##hondac.jpg --Right##ONCE again, the rigours of Fleet NewsNet road-testing duty and a foreign car launch have kept me out of the Accord's driver's seat for about half of this month.

I know what you're all thinking - what a tough life he leads, he really deserves a holiday and a huge pay rise. But even after my hectic month in and out of the office and in different cars, it is always nice to come back to our dependable long-termer. And dependable it has always been. Since arriving at Fleet Towers in November, between us we have piled on more than 10,000 miles. In all that time it has never missed a beat and the 9,000-mile service passed without incident.

When the Accord arrived on our fleet, we expressed concern over its long term durability after a previous long term Accord saloon left us looking a little used with stone chips on the bonnet and scratched plastic trim inside. However, I can report that this Accord has worn well in our hands.

The only downside I have found has been the interior, which is not only very difficult to clean but also gets dirty quickly.

There are so many nooks and crannies that getting the dust out can prove difficult, despite having a super turbo deluxe vacuum cleaner with multi-adjustable nozzle. Once cleaned, the interior looks fine, but after a couple of trips to and from work it looks mucky again. Much of this is down to the dark cabin (it's black everywhere). The driver's footmat is also looking a little well used now - part of the payback for having nice woolly mats instead of the usual plastic items.

As I mentioned in my last report, I would not use the air conditioning until summer arrived. Well, for a few brief days in the middle of June, summer well and truly arrived and I called the air con into action. It was pleasant to be able to drive cosily cocooned while most other drivers were hanging out of the windows of their cars trying to keep cool.

Hopefully the air con will be pressed into action again soon.

Julian Kirk