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When I had the thunking noise after the a/c compressor was changed, the odd thing is that the temp gauge did not show that the engine was running hot. That's the one thing that doesn't compute. I'll post an update this week.
Thanks!
Any suggestions were I can have this replaced @ a cheaper price?
Seriously, do you expect a car to last forever?
Just curious...that's all.
Thanks for asking
I guess I have to disagree. Those are a LOT of miles and things are going to fail.
Kudos to you for your 500,000 mile Accord. You must maintain it very well.
Maintenance has no effect however in the life of an A/C compressor. There is really no "service" to do. If they need freon is's generally because there is a leak somewhere.
I don't think, however that a failed A/C compressor on a 8 year old car with over 100,000 miles was because of a "defect".
Just the effect of years and miles. Nothing lasts forever.
You're right, it is that simple!
imploded at just 20,000 miles....
Complaining about a failed A/C compressor at 180,000 plus miles is a different story. Tough luck but hardly a "defect".
My 1st Honda and still love the car but annoyed with the compressor situation!
The Sandman :sick: :shades:
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
Cost me nearly $1400, Honda reduced it from $3400. The car has never been driven more than 2 to 3 times a week since being purchased new. I find that unacceptable. So my CRV is my eighth and last Honda.
Not using an A/C can be hard on them too as seals dry out.
You have a seven year old car that is four years out of warranty.
Honda agrees to step up to the plate and eat 2000.00 out of a 3400.00 job.
It sounds to me that they wasted their money trying to please you.
You still find this action "unacceptable" and as a result, you will never buy another Honda?
I hope you are able to find a perfect car somewhere that never, ever gives you any kind of a problem.
After a lifetime in retail I have learned that doing a customer a favor rarely pays off and this is a great example of this.
T I A for any help you can give...you've always given logical, well thought out answers to folks comments in here, so I do appreciate all your help. And no, this hasn't soured me on Honda as it could happen with any brand of auto.
The Sandman :sick: :shades:
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
I don't have the number to call but you can "google" American Honda Customer Service and that should give you the 800 number.
In your case, I think there is a good chance Honda will help you out. I have watched them do this many times. You might want to start with your local dealer first. A lot of times they will really go to bat for their customers.
And, yes, this can happen to any car. The same company that builds A/C compressors for Honda no doubt builds them for other makes as well.
Good luck!
If we were just talking the AC compressor, fine, I'd replace that and not think twice, for the most part.
But when the compressor goes, it takes out pretty much the whole AC system. THAT's the problem. I'm not looking at a couple hundred to repair or replace, I'm looking at several THOUSAND.
That is the issue. It's a flaw and Honda won't own up to it.
And this is true on ANY car. Not just Hondas.
A/C systems all work in exactly the same way.
" You changed my oil and now my A/C blower doesn't work"
Nothing fishy about that. They didn't break your fan switch.
Nothing "strange" about an A/C switch wearing out. Pretty common on any car for this to happen. This has nothing to do with a bad A/C compressor.
The vast majority of CRV owners won't have these problems.
Cans can and will break however as they age. Things wear out with age on ANY car.
behind your defensive postings. Of course you want any inquiring minds to think this a/c failure is a normal result of miles and age.
My dealer says the replacement system has been "upgraded" and should not cause any further problem. If that isn't admitting the original part was sub-par then I don't know what is.
And, while you're at it, try getting Consumer Reports to remove that black mark they gave the 04 CRV for the A/C system's reliability. Your chastising me is a waste of your time because I remain unabashedly ungrateful for the "favor." You're just kicking a forum member for reporting the truth.
I've been drinking the Honda Kool-Aid since the 1976 Accord but I am done now.
That would be the point exactly. IF that had been the case with the CRV, I wouldn't have probably blinked an eye.
It's the "...and cause no other damage," where the CRV compressor fail is different- very.... expensively.... different. Takes out the whole system.
I agree with you that an a/c going out at 154,000 or 188,000 probably isn't too surprising. No whiners allowed-right? But...
#27 by Inkie (37,000 mi)
#33 by vivimz (47,000 mi)
#38 by boognut (45,500 mi)
#50 by crvrider (45,000 mi)
#51 by snowy3 (44,000 mi)
and on and on and on. Face it--this is a problem with these cars.
If a few people tell you that you are a horse, you can believe they are wrong. But if 100 people tell you that you are a horse, you'd better look in the mirror.
You say you ran a busy shop (#1957)-we have something in common there. I started out as a mechanic at a Chrysler dealership in 1979, advancing to chief heavy line mechanic, and eventually owning my own, very busy mechanic shop.
I can tell you that with all the problems Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth had in the late 70's throughout the 80's, I do not remember a compressor failure at as low of mileage as what we have seen with the Honda's.
Maybe we can agree on some other issues, though. What busy shop did you run? Was it a shop specializing in Honda service and repair?
Even when I was in the business I tried to be objective. I have never blindly defended Honda as the veterans here will tell you.
Back when this forum first started, I was surprised to hear of compressor failures so I checked with our Service Manager at the store where I worked.
He had no idea what I was talking about. He had seen no increase of A/C pumps on CRV's.
So I checked with our Parts Manager who ran a History Report to see how many we had sold in the last year. I think it was a total of three or four and the store I worked at was the highest volume Honda store in nine states.
In your case Honda stepped up and ate a huge portion of your repair bill even through they had no obligation to do so.
Yes, it was a "favor" that saved you 2000.00 if I recall.
Maybe I'm the only person here who has to wonder why this gesture wasn't appreciated.
I'm not "kicking" anyone. I just don't understand.
When I was in my 20's I managed a very high volume Sears Auto Center.
Back in those days, we did everything. We sold and installed engines, A/C units etc. We did as many as 20 brake jobs in a busy Saturday. We did front end work, overhauled carburators (yes, Themo Quads) and would do valve jobs and almost everything that came in.
Heck, Hondas were all motorcycles back then!
Then I spent nearly 20 years in the tool business and as a result have probably been in thousands of shops rubbing elbows and picking the brains of guys like you.
Heavy Line Guys have in my opinion the toughest job in the shop.
If Honda had covered the entire cost, I would have already traded the CRV for a new Honda. That would have proven that they did care about their customers who had premature failures of their ENTIRE A/C system. So the $1400 they charged me cost them the sale of a new car. Instead I will be looking at the Toyota RAV4.
Since you have not personally experienced the problem that the rest of us have, I have no idea why you feel compelled to come in here and tell us how glad we should be that Honda helped us out. You are preaching to the wrong choir here.
They gained nothing but contempt from you by doing this and they lost rather than gained a customer.
They should have done nothing. The end result would have been the same.
But, I learned that lesson long ago as a young manager. Making a partial refund or adjustment is never appreciated. Either do nothing or do 100%.
Apparanty this is a lesson Honda hasn't learned.
I hope your next car is 100% trouble free whatever it may be!
Now, explain me this, since you are obviously evading these issues:
1. This repair costs far more than other vehicles because of the design of the system, so explain why this is just normal. By the way, they changed the design on the latest models. Wonder why? And why would they start using an upgraded compressor for the older models?
2. Consumer Reports, one of Honda's greatest champions through the years, shows the 04 CRV is worse than average for A/C system reliability. Explain this anomaly.
3. Explain how you know how many systems have been replaced compared to average, and by the way, I think you are in the north as opposed to the deep South with our sweltering heat 8 months a year, so naturally your dealer doesn't have the failures my dealer does. A/C has to work here most of the year, so my problem was hardly from lack of use.
4. How many have been replaced at independent shops? It happens because people have bought second-hand Hondas and used independents because it was cheaper. I guess they don't count.
5. And how about those who are driving their cars unrepaired because they can't afford the price? I guess they don't count.
6. You still haven't explained how any of this affects you.
Now, answer the questions or leave me alone. I am too old, too sick and too poor to be raked over the coals by you anymore.
I'm also curious about your statement about retiring last year. I seem to remember that you had stated you retired years ago in a post from over a year ago. Perhaps, as I suspected before, thou art a troll?
I agree that it's Facebook page and media publicity time. In fact, those actions are overdue. I have also rec'd legal advice that we should go to Small Claims Court. Under $10k and they would probably send a local rep. No need to wait for a useless Class Action suit that only helps lawyers.
Thanks.
the other yrs reported in the 2011 book were ok in the climate dept..
To answer your questions...
1. Dealers and a lot of shops sometimes go overboard (in my opinion) when they fix things. They assume the worst. The assume that when the compressor went that pieces of metal went through the system and contaminated other parts of the A/C system. They would rather replace everything than take a chance that the job wil come back and bite them later.
2. I don't disagree that A/C failures may be somewhat higher on certain years. What I don't understand is why CRV's have been singled out when other Honda models share the same compressors.
3. Good question. Yes, here in Seattle an A/C unit isn't going to get the same workout that one would experience in the deep south. Not even close. It's alo possible that the southern dealeers get CRV's that were built using A/C compressors built by another vendor.
4. Another good question that I have no answer for. Yes, once a car is out of it's factory warranty a lot of people no longer return to the dealer for service.
5. No idea.
6. None of this "affects" me. I am only sharing my opinions which are....
In my experience and in the experience of the store where I spent 14 years, we have seen no unusual number of CRV compressor failures.
Things break especially after a lot of miles or a lot of years.
I happen to think that Honda really went to bat for you by eating more than half of the repair bill on an out of warranty car. Not all car companies would have done that. You feel otherwise. I respect that. I just don't understand, that's all.
Peace!
I think this board is invaluable to those who may be considering buying a used 04 CRV. The most serious thing about this problem is that too many have had multiple failures. There is no excuse for that, none. I am scared to death that it will happen to my car again.
Otherwise, how does one explain the continued popularity of the CR-V? It's been number one in sales and number one in resale value in its class for many years. Cars with poor reliability reputations suffer at sales and resale time.
While no one wants a major repair bill at any time in a car's life, the expectation that a car's major components will all perform for a car's entire life is unrealistic.
If someone knows of a car brand that never suffers component failure, please post here. I've owned most major brands at one time or another. None have been perfect.
P.S. I own a 2001 Accord w/over 250,000 miles on it and never had to replace or repair ANY major componant, (knock on wood) and this vehicle is driven every day.
There sure seems to be a wide range of prices people have paid to replace their compressors!
However, it is a fact that the A/Cs on this vehicle have a tendency to stop working after about 50,000 - 70,000 miles. I have learned that when you go to get it fixed, the price may vary, according to the shop you take it. In fact, a "fancy" shop will cost up to $3000. But if you can locate a "smart" shop, it can cost in the $700 range. Be smart; don't waste your money.
A lot of shops won't take any risks. They fear that metal particles have contaminated the entire system and they fear a "comeback" when the job go's bad on them. Other places will simply fix what is broken and take the chance.
There isnt any "right" way to do this. Years ago, I learned that trying to save a customer money will often backfire so I really can't blame the shops that insist on replacing everything.
Not a matter of being "smart". It's a matter of tossing the dice and hoping for the best. Customers have a tendency of forgetting how a shop tried to save them money.
I had a customer who had over 360,000 miles on the 2002 CRV that I sold him. He did have an A/C compressor fail but it was after the 200,000 mile mark. I'm thinking at this point he has over 400,000 miles on it.
Your "seem to remember" memory isn't serrving you very well. I pushed the retirement button in May of last year.
A troll? Hardly. I've been around since these forums started.
And if you can explain to me how an A/C compressor can cause "transmission drag" I would be very interested.
I seem to be able to read through pages and pages of the discussion only to find one or two new occurances of an issue. The vast majority seems to be discussing someone's previously reported (their original) AC issue. My rough guess is that there are over ten posts to every one issue.
Just an observation...
Apparantly this is a lesson Honda hasn't learned.
That is a good lesson companies should know and/or learn if they don't already. They should back the product 100% if there is an early major and improper failure. If Honda didn't cover my transmission 100% they'd of lost at least one sale by now (and two customers). If Audi didn't cover my AC 100%, they might have lost me as a happy customer as well.
When a company offers to partially pay (or for parts only or labor only) it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Even a customer who appears to happily agree to the compromise at first, might get "buyer's remorse" after sleeping on it. They may lose sleep over it, realizing they really should have had the company cover all of the repair. That bad taste in the mouth most likely will lead to a lost customer, rather than retaining one.
Also, they may have only agreed to it because they figured that's all they were gonna get out of you; short of taking you to court. So they only agree as the lesser of two evils. That also is probably a lost customer, as they feel pressured to agree despite their principles.
Go big or go home. Go all the way.
They aren't "Honda" brand compressors probably. Obviously, whoever Honda chose to supply the compressors did poor work with poor materials and quality. Honda failed to realize the issue ahead of time or catch during quality control. I've heard that the new refrigerants the ECO [non-permissible content removed]'s require manufacturers to use may have something to do with the higher failure rates of modern AC's versus the good ol' days.
Wow, I didn't see or read that before. Now I'm shifting more to Honda's side.
20,000 miles is EXTREMELY little use for 7 years. That's less than 3,000 miles per year. That in and of itself can cause problems for a car.
7 years is a lot of years, regardless of mileage. I would compare that to the best warranty in the business, Hyundai. Even they wouldn't help you out with that AC repair at 7 years (only drivetrain is 10 years, bumper to bumper is 5 years/60K). Therefore I think Honda helping you out was indeed a favor. However, you were under 36K miles, so they definitely should have helped you out, and they did so. I think they did the right thing in paying for about 66% of the costs.
Sometimes I think warranties should read X years/Y miles, whichever occurs last, rather than first as it currently exists, but up to a certain reasonable limit (like 4,000 miles per year minimum).
I'd like to see the AC last longer than 7 years/20K miles, but I don't find that EXTREMELY short lived like you do.