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Honda Civic Hybrid Owners: Problems & Solutions
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The following vehicles have been exempted from biennial and change-of-ownership Smog Check inspections until January 1, 2010:
Honda Insight – all model years
Honda Civic Hybrid – all model years
Toyota Prius – all model years
Ford Escape Hybrid - all model years
Honda Accord Hybrid - all model years
Lexus RX 400h - all model years
Note that this exemption DOES NOT include all Honda Civics and all Ford Escapes. Only Civic Hybrids with VIN characters 4 through 8 being either “ES956” or “ES966” are currently exempt, and only Escape Hybrids with VIN characters 5 through 7 being either "U95" or "U96" are currently exempt.
Technicians: Do not conduct a Smog Check inspection on these vehicles whether directed by DMV or for change of ownership. Have the motorist contact a DMV field office if they have been directed by a DMV registration notice to obtain a Smog Check.
NO hybrid smog check
New Honda Hybrid System Modes of Operation
Vehicle stationary:
The engine is turned off and fuel consumption is zero.
Startup and acceleration:
The engine operates in low-speed valve timing mode with motor assist.
Rapid acceleration:
The engine operates in high-speed valve timing mode with motor assist.
Low-speed cruising:
The valves of all four of the engine's cylinders can be closed and combustion halted, the electric motor alone can power the vehicle.
Gentle acceleration and high-speed cruising:
The engine operating in low-speed valve timing mode powers the vehicle.
Deceleration:
The valves of all four of the engine's cylinders are closed and combustion halted. The motor recovers a significant portion of the energy normally lost during deceleration and stores it in the battery.
JW
My brand new '06 HCH refused to start after leaving it for a couple of hours last December. The dealer towed it, charged it, and then told me they could find nothing wrong with it. I threatened to return it for a full refund if they didn't at least unplug and re-seat all of the interconnects. They did it, and the car has been perfect ever since.
If you don't have an extended warranty you might be best off to trade it in. Selling it to a private individual is a bit unethical. Let the Honda dealer figure it out. Otherwise you are behind the 8 ball. It may be any number of things. You know the old saying "No Problem that Money cannot Overcome". That could be you.
good thing we got the 100k mile warranty.
anyone have an email address for corporate or customer care?
all I can find online is a fax.
My problem is that I've tried at least 10 times to make the 9 MPH door lock mode work, but it never does! I am able to make the take-it-out-Park mode work, but that's not what a prefer. Does anyone know if the multi-step instructions in the owners manual are correct? Has anyone else had success with the 9 MPH mode? Thanks.
On a normal car would take to the dealer. Am I alone here?
I don't know what a CVT transmission. Could be other than second gear, just revs high before shifting.
Even when you're at peak horsepower - the car isn't going anywhere fast. The civic hybrid is one of the slowest horses in the honda stable.
So, does your car have a problem? If it only jumps up to 5500 when your accelerating hard but then returns to something calm at steady speeds, I'd say no. And unless the tires you have are much bigger diameter than stock, I don't think the 17" wheels are a contributor. But if you're still in doubt, there's no harm asking the dealer.
Hope that helps.
I have asked a few other dealers about this and received a less than adequate explanation, the majority mentioned this was a car intended to be a demo unit. All of them told me not to buy this car and I followed their recommendations.
Any thoughts on this one, sounds like a scam and that this dealer could actually be fined for this.
i apologize if my post was a waste of your time. i was merely suggesting the advice you got to pass on the vehicle sounds apropos. no legit honda sale would involve a corporate window sticker with the vehicle VIN without a price that i can imagine. i guess you came to the same conclusion before making your post, and now I understand you just want to know what CVA means.
maybe it was a demo for the "convention visitor's association". who knows?
you're not getting "useful" responses to your inquiry are you?
perhaps you might be more successful asking a different population of forum readers and posters, perhaps:
Stories from the Sales FrontLines or
Buying Tips: How do I get the best deal
or something else under the SmartShopper heading.
As a point of full discloure, I am an exec in the credit union with GAP being one of the products I am responsible for.
Any advice would be useful. Apparently the Civic does comply with a double din?? mounting and hence the aftermarket units need some special mounting brackets.
I consider this problem to be very serious. I recently drove from Phoenix to my residence in Central AZ (about 100 miles) and experienced the rear right seat and seat back become very warm. Too warm to sit on. I noticed the A/c failing to maintain cabin temps and then a passenger in the rear noticed the hot seat. I checked the trunk and the right side was very warm. When it is 100 degrees outside - the hot seat is a big problem. This is the second time that the A/c has failed to cool properly on the same trip. The trip consists of an elevation change of nearly 5000 feet which is very draining on the engine & A/C. I learned that the A/C indirectly cools the battery pack - so a problematic A/C leads to the hot seat.
Has anyone else experienced this? Have you taken it to the dealer. My dealer has checked out my A/C and reports that it is working properly. A pure guess by the service rep - the computer is detecting the hot engine & is turning off the A/C to conserve power. They can not duplicate this in the shop
Very frustrating.
Ed
thanks in advance,
Steven
Ever since I took delivery of my 06 HCH in July, I've been hearing this creaking sound coming from the left-front suspension. You can really hear it below 20MPH. I kept hoping it would go away as the car loosened up - but it didn't. Last week I returned from vacation and had left the car in my garage for 10 days. After the car was out, I noticed a small puddle of oil where the front left tire sat.
Curious, I took the front wheel off to see if it was brake fluid and found the brake connections were dry and clean. I followed the oil trail up the back of the strut tower to the shock.
At the dealer this morning I demonstrated the creaking sound to the mechanic. After their analysis in the shop, they agreed the cause of the oil leak and the creaking could all be traced back to the shock. They have ordered a new shock (which apparently coming from Japan since no one has had to replace 06 shocks yet). In a couple of weeks I should be good as new.
On another note, I just finished my 4th tank and got 53.75 MPG and 594 miles. I worked hard to get that. With my new tank I'm driving like a normal car to see what kind of FE I get. After 40 miles its about 38 MPG. This is interesting since the people who complain their HCH doesn't make the numbers usually see something similar. This supports my hunch that the cause of the poor FE complaints is driving habits.
So all of you (especially in Arizona) in warm weather states should look into getting the newest A/C update. Should help you with more efficient cooling.
I'll be closing this one down pulling some posts out of here to get new discussions rolling, so if you think some have disappeared, they been moved to start up the newly created discussions.
Please check the discussion list here in the Honda Civic Hybrid Group to find the approriate discussion for your posts. If you have an issue or a question for which there appears to be no discussion, feel free to add a discussion. We can correct any duplicate discussions as we go along.
Thanks for your understanding and help as we slide the furniture around a bit!