Update: My ongoing adventure with my 2003 Accord EX V6 Coupe MT - got it back (for now)!

Aug 27 - Ordered car. They don't know where they can get one yet. Placed
$1000 deposit.

Sep 3 - Called dealership - have they found it yet? No.

Sep 5 - Called dealership - have they found it yet? Yes, they're trailering
it in from London, it will be ready on Tuesday Sep 9.

Sep 9 - Picked up car. Car has 35 km on it.

Sep 11 - Called Shawn (salesperson) about annoying continual creak/rattle in
left C-pillar. Said he would get Dawn Morris (post sales rep) to call.

Sep 18 - No call from Dawn. Called service department for service
appointment.

Sep 19 - Dawn Morris called. Told her about C-pillar creak and transmission
problem where it consistently pops violently out of first gear when
decelerating. Set up appointment for 23rd.

Sep 23 - Took car in. Demonstrated C-pillar creak and transmission problem
to Joe, shop foreman. Joe said he would order parts to replace 1st gear in
transmission.

Oct 2 - Call Dawn Morris to find out status of parts. Parts not in yet. They
now want to do more testing before replacing 1st gear. Set appoinment for
Oct. 8.

Oct 8 - Take car in for the day. Take shuttle back to work. Joe tests
transmission linkage, determines problem is in transmission, not in linkage.
Says he will order parts to replace 1st gear in transmission.

Oct 17 - Call Dawn Morris - parts not in yet.

Oct 24 - Dawn Morris calls, parts not in yet, doesn't know when they will be
in.

Oct 28 - Dawn Morris calls, parts are in, set up two-day appointment for Nov
3, 4 to replace transmission parts and locate/fix C pillar creak.

Nov 3 - Take car in at 7:30 am, get rental car. Tell them about new loud
creak at base of windshield on driver's side when car is cold.

Nov 4 - Service adviser calls at 4:30 pm, says "the car is apart, still
waiting for transmission parts - bearings and stuff - to arrive." When I ask
why I was told the parts were in before I brought the car in, he says,
"well, we didn't really know what we would need to replace until we opened
it up."

Nov 5 - Service adviser calls at 4:10 pm, says transmission is almost
finished, waiting for a clutch fork. Estimates transmission will be done by
tomorrow morning, they will then start looking at the rattles.

Nov 6 - Dawn Morris calls at 4 pm, says they have finished with
transmission, and have confirmed noise coming from windshield, will be
looking at that and the C-pillar creak tomorrow.

Nov 7 - Nobody calls. At 5 pm, I call Dawn Morris. she says, "oh, yeah, I
meant to call you." No news on my car other than "it's not finished" and
that they "hope to have it finished early next week." She doesn't know the
status, doesn't know the progress, doesn't know when it will be ready. Two
day estimate has now stretched to seven days.

Nov 10 - Dawn Morris calls at 3 pm, says they have fixed the C pillar creak,
still working on windshield creak.

Nov 11 - Nobody calls. I call Dawn at 5 pm. She says that "three parts are
on order, bearings or something." Says that she has called Honda Canada to
try to "speed things up." When I asked why they would be ordering bearings
for a creak in the windshield, she said she didn't know. I asked her to have
Joe call me. She said she would try to get him to call me tomorrow.

Nov 12 - Joe calls at 1 pm. Explains that they stamped metal on rear of car
to get rid of noise. Says he hears noise in transmission probably due to
clearance or bearings, and has ordered parts to replace. Says car is
driveable. I call Dawn, she says two of three parts have arrived, the third
part is on back order with Honda Canada, she is waiting to find out when it
will arrive. Earliest it will arrive is Friday sometime, so earliest it will
be done is Monday, but it could be as late as November 25. I tell her I will
pick up car and wait until part arrives, then bring it back in. I pick car
up, it has 60 km on it since I dropped it off. Receipt shows that a dent was
fixed in left front fender (dent was not there when I left it) and that
alignment was done as it was put out of alignment during removal of
transmission.

 

Mr MacLean you are one patient man!
The Artful Codger

 

Mr MacLean you are one patient man!
The Artful Codger

 

Since you mentioned 'Dawn Morris' about 10 times in your posting, I
decided to see if I could track her down.

This is what I came up with.

http://www.number7honda.com/main/Ourdealership-OurTeam.html

If it's the right dealership, I'll make sure to stay clear.

Pars

 

Since you mentioned 'Dawn Morris' about 10 times in your posting, I
decided to see if I could track her down.

This is what I came up with.

http://www.number7honda.com/main/Ourdealership-OurTeam.html

If it's the right dealership, I'll make sure to stay clear.

Pars

 

Nov 13 - I notice that when cold, the 2nd gear synchromesh is now not
working - it is virtually impossible to get the transmission to upshift or
downshift into second gear without double clutching, and if it is really
cold, even double clutching doesn't work. It is physically impossible to
force the transmission past the synchromesh into 2nd gear. When the
transmission warms up, it works fine, albeit a bit notchy. I call Dawn
Morris. I tell her I am tired of transmission problems and would like them
to consider replacing entire transmission. She tells me Joe will call in the
morning.

Nov 14 - Joe calls. I tell him about the 2nd gear syncro problem. He says
they will look at it when I bring the car in next, and he will order some
parts.

Nov 15 - I notice that the car now drifts to the left slightly when driving
at highway speed, regardless of lane, road condition or wind
strength/direction. This did not happen before.

Nov 16 - Without warning, the reverse gear in the transmission no longer
works. The transmission shifts normally into reverse, the reverse lights
illuminate, however the car acts as if it is in neutral - it does not move,
and the engine revs freely. I discover this while doing a three-point turn
on a road, and end up having to drive the car up over a curb to avoid being
hit by oncoming traffic. Later experimentation shows that if I shift the
transmission quickly from first sequentially through sixth, then quickly
into reverse, it will work until it is shifted out of reverse again, at
which point shifting into reverse exhibits the same problem once more.

 

Nov 13 - I notice that when cold, the 2nd gear synchromesh is now not
working - it is virtually impossible to get the transmission to upshift or
downshift into second gear without double clutching, and if it is really
cold, even double clutching doesn't work. It is physically impossible to
force the transmission past the synchromesh into 2nd gear. When the
transmission warms up, it works fine, albeit a bit notchy. I call Dawn
Morris. I tell her I am tired of transmission problems and would like them
to consider replacing entire transmission. She tells me Joe will call in the
morning.

Nov 14 - Joe calls. I tell him about the 2nd gear syncro problem. He says
they will look at it when I bring the car in next, and he will order some
parts.

Nov 15 - I notice that the car now drifts to the left slightly when driving
at highway speed, regardless of lane, road condition or wind
strength/direction. This did not happen before.

Nov 16 - Without warning, the reverse gear in the transmission no longer
works. The transmission shifts normally into reverse, the reverse lights
illuminate, however the car acts as if it is in neutral - it does not move,
and the engine revs freely. I discover this while doing a three-point turn
on a road, and end up having to drive the car up over a curb to avoid being
hit by oncoming traffic. Later experimentation shows that if I shift the
transmission quickly from first sequentially through sixth, then quickly
into reverse, it will work until it is shifted out of reverse again, at
which point shifting into reverse exhibits the same problem once more.