miles drive from dealership to home; 46mpg. Looking good. I like the number. I have never seen mileage like this before. I got a Hybrid to hopefully enjoy seeing such mileage. Too bad I am not driving this Accord again until I get my leather seats put in. Till then, this Accord will just be sitting in the driveway collecting dust.

MY MAINTENANCE LOG:
10/03/2020: 37 miles on odometer. Bought my brand new 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid LX base model from Russell Smith Honda, Houston.

 

[thefisch]

Car looks nice. Post updates on the leather. Hope you have that IOU in writing if you drove off with it.

Also, the tint and wheel locks should be easy to verify. Good for you for not caving to the finance sales pressure.

 

[PetitFrereAccord]

Car looks nice. Post updates on the leather. Hope you have that IOU in writing if you drove off with it.

Also, the tint and wheel locks should be easy to verify. Good for you for not caving to the finance sales pressure.

Thanks about the car. I am really lucky to have had this deal, though I put in some work as no other dealership would come close to the price this dealership gave me out the door, when you take off what they charge me for leather.

I did not get any IOU from the dealership. What is funny is before I got into finance to start signing all paperwork, they told me they would give me a IOU. After signing all papers, they did not give me anything but say they will call me on Tuesday or Wednesday to bring the car in. Well, let us see if they play games with me.

What I know is they can maybe play me or delay the leather, but I hope they do not come around and refuse me the leather. I give them 2 weeks to a maximum of 4 weeks (if I am very busy with work and cannot easily get there) from today. If I do not have my leather by then, well, then something fishy is going on. The car is currently not been driven. I have it parked and locked up. I will start using it only after I get my leather seats. My daily driver now is my 2012 Infiniti QX80, until my Accord has its leather seats.

A little background about;

My 2020 Honda Accord is replacing my 2008 Nissan Maxima SE that I bought brand new in 2008. And after 12 years 3 months of ownership and putting over 268,400 miles on my 2008 Maxima, the CVT went out. I decided not to fix the car because of the high cost. So, I sold it on craigslist. Then decided I will look for another brand new car with hopes of it lasting me atleast 10 more years. And I finally settled on the Accord.

Here is a link to my Maxima thread from brand new till when it died.
My 2008 Nissan Maxima maintenance thread...

And to supplement my Maxima, I have had my 2012 Infiniti QX56/80 for the last 5 years. Here is a thread of my QX since the day I bought it used in New York and drove it 2 days back to Texas.
My 2012 Infiniti QX56/80 mods and adventures...

And here is the thread of all very detailed maintenance on my 2012 Infiniti QX56/80
My 2012 Infiniti QX56/80 detailed maintenance thread...

 

[mikemargolis]

Why don't you write all your maintenance in a book and keep it in your glove box?

 

[PetitFrereAccord]

Why don't you write all your maintenance in a book and keep it in your glove box?

I also do that. I call it my own carfax to show a buyer, if I ever need to sell this car.

This Accord is replacing my 2008 Maxima that I bought brand new and kept for over 12 years and over 268,400 miles.

I plan to drive this Accord for as long or longer than I owned my Maxima.

I will not be modding this car much, but I will be maintaining it as best as possible and keeping logs, like I do for all my cars. Something I enjoy doing.

 

[PetitFrereAccord]

I got a call yesterday to drop off my Accord today for 24 to 48 hours to get my leather installed.

On my 17 miles drive, making sure to stay strictly within posted speed limits. I like seeing my odometer showing 49 miles to the gallon.

I will drive this first tank of gas until my gas light comes on before I add gas. I just wish to see how many miles I get out of my first full tank of gas.

I got to the dealership and dropped off my car and they gave me a CR-V for a loaner.
Last look of my cloth seats because the next time I see this car, it should have leather seats. Hopefully they put some good leather seats that would last atleast 10 years with good care.
Dealership says it should be a 24 hours or 48 hours turn around before I can pick up the car. They will call me either tomorrow (Thursday) or on Friday to come pick up my car and return the loaner.

 

[rgoodman]

So you are getting custom leather seats? What is that costing you? Wouldn't it be cheaper to get the EX-L that comes with leather?

 

[PetitFrereAccord]

So you are getting custom leather seats? What is that costing you? Wouldn't it be cheaper to get the EX-L that comes with leather?

How much is the EX-L drive out? Can you tell me?

If you have read the first 2 posts of this my thread, you will see I paid $25,100 out the door. This price includes them upgrading my cloth seats to leather seats. I don't know how much people are paying for the 2020 EX-L drive out. If you know, share with me so I can see if that would have been the better route to go.

Before buying this car, I contacted Katzkin and asked for a quote to install leather seats in a 2020 Honda Accord. I asked them to please give me a quote on the cheapest black leather they can put in my car? They gave me a quote of $1,800 out the door. I thought that was high.

So, I decided that when I talk to any dealership, I will get the price quote for my car, then when that is settled, I will tell them I want them to put leather for me. And that is what I did here.

I will pick up my car tomorrow or the day after. I hope they do a good job. I told the dealership I wanted black. They said they will write it on the sheet as "OEM black". I said, ok.

I am anxiously waiting for the car to come back. I will take pictures and share. They gave me a rental with 3/4 tank. That was so nice of them.

 

[rgoodman]

I checked out Katzkin, it looks really good. I think $1800 for leather is a pretty good price. So yes, it's cheaper than an EX-L.

 

[carlos1999]

How much is the EX-L drive out? Can you tell me?

If you have read the first 2 posts of this my thread, you will see I paid $25,100 out the door. This price includes them upgrading my cloth seats to leather seats. I don't know how much people are paying for the 2020 EX-L drive out. If you know, share with me so I can see if that would have been the better route to go.

Before buying this car, I contacted Katzkin and asked for a quote to install leather seats in a 2020 Honda Accord. I asked them to please give me a quote on the cheapest black leather they can put in my car? They gave me a quote of $1,800 out the door. I thought that was high.

So, I decided that when I talk to any dealership, I will get the price quote for my car, then when that is settled, I will tell them I want them to put leather for me. And that is what I did here.

I will pick up my car tomorrow or the day after. I hope they do a good job. I told the dealership I wanted black. They said they will write it on the sheet as "OEM black". I said, ok.

I am anxiously waiting for the car to come back. I will take pictures and share. They gave me a rental with 3/4 tank. That was so nice of them.

I wish i live in your area, the same car you got in my area is at least 2k more...

 

[PetitFrereAccord]

I wish i live in your area, the same car you got in my area is at least 2k more...

I will not lie, it was not easy getting that deal. I have shared this my blog with 4 of the dealerships that I went to who refused my offer and said no way I can buy this car with leather seats for $25,100 drive out.

Those 4 dealerships may still be stopping by to read this my blog. Atleast one of them, when I told them that I started my search by reading the "how much I paid thread" here, those dealerships told me do not believe what you read on the internet. That didn't bother me at all. I know people who post their prices are genuine. So, I said I should search for deals closer or at same of the best deals I saw online of what people paid.

When I started my search, I emailed A TON of Honda dealerships and Toyota and Kia. All in my area and some out of town and out of state. My phone went crazy with calls and texts. I asked them for quotes. Some would not give me. Some did. Some wanted me to must come in. Some wanted me to send them the quote I got from others.

I will say one thing. None of the sales men are there to help you or do you a favor. Do not believe anything any of them tells you. None. Nobody tells you the truth.

Just figure out how much you wish to pay and try to stick to it. Some dealerships will laugh at your price. Others will try to intimate you. The "finisher", who gave me my deal met with me 3 times. First time I visited this dealership, his offer was $26,100 out the door with NO leather. He came and talked to me and intimidated me and almost made me say yes. I refused until he got frustrated with me and left.

2 weeks later. I went shopping again on the internet. A sales person called me from that store that they got a notification I am still looking for a Hybrid. I said yes. I had been to a few stores and none of them could give me a quote below $26,000 drive out without leather.

I went back to original store with lowest quote. Now I told them I need quote with leather. After going back and forth, the "finisher" came again. My heart sank. He talked and talked and talked. Nice guy. He said $25,700 with leather. Say yes or deal is off. I said I am not ready to buy. He said deal is off and walked away.

A week later, I texted them. They said that offer is off the table. As I was talking to this sales guy through texting, the "finisher" called me. I was scared as I answered my phone. We talked and talked and ended with him saying $25,100 with leather. Either I take it now or don't bother them again. I refused.

Next day I went to the dealership and said I wanted to buy now. They went and told him and he said deal is off. I was not happy and after a bit of back and forth he said ok.

Throughout this time, I told another dealership about this deal and the dealership accepted $25,500 out the door with leather. This was only after I showed them my offer of $25,300. They said they do not know how that other dealership is giving me that price, but if it is real, let me jump on it.

The dealership with an offer of $25,500 for the base with leather upgrade had a silver and a white. This dealership I bought from had the gray. I prefer the gray. So, I bought it as it was the last base model on this lot.

When you go next to finance to sign all your paperwork for the car, they want to take so much money away from you. They want to "force" you to add things worth like $2,000 to $7,000 more on your loan! Unbelievable. I refused everything. That man was shocked and he was upset. Well, he got me upset too pushing all those things in my face and would not take no for an answer. They trick you in this office with all kinds of reasons why you need all kinds of warranty and things like rim protection and protection for the nitrogen in the tires. Be strong here or they will add $2,000 to $7,000 to your loan while telling you it adds only $30 to your monthly payment.

I do not have any extended warranty and I do not have GAP. I do not need GAP. I am not upside down. I have a Honda Accord, which is a very reliable car. I don't need any additional coverage and as of now, I may be buying extended warranty only when I get closer to 3yrs/36,000 miles.

It was a headache negotiating for this car. One advantage I had was that I was driving my suv to the dealership and I will tell them that I really want a good deal and if we cannot agree, then I am lucky that I can actually drive back home. Not like I am desperate for a car right now.

What I learned from my search is that the sales people will often lie to you. They also need you in person to waste your time and kind of harass you so they can get a deal. Never talk payments. Try your best never to tell them what payments you want. They will easily take advantage of you, if you tell them a payment you want.. Only discuss out the door price of the car. All I insisted on was DRIVE OUT price. They asked if I was looking for a certain payment, I told them I am ok with any payment. But what is important to me is the drive out price. When we agree on that, I will know my payments.

Took me a full month of searching and being busy with a full time work schedule before I finally bought this car. I think I got a good deal. I have shared this blog with some of the dealerships I got quotes from and they are very surprised at what I paid for this car which includes having the dealership put leather for me. None of the other dealerships could even give me a drive out price of $25,100 without leather. But I was lucky to get my deal for $25,100 including leather seats.

 

[PetitFrereAccord]

Getting my cleaning stuff ready for the Accord. Whenever I get it back, I have to wash, wax and polish it. Then I will coat it with TAC System Moonlight. Let all that cure before I start using this as my daily driver. I hope to really protect it as best as I can.

If anybody knows how good the TAC system is and needs some for their Accord, PM me. I have too much available that I will not be able to use all.

Katzkin is in. My leather seats have been installed. The dealership called me and I dropped everything and went and picked up my car. It feels really good and smells all "leathery" in my cabin. I am glad I got Katzkin and not some other leather I do not know about. Got to share pictures.

And that is it, folks. I hope it helps show some details to some who may be interested in doing this upgrade.

I just called Katzkin and asked for a drive out quote if I was to take my car to them to install leather seats. They said $1,726.50. They call it factory match black. And if I wanted two tone, it would be $2,051.33.

It comes with a 3 years/36,000 miles warranty.

Well, I am glad I got the leather in the deal of the price I paid for this car. If you remove this price of this quote from the price I paid for my car, I think I got a good deal on my 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid LX base model.

 

[PetitFrereAccord]

Got some leftovers leds in my stack of leds over the years and decided to see which ones would fit on the Accord. I didn't do one of the map lights as all the leds I had left where long to fit in the spot. So, I just ordered some more leds and some a different kind of led for the visor mirror.

 

[PetitFrereAccord]

My first time trying Tuxmat mats and I am very pleased so far.
I was going to get Weathertechs until I realized they were same price with Tuxmat. After researching Tuxmat, I decided to go with it.
I just got it installed and it was a bit tough bit I am very pleased with the outcome.
They recommend you remove stock mats, but I did not. If I remove them, I will throw them away. I prefer to keep them there under the Tuxmat.
I recommend then to anybody willing to give this a shot for the same price as weathertechs. This seems better. But this is also my first time trying them, so we will see what ny long term review would be like 1 year down the road.

 

[PetitFrereAccord]

Got another Amazon delivery today. Silicone sleeve for my key fobs. Brighter 29mm led for my sun visor mirrors.

 

[PetitFrereAccord]

 

[jfish]

Hi. I am curious about the elbow rest where the coin tray is . i noticed it in one of earlier posts. I have the coin tray but where did you get the elbow rest? One of my pet peeves is that the stock one is too hard.

 

[PetitFrereAccord]

Hi. I am curious about the elbow rest where the coin tray is . i noticed it in one of earlier posts. I have the coin tray but where did you get the elbow rest? One of my pet peeves is that the stock one is too hard.

A lot of hard plastic in this car. I don't like it much, but it just tells me they are durable parts that will not get ruined easily and may last a long time.

I bought the armrest piece on Amazon. It just sits on the hard armrest of the car. It has a little cushion in it that makes it more comfortable than the stock armrest.

If I can explain something with a picture, I usually do that. So here is a screenshot. It comes in 3 colors. I choose the carbon fiber look. And I am glad it now matches my steering wheel cover which also has a carbon fiber look and makes the steering feel a bit better than the hard plastic.

 

[jfish]

That was very helpful. Thank you.

 

[PetitFrereAccord]

I am planning to take my Hybrid on its first road trip out of town possibly this weekend. I went to get the air checked today and 3 of my tires were at 29psi and one was at 27psi.

I asked the guys at discount tire to please put 35 on all 4 tires.

The door says we should put 33, but I always like my tires on my car to have 2 psi above what is posted on the door.

I have never had a problem with uneven tires as I rotate and balance about every 10,000 miles.