Just bought a Euro 03 | Needs some TLC

[kryptonite]

Hi All,

I just bought myself a 03 standard 5AT.
Shes got over 133KM on her - bit of wear and tear on it and needs some TLC i guess.
I am a noob when it comes to cars - so excuse the silly questions.

- Wondering what the best way is to get a new steering wheel.
The leather trim (around controls) is protruding out and is rather unsightly.
Also buttons on steering wheel are faded and worn out.

- Recomend a better set of lights as i find the stock isnt quite that bright.
Also the front light 'covers' have a fog like blemish on them that wont go away with any sort of washing. Where would one get a replacement?

- passenger dash box doesnt line up very well, anyone got an easy fix?

any help appreciated.

Krypt.

[eurogo]

new steering wheel and lights from honda, or lights from a wrecker for cheaper. steering wheel with airbag- dont much around go to the dealer for installation lol

[djpro1]

new steering wheel and lights from honda, or lights from a wrecker for cheaper. steering wheel with airbag- dont much around go to the dealer for installation lol

Try eBay first for steering wheel and yes definitely try the wreckers first if you wanna save some dough.

As for the lights, I was in the same position as you since those crappy H1 55W bulbs give u crap sight at night. (starting to rhyme here lol)

Anyway, try look for a HID ballast kit (there are a few traders on the forums whom you can get these kits off and they're quite easy install also). Make sure its a H1 type bulb since you're an 03 Std. Luxury take D2S bulbs FYI. You'd be looking at anything around 6K (white colour). Anything above 6K doesn't look as good and blinds all on coming traffic.
When you install them, also make sure to not make any contact with the bulb itself. ie. touching it, getting oil on it etc.. it shortens the life of the bulb dramatically.
You may also want to look at the size of your battery since Euro voltage is unstable. After you install your HID, you might notice flickering of the lights due to the increased amount of voltage required to run those HIDs. I installed a bigger battery and got myself a voltage stabiliser and they stopped flickering :D

I'm assuming you're referring to the passenger glove box compartment? So its not aligned? Post some pics so we can be of more assistance :)

Cheers

[minircc]

OEM Euro steering wheels are hard to come by. Maybe try wreckers.

Lights you can always change to brighter bulbs or HID conversion.

Front light covers foggy can be cleaned and cleared up with auto glass headlight polish.
I have tried it and it works. You need A LOT of elbow grease or use a machine polish. When i say a lot of elbow grease, i mean rubbing it with the glass polish for 30mins non stop..lol

As for the passenger dash box not aligning up. this is common for all accord euros.
Unsure how to fix as i have the same problem, although i don't worry about it anymore. Also had the same problem when i had my DC5.

[kryptonite]

Hi Guys,

thanks for all the responses.

I got a quote of $165 for the steering wheel with button controls (without airbag as i dont need this) from hondaparts.com.au.

djpro1 - what was the total cost there when you swapped over to 6k HIDs with battery and volt stabiliser?

will prob just leave the aligninment issue with the glove box - not a huge deal...

now all thats left is to get this damn cigarette smell of the car.

[djpro1]

Hi Guys,

thanks for all the responses.

I got a quote of $165 for the steering wheel with button controls (without airbag as i dont need this) from hondaparts.com.au.

djpro1 - what was the total cost there when you swapped over to 6k HIDs with battery and volt stabiliser?

will prob just leave the aligninment issue with the glove box - not a huge deal...

now all thats left is to get this damn cigarette smell of the car.

Voltage stabiliser off ebay for 80$ and HID kit from ozhonda seller for anohter 80-100$? So it was a pretty cheap conversion.

Getting rid of cigarette smell can take a while.. Start off with an air freshener of ur choosing :D Then you'll have to work on scrubbing the cotton seats

[kryptonite]

alrighty about to take her in for major servicing.

Could use a recomendation for the liverpool/cabra area?

whats the deal with Hanny's - this place good?

[tony1234]

alrighty about to take her in for major servicing.

Could use a recomendation for the liverpool/cabra area?

whats the deal with Hanny's - this place good?

I've never serviced my car there but Hannys seems to get mixed reports.mostly good but a few not so good???

[kryptonite]

Hi Folks,

need some advice ASAP.

Had a friend check out my Euro and he reckons transmission issue - got a 2nd opinion from a Honda Mech and it took him 1 minute to say the same thing. (just be listening to it)

So i am faced with going back to the dealer and asking him to check it out.

Anyone that dealt with warrant stuff - some advice appreciated.

[EK1 Civic]

Hi All,

I just bought myself a 03 standard 5AT.
Shes got over 133KM on her - bit of wear and tear on it and needs some TLC i guess.
I am a noob when it comes to cars - so excuse the silly questions.

- Wondering what the best way is to get a new steering wheel.
The leather trim (around controls) is protruding out and is rather unsightly.
Also buttons on steering wheel are faded and worn out.

- Recomend a better set of lights as i find the stock isnt quite that bright.
Also the front light 'covers' have a fog like blemish on them that wont go away with any sort of washing. Where would one get a replacement?

- passenger dash box doesnt line up very well, anyone got an easy fix?

any help appreciated.

Krypt.

you can clean off the fog by going autobarn/supercheap and purchasing a headlight restoration kit, costs about $30 and takes a total of 30min max and they'll be brand new.

[kryptonite]

Hi Folks,

need some advice ASAP.

Had a friend check out my Euro and he reckons transmission issue - got a 2nd opinion from a Honda Mech and it took him 1 minute to say the same thing. (just be listening to it)

So i am faced with going back to the dealer and asking him to check it out.

Anyone that dealt with warrant stuff - some advice appreciated.

I spoke to the dealer and he wants me to get Larke hoskins Honda (homebush) to do an inspection.

He told me bearings(?) isnt covered by warranty - does this sound like BS?

[kryptonite]

well the transmission has been somewhat fixed.

on my to do list:

1. shampoo the seat/mats.
- anyone use a machine for this?

2. get 17" stock rims.
- what are these worth? had a look on ebay there are a few 10 spokes going for ~ $600

[Simonnn]

the 17" 10 spoke rims you are talking about (most likely coming from the 06+ luxury models) aren't worth that much imo, you see people trying to get rid of them every so often for around the $300-$400 mark. If you're talking about the Euro Sport rims on the other hand, which are also 17" but have less spokes, sort of look like Work Emotion CR Kais, then i'd say they're worth around $800ish.

There are just rough figures in my head, and should only be taken for reference :P but imo if you're going to spend 600 on those rims, you might as well spend a little extra and get something more unique!

[kryptonite]

the 17" 10 spoke rims you are talking about (most likely coming from the 06+ luxury models) aren't worth that much imo, you see people trying to get rid of them every so often for around the $300-$400 mark. If you're talking about the Euro Sport rims on the other hand, which are also 17" but have less spokes, sort of look like Work Emotion CR Kais, then i'd say they're worth around $800ish.


well these are the ones on ebay at the moment.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290469761886&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I am still undecided on these or the 9 spokes....

Yeah i kinda like the stock look.

[Simonnn]

Oh, those are the Euro sport rims.. generally quite sought after :D

[tony1234]

Oh, those are the Euro sport rims.. generally quite sought after :D

And there are 5 of them too

[boggyhole]

"When you install them, also make sure to not make any contact with the bulb itself. ie. touching it, getting oil on it etc.. it shortens the life of the bulb dramatically. "

Shortens to the point of making them potentially go bang!

[kryptonite]

ok i just got the car shampood and HID installed.

Really pissed off now as i just found out the Engine bay tray (underneath) lost a few bolts and we've been driving around with it dangling.
I dunno if the folks at Larke Hoskin got lazy with tightening stuff when they re-conditioned the transmission or if it was just co-incidence.

Does anyone have spare bolts and those little black plastic widgets that holds kits together they want to sell me?

Also is the battery clamp a standardised size for cars or specific to each manufactuerer.
Basically my battery is not secured down.

I am looking at something like this:

http://stores.ebay.com.au/ZoomerRoo-Auto-Marine-Spares__W0QQ_fsubZ1303991017