a million mile Honda Accord owner made notes on how to keep a car running, without dealership costs when possible, and what OEM parts to use, and which parts can replaced with aftermarket parts. I find it fascinating

"I have learned (at least for this car) that some parts really need to be replaced with OEM parts," Kilmer told The Drive. "I've used OEM parts for: front lower ball joints, clutch master and slave cylinders, coil packs, wheel bearings, engine mounts. I've used other OEM parts here and there, but those are parts I'm not willing to compromise on this car. [I've heard] too many horror stories of people neglecting to replace the belt or using a cheap belt and having it snap usually causing engine destruction."

Still, Kilmer has bent his own rules in a few places. Because he drives so much and changes oil so often, he switched to extended-life oil and filters, which he changes every 15,000 miles. (He still uses the recommended oil weight, though.) Kilmer also uses Redline transmission fluid (a well-regarded aftermarket brand), which he changes every 100,000 miles, and a serviceable K&N air filter serviced twice annually. They're buy-it-once items for most people, though Kilmer had to get a second at 686,000 miles.

In fact, there are a fair amount of aftermarket parts on Kilmer's car, from its wheels to a throaty Tsudo exhaust and Powerstop brakes. They're just to slow brake rotor warp, even though he's not servicing brakes often (his last set lasted 154,000 miles). He's similarly soft on his spark plugs, only his third set, and a clutch that was only just replaced a second time at 948,000 miles.

Kilmer's gone through more ball joints and tie rod ends than are worth counting, not to mention the occasional strut. Its CV axles needed replacement at 440,000 miles, while the catalytic converter burned out at 500,000. One imagines it's approaching another replacement soon.

Items that you don't imagine wearing out have needed fixing too, from the driver seat (its adjustment wore out) to control arms and door lock actuators. Kilmer's Accord is on its third radiator and power steering pump, and he's recently had to replace its wheel bearings and steering rack. And while the engine may be original, the drivetrain didn't get this far with regular fluid changes alone.

On top of common, but infrequent maintenance items like oxygen sensors or the clutch slave cylinder, Kilmer just had to replace all the engine and transmission mounts. When he replaced the transmission, he also did the flywheel and rear main seal. That's about as close as the engine has gotten to disassembly, the most extreme jobs were valve cover gaskets and an oil pan—its drain plug threads had stripped.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/heres-how-to-keep-a-2003-honda-accord-running-for-nearly-1m-miles

https://www.instagram.com/txaccord