Honda CR-V Maintenance and Repair

kurtq1 · April 2004

Well $353Cdn later it turns out I needed a left inner tie rod end and 2 front stabalizer links. The clunking is gone. Good call Varmint. They couldn't isolate the vibration noise. They checked the heat shield and it was fine. They suggested it could be the catalytic converter. Personally I don't think that's it. Varmint, I asked about the timing belt but they said if it was the timing belt, it would make the noise even when revving the engine. Mine only makes it when I drive. Still perplexed.

varmint · April 2004

Yes, that's probably true about revving the engine. Most owners with that problem experienced it at about 2,500 rpms. I can't think of a reason why it would require the transmission to be in gear.

Keep us posted!

inkie · April 2004

My daughter has a 99 SE and the dealer wants to change the cabin filter for 99.00. She wanted to know if its okay to do. Shes a 40 year old widow so I try to do all I can for her. I won't see her for a while so I tried to get her to look in the maint manual and get me some information on what it entails, but she can't locate the manual. My question to you is: Is it like the new CRV's where the glove box drops down? or is it like the Accords where you have to remove panels. Thanx

mikefm58 · April 2004

You have to take the glove box & frame out as well as some panels and there isn't anything in the owner's manual with enough details. I've got a shop manual so I had a good start. There should be some websites around with pics and detailed instructions. I've changed the cabin a/c filter on my '99 CRV about 3 times so far. The first time I did it, it took me about 1.5 hours but I can do it now in about half that time. It's pretty easy once you go through it once. The filter is about 30 bucks, so a $99 quote from the dealer isn't bad.

raydahs · April 2004

inkie - here's a link from the sponsor listed above. Alot of good info from these guys, hope it helps. Click on products, then which fits your car/installation, then fill in the blanks.
http://www.micronair.com/ OOPS, I just noticed that it's for an 02', I'll leave it anyway to get a visual...sorry for the confusion.

theracoon · April 2004

I tried the micronair.com link, but it only shows the 2nd Gen CR-Vs (2002 and up). The 1st Gen ('97-'01) are quite a bit different. You have to actually remove the glove box, then unbolt the metal support cross piece behind it before you can remove the filter.

varmint · April 2004

Inkie - As mentioned above, the filter is tucked away under the passenger side of the dash. It's a pain, but it's "doable".

p.s. There was no SE in 1999. The first ones were produced in 2000.

inkie · April 2004

Thanks for all the info. I was hoping it would be the glove box removal type. I will tackle the job when I get a chance.
Varmit your right again, its a 2000 SE. You know your CRV's.

auburn63 · April 2004

By the time I read this board you had already recieved all the good info but just wanted to type in so as you didnt think I ignored you or anything. Good luck its not a bad job for a DIY job.

inkie · April 2004

John, It amazes me as to how you can keep up with all the boards and put in 8 plus hours at work.I do have a question, when you dream what are the colors and models of the Hondas? LOL

auburn63 · April 2004

Blondes and brunet's that are built for speed usally....

bshel · April 2004

thanks, kizhe(fellow-local-CRV-driver). Took me a while to post back on this. I did end up getting the chip/crack filled. It was small enough. It was caused by falling ice off a tree - hit it just right to crack the glass (while driving down a local road). I could have had the windshield fully replaced but was concerned about breaking that nice factory seal. They do guarantee their work, & it is a slight fleck after they buffed it.

When I had the windshield replaced in my Accord -after some time passed - water did leak into the car (onto me) during rainstorms. I had it replaced again when that happened and that time, no problem.

mariacherie · April 2004

I'm considering getting an '03 EX certified if the price is right or the '04 EX. But if both prices come very close,would you personally go for, the '03 due to the longer warranty and a chance that maybe the dealer has fixed whatever problems there were if any in order to sell it Certified (but still used) OR the new '04 which may have some undiscovered glitches (like lots of new cars) and a shorter warranty? I know I can always buy an extended warranty but they can get costly so if I can get a longer one by buying a Certified car I would rather do that...problem is I'm seeing so many of the Certified '03 and '04s as well as '02s priced so closely to the new '04s. In Georgia and nearby states the asking prices range from $19K-$22K on the used...some aren't even certified. I DO understand that is just 1 year old right now. And yes with those prices I might as well buy new but again...just considering the warranty seeing as though people have been posting various problems with the CR-V. So I would like some opinions. I hope to keep the car for a good while unless I need to sell in 3-4 years. I was told by a dealership that an extended warranty could cost as much as $1400 for the CR-V?? If I were to get an extended warranty later I would like to get it outside the dealer but not sure which companies are best and don't like the thought of having to pay $100 per visit as most offer.

mariacherie · April 2004

My first post (#1042) leads to the following:

Is there anyone out there who has traded an '03 or '04 CR-V? If so, how much were you able to get for your trade assuming it was in "good" condition? I'm trying to see about how much dealers are "ACTUALLY" giving people for their CR-V trades in comparison to how much they are trying to profit on the used cars even though I know that the dealer will double their profit. I don't mind giving room for a profit, but not if you are trying to rob me. I know Edmunds list the '03 TMV at $17,447 on the trade-in and the TMV for Dealer retail is $20,451...have you, or anyone you know of actually got that amount or close to it for trade-in.

I would be putting up a very large cash deposit and financing very little of it through my own credit union at a good rate... so for an '03 or '04 EX if I negotiate well IYHO with a price ranging between $20K-$21K how far do you think I can negotiate down to for a Certified or a New EX. I plan to go through the fleet manager department to get some quotes and negotiate a better deal.

Also, one dealer dropped the price of an '02 LX he had priced at 17,999 down to 16,999. He quoted the sale price of the 03 EX at 20,995 but at that time I was looking at less expensive vehicles seeing as though I won't be driving everyday but I wonder if I wait until the end of the month how low I might be able to get the price down to so that I can be between 18,700-19,700 OTD seeing as though I have some bargaining power. I've done some calculating so I can know what range I will negotiate in prior to purchasing which will include taxes and some other fees. Most dealers in Georgia charge from $499-699 for doc. fees. Only one has told me that they only want $249. So I'm trying to leave some room for fees and still be in my desired OTD price range.

I can either buy now or wait until July. Does Honda tend to offer more discounts or cash rebates during the summer like for Independence Day?

I'm posting this under Problems and Solutions as well as Price Paid forum to get more responses.

kyfdx · April 2004

The price of '03 used CRVs seems to be too close to the price of a new '04. If they are close, its really a no-brainer. You can buy the 7yr/100K Hondacare warranty for a new '04 for under $1000. You can wait and buy it just before your original warranty expires for only about $100 more than that. If you can find a nice '03 for sale by private owner, you might find a good deal... not too many good deals on them at the dealer. Even if you buy privately, you can add the Hondacare extended warranty.

regards,
kyfdx

mariacherie · April 2004

Your suggestion of "Buying privately"....

my response: yes I'm looking at that also but there aren't many available through Private parties right now. And those that are, are in the same price range and a couple of them were asking for as $21,000.

as far as it being a "no brainer" and getting the Hondacare warranty later for under $1000...

my response: Seeing as though the other dealer told me it would cost about $1400 I had put the idea of getting the extended warranty on a new vehicle off because of that price quote. I was assuming the warranty would be anywhere from $700-900 which would be fine for me to get it a little later. I was considering buying a warranty outside of Honda since I heard it's cheaper but like I said in the first post, I wasn't certain of the reliability of the companies.

But thanks for giving me more accurate pricing on the cost of the warranty. I just didn't want to be on the high end or above my targeted price range and still pay close to $1400 for an extended warranty later on. I'm aware that I can get the warranty close to the end of the original warranty, but through research of OTHER warranty companies it was stated the earlier you buy it, the cheaper it is. So your're saying that this is NOT so for Honda and it's just about an extra $100 not tons more, correct?

Anyway, I'm checking to see what the local dealers are willing to do to make it worth my while. Of course other manufacturers would give me a good deal but I prefer the CR-V. And it's not everyday that a person who doesn't HAVE to buy a car buys a car for the sake of doing so. So I'm basically giving these people money since that is the case I would like to save as much as I can save.

On an '01 EX (which IS an older model but none the less a Honda). One dealer was advertising it at $10,995 CERTIFIED with low mileage on the net and magazines where as most others wanted $13K-15K. But that's just an example of the huge price difference you can sometimes find. The carfax report check out also. Which leads me to believe that it could be possible to get an '03 at a good price as well but of course you won't that type of deal often besides an auction.

Bottomline: Option #1: If I find one on ebay for less than what private parties and dealers are asking, with the right color and it checks out with my mechanic I planned on going for that and buying a warranty. Option #2: wait and keep checking to see if that same dealership or another does a drastic price drop on a Certified car like the '01 EX or Option #3: wait and see if they drop the price enough for me on the '04 this way I have a new car, and a warranty and can later decide if I need to get another since now I know that it won't be as much as I expected. But if buying a new '04 means I will end up paying more than what I plan to pay for a new car after negotiating and also depending on current dealer sales I will still go with the certified because I won't have to pay extra for a 7 year warranty be it now or later..sure the extra is tied into the boost in price for certified...but if that still leaves me where I want to be..that is what I plan to do. It's just that sometimes some dealers will really drop prices lower than what you think depending on the time of year and I really can wait all year if I want but I prefer to do it sooner. This weekend one local Honda dealer had a sale of $200 over invoice but I needed to do a little more research and weighing since the Mazda dealer could have saved me thousands. But I'd rather be informed and ready to purchase just in case one of those once in a blue moon deals comes along. So for me personally, although the prices are close and yeah the logical thing for some would be to get the '04...it just kinda depends on if the prices hold steady and for how long. But I was just curious to know what others would do which could give insight on what I am currently considering. Thanks so much for the info.

kyfdx · April 2004

See curryhondacare.com for details on purchasing the factory extended warranty on your own. The CRV is a great car... If you are looking to spend less, and AWD is not that important to you, I would also look at the Mazda 3 hatchback.

regards,
kyfdx

mariacherie · April 2004

Yeah, I test drove the Mazda 3 Sedan the same day as my last test drive of the CR-V. I love the 3 sedan better than the hatchback but I went with the CR-V instead because of the resale value in the event I DID decide to sell sooner than what I plan on. Also I'm just not sure since this is the first generation of the 3. The salesman said it has the same engine as the Protege which is good to know just in case I get it later. My husband basically said that it was completely my decision which one I would rather go for. But I will definitely go to the Curry Honda website to read more on the warranty info. I haven't seen a lot of detailed info on the other sites.

Thanks a lot.

kyfdx · April 2004

The Mazda 3 'S' model has a different engine.. more money though, naturally for that upgraded model... Don't quote me, but I think the 'S' has the same 4-cylinder as the Mazda 6. 160 HP if I remember correctly.

You definitely can't go wrong with the CRV.

regards and good luck,
kyfdx

tntitan · April 2004

My wife has the 2002 CRV-EX and after 45K miles we absolutely love this vehicle. It has served its intended purpose and we have had no problems. The brakes are still great, no rotor problems, no driver seat problems, etc. We had some issues with the CEL light but they have gone away as well. In the last 5K miles I have replaced both headlights and got rid of those Dueler tires which I never liked. That is the extent of our problems. Yes, their is some wind noise and the ABS modulator clunks when backing out of the driveway each morning but I have never had a perfect car yet.

We plan to keep this vehicle around 10 years and expect to have 150-200K on it but I NEVER even considered an extended warranty. Take the cost of your extended warranty and invest it conservatively at 5% and I bet you will have money left over at the end of the day. Extended warranty on a Honda.....ppppleasssee! Might as well get the undercoating rust protection and the lifetime paint protection sealant options.

crvex · April 2004

my new crv need a long time (about 4 secnds) to turn on the engine, sometimes i just need to do that twice to make the engine on, is that normal for crv or my car is in troulbe.

i bought this car last month.

thanks

kizhe · April 2004

No, it is not normal, check with your dealer.

andrelaplume · April 2004

Let me get this straight, you are spending $23 grand or more on a CRV, Honda (though a quality car) provides only 3/36 coverage. You are keeping the car 10 years or 200K miles and you do NOT feel spending $800 or so on a bumper to bumper warranty is worth it? I use to feel this way about Toyota. Engines never go on a Toyota right? Tranny's never go either? Well they did of my wife's '96 RAV. Thank God we had the extended warranty. Nothing worse than paying big bucks for a better quality can and getting stuck with a huge repair bill on car that will be described as an 'abberation'. Now if you are keeping the car on a few years I can see but to assume your Honda's NEVER going to have an expensive repair over 7 years may be crazy. What's a warranty , say $800 over five years? I think of it as added insurance. Good luck either way but I can tell you a new AWD tranny is in the thousands as is a new short block engine. Even a power window switch replacement is in the hundreds. And while the odds may be against a Honda having such an issue just be aware it CAN happen, and does. Good luck wth your V.

automatic · April 2004

How do these extended warranties work? (specifically the Hondacare warranty)...If your window switch goes out at 99K, can the dealer say that the switch is designed to last 90K, so it is not a defect and is not covered? Some things fail on a car after several years, but not all of these failures are due to defects...some (many?) are just due to the part being normally worn out at the end of its service life. Or do these warranties cover anything that breaks or wears out (short of wipers and oil filters). What about worn seat fabric at 60k miles?

stevedebi · April 2004

Anything covered under the warranty will be replaced. The only issue is wear and tear, but those items are not on the warranty (tires, etc.) Read the fine print to see what is covered.

In your example, the window switch would be replaced for free (assuming you bought the zero deductable).

gary_william · May 2004

mariacherie, I bought my '03EX from Honda Carland in Alpharetta, on Roswell Road/Alpharetta Highway. They gave me the best price in town, and none of the other 4 local dealers I went to would match that price even without detailing, pin stripes, or floor mats. I had a good experience with them as far as price goes, so I can recommend them for that. Just make sure that you check the financing paperwork, since it took them 3 tries to get mine right. Oh, and tell them that you are an "internet" customer and they give you no hastles, just the best price, no "mandatory" test drive or "let me ask my manager" run arounds.

mariacherie · May 2004

Sounds great...thanks for the info. I'll definitely check with them on pricing.

hcmmike · May 2004

it has been awhile since I've been on this forum...I have a 2002 CR-V used for city driving in the Midwest...no off-road stuff...typical four season weather...a little over 40,000...I have to buy new tires TODAY (the dealer told me they are surprised I haven't had a blow out)...the dealer is recommending Michelins but they are too pricey...any recommendations from those who have been there?...thanks..

crvex · May 2004

i went to honda dealer last friday. the manager told me that it is not normal, however, he had no clue at that time what might cause that problem.
he filed a report to Honda tech., however, i have not received any reponse from either him or honda yet.
the engine problem become even more serious now, is there anything i can do to figure out what's wrong and how to deal with it?

thanks a lot

kyfdx · May 2004

The most popular choice in replacements so far seems to be the Yokohama Avid T4. They are relatively inexpensive.

A step up in price would be Bridgestone Turanza LS-T.

Original equipment on my '02 is Bridgestone Dueler 684HT. Not a great tire, but pretty cheap.. I'm at 30K miles and mine are ready for replacement.

regards,
kyfdx

theracoon · May 2004

I replaced mine with Yokohama Avid Touring tires. I looked at the T4s but liked the specs and reviews of the Tourings better. The Avid Tourings also have an 80,000 mile treadwear warranty, as compared to 60,000 for the T4s. I also live in in the midwest.

Karen_S · May 2004

You also might want to pose your question in Ask Connor at The Tire Rack.

icvci · May 2004

I bought a set of Yokohama Aegis LS4 based upon Consumer Reports tire tests. While not all of CRs car tests are objective, their tire tests are. I wanted a tire that would be good in snowy Michigan winters and wet springs.

They are a HUGE improvement over the stock Duelers and a very good price. (Somewhere around $42.00 a tire at tirerack.com) The treadwear warranty isn't as good as that on other Yoko's but, the trade off was better ice and snow performance per CR.

banddexpress · May 2004

Well at about 3500 miles my abs light came on they reset it and then about 800 miles more it came on again they changed out the entire unit and so far haven't had any more problems with it. Knock on wood. I just wanted everyone to know this is the best vehicle I've ever owned. There is plenty of room and it gets better gas mileage then the 03 elantra I traded in. I love sitting up high. I wish the windshield wipers had more speeds to choose from but besides that its been great.
Brent

tntitan · May 2004

I replaced the tires at 37K with Michelins from Costco for $350 after instore rebate. Much better tire than original Duelers which I couldn't stand even when new.

kyfdx · May 2004

Which Michelins?

Thanks,
kyfdx

princeofpunjab · May 2004

I just bought a 04 EX but I notice that standing at red lights there is a vibration in the steering wheel. I was wondering if this was normal or part of the EX desigen since the gearshift is on the dash. Any input would be highly appreciated.

kyfdx · May 2004

I think it is pretty typical of most 4-cylinder engines with automatics. Between the automatic "slipping" to allow the car to idle in place and the load from the power brake booster, the revs drop slightly under 1000 RPM and the car shakes a little. Most of my experience is with Hondas, and it seems pretty normal to me... All of them do it, to some degree.

regards,
kyfdx

derkommissar73 · May 2004

It's far less vibration than I felt in my 2000 VW Golf. That engine shook like a washing machine. I'm still amazed at how smooth the engine in the CR-V is. It feels like flying in comparison. I do feel what you feel at some stops below 1000 rpm, but I agree that some vibration is inhearent in the 4 c. design. Still- much better than others.

silver_bullet · May 2004

I just purchased a very clean 2001 CR-V EX with the Honda AM/FM/single CD/cassette factory stereo. Unfortunately, the seller could not find the card with the radio code, and my local dealer tells me they can provide it if I give them the numbers on the rear of the unit. Can someone direct me to a site with removal instructions, or give me a general idea of how its done? I'm familiar with the basics from having replaced several car stereos over the years. Thanks!

theracoon · May 2004

Click on the H and A - Accessories sponsor link above. Navigate through several clicks to the 1997-2001 CR-V (Honda -> CR-V -> 1997-2001), select the Audio & Electronics accessories, then look for the "Single Disk CD Player." H and A posts the installation instructions as Acrobat PDF files, which in the case of this accessory includes the information on removing the radio (even though yours isn't the same as the example in the instructions).

Good luck.

crvex · May 2004

It has been a week since my dealer admit that there is a problem with my CRV's igination system.
however, so far, they still do not know what's to do and just ignore my phone call about that.

is this the typical honda service or i need to be more patient.
i am sort of disappointed right now. i bought a brand new honda mainly because it is supposed to be troublefree, at least for the first couple of years.

icvci · May 2004

Nothing is typical at a dealership. They are all different. If you aren't being treated well, contact their service manager or, go to a different dealer.

silver_bullet · May 2004

Thanks for leading me to the instructions! It certainly doesn't look like fun - does anyone know if one of those adapters that plugs into the power socket and has a 9V battery clipped to one end will prevent the radio from going into "code mode" when the vehicle's main battery is disconnected? All I'd really like to do here is be able to replace the main battery someday without having to pull the radio to get the code.

french · May 2004

I found this on another site.

UPDATE Upon reading further down the thread that I found this tid bit in, I read that it does NOT work on Gen 1 CR-Vs. Yours is a 2001, right? So is it Gen 1 or Gen 2?

Here's how to obtain the serial number for a crv radio without removing the unit from the dash. I can only confirm this for the 2002 radio/tape/CD player in our LX (had to do this on the wife's car). It may work for other years, maybe someone can try and add the years that it works on to this thread.

1. turn the key to the on postion
2. turn the radio on (the word "code" must be displayed....if it is not, unplug the batter for a couple of minutes OR leave the radio on for 1 hour and then start over at #1)
3. turn the radio off but leave the key on.
4. hold down the preset buttons #1 and #6
5. turn the radio back on while holding down #1 and #6

The radio should now flash two sets of numbers (4 digits each) and a letter. The forth digit is in the far right of the display and it is smaller than the other numbers. Those 8 numbers make-up the serial number that the dealers can use on-line to look up your code.

silver_bullet · May 2004

My car is a Gen I, and I was told by the dealer that this trick only works on Gen II cars :-( But, the dealer who sold us the car just called me a few minutes ago with the code... they called the previous owner, who just happened to find the code stuck in his personal insurance file. Whew!

krish · May 2004

I changed original on 39300 miles at Sams Club with Goodyear Allegra, 65k warranty, $58, driven 2k miles, haven't driven in snow, so far it is good - but noise is too bad on >70s.

silver_bullet · May 2004

Here's a link to Bosch's instruction page for replacing the cabin microfilter in Gen. I CR-Vs (as well as earlier Civics and Accords):
http://www.boschautoparts.co.uk/pcCFil10_h.html
Click on the "installation instructions" for a pdf document showing you how to do it. For those (like me) who don't own a copy of the factory service manual, this should do the trick. The 2001 we just bought still has its original filter at 22K miles, and even though it is a 30K mile item, I'm going to do it now - Houston air is pretty nasty.

chevy4life · May 2004

How do you turn off/reset the maintenance required light? I am done taking it to the dealer and paying through the nose for piddly work. Last time I had my 02 in for the 45k service, they changed the coolant, but didn't bother putting ANY in the coolant overflow tank (it supposed to have some).

So, does anyone know how to make it go away so the next time it comes on, I'll be ready?

chevy4life · May 2004

After searcing through some posts, it dawned on me why the dealer sold me 6 oil filters for a discounted price: they were unloading them because Honda no longer uses them. I have one left. After that, I will be putting on the newer, smaller one.

Can this filter be found anywhere other than the dealer? Is there a cup or band wrench (aftermarket) for it? The dealer wants $30 for the wrench!

These carmakers are getting too proprietary with their cars. Pretty soon, we'll have to buy Honda gas and Honda oil!

Honda CR-V Maintenance and Repair

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles