mmarshall

I agree. That's usually the case, though, like with hatch-lid-struts, hood-struts, whether single or double, can wear out with repeated use. But the average hood is opened much less than the average hatch-lid....especially with the reliability and long service-intervals of newer cars.

BornDriver

I read form somewhere that high trims of Accord have hood-strut. Dont know that will be single or dual.

From reading also, I feel that Sport trim is much better package for just 1K or so more than base LX.

IS350jet

Yes, according to Honda's web site, all V6 Accords, regardless of trim level, get hood struts.

pman6

Suggestion for next review-

Mazda6 base model with the 17" wheels. Coming to a dealer near you on January 3. Be on the look out.



Re: side mouldings
I don't think it's about the bean counters. Current cars are more swoopy and sculpted than before, and the side moulding clashes with the styling. They look very tacky.

Honda still sells the moulding as an accessory. Some new accord owners have already stuck them on, but it looks awful IMO.

I also think side mouldings are generally useless.
On my car, I have dents near the belt line, probably from an SUV. Another one near the door handle. People hit my car everywhere BUT the usual moulding area.
I have absolutely no dings where side mouldings would normally be. But my 3GS is porky and round, and the top half of the doors are more outward than where the side moulding should be.

Sulu

My observations and experience exactly. Side mouldings may have been helpful in preventing dings and dents when cars were about the same size and rather slab-sided, but with cars and SUVs coming in so many different heights and door skin styles (with creases at different heights and angled up or down), the likelihood that your open door will contact the car next to you right at the height of the side moulding is very, very small.

My 2002 Camry had side mouldings. My 2007 Camry did not but they were optionally available so I ordered them. I found the dealer-applied moulding to be rather bad looking, and I found that they did not help much. My 2010 Corolla did not come with side mouldings; my father ordered them for his Corolla and suggested that I do the same but I decided not to and do not regret not having them put on.

mmarshall

OK.....I'll review it when possible. Keep in mind, though, that you are in CA , and I'm on the East Coast (D.C. area). For marketing reasons, many new models are often first-introduced on the West Coast (particularly the L.A. region) before they find their way east. I'm pretty sure it will be at the D.C. Auto Show at the beginning of February, though....and, if at local dealers before then, I'll check it out.

I drove Mazda sedans myself, for a number of years, from the mid-80s (after I got tired of the unreliable Detroit junk of the period) until the md-90s, when I got into some other makes.


Like I said earlier, I respect the opinions of people who disagree with me about side-mouldings. i just don't agree with most of them. The fact that Honda (and some other brands) offer them only as an extra-cost accessory (where they used to be standard) or on upper-trim models proves, IMO, that it is a money/cost, not a styling, issue. I do, however, agree with you that they aren't a be-all/end-all ding-protector...much depends on the size/shape of the doors on the other car next to you (I also mentioned that earlier).

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

'much less' would be a huge understatement. i'd say MOST owners only open the hood if there's a strange noise or something isn't working, which is to say, NOT OFTEN AT ALL, unless the car is old or very unreliable for some reason.

because i do my own oil changes, i open the hood on my explorer about 4 times a year, to add oil after a change or put washer fluid in.

mmarshall

If you change your oil every 3-4 months or so, and don't drive a huge number of miles, you shouldn't have to add oil between changes, although auto-manufacturers sometimes get around that by claiming that anything less than 1 quart of oil-usage in 1000 miles or so is "normal", and not a warranty-issue.

That's one reason (among many), IMO, for a good proper break-in, and a timely first oil-change. Not doing so, among other things, can prevent the rings/valves/bearings from seating properly, leading to oil-use problems later on.