2003 HONDA ACCORD Owners Manual

Vacuum dirt and dust out of the
material f requently. For general
cleaning, use a solution of mild soap
and lukewarm water, letting it air dry.
To clean of f stubborn spots, use a
commercially-available f abric cleaner.
Test it on a hidden area of the f abric
first, to make sure it does not bleach
or stain the f abric. Follow the
instructions that come with the
cleaner.
Remove dirt and dust with a vacuum
cleaner. Wipe the vinyl with a sof t
cloth dampened in a solution of mild
soap and water. Use the same
solution with a soft-bristle brush on
more dif f icult spots. You can also use
commercially-available spray or
f oam-type vinyl cleaners.If your seat belts get dirty, you can
use a sof t brush with a mixture of
mild soap and warm water to clean
them. Do not use bleach, dye, or
cleaning solvents. They can weaken
the belt material. Let the belts air-
drybeforeyouusethecar.
Vacuum dirt and dust f rom the
leather f requently. Pay particular
attention to the pleats and seams.
Clean the leather with a sof t cloth
dampened with clear water, then
buf f it with a clean, dry cloth. If
f urther cleaning is needed, use a
soap specif ically f or leather, such as
saddle soap. Apply this soap with a
damp,softcloth.Wipedownand
buf f as described above.
CONT INUED
On EX with leather and EX-V6 models
Fabric
Vinyl
L eather Seat Belts
Interior Care
Appearance Care329
LOOP
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Dirt build-up in the loops of the seat
belt anchors can cause the belts to
retract slowly. Wipe the insides of
the loops with a clean cloth
dampened in mild soap and warm
water or isopropyl alcohol.Clean the windows, inside and out,
with a commercially-available glass
cleaner. You can also use a mixture
of one part white vinegar to ten parts
water. This will remove the haze that
builds up on the inside of the
windows. Use a sof t cloth or paper
towels to clean all glass and clear
plastic surf aces.If you want to use an air f reshener/
deodorizer in the interior of your car,
it is best to use a solid type. Some
liquid air f resheners contain chemi-
cals that may cause parts of the
interior trim and f abric to crack or
discolor.
If youusealiquidairfreshener,
make sure you f asten it securely so it
does not spill as you drive.
Interior Care
Appearance Care
Windows A ir Fresheners
330
The rear window def ogger and
antenna wires are bonded to the inside
of the glass. Wiping vigorously up-and-
down can dislodge and break these
wires. When cleaning the rear window,
use gentle pressure and wipe side-to-
side.
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Repair chips and scratches in the
paint as soon as you discover them.
Inspect and clean out the drain
holes in the bottom of the doors
and body.
Check the f loor coverings f or
dampness. Carpeting and f loor
mats may remain damp f or a long
time, especially in winter. This
dampness can eventually cause
the f loor panels to corrode.
Two f actors normally contribute to
causing corrosion in your car:
Moisture trapped in body cavities.
Dirtandroadsaltthatcollectsin
hollows on the underside of the
car stays damp, promoting
corrosion in that area.
Removal of paint and protective
coatings f rom the exterior and
underside of the car. Many corrosion-preventive measures
are built into your Honda. You can
help keep your car f rom corroding
by perf orming some simple periodic
maintenance:
Have the corrosion-preventive
coatings on the underside of your
car inspected and repaired
periodically.
Use a high-pressure spray to clean
the underside of your car. This is
especially important in areas that
useroadsaltinwinter.Itisalsoa
good idea in humid climates and
areas subject to salt air. Be careful
not to damage the ABS wheel
sensors and wiring at each wheel.
1. 2.
Appearance Care
Corrosion Prot ect ion
331
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Make sure the repair f acility uses
genuine Honda replacement body
parts. Some companies make sheet
metal pieces that seem to duplicate
the original Honda body parts, but
are actually inf erior in f it, f inish, and
corrosion resistance. Once installed,
they do not give the same high-
quality appearance.When reporting your collision to the
insurance company, tell them you
want genuine Honda parts used in
the repair. Although most insurers
recognize the quality of original
parts, some may try to specif y that
the repairs be done with other
available parts. You should investi-
gate this before any repairs have
begun.
Body repairs can af f ect your car’s
resistance to corrosion. If your car
needs repairs af ter a collision, pay
close attention to the parts used in
the repair and the quality of the
work.
Takeyourcartoyourauthorized
Honda dealer f or inspection af ter the
repairs are completed. Your dealer
can make sure that quality materials
were used, and that corrosion-
preventive coatings were applied to
all repaired and replaced parts.
Body Repairs
Appearance Care332
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Thecompactsparetirehasashorter
tread lif e than a regular tire. Replace
it when you can see the tread wear
indicator bars. The replacement
should be the same size and design
tire, mounted on the same wheel.
Thecompactsparetireisnot
designed to be mounted on a regular
wheel, and the compact wheel is not
designed f or mounting a regular tire.
Check the inf lation pressure of the
compact spare tire every time you
check the other tires. It should be
inf lated to:
Your car has a compact spare tire
that takes up less space. Use this
sparetireasatemporaryreplace-
ment only. Get your regular tire
repaired or replaced and put it back
on your car as soon as you can.
Follow these precautions whenever
you are using the compact spare tire:
Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h)
under any circumstances. This tire gives a harsher ride and
less traction on some road sur-
f aces than the regular tire. Use
greater caution while driving on
this tire.
Do not mount snow chains on the
compact spare.
Turn off the Traction Control
System (see page ). Driving
withthecompactsparetiremay
activate the TCS.
The wheel of the compact spare
tire is designed especially to f it
your car. Do not use your spare
tire on another car unless it is the
same make and model.
232
On all LX-V6 and EX-V6 models
Compact Spare Tire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed334
INDICATOR LOCATION MARK
TREAD WEAR INDICATOR BAR
60 psi (420 kPa , 4.2 kgf/cm)
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If you have a f lat tire while driving,
stop in a saf e place to change it.
Stopping in traf f ic or on the shoulder
of a busy road is dangerous. Drive
slowly along the shoulder until you
gettoanexitoranareatostopthat
is far away from the traffic lanes.Open the trunk. Raise the trunk
f loor by lif ting up on the back edge.
Park the car on f irm, level and
non-slippery ground away f rom
traffic. Put the transmission in
Park (automatic) or Reverse
(manual). Apply the parking brake.
Turn on the hazard warning lights
and turn the ignition switch to
LOCK (0). Have all the
passengers get out of the car while
you change the tire. Take the tool kit out of the trunk.
Unscrew the wing bolt and take
the spare tire out of its well.
5. 4.
3.
2. 1.
CONT INUED
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed335
TRUNK FLOOR
SPARE TIRE JACK
TOOL KIT
The car can easily roll off the
jack, seriously injuring anyoneunderneath.
Follow the directions for
changing a tire exactly, and
never get under the car when it
is supported only by the jack.
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Turn the jack’s end bracket
counterclockwise to loosen it, then
remove the jack.Loosen the f ive wheel nuts 1/2
turn with the wheel wrench.
The jack is behind a cover in the
right f ender. Remove the cover by
turning the handle counterclock-
wise, then pulling on the cover.
6.
7.8.
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Changing a Flat T ire
336
JACK WHEEL NUTS
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CONT INUED
Use the extension and wheel
wrench as shown to raise the car
until the f lat tire is of f the ground.
Do not attempt to forcibly pry the
wheel cover of f with a screwdriver
or other tool. The wheel cover
cannot be removed without f irst
removing the wheel nuts.Remove the wheel nuts and f lat
tire. Temporarily place the f lat tire
on the ground with the outside
surf ace of the wheel f acing up.
You could scratch the wheel if you
putitfacedown.
Locate the jacking point nearest
thetireyouneedtochange.Place
the jack under the jacking point.
Turn the end bracket clockwise
until the top of the jack contacts
the jacking point. Make sure the
jacking point tab is resting in the
jack notch.
9.
10.
11.
U.S. DX and LX models:
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed337
JACKING POINT WHEEL WRENCH
EXTENSION
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