Honda Accord type S Tourer 8th gen - any owners? 2008 onward
Discussion
Hi everyone,
After considering all kinds of mile-munching estate cars I'm leaning towards buying a type S tourer. The idea being is it'll get me to and from work (the ENTIRE M4 from Bristol to Reading/London... cry) with 55 mpg ish, and it will also get me and my other half plus our stuff in a roof box to Wales, Devon, etc. for weekend breaks, and we could sleep in the back for a night here and there, if needed.
Anyway, there are none for sale anywhere. I'd like the type S due to the top spec and the fact they're just reliable, solid Hondas.
Can anyone share any owner insights about these please? Or anyone with the other 8th gen estate variants (ES GT, EX, EX GT). I am wondering if holding out for a well looked after type S might be keeping me waiting a very long time.
It'll be the 2.2 diesel;
Cheers.
After considering all kinds of mile-munching estate cars I'm leaning towards buying a type S tourer. The idea being is it'll get me to and from work (the ENTIRE M4 from Bristol to Reading/London... cry) with 55 mpg ish, and it will also get me and my other half plus our stuff in a roof box to Wales, Devon, etc. for weekend breaks, and we could sleep in the back for a night here and there, if needed.
Anyway, there are none for sale anywhere. I'd like the type S due to the top spec and the fact they're just reliable, solid Hondas.
Can anyone share any owner insights about these please? Or anyone with the other 8th gen estate variants (ES GT, EX, EX GT). I am wondering if holding out for a well looked after type S might be keeping me waiting a very long time.
It'll be the 2.2 diesel;
Cheers.
Edited by NorthernSky on Wednesday 30th October 17:06
Probably not as good as an owner posting seeing as you want the 'S' whereas I have the 2.4 EX manual Tourer.
But...
Truly brilliant 2nd hand purchase.
It's Honda.
Keep the faith and keep looking. It took a year for my one to come up and then I had a dog fight to get it. That meant no money off it other than a meagre £100! On the upside it was low miles - 24k - FHSH. So, they are out there.
But...
Truly brilliant 2nd hand purchase.
It's Honda.
Keep the faith and keep looking. It took a year for my one to come up and then I had a dog fight to get it. That meant no money off it other than a meagre £100! On the upside it was low miles - 24k - FHSH. So, they are out there.
ninjag said:
The 8th gen diesel Accord is a DPF nightmare.
Not in my experience. I ran an 8th gen 2.2 auto for 30,000 miles (from 45,000 to 75,000) with zero problems.This was used as my commuting car (11 miles each way) with increased weekend use.
They're underrated cars. The Type S will be difficult to find, I wouldn't discount an EX GT or EX if a decent one crops up.
I've had a 2008 ex-dtec for 5 or 6 years now. Had a new DPF at 100k and just had another at 170k. car does do a 10 mile commute so isn't run as it's been designed. OK, DPF is a £1k job, but car is a great spec and hasn't had anything other than routine maintenance. I'm planning on running it into the ground, Only regret is not waiting for a petrol engined model.
Excellent cars with a good suspension setup, but the DPF is a problem and it's reported a lot. Honda have tried several software updates but I believe it was never sorted. My brother has one and he does a 34 mile round trip every day on motorway and dual carriageways and yet his dpf kept getting blocked despite many forced regens, having it removed for cleaning etc. Ended up putting a new DPF on it last week which cost about £1,300 so we'll see how it goes. We did an insane amount of research on it all and came across a lot of people having the same problems.
If doing the correct journeys to ensure passive regen is sufficient then fine, but the problem is that they have problems initiating the active regen sequence (where the car uses more fuel etc to increase the dpf temperature to burn off the soot. Also, the intermediate warning light doesn't come up but instead it goes straight the the emergency warning (with the exclamation mark) which restricts performance and you have to take it into a garage for a forced regen.
There was one discovery that the thermostatic valve opens at I think it was 78 degrees C, which can make it more difficult for car to reach the required 80 degrees C in order to do an active regen whilst on the road. Replacing it with a 3rd party thermostatic valve which opened at over 80 degrees C solved it for him. I never got to test this.
Also, be aware that the DPF and CAT are welded together as one unit making it a rather expensive item to replace, although not too difficult a job. You can also remove and wash with a warm jet wash (not full pressure) instead (outlet through to inlet side first).
Honda's 1.6 iDTEC had problems with this and also oil dilution issues.
You could get lucky but it's worth being aware of this potential problem. I've attached a photo to show what his looked like after I used a very hot pressure washer to clean it (not on full pressure though). This is the inlet side of the DPF after cutting away the welded CAT and you can see that it does work. I've also done some tests with my own car and checking passive regen using my diagnostics tool after using Archoil 6400d Max and it surprisingly does work.
If doing the correct journeys to ensure passive regen is sufficient then fine, but the problem is that they have problems initiating the active regen sequence (where the car uses more fuel etc to increase the dpf temperature to burn off the soot. Also, the intermediate warning light doesn't come up but instead it goes straight the the emergency warning (with the exclamation mark) which restricts performance and you have to take it into a garage for a forced regen.
There was one discovery that the thermostatic valve opens at I think it was 78 degrees C, which can make it more difficult for car to reach the required 80 degrees C in order to do an active regen whilst on the road. Replacing it with a 3rd party thermostatic valve which opened at over 80 degrees C solved it for him. I never got to test this.
Also, be aware that the DPF and CAT are welded together as one unit making it a rather expensive item to replace, although not too difficult a job. You can also remove and wash with a warm jet wash (not full pressure) instead (outlet through to inlet side first).
Honda's 1.6 iDTEC had problems with this and also oil dilution issues.
You could get lucky but it's worth being aware of this potential problem. I've attached a photo to show what his looked like after I used a very hot pressure washer to clean it (not on full pressure though). This is the inlet side of the DPF after cutting away the welded CAT and you can see that it does work. I've also done some tests with my own car and checking passive regen using my diagnostics tool after using Archoil 6400d Max and it surprisingly does work.
I've got a Type S (in that same colour actually, 'Basque Red Pearl' - an option colour along with some sort of white pearl). Can look a bit dull and brownish when overcast but really pops when the sun is out (and the car is clean!).
If you're thinking of kipping in the back then I'd recommend having a look at the space available - the price you pay for fancy suspension setup is intrusion into boot space and compromised width.
Never had a problem with DPF. Its past life was up and down motorways (a lot) by both previous owners, and in my time from ~155k (to ~190k now) have had no trouble.
Could get full Type S spec on next levels down (EX GT?) - only thing reserved for Type S seemed to be the slightly more powerful engine (180 vs 150 I think). Larger intercooler I think, maybe also different turbo. Diesel only as I'm sure you'll know. Oddly though sunroof not available on Type S.
I've had to replace flywheel in my time with it. Lookout for 'juddering' when setting off in reverse, and intermittent in 1st. Replaced clutch at the same time, which turned out not to be needed but didn't want to take the risk when ordering parts. £1k+ job, and that was with Honda technician 'mates rates'. Common theme seemingly on these 2.2 Honda diesels - had to have the same job done on wife's 7th-gen Civic not too long before (but there was some fixed-price deal available for that at the time).
I get low - mid 40s mpg, used mainly for commute which A-road littered with traffic lights, roundabouts, 30 / 40 / 50 zones etc. Pleasingly the OBC is pessimistic and I always get 1-3 mpg better (I check after each fill-up).
If you're thinking of kipping in the back then I'd recommend having a look at the space available - the price you pay for fancy suspension setup is intrusion into boot space and compromised width.
Never had a problem with DPF. Its past life was up and down motorways (a lot) by both previous owners, and in my time from ~155k (to ~190k now) have had no trouble.
Could get full Type S spec on next levels down (EX GT?) - only thing reserved for Type S seemed to be the slightly more powerful engine (180 vs 150 I think). Larger intercooler I think, maybe also different turbo. Diesel only as I'm sure you'll know. Oddly though sunroof not available on Type S.
I've had to replace flywheel in my time with it. Lookout for 'juddering' when setting off in reverse, and intermittent in 1st. Replaced clutch at the same time, which turned out not to be needed but didn't want to take the risk when ordering parts. £1k+ job, and that was with Honda technician 'mates rates'. Common theme seemingly on these 2.2 Honda diesels - had to have the same job done on wife's 7th-gen Civic not too long before (but there was some fixed-price deal available for that at the time).
I get low - mid 40s mpg, used mainly for commute which A-road littered with traffic lights, roundabouts, 30 / 40 / 50 zones etc. Pleasingly the OBC is pessimistic and I always get 1-3 mpg better (I check after each fill-up).
Thanks Ninjag and Dudley and you others for the replies.
Regards to the DPF, I am aware of the problems this 'new tech' has caused in the longer term, and it isn't just these Accords - issues with this on a diesel Alfa Brera I had a few years ago. I did a very un-environmentally friendly thing and took this Brera in for a DPF delete and remap.
It seems a guy on the Accord forum called FA9UD or something similar - username escapes me - is familiar with the potential for a DPF deletion and remap on these accords, and to me, given the lack of estate S Types (there is ONE on eBay in blue FS for 5.5k at some backyard dealership, with 160k miles...) makes me wonder if an EX or EX GT, as suggested, could be the way to go, with the DPF delete and remap to go with it. I'm just wary of picking up one of these models or even an ES GT for 3k (ish) then having to spend those 1k bills to get it how it should be.
Which makes me wonder why not go for a 7th gen estate for 2k instead, given it'll be just as decent at doing distance and cheaper to buy WITHOUT the compromised boot space as far as I can tell. And no DPF on the gen 7 i-CDTi I believe?
The sleeping in the back idea is really my fault for deciding to move 100 miles away from my work, which I was actually only 10 miles away from just a few weeks ago. Sigh... I really don't want a manky cloth seat poverty spec BlueMotion Golf etc. for this commute. And I certainly can't keep doing it in our 0.9l Toyota iQ, with 55 odd horsepower and no cruise on the M4!
Regards to the DPF, I am aware of the problems this 'new tech' has caused in the longer term, and it isn't just these Accords - issues with this on a diesel Alfa Brera I had a few years ago. I did a very un-environmentally friendly thing and took this Brera in for a DPF delete and remap.
It seems a guy on the Accord forum called FA9UD or something similar - username escapes me - is familiar with the potential for a DPF deletion and remap on these accords, and to me, given the lack of estate S Types (there is ONE on eBay in blue FS for 5.5k at some backyard dealership, with 160k miles...) makes me wonder if an EX or EX GT, as suggested, could be the way to go, with the DPF delete and remap to go with it. I'm just wary of picking up one of these models or even an ES GT for 3k (ish) then having to spend those 1k bills to get it how it should be.
Which makes me wonder why not go for a 7th gen estate for 2k instead, given it'll be just as decent at doing distance and cheaper to buy WITHOUT the compromised boot space as far as I can tell. And no DPF on the gen 7 i-CDTi I believe?
The sleeping in the back idea is really my fault for deciding to move 100 miles away from my work, which I was actually only 10 miles away from just a few weeks ago. Sigh... I really don't want a manky cloth seat poverty spec BlueMotion Golf etc. for this commute. And I certainly can't keep doing it in our 0.9l Toyota iQ, with 55 odd horsepower and no cruise on the M4!
DPF delete is great until you have an accident and the insurance company decides your undisclosed modification means they can void your policy.
If you get an 8th Gen then chances are it could be fine if doing the right kind of journeys. I'd advise getting an icarsoft tool for all the cost.
The 7th Gen is a very good car, I loved my 2.4 but being na I wanted more power.
If you get an 8th Gen then chances are it could be fine if doing the right kind of journeys. I'd advise getting an icarsoft tool for all the cost.
The 7th Gen is a very good car, I loved my 2.4 but being na I wanted more power.
ninjag said:
DPF delete is great until you have an accident and the insurance company decides your undisclosed modification means they can void your policy.
If you get an 8th Gen then chances are it could be fine if doing the right kind of journeys. I'd advise getting an icarsoft tool for all the cost.
The 7th Gen is a very good car, I loved my 2.4 but being na I wanted more power.
My attention is shifting to these gen 7. Can you offer insight into what the pros and cons were to your experience please?If you get an 8th Gen then chances are it could be fine if doing the right kind of journeys. I'd advise getting an icarsoft tool for all the cost.
The 7th Gen is a very good car, I loved my 2.4 but being na I wanted more power.
£2.5k for a well specced comfy and RELIABLE tourer with a cavernous boot would be ace. What was the 2.4 petrol economy like for you, at best?
Would the wise choice be the diesel perhaps? Not so concerned with the dynamic qualities, I use a s2000 and bike for that, economy, reliability and large flat boot is what I'm looking for!
Beginning to look at 2.2d mazda 6 from 2008 onwards as well....
I've had my 8th Gen Type S for 5 years and 65k now and it's been great. Other than servicing and routine stuff like new brakes I havnt had to do anything to it. Touch wood I've never had any issues with the DPf. Hopefully it's because I do just enough miles to get away with it. I do 20 miles each way, 90% motorway, and also run it pretty hard most of the time, I'd rather an extra 10 mins in bed than a slow drive to work, lol. I was originally looking for an Ex or ExGt and was due to go and see one in Birmingham, but in the hour I was in the bank getting a loan it had sold. Just by luck when I got home and checked auto trader there was a Type S for sale in Cambridge, although not ideal when you live in South Wales. Lol. I'm glad I made the effort though. Its quick enough to keep things interesting, and handles well for a family wagon. I've got an Mx5 as well so I'm not just comparing it for a works van or something. Plenty of toys and nice and comfortable and has taken all our stuff with a roof box for a family camping trip complete with all the stuff a toddler seems to need and a dog so big enough.
Oh and mines in the ultra rare Orchid Pearl White!
Oh and mines in the ultra rare Orchid Pearl White!
I have a 59 plate ex gt tourer which i bought nearly 5 years ago. To be fair it has been very good and I have driven it 70k in that time and it now has nearly 110k on the clock.
Good things are that it is fairly cheap to run. I can fill it up and get around 600 to 700 miles on a tank depending on my route taken. I had the DPF issue around 3 years back which took some sorting out. This year I have had a new rear brake caliper and also my front wishbone suspension arm, the ball joint wore out. So this year has cost me around £450. But to be fair it is 10 years old now so I am okay with fixing a few things now and again.
The rest of the spend has been on brakes and tyres.
No real bad points but I think the boot is actually quite small and so sleeping in it certainly wouldn't be an option for me. Its probably only worth around 3k now and is worth more to me than anyone else. If you find a well looked after model then I don't think you can really go wrong with them in my opinion.
Good things are that it is fairly cheap to run. I can fill it up and get around 600 to 700 miles on a tank depending on my route taken. I had the DPF issue around 3 years back which took some sorting out. This year I have had a new rear brake caliper and also my front wishbone suspension arm, the ball joint wore out. So this year has cost me around £450. But to be fair it is 10 years old now so I am okay with fixing a few things now and again.
The rest of the spend has been on brakes and tyres.
No real bad points but I think the boot is actually quite small and so sleeping in it certainly wouldn't be an option for me. Its probably only worth around 3k now and is worth more to me than anyone else. If you find a well looked after model then I don't think you can really go wrong with them in my opinion.
gazzarose said:
I've had my 8th Gen Type S for 5 years and 65k now and it's been great. Other than servicing and routine stuff like new brakes I havnt had to do anything to it. Touch wood I've never had any issues with the DPf. Hopefully it's because I do just enough miles to get away with it. I do 20 miles each way, 90% motorway, and also run it pretty hard most of the time, I'd rather an extra 10 mins in bed than a slow drive to work, lol. I was originally looking for an Ex or ExGt and was due to go and see one in Birmingham, but in the hour I was in the bank getting a loan it had sold. Just by luck when I got home and checked auto trader there was a Type S for sale in Cambridge, although not ideal when you live in South Wales. Lol. I'm glad I made the effort though. Its quick enough to keep things interesting, and handles well for a family wagon. I've got an Mx5 as well so I'm not just comparing it for a works van or something. Plenty of toys and nice and comfortable and has taken all our stuff with a roof box for a family camping trip complete with all the stuff a toddler seems to need and a dog so big enough.
Oh and mines in the ultra rare Orchid Pearl White!
are the 18's on your wagon?Oh and mines in the ultra rare Orchid Pearl White!
Yeah they're the standard Type S 18s. That photo was taken about 5 years ago, just before I sold my Lexus. That had 225/40 18s and I'd said I wouldn't have 18 again because the harsher ride. Unfortunately nice spec good looking cars tend to have big wheels, luckily Honda didn't go for 19s, they went with 235/45 18, which is just enough more of a profile to iron out most bumps but still keep a relatively sporty feel.
gazzarose said:
Yeah they're the standard Type S 18s. That photo was taken about 5 years ago, just before I sold my Lexus. That had 225/40 18s and I'd said I wouldn't have 18 again because the harsher ride. Unfortunately nice spec good looking cars tend to have big wheels, luckily Honda didn't go for 19s, they went with 235/45 18, which is just enough more of a profile to iron out most bumps but still keep a relatively sporty feel.
If you did feel like selling that fine wagon in the next couple of months... :-)... simply send me a PM.gazzarose said:
Yeah they're the standard Type S 18s. That photo was taken about 5 years ago, just before I sold my Lexus. That had 225/40 18s and I'd said I wouldn't have 18 again because the harsher ride. Unfortunately nice spec good looking cars tend to have big wheels, luckily Honda didn't go for 19s, they went with 235/45 18, which is just enough more of a profile to iron out most bumps but still keep a relatively sporty feel.
well, I was all for changing my 17's for 18's but overall, people appear to prefer the 17's. thats saved some money!Gassing Station | Honda | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff