I had an 2001 A4, no coil pack problems at all...

coil pack is only limited to 1 year production of cars...

 

my friend has an 01 1.8T wagon, he's replaced 6 of them. i guess they have it fixed now though.

 

I havent spent much at all on my 96 Accord, like I stated earlier...I've had the radiator flushed and refilled, transmission fluid flushed and refilled, new spark plugs (and not because the car needed them) new air filter, and a set of tires. Thats all Ive done, the car now has 87,0000 miles and running like a dream. When 90,000 rolls around, I'll have the timing belt/waterpump/accesory belts/distrib. cap and rotor replaced, and the car will be good to go for another 100,000 miles. I have never followed the dealer service shedules... I personally think they are a waste of money, and my car has done perfect without all of the expensive service attention.

 

hummm... maybe I should see if I can test drive another old one at carmax or something...

I just have never drivien any thing that vibrates this bad and shifts so violently...

 

What generation is your Accord? Prior to the 6th gens (98+) all Accords shift 'rough' Its normal, and I tend to prefer the harder shifts. Honda designed for it to give the car more of a 'sporty' feel, similar to the feel of a manual. Unfortunately, too many people complained and Honda went to what I call 'pillow' automatics. As for the vibrating, only time my engine vibrates is when the AC compressor kicks on when car is at idle. Other than that, very smooth. Sorry to hear you are having these problems...I'm on my second Accord, and my family swears by them(so Ive pretty much grown up with them as well) and have always known them to be low maintenance. They are among the only cars I can think of that will go 200,000 miles on nothing more than regular routine maintenance.

 

My sixth gen auto shifts pretty hard. The dealer even included a sheet that talked about how this hard shifting ("positive feeling shifting") as they called it is normal. So it may not just be the earlier ones.

 

From my understanding, the 6th gen auitomatics do infact shift a little smoother than earlier generations. The 7th gens shift even more softly. I havent driven a 6th gen, so I cannot fully compare...but Ive spoken with those who have either owned or driven both generations. I have test driven a 2003, and the difference is night and day.

 

I have a 5th gen; mechanic told me that after a flush it will be all better... but after flush we find it to be just as harsh...

What I do notice however is that in a extremely hot day or after driving it for a couple hours continuously, it shift much more smooth. The shifting doesn't seem very consistant as far as the "harshness" goes. When I test drove 2003, the car was normal like any other car... but of course it might be because it is brand new...

the vibration is another thing... hot day vibrates less than cold days, in cold days if I step on the break and give it just a little bit of gas (within 100 rpm difference), the car becomes really smooth. I had my injectors cleaned w/ new air filter and it still vibrates, then I check my motor mounts, they seems to be in working order, my next move is going to try a new fuel filter... Any other suggestion or am I asking too much smoothness out of this engine(designed this way)?

 

I dont know what to tell ya. My engine does vibrate when its first started, but smooths out as it warms up. It also vibrates when the AC compresor kicks on, but all other times...relitively smooth. You may be expecting too much, but I would still try the fuel filter, or any other item that would be included in a major tune-up. According to Honda, the fuel filter is good until 150,000 miles..so I still have the original filter. From what I have been told, 4-cylinders (especially those of 6+ years ago) in general have a tendancy to vibrate. Toyota supposedly made the smoothest/questest one... but the Camry bores me, and the 4-cyl only put out 125 hp vs. 145 in the Accord. As for your power window, mine is just extremely slow (Like the motor is dying) but it has been like that since I bought the car, and has never refused to work... nor is getting any worse. Ive never had a problem with the switch. I also read that you mentioned the distributor cap and rotor, here again... I havent replaced mine yet, and wont until I have the timing belt replaced. Cap/rotor is very cheap and easy to replace.

 

my 95 is at 59k right now. i need the 60k service. i haven't looked, but apparently the owners manual (could be the service manual) lists the timing belt replacement at 90k miles, not 60k. but i'm too lazy to check right now...

when i got my car (about a year ago), it had exactly 48,000 miles on it. crazy. the previous owner put less than 7000 miles a year on it. in the past year i put on 12k. i've been trying to keep the miles down as much as i can, partly to prolong the 60k service, and partly just cuz i'd rather "use" the engine less. at least for now. its just my preference i guess

anyways, anyone can get a lemon, no matter what car or company. my family got a lemon 1986 subaru GL wagon. had all sorts of problems, but we see others on the road running smoothly still. its just bad luck, thats all. hondas and most japanese cars do have incredible reliability, but they are not immune to lemons. japanese companies are still on the top of the reliability rankings, above european companies.