[drewprops]

Hey guys, I need some help with one of my cars, an '03 Honda Accord.
A few weeks ago my built-in radio/temperature display went out. I checked around and found out that it's a widespread problem with that model. Then, this past Wednesday I noticed that my low beams had gone out. I decided to save some money and bought some replacement bulbs yesterday. This morning I went to replace them but in the process I flattened my front driver's side tire.

What I need to know is, does this have anything to do with my car's electrical system?

[turtle]

Your tire should have nothing to do with the electrical system. Look for a nail or screw in your tire instead.

There is no connection from the tire to anything other than the rim. The rim is only connected to the car by four (I'm pretty sure) bolts. Nothing to connect the air pressure to the electrical system.

[billybobsky]

(I think drewprops is drunk)

[ThunderPoit]

nah, the flat tire is most likely due to a hole in the rubber :P
.....cricket chirps.......

ok, ok, enough with the wise cracking
were both headlights out on the low beams? and when you replaced them, did they turn back on with no problems? if they did, then i'd just say its a coincidence, if not, i'd start checking fuses and probably have it checked out

[turtle]

There could be a connection, you know, like in an H1...well sort of.

[Robo]

Originally Posted by turtle2472 Your tire should have nothing to do with the electrical system. Look for a nail or screw in your tire instead. There is no connection from the tire to anything other than the rim. The rim is only connected to the car by four (I'm pretty sure) bolts. Nothing to connect the air pressure to the electrical system.

Er, I think he's talking about the rest of his problems. He says he accidentally flattened the tire.

[ThunderPoit]

dammit, i was too slow

[turtle]

Originally Posted by ThunderPoit nah, the flat tire is most likely due to a hole in the rubber :P .....cricket chirps....... ok, ok, enough with the wise cracking were both headlights out on the low beams? and when you replaced them, did they turn back on with no problems? if they did, then i'd just say its a coincidence, if not, i'd start checking fuses and probably have it checked out

Note that most cars try not to put head lights on fuses but rather a thermal breaker. This way your lights will flicker rather than just go out.

[ThunderPoit]

ya, but he said he just lost his lowbeams, not all of his lights. fuses are usually the first thing i check when i have two unrelated electrical systems go out
but then again, im used to dealing with the electrical system on a 15 year old oldsmobile

[turtle]

So Drew, what are you asking for help with?

Did your low beam replacement work? Are you asking if your loss of low beam came from your electrical system? Heck, I thought you were wondering if your flat was caused by the electrical system.

What I need to know is, does this have anything to do with my car's electrical system?

Yes, your low beams are connected to the electrical system and a surge or even worse and under-voltage might have blown them.

[drewprops]

Damn,
Six replies??

Okay.
So, on my Accord, to gain access to the driver's side low beam bulb you have to:

• turn the tires to the right
• remove two interior fender well clips

So, the interior fender well liner is plastic and the two clips were being really difficult to remove because they would lean off to one side, away from where I was placing the flat blade of the screwdriver. So I tried using two screwdrivers, but that was pointless. Then I went inside to look for a tool that would give me two flat edges that I could slip under the head of the clip (think of it like the head of a nail). I happened across a pair of handheld shears that I use to cut up thick sheets of paper. It was perfect! I could just slip it around either side of the clip and pry away.

So I did.

And then it slipped.

Down. In a really quick and harmless arc.

An arc that ended in "shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhh".

Yeah, right into my sidewall.

I mean, I hadn't even peed yet. I got up bright and early to knock this job out of the way and save some money. Five hours and many, many dollars later I had a new tire on my wheel and only just barely missed being late for the wedding I had to attend this evening.



Damned electrical system.

EDIT: the fuses were not blown, but both low beams were. I'm going to have to have them replace the entire head unit of the radio, hopefully on extended warranty.

[turtle]

Well that sucks, glad you made your appointment though.

[Banana]

Quick!

Get yourself a lawyer and sue Honda's pant off! They MUST pay for this outrageous crime!

Seriously that was a WTF! design...

[drewprops]

I'm especially happy with the way that I constructed my original question to avoid the whole issue of me being an idiot....

[billybobsky]

I still stand by my conjecture that you are drunk.

[turtle]

Originally Posted by drewprops Damned electrical system. EDIT: the fuses were not blown, but both low beams were. I'm going to have to have them replace the entire head unit of the radio, hopefully on extended warranty.

See if they'll replace your lights too, it's unlikely that they just went at the same time. Then again, how often do you use them? I would notice if I lost both of mine, though it sounds like you might not use them much.

Originally Posted by drewprops I'm especially happy with the way that I constructed my original question to avoid the whole issue of me being an idiot....