Hello everyone,

My 2003 Accord 4 cyl. has 108,000 miles on it and has never had any scheduled maintenance other than oil changes. Don't blame me--my ex husband was "in charge" of the car maintenance and obviously dropped the ball on that, too. I, on the other hand, enjoy keeping up with these things.

So here's the situation--I scheduled the 60k (120K) service for Sept 14, but I checked the transmission fluid level today, and it is right at/below the lower mark, so my question is should I add new transmission fluid before the dealer changes it in 10 days? I drive 60 miles highway round trip 5-7 days a week. I've heard that Honda transmissions are known for being picky, so I don't want to cause any problems before the dealer even has a chance to look at it.

Also, when I am driving 65-70 mph and apply the brakes firmly, the car shakes until I let off the break again. I think this happened once before right before I had the tires changed and then it stopped. Could it just be the tires need to be rotated again or could it be something else?

Thanks,
Stacy

 

Are you checking the transmission fluid level with the car at normal operating temperature, and waiting about a minute before you check it?

If it is low, then safer to add some Honda transmission fluid to top it off.

The car shaking are probably due to the front rotors needing to be resurfaced or replaced. I would usually replace the rotors, as resurfacing doesn't always entirely eliminate the shaking or it may come back sooner when compared to replacement of the rotors.

 

Yes, I drove it home from work today and checked it a few minutes after I turned the car off. I'll stop by the dealership tomorrow just to be on the safe side.

How expensive will it be to replace the rotors?

 

The list price for Honda front brake rotors for your car is $108.78 each (there are two), not including labor or brake pads. Going to an independent shop and using aftermarket parts will be less expensive.

 

I agree with Red Bull. Honda rotors in the early to mid 2000's weren't very good, and the aftermarket rotors my independent guy bought lasted seemingly forever.