Honda Civic 2005 and earlier

benzrules · June 2002

Just bought a Honda Pilot and this is my first Honda to own (have owned other Japanese cars but no Honda). I am really enjoying it so far, but had a question. I purchased the 7/100 extended warranty, but of course have 60 days to cancel. My question is for the longtime Honda owners, what problems are typical after the factory 3/36 expires. I have never purchased the warranty for other Japanese vehicles, but have for the Mercedes I own as these repairs can get wickedly expensive. Would appreciate feedback from other long-time Honda owners as to basic repair items and costs further down the road. Thanks for your help.

Stephen

bjk2001 · June 2002

benzrules:

Maybe you should check out MDX board. Since Pilot is Honda version of MDX. I never get any extended warranty for any Japanese car I bought.

bjk

strong68 · June 2002

Just recently I have been hearing a strange noise from underneath the car ( 2001 Civic LX), it seems to be near the front tires, axle area. It happens when the car has been parked for awhile, and when I start up and begin to drive, then brake it makes a loud click. It only happens once and after the car is warmed up and has been driven I don't have a problem. Has anyone else has creaking noises from underneath their cars coming from the front end? Thanks

isellhondas · June 2002

Well...maybe if I let my imagination REALLY loose...:)

Both great cars, just different.

Some call the Corolla ride "softer" others (me) call it "mushy". Drive both and decide for yourself.

Timing chain vs. belt? Big Deal! So you change it after 105,000 miles. Chains wear out also.

Warranty? chances are you'll never use either one unless there are some initial bugs.

cwliang · June 2002

I think someone mentioned this earlier in this forum or on a 2k1civic forum, but the A/C in the '01+ Civic seems to be less than effective in cooling the area in the car. The air is least cool when you are stuck in traffic not moving, when the air that comes out is only cool or even warm (depending on your perception and the day outside). On the other hand it gets colder when you're moving at a good clip (ie, freeway speeds). It happens in other cars but is particularly noticable in the '01+ Civics, and it has led to people in other forums taking their cars in b/c of 'broken A/Cs' to which the dealers say nothing is wrong...

riverride · June 2002

The incentives are suppose to change for the Civic on the 1st, can someone please post the change as soon as it's available. By the way is there any Dealer Cash available for the Civic, I hear there's $1000 for the Accord and it's not listed? Well I'm hoping the APR goes down for the Civic......

mdownes · July 2002

I am in the market for a vehicle and need some feedback for either owning a Civic or the Impreza Sport. I like how both drive. The Subaru puts out 165 HP while the Civic is around 130 HP. The Civic has better gas mileage. So what I am stuck with is what will be the better car in the long run? I have heard that Subarus typically have engine oil leak issues and such. I typically keep my cars for a long time. I had a 87 Celica GT-S for 13 years with minimal problems. Any Suggestions?

glenglen · July 2002

Hi,

My sister has a '94 Civic without a/c. She is thinking about installing a/c and would like to know if the cooling system is adequate enough to keep the engine from overheating when the outside climate temperature reaches 90 - over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (Sacramento, CA temperature). Any helpful response will be appreciated.

Thanks,

glenglen

jrct9454 · July 2002

Use the factory kit, and there should be no problems retrofitting AC to a 94 Civic. And yes, the summer in Sacto demands that you have AC. Properly installed by somebody who knows what they are doing, there are no risks to the car's cooling system - all the parts necessary to do the job are part of the kit. Any of the area dealers would be happy to do it, I'm sure. We do all of our service at Elk Grove Honda, and they have been both timely and accurate in their work, but any dealer should be able to handle it.

glenglen · July 2002

jrct9454,

Thanks, I'll give my sister the info.

I heard that the temperature in Sacto reached 104 a few days ago. Yikes!!!

jrct9454 · July 2002

...I don't know how anyone drives in our area [Sacto] without AC. I see people running around with windows down, but once it hits 95F, you might as well be camped in front of a hot stove.

This is one reason why DX Hondas don't sell well around here - by the time you pay the dealer to add on the AC kit, you might as well have moved up to an LX and been done with it.

Toyota has made AC standard now on the Corolla CE - this will be the trend from now on, even in the entry-level segment. Of course, the '94s were another story...

isellhondas · July 2002

You could be in Redding !

DX's don't sell well in Seattle either where it rarely hits 80.

alyssazmom · July 2002

I did not purchase the extended warranty when I bought my Honda Civic. I keep reading about a "Honda care" warranty that can be bought? Is that true? What does it entail? Is it worth the cost and what IS the cost? I plan to keep my Civic well after the 3 year/36,000 mile warranty expires and would like "back up" so to speak

Thanks,

Carrie

jjpcat · July 2002

In my 2k1 Civic manual, Honda says the A/C filters have to be replaced at 30k miles. I took the filters out today and they are very clean. My A/C is still working as new. I am wondering if there are problems if I don't follow this schedule.

I didn't change the air filter for my 96 Accord at 30k miles as required by Honda. It was still clean when I sold the car at 47k miles and I didn't experience any engine problems. Maybe Honda is trying to be conservative.

vocus · July 2002

You can buy the extended warranty for any car, as long as the basic warranty has not expired.

vocus · July 2002

They say you should change them every 30K, but I guess there is no point if the filter is still clean. I guess you don't drive in many dirty areas. Right now on my car (2002 1.8T Jetta, 17K), the air filter needs to be replaced.

bjk2001 · July 2002

Civic has pollen filter which is a set of two of them need to be replaced @ 30 K not air filter for your engine. Pollen filter for Civic lists @ $51.00. Dealer charges ~$75 bucks to replace them.

Carrie:

Yes you can buy Honda care extended warranty. There are different years/miles and deductible options, it could go up to 7yrs/100kmiles./$0 deductible. Keep in mind Extended Warranty kicks in after Honda basic 3/36,000 warranty expires. For instance, if you bought 7/100,000 actually you buy 4 years and 64,000 miles. You could buy it from Any Honda Dealer in US.

Here is what I saw for Honda Odyssey on Ody board, just give you some idea:

7/100,000/0 $865
6/100,000/0 $735
5/100,000/0 $635
7/75,000/0 $645
6/75,000/0 $605
5/75,000/0 $545
5/60,000/0 $459
4/60,000/0 $399

I don't think you will need an extended warranty for a Honda Civic. Well I don't think you will need an extended warranty for a Honda period. I didn't buy it for either my Civic or Odyssey. Also, you could wait till 2 years/24,000 miles for your Civic to purchase it, after 2 years/24,000 miles you have to pay a "surcharge" like ~60 bucks.

Regards,

Ben

ps. I just helped an Internet bulletin board friend to purchase a Rudy Red 02 Civic EX 4 dr Auto without side air bag for $14,995. She also got door edge guard, mudguard and floormats free. These dealer installed options are already on, so dealer didn't take them off.

jjpcat · July 2002

Yes, A/C filter is different from air filter. The later one is used to clean up the air getting into the engine. Honda says both filters have to be replaced at 30k miles.

The funny thing is that in my 2k1 Civic, the air filter is very dirty while the A/C filters look like new. Could it because I don't use A/C that much? Someone on this board said the air filter has oil on it and that make the filter look really dirty.

Ben, thanks for the info on the price. Is there a cheaper way to get the A/C filters than going to the dealer?

dtownfb · July 2002

I don't own a Civic but enjoy reading this board since i did consider one about ayear ago. I found the recent discussion regarding the A/C quite amusing. I live in Eastern PA where we have had our share of high 80-low 90 degree weather with extremely high humidity. So A/C has been a must. It seems that some people expect that as soon as you turn your A/C on freezing cold air is suppose to come out and that is simply not the case, esp. if it is hot and humid outside. It takes time for the compressor to cool the air down and yes the compressor does work better when the car is running rather then idling (same as your engine). I wouldn't sweat the A/C. (yes a pun on words) It probably is working fine. Also the new refrigerant, 134c, does not get as cold as the older refrigereant used in pre-1994 cars.

Enjoy your Civics.

bjk2001 · July 2002

jjpcat:

There are a few Internet dealers selling them at a better discount than your local dealer (typical local dealer gives u 15% part coupon in the mail), just name a few:

1. Handa-Accessories.com
2. partscheap.com
3. hondaparts4you.com
4. www.hondacuraworld.com

H and A is the only one has price listed on its website $39.30. H and A and Partcheap are in Northern Calif which are closer to you but you have to pay Ca sales Tax of course shipping and handling.

hondaprts4u and Hondacuraworld are out of Ca so no sales tax. also hondaacuraworld charges $2.00 handling per order only. You may have to call them and find out which one gives best deal.

regards,

ben

gasguzz · July 2002

I don't think that the expectation is that you get cold air as soon as you turn on the AC, that simply defies common sense. What is being pointed out here is that the compressor cycles too often, an effect caused by small engine displacement/ecu and thank you EPA.
With the family minivan, I can reset the fan down to its lowest speed in some 5 minutes. How... First, the v6/ecu allows the compressor to cycle longer. Also, the AC has front/rear evaporators (which is the sub-system that actually cools the vehicle).
In short, it's the nature of the beast.

mtyf · July 2002

I was just wondering about how it affects the warranty when you install things yourself (or have it done at e.g. an electronics store), such as a CD player or keyless entry? does it nullify anything?

also, does anyone have a recommendation for a dealer/salesperson in the LA area, I might be looking to do some wheeling and dealing soon. why would you recommend them?

thanks!

bjk2001 · July 2002

DIY! If you do it right it will not affect your warranty, if you messed things up you are on you own.

Check weekend LA times.

bigkahunafl · July 2002

Has anyone bought a trunk tray for a 2001/2 EX? Was wondering how you liked it.

alyssazmom · July 2002

I haven't read a single post since Jan. 2002 that stated that the poster expected instant cold air. I have read and posted myself that the a/c NEVER gets cold as was confirmed last week by my service dept. I have a leak in my coolant system and was told that the Civic's are coming off the Ohio production line with a lot less coolant than normal. So if your a/c is not getting cold, add freon and that should fix it. I will be taking my car back next Tuesday to have the leak located and sealed.

~Carrie

bjk2001 · July 2002

bigkahunafl:

We bought one from hondaparts4u. Love it, keep the trunk clean when you transport stuffs. Highly recommend to get one.

Carrie:

My daughter's EX A/C is not cold as our Ody EX or Toyota Avalon, I drove it a few times and tried to check out her A/C but my trip was too short to really let it cool down. It works so so. Car gets cool but not cold cold. Since ours is made in Japan hope we don't have a leak in the system. I am curious what kind of improvement will you get after they fix your A/C system. Let me know, thanks! BTW it's not Freon 12 (CFC) any more due to O zone problem it's HCFC 134A I think.
[non-permissible content removed] luck,

Ben

gasguzz · July 2002

The Ody and Avalon are v6s with higher capacity compressors. The Ody also has dual evaporators.

gasguzz · July 2002

Yes, it will affect SPECIFIC warranties.
On CD... if you touch a single speaker wire - your system is warranty voided due to out-of-spec.
If you do it RIGHT, then you don't need the warranty - catch 22.
If you use the oem keyless and install per instructions, your warr is good. If you install aftermarket keyless, then that could void your power locks (specific warranty).

mtyf · July 2002

thank you for the info on DIYs...
i just looked up a 2002 LX auto on carsdirect and they give a price of $13,898...that seems pretty good to me. has anyone worked with carsdirect before? what other fees get added on? what is the buying process like?

thanks in advance!

mtyf · July 2002

i lied - it's $14628 for an auto LX. this still sounds good, i think?

jjpcat · July 2002

$14628 for auto LX is too expensive, unless it has options. In my area (San Francisco bay area), I have seen price at $13988 recently.

bigkahunafl · July 2002

Is the tray more of a mat or a tray? The picture is not very revealing.

bjk2001 · July 2002

bigkahunafl:

It's a Tray. Thick plastic fits inside the trunk with a few inch lid all four sides to prevent any spill or dirt. You could just take it out and rinse it off.

mtyf:

Today's LA Times 2002 Civic LX Coupe AT $13,598.- 2002 EX AT Sedan $14,888.

bjk

mtyf · July 2002

jjpcat: maybe that was for a manual? that's what they go for on carsdirect, and then you add 730 or something for auto.

bjk: i'm always a bit wary of the paper ads - usually it's the "one at this price" thing or i wonder what options are included, etc.? i figure when i actually go to the dealer that price will never hold...

bjk2001 · July 2002

mtyf:

Well what I saw on the paper is more than 1, 6 or 8 or more to choose. We bought out 02 EX in April. First, I emailed the internet sales asking for quotes. It was too high, so I questioned him and mentioned newspaper ad price is way low. He emailed back and said he will match any ad price for any car in their stock. So I went to see him and showed the newspaper ad to the internet sales. He took the newspaper ad and verified date was not expired, without any question he sold me the car at newspaper ad price. It took us 2 hours from step in the dealership to drive off the lot. (we waited for him back from lunch for ~ 10 minutes), test drove, also they had to get the car from their inventory lot then stripped the protection tape, clean off the car, while we were signing paper work.
Two weeks ago, I gave the dealer newspaper ad price from another dealer to a girl from reading my posts, she showed the price to her local dealer, they couldn't match the price. So she called the ad dealer to verify color is available and she got Ruby Red 02 EX AT Sdn at the ad price. She even got floormats, door edge guard, mudguard those extra dealer installed options free. Dealer had them installed already, and they didn't take them off when they sold her the car at the ad price.

So it is not a fiction! LOL!

Good luck your shopping.

bjk

jrct9454 · July 2002

...in big markets on the West Coast, or at least in CA, the prices mentioned in the posts above are very common. Automatic EXs are selling for what would have been a good LX price a year ago...

mtyf · July 2002

that's good to hear, i am in San Francisco on a trip right now but I will be looking to buy (in LA) when I get back next week so hopefully all will go well.

bjk: when you say "internet sales" who do you mean? (sorry if that's a dumb question)

bjk2001 · July 2002

mtyf:

Most of dealers have internet sales department. You could ask quote thru their website. They could email or call you to quote you price. Price in LA is cheaper than bay area. You could get a copy of weekend LA Times and typical price is cheaper toward the end of the Month.
Good Luck,

bjk

deluxcar · July 2002

A funny thing happened this week. In going over his punch list at delivery the salesman explained that the tires were Firestone.

Naturally, we were apprehensive about Firestone and the tire separation problems. However, to our surprise, when we got home, they were Dunlops; but the spare and warranty materials were Firestone.

I must say we are happy they are not Firestones but how do the Dunlops compare? It may be my imagination but I think the Dunlops produced higher road noise than the Firestones?
I know manufacturers use different brands, but what is the standard tire brand for the Civic LX 4-door sedan? And are the Dunlops rated as better tires?

cannell3 · July 2002

You are lucky about the Dunlops; our new '02 Civic came with Firestones, and from what I read, we won't be keeping them long. I have had several sets of 'lops, and was very pleased. Also, Consumers Reports liked them as well. Consider yourself fortunate!

As far as prices for new Civics go, the Western market must be much more exciting. We gave 17k for ours (automatic, same as carsdirect quote); but that included the infamous EPP package, and the window etch program as well. This 'deal' was from a friend of mine, to boot! Oh well, now my daughter understands why I don't enjoy dealing with dealers! At least the ordeal is over, for now!

bigkahunafl · July 2002

Ordered the try from the same place you did, bjk2001. I should get it tomorrow.

mtyf · July 2002

hi there, I hope I'm not being silly...

ok, I think I've settled on buying an '02 civic over an '03 corolla (you've won me over), but due to my downpayment money being tied up in my canadian bank account (I'll be buying in CA and thus am wiring it over), I don't think i'll be able to purchase for a couple of weeks (probably the second weekend in August). I've been seeing ads for the annual Honda clearance recently, and now I'm worried that I'll miss out.

Can anyone offer any reassurance? Is there any worry that 2002 Civics (I'm thinking LX) will be scarce in two weeks, or that I will miss out on good deals?

Thanks, and sorry if this is a stupid concern!

alyssazmom · July 2002

And if you come across a great deal with the options/color that you want, you can always put down a small deposit to hold the Civic. Usually around $500.00 (if you can).

Good luck,

Carrie

bjk2001 · July 2002

mtyf:

2002 Civic price is dropping. Watch out those dropping prices. You know Honda sells Civic EX under Acura EL in Canada. Riverside Honda is selling Civic LX 4 dr Auto $12,988. EX 4 dr Auto $14,988 some other dealers have the same or cheaper price on LA's newspaper ad. If you have extra 2 grand to spend, EX is a better deal.

Good luck,

ben

jmatero · July 2002

Hi all.... I've narrowed my choices down to the Civic EX Auto and Hyundai Elantra GLS. I couldn't get over the build quality of the Hyundai... it's much better than the Honda.... even the welds on the doors are nice and clean... but I'm worried about resale as I keep my cars about 2 years tops. The dealer hear in NY, Rockland Auto Plaza, has a GAZILLION EX sedans on the lot... auto and 5-speed with prices right in the windows: $16,496 AT, $15700 5-speed (both with no airbags... are they hard to find or something?) Now, these are carsdirect prices WITH airbags. Is this a good deal? Is there any special financing going on now? Hyundai is 3.9 for 60 months... what's the standard honda?

bjk2001 · July 2002

jmatero:

Are you talking about resale value between Hyundai and Honda? OMG. there is no comparison.

Lets' see according to Kiplinger's 2002 cars buyer's guide:

Cars under $16,000
Hyundai Elantra GLS resale value 2 year 48%, 4 year 31%

Cars $16,000-$23,000
Honda Civic EX resale value 2 year 61%, 4 year 47%

Resale value is based on MSRP not actual price you will pay.

You make the call.

ben

jmatero · July 2002

yes but the hyundai elantra can be had for under invoice, is $2700 less expensive to begin with and has 3.9% financing for 5 years... the Honda is regular finaning (7-8% I assume) so not only are you paying more up front for the car, you're paying more in interest so you'll owe more for the Honda in 2 years. I'm thinking it's a wash.... you'll be in the same boat in a couple years regardless of which you choose right?

vocus · July 2002

The Honda will definitely have better resale value than the Hyundai will. The Hyundai is cheaper in the beginning though, and the financing is cheaper, you said. It might well be a wash, but if it concerns you that much, sit down and work out the prices side by side. Then you won't worry about getting the better price after you bought the car.

Also, think about getting a slightly used (2001 or even 2002) car. That way, you will save on depreciation as well.

bjk2001 · July 2002

jmatero:

Civic EX in So Calif is selling $1700 below the invoice now. I paid $14,988. Honda had promotion special finance rate in April, I paid 2.9% for 3 years when I purchased my Civic.

MSRP for Civic EX 4 Dr Auto is $18,270 so
after 2 years $18,270 x 61%= $11,145.
after 4 years $18,270 x 47%= $8,587.

I jusy checked used local (LA) car price @ carmax

'00 Honda Civic EX 4DR Auto 32K miles $13,998
'02 Hyundai Elanta GLS Auto 4 Dr 17k miles $10,998, yes 2002 not a typo.

Even' 95 Honda Civic EX auto 2 dr 73K miles $7,998.

Ben

vocus · July 2002

That doesn't mean anything. I saw a 2000 Honda Prelude at Carmax with 58k on it for $15,995. Would you honestly pay that much for that car? I would hope not.

Carmax lowballs you, then sells the car you give them for about $3000 higher. I know, I have been there and done it.

I took my 2002 Jetta to them, just to see its value. They said $16,500 with 18K miles and loaded (it's a 1.8T). I could sell the car outright for $20.5K right now, and trade it for $18K at the dealer (I checked). They were selling a 2001 car exactly like mine (only the color was different) for $20.5K. Come on now.

Honda Civic 2005 and earlier

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