Honda CR-V Maintenance and Repair

stevedebi

The Gen 2 MT speed actually gets worse fuel economy than the automatic. Gen 1 still has the smaller engine, though...

tntitan

Using air conditioning for highway driving may give you better (at least as good) MPG as driving with the windows down due to aerodynamics and wind resistance. Almost all cooler climates use "winter gas" which will reduce mileage by 1-2 MPG. My wife drives about 60/40 (but the highway miles are city interstates during rush hour) and has a semi-heavy right foot but has managed to average 23.4 MPG over the first 63K in her '02 CRV-EX.

She loves the car and it has been bulletproof so far.

stevedebi

"Using air conditioning for highway driving may give you better (at least as good) MPG as driving with the windows down due to aerodynamics and wind resistance."

Very good point, I never roll the windows down at highway speeds; if it is too hot, I run the A/C.

autobum

PTTR on 2005 CRV SE seems to be resolved at last -

Dealer replaced defect Bridgestone Duelers manufactured in England with BF Goodrich Traction T/A's. Saw a small improvement but not a complete fix.

My dealer then found that Honda recently (last week) issued a news bulletin for 2005 CRVs manufactured in England indicating that an adjustment is required to the strut mounts and spring rotation on both front sides of the vehicle. Evidently this news bulletin provides a 2005 specific update to the TSB that is already in place for some 2002-2004 CRVs. This TSB has been referenced in some of the earlier posts dealing with PTTR on CRV models.

varmint

Thank you for that update!

varmint

My 1999 EX 5 speed is rated for 22-25 mpg, which is exactly the same as the automatic for the same model.

Given that I'm getting the max epa number in mixed driving, rather than just highway alone, I don't think the A/C is hurting me all that much. The fact that I have a smaller engine with a timing belt rather than timing chain, make me think that the A/C would actually have a greater impact on my mpg.

In the end, I agree with the Racoon. The A/C has less of an impact than driving fast.

ramarquardt2

We purchased (2) 2003 CRV's (one for myself; one for the wife) due to its extremely high reliability charts in Consumer Reports. Anyhow, the check engine light came on for my CRV. Turns out the dealer replaced the fuel pressure regulator (located in the gas tank) and all 4 injectors. Runs fine now but holy COW!!! I didn't expect this.. It didn't cost me anything since it was under warranty. Dealer stated it would have been a thousand otherwise.

isellhondas

I asked and nobody in our shop had heard of this before.

I have a 2003 CRV and it's just great!

bhitchcock

So it's not an issue with CR-V's built in Japan?

bhitchcock

I just picked up my new 2005 CR-V with the Bridgestone Duellers. Is it my imagination or do these tires cause for more road noise? Has anyone out there replaced them with other tires and noticed a major difference in noise? I have mine at 34 psi.

Thanks,

isellhondas

Not your imagination. For some reason Honda seems to pick the noisiest tires they can find! They last forever but they are loud!

thirdof4

I would like to know if isellhondas experience with his Dueler's "lasting forever" is typical, because I only have 13,000 miles on mine and am shocked to see how much wear has happened. I'll probably have to replace these by next spring and that is even with non-use while studded snow tires are on for the winter. If "lasting forever" is typical, then mine have a problem. BTW, the wear is even and the psi is typically at 30. I guess I'm used to getting at least 40,000 miles out of a set of tires. What are others experiencing as far as wear is concerned???
Thanks

mikefm58

I got 45K miles out of the Duelers with my gen. one CRV, and that was with rotating the spare in.

tc4all

I am about to buy a 2005 CR-V and am concerned about rollover. It's rating, while 4 star is just barely 4 star and I see nothing with less then 3 stars. It has a 19% chance of a rollover while every other SUV I have looked into has been 18% or less. If was an inch or two lower or had wider tires I would feel better. Overall, however, I wonder if, despite the numbers, this is a real world problem with this vehicle. Does anyone know of any CR-V rollovers or near rollovers?

autobum

I was told by my dealer that the PTTR issue for 2005 CRVs was restricted to those built in England. My vehicle was among the unlucky ones ... but all is better now!

autobum

I had the Duelers, also England manufactured with the known defect. They were replaced with BF Goodrich Traction T/A Specs which are noticably quieter.

mikefm58

Never heard of CRV rollovers. But then again, ANY SUV will have a worse rollover rating than for example a car. If that concerns you, stay away from an SUV, except maybe an H1 Hummer.

tntitan

My experience is that they were loud but my biggest complaint was wet weather traction. IMO these tires are horrible. I couldn't tell you how long they will last and if it was 100K I would still hate them. I put the Costco equivalent of the Michelin Harmony on and noise level, ride and traction are all dramatically better and not just because they are new tires because the Michelin tires have more miles on them now than the Dueler tires had on them when they were replaced.

jmolinsky

My wife's V (2003 EX Auto) has 43,000 miles on it and the Duelers are still wearing just fine (this is with a 4-tire rotation as I didn't even think about a 5 tire one until it was too late). We'll get at least 50k out of them if not more.

thirdof4

From the responses to my query, it looks like noise and traction are what cause the most concern for these factory installed tires, not wear. So my experience is atypical and I wonder why. I'm a conservative driver, no jack-rabbiting, peeling out or squealing around corners. Rotation at 5,000 miles. I do drive a lot of hilly country roads. Could this be the source of wear? It's irksome (and not in the budget) to have to spend a chunk of money on tires so soon on a new vehicle. Thanks for the input.

kyfdx

I only got 30K out of my Duelers on an '02 CRV.. On the previous model, I didn't get new tires until 50K with the BFGoodrich T/A..

I'm not easy on tires, but I found the Duelers to be not so great, in regards to wear... Hard cornering seems to make them go away very quickly.. They are pretty crappy tires.. It didn't hurt my feelings to get rid of them..

regards,
kyfdx

julesvr

Negotiated the deal on-line with Anderson Honda's (Palo Alto) internet division - great experience-$23,026 this price included the destination fee - tax and state fees were additional. I bought some accessories (fog lights, roof rack. day/night mirror, Lo Jack w/ Early Detection) that they did a price match on as well. The staff was very courteous/professional and let me do a test drive to check for the pulling to the right (PTTR) problem which I am glad to say the vehicle did not have. I signed my paperwork that same day and picked up my car the next day after the accessories were installed.

I only found Anderson Honda because of this awesome forum - after a scandalous switch and bait experience with Jim Doten's Honda in Berkeley, CA which I don't recommend at all. Their internet department is not professional and will say anything to get you into the store and then change things once you arrive - even if you have been negotiating for a particular VIN # - which is highly illegal. :mad:

Know that not every dealership that says they have a internet department really has one. Use your computer and e mail to negotiate and price match a deal. Refer to forums like this one for referrals and you will walk away happy and financially healthy. Anyhow - BIG thanks to this forum for helping me find my great deal!

The car buying experience can be a big turn-off when you just walk into a dealership especially for the educated consumer. The outdated sales tactics are so obvious and don't work on most people who have done their homework and can walk, think and add with a calculator. Until dealerships stop these cromagnin - predatory practices - "caveat emptor". Use the internet to research and find your good deal-it is out there.

alzy2k5crv

The best thing I have done for both my 2005 CRV and now also my 2000 CRV is I purchased the brand new Yokohama AVID TRZ from tire rack. I had used the Avid Touring on my 2000. But this new Avid TRZ is great. It looks good, rides great, handles great, and most of all its pretty quiet and has an 80k treadware warr. Def give them a try, and for the price you deff cant go wrong.

isellhondas

Well, I have a customer who just pulled his off after 75,000 miles. They still had tread on them but wet weather performance was suffering.

Our 2003 CRV has 15,000 miles and the Duelers don't show any real wear I can see.

I wish they WOULD wear out so I could put something quieter on!

mlouttit

I have a 2005 CRV EX. I rotated the tires at about 6,500 miles and the front tires are almost to the wear bars! If I make it to 13,000 without changing 4 worn out tires, I will be lucky.

As for noise...yes, they are noisy.

As for traction...these might be the worst tires I have ever driven on. Here is how bad these things were in the PA snow....on bad snow days, we took our 2002 Odyssey!

They are just OK now that spring is here so I will finish wearing them out. It won't take long. I can not wait to get rid of these tires.

This is, by far, my biggest complaint about the CRV.

varmint

If experience means anything, the Duellers have very few redeeming characteristics for most people. They are noisey, they wear relatively quickly, and they're not especially good for on-road performance.

For many years, Honda also stocked the CR-V with a set of BFGs. These were almost as noisey, not much better for performance, but did last a bit longer. The only advantage for the Duellers was better off-road performance. The BFGs got chewed up easily.

oskee1

The plus and minus means toe in for + and toe out for - so your reading
are just about 0 toe in which is called total toe, get that by adding the left and right reading. In the past most front wheel
drive car have called for toe out specs and amounts vary for manufacturer
to manufacturer

autobum

The BF Goodrich Traction T/A's now appear to be an alternate OE tire for the 2005 CRV. Just about as many CRVs on the dealer's lot were equipped with the BFGs as the Duellers. I had experienced the Duellers on my previous 2001 CRV and they were not good. They were noisy, wore very quickly and the winter traction here in NH was awful. After about 20K miles I replaced them with Michelin Harmonys which were much better. My new 2005 CRV also had Duellers and they were noisy. The Duellers on the 2005 CRV were from a defective lot produced in England and were swapped with BFG Traction T/As. What a difference! Smooth riding and very quiet. They also get an extremely commendable rating from reviewers on Tire Rack in all 9 areas rated (Excellent or Superior in all areas). Overall their score came in very close to (maybe even slightly better than) the Michelin Harmonys by the reviewers.

g8rluva

I live in Florida and I would like to buy a CR-V in California since I will be visiting there for about 12 weeks and then would drive back to Florida. How do I make this happen in a way that I get Florida tags on the car while in California and avoid paying fees, taxes, etc in two states? Thanks for your assistance.

kcdoug

I'm new to this forum and seek your collective insights and opinions, so here's a few questions I'd welcome feedback on:

1. We live in the Kansas City area - does anybody have any experience getting a decent price (below sticker) for the SE? [I prefer the SE because of the leather, heated seats and mirrors which is nice for us getting older folks in winter. I'm surprised to find that the CR-V doesn't include the built-in garage door opener and power passenger seat like our other similarly priced cars.]

2. Are there any mechanical or other glitches, or nit-picks that have turned up for the CR-V?

3. Are there any recommended care and feeding, or user options, that we should be sensitive to?

Many thanks for your time and consideration,
-Doug

Karen_S

These topics are from the archives, but may be helpful.

buying a vehicle from another state?

State sales tax buying out-of state

Buying out of state

Karen_S

Welcome to Edmunds.com Forums!

#1 - Search through Honda CR-V Prices Paid & Buying Experience others in your area that have recently purchased.

#2 - Take some time to look through the posts in this discussion for owners issues with CR-V.

#3 - Be sure to read Varmint's excellent CR-V advisory and info in Honda CR-V Owners: FAQ

burt4

I am purchasing a new 2005 CRV LX 2wd for flat towing behind my motorhome. Dealer has several available. One vehicle was manufactured in Japan and is equipped with Dunlop Grandtrek tires.

Based on several recent posts in this forum, Japan + Dunlops would seem a better choice than England + Duelers or England + Goodrich.

Any comments ?

autobum

The BFG Traction T/As appear to be the best tires of the bunch by a long shot with a UTQG treadwear rating of 620 -vs- 300 for either the Duellers or the Dunlops. As stated previously the BFGs also get extremely high scores from the reviewers on Tire Rack. So ... if tires were the only consideration, then IMHO the BFGs would be the way to go.

I have a 2005 England built CRV with PTTR which was resolved with a fairly minor adjustment. Honda now seems to be on top of the issue and dealerships should know what to do to resolve it ... that is, if it exists at all in the one you select.

stevedebi

"
I am purchasing a new 2005 CRV LX 2wd for flat towing behind my motorhome. Dealer has several available. One vehicle was manufactured in Japan and is equipped with Dunlop Grandtrek tires.

Based on several recent posts in this forum, Japan + Dunlops would seem a better choice than England + Duelers or England + Goodrich. "

Odd that the dealer would have both manufacturor origins. Generally, eastern states get English models and western states get Japanese models.

I would go with the Japanese...

blueiedgod

I'm surprised to find that the CR-V doesn't include the built-in garage door opener and power passenger seat like our other similarly priced cars.

Show me one that has all those things on top of the loaded SE (AWD, Auto, VSA, ABS, sunroof, steering wheel controls for radio, cruise, Alloys....) for $23K

You can fit the homelink from Accord your self, if you want to spend $300 for the homelink. There is a site for Honda cars that happen to be SUV's, where people reported this being done.

kcdoug

Thanks for the links, Karen. I had already looked through much of their content. I guess I should have clarified that I was seeking any addional comments beyond what may have already been posted.

I have done some internet perusing of dealer sites in the Kansas City area and found that most of them were listing the CR-V SE at $25,500 - $25,750 which is above the $25,250 MSRP on the Honda America site. This does not bode well for negiotiating down to the $23,500 range as others here have indicated. And, of course, Honda America is not offering any financing specials for the CR-V. I've got a couple of months before we plan to actually buy, but somehow I'm not optimistic that there will be any promos for the CR-V.

-Doug

rose5

I have a 2002 CRV, manual transmission, and the drivers seat has always been uncomfortable. (Wish I had paid more attention to this on the test drive!) Too narrow and not enough leg room in the driver's compartment. I have adjusted the seat back as far as it can possibly go, and I have still cracked my right knee several times on the dash getting in and out of the vehicle. While I like the CRV generally, the drivers seat has become a nuisance and ruins the driving experience. Because of this, I have been out shopping for a new vehicle. However, after looking at the price of new vehicles, I am thinking it would be so nice (and so less expensive!) if I could just keep the CRV and get a custom drivers seat mounted a little further back from the dash. Has anyone heard of this being done, the pros and cons, and what it entails?

bshel

Odd that the dealer would have both manufacturor origins. Generally, eastern states get English models and western states get Japanese models.

It is a mix here in Northeast. I have had 3 Japan-originated Honda's, and the ones my sister/family have also have Japan origins (NH/MA). I did notice my local dealership has a mix in their Accords.

bshel

rose5, have you searched through this forum and the Accessories forum under CR-V? I know others have replaced their driver's seat, but I don't recall what it entails. I find it comfortable for me, but I do understand it doesn't fit every body well.

varmint

I know of an Element driver who had the seat rails extended. This requires some skill in metal fabrication. You might find a welder through a body-shop.

One note of caution. Any modifications to something like the seat can have an impact on the safety of the vehicle. For example, pushing the seat too far back might put your body behind the anchor point for the seat belt.

joei

Need some help fixing brake lights on 2003 CRV. The middle light in the middle of the back works fine but the 2 outer brake lights are out. Night lights work fine in the front and back, only when the brakes are applied, then no brake lights in back. None of the fuses are labeled for brake lights unless I'm looking in the wrong place, there is a fuse box under the hood and another on the drivers side at the bottom. Is there another location for brake light fuses, or are the brake lights wired with running lights? I checked all visible fuses that may have had anything related to lights but they were all fine.

If anyone is familiar with the electrical system for the brake lights on a CRV, it would be nice to have some solutions for this problem available for others.

irbite

Varmint,

Can you be more specific on this rattling noise and anything you have heard re this? I am driving a 2001 CR-V automatic. It now has 65'000 miles but the rattling noise started earlier. It always appears under specific conditions: first it appeared whenever in between 3rd and overdrive, when starting from overdrive and slightly accelerating uphill yet keeping low revs. As soon as you let off gas pedal or push it harder (shifting to overdrive or 3rd respectively) the noise dissappears Now I get this noise even in between 2nd and 3rd, but in similar condition - steady and low revs. I always associated this with automatic transmission and so thought the service when I took the car in for test drive. However they said checking transmission would be quite costly and this noise does not bother me and I have not felt any change in performance. What would you suggest?

j2thomas

You'll get a temporary CA tag, (good for 30 days) and you only pay sales tax in the state the car gets registered in. Last yr we purchased a car out of state, it was extremely easy. I found out we were automatically insured on the new car for 30 days without giving them any details, (strange but true).

varmint

Years ago, a few owners reported a problem which sounded like a rattle or coarse vibration under the car. However, that noise only seemed to happen when running at a specific RPM and in either 2nd or 3rd gear. (About 2,000 - 2,500 rpms, if I recall correctly.) Initially, this was attributed to a loose heat shield.

We later found out the noise was the result of having the timing belt adjusted too tight. First generation CR-Vs have a timing belt rather than a timing chain.

I'm not sure if that fits the issue your describing or not.

co1

i have a 2005 honda crv se. i use the lg 7000 cell phone with the car adaptor supplied by verizon. when i plug the phone's adaptor into the front accessory power adaptor the fuse often blows. i have used the same adaptor in other cars with no problem, and i've purchased a new adaptor and the fuse still blows at times. usually i plug the adaptor into the phone and then plug the other end into the car socket, as per the phone's instructions.
i now plug the end into the car adpator very carefully. i'm thinking the car's socket may have a loose wire. the fuse that keeps blowing is the one labeled "+B FR ACC" which is number 15 in the fuse box chart. there is another fuse number 18 which is for the "front accessory power socket" but this fuse is never affected.
both fuses are 15 amps. i recently upped the "+B FR ACC" fuse to 20 amps, but it also blew after a while.
2 questions: anyone else have this problem and know what causes it and how to solve it?
and: why are their 2 fuses for the front acc power socket -what purpose does the "+B FR ACC" fuse serve?
thank you

merrill2

Hello:
Have just joined the forum because I'm thinking of buying a 1999 Honda CR-V EX. There is no arm rest on the left of the passenger seat and it's a bit uncomfortable not to have any place for the passenger to place the left arm.
Does anyone have a suggestion for a workaround or an aftermarket product that might fit over the stowable table between the two bucket seats?
Thanks for any advice.
Merrill2

rhodyv

My dealer sold me a Japanese one, and said that he wouldnt go near the British ones...says they've been nothing but trouble all around.

mikefm58

I don't know the website off hand, but they do make an after market arm rest as I've got a '99 CRV LX and had it done.

merrill2

Okay, Mike! Thanks!! Now I know I'm not the only one seeking the solution. Here's hoping another reader can come up with the Web address. Did whatever you got solve your problem to your satisfaction?