First off, let me introduce myself. I’m brand new here and looking for some answers/advice. Here’s my background.

Bought my 2000 Accord EX-V6 back in 2004 with 45,000 miles on it. See how excited I was? While no doubt the car has been great, and has never left me stranded (except once, due to alternator/battery issue), there are a few things that have left me wondering whether or not my decision was the best one. I’ve driven it 100,000 more miles, and have been through the following repairs since 2004 (above and beyond the standard oil & fluid changes and filters):

• 3 batteries
• 2 sets of rear brakes
• 1 set of front brakes
• 2 sets of tires
• 1 alternator
• 1 set of spark plugs
• 1 set of engine mounts
• 1 set of transmission mounts
• 1 timing belt
• 1 Fuel gauge relay
• 1 AC condenser fan

In those roughly 8 years have spent $5932.73 on maintenance & repairs. Now I’m faced with the following repairs that are needed:

• Transmission – Starting to show signs of going bad.
• Rear Main Seal – Leaking. Current estimate is about 1 quart every 5000 miles.
• New Shocks – Still on original. Not crazy bouncy but
• New Tires – Treads are fine. They’re just “old” (coming up on 4 years)

and starting to dry-rot.
Estimate to repair, based off how I’ve usually done it (through dealer, Discount Tire).

• Transmission $5000
• Rear Main Seal $1000
• Shocks - $500-$1000
• New Tires - $600-$800

So, obviously, I’m rethinking my whole strategy for maintaining and keeping this vehicle going. At this point, the vehicle’s value is such that it’s not looking very economical to repair it. However I still argue that even repairing it would be less debt than a new vehicle. So, I’m thinking I either need to find a trusted, independent repair shop to try and get all these items done on the cheap, or a specialty shop/personal mechanic. Anyone have any recommendations on who I should look for, and what the best strategy would be for trying to keep this thing still going? Or should I drop this thing like a bad habit? I’ve even had the crazy idea of trying to sell it for parts. Any advice? I’m in the San Antonio, TX area.

 

I'm just a newbie, but I think you are too harsh on your accord.

- Why replace transmission if you don't know for a fact that it needs replaced? Maybe you just need an ATF flush.

- 1 quart per $5000 is not a huge deal. The oil could be burned since the engine is getting old. And by that time you need to have the oil changed anyway. My old Saturn was leaking 1 quart per 3000 miles when I bought it (lol) and I thought it was a decent car for what it was worth. I just had a spare quart in the trunk all the time. Just change your oil every 3k miles and you won't have this issue.

- New shocks - again, if you can live with it, why replace it?

- New tires - ok this is very unfair to your accord - tires have nothing to do with your car.

 

Stop going to the dealer - I really do not understand why anyone thinks the dealer is the place to have their out of warranty car repaired.

They are BY FAR the MOST EXPENSIVE place to go.

 

The rear main seal replacement will drop to less than $50 if it's replaced when the transmission is out.

 

I agree with the other users, I would stop going to the dealer unless its something that can only be done by the dealer. I know where I am independent shops charge about $50-60 an hour while my dealer charges $125 per hour. And in all honesty I have gotten a higher quality of work out of the independent shops.

It seems like you are at a point with your car where you need to decide if you want to keep your car for another 4-5 years or more or if you are planning to get a new car in that time frame. If you are planning to get a new car in that time frame then it is probably not worth the high cost of repairs on this car.

Another thing to consider is a car with this many problems probably wont be worth much to sell or trade in. So maybe it would be worth driving this one until it can't drive anymore and not fix any of the problems then buy a new car.

 

Sorry if I'm coming across as being harsh on my accord. I listed all those items simply to take into account all the repairs it stands in need of. You're correct that shocks/tires are no big deal, those really are just wear items that any vehicle would need to have done.

As far as the transmission, it's a known issue that these model year accords have a defective track record. Honda recalled them and extended the warranties to 100k. At the time, mine wasn't exhibiting any problems so it didn't/couldn't get replaced. However, from reading these boards, even the replacements aren't lasting very long.

Also, according to this thread (https://www.hondaaccordforum.com/for...-debate-44980/), an ATF flush at this point could possibly make it worse, depending on the type of flush being done. Sounds like it needs to be simple drain/fill/drain/fill type of flush instead of any power type of flush.

Agreed on the dealer. My thoughts at the time were, if I simply did all the maintenance items as outlined by Honda, I wouldn't have to deal with these issues now. So, lesson learned. Still, my experience with other "independent" shops is they try to upsell you on all sorts of fluids and service and inspections that don't necessarily need to be done either. Is there a certain type of shop I should be looking for? More specifically, is there anyone in the San Antonio area that is recommended by the members here on this forum?

 

Exactly, which is why I've held off doing the repair, since I'm thinking my transmission is likely on its way out.

 

My random thoughts are these:
Ask yourself if you want to have high car/insurance payments for a new(er) vehicle, or commit to maintaining your current vehicle. Tires/shocks/brakes/belts/plugs wear out. You only drive about 12,500 miles a year. If your current tires have lots of tread left on them, but are dry rotting, maybe you need to buy a slightly lower grade tire, IE a 50k mile rated tire vs a 80k rated tire. I would find a local mech to work on your car...can't speak for SA area specifically, though. There are good mechs and bad ones out there, it is up to you to find one you are comfortable with. When was the tranny fluid last changed? Do the 3x drain and fill and go from there. You may want to run a high mileage oil and see if that helps slow down your leak. I would put some new ATF in, keep an eye on the oil level, plan for new tires soon, and keep it. But that is just my opinion.

 

The rear main could be easily replaced with the trans out, but be prepared to go ahead and reseal the entire assy on the back of the block that holds the rear main.

 

so did you ever do a tranny fluid service as part of this?