I’m Jason Pawela, an avid car enthusiast who currently resides in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I love to read, study, drive, detail, and work on cars. This has been an obsession of mine since I was able to walk. My blog is dedicated to being the timeline of my current car recording milestones, modifications, travels and experiences to share with you. Hope to see you on the road!
Pawela's Garage 
Hi there,
Here I was googling the lifespan of a 7th generation Honda Accord clutch and came across your blog instead.
Great job man, lots of detailed photos. I picked up a 2007 Accord 4 cylinder 5-spd. a few months ago. Sounds like a tin can in the first couple of gears, but after that it’s acceptable 😉
Just curious to know where you obtained your knowledge of cars, father, grandfather? School?
Good luck on the 500k miles.
Hi Greg!
Thanks and glad you found me. When I first got my Accord, I was skeptical if I would bond with it like I had with my previous cars. It seemed bland at first. It didn’t take long though until I did bond, and I’m sure you can say the same…or at least soon enough will.
You’ve got a great car there. The 2007 with LED taillights, and the 4cylinder coupled with the 5spd makes for a reliable and thrifty power-train. My gearbox has somewhat of a similar feeling as to what you describe. My Acura RSX had it too—essentially the same design. Try some GM synchromesh transmission fluid. It does help a lot. I believe overall it’s the synchros just wearing in. Not to worry, I think it’s normal and as long as they aren’t abused, it should last a long time. As for the clutch, mine has 115,000 now and it still feels great. Again if it’s not abused, it should go for a long time. I’ve heard of Accords with 200,000+ miles on the original clutch. A creaking noise/feeling is common too and just needs lithium grease where it enters the firewall.
My passion for cars came from my grandfather and knowledge (which I feel is lacking still) comes from reading and experience with various cars I’ve owned.
Good luck with your Accord and do feel free to contact me if you have any questions: pawela2000@yahoo.com
-J
Congrats on your new TL, I currently own a 2009 TL FWD sitting on 80,000miles and I have to say its been a great machine so far. It’s probably the best car in the market for the long run. Only trouble I had to deal with was the same issues you had with the paint job, crystal black pearl is really delicate and you can really see the swirl marks when its bright outside but I’m going to try out the Meguiars polish set hopefully that help. Good job and I hope you keep on posting.
Thanks, Saurabh.
Glad you’re enjoying your ’09 TL. Looks like it has a lot of life left in it. Hope trying out the Meguiars Polish helps out with the swirl marks. Feel free to let me know if you need any help or guidance. With a little work, Crystal Black Pearl can sure bring a satisfying shine.
-J
Hi Jason,
I’m adimant that my next car will be a TL MT as I’m sick of driving a automatic boring car (2007 Altima 2.5 SL). I live in NY so I’d like something with AWD and performance, but don’t want to join the WRX crowd. I’ve got one kid with another one on the way, so I need something with room. Have you had any issues since your last post? I owned a 2002 RL and loved it, but the maintenance was pretty pricy. Either way, it can’t compare to what the maintenance would be on an 535xi MT. Keep posting man, I really enjoyed your blog.
Hi Pat,
Thanks for stopping by the blog and for your support! I can completely understand your stance. Altima is a great car, but an automatic can get quite dull after a while. The WRX may be a little high strung for everyday commuting and especially if needed to be kid friendly. I loved the TL. It was a very solid and reliable car and as you may have observed from my past posts, I did’t confine it to just easy-going interstate cruising. I have owned eight vehicles in my lifetime, driven many others and I can say the TL is one of the best I’ve experienced. It was superb on the highway, had lots of grip in the corners, and the 3.7L was very quick and polished. I didn’t find the tech to be that dated either compared to newer cars.
Gripes: My particular example had an issue with engine pinging regardless of the type of fuel I put in or how many trips to the dealer I took. It only behaved this way at higher altitudes with dry air.
The subwoofer can rattle as well as the sunroof. They are minor and there are service bulletins for it. If you play your cards right, a dealer might fix it on the house.
The 3.7L has been known to consume oil (maybe 1.5qts between oil changes). Not clear why some motors do and some don’t. Hasn’t caused any issues that I’m aware of.
The rear seats don’t fold down and the trunk isn’t the largest.
The 3rd gear in the MT can require a bit more force to engage than other gears occasionally.
Don’t let these little things scare you though. I highly recommend this car. Service won’t be as cheap as a Civic, but it’s going to be a lot better than any German rival. Hope this helps. Feel free to let me know if you have any further questions.
-J
Jason,
Thanks for the response, I appreciate it. A few things, you said you “loved the TL”. Did you get rid of it? What are you driving now if you did?
I’m torn between the TL, a GS350 AWD, or a Legacy GT. I want reliability and performance and figured these were the best three bets while staying away from Germans. Granted the new 3 series D wagons are pretty sick looking.
Hi Pat,
Yes unfortunately I sold the TL for fear of getting behind financially. The car replacing the TL is a downgrade to a 2004 Mazda 6 which I have featured on a few posts and will continue to do so for the next year or so. I fully agree on all your choices there. The Infiniti is wicked quick and the 3-series will always hold a special place in my heart. The Subie I’ve never driven, but I’m sure it wouldn’t disappoint. While I’m biased and would say stick with the TL, it may come down to what’s available since manual transmissions are becoming quite scarce these days. Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi Jason,
Just wanted to drop you a line saying that I love your blog! As an avid car enthusiast, I love running my car/s over longer distances and visiting places. My issue is that I tend to get attached and can’t let go of a vehicle – in fact, the last car I sold, I ended up buying back off the dealership a couple of weeks later. I now have 276,000kms on this car and plan on getting her over the 300,000 mark within the next 18 months or so.
Keep up the writing, can’t wait to hear about your future adventures in the Mazda!
Cheers,
Adam – from the bottom of New Zealand!
Thanks for stopping by Adam! Glad to see there are people out there with similar interests. I applaud you for buying your car back! What kind is it? I wish you the very best in those future kilometers.
Jason