Honda CR-V Maintenance and Repair

circlew · October 2010

I bought Kumho Road Venture APT (KL51) in 245/70 R17 and they are good tires for $580 for all 4. They rate 88% of the best (#7 /58) on TireRack survey for All Season SUV tires. (The tire mech. was worried they wouldnt fit but no problem at all.)

Far better than the stock BS's and the handing is excellent with the added 1/2 inch Sect. width.

600 UTOG, TempA,Trac.A

Regards,
OW

fussycrvowner · October 2010

I think Michelin has another promotion this fall. They send a $70 prepaid debit card to you when you purchase 4 tires. Sort of like a rebate but without actually getting a check.

qinsong99 · November 2010

Dealer eventually identified the problem after several times test-driving the car with Chasis ear on. It was the losen engine mount that produced the noise. Dealer tighened all the bolts and the noise eventually went away. All together, we went to dealer for warranty service about this problem for 12 times. Honda's quality control is really an issue now. Thank you guys for the sugeestions and time.

By the way, the car was assembled in Japan.

madams1 · November 2010

Just discovered an oil leak. The vehicle has a bit over 100K miles. Checked the oil and is 3/4 quart low. Not sure if all of the oil used since last oil change is leak or just usage. I am 2,500 miles and 4 months into last oil change. I started at the top and discovered a leak from one of 3 color coded bolts(yellow) located just below the battery. I followed the leak down the frame and under the front side of the vehicle. I am wondering what is up with these color coded bolts and what is under these bolts. Plan to monitor the oil level until next oil change unless it is constant oil loss. Then I plan to take to the shop I go to that specializes in Honda/Acura.

If anyone knows what is under these color coded bolts, I would like to know. Any thoughts appreciated. I am hoping this is not the front oil seal as I have heard that is quite a bit of money.

zeen · December 2010

I replaced the passenger side headlight bulb. For the driver's side, you must remove the fuse box but there is a metal bracket that remains that holds the fuse box that severely limits access to the bulb. Does anyone have any advice on how to do this? Must I unbolt the bracket and related items as well?

vanatic · December 2010

I am about to purchase a 2004 CRV with 47xxx miles. I know that it is not eligible for Honda Care since it is beyond 36k. I am looking for recommendations for reputable third-party extended warranty companies. Dealer is offering 4yr/60k Platinum coverage from Fidelity Warranty Services (www.fidelitywarrantyservices.com) for $2450, my credit union recommends Route 66 Warranty (www.route66warranty.com), I will be getting a quote from them in the morning. Anyone who has had a good experience with either of these companies or have another to recommend, please let me know. Many thanks in advance!

jimbres · December 2010

You'll find that most people around here aren't big fans of 3rd-party plans. If I were in your shoes, I'd stick the $2450 into the bank. (Interest rates are bound to go up soon.) If you don't think that's enough to cover future repairs, add another $100/month.

I've owned Hondas since '74 & I've never had one that would have made the purchase of an EW worthwhile.

kyfdx · December 2010

I bought a 7yr/100K Honda Care extended warranty for my '02 CR-V. (or was it 6yr/100K?). I believe I paid right around $1000.

No matter... sold it after 6.5 years and 106K miles... without ever making a claim.

Wish I still had that $1000....

zeen · December 2010

I will answer my own question for future reference. Dismounting the fuse box makes the job easier. You don't have to remove the metal bracket but it's a very tricky tight squeeze to remove the old bulb and insert the new one.
Reattaching the clip that holds the bulb is very difficult as you really can't see the slot. It's trial and error. You are supposed to put a special grease on the bulb contacts before attaching the harness

crkyolfrt · December 2010

Sounds like it would be harder still to not get any dirt or oil on your fingers on the bulb while installing it, when you can't see or feel what you are doing. The slightest debris creates a hot spot and will cause new bulb to fail prematurely.

lzc · December 2010

Odds are the dealer makes more profit off the extended warranty than it does selling the car. Still, a large repair bill scares some people, so the peace of mind the warranty brings may be worth it.

$2450 is a lot of money, though. How many repairs are likely to cost more than that? The A/C comes to mind. But I think the highest amount I've seen quoted is in the $3k range, and Honda's seems to be splitting the cost on that if the mileage is below 100k and one has evidence of regular service.

What else? The engine seems to be bullet proof.

tomk17 · December 2010

mypunkin2 · December 2010

just purchased a 2011 Honda CR-V and have noticed when approaching 55-60mph, the front end shakes. Anyone have this problem or any recommendations to get rid of this problem? Maybe different tires than the factory installed ones?

crkyolfrt · December 2010

Don't know your location, but check for ice and snow stuck to inside or outside of wheel rims. Most common around this time of year if you are in snow country. If not that, then start with having the wheels balanced front and rear. The dealer should do this for free.

terry104 · January 2011

I have a 2008 CRV, AWD 4 cyl, about 20k miles. I've noticed for a couple months that there is a vibrating/grumbling noise only when I accelerate. It doesn't matter how fast I'm going, and it seems to be worst when it's cold out. After about 15-20 minutes of driving seems to improve. Any ideas? thanks.

circlew · January 2011

If you have the stock tires, they are probably close to 2/3 of their life. Did you rotate the tires at 5K intervals?

Regards,
OW

rnmerchant · January 2011

This is an old thread but I thought I might just as well contribute my recent experience...

I don't think timing chains are forever. My 2003 CRV with 75000 km just had an "engine light" problem; was found to be due to "valve timing is off" and 'replaced chain and sprockets'. Not an inexpensive fix but the light has gone out...

kyfdx · January 2011

Well... I think they are designed to last the life of the vehicle.. I don't think anyone would change one, unless it broke (or slipped)..

Sort of like an automatic transmission... It's supposed to last the life of the vehicle, but that doesn't mean it will...

The last chain I had to replace was on a '70 Ford Galaxie, so what do I know?

Mr_Shiftright · January 2011

Unless that chain was making a racket like hell's bells, I think that repair was probably not the problem. If the chain jumped time, your car would run very very badly.

fussycrvowner · January 2011

Any chance I may have a timing issue? I get a rough idle when cold and goes away when I put into gear. Haven't seen a misfire code set but will check again. '02 with 81K miles. Plugs have been replaced with OEM within the last 10K miles along with air filters.

Mr_Shiftright · January 2011

No I don't think so. With modern cars timing specs are not likely to change--it's a pretty rock solid thing. Sounds more like an EGR issue perhaps, or vacuum leak, or maybe this crappy winter gas they give us sometimes.

aircraftmech1 · January 2011

If the car was made in Japan, bolts that have been torqued must have yellwo paint on the head. It should be a yellow strip, but sometimes it is jsut a blob. It should extend beyount the bolt enough so that the inspector can see if the bolt head has moved. this is to make sure it wasn't loosened, or didn't work loose. It is Japanese law. If you have a flat, you can replace the wheel & tire with the spare, but must stop at a licensed automotive repair shop and have the bolts (or nuts) retorqued and striped with the yellow paint.

thebignewf · January 2011

I've posted this in the cold weather section as well before I realized there was a CR-V forum....sorry if thats wrong? But my problem is fairly scary.
I have a 2006 Honda CR-V Ex and we get a lot of freezing rain wet snow here in the east. When it's cold and there's ice or snow the first time I press on the breaks there is very little reaction from the car, i.e. the brakes don't work, if you forget about this it is quite alarming.
My practice now is when I pull out of my driveway I start driving down the street and do a hard break to warm up the breaks. Once I do this the breaks are fine for the rest of the drive. This can't be normal, several times I've been looking for a "soft" place to crash when I hit the breaks again and it stops.
I've mentioned it to the dealer but of course they can't find anything, problem is if I've driven there I've already warmed up the breaks. It usually only happens in the morning but sometimes in the evening if the car has been sitting out in the cold weather for a while.

accordguy0325 · January 2011

My advice - if you are able to do without your CR-V for a while drop it off at the dealer and tell them you aren't taking it back until the problem is fixed. Remind them that this is a huge safety issue and could turn into a liability issue if the problem isn't located / resolved and you are injured as a result. Good luck.

carforum1 · January 2011

Hi there- I also have a similar problem with my 2007 CRV (50,000). I'm still shaking from nearly killing a pedestrian yesterday due to my inability to stop at an intersection while on snow. We purchased the car used in May so this is the first winter (Boston) with it. Tires are decent, have been driving 30 yrs & never had problem like this. Braking is fine when road is clear of ice & snow. On snow & ice, after you apply the brakes it makes a loud "crunching" sound while the car skids and the vehicle doesn't stop until about 10-20 feet after application of brakes.

Last week, we took the car to the dealer from whom we bought it who saw no problem but never actually took the car out for a test ride - duh. My husband then brought it to our local mechanic who drove it in a snow-covered cemetery and experienced the scary problem first hand. His impression was that it has something to do with the ABS brakes kicking in too soon? Possibly needing a computer adjustment? Anyone know what might cause this problem or have suggestions?

I think our warranty expired around 36,000 miles. I wonder if the car always had this problem but we didn't find out until it snowed. I suppose we have no recourse either? Thanks!

circlew · January 2011

Try this:

#1 Your tires are probably junk by now and were rated poorly for snow/ice. Check the tire model at tire rack for review. My '08 CR-V Bridgestones were last place out of 35 tires for all seasons.

#2 Buy dedicated snow tires with rims.

You will see the difference.

#3 Replace the All Seasons with high-rated rubber.

Regards,
OW

jimbres · January 2011

Strongly agree with OW. The right tires make all the difference. Don't stint on rubber.

williamyoung · January 2011

First oil change on this vehicle since I got it. I change my oil every an indicator says 50% regardless of what the manual says.
I have followed the manual and tried at least a dozen times and it still says 50% .
Called the closest dealer 120 km away and he said to try it with the engine off until it starts blinking . Well, that doesn't work and the manual says to have it in the On 11 position . There are six steps to follow in the maual and I have done everyting it says to but cannot get it back to 100.
My previous vehicle was a Chev Uplander van and it was SO easy. Just push and hold a button and it would return to 100%.

Has anyone here had the same problem and can perhaps give some ideas on this. I don't want to have to make an appointment that far out of town and pay a dealer for what should be a very simple process.
I have always changed my own oil and filter in every vehicle I have owned and don't want to start paying someone else to do it just to get it reset.
__________________
2007 CR-V , AWD purchased with 22K km Oct 20 , 2010

carforum1 · January 2011

Thanks for the input - guess you car buffs know your stuff! Brought car back to dealer who said the problem was the tires. Now have 4 new Blizzak snow tires and am $600 poorer. Will have to wait till Friday's snow storm to see if this really fixes the problem - although I did make it home on rain slicked roads this afternoon without hitting anyone.

I still don't understand the whole thing. Having survived 3 teenagers numerous $hitbox cars as well as my own, we've only used snow tires once (on an old volvo wagon that came with them). We've had accords, camrys, corollas, jeep, windstar, grand caravan and NEVER had a problem braking with "All weather tires." A couple of these cars had >200,000 miles on them. Snow tires are a pain - they have to be changed and stored. What's the best all weather tire? Anyone know? Thanks again.

carforum1 · January 2011

Thanks for the advice. Got $600 worth of new snow tires today - have yet to test them out on snow (rain washed away a lot of the snow today). Not happy though - other tires only had 15,000 miles on them. The dealer must have put really crappy tires on the car when I bought it (I have to investigate that). The "old" tires are sitting in the car waiting for me to make room for them in my basement:) Thanks again.

circlew · January 2011

What's the best all weather tire?

Check Tire rack and surveys for All-Season Tires. I'll check and post later.

I have the Kuhmo's.

Regards,
OW

circlew · January 2011

All-Season Tire Survey:

link title

Looks like the answer to you question is Michelin LTX M/S2. Should stick like glue in snow and rain and save the winter tire change.

Probably $200 x4 installed. Now, you can shop based on dry season so do not need the top-rated rubber in winter since you went for the snows.

I went with 245R17 Kuhmo Road ventures which shaved $50 off per tire and are good enough. Nice in the snow.

I always go up one size for replacements. The CR-V handles fantastic with the extra section width!

Regards,
OW

jaruyle · January 2011

Greetings:
I have a 2003 CRV (just over 100K miles), and the windshield washer nozzles aren't pushing out the fluid very well at all. I'm only getting a small area of coverage on the windshield, and it's really frustrating during snowy weather, what with salt and such.

At any rate, does anyone have possible issues/solutions for this (hopefully avoiding replacing the motor or other components)? I've got plenty of fluid in the reservoir, so that is not an issue.

All thoughts/suggestions appreciated.

crkyolfrt · January 2011

First look for any obvious kinks in the hoses. They are a thin walled line and kink quite easily. Also look for signs of leaks due to frost damage if someone used water in cold temps at one time. Barring that, try to blow the hoses back from where they attach to the nozzles. I have seen them pick up cardboard debris from the contr lid sealer inside coming loose and finding its way into the reservoir. Then it gets broken down into mush and the motor tries to suck and it clogs there or farther downstream.

Can you hear the motor sound powerful? Does the rear hatch washer work ok?

georgew1 · January 2011

The orifice where the spray comes out is clogged. If you use a pin or a needle and insert it into the hole where the spray comes out it will clear the corrosion and it will spray fine........You may have to do it a couple of times and wiggle it around some to open up the hole to it's proper size.
George

jaruyle · January 2011

I will try all suggested fixes - thanks, all.

zeen · January 2011

OK. I replaced the headlight bulbs. I bought an off brand from an auto parts online store that supposedly work in the CRV. I installed them fine and they seemed to work. My problem is that they only give me a high beam. Both the high and low setting on the light stalk produce a high beam. The bulbs are supposed to be dual beam.
Possibilities: Bulbs are just high beam; fuses for low beam burnt out (removing the fuses to check in near impossible).

crkyolfrt · January 2011

I am not sure what the 08 takes. But if you recall if it had 3 tab connector, then for sure it has both hi and lo in the one bulb.

That is not to say that hi and/or can't be handled with 2 tabs as they are. I only mentioned in case u recalled yours having three. Then the fuse or circuit breaker would be next logical check if both lights have no lo beam.

zeen · January 2011

THanks. It did have 3 tabs. Will check fuses but they are a bear to get out. Hard to reach and i guess I need a special tool to pull them

crkyolfrt · January 2011

Usually left and right have separate circuits for safety reasons. It does seem odd that both new bulbs have no lo beam. Is there something more to this that u have forgotten to mention?

zeen · January 2011

Can't think of one. What is curious is that the bulbs are on when I have it set in the low beam position. If the low beam fuses were blown, would I get any light in the low beam position? What I'm getting is high beams in both positions. Could be the bulbs I suppose. They are the blue tint made in China. I guess I'll have to pout the originals back in (which still work) and see what happens. Royal pain though.

crkyolfrt · January 2011

Sounds like the best idea tho at this point. If they work as before, then u know it is the new bulbs.

While more expensive than OEM, have you tried Sylvania Silverstars? They are not blue, but many blues are gimmick anyway just painted blue and have less life.

SS come with a one year wty, and keep your bill as more than once I have had to replace them. Be very careful to not touch the glass with anything, your fingers, the edge of the opening etc, as this will create a hot spot and cause them to blow even faster still.

In some cars it is a pain to change, but Silverstars do work noticeably better.

First though I would make sure your old ones are working properly...or better still, have the Siverstars there to try when u remove the ones in there now.

zeen · January 2011

Thanks for your advice on all counts.

crkyolfrt · January 2011

thumb up

stevenluu23 · March 2011

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

hey guys first off i bought my 2010 crv 2wd automatic in san jose,ca 10

months ago with 11 miles on it. i broke it in correctly and everything.

about the 4th month in the powersteering started to leak and i brought it in

and the honda dealership replaced it under warranty and replace the whole powersteering system.

i know how much power and torque the crv has and now it does accelerate as quick and lost tons of power and they say its normal what can i do?

i was thinking about putting it on a dyno and showing them.

any help is greatly appeciated please and thank you

crvdude1 · March 2011

Honda Service Bulletin 10-077, November 30,2010. Applies To: 2010-2011

"Intermittent low power during acceleration"

It is an ECM software upgrade. I asked them to do it during the 10k service.
It is way better now.

llafortune · March 2011

Hello motoguy128,

Thanks for you post. I have just discovered the same rattling noise under my 2010 Honda CRV. It is quite worrisome. I thought it was a differential problem, transmission or any other costly repair. I looked under the car and there is quite an accumulation of ice. We recently had heavy winter rain in our part of Quebec. It was followed by a flash freeze during the night. When I started the car in the morning, I heard clunking sound. Warmer weather is forecasted for the next few days so I hope the problem goes away !

nyhondaowner · April 2011

Hi Karen,
I am a life long Honda owner. We currently own two CRVs (2007 and 2010).
The 2007 (built in Japan) had the rear differential problem and WE had to pay for it to be fixed! It did the vibrating thing whenever we backed up and turned the wheel right from the get go, brought it in several months later and the dealer said we had to get it fixed. Since then though no problems with that car. The 2010 has been terrible! The battery went dead (not our fault) after 200 miles and we just had the starter replaced! It is brand new! The dealer paid for both, but I buy Honda to NOT have to go through this. Honda has probably lost me (a 25 year fan) as a customer.

lzc · April 2011

>It did the vibrating thing whenever we backed up and turned the wheel right <<

I've got that. What was the fix? Expensive? Thanks.

clemsonb85m89 · May 2011

My 2003 CRV airbag deployed and broke window and bent hood. I had it fixed. Radiator, hood and window replaced along with some of the plastic bumper trim. Since got back, there are times when driving a noise will start. Sounds like blowing a thin piece of paper between your lips. It comes and goes. Most of time happens over 60 MPH but has happened at lower speeds. Has happened with air conditioner on or off, calm day or windy day. Noise will stop and not occur for few days and then start again. It is hard to pinpoint the location other than it does come from the front of the car. Anyone got any ideas what may be causing this

Honda CR-V Maintenance and Repair

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