2005 Accord Brakes

Maintenance/Repairs
1

I have a 2005 Honda Accord EX with 24,000 miles on it. I have been told by the dealer there is 1 ml. left on the rear brakes. Confirmed by another independent repair shop - who says he’s seeing a lot of failing brakes on recent model Accords.

Honda says it’s warranty does not cover brakes. Any suggestions or others experiencing the same problem?

It doesn’t seem right to me.

2

24,000 miles is not all that unusual for any modern car. Much depends on driving style.

   Dealers are no better (or worse) than independent mechanics for almost anything you might need done on your car.  They will almost always charge more per hour and often more for parts and supplies.  They also tend to look at repairs a little different than the independent. 

A dealer may well recommend work that strictly may not be needed, but could be connected to the problem or maybe replace a part when a little repair would fix it ALMOST as good a new.  

There is no need to bring your car to the dealer for any service other than service that is going to be paid for by a recall or original warrantee. 

I suggest that most people would be better off finding a good independent (Not working for a chain) mechanic.
3

Rear brakes seem to wear faster than front, which is contrary to reason. I think it has to do with the hand brake, which on some cars actually rotates the piston in the inner caliper and presses the pads together to hold the car. Every time you put on that hand brake it tightens things up a smidge. That’s my guess and I’m sticking to it until I understand why I’m wrong. Screwing it back in for new pads is tricky, and requires a funny spanner wrench like they use to tighten bearing races on bicycle and motorcycle steering heads.

4

The rear brake pads on my 2000 accord are about the same size as the pads on my motorbikes. I.E. they are way undersized for the vehicle they are being used on.

This is a deliberate design feature, is not covered under warantee and your mileage is about all you can expect from the rear pads. My wife eaked out 30K miles with gentle braking, but I had to replace them as one pad was down to the metal.

The rear calipers have an odd self adjusting design that I think holds the pads on to the disc a bit more than they should, aiding and abeting in the rapid wear rate.