Hi All,

Car: 2004 Accord EX v6 with 54000 miles.

Anyone with experience with the dying transmissions on the 6th and 7th gen Accords? After some subtle delays in shifting over the past week or so, my car went over the deep end yesterday on the freeway - downshifted to like 2nd, redlined, and ultimately went into neutral with CEL on, and a green blinking light on the gear indicator. Pulled codes - P0780. Seems like the end is here for this transmission, and a well-known problem it seems to be.

My question is - could I get a few extra miles out of this with a transmission flush, etc? Just enough to drive it to Carmax to sell it. I am done with this car.

 

For anyone playing along at home - the rebuild in Chicagoland was quoted at $3400 plus tax.

 

Honestly, no it's done. it's very common w/ these accords when people don't service the fluid I see them all the time at work. The clutch's start to break down & clog all the passages which reduces fluid pressures inside the trans and that's when you get that code. If you want to confirm, get a paint strainer drain the trans fluid through the strainer. If you find clutch debris in your fluid, it needs to be rebuilt or replaced. At this point draining & filling it with new fluid or " flushing " it which Honda does not recommend will not help you. I bet you when it's cold it moves fine but once the fluid temp. gets hotter the car won't move... Like i said very common issue, this is why i always recommend people to do a transmission service every 30k miles. For that price you can also get a reman unit from Honda which is pretty much like a brand new trans & also comes w/ 3yrs / 36k miles warranty.

 

At this point, the question I am asking myself is - should I fix it, and gamble that I'll make my money back on trade-in?

 

How much could you sell it for in the current condition vs with a good transmission? Is the difference going to cover the cost of the transmission? Do you plan to keep the car, if you get the transmission replaced? The secret, IMO, is to get a good replacement, because I would want to keep it a while with a solid transmission in it. I imagine shrewd transmission shops will buy a car with a bad transmission, real cheap, put in a good used transmission, and get a good profit when they sell it for much more.

 

Honestly the accord v6 holds its value.. I would fix it. Or at least swap in a good used trans.