Was your MB purchased new by you or did you buy it used? You may have inherited someone else's neglect.

I seem to recall a thread here where Steve Brotherton said the worst thing that ever happened to a car was it's owner.

Just the other day Larry Bible commented about a Honda his daughter drives. Total POS from what I can gather. I too have one of those Hondas you mentioned with alot of miles, but I was the original owner and not someone who never grasped the concept of regular maint.