Honda CR-V Maintenance and Repair

mm123 · September 2005

Believe it or not, Honda is paying for the second repair, too!! No games, no negotiations, but a simple "We fixed it last time, we'll fix it this time"!! They may even have it fixed by tomorrow if they get the last part in (it was sent overnight).

I take back the grumbling thoughts that we've been having about Honda this week! We're crossing our fingers that we won't have to do this again in another 30K miles. With any luck our son will be driving the car around town by then...

sky23213 · September 2005

Boy, this is scary... I had my doubts with a little disappointment knowing that my 2005 SE was made in the UK. And as I shared earlier in this forum, I had my early trouble at 2500 miles - improperly sealed radiator hose, fixed under warranty. I'm almost sure CRV will turn out to be a good choice - these forums kinda tend to put u in the "doom and gloom" mood

. But that's why there's the extended warranty - $950 will get u a lot of peace of mind, at least.

stevedebi · September 2005

"I think that the dealer needed to empty out the gas in order to perform their analysis and add coloring so that they can finger out where the leak is. They basically, charged me for the materials used to diagnose they problem. They're using a loop hole to get money from a car under warranty. Please, tell me if I'm talking non-sense. Any advice on how I should proceed?"

Don't the Canadian models have the 3 years / 35 miles warranty? If so, there should be no cost to you. You brought in the vehicle because it would not blow cold air. The dealer should return it to you with cold air coming out. End of story. The 3/36 is a bumper to bumper warranty, and the system is not supposed to leak refrigerant, which BTW is not Freon. Unless the owner's manual says to refill the Freon, that is a mechanical breakdown and is under the 3/36 warranty.

newcar_lover · September 2005

According to what you described, I believe your V has no PTTR.

This is how mine (05 EX) acts:

70 mph on I-10, north of Tallahassee, 4-lane road, 2 lanes on each direction, I drove on the left lane, then took my hands off the steering wheel. It started to drift to the right after TWO seconds. And then between 2 to 3 seconds later, my V was on the right lane. I had to grab the wheel and pulled it straight back to the road otherwise it will go into a ditch or something.

Did the same test as above, except I took my foot off the gas pedal (let the V cruise on its inertia) at the same time I took my hands off the steering wheel. The PTTR reduced significantly, after 7-8 seconds it started to drift to the right. This is should be considered NORMAL.

3 trips to Honda dealer but they could not fix it. On the fourth, they said there is no PTTR. I insisted there was PTTR, and they said they tried everything (swap front tires, alignment, TBS, subframe) within alignment and nothing they can do any more. They admited there was PTTR the first time I brought it in, but now they said it is normal. :mad:

I like my V, but now I just want to curse.

fmatous · September 2005

My power outlet keeps blowing a fuse. My dealer says it is my phone charger, but all of my friends with the car are having the same problem and my power charger is standard and works in all other vehicle makes? Any advice?

barbecuesauce9 · September 2005

I am in NYC and looking for 2005 SE. One dealer is able to locate one SE made in England. I do know west side gets one from Japan and east side gets one from England. However,there are lots Vs made in Japan in east side also.
I was reading this forums and people appears to have a bit more problems with one made in England.
Does it really matter where they are built? is it true one made in England has more problems than one made in Japan?
Looking for answer from those who owns V built in England.

gaillynne · September 2005

Had my 2002 CRV in for service today because the check engine light was on. Service Dept said it was the primary 02 sensor heater circuit failure. They did not have the part in stock and when asked how long would it take to get, I was told it was already on backorder for 3 weeks. My questions are 1. About how much is this going to cost since my warranty expired two months ago? and 2. Is this going to hurt the car by not getting it immediately fixed since they don't know when they will get the part in? Thanks in advance.. I'm pretty much automobile knowledge challenged so I thought any research I could do can't hurt.

blueiedgod · September 2005

Don't the Canadian models have the 3 years / 35 miles warranty? If so, there should be no cost to you. You brought in the vehicle because it would not blow cold air. The dealer should return it to you with cold air coming out. End of story. The 3/36 is a bumper to bumper warranty, and the system is not supposed to leak refrigerant, which BTW is not Freon. Unless the owner's manual says to refill the Freon, that is a mechanical breakdown and is under the 3/36 warranty.

R-134 is a version of Freon, even though it is not trade marked as such.

Honda only covers REFRIGERANT for a one year. Read your OWNER's MANUAL closely. However, like I posted before, the dealer should have determined why refrigerant escaped. If there is a faulty part, then as part of warranty replacement, the system gets charged with refrigerant, under warranty.

Do not confuse people, bumper to bumper does not cover everything. And Canadian warranty may be different from US. OP has to read his own OWNER's MANUAL to determine what is covered and what is not. That is the point I was trying to make.

blueiedgod · September 2005

I am in NYC and looking for 2005 SE. One dealer is able to locate one SE made in England. I do know west side gets one from Japan and east side gets one from England. However,there are lots Vs made in Japan in east side also.
I was reading this forums and people appears to have a bit more problems with one made in England.
Does it really matter where they are built? is it true one made in England has more problems than one made in Japan?
Looking for answer from those who owns V built in England.

Read my post about the UK built Civic I owned.

blueiedgod · September 2005

Had my 2002 CRV in for service today because the check engine light was on. Service Dept said it was the primary 02 sensor heater circuit failure. They did not have the part in stock and when asked how long would it take to get, I was told it was already on backorder for 3 weeks. My questions are 1. About how much is this going to cost since my warranty expired two months ago? and 2. Is this going to hurt the car by not getting it immediately fixed since they don't know when they will get the part in? Thanks in advance.. I'm pretty much automobile knowledge challenged so I thought any research I could do can't hurt.

Well, the primary and middle O2 sensors costs about $150-$170 to the dealer, it is listed at $258. The stationary O2 sensor costs the dealer about $4, and is listed at $6.65. So if the dealer is nice, it will cost you about $300, if they are not nice, then it will cost you $700.

It would take a DIYer about 10-30 minutes to replace the O2 sensor. Dealer will charge a minimum 1 hour labor, if not more.

You can further minimize the cost, by buying the sensor from AutoZone, PepBoys, or whatever your favorite auto parts store is, and installing it your self.

Items 15, 16 and 18 are all O2 sensors. 15 and 16 are the expensive ones, 18 is cheap.

The only thing that will hurt driving without one is your wallet, as the car will use more gas. Eventually the catalytic converter will clog up and die from excess fuel in the exhaust.

epm1 · September 2005

We are on the east side- our 02 CRV was made in England. Of the 7 Honda vehicles our family has owned it has been the only one that has multiple service/reliability problems. Whether it was typical of the English built or just a lemon we have no way of telling. An independent Honda repair shop says they have noticed no difference between English v Japanese. They feel the 02 CRV for some reason has a lot of problems. We will be happier when it is sold! All the reasons we bought only Honda's in the past have been brought into question by the CRV. epm1

romanm · September 2005

Sorry for asking, but where do you get all those nice diagrams? From the Service Manual? Thanks.

romanm · September 2005

Probably not. It's just a slight click when I turn the steering wheel by 20-25 deg either left or right from the center position. I suppose it is normal.

romanm · September 2005

Here is my experience with the CR-V tracking ('05 LX 2WD). On a 4-lane road, 2 lanes in each direction, at 60 mph. Hands off the wheel while driving on the right lane -- started drifting to the right after four seconds. Then, hands off the wheel while driving on the left lane -- started drifting to the left after seven seconds. In my case, the road visually had slightly more crown to the left. Well, you can see the tendency.

The dealer gave me a copy of a newsletter from Honda where it says that it is "normal" for their cars to make a complete lane change on a flat road at 60 mph in no less than 6 sec. Mine CR-V does it (drifting to the right) in 8 sec. So it's "normal" according to the Honda standards, though I am not very happy with that. I am just curious now -- is it the same for other, not Honda, cars?

user777 · September 2005

nice honda system exploded view diagrams?

Majestic Honda

me3 · September 2005

Yeah, your vehicle definately prefers to go right. It sounds like I could (begrudgingly) live with your vehicle's tendency. Newcar_lover's results, on the other hand, are terrible. I would be livid if I were him.

To both you and newcar_lover... DO NOT GIVE UP! I would continue to pull on the Honda rep until he goes to the right.

blueiedgod · September 2005

Sorry for asking, but where do you get all those nice diagrams? From the Service Manual? Thanks.

Like user777 said from Majestic Honda, St. Leonardo honda has them too. Alot of online parts dealers have exploded views.

If you right click on the picture, then go to "Properties" it will tell you where it is hosted.

romanm · September 2005

I think newcar_lover should definitely go with the lemon law. I had a similar PTTR before, and it was really terrible.

In my case, I am not very optimistic about the lemon law. I went to the dealer last week, for the third time, hoping to make my car go straight. According to what they sad, they did TSB, aligned the steering wheel (it was a little bit off), and did 4-wheel alignment again. Well, according to what I saw when I got my car back, the steering wheel was even more off center than it was before, and the car still drifted to the right with no improvement. Plus, I already had the TSB done the first time I brought the car in (at least, that's what it says in the receipt). Plus, there was grease on the driver seat and seatbelt (I have the ivory interior), and the plastic part above the right front wheel was scratched. Well, I went back next day complaining about all this. They cleaned the seat (though, I still had to clean the seat belt), re-alined the steering wheel (but it is still not exact), promised to order a new plastic part (we will see how this goes), and gave me a copy of a Honda newsletter saying that the drift is "normal".

In the state where I live, four attempt to fix the car are required before the lemon law can be used. I have one more left, but after my experience with the dealer, I am literally afraid to bring the car in again (even to a different dealer). Since the car has no PTTR, only a drift, which is considered "normal" by Honda, I am not sure I can succeed with the lemon law. So, I basically have two choices -- either live with this drift or sell the car. In any case, thank you Honda for "pleasant" new car experience

.

phil_qc · September 2005

Hi!

If you want your V to PTTR more when you will see your dealer,
just inflate your 4 tires to 32 or 33 PSI... I can tell you that the 6
seconds drift will now be a 1 sec drift... I m with you... same story
as yours... good luck.

Philippe.

romanm · September 2005

Hi phil_qc,

Yes, I know your story -- have read on this and the other forums. I did my tests with 30 PSI, but you are right -- the more you inflate the tires, the more the car drifts. When you go to a dealer, they set the "hot" pressure (after the car was driven for 15-20 miles) to 29 PSI and then say "hey look, it goes straight".

As I understand, you want to try to replace the front struts to make the CR-V go straight. We must be really reach people to buy a "do-it-yourself" kit for 20K USD. Isn't just easier to sell the car and buy something really normal, not Honda-"normal"?

stevedebi · September 2005

"R-134 is a version of Freon, even though it is not trade marked as such. "

What I mean was it is not Freon (the gas, not the brand), which has not been used for several years. It is a more environmentally safe non CFC gas, though I cannot remember the name of it right now...

rockycow33 · September 2005

try this link, if it doesn't work go to www.helpminc.com and follow the site directions to the Honda service manual link is for 2005 manual

http://www.helminc.com/helm/Result.asp?Style=&Mfg=AHM&Make=AHM&Model=CRV&Year=2005&Categor- - y=&Keyword=&Module=&mscsid=GFXESUBPNNXK9NRW6K6A9X2X96581XJC

sbn · September 2005

On very bright days, the rear window of my '05 CR-V LX, with no tinting - either factory or after-market - on the rear window, seems to have almost a checkerboard pattern in the glass.

Is this to be expected, or does it indicate a problem w/the window &/or the rear defroster? I've had the car for a little under 2 months, & have used the rear defroster a few times but not in several weeks.

Thanks

kyfdx · September 2005

Are you looking at the glass through polarized sunglasses?

blueiedgod · September 2005

"R-134 is a version of Freon, even though it is not trade marked as such. "

What I mean was it is not Freon (the gas, not the brand), which has not been used for several years. It is a more environmentally safe non CFC gas, though I cannot remember the name of it right now...

R-134 is still a CFC, just a different version of it. I knwo they use propane or ammonia in some countries to fill A/C's with, but not US. R-134 and R-12 (old Freon) are ChloroFlouoroCarbons = CFC.

allynkc · September 2005

For those with the SE, are you using a leather conditioner on your seats? What brands have you tried, and which one seems to work best?

texas_nerd · September 2005

My wife and I have been looking to buy a CRV and we went into a dealership... while test driving the CRV I asked the salesguy if he was aware that alot of CRV owners are complaining about PTTR on their SUVs. Of coarse he wasn't aware that there was a problem. He next statement shocked us. Honda designs their vehicles to have a slight drift to the right for SAFETY reasons. If a driver falls asleep at the wheel, the car will DRIFT to the right side of the roadway and not into oncoming traffic. I asked him to show me that in writing. He didn't produce anything. We went to another dealership and the salesperson said the same thing. Anyone ever hear this from another Honda dealership. This weekend we will visit one more Honda dealership. If I hear this excuse again we will visit a Toyota dealership.

allynkc · September 2005

For what it's worth, when I bought my '05 CR-V I did have a noticeable PTTR. I contacted the dealer by phone, and they claimed something along the lines that they have instructions from Honda to not adjust the alignment within the first 3000 miles. The reason they gave is that the factory settings for alignment are not the same as the settings they provide to the dealerships, supposedly because the factory settings take into account that the various related parts will settle/wear-into the correct position.

Of course, if you followed this, by the time you hit 3000 miles you would be outside of the protection from lemon laws in many states. So I wasn't at all comfortable with that answer.

I was going to take it back to the dealer anyway; but, amazingly, in the following week the PTTR began to fade, first to a slight drift, then faded completely. If I drive on a flat road now, I don't even notice any drift (so if they are designed to drift, mine isn't doing it). If I drive on a crowned road, I tend to drift away from the crown; the right drift is slightly faster than the left drift, but barely.

I have no idea if the dealer's story on 3000 miles was true, or if I just got lucky (I have about 1000 miles on it now). But at this point, I have no PTTR and I'm happy with my CR-V.

Oh, and since you mentioned Toyota - I tried to like the RAV4, I really wanted to like it, but the leg room for rear passengers was too small. As a result, the only Toyota I considered was the 4-cyl Highlander - but then the price goes up. I've heard the RAV4 will be noticeably bigger on their revamping, I think in 2007. We'll see what they put together.

stevedebi · September 2005

"R-134 is still a CFC, just a different version of it. I knwo they use propane or ammonia in some countries to fill A/C's with, but not US. R-134 and R-12 (old Freon) are ChloroFlouoroCarbons = CFC."

Interesting, my window sticker indicated non CFC A/C system here in CA...

theracoon · September 2005

R-134 is still a CFC, just a different version of it.

Actually, R-134a is an HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) not a CFC (chlorofluorcarbon).

JM2C

user777 · September 2005

i'm sure even isellhondas won't corroborate that line. roads are designed with a high crown in the middle to move water to the sides of the road, and so in the right lane, a slow drift to the right due to road crowning will be natural, but not abrupt.

show the salesman the multipage TSBs (use next to see the other pages):
http://www.alldata.com/tsb/Honda/1114758000000_1115622000000_05-022/221.html

and
http://www.alldata.com/tsb/Honda/1117782000000_1118386800000_03-004/41.html

stevedebi · September 2005

"R-134 is still a CFC, just a different version of it.

Actually, R-134a is an HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) not a CFC (chlorofluorcarbon). "

OK, that makes sense...

isellhondas · September 2005

Since you are new to these forums, you probably haven't read the countless posts on this subject.

If you were to walk into our store and ask any of our sales people if they were aware of this, the answer would probably be no.

I have been selling CRV's since they came out in 1997. We have owned two of them. A 2000 and the 2003 we still have. Besides these, I have driven and ridden in, literally, hundreds of them.

I have NEVER ONCE felt one pull or heard any customer mention it.

Only in these forums. I have no doubt a small percentage are probably affected but problems get hugely amplified and overblown in forums like this.

I don't doubt some readers who never noticed a pull to the right, got off their computers and drove down the road with their hands off the wheel looking for a pull!

ANY car will drift to the right when this is done! Big difference between a "pull" and a "drift".

Year's ago, I heard the "safety" comment made. I don't know if this is right or wrong but I would never say that to a customer. Today's customers want empiracle data on everything!

P.S. Toyotas drift to the right too.

page1954 · September 2005

I have a 2004 CRV. When I back out of the driveway in the morning and then put it in drive there is a loud cracking or poping sound that comes from the frontend.Honda said it was a brake caliper loose and it did seem to go away for awhile after they worked on it.Now it's back again. What is it???

maferna · September 2005

If this is not a problem with some CR-Vs, why did Honda bother releasing not one, but two TSBs?

jimb9 · September 2005

For the last four years I've always use a Leather Conditioner made by Turtle WAX on my leather seat not on my CRV in particular because I have only an EX. I tried the one made by MaGuiar and they are so think and leaves a white stuff in all the pin hole on my seat, I tried to apply it twice a year and my leather seat on my 2 MBs are still looking good and smell brand new.

tink4me · September 2005

Ugh Yeah :lemon:
Take your car back to the dealership and have them check not only the FRONT but the REAR struts. I guarantee you that's what's making the noise. I'm on my 4th trip to the dealership this weekend. I took it in for the Crunching when I backed up, they said Oh we didn't find anything wrong (not to mention at any given time my car decides NOT to START) I took it back in for these same issues car not starting and the crunching ** My front struts were CRACKED** after just under a year of ownership. Needless to say my car still WON'T start at any given time, and my car still crunches when I back up. My CRV is also a 2004. Don't let them bully you into thinking that nothing is wrong. It's about a $1000 dollar job for the struts so I hope for your sake that your car is under warranty. If my problem keeps going i'm pursuing the Lemon Law indefinitely. I'm already in contact with a lawyer. I think it's total CRAP that you pay so much for the car and NOTHING works as it should, especially for being a HONDA. I owned a 2000 Civic for almost 5 yrs and NEVER had the troubles I'm having with my CRV. A girl in my office complex next door has a 2005 CRV her rear struts were BROKEN and she bought hers after mine. So if this gives you any insight into the CRV i hope that you heed my warning and take it in for repairs.

tink4me · September 2005

How would you know if someone didn't honestly test the PTTR theory!? Regardless all cars have issues at some point but Honda or at least the stuff I've read and the dealership I've dealt with are full of crap.

I'm on my 4th trip back to the dealership, Oh we don't find anything wrong, I don't know what could cause this or that, Oh here's our southwest alarm guy go talk to him no better yet here's the 800 #. Oh i'm sorry ma'am your front struts are cracked sorry you had to come in 3 TIMES TO DETERMINE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!

And what about the lack of the car starting everything works, radio, windows, lights and says my car is in PARK & IN DRIVE. Yeah and i'm gonna believe some Mo who sells them? Give me a break!

hzz1 · September 2005

Hi-new to the forums here,with a new 2005 CRV

The problem I am having is that when loading my hockey bag into the trunk,the top edge of the rear bumper is getting scratched.It is silver in color and the scratched area looks black.They are visible even when the door is closed.
Is there anything I can buy to protect it?

romanm · September 2005

If this is not a problem with some CR-Vs, why did Honda bother releasing not one, but two TSBs?

The fact that Honda released two TSBs regarding the drift/pull problem in CR-V, one TSB regarding this problem in Accord, some kind of a newsletter regarding the same problem in several their models (CR-V, Pilot, Accord, ...) plus the fact that dealers often come up with various "justifications" for the drift/pull -- it makes me think that the fraction of CR-Vs, and possibly other Honda cars, that do drift or pull is not that small.

isellhondas · September 2005

I never said it wasn't a problem on some CRV's. I only said that I have yet to experience this or hear a customer talk about it.

wlessard · September 2005

I recently bought a used 99 crv. Once a got it home I notice a loud rubbing sound when I turn it sharply to the rigt or left going forward. No noises are apperant doing the same in reverse. Can someone give me some advise. I am loosing sleep thinking I bought another lemon. Thx

sbn · September 2005

Yes - & now that you mention it, the 1st time I noticed the rear-window splotches was the day I bought new sunglasses.

What makes that happen? And do I need to do anything about the window?

Thanks.

kyfdx · September 2005

Somebody that knows more than me can probably explain it... It has something to do with the lines of polarization....

Try this: While looking at the LCD display on your radio (with sunglasses on), try tilting your head 45 degrees either left or right... One direction, and the display will disappear, and the other direction it will become sharper.... Most automobile LCD displays are done on some sort of 45 degree angle, because otherwise, depending on the polarity of your sunglasses, you might not be able to see it at all.....

To sum up: Nothing wrong with your glass... You will start noticing it a lot on other cars, now that you have polarized sunglasses...

regards,
kyfdx
Host-Prices Paid Forums
(not Mr.Science)

sil1 · September 2005

My car was rust proofed through the dealer at the time of purchase. I was told that they used the "sniffer" and were not able to find a leak. Does this mean that there is no leak? If yes, what happened to the freon. A service person started to explain that they needed to clean the system and add the colour so they had no choice but to empty the freon. When I told him I spoke to Honda Canada, he shut up and directed me to someone else.

I'm definitely speaking to Honda Canada, if anything, to complain about the poor treatment I got at the dealer.

romanm · September 2005

I recently bought a used 99 crv. Once a got it home I notice a loud rubbing sound when I turn it sharply to the rigt or left going forward. No noises are apperant doing the same in reverse. Can someone give me some advise. I am loosing sleep thinking I bought another lemon. Thx

My old Sentra was making a rubbing sound every time I turned the steering wheel all the way to the left or right when going in reverse. When I looked behind the front wheels, there were marks on the plastic  the tires were rubbing against the plastic parts. Maybe you have something similar.

sil1 · September 2005

I recently had problems with my brakes and as expected Lombardi Honda was of no help explaining the problem.

I bought a 2003 CR-V on Nov 2003 and it had 20,000 km (12,500 miles).

My car was making noise and after the second visit they diagnosed the problem as rusty disk brakes in the rear wheels. They replaced the disk brakes and charged me $130 CAD for new brake pads. When I looked at the brake pads, 3 of the pads were almost brand new and the 4th pad was 99% used. I showed the dealer and told them that this is not normal so there must be something wrong with my back brakes. They told me that they replaced the disks under warranty and so everything is fine now. I told them that rusty discs shouldn't cause this pattern of wear on the pads. There must be something else wrong. I was basically talking to deaf ears.

Can someone explain why only 1 of my rear brake pads got worn out? Why did it get worn out so quickly? I've yet to replace my front brake pads and I was told that the front brakes do 85% of the breaking.

Also, I disagreed with being charged for something that needed replacement because of a Honda defect. The dealer told me that brake pads are never under warranty so that is why I was charged.

I'm concerned that on year 3 + 1 day, the dealer will tell me that I need major work on my brakes.

brit69 · September 2005

Great forum...I see other drivers have suffered issues with their 2002 model CRV.
I live in the UK and bought my first CRV a 1997 model which had to have the ignition barrel replaced unser warranty for a stalling issue.After three impressive years of ownership and no problems I upgraded to the 2002 model in Feb 2005....BIG MISTAKE....
Since purchase I have replaced the alternator ( under warranty), the water pump £285 and now there is a whistling noise from the drivers side wheel arch which my local dealer thinks may be a air con issue althougth air con still works,but after reading these forums I worry it may be the compressor.
Warranty ran out in April 2005 and so I resorted to complaining to Honda UK customer services twice in Sep 2005 with no reply yet.I have logged an issue with the BBC program watchdog who investigate issues such as car manufacturers responsibilitys.The car is working fine except when staionary in traffic and the whistling starts again.I thought Honda's were bomb proof..obviously not..so sorry Honda I will not buy from you again and I am off to buy a Nissan X-trail

cyberdiva · September 2005

I've had this car since it's been new and have not been able to rotate the tires. If the tires are rotated, I get a howling noise when I take my foot OFF the gas when the car reaches about 30 mph and up. I have 37,000 miles on the car and have already gone through one set of tires. Every time I take it to the dealer for service and they forget and rotate the tires, I end up taking it back. The last time after unrotating the tires the car pulled to the left.

The dealer is mystified and I'm frustrated. Has anyone else had this problem? :confuse:

lolalu · September 2005

I have a 3 week old CRV2005 with 2000 miles. The shaking and vibrating while it idles is becoming more and more apparent. I feel like I'm sitting in a message chair and the steering wheel is uncomfortable to hold on to. Change rattles...cups shake...my passengers even notice. It doesn't feel "normal" although this is what they (the dealer) tell me it is. While at a full stop the lights dim and brighten several times during a 1 minute stop and the vibration gets worse. It seems to worsen as the engine heats up. No problems of vibration when in motion.What should I do??? Help, Thanks.

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