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Comments
'06 Civic LX coupe
'11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
'13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
Same thing uphill. The tranny keeps it in low gear to give you more power. If it upshifts uphill your car will start slowing down. You need the high RPMs to accelerate uphill!
Now on a flat road it should be shifting pretty smoothly, some do, some don't. But if you think it shifts too hard and abruptly, you should bring it in and have it checked. Also try and get them to let you drive another automatic Civic to see what it does. I 've never driven a '96-00 auto Civic (I have older ones) and my '97 is a 5-sp.
The uphill and downhill symtoms you describe though, are identical in both my wife's old '95 Galant (lease-gave back) and her leased '98 Galant as well as many other autos that I 've rented in the last few years.
As far as I know, the Civic auto trannies shift fairly smoothly so there maybe something that needs to be done with yours. The dealer will fight you and tell you everything is normal. Don't accept that for an answer. Ask them to prove it to you (hopefully by letting you drive another recent auto model). Go to NHSTA's site too and see if there are any "technical service bulletins" on your car.
'06 Civic LX coupe
'11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
'13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
Service Bulletin Number: 00012
Bulletin Sequence Number: 125
Date of Bulletin: 0004
NHTSA Item Number: SB612545
Make: HONDA
Model: CIVIC
Year: 2000
Component: POWER TRAIN:TRANSMISSION:AUTOMATIC
Summary: VEHICLE MAY EXPERIENCE SYMPTOMS OF TRANSMISSION SHIFTING HARSHLY, OR STAYING IN FIRST GEAR. *MJS
This is why I went with the 5-sp. Honda has always had mediocre auto trannies. Even the Integra ones had problems up until 2-3 yrs ago. Honda makes one of the best manual gear boxes..
Mention this technical bulletin or printi it out and show it to the dealer if you decide to go see them about it.
'06 Civic LX coupe
'11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
'13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
The horror of it all. Has anyone else heard this?
I buy the Golf despite reservations about their reliability.
The day after I buy it I notice the automatic
transmission is very jerky. It gives my girlfriend a headache. That's not relevant, but it gives the story a mood of aggravation.
I take it back to the dealer.
They say "It needs a software reset". I say
"reset that software!".
Later they say "It needs automatic transmission
fluid". I say "pour in that fluid!".
Later they say "it needs a new automatic
transmission". I say "this totally sucks".
So I call VW of America and say "This is not what
I paid for. if I wanted a car with a repaired transmission I would have saved money and bought a used car. give me a new car". They say "Warranty" and put in a new automatic transmission.
I understand their view. The cant give out a new car everytime one of them has a substantial defect. Also, though I'm p.o.-ed, everyone from VW was very nice on the phone and probably a
good person.
In the end, however, I have a car that I don't have a lot of confidence in, already has a repair history to cough up when I sell the car, and generally dont want.
Tough beans for me.
Next time a Civic.
That is why warranties exist. It sounds like they took care of things for you.
You do not have to "cough up" the repair history....who would care anyway?
I am not a VW lover as the regulars here are aware.
Still, I'm sure it was an isolated problem.
Enjoy your car!
And...It's true...the last Civic Hatchbacks have been built. Too bad although the hatchback market is a declining one.
For obvious reasons most of the newer ones are Golfs and Foci (plural of Focus).
I am certain that the hatch segment of the market is far from dead. Hatchbacks need not be 'inexpensive' cars to the point where the manufacturers view it as a thin-margin segment.
Golfs, Acura, Saabs, all those brand prove that you can market hatches in several different price categories.
On the other hand, I bet that 5 years down the road, the 'SUV years' will be a bad memory and most of those brontosaurs will be impossible to sell.
road, the 'SUV years' will be a bad memory and most of those brontosaurs will be impossible to sell."
AMEN again!
My neighbor has a green '00 Golf TDI and he 's already having problems with intermittent "engine" lights and stuff and they may be replacing the computer because the dealer doesn't really know what's wrong! His pissed because he 's only had the car since Feb. and he 's been to the dealer too many times. He raves about the gas mileage though but complains it's too slow (automatic). I told him there is a chip for it but would void the warranty. He said "that's the last thing I need right now"!
I feel sorry for him because he is a very passive guy and doesn't yell at the VW dealer as much as he should to get his problem fixed.
'06 Civic LX coupe
'11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
'13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
i do admire vw's handling and an immpresive torque from an 8V engine.
when it was time to get a new car i had no doubts that i was getting a honda.
have you seen new audi's and vw's and for some reason the rear left brake light is always on. i see alot of the german cars with that problem. not only vw's and audi's but mercedes' and porche's as well. i wonder if it has anything to do that they share wiring harness made by the same company (bosch i think)
But then, I am not (yet) concerned about reliability to the point where it makes me buy Honda or Toyota. Sure, some of their cars (Civic Si, Integra, Celica) are both fairly exciting and original. But you cannot say that about the rest of the range. Some will retort 'RELIABILITY'!!! But, again, TO ME, that's not enough.
And at the end of the day, I am a little skeptical about posts like the own preceding this one. NO, I have not noticed that Audis and VWs and Mercedes and Porsches drive around with a brake light on. Give ME a ...brake! There is no arguing that those cars will not be as trouble free as a Honda Civic or Accord - but you are comparing apples and oranges!!!
On the other hand, I see thirty (or forty) year old Beemers, Porsches, Mercedes, - and yes, even VWs just about everyday. How many Japanese cars from the same period do I see? Nada, zilch, zero. Some will argue that 'they' only made motorcycles back then, but I still see more old BMW bikes than Kawasakis!!!
Mercedes, with its E-Class produces the arguably absolute reference of reliability as far as I know (in my home country, they are the only cars which cab owners buy, with a lifetime horizon of well into 400K miles).
The Golf is the best selling car on a stand-alone basis in Europe. It certainly wouldn't have achieved that status with a flawed reliability image.
Now, to set things straight: I don't dislike Japanese cars. In fact, every now and then, we see some true original cars coming from the land of the rising sun. I love the Miata. I really like the Nissan ZX 280 and 300s. I think the Mazda Millenium is beautifully styled. The Acura is an elegant and no-nonsense sporty hatch. The small Civic hatches have always had a warm place in my heart (not the US stripped-down version though). The Mazda rotary engined sportscars had my fancy for a while.
So again, apples and oranges. We all welcome the Japanese cars for their reliability. We should also give 'other' car manufacturers their due, for being bold enough to be creative and producing cars which light up our passion. I say thank you Enzo and Ferdinand!
I love g1 Integras (actually like all gens)
My friend had bought a new '88 Integra LS. I would drive his car every chance I got. It was pretty similar to my friend's '86 Prelude Si which held a special place in my heart, with similar engine and handling characteristics, (Prelude was a little better) etc. In '94 he sold it with around 95k mi. on it because he though it might start giving him problems since it's nearing 100k mi. I told him he is crazy.. I wanted to buy it but since my car at the time was only a couple of years old and was paying for 2 cars (wife's too), I couldn't afford it. He sold it to a mutual friend who still drives the car today with over 200K mi. on it. He did have to replace the clutch and pressure plate though about a year ago but that's about it. Oh I think the radiator had a leak and he got a used one recently. I think that's because he drives on dirt roads a lot to get to his log cabin (vacation home). A couple of the doors are starting to rust though. 275k though is an accomplishment with almost no problems like you said. We 'd be courious to know when you hit 300K. Please let us know!
'06 Civic LX coupe
'11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
'13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
>basis in Europe. It certainly wouldn't have
>achieved that status with a flawed reliability
>image.
Let's not forget the quotas and tariffs that the EU places on imports... thereby limiting the saleability of Japanese vehicles. Just my $0.02
'06 Civic LX coupe
'11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
'13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
At the end of the day, the European market and the US market are very different. To appreciate those differences, I guess you'd have to live 'over there' for some time. Small cars are the norm for many reasons. Hatches are often considered more appealing than small sedans. There are about 40 different hatches to choose from, with at least 5 new models coming out every year. So it's not like here, where you have a handfull of offerings in terms of hatches or fastbacks. You have PLENTY!
In short, it's within the confines of an extremely competitive market that VAG (Volkswagen Audi Gruppe) are succesful: that's what I meant by my former post. They may not produce the MOST reliable cars, granted, but they would never sell as well as they do if their cars were unreliable. Simple as that.
As far as pricing - someone mentioned that noone would pay 18 grand for a VW in Germany. Well, if you're referring to a basic model, you're right. But I believe the 4-motion kick-[non-permissible content removed] Golf sells around that price if not more. Anyway, comparing prices is rather ludicrous. Currency fluctuations and pricing policy on the part of manufacturers are just a few factors which make up for the difference. With today's strong dollar, most imports should be cheaper than a few years ago. But hey... that's a completely different discussion.
As to why Hondas don't sell even more cars in Euroe than they actually do, I could explain that in a new post. But it has little to do with reliability issues (mainly bad marketing, high service costs and a few more things...)
Remember that of all European makes, the German ones are those which have specialized in high-torque-at-low-rpms engines. No wonder, it's called the 'autobahn-effect'.
On the other hand, the Italians are much 'closer' to Honda in their taste for high revving engines. Less autobahns, and a lot more curvy roads which invite spirited driving...
If you guys wanna have a few more reasons, just for the hell of it... I can give them to you.
I really think that Japanese companies should hand over marketing management to 'locals' at the end of the day. Unfortunate but true, good marketing is also important!
so, i don't think it is the reason. what are the other reasons you had in mind?
I have heard from several people that the ZX3 is not that quiet inside at highway speeds, but I do know that an EX is relatively quite at 65-75mph because many friends & relatives have '93-99 EX coupes and I 've been in and also driven many of them. Don't know why Honda's don't sell too good. If I lived in Europe I 'd probably buy a VW too just because it's European and made by a neighboring European country. Before the Golfs and GTIs, all of Europe was full of Mercedes Benz. Europeans are used to seeing German cars and Mercedes has always been reliable and a symbol for german automotive excellence. Oh, BTW, I was born in Europe, Athens Greece and lived there for 14yrs before I came to the states. I 've also been to Germany 4 times, Austria twice, Switcherland twice, Italy twice, France once (Paris) and England once.
So anyway, it's only natural for Europeans to relate to German cars because everyone was raised with Mercedes all over the place. I 'm 34 and lived in Greece until 1979. All you saw there were Mercedes Benz (most taxis too) and VW bugs. The only Japanese cars exported to Europe then, were Toyota and Datsun pickup trucks. Japanese hatchbacks and sedans didn't start hitting Europe till the late 70s and early 80's. We know the VW bug was the most popular car in the world for over 4 decades and we all grew up with them. So it's very natural and logical that the VW Golfs and GTIs sell well in Europe and better than Japanese. That 's my explanation and I don't really think the "high revving" theory would be my first choice.. It's an image thing and something Europeans grew up with: German cars
'06 Civic LX coupe
'11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
'13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
But the European car market is also French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, English, ...even Polish nowadays.
The Japanese have a lot more quality cars to fight against.
The French have produced some exciting small cars over the past few years. The 205 GTI took over VW's 'gti lead' some years ago, and their 306 GTI with 2.0 / 176bhp car is still leading the pack in what would be the sub-20 grand class in the US.
There are NO artificial barriers to Japanese cars in Europe, just a lot more competition.
As far as Honda, yes, I do believe that they 'suffer' from the fact the Europeans (especially in Northern Europe) tend to prefer torquey engines. But I am also convinced that good marketing techniques could vastly improve their sales.
The Japanese may be good at producing reliable cars, but that just doesn't cut it in Europe. The competition is fierce and offers a lot more exciting machinery.
Someone will respond 'Peugeot' ha! or Italian cars" yeah, fix it again tony... But those people are really not up to date.
Peugeot and Alfa (and Renault, and probably a few others) HAVE burned their fingers in the us in the past and personally, I doubt that they will return (actually, Renault controls Nissan, so that's not entirely true). But that was 10 years ago. It's an entirely different product those companies are selling today.
Also, Harry, why doesn't Honda sell the GS-R in Europe??? If ONE of their coupes should be sold there, THAT would be the one! (instead, they chose the prelude with what is considered cheap styling back on the continent).
carlady/host
There is also a Euro-Accord there with 215hp and near Type-R suspension and brakes.
'06 Civic LX coupe
'11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
'13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
As you can see, Acura leads everyone.
Results of J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study. Problems reported per 100 vehicles.
Be sure to look for VW is on the list (way way down there next to Hyundai!). Honda came in 7th with mostly luxury manufacturers ahead of it.
Acura 91
Lexus 103
Infiniti 107
BMW 118
Toyota 118
Porsche 122
Honda 126
Buick 130
Mercedes-Benz 134
Jaguar 137
Plymouth 137
Saab 138
Lincoln 139
Audi 141
Mercury 143
Cadillac 146
Volvo 150
Chrysler 151
Mazda 153
Nissan 153
Industry Average 154
Oldsmobile 162
Ford 162
Saturn 164
Mitsubishi 166
Pontiac 167
Chevrolet 168
Dodge 174
GNC 175
Jeep 188
Land Rover 192
Isuzu 193
Subaru 199
VW 200
Hyundai 203
Daewoo 211
Suzuki 224
Kia 251
'06 Civic LX coupe
'11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
'13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
I am not surprised by the reliability of the Honda/Acura cars - albeit a bit by the bad score of VW. I must have been lucky w/ my cars!
But when you think about it, HOW on earth do they make certain that the standard by which people answer is comparable?
It may well be that the 'VW' buyer profile is that of a person who is more likely to report minor 'glitches' (small rattle, knocking wipers, and so on) than a person who goes and buys a less expensive car like a Hyunday.
Also, it surprises me that two brands like Audi and VW, which share so many parts and platforms, are so far apart on the score. - Not to mention Saab (!) which is not known to be particularly reliable back in Europe...
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind regarding the merit of major Japanese brands (like Honda) and their scores are fully understandable.
But I do believe that VW's bad score could be explained by the fact that their customers are on average more demanding with regard to quality than are buyers of cheaper cars.
The only way to make a comparable survey would be to have a similar group of people judge the cars - which is why we have the car mags to help us out!
Just my two cents, I know it's a very subjective comment, but hey... it's only a thought.
Get a set of Neuspeed Softsports or H&R OE Springs that drop the car .75" (1" after they settle) and are 30% stiffer than stock. Then the next best mod you 'll ever do is a Neuspeed 19mm rear sway bar. Cost of both springs and rear sway bar is about $340 + labor (about $200). This will transform your car and it's fairly inexpensive.
If you go with the regular H&R Sports or Neuspeed Sports, you car will be dropped as much as 2" and you will need to purchase a camber kit ($150) so that your tires don't wear out quickly. Drops of 1" and 1.25" are ok. Anything more than that and your camber goes way off and rapid uneven tire wear begins to destroy your tires
'06 Civic LX coupe
'11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
'13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
The automatic Civics are slower than 5-sp. and probably not too popular because it defeats the purpose of buying an economy or fairly inexpensive car. The automatic HBs that were in the lot were almost $14K with A/C. And this is in '97.. Their sticker was like $12.4-5K but after you added $1,000-1300 for A/C (dealer installed always- ripoff), you might as well buy an LX 4dr that comes with more options. Anyway, it might be tough finding a used auto HB (since they don't make them for '01). They didn't make that many HBs to begin with and most owners keep theirs for a long time. Mine has 116k mi. on it already but I 'm keeping it for another year or two or till 160-170k mi. or so, sorry
I put mine up for sale about a year ago and listed it in the paper. I was thinking of buying the Si.. Anyway, I got so many calls I was amazed and I thought wow, my car is worth good money and people want it. I decided to keep it, well that plus the dealers weren't dealing that much in the Si's and I didn't feel like spending $17-18K on another Civic.
'06 Civic LX coupe
'11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
'13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
I got 7 trophies this year, most in DSP and a couple in STS (I still race on street tires). Four 1st place, two 2nd and 1 3d place which was the regional championships. I decided to race STS at the regionals since there were too many R tires in DSP and what do you know? STS was the biggest class that day. 21 cars!!! I flipped.. Modded Preludes, VWs, Accords, you name it. It was at a new location and I didn't know most of these drivers so I thought I didn't stand a chance at a trophy since they said they would only give out 3. Well I lost 2nd place by a thousand of a second to a V6 Accord heavily sooped up with race springs, big brakes and an extra 27hp (the guy showed me his dyno runs) from headers (2), exhaust & intake. 1st place luckily was my friend with his '98 Prelude SH. It was a very slow course and tight and required good torque so I 'm surprised I even did that well. The whole course was in 1st gear and everyone hit the rev limiter a couple of times. If you put it in 2nd it really hurt you.. I always do much better in faster courses. The GSR just doesn't have the torque to do well in a slow course.
Can I get the SPORTS CAR at the news stand, is it sold at stores? You 're not talking about Sports Compact Car, are you?
BTW, I got the car so neutral now by playing around with the adjustments on the Koni Yellows that the car 3 wheels with no problem on street tires! just like the Type-Rs. Next year when I put the Kumhos on, I doubt there will be any competition for me in DSP, in the 4 clubs that we race at anyway..
That was a good question about the 17" and the sports springs on the VW. There's been a lot of controversy about that. Nobody knows yet. I guess we 'll all know next year when the season starts if they allow that in the stock class. If I were you I wouldn't say anything and play dumb to see what happens.. In my opinion, the 17" wheels and sports packages on the GTIs and Beetles
should be allowed in stock classes because it is just a dealer installed option or it comes that way from the factory.
How much did you pay for the Turbo Beetle? A friend is looking at them now, and she was asking me how much she should pay for one.. She says if it's too much money she 'll get a Celica but I don't think they 're more than Celicas..
'06 Civic LX coupe
'11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
'13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
I will fight to stay in stock class. If the car is all VW equipment it should be considered stock. Other cars were considered stock, why shouldn't my car. As for the SportsCar mag, you should be able to find it at any Barnes and Noble. It is the December 2000 issue.
New question: Is Honda going to make a new HB in the US? I really like the new Civic EX Sedan. The exterior is very stylish, but I was hoping for a little nicer interior. I think the Beetle is really spoiling me. Let me know your thoughts on the new Civic. I would like to see Honda bring over a HB with power sunroof, AC, Keyless entry, PW, PL, and 1.7L DOHC VTEC with 16inch rims.
You 'd like to see the next HB with a 1.7L DOHC VTEC? Wow! I 'd be ecstatic if they put the Civic Si 160hp engine in it, which they probably won't. Most likely they 'll offer it with the 127hp 1.7L, if that! As long as the new HB is light and has some decent power I might trade in my '97 HB next year because the mileage is piling up and I 'm almost up to 120k already (trouble free I might add). By next year or late this year it should have over 150k and that's usually where I draw the line and get a new car.
The GSR is garaged for the winter and its tires (Z rated) have never seen or touched snow here in NY since I bought it in July '99. It's eagerly waiting to race soon and so am I!! Are you definitely going to auto-x with your Beetle? What if you "chip" it and don't tell anyone? :-)
'06 Civic LX coupe
'11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
'13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
Ken
I raced against a lot of civic ex with my GSR o-60, 1/4 miles, highways... there is no way that a little civic would be in front of me , not even a civic SI ,(i raced a couple of SI and they where all far behind). But against a 00 gti vr6 the gti is stronger on the highway. My gti turbo as a chip (1.0 bar 203hp, 211 lb)and now I can kick the [non-permissible content removed] of a stock! VR6
I have a lot of respect for Honda in fact my gsr is my third honda(hey I'm an honda fan!)but i have to say that the MK4 golf gti is not a match to a civic and not even to a integra (140hp), its something better at any point and one of the best point is the safety, civic are to soft, VW are strong cars (trust me I have a lot of exerience in crash test!! )so civic SI or golf Turbo = Golf for sure!!
Now can someone tell me how this lunatic civic fan can keep up with a VR6 ???????????