My wife drives a 2004 Accord EX V6. Last week she started to smell something and said it smelled like something was burning. So I went and checked it and found a very small leak in the high pressure power steering hose. The only time it leaked was when the wheel was turned to full lock. I told her I would locate a hose and replace it. Needless to say she panicked and took it to Honda without telling me. Honda charged us $660 to change the hose. They charged $165 for the hose and 4 hours labor! I know it's a bit of a job but I don't think it would have taken me 4 hours and that's without a lift and the other advantages they have in a sevice bay as opposed to me doing it in my garage! Does this sound excessive or does it really take a full 4 hours labor time by trained Honda mechanics?

They also are saying that the right engine mount and the rear trans mount are broken. We just had the left engine mount replaced last year and after owning 3 Integra's (88 LS, 92 LS and 99 GS) which I still drive my 92 LS that I bought brand new like 16 years ago it seems a bit odd that a 2004 has had broken mounts, a bad PS pump and a leaking PS hose in such a short time. It seems as though every time she takes it there (Miller Honda) something else breaks a few days later. If this is the way Honda is building their cars now I don't think I'll be buying another.

 

No offense man, but your problem lies with a wife that doesn't know how to listen and a crappy dealer. The car is likely fine. Why the hell did your wife run off an have a dealer do the work after you said you'd do it? I'd be pist.

Anyway, come on man, dealers suck, never take your car there unless it's under warranty (and even then....). Truth is, no, it didn't take them four hours. But they've done the work and, unless you haven't paid yet, it's too late. The chance of you going back and complaining about the price and hoping for a partial refund is next to zero. If you haven't paid then you can argue it, but otherwise, you be screwed. Take the loss and live with it.

As far as the engine and tranny mounts; do nothing. If you notice jerking or a pronounced "thud" on acceleration then sure, replace the mounts. At any given time, probably 70% of the cars on the road could use new engine mounts. It doesn't mean they have to be replaced right then, or ever for that matter. My '93 Accord's front engine mount wasn't even there due to 16 years of wear and degredation. But I never felt a thud or noticed any problems so I never replaced it. And it never mattered. Hondas are still high quality, Honda dealers aren't.

 

Hey I fully agree with you about my wife and yes I am pissed but it's done. I don't expect any refund and was not going to go back and complain I just thought it sounded a bit excessive and just wanted to verify that. I know all about dealerships but my wife is paranoid about the smaller shops after being screwed worse by some of them and what can I do when she is suppose to just be going to the store and then is dropped off by the dearlers shuttle and has already givin them the go ahead. Anyways enough about that.

Thanks for the info on the mounts. Honda has always been a quality car but after owning a few without any problems and then buying the top of the line Accord and having it have one expensive problem after the other you can't help but think that maybe they are not what they use to be.

 

I probably came off as a prick. It's more of a rant on dealers than you. I can't stand them. They're supposed to be there to rely on, and be experts on the make of car they sell, but often they're neither. I consistantly hear stories like this on this board and it really gets to me.

It's certainly frustrating getting a car you expect to be reliable, then having these types of problems. Just curious, what other problems have you had other than engine mounts and a leaky PS hose? If that's it, then I'd say you're probably fine. The PS hose can happen to anyone, and the mounts may not even be substantiated. When you start having head gaskets blow, windows that don't roll up and the car won't shift into reverse, that's when I'd switch brands. Thus the reason I don't own a Chevy.

The gap between Honda and other makes is getting smaller, but it has more to do with the other makes catching up, not Honda getting worse. Honda's had it's mistakes; automatic trannies in the 6th gen accords, TL's and CL's, EGR valves and ignition system problems in a ton of it's early to mid 90's Accords and Civics. But generally, reliability statistics lean in their favor. The amount of reported problems compared to that of other car companies is still among the best in the industry. Problem is, you can't really tell how reliable a car is until it's been on the road for a decade or so. Their more recent vehicles could be crap for all we know. All we have to go off of is their past, and assume they've only gotten better.

It sort of like Hyundai. Everyone says they've cleaned up their act and that their current cars are great. Well, do you see any 10 year old Hyundai's on the road? Maybe one for every 10 Toyota's and Hondas if that, and it's usually one that's had the head rebuilt twice by now. They're cars sucked 10 years ago. So did Ford's and GM's. So supposedly they've cleaned up their act but who knows, in 10 years, all the current Hyundai's, GM's and Chevy's could be recycled into nails and thumbtacks, just the the ones that came out in the mid to late 90's are today.

Anyway, pardon my long post, but I'd probably keep rolling with the Accord and see what happens. If you have any other trouble, I'd methodically try going from one shop to the next until you find a reputable one. Either that or do a little research on the internet to see if you can fine one locally that has a good review. I've found one that I take my Accord or my wife's Sienna to for anything that goes wrong (that I can't fix myself). A good honest mechanic is priceless, but very hard to find. Truth is though, a good honest mechanic is as difficult to find as a good honest dealer.

 

the reason it came out to $660.00 is due to your wifes delivery of the vehicle. Unless your aware of what parts cost and the duration of repair. They will try to stick you for as much as possible.
They basically charged you the cost of what I paid to replace my timing belt etc... when i had my 02 accord.
OUCH!!!!

 

I'd have to look on my chiltons labor guide to see how many hours it actually calls for. I highly doubt it calls for 4 hours, but you never know. If it turns out that the labor guide calls for 4 hours then well maybe it is a bitch and you might not have wanted to do it, but if it calls for 1 hour which sounds a little more like it, then you might want to call them on it and ask why they are charging you 4 hours labor on a job that books at 1. You might not be able to do anything about it now since your wife agreed to the repairs, but you never know. The burrea of automotive repair is out there to deal with these kind of rip off artists, so you might be able to get some of the money back. I'll try and look it up at work tommorow to see what the book calls for on the hours to change it.