2001 - 2006 Honda CR-Vs

raydahs · May 2004

Does anyone have any regrets with the Black interior on the Black, Silver or White CR-V's? The reason I ask is, yesterday a dealer I visited had a White one (which I prefer) on the front lot which the sales staff used as a lawn chair?? while waiting for customers coming onto the lot. I noticed alot of scuff marks on the Black plastic F&R door sill plates, also in the rear cargo area. Another thing I noticed was a White film in the cargo area on all of the plastic. On my 95' Civic I had this problem with the Gray plastic panels. I was told by a injected molded plastic vendor, it was the mold release agent seeping out, which only comes out in hot climates (So.Cal) which eventually goes away. Has anyone else seen this... have any thoughts?

varmint · May 2004

http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=4286920387

Warning: Pictures contain graphic images not suitable for mall-crawlers.

varmint · May 2004

More pics from Paragon.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4286910525

Oddly enough, all three CR-Vs were stick-shifts. Nobody broke anything (nothing serious, anyway), and I don't recommend anyone repeating the water crossing. At least, not until the water level drops a bit this summer.

If you live near Eastern PA (and your CR-V is paid for) you should check it out.

ateixeira · May 2004

Looks like fun!

How'd you get by that rock in pic #52 and 53? Did that scrape the undercarriage or the exhaust?

Or you had a really good spotter.

-juice

varmint · May 2004

We scraped a lot of things that day.

If you mean the rock by the rear tire, we just went over it. Not directly, but over the edge of it. That wasn't a real problem.

The rock under the front is where I scraped. The skidplate took some abuse. I'd aired down to about 15 psi as I was expecting some mud. With my aqua-tred tires I figured I would need the traction more than the clearance. Turns out, I needed the extra clearance. Another CR-Ver with the same model aired down to 20 psi and had fewer scrapes.

ateixeira · May 2004

Hey folks, check out pic #103. That one's in the dog relieving himself position, hilarious.

#112 also got a tire off the ground, this time on the front axle.

Looks like you had some good, wet conditions.

-juice

varmint · May 2004

It's funny how pics can flatten terrain. Pic #29 in the first album is actually one of the more extreme things we did. That's Bluemonster's 'V climbing the slope. The pics just don't do it justice. If you look at pic 124 in the second album (taken from on top of that rise), you get a better idea of what we were climbing.

Here are a few video clips. If you listen to the commentary, you can hear when I stall going across the river (got hung up on a submerged rock). You can also hear us banging and scraping on the rocks.

Water Crossing

Hill Climb

Descent Over Rocks

ateixeira · May 2004

Hope you didn't get water in the cabin.

At the Jeep Jamboree I went to this one guy got his brand-new Orvis Edition Grand Cherokee soaking wet inside. :-O

In video #2, Hill Descent Control would be handy! That's a pretty good slope. Could they make it up without a running start? I doubt many trucks could without studded tires and a low range.

-juice

jim1 · May 2004

I am considering a CRV. Will have satellite radio installed. I have some hearing loss and am wondering about audio quality and road noise for the CRV. Any experience or impressions would be welcomed.
Thanks
Jim B.

ateixeira · May 2004

AllState? This video brought to you by your friendly insurance agent...

LOL

-juice

raydahs · May 2004

Does the Cr-v have dual trip odometers? Can't find that listed anywhere.

stevedebi · May 2004

Yes, Trip A and Trip B. Only one is visible at a time.

raydahs · May 2004

I love this feature, one for tire rotation/oil changes the other for gas mileage calculations. I noticed your in So.Cal also. Do you feel the A/C is more than adequate for the interior volume? My current Trooper A/C is OK for San Diego, but It's pretty weak when I travel to Valencia weekly and it's getting hot out there now.....thx.

kyfdx · May 2004

The only drawback to the CRV's trip odometer, is that you can't display it and your main odometer at the same time. On my wife's Accord they appeared in the same window.

Regards,
kyfdx

stevedebi · May 2004

My A/C seems to perform OK. I often turn it to MAX. I generally turn the outside vents up and direct them to the rear for the kids, while the middle ones are used for the two front seats.

It puts out lots of cold air, but of course there is a lot of interior space and it takes a while to cool the whole thing down. I open the 4 windows to cool things down first.

I took my -V on a trip to New Mexico and had no problems with cooling.

raydahs · May 2004

Very good to know, now all that is left to do is re-appraise the trade (had it done 4 weeks ago) and decide on the color.

kyfdx · May 2004

Although I think it looks best initially, I would avoid black. I have an '02 and so does a co-worker.. Mine (and hers) are showing scratches from fingernails and who knows what else. I mean really showing.. I've never encountered this on any car (and I've had 8 Honda/Acuras including black before). It might be specific to the '02 model year, but I wouldn't take a chance on it again. (I mean it REALLY looks bad).

Great car otherwise, and I haven't seen that problem on any other color.

regards,
kyfdx

raydahs · May 2004

After seeing the interior as I mentioned in post #12478 and thinking about it after the coffee kicked in. Of course it's going to be a pain to keep clean, it doesn't matter if it's a couch, appliance or whatever. So I'll be going with the Brown or Red one. By the way nice video:)

stevedebi · May 2004

I shows some scratches, but not the way the black interior does. I like this color.

You might consider leather - the dealer should be able to get it for about $1000.

kyfdx · May 2004

are on the EXTERIOR. All around the door handles, like I am the Guinness world record holder for the longest fingernails... Really, really bad.

regards,
kyfdx

robr2 · May 2004

My parents blue 02 CRV is the same way - my mom has long nails and the area under the pulls is scratched very badly.

kyfdx · May 2004

My nails are definitely not long.. but, my scratches are on all four doors... And my co-worker's CRV is just as bad... It really is a defective paint or clearcoat.. not that I would start down that road to do anything about it. It is disappointing, but what can you do? I now have 30K on it, and I put 60K on a '98 before this one... Nothing spent but regular maintenance on either of them.. My only other complaint is the stock Duelers..but those are getting replaced in the next couple months.

regards,
kyfdx

llofgren · May 2004

You can try 3M Scratch Remover or 3M Finish Restorer (auto stores, sometimes walmart). It can do an amazing job at removing minor scratches. Follow the instructions and it may require several applications. Then try applying a decent wax and it can really minimize the appearance of those scratches. Just don't overdo it but it states "safe for clearcoat".

icvci · May 2004

Our eternal blue 03 EX has the same problem. Hairline scratches around handles. ANNOYING!

Worst of all, it has a large (16"x16") area behind the sunroof with NO PAINT! It's a big silver $ light blue patch with clearcoat over it. I haven't showed it to a dealer yet. I wonder if they'd do anything as I bought it that way.

theracoon · May 2004

Worst of all, it has a large (16"x16") area behind the sunroof with NO PAINT! It's a big silver $ light blue patch with clearcoat over it. I haven't showed it to a dealer yet. I wonder if they'd do anything as I bought it that way.

If the dealer won't fix it, contact Honda directly and have them fix it. The Honda contact information is in your Owner's Manual.

kyfdx · May 2004

You can always say that you hadn't been on top of your car before and just found out about it. That might help.. I'm thinking Honda will fix it. (don't do this if you are over 6'8").

regards,
kyfdx

kyfdx · May 2004

Thanks.. want to come over tomorrow afternoon and do this for me??

Seriously, I take care of my car, but it gets washed once a month, whether it needs it or not. If I ever get ready to sell it, or my wife leaves me, I will consider this.

regards,
kyfdx

autosaurus · May 2004

just had my first oil change and to my surprise the dealer knew of the fire problems and said they were taking percautions re the filter...

I had a bad rattle in the sunroof that they fixed but i also have a bad rattle in the dashboard that they couldn't fix. The service manager produced a service notice that stated that a rattle in the dash in that location was normal and due to a part in the gearshift. So he told me there was nothing more he could do!!!

BTW, they rotated the tired and pumped them up to almost 40 psi.. the thing road like it had cement tires..thought there was something wrong with it until I checked the pressure..big difference when I lowered it to 30 psi.
At 7000 miles the milage is still 23..

ateixeira · May 2004

That's good news, actually, if they pay more attention to it future mistakes can be prevented.

A small victory for Sabrina, IMO.

-juice

sabrina9 · May 2004

Honda did answer the NHTSA letter on the fires. I just checked yesterday it is not on NHTSA website (takes several days). I know there were more than the 6 fires, but I don't have all the details. This did not need to go this far, and I am still not slowing down on this. In fact, I just got an email from someone in the UK who had a fire the other day, so this is still occurring.

But, there is still no evidence my fire was caused by this problem. The investigator checked the filter per my request and found no evidence of leakage or extra gasket. My fire, he says, was caused by an electrical problem. Of course, since Honda has never responsed to my letters (or ins co's) any theories they have have not been forwarded to me. What is even more interesting is that if Honda knew of this problem when mine occurred, why they just didn't say it at that time, even if it was just a theory. Although I guess I know now why they were so cagey

Why did I have to spend hours upon hours to get them to release info on something they already knew? Worse part it didn't even solve my problem, since this letter only addressed the oil problem

Even though there is no evidence this caused my fire, when I get emails like the one I got from the UK, it still sends me over the top.
People could have been killed due to Honda's inaction (and apparently simple fix).

In my opinion they are bad people and I have lost faith in them.

stevedebi · May 2004

Just because they have now responded to the NHTSB doesn't mean they knew what the problem was when your car went up. It is more likely they have learned more since then. Yours was the first instance I'd seen.

A lot of things can cause an engine fire, including worn items in the engine (though that shouldn't have happened with a new car). I suspect they were investigating but needed more information. Once cannot establish a trend based on one incident. In general I think Honda is pretty responsbile and care about their products. A lot better than Ford or GM, for sure...

sabrina9 · May 2004

they ARE alot better than ford or GM. The unfortuante part of the NHTSA response is that a lot of it was submitted on CD-ROM because the data files were so huge, so I guess theoretically I can find out where I was on the list, but that would take more effort than I have. I was at least the third known to Honda, since I found two that were before mine (locally, though different dealers).
I can't help but think this would not have seen the light of day if it wasn't for the NHTSA. Remember, they said they "knew" what caused my fire, even though I find out now they never did do any investigation...

I do intend to get the CD-ROM if available and poke holes into their arguments.

At this point I just want my money, but Once the letter is released I plan to send it to every media outlet I have collected

smsuvundecided · May 2004

You forgot Chrysler or whatever that German company is called.

stevedebi · May 2004

Is DCA. I still can't believe Mercedes smirched their name by acquiring Chrysler...

kyfdx · May 2004

'02 CRV EX automatic. I'm at 30K and my Duelers are shot. Give me some ideas. Options considering:

1) Buy three more Duelers (my spare is still new).

2) Bridgestone Turanza LS-T (pricy)

3) Yokohama Avid T4 (cheaper-supposedly handle well, prob 30K miles at most)

Any others?

Caveats: I am an aggressive driver and like to take turns moderately fast. I also drive about 14K miles per year and my commute is about 18 miles of urban/suburban freeway, so I need a decent ride along with some longevity. (30K miles out of a set would be okay, as long as they aren't too expensive).

regards,
kyfdx

bshel · May 2004

kyfdx,
another one you might consider is the Bridgestone Revos. The closest is 225/70/15 but a friend of mine put these on their 04 a few months back. are pricers than the Duellers HT and the noise doesn't seem less, but they grip the road much better, and hold corners incredibly well. No rubbing with this change from the stock size tire.

theracoon · May 2004

I went with Yokohama Avid Tourings in the stock size. Slightly better numbers than the Avid T4s better treadware rating and a longer treadlife warranty (80,000 miles vs 60,000 miles for the T4s).

lowsmoke · May 2004

As long as you're getting new rubber and you like to corner, how about wider tires? Say, replace the stock 205x70/15 with 215x65 or 225x60. That keeps the overall diameter close to stock but would be a bit wider. Personally, I'll be happy when my OEM tires wear out and I can upgrade the brand and size.

kyfdx · May 2004

Well... already went through the whole process on upgrading.. Decided against 16". To do a "plus zero" upgrade, going wider while keeping the same circumference on a 15" wheel, I'd have to buy wider wheels. The 215/65-15 and the 225/60-15 are too far off in diameter, and anything wider needs 6.5" or 7" wheels.

Any other suggestions on tires? And real-world experience? Gen I or Gen II?

regards,
kyfdx

icvci · May 2004

2003 EX

We bougth Yokohama Aegis LS4s. They were rated very highly by Consumer Reports in an objective test -

Braking
Dry - Very Good
Wet - Excellent
Ice - Very Good

Emergency Handling - Excellent
Hydroplaning - Very Good
Snow Traction - Very Good
Comfort - Fair
Noise - Good

They seem to be about as loud as the Duelers. They handle MUCH better. Snow and ice driving is much improved (a concern of mine after an accident that should have been avoided). Warranty is only 60,000 miles but, they are a cheaper tire. (About $47.00 each)

I contemplated the Avid Touring but, emergency handling, snow traction, hydroplaning, ice traction and noise were all rated as worse. (Not poor, just not as good as the Aegis.) The Avid had a better comfort rating, and that's not something I value over safety.

How they tested -

Braking tests on dry pavement were from 60 mph; on wet pavement, from 40 mph; and on ice, from 10 mph for passenger tires and 15 mph for SUV tires. Wet- and ice-braking scores are with the antilock braking system (ABS) engaged; because some vehicles dont have ABS, we note where disengaging it varied the score significantly. Emergency handling reflects a swerve to the left, right, and left again through a course outlined with traffic cones to simulate a situation such as a child running into the road. The more quickly and precisely we could negotiate the course without knocking over cones or spinning out of control, the better. Hydroplaning denotes a tires ability to resist skimming along the surface of standing water and causing loss of steering ability. We drove through a mild curve over a pool of water about 3/8 in. deep, increasing the vehicles speed until steering ability was lost. Snow traction denotes how far a vehicle had to travel to accelerate from 5 to 20 mph on flat, moderately packed snow--the shorter the distance, the better the traction. Ride comfort was evaluated subjectively, on rough and smooth roads. Noise, coarse surface was measured at 30 mph, driving over coarse pavement, with a sound analyzer recording sound levels at about ear level from the front passenger seat. We also note where noise on smooth pavement varied significantly. We also note dry and wet cornering, which reflects a tires grip in a turn and on dry and wet surfaces. Results are based on performance around a 200-ft.-diameter paved skid pad on which we drove in a circle at increasing speed; an accelerometer recorded the cornering force at which the tires began losing their grip. Rolling resistance, also noted, is a measure of how easily a tire rolls, which influences fuel consumption. We recorded the time and distance to coast from 40 to 20 mph; the longer and farther the measurements, the less rolling resistance and the less fuel consumed. Price is the approximate retail.

Kirstie_H · May 2004

A newspaper reporter is looking for someone who has financed a new car for longer than 60 months and is still paying for it. Please send your daytime contact info to jfallon@edmunds.com no later than Wednesday, May 19, 2004.
Thanks!
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com

sfsmith · May 2004

We upgraded to a Michelin Cross Terrain 225 X 70 X 15. They worked great in a heavy, wet snow we had this year (14 inches to begin with).I was happy with ride, handling, etc....still noisy on worn out pavement. The size difference did effect the odometer reading though. Didn't get a chance to see what wear mileage would be. Our 02 was totaled (very luckily my wife wasn't injured when she was rear ended by a tanker truck)...don't think I'll go that much bigger when we replace the stock tires on our 04 CRV..maybe 215's or just stay stock.

motordavid · May 2004

on TheWife's '03 CR-V EX 4WD. The oem Duellers were near bald at 14k in front w/rears about half gone. Rotating would have extended this,but I was tired of the wheelbarrow sized wheel/tire and 3rd world performance.

Got a wheel/tire pkg from Tire Rack: ASA brand wheels,(a BBS subsidary)in 7.5 x 16 size with Goodyear Eagle GT tires 225/60-16.
A lil'dealing on phone w/well informed reps, got the set mounted, well balanced on their GSP9700 machine, custom pkg'd, UPS delivered w/new set of lug nuts and wheel spacers for less than $800.
A lil' more than a hanging air freshner, but the diff is Night and Day,imo. Wife and I swapped them out for the oem midgies in 30 min in the garage.

Handling is enormously better; road noise is reduced by 20%+. Extreme braking is several feet shorter due to much larger footprint. Steering is a tad stiffer at low speed, but more precise at higher speed. It's still a CR-V, but it handles more like the rest of our stable, not a 3rd world, flat street, grocery getter.

For you handwringers, the nominal tire size diff is:

205/70-15 5.6 in 13.1 in 26.3 in 82.6 in 767 / mile N/A
225/60-16 5.3 in 13.3 in 26.6 in 83.7 in 757 / mile 1.3%

Data shows sidewall height, radius, dia., circum.,revs per mile, diff. I can live with 1.3-1.5% on odo or speedo; it's chump change.

NEway, an expensive method, but she wanted to keep car and I wanted it to ride, handle and stop better. Next, may be better brake pads when these are gone and firmer struts.
BR,David

lowsmoke · May 2004

Note: Diameter of stock tire - 205x70/15 - is 26.3 inches.
Diamter of 215x65/15 is 26.0 inches, a difference of 1.1 percent. IMO this difference would have a minor effect on odometer, shift points, etc, but the extra width would give a welcome improvement in handling.

kyfdx · May 2004

I agree...it is a small difference, but if I were to do that, I'd rather be slightly taller than shorter. The look is already wrong in that regard. Ideally, 225/65-15 would be a great size.. only .2 inches taller.. but, guess what?? Nobody makes that size, naturally.

regards,
kyfdx

motordavid · May 2004

kyfdx: I thought so too, but the 16" wheels,(in white to match the CR-V "fridge white", lol, combined w/the much meatier 225/60s really fill out the wheel well better, visually. Also, from behind, the car doesn't look like it has kiddie tires on it. Diff'strokes and a bit pricey, but glad we got them. My Wife was truly impressed with quieter ride, less body roll and much better handling on the Mtn roads she drives on. Fwiw, I shopped tires hard, and there are a plethora of choices in that size as compared to the midgie oem size. The Goodyear GTs were v.well rated and have a 440 tire life, Temp A, Trac. A, compared to 180,B,B on the oems. Like night and day.

NEway, for us, it has made it a much more driveable car.
BR,md

andrelaplume · May 2004

Did I miss something....been away awhile...did you get your day in court yet?

sabrina9 · May 2004

Nope, its early June. In fact, have been spending the last few days getting all stuff together.

Honda finally sent letter to insurance company saying it wasn't them. Absolutely no reason given. (at least they got a letter- I never have)Just "wasn't us" Also, basically said insurance company must take them to court if they want any further info, which of course I hope to get at my court date and will of course pass along. So far, they have not given anybody any info.

Very strange, if you ask me. Lot's of silly work when they just could have said the reason and we could have dealt with it, especially if they are sure it wasn't them - which I do not think they are. I definitely want to hear them tell the judge the info is proprietary.

andrelaplume · May 2004

If it is not them then who....God forbid they blame the dealer! I bet it's the crappy oil filter design and/or location.

sabrina9 · May 2004

Hopefully fairness will prevail. At one time I thought Honda was the best, now I think they are dopes - not for the problem with the car - I would have excused them for that, but for the way they are treating me and others. I think the Honda letter to NHTSA will show some interesting things (It is still not on the web. I am going to call tomorrow)

2001 - 2006 Honda CR-Vs

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