Full transcript
0:12Many of you guys know I've been driving
0:13my 2004 Honda Accord EX for a little
0:16over 7 years now and honestly they don't
0:19make cars like this anymore. Not only
0:21has this Honda been with me almost
0:22everywhere, but what started off as a
0:24hand-me-down car for my siblings turned
0:26into a project / daily driver and has
0:28been through thick and thin with me ever
0:30since.
0:34Welcome back to the channel everyone.
0:36I'm Rich. In today's video I'm going to
0:38show you why my decked out 2004 Honda
0:40Accord is low-key a life hack and why I
0:42haven't quite replaced it just yet. So a
0:44little backstory, my parents picked up
0:46this Honda around 2015 as the third
0:48owner for my siblings to use. Over time
0:50it got passed down from one sibling to
0:52the next and eventually me, so I'm super
0:54fortunate for that. Honestly, I got
0:55pretty lucky. I needed something
0:57reliable to get around especially while
0:59finishing college. I wasn't trying to
1:00take on a loan for another car. At one
1:02point I was actually going close to
1:04broke. The only job I could find was
1:05being a seasonal UPS driver. So I was
1:08literally delivering packages out of my
1:09own Honda thus putting more strain and
1:12miles on the parts. I don't want to get
1:14too into it, but it was a pretty dark
1:15time in my life and I was quite
1:17literally freezing in the Honda and
1:19slept in it at some points during the
1:20winter time. I was pretty much working 6
1:23days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
1:25just to pay off my debt and it was very
1:27hard for anyone to hire me with little
1:29experience. Today it's gotten much
1:31better, but I do remember those
1:33sleepless nights in that car.
1:54Anyhow, throughout the years my Honda
1:56was pretty much able to stay with me. I
1:57was able to source parts from junkyards
1:59and auto parts stores. I did most of the
2:01repairs myself, as well as painting the
2:03trim and the brake calipers. I also got
2:06dual tip exhaust done, and just a few
2:08other upgrades I want to show you guys
2:10throughout the video. Just all the
2:11necessary repairs and some fun upgrades
2:14that makes it amazing to drive while
2:16keeping it practical, affordable, and
2:18reliable. Since this car is fully paid
2:20off, I don't have to worry about no
2:21monthly payments today, just insurance
2:23and gas. So, insurance is actually
2:25really affordable. I only carry
2:27liability right now, so that's a very,
2:29very low rate, but that does mean if I'm
2:31at fault in an accident, my car isn't
2:33covered. But, with an older vehicle like
2:34this, I'm okay with that. It's
2:36relatively easy and inexpensive to
2:38replace if it ever came down to it.
2:46Maintenance is also very affordable,
2:47which makes it even easier to keep on
2:49the road long-term. As many of y'all
2:51know, Honda parts are very inexpensive
2:53and easy to replace, typically costing
2:5540% less than the industry average. It's
2:58one of the best ways to learn about cars
3:00in my opinion if you decide to tinker
3:01with it, and I'd say I've had the chance
3:03to drive a decent amount of cars in my
3:04life. Nothing too crazy, but enough to
3:06get a feel for what's out there. A lot
3:08of my friends are into cars, so I've
3:09been lucky to experience some of them
3:11along the way. But, honestly, I've built
3:12such a strong attachment to this Honda
3:15that it doesn't feel necessary. When I
3:17compare this to a lot of newer cars
3:18today, it kind of feels like I'm not
3:20missing out on much within the last 20
3:22years. Aside from things like lane
3:23assist, better airbag systems, automatic
3:26emergency braking, the ride quality on
3:28this car feels absolutely raw. We all
3:31know and love the famous VTEC. I have
3:33fully heated leather seats and a large
3:3544-in sunroof, which is amazing to open
3:38during the spring, summer, and fall. I
3:40really am looking at upgrading, but I
3:41just don't quite see the motive yet. And
3:43if I did, I'd probably want to go big,
3:45like getting a sports car or a luxury
3:47SUV. You know, just to feel a little
3:49something.
3:52So, first, let's talk about some of the
3:54coolest features about this car and some
3:56of the things I added. Starting off with
3:57the Android head unit that supports
3:59Apple CarPlay. Some of y'all might
4:01already seen this in previous videos,
4:03but this is seriously underrated. Before
4:05this, there was a CD drive bay, which
4:07honestly felt like the caveman time, so
4:09I had to upgrade to a 10.1 in QLED
4:11touchscreen with a 1280 by 800p
4:14resolution screen. And honestly, it
4:16looks great. This one pushes over 400
4:19nits of brightness, so even in direct
4:20sunlight, it stays crisp and easy to
4:22read. It's from a company called Xtrons
4:25running Android 13 on a Snapdragon 665
4:28chip with 8 gigs of RAM and 256 gigs of
4:31storage. So performance on this is
4:33really smooth and more than capable for
4:35daily use in the car. The startup is
4:37quick and connects to my phone instantly
4:39over Bluetooth. You don't need to plug
4:41in any cables, which is something a lot
4:42of newer cars today still rely on, which
4:44is kind of weird. If you don't want to
4:46use the Apple CarPlay aspect of it, you
4:48can just use it as a regular Android
4:50head unit. So if you connect your
4:51phone's hotspot to it, you can watch
4:53apps like Netflix and YouTube, which you
4:55probably really shouldn't be doing while
4:57driving, but this one it can. You've
4:59also got a ton of built-in controls like
5:01adjusting your climate settings, dialing
5:03in the EQ for your sound system, and
5:05once you tune it in, the audio actually
5:07sounds super solid. You can also change
5:09the key mapping of the Honda steering
5:11wheel to increase and decrease volume,
5:13change songs, and pause and play, too.
5:22There's also phone mirroring, which
5:23allows you to cast your entire phone
5:25screen directly onto the display. And if
5:27you're an audio nerd, you can use your
5:29own USB stick and plug it directly into
5:31the unit, so you don't have to rely on
5:32streaming services and get the highest
5:34quality sound. That or install your own
5:37movies on here, too.
5:45Here's a really cool luxurious feature
5:46that this car has, where if you press
5:47and hold down the unlock button twice,
5:49you can actually put all four windows of
5:50the car down. Like watch this.
5:54Go for how.
5:56>> [laughter]
5:57>> Look at that. Just unfortunately not the
5:59sunroof though. This feature is designed
6:01to vent out hot air of the car before
6:03you step inside on a hot summer day. And
6:05honestly, with the 20% tints I have in
6:07the windows, this just looks really
6:09clean. I also added a rearview mirror
6:12dash cam that doubles as a backup
6:13camera. So I still get that full reverse
6:15view with a red, yellow, and green
6:17guidelines. As soon as you pop into
6:19reverse, the mirror will shift over and
6:21it's super handy. I have it hardwired
6:23into the interior fuse box so it stays
6:25on forever and records even when the car
6:27is off. It barely drains the battery.
6:29I've only had issues with the car sits
6:31by itself for like two to three weeks.
6:33And honestly, this thing already paid
6:34for itself because if you guys watch my
6:36last video, this thing actually saved me
6:38a few months ago where somebody had
6:40rear-ended me in Philly. So yes, I think
6:42a dash cam like this is genuinely a
6:44must.
6:46I also added these LED puddle lights
6:48after spotting them in another Honda
6:50Accord video. I ended up picking the
6:51setup on Amazon. Install was super easy,
6:54took less than a minute to swap it in.
6:56And every time you open a door, the
6:57Honda logo projects onto the ground,
6:59which adds a really clean, almost
7:01premium touch. And at night, they stand
7:03out even more and the glow just hits
7:04different in low light. And then I added
7:06my own RGB ambient light strip across
7:09all four doors. I already made a full
7:11dedicated video on this. So if you want
7:12to check it out, definitely go watch.
7:16So in retrospect, I think the whole goal
7:18with this car was to fix it up first and
7:20then make it into something more OEM
7:22plus. I do like the original look of
7:25this car. I did change out the
7:26headlights. I added my own fog lights,
7:28added a spoiler, tinted the windows of
7:30course. But most of everything else
7:32still stayed the same. The floor mats
7:34are original and they still look great.
7:35The leather seats are holding up strong
7:37as well. I mean, there are a few rips
7:39and that I guess is just from normal
7:40wear and tear. I mean, this is a really
7:42old car now. It's almost antique. The
7:44steering wheel has got to be by far my
7:46favorite. It's just the right amount of
7:48thinness, and I do clean the wheel often
7:50just so it feels nice, and I pray it
7:52doesn't strip over time. And of course,
7:53the speakers are still stock. I believe
7:55this is a six-speaker setup. You got two
7:57tweeters in the front, two in the
7:59bottom, and two in the back. No
8:00subwoofer, but still, I think this car's
8:02sound system sounds way better than a
8:04lot of new cars today still. I have no
8:06idea why. You just have to take my word
8:08for it. It's just really well-balanced.
8:10There's enough bass, enough treble.
8:12Highs and mids sound great. No
8:13screeching. And honestly, it's a blast.
8:18I said, I mean, it's an economy car. I'm
8:20not I wasn't expecting much. But for the
8:22most part, it is fun. You can hear the
8:23VTEC kicking, baby. If you do want to
8:25shift into first gear, you get a little
8:27bit more oomph.
8:30But yeah, it's enough to jerk me back a
8:32little bit. That's all I'm saying.
8:33Overall, these are just good generation
8:35Honda Accords. They're just built very
8:37well. Obviously, I do want to upgrade in
8:39the future once this car goes down, and
8:41I haven't quite made my decision on what
8:43I really want yet, so we'll just have to
8:45see.
8:58Many of us today might feel the pressure
8:59driving an older car from the 2000s
9:02because of safety, reliability, or just
9:04not having the latest tech. And while
9:06that's true, newer cars are objectively
9:08safer. When you pop the hood of this '04
9:10Accord, you can tell that I kept it
9:12mostly stock for the main part. For an
9:14engine bay to look like this, I think it
9:15actually looks pretty damn solid. At the
9:17heart of it is a Honda K series engine,
9:19and this thing is an absolute marvel of
9:21engineering. It's what your dad always
9:22told you. Keep up the basic maintenance
9:24interval, fluids, tires, try not to
9:26drive it hard all the time, and the car
9:28will pay itself off in the long run.
9:30Known for its reliability, the K series
9:32engine uses strong parts, a timing chain
9:34instead of a belt. I have over 221,000
9:37mi on this and I don't think she's going
9:39to be stopping anytime soon. What's
9:41crazy is that this engine is widely used
9:43from everyday commuter cars today like
9:45the Civic, CRV, and all the way through
9:47the performance models like the Type R.
9:49This thing has smooth power delivery,
9:50solid efficiency, good gas mileage, and
9:52just enough character from the VTEC at
9:55higher RPMs to keep things a little
9:56interesting. It's obviously not the
9:58fastest on the road, but easily one of
10:00the more dependable and underrated
10:01setups Honda has ever made. This in
10:03return does lead to lower cost and
10:05repairs in the long run. I do my own oil
10:06changes. You can pick up a 5-quart jug
10:08from Walmart for under $25 plus an OEM
10:11filter from Honda. I change my oil about
10:13four times a year or roughly every
10:15season and I do it mainly because even
10:17though it's an old car, it's still not
10:18without its age-related wear. So, I like
10:20to stay ahead of it and focus on
10:22preventive maintenance to keep the
10:23engine running.
10:29I added a DC Sports strut bar just to
10:31tighten up the whole front end. I did
10:32feel like steering was improved. It was
10:34more stable at higher speeds and there
10:36was less of a body roll when turning. It
10:38helps the car feel more planted, more
10:39controlled overall. That and it makes my
10:42engine bay look a little cooler. And
10:43over time I did replace a few key parts
10:45along the way like a new alternator, new
10:47either pulley, and for a bit of extra
10:49performance and sound, I added a cold
10:51air intake.
10:54And then for the center console, I just
10:56have this Yantu three-way splitter for
10:5912-V connections. I have an Anker USB
11:01adapter that has an A and a three port.
11:03This supports up to 35 W charging so you
11:05can charge your MacBooks, your iPhones
11:07really fast. I have some cologne,
11:08scissors, pens, and whatnot in here. And
11:10now when we take a look at the trunk,
11:12this is actually one of my favorite
11:13parts about this car because it's so
11:15spacious. As you remember, I was doing
11:17UPS deliveries out of this thing and
11:19able to sleep in the car with this. Just
11:21so you guys know, I am 6-ft tall
11:23ladies. So, yeah, you can sleep in this
11:25thing pretty comfortably if you have a
11:27pillow and some blankets.
11:32>> [music]
11:38>> This is like the car EDC part of the
11:40video, so I always keep a 2-ton trolley
11:42jack from Harbor Freight. This is for
11:44when I need to help out a friend, which
11:47happens a lot more than I think now cuz
11:49a lot of people are asking me to help
11:50fix their car, replace their spare tire,
11:52and take a quick look at their brakes,
11:54change their oil at times when I don't
11:56have my full garage at home. I keep a
11:58half-inch impact wrench from Craftsman
12:00at all times so I can quickly take off
12:02the wheel without having to use the
12:04emergency tire bar. This one's pretty
12:06powerful and I keep the battery charged
12:07in the car at all times as well. I have
12:09this tool bag here, which has my tire
12:11pump, which is super useful. I think you
12:13guys should get this right now. This one
12:14plugs directly into the 12-V lighter and
12:17can pump up your car to any PSI levels
12:19that you want it to. And I always keep a
12:21tire plug kit so I can fix my own tires
12:23if there's like a nail in there and I
12:24can get right back on the road without
12:25paying anyone or wasting any time. I
12:27always keep the NOCO Boost GBX45. You
12:30also definitely need this, too. Make
12:31sure to get this from the link down
12:32below cuz I get a fairly kickback. But
12:34yeah, in the wintertime, batteries are
12:36going to die if you leave them out for
12:37too long. I never really like relying on
12:39someone else's car because one, you need
12:41to find a friend or a stranger, and two,
12:43jump-starting your car from their
12:44battery isn't always guaranteed, either.
12:46It's rated 1,250 amps. It can jump-start
12:496 and 1/2 L gas engines. It acts as a
12:52USB-C and A power bank so you can charge
12:54your phone, laptops. There's a
12:56flashlight on it. This has up to 60 W
12:59charging speed. And if I need to charge
13:00this, I can charge it in the car itself
13:02using the anchor adapter I showed you
13:04guys earlier. And this one's super safe
13:06because it has reverse polarity
13:07protection, so it is spark-proof. It's
13:09definitely a very high-quality product,
13:12and all of these things I'm recommending
13:14to you guys have close to five-star
13:15reviews on Amazon. If you want to pick
13:17up anything from this video, make sure
13:19to purchase directly from here through
13:20that link so it helps your boy out.
13:22Very, very much appreciated.
13:25>> [music]
13:26>> But yeah, let me know what you guys are
13:27driving down below. I want to see what
13:29you guys are whipping. If you enjoyed
13:30this video, make sure to like, comment,
13:32and subscribe. Tell me what you want to
13:33see in the future. I'll try to get my
13:35hand on as much cool tech, cars, and all
13:37that possible for you guys. So, yeah.
13:39Until then, guys, this is Rich Mi
13:42signing off.