Honda CR-V Maintenance and Repair

barbinkc · August 2005

It is thru HondaCare. I will be contacting them directly after I find out what the dealership says (they have the car right now, I just dropped it off this morning). Thanks for the advice!

fussycrvowner · August 2005

Nice explanation of how the VTEC works. I feel a similar hesitation between 2000 and 5000 RPM. When I took mine in to the dealer they stated that they could not give an answer since there were no trouble codes set. Is there a way to tell if the actuator is working without the "it's already broken" light coming on?

andrelaplume · August 2005

Not to be a dead horse here...

I did read a bunch of posts on the supposed PTTR issue in the CRV. I have also read an abundance of complaints outside of the Edmunds forum. I never even heard of this until 2 weeks ago when we test drove an 05 LX automatic 2WD V (we want a 4WD but all they had was a 2WD for a test drive)...anyway my wife drove the car for about 25 minutes and had nothing but praise. The next morning I asked her about it again and she said the only annoyance was that she felt like she had to fight to keep the car going straight! (Wish she had mentioned that on the test drive!)

Anyway, I thought little of this until I started researching the V and reading User Reviews. I was stunned at how many folks were complaining about this PTTR issue and how many were basically being told it was normal for a V.

So, I am looking for the skinny on this issue.. Does this only affect the 05 models? Does it affect all 05 models? Should I wait for an 06 model? Is it true that Honda acknowleged the issue and has a TSB yet the TSB does not solve the problem?

Please refrain from telling me PTTR is normal for all cars. I am not talking about a minor drift but rather a more extreme pull. In my experience driving RWD, FWD and AWD I have never had such a problem except one time when I had a bad tire.

I need some blatant honesty here. I know there are a lot of 'Honda can do no wrong folks' who could not admit if there was a little design snaffu here. I ran into the same type folks with sludge issue in the Toyota forums.....you would not beilieve how many folks swore it was not an engine issue but a owner issue...many to this day do not acknowlege there was a problem. Obviously such brand loyalty is commendable but I need an honest answer before I shell 20K+ for something we'll likely drive for at least 7 years. So, those of you who are able to admit to a problem or irregularity please step up to the plate.....if t here even is one! I NEED TO KNOW!

gorewolf · August 2005

I have this exact same problem on my 2001 Honda CRV. I've been into one shop and they heard it, but couldn't fix it. I suggested the belt or tensioner to them, and they insisted it is all right. If you find a fix, please post it.

Thank You

alfie2 · August 2005

We own a 1998 CRV-EX, only 34,000 good miles on it. Tires replaced a year ago. Recently noticed a clunking sound coming from what seemed to be the rear undercarriage. The Honda dealership test drove and reported that the "sway bar links" needed to be replaced. This we had done, for a couple of hundred bucks, and it didn't correct the sound. Took the car back to the dealership, and were told that now the front "sway bar links" need to be replaced.

Any thoughts on this? By the way, the car has run great, no other problems, other than this. Thanks.

mikefm58 · August 2005

IMO of this issue, yes this is something I would look at very carefully during a test drive. And you're wife apparently drove one with the dreaded PTTR disease. Does it affect all CRV's? No, only a small percentage as there are plenty of satisfied owners. I believe Honda issued a TSB, but some have reported that it doesn't fix the problem.

Is the PTTR disease something that comes out as the car ages? I don't know. Maybe others can comment.

But if I test drove a CRV and was watching out for PTTR and the one I drove had a definite hard pull to the right, I'd move on to a different vehicle as I'd be fearful of that forever.

kcreature · August 2005

I have had my CR-V for a week and a half. I have only put about 300 miles on it so far. Today I was washing and waxing it and I noticed that the back side of the moonroof was not, well, looking right. It is kind of higher than the roof level and higher than the sides, which are a little below the roof level. There is also some "goo" which looks like it oozed onto the paint before it dried. I can push that side of the moonroof down about 1/8 of an inch, which is about where the rest of it sits. It hasn't rained on my CR-V yet, so I'm not sure about leaks, but nothing leaked when I washed it. Should I have it checked out? Like I say, I don't think it leaks now, but having a semi-loose roof makes me nervous. Or maybe that's the way they are supposed to be?? I'd really be surprised.

Thanks in advance.

theracoon · August 2005

Theres only a very small percentage of CR-Vs that have had the problem. Some 1st Gen CR-Vs had the problem, too.

Test drive the CR-V you are going to buy. It will either have PTTR or not. If it has PTTR buy a different CR-V. If it doesn't have the problem you'll be fine.

Good luck.

tcasboy · August 2005

I have recently test driven two CR-Vs, and both pulled to the right significantly during the test drive. I mentioned it to both salesmen, and one claimed to have never heard of the issue (same on who hadn't heard of the oil change induced engine fires almost 2 years ago as well) and the other acknowledged the issue and said he would talk to the mechanics about it. Then he came back and said that they (the mechs) said that some of them did that and there was no fix. He basically gave up on the sale at that point, because I said there was no way I would buy a car that pulled like that.

Anyway, there is a definite problem, and there is a TSB that addresses it. As was mentioned though, having the TSB completed doesn't always solve the problem. My strategy and advice is to not even consider buying a CR-V without a thorough test drive to determine if that particulat vehicle pulls to the right. I will also take a copy of the TSB with me when I go on the test drive so I can show it to the salesperson if they claim to have never heard of the situation.

If the car doesn't pull, buy it, but if it does, go find another one that doesn't. Why put yourself through the hassle of trying to get the dealer to acknowledge and fix a problem that you could avoid in the first place?

I am still having a hard time finding an EX with the manual tranny, but will continue to look for one that is the right color for me (I prefer the black interior) and doesn't pull to the right.

Good luck.

blueiedgod · August 2005

" If your car has been maintained by the book, Honda will most likely cover the whole thing 100%. "

Why would maintenance have anything to do with a complete compressor failure? There isn't any maintenance on those.

You are supposed to run your A/C once a week for at least 15 minutes regardless of the season and need. This is to lubricate the compressor. I consider it maintenance.

blueiedgod · August 2005

Nice explanation of how the VTEC works. I feel a similar hesitation between 2000 and 5000 RPM. When I took mine in to the dealer they stated that they could not give an answer since there were no trouble codes set. Is there a way to tell if the actuator is working without the "it's already broken" light coming on?

When VTEC solenoid fails, you may get a check engine light, you will not be able to rev past 5000 RPM, and you will notice power loss. Diana on "the other board" had VTEC failure at 70-some Kmiles.

K-series engines may burn oil, and low oil will cause symptoms similar to VTEC failure, but it is just a self preservation mechanism, where VTEC is disabled at low oil levels.

mikefm58 · August 2005

" You are supposed to run your A/C once a week for at least 15 minutes regardless of the season and need. This is to lubricate the compressor. I consider it maintenance. "

I've never heard of that. Is it in the recommended maintenance section of the owner's manual? If not, how could you consider that maintenance?

barbinkc · August 2005

I've never heard of that either, and there isn't anything in my owner's manual about it that I have seen under maintenance schedules ...

cansu · August 2005

Dear Sky:

I am thinking about buying a Honda CR-V SE 2005 or 2006. Did you find out anything about the weird problem in your CR-V SE? It is strange that Honda's have problems like that. The CR-Vs sold very well this year. On every street or highway you see lots of CR-Vs. I was told that Honda was number 1 selling car in the US, because they are very reliable.
Thanks for your advise in advance.

Cansu

kapusta · August 2005

I have not visited this board in a while, and it looks like my problem is not uncommon. I am very dissapointed with the way Honda has dealt with this so far.

About a year ago, while the car (2003 CRV) was still under warrenty (~25K) I brought it to the dealer in NY where I bought it because it felt to me like something in the AC was dragging more than it should. Running my AC cost me about 3 to 5 miles per gallon, which seemed very unusual. This condition had not been an issue at first, but it got worse to the point that I figured something was wrong. The dealer just told me it was normal to get lower gas mileage with the AC. I was sorta pissed but there did not seem to be much I could do at the time. I knew there was something wrong, but I could not really prove it. I just avoided using the AC unless necessary which was not a big deal sinse I moved to Tahoe shortly after. I also figured that sinse I had documented that I suspected something was wrong, it would help me down the road.

Anyway, this summer as I drove back east the compressor started making a terrible noise when it kicked on. At this point the car has 50K and was out of warrenty. While in NJ I had a dealer check it out and they said my compressor was bad and it was dragging. So I'm thinking this is a pretty clear case and Honda would cover me, sinse I had already brought this problem to the attention of an authorized dealer while still under warrenty. WRONG!! They offered to pay for half the parts and NONE of the labor or diagnosis! In other words, I still had to foot about 2/3 of the bill (it cost me $666). In my view this is totally unacceptable. This should have been fixed a year ago when it would have cost me nothing. I am told that my case will be further considered if I fax in the bill from the dealership. I just got back home to CA, so I'm going to do that and see what happens, but they already have all of that info, so I don't see why they are making this even more work for me.

I am still trying to get Honda to pay more, but I went ahead and paid to get it fixed while I was in NJ for two reasons: First, I was told that the offer was only good at the dealer that I had the car at, and if I did it in CA I would have to go through the whole process again (and I'd be out the $85 diagnostic fees) Second, I was afaid the AC would crap out altogether and I'd be driving coast to coast with no AC.

So I got the compressor replaced in NJ and head on my way to VA and then across the country back to CA feeling pretty miffed at Honda about this whole thing. On the very first day after I pick up the car the AC cuts out intermitently and by the second day it does not function at all. I call up my assigned service rep asking what I need to do so that I do not have to pay to fix this again, and after about 6 phone calls and over a week he has never called me back. I understand that parts are covered (labor and parts) for a year, but what if it was the fault of the dealer that fixed it?

I am very dissapoionted and suprised at the way Honda is handling this. My father, sister, and I have all bought new Hondas in the past 4 years, but unless something changes here, we are through with them. My sister's 2003 Accord also has a bad compressor, but we have yet to see what will come of that.

Anyway, I just want those who have said in previous posts that Honda would take care of them (in regards to a compressor crapping out at 50K) to know that they did little more than throw me a bone despite my documentation that I had brough up the issue while under warrenty.

If this situation changes and they offer to pay more, I'll post again and let you all know.

Jeff

maddog5 · August 2005

Our 2002 CRV suffered a locked up/exploded compressor one year ago at 31K. The entire system was replaced under warranty. It just happened again, 1 yr 5 weeks later at 51K. It is at the dealer now - they are contacting Honda to ask them to cover the repair which is no longer under warranty. We will see what happnes. We are very unhappy and our faith in the quality of Honda products is shaken. We don't want to have to replace our entire air conditioning system once a year. :mad:

sky23213 · August 2005

It would not be in the maintenance schedule, since it's not Maintenance per se. It is a recommendation, it's probably in the A/C chapter, sorry, if I'm mistaken. I consider it a good idea and do it whenever I remember during the winter and master the bravery to do that here in MN

. But I agree that this should not be an issue or reason to claim that "the maint. schedule was not followed". Or the cause for the compressor to fail before you paid off the car

.. especially on a Honda.

sky23213 · August 2005

Hi there! Well, it was not the problem that was weird, just the fact that something this trivial could happen this early, before 3K on a new Honda. Just a radiator hose not sealed well. Now I believe they fixed it, still see a few drops of coolant, will see if there'll be more. I agree on the reliability, probably the things are to the point that the majority of people associate the Honda name so much with reliability, that when something happens they are in denial

. With the car getting more and more sophisticated, there'll be more and more things to go wrong. Still, a lot of the postings you'll see on this forum are very legitimate as a cause of concern. Just go back and read the posts, maybe from the beginning of the year, there are some great guys that post often and know a lot! I'm sure you'll find the answer to a lot of you questions and make a well informed decision.
Good Luck!

blueiedgod · August 2005

I've never heard of that either, and there isn't anything in my owner's manual about it that I have seen under maintenance schedules ...

It is in the chapter about HVAC operation.

blueiedgod · August 2005

I've never heard of that either, and there isn't anything in my owner's manual about it that I have seen under maintenance schedules ...

It is in the chapter about HVAC operation.

blueiedgod · August 2005

Jeff, Honda corporate does not have records of you visiting the dealer at 25K. This is why they requested the receipts. Honda dealers are independantly owned shops, with licencing agreements to display Honda name and act on Honda's behalf in certain cases.

As far as why your A/C is crapping out again is probably a dishonest dealer in NJ. Hopefully it was not Bob Ciasully or Rt 23 Honda. They figured they would just replace the compressor, rather than the whole system as Honda requires them to do in these situations. The metal flakes in the system is probably what killed your new compressor.

kapusta · August 2005

As far as them not having the records, I just got them faxed to me and I'll be sending them to Honda shortly, so hopfully that will help. However, my case manager never even asked for a copy of the bill from my visit at 25K. He never indicated that he had no record. Sending that was my own idea. I've got to say that at this point it's pretty frustrating that he has not returned any of my phone calls for the past week.

If Honda requires the dealer to replace the whole system, why would they not tell them this when the dealer called to inqure about getting it covered under warrenty? It may be relavent here that my compressor had not blown up of fallen off as others have described. It was making a lot of noise and dragging, but it was still working. Perhaps I caught it before it vommited its metal flakes into the rest of the system?

Jeff

dbe · August 2005

Well...I came to this site today (via Google) to see if my new mechanic was correct in saying that CR-V compressors seem to blow up and I have found enough information to hold that true. I have a 2002 CR-V that came under an a/c attack over the weekend. I heard this very loud noise, stopped the car, got on my belly to look at the underside, (although I wouldn't know what I'm looking at) and found nothing unusual. I then got back in the driver's seat, rev ved up the engine and didn't hear the huge noise I'd previously heard while driving. I also had the a/c off at this point. I then turned on the air to see if it was still cooling. Living in South Florida and driving to appointments, I need my air. No cool air came forth. Nada.

Took my CR-V in on Monday and found out the terrible problem--costing $1700! This time I'm the lucky soul who had bought an extended warranty through my insurance company. My deductible is $250.00. I could have been out a lot of precious money. They've replaced the compressor (not the dealer) and other thing--forgot the name, but it's the other big item that makes up the system.

Someone also commented on gas mileage. I've never really gauged the miles to gallon but have intuitively noticed that it seems to gets much less than my 2000 CR-V and also has a much bumpier ride.I know why the ride, haivng a different chassis than the older CR-Vs. I won't be trading up again. I also could not believe all the letters from Honda Company with problems and recalls. I'm glad they're on their toes but yikes, what happened to the CR-V that was so reliable? I am a bit disheartened. debbie

stevedebi · August 2005

Since the A/C comes on in defrost mode, I suspect you use it in the winter quite a bit.

crvowner2 · August 2005

I have 2004 CRV and have been having the same problem. First it would happen once and then be fine for months then it started happening every couple of weeks. Now it's happening several times a day, except (of course) when I took it to the dealer. They gave me the same thing about the other keys on the ring, but that's not an issue. They said they started it about 50 times today and it started fine each time, so they say there's nothing they can do if doesn't do it while it's at the shop. So far I've been able to get it to start if I turn the key to the "accessory" position and put the car in neutral, then start it in the neutral position. But shouldn't that give the mechanic a clue as to what the problem is??? I guess I'm just supposed to keep driving it until I get stuck somewhere and have to have it towed. My confidence in this vehicle has sunk considerably. Anyone have a clue what is causing this problem??

blueiedgod · August 2005

I have 2004 CRV and have been having the same problem. First it would happen once and then be fine for months then it started happening every couple of weeks. Now it's happening several times a day, except (of course) when I took it to the dealer. They gave me the same thing about the other keys on the ring, but that's not an issue. They said they started it about 50 times today and it started fine each time, so they say there's nothing they can do if doesn't do it while it's at the shop. So far I've been able to get it to start if I turn the key to the "accessory" position and put the car in neutral, then start it in the neutral position. But shouldn't that give the mechanic a clue as to what the problem is??? I guess I'm just supposed to keep driving it until I get stuck somewhere and have to have it towed. My confidence in this vehicle has sunk considerably. Anyone have a clue what is causing this problem??

If you were not able to start it in park but started in neutral, that means that the transmission position switch is faulty. Go to a diffrent, more knowledgeable dealership. This one must employ "Jiffy lube" rejects.

As far as having other keys on the ring, that is true. As per OWNER's MANUAL, no other keys or heavy key rings should be used.

blueiedgod · August 2005

If Honda requires the dealer to replace the whole system, why would they not tell them this when the dealer called to inqure about getting it covered under warrenty?

It is Honda standard practice to replace the whole system. I suspect the dealer is the cheat. They don't get paid $80/hour when Honda corporate pays, so they figured they'd skip doing all the work.

Have you visited a local dealership to confirm the noise and diagnosis? What Honda dealer in NJ did you get the A/c fixed?

acrv · August 2005

I wondered why American Honda Customer Service(?) requires their customer to pay $100+/- for an estimate/diagnosis when there is a hole in the side of the compressor big enough to put your fist in and pieces were bouncing around in the roadway. They know on a compressor failure they require all of the a/c components to be replaced if in their desire to be "very generous" they decide to pay anything. Since everyone knows what needs to be done I guess the $100+/- for the estimate is a gift to the dealer. Not to mention the nuisance and expense in getting the vehicle to the dealer from a rural area and not having the use of the CR-V for the day. Honda's past reputation for reliability and customer service continues to erode away. anne

kapusta · August 2005

Honda is fully aware that the dealer only replaced the compressor. Or at least my service rep is.

No, I have not had a second opinion from a local dealership on the noise and diagnosis because the compressor was replaced in NJ. I would have waited until I got back to CA, but I was told that what assistance Honda was offering was only good at the dealership that made the request.

I don't want to name the dealer here until I know whether or not they are at fault.

barbinkc · August 2005

Looked it up and found it. This seems like a high maintenance part since I've never had to do this for any other Honda (or any other car, for that matter) that I've owned in the past. Just remembering to do it this winter will be a chore ...

kyfdx · August 2005

The compressor comes on, everytime you put the HVAC control on full defrost.. Look for the little green light...

I assume you are in Kansas City? I bet you do that all the time, in the winter..

regards,
kyfdx

lizzys · August 2005

What grade of gas are you guys using for your CR-Vs?

I'm currently using 93 octaine, but would like to drop it down to the medium grade? Has anyone done this, will it cause any damage, or anything like that????

kyfdx · August 2005

CR-Vs require regular.. 87 octane.. Mine runs just fine on that...

lizzys · August 2005

I thought I read in the manual that it had to be over 90 grade......Hense why I was asking

kyfdx · August 2005

Nope.... are you in the USA?

lizzys · August 2005

yes! In NY, where gas prices are sky high right now!

mikefm58 · August 2005

Stick with the 87 low test. I run that in mine and it's just fine.

barbinkc · August 2005

Yes, I'm in KC, and yes, I use the defrost a lot in the winter. I did notice it kicks in the AC, which I thought was weird, but as long as it cleared the windows I didn't care how it went about doing it. That's probably why the ac turns on, in any case, thanks for pointing that out to me. Otherwise, I'd never remember to do this once a week in the winter ...

barbinkc · August 2005

That's what I use in mine too and it runs fine. Crap, it's almost $3.00/gal here in KC now for 87 octane. If it needed higher, I'd trade it in - can't afford the gas bill the way it is - there goes my beer money!

princeman · August 2005

Well the A/C compressor on my CR-V just died at 46K - so not just the newer models have this problem. I was driving down the highway with the A/C on and suddenly heard a "whoosh" sound. I looked under the hood and could see major cracks on the metal casing on the compressor. Out of warranty, out of luck.
I've read the other posts here, but I'm not sure what to do. My local Honda service center wants me to pay $150 for a "diagnostic", but anybody can tell (by seeing the large cracks in the metal) that the compressor is part of the problem. The estimated repair will cost me over $1600 if I let my Honda service center do this repair.
I expected my A/C system to last more than 46K miles. Terribly disappointed in Honda reliability as far as A/C goes. My 1986 Accord compressor went bad too (albeit at 115K miles). Only my 2000 Si (with 97K miles) has escaped so far though I realize A/C systems have a limited lifetime.

blueiedgod · September 2005

I thought I read in the manual that it had to be over 90 grade......Hense why I was asking

Can you scan that page and host it for us to see. Mine says 86 or up. I have a 2005, the 2001 said the same. The 2002 Civic Si said 86 or higher. The only Hondas that require 91 are the 1999-2000 Civic Si, Acura GS-R, Acura TSX, Honda Oddysey, Acura NSX. All of them will run fine on 87, just the listed power will not be achieved.

fussycrvowner · September 2005

Just a thought while reading through all the posts regarding AC compressor failures. Is there a way to check how much refrigerant oil is in the system? It seems that if the compressors had enough oil to lubricate there may not be so many of them throwing debris onto the road. I am holding my breath as mine has 26K miles in it and the AC is still working. One bit of maintenance I did do was to change out the refrigerant at 20K miles. The can had an oil charge in it as well. Hope it buys some time....

blueiedgod · September 2005

Looked it up and found it. This seems like a high maintenance part since I've never had to do this for any other Honda (or any other car, for that matter) that I've owned in the past. Just remembering to do it this winter will be a chore ...

My 1999 Honda Civic, 2001 Honda CR-V, 2002 Honda Civic Si and 2005 Honda CR-V OWNER'S MANUALs all said to run it 15 minutes a week no matter what season.

I am not ragging on you, but talking to everyone here: OWNER'S MANUAL is a good source of answers to alot of questions posted here. They give you one to read, not to skim through, not to browse and look at picture not to toss, but to read and understand how to operate your machine. All machines need to be taken care of and operated in a way they were designed to be operated. We are not born with this knowledge, this is what OWNER"s MANUAL does. Either it is the VCR manual that tell you how to set the clock, or the car manual. They are included with the product for a reason.

blueiedgod · September 2005

Well the A/C compressor on my CR-V just died at 46K - so not just the newer models have this problem. I was driving down the highway with the A/C on and suddenly heard a "whoosh" sound. I looked under the hood and could see major cracks on the metal casing on the compressor. Out of warranty, out of luck.
I've read the other posts here, but I'm not sure what to do. My local Honda service center wants me to pay $150 for a "diagnostic", but anybody can tell (by seeing the large cracks in the metal) that the compressor is part of the problem. The estimated repair will cost me over $1600 if I let my Honda service center do this repair.
I expected my A/C system to last more than 46K miles. Terribly disappointed in Honda reliability as far as A/C goes. My 1986 Accord compressor went bad too (albeit at 115K miles). Only my 2000 Si (with 97K miles) has escaped so far though I realize A/C systems have a limited lifetime.

Read the posts and do what others did to get it covered. You have to pay the diagnostic fee. Then you have to call Honda corporate. Don't rely on the dealer, this is your interest at stake, take time to do it. Honda is a good company, they stand behind their product. Everyone makes mistakes and Honda is willing to live up to theirs. You just have to do it their way, or you will have to pay out of pocket. I am sure the compressor supplier has lost their contract with Honda, or at least I hope Honda dropped them.

epm1 · September 2005

You need to contact American Honda Motor Co Customer service- their address and 800 phone number are inside the front cover of your Warranty Info Book- they will tell you not covered- out of warranty- but be polite and persistent. They paid for my diagnosis and 1/2 of repairs- others with lower mileage like you have reported 100% payment. You will have to put up with double talk and even personal insults(apparently anything to get you off the phone-they suggested I was not being truthful, threatening them and avoiding(?) them) but be persistent. epm1

mikefm58 · September 2005

" OWNER'S MANUAL is a good source of answers to alot of questions posted here. They give you one to read, not to skim through, not to browse and look at picture not to toss, but to read and understand how to operate your machine. All machines need to be taken care of and operated in a way they were designed to be operated. "

I stand corrected on maintenance issues with the A/C. Though there isn't an individual item in the maintenance schedule, there is information about it in the maintenance chapter on page 219 in my owner's manual ('99 CRV).

" Run the air conditioner at least once a week during cold weather months. Run it for at least 10 minutes while you are driving at a steady speed with the engine at normal operating temperature. This circulates the lubricating oil contained in the refrigerant."

'99 CRV, 111K miles and no A/C problems. I live in Florida so it gets daily use, even in January.

princeman · September 2005

Thanks to all for the advice. I'll pay the diagnostic fee and then give Honda Corporate a shot. Hopefully they can reduce the bitter taste in my mouth about Honda products - else I'll be shopping Toyota next time!

btw, I'm not just a gas-n-go customer. Both, my cars were purchased new and religiously maintained on schedule. I run the A/C in the winter periodically as suggested by the owners manual. I live in Georgia so the A/C gets used most of the year. To those CR-V owners with no problems after x miles, bless you. But that doesn't help me as being one of the unfortunate ones who's A/C failed.

barbinkc · September 2005

Well, I had a 1988 Civic before I bought my CRV. Don't have the owner's manual anymore so don't know if this held true for that car as well, but I'm pretty good about reading up on maintenance and at least skimming thru the manual when I purchase a vehicle. I owned my Civic for 15 years (175,000 miles when I totaled it, and there wasn't a thing wrong with the car when I wrecked it), never had a problem with the air conditioning and never ran the air during the winter. Before the Civic I had a Toyota, a Mercury, two Fords, a Chevy, and a Dodge - none of which had air conditioning problems and none of which I was required to run the air during the winter once a week. So I still maintain this makes it a high maintenance item.

blueiedgod · September 2005

I have an 88 Prelude and no A/C problems. I had to recharge it once. The 2002 Redesign of the Cr-V brought the A/c problems bacuse Honda outsourced some of the components.

No car is perfect, I am sure you had other problems with a Toyota, a Mercury, two Fords, a Chevy, and a Dodge.

At least Honda stands behind its product and is covering the repairs, like they did with the failed auto's on the Accords and Oddyseys. Did Dodge help you pay for the tranny after it failed 3 miles outside of warranty?

Each manufacturer would have different maintenance items. Honda has required preiodic A/C operation for a long time. My 1985 Civic and 1988 Prelude manuals all say that it is needed.

clunkerdriver · September 2005

hey alfie

i am checking out a used 99 CRV-LX at a dealer, and took it to a mechanic (not the dealer) who also noticed that clunk. the dealers service records even indicated that the owner had noticed the clunk at least a month before she traded it in and there was some mention of a missing part to be installed, although nothing more specific.

on the lift, my mechanic also couldn't find much that might be causing the sound, and suggested that one of the sway bar links was bad (the rubber shoes around it seemed to be loose and there was some rust). i told the dealer what he said, and asked her to try and fix the clunk before i buy. i'm waiting to see. :confuse:

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