Take the car to a foreign car repair shop that has hondas sitting out in front and let them check it out...
They will get it right for you and it wont cost you as much as you would pay at a Honda Dealership...

 

The thing is, it's a new CPO car that I bought last week. I shouldn't have to pay ANYTHING cos it came like that. But I still will do that.

Thanks Ang. I have lost a little respect for GP Honda though.

 

One thought might apply: I took my daughter's civic in to be aligned and they charged me for a full alignment then told me there was nothing wrong. I flipped out and refused to take the car until they made it safe. The service manager then got involved and started checking and found that new tires were pumped up too much. He let the pressure down to the right amount and drove the car on the interstate at the speed I complained about, went back to the shop and tweaked the toe-in and the car was back to working right. Sometimes you have to be sure the right person listens and be firm (not beligerant, but firm, nonetheless). As for Honda, Inc., I believe I would write them and express your dissatisfaction and ask them to pay for having the car serviced at another shop. They might not pay but they may convince GP to try again. I believe everyone on this forum understands that a properly set up Accord tracks at least as well as other brands.

 

Hooks: I just returned after checking the tire pressure with a michelin keychain fob digital readout. The front tires were at 50psi cold EACH. No wonder the car was so flighty. The rear was at 38psi.

After manipulating the tire pressure to correct levels (32Front, 30 Rear) the car seems much more neutral.

Now another doubt I have is, even though the steering feels (somewhat) neutral, it's not as self centering as I felt it on the Nissan Versa and Impala. I am not sure but I think the relation is something like this: More luxury (plush ride) cars have steering that's more jelly like and non-linear. Sportier cars have a more direct feedback which is what my car feels like now.

Please comment on these thoughts.

 

Kris: I think what's going on here is that since this was not a regular service, but a CPO vehicle being "fixed" after a sale, they did not want an official record of them having sold a "bad" car. May be if they did that they'd be in trouble through Honda or something.

I don't know, but since they won't acknowledge this, I am going to go and get the alignment checked from a third party just in case. If I find something wrong, I'm going to the dealer to set things straight.

I'm going to drive a few miles from another town to home so I shall know if the tire pressure has actually resolved the issue. Either way, I'm highly disappointed at the fact that I got the same ****les from a 2-3k costlier CPO Honda that I would have from a used car. Not cool.

 

I think the dealership did not do the wheel alignment check for the reason you mentioned. It kind of sucks. I am not letting this go easy until I'm satisfied. I'm gonna run it a bit and see how the tire pressure change reflects on the scheme of things. If things are satisfactory, good, if not, I'm making some noise.

Will have updates for this thread soon.

 

Thanks Kris, that helps. Knowledge is power.

 

Alright, after driving around a bit I am happy to say that with the tire pressure adjusted to exact recommended spec, the car runs fine. It still follows the crown of the road, but this time it genuinely follows the crown of the road. I am enjoying the car a lot.

The only concern is though is the front wheels seem to lose grip under acceleration through the twisties (hills) when accelerating out through and out the corners. Classic FWD in action? Or are the tires that come with the stock car just good enough for commuting?

 

I can't believe I'm already looking at putting money into the car. Noooo. I bought it for commuting. I bought it for commuting. I bought it for commuting..

 

Yes sir, I know the importance of good tires! Right now, I have General Altimax HP and they look pretty new, although I'm sure they're not brand new.

I can't believe how easy it is to have the front tires spin up through the corners! And it's only a 166hp I4. These tires must be meant for durability rather than grip.

Also, is the rust on the disk rotors' inside something to be worried about? I saw the same rust on newer accords parked at the dealership too.