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2008 Honda Civic Problems and Repairs

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Comments

  • anniemolanniemol Member Posts: 6
    I have been to the dealer two times this week. I was informed that I had to call American Honda in CA. I did yesterday. After four services due to steering and now the locked MT I do not feel this new Honda is safe or reliable. I never had so many visits to the service dept. with my old Honda. Geez, it is only 6 months old.
  • jpcanaverajpcanavera Member Posts: 33
    The AC on my 07 EX seems to run fine. We've been in the mid 90's a few times this year and it is very comfortable. Now the one thing I've noticed regarding all my Honda's (and this is my third, Accord and CRV), is that once it approaches the 90's you have to run the AC unit on the max cooling setting. You don't have to have the fan on full blast but you do need to be on the MAX setting. I've not had a foreign car that ever has matched the output of an American car. If you are running on normal I can guarantee you that in traffic or once it hits 90 or above the AC won't perform as well.

    Jack
  • epaluchepaluch Member Posts: 6
    I purchased my new 08 (auto EX) about a month ago and have 2K miles on it and love it so far. I have noticed the ac isn't that powerful, but if you put it on the max AC setting it performs fine. Averaging around 34MPG overall which was my main reason for buying (traded in a 05 Highlander). No quality issues at all. I was figuring on buying a Corolla originally (figured I'd get a better trade on the Highlander) and negotiated a price prior to going in to test drive. My family drove with me and everyone hated the Corolla and the quality just didn't feel like a Toyota. Left ther dealership, went to Honda and driving the Civic is what I was expecting from a quality standpoint. Very happy so far!
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    American cars always have better a/c systems for some unknown reason. The brakes on my car are just fine after 15k miles.

    The Sandman :)
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Hey sandman, our dealer in Birmingham is fighting to get a prorated refund on our tires that went bad on the 07 Civic at 30k miles.
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    Wish I got treated the same way. Live and learn I guess.

    The Sandman :)
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    It took a couple of phone calls, the second one getting pretty ugly according to my father (had to get loud with the sales manager he has bought 20 Hondas from since 1982). Once that manager realized it affected his daughter's Civic as well, he started fighting for it himself (her tires had to be replaced at 22k and he didn't realize there was a TSB until my dad brought it to his attention in a loud manner).

    It's a shame that it truly has to be their problem before they start really fighting for ya, isn't it?
  • mannychanda187mannychanda187 Member Posts: 10
    Hi I bought my car last month 2008 Honda civic EX automatic and it has about 700 miles on it. I am kind of not sure if this problem is normal or not, the problem I have is that when I am braking from higher speed to lower speed in slower motion where I am not pressing the pedal really fast, at the last gear or the first gear, where it gets lower than 25 miles my car kind of jerks before it slows down which gives me a feeling like I am switching a gear, just like in the manual transmission but my car is automatic transmission. Is this normal with this kind of car or should I take it to the dealership to get this fix or looked at. Thanks in advance for replying
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    This may be the car simply downshifting to help with engine braking. Next time you are slowing down in this manner, watch your tachometer to see if the jerk is accompanied with a rise in RPMs. If so, your car is just downshifting; it will do this to help you slow down especially on hills (such as off-ramps).
  • silver_sallysilver_sally Member Posts: 4
    mine is an automatic also and it does the same thing. :)
  • suiosuio Member Posts: 42
    The AC works fine (often too cold) on my new Civic LX Auto in southeast Texas.
  • flacarflacar Member Posts: 2
    I live in Florida and my A/C blows cold air. Then it starts this cycle of 10 seconds cold air and 2 seconds of warm air. It happens on high fan speed and on low fan speed, It happens at 30 mph and 70 mph on the highway. I drive it on MAX a/c not fresh air. I don't seem to have the problem after a stop. When I called American Honda they said they never heard of this problem. Has anyone had this problem fixed?
  • jet10000jet10000 Member Posts: 656
    I haven't had any problems with my A/C this summer. I was a little concerned since there was posts regarding this in previous years.

    It's typically 107 in Vegas in the afternoons. I always use a sunshade in the front windshield while parked. I start driving for a few seconds with the windows down to clear out the stale area. Then I run the A/C on Max with no fresh air and it cools everything down nicely.
  • jet10000jet10000 Member Posts: 656
    One of my sunvisors became inoperable. The casing along the base of the visor bulged out and the plastic seam popped open and the visor would not return to the upright and locked position.

    Someone I knew with a 2007 Civic said this happened to them last summer. The glue used in the visor construction doesn't hold up well to extreme heat. I'm in Vegas and it is typically 107 in the afternoon.

    The dealership repaired the visor as a warranty repair today in 15 minutes. My service advisor said that they see this most commonly happen when people used their sunvisors to hold up a sunshade in the windshield. (Which I always do.)

    He said the visor was a poor design and there is more stress on the sunvisor mechanism in the down position, but that they would not tell me I could not use the sunvisor to hold up a sunshade, nor would they use that as an excuse not to replace future sunvisors as needed under the warranty.

    He did say, however, that there are "clips" that are sold that can be used to hold a sunshade in place instead of the sunvisor. I've never seen these, but I may check it out.
  • ladyluck1ladyluck1 Member Posts: 11
    I bought my Civic 5 days ago and have only been able to drive it one day. Stalled out the second day I had it and engine light came on, drove to dealership and they couldn't duplicate the problem. It stalled again the next day, engine light came on and it sputtered all the way back to the dealership. I really thought Honda was the car to buy, what a mistake. They're working on it, but the new car "high" I had, is gone. They have to replace an assembly? Is this the beginning of visiting dealerships during the whole life of my warranty? They've furnished me with a rental, but you'd think one day after you buy a car they want to make this good. :sick:

    Has anyone else had this problem?
  • silver_sallysilver_sally Member Posts: 4
    sounds like a lemon
  • jonesbb630jonesbb630 Member Posts: 31
    I would have demanded another new car. I have had Hondas since 1984, and I have never had such a problem. My new 08 civic is flawless thus far however, I only have 10 k on it so knock on wood. :shades:
  • anniemolanniemol Member Posts: 6
    Well, I purchased a 2008 lx and it has been in the shop four times with 4 different problems. I requested a new car but American Honda in CA denied me one. Lemon Law states it must be 4 of the same problems. I don't feel safe in it. Most recent issue was when it got stuck in reverse and had to be towed! (manual T). They had to replace the gear apparatus. I am trading it in for the 2009. Hopefully I wont get another car made on a Monday or Friday!
    My last car was a honda and I didn't have any major problems-got 216,000 miles from it.
  • ladyluck1ladyluck1 Member Posts: 11
    Yeh, I feel the same way. I guess I'll see when I get it back. The dealership will not give me another, but I've posted a review on their site and when Honda calls me I will be letting them know what happened. The dealership kept begging me to give them a good rating, yeh right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lemon:
  • ladyluck1ladyluck1 Member Posts: 11
    I'm impressed that you'd give them another try buying an 09. I would rather get a Nissan, never had a problem, traded it in with 170,000 miles on it. My next car will either be a Toyota or Nissan, no more Honda's for me.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    The dealership kept begging me to give them a good rating, yeh right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Well, what did the dealership specifically do to earn a bad rating :confuse: ? Most lemon laws that I know of state a dealer must be given the opportunity to solve the problem multiple times (usually 3 or 4) in a reasonable period of time before a replacement or refund is in order.
  • ladyluck1ladyluck1 Member Posts: 11
    I am fully aware of the Lemon Law. I guess I thought buying a brand new vehicle you wouldn't have to worry about it breaking down the day after you purchased it. I thought the dealerships would check the car out fully before putting a customer in it only to break down 2 times. If I hadn't been late for work both days, maybe I wouldn't have been so upset about the whole thing. The car salesman had also misled me, by mistake, not on purpose, but it's still the principle of the matter. As soon as they knew the car didn't have what he had stated, they should have offered me another vehicle or installed the components that were selling points. One of the components was made good, an after-market installation.

    The day after my posting the dealership called and stated they had installed the assembly and one of the components, my car was ready for pick up. I have had no problems in 2 days, so if my car continues to not have any major issues, I will be rescinding the bad rating.
  • mayrogemayroge Member Posts: 9
    When shifting the manual transmission up into 5th or down into 2nd I hear a pop from the shifter console inside. It sounds like a suction cup pop. It doesn't make the noise when shifting into 3rd or 4th. It seems to happen at the end of stick shift travel to the right (where 5th is) or to the left (where 2nd is). I have had the car to the dealer and they informed me there is nothing wrong and it is "normal". Well, it did NOT do this when I bought the car new off the lot. I started hearing it after a couple of weeks of use. I have now had the Civic LX for two months now. Any ideas?
  • ttg911ttg911 Member Posts: 45
    Here's TSB 08-001. It's only a scan, but you can at least read/print it for reference. I recently had my 2006 EX sedan in the shop with 28,000 miles and they replaced the rear upper control arms and did a 4-wheel alignment at not cost. For the tires, they said they couldn't help me out, so I pushed back to Honda and they agreed to give consideration of 50% for 4 new tires. Sucks that I am out money for their issue, but I think it's the best I could hope for given the circumstances. Hopefully they will amend the bulletin to include 2008's if there indeed are problems with them (as it appears). Good luck to everyone and my advice is to call Honda to register a formal complaint.

    http://uabvda.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p5dVnX3NhP3b6p5e-GHOrwTZHyqlbEZlfE9HU0P66V- 2y_wgfg5LAEzN6QAhv1yfGQvhx-MkigYBGwW27MXgL4aQ/TSB%2008-001.pdf?download
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    Not sure of the phone number for Honda to register a complaint. Could anyone please give it to me?
    T I A all!

    The Sandman :)
  • ttg911ttg911 Member Posts: 45
    Here's the link from Honda's website, but the number is: 800-999-1009

    http://automobiles.honda.com/information/customer-relations.aspx
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    The Sandman :):)
  • ladyluck1ladyluck1 Member Posts: 11
    I wanted to post an update regarding my Honda Civic Ex. The dealership fixed the problem and so far so good. It was something to do with the VTECH assembly. I do have to mention that when I went to the DMV to get my tag, the title clerk gave me a break on the late penalty cause she just bought an accord and the same day she had to put hers in the shop due to railroad dust on her paint. We shared our dealership stories. So, I have come to the realization that it's the dealership not testing or prepping the cars before delivery that is the problem, not the car itself.

    My Honda Civic is now running great and a blast to drive. :)
  • momo0623momo0623 Member Posts: 2
    You are so correct...I just had my 08 civic coupe EX-L in the dealer on Thursday and Friday of last week because of vibration of 65+ on the hwy (this was an on going battle). After many attemps of getting the alignment situated- it runs and handles fine-oh and they had to install 4 brand new tires as well. Then the manager of the service dept. said sometimes the vehicles come this way from factory. If they could only prep before the cars go off the lot it would make things so much easier. I'm happy to hear your car is well!!
  • lweekslweeks Member Posts: 12
    i got goodyear to replace 2 front tires, its better , not perfect like a brand new car should be. Waterloo Honda not only refuses to help , but charged me $ 110.00 for a alignment, that required a lot of adjustment @ 3500 kl.they also damaged my rims in the prosses. HOW DO I HET INTOUCH WITH hONDA cANADA? lpweeks@sympatico.ca
  • canadaycanaday Member Posts: 3
    I LOVE Hondas. Bought 08 Civic EX in May. There are a lot of things I love about this Civic but overall I'm disappointed. Well researched contenders were Civic, Prius, and 09 Corolla. Less than 4000 miles, and have had two trips to service department. That already ties for total number of repair trips for my 01 Outback VDC with 80000 miles and is about the same for total repair trips as various Accords I've owned 60000 to 100000 miles. I really do not like Toyotas (owned everything from a 68 Corona to a Camry and don't like the ride, handling, or the quality) but I'm thinking I should have tried the 09 Corolla or bitten the bullet and paid list for the Prius (Yeah, I could have gotten one for only list and it rides great, almost comparable pick up, and is very well designed for stowage). Biggest Civic disappointment is handling. With the almost zero ground clearance on the Civic, it should be great on curves. It is okay. Just slightly better than my Outback AWD which has almost 9 inches of clearance. Minor peeve: I live in very very hot sunny climate. Try to find a sun shade to fit this thing. The dealer ought to hand them out as advertising. Oh, since the original thread is about A/C, mine is okay although weak even in over 100 degree in the shade weather. You may have to turn it to Maximum.
  • jet10000jet10000 Member Posts: 656
    I live in very very hot sunny climate. Try to find a sun shade to fit this thing. The dealer ought to hand them out as advertising.

    The Civic has a big windshield. I use this shade and it fits perfectly.

    http://www.amazon.com/Basix-Magic-Shade-Super-Sunshade/dp/B000G72UOQ/ref=pd_bbs_- - sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1217642152&sr=8-1

    You just slant the two panels slightly so they go underneath the rear view mirror. You can set them so they stay in place by themselves without the need to use the sunvisors to hold them in place.

    I live in a hot climate as well, and you'll find they make an amazing difference.

    I bought them at Wal-Mart. Make sure you get the Super Jumbo size. The Jumbo size will not work as well even though Jumbo is the size the packaging recommends.
  • ladyluck1ladyluck1 Member Posts: 11
    Curious here, what did you take your Civic to the service department for? Since I've already been twice under 20 miles lol! My a/c works okay, not great for living in the south. Takes awhile to cool down with the max on, once I switch it to regular air, if I slow down it's not as cool.Not too strange! Max a/c sure uses up the gas, not sure what mileage I'm getting yet since trying to keep my car cool. Can't wait until fall to get a reading. I heard sun shades weren't good to use for cars because it keeps the heat focused on the equipment in the dash. Has anyone else heard that?
  • jet10000jet10000 Member Posts: 656
    I heard sun shades weren't good to use for cars because it keeps the heat focused on the equipment in the dash. Has anyone else heard that?

    No, I've never heard that. The sunshade that I just recommended fits right up against the bottom of the windshield. When you have the silver side facing outward, a large majority of solar heat is reflected out of the car.

    I recommended these sunshades to another friend driving a Civic, and they used to not be able to grip their steering wheel because it was burning hot. Now, it's not an issue. They found their car is much cooler and that the A/C now works much faster.
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    Living in South Florida, a/c is more than adequate for our hot temp. Great little car.

    The Sandman :)
  • lweekslweeks Member Posts: 12
    my 2008 Honda EX 4 door has since new, had a tire problem. Dealer in Waterloo sluffed me off, telling me these Goodyear Eagle R S A ,s were never meant to go 130 KL per hour., & told me to monitor the situation. At my own expense had wheels removed & checked tires & rims for out of round & run off. All 4 where out of round & Goodyear replaced 2 front tires, however problem not compleatey gone, & they damaged my aluminum rims too, despite asking them not to. Dealer also charged $100.00 to do an alignment & correct factory settings@ 3000 kl. have been quotted $ 745.00 to replace tires with Michelin Primacy,s AT 6000kl,s that seems to be a high price to pay. Have any of you had this type of problem ? lloyd
  • skepticalskeptical Member Posts: 65
    Hi,
    I'm new to this forum and just started reading through, and it's a bit overwhelming, and I'm a bit concerned...because

    I'm actually about to purchase an '08 Honda Automatic LX (as in tonight!) and so I'm wondering if there is a post someone can refer me to (or a website) to find out about major problems to look out for with this car...

    Is there any good reason I should not get it (mechanically wise?).

    Thanks in advance, and sorry if this question has been asked a gazillion times--just don't have time now to sift through all the posts...
  • skepticalskeptical Member Posts: 65
    Hi everyone,

    YIKES!

    I took a test drive last night of the AT O8 sedan, and a strong burning smell came through...the gal said it would "burn off" in a couple of weeks--that it was simply part of a treatment applied to the car to ward off any potential rusting when the car is shipped overseas...

    What is this?

    Anyone else know?

    Thanks again!
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    That is very possible, if that car was made in Japan. Manufacturers do apply a sealant to the underside of cars being shipped overseas for anti-corrosion. If it gets on the exhaust, it can cause a pungent smell. That happened on an Elantra I bought a few years ago. The smell did go away in a couple of weeks.
  • skepticalskeptical Member Posts: 65
    Thanks tons Backy..that puts my mind to rest! A couple of friends echo the same to me, so I think I'm gonna go for it!

    Funny, I was considering an Elantra, but the deal I'm getting with the civic is the same ($19,000 out the door) and I just like the civic a tad better...but I did give up the blue-tooth that was included in the Elantra...
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Either that was one loaded Elantra (SE with AT, ESC, alloys, leather, moonroof etc.) or you didn't get a very good deal on it.

    Good luck on the Civic quest!
  • gjslutzgjslutz Member Posts: 3
    In Sept. 08 I purchased an 08 Civic EX with leather & GPS for my wife. At 13,000 miles after a extended trip, the rear tires were cupped. The dealer replaced the tires and checked the alingment. They checked with the factory and was assured it had the new control arms on it. The only thing they could come up with was excessive weight in the trunk for the trip. It was paid for by the factory,but we notice if there is another couple in the rear it feels as if it is over loaded. The spring rate must be too low. I would purchase a higher rate spring if I could find them that were not lowered. She likes the car, but if we have 4 people, we take a different car.
    Our dealer did all they could, but I never had this with any other cars we have owned.
  • cz75cz75 Member Posts: 210
    Sounds like a problem with the shift cables.
  • cz75cz75 Member Posts: 210
    What is the speed rating on the tire? Probably an "H," therefore it is rated to go around 210 kph (130mph).
  • cz75cz75 Member Posts: 210
    Stiffer spring lower the car as a matter of course. You can find them that only lower it around 1/2" though - try H&R or Eibach.
  • kjokjo Member Posts: 24
    A burning smell from a coating for cars shipped overseas?

    Isn't the Civic built in Marrysville, Ohio?
    Mine was. :confuse:
  • cz75cz75 Member Posts: 210
    Also Alliston, Ontario. However, it is also probable that a few are made in Japan, probably to boost capacity until the Greensburg, IN plant gets online.
  • bluetoothlessbluetoothless Member Posts: 15
    I have 1,100 miles on my 2008 Civic Si sedan w/ M/T and noticed almost immediately of the A/C cooling issues in South Florida. At times it cools so well that I cannot keep my hand in front of vent, but regardless if engine is at idle or cruising at 80 mph the cooling cuts out with no change in fan speed. At idle I have been able to restart the cooling effort with a quick rev of the engine and believe I have repeated this as cruising speeds also. Can't tell if compressor load on engine changes when cooling cuts out.
    I spoke with service advisor that has thrown me many expensive out of warranty freebies for my 05 Odyssey. She contends that even though she has heard this complaint on many other civics and acknowledges the cooling cut off American Honda contends it is a "normal" power distribution method. I don't know if it is to compensate for a weak alternator or a highly consumptive electrical chasis, but feel American Honda can remap the ECU to fix this issue. American Honda will not address my complaint until dealer service file has been created. We all need to start complaining to them ASAP. Dropping car off on Friday 8/08/08. Keep you all posted!
  • bluetoothlessbluetoothless Member Posts: 15
    My 2008 Si w/ M/T was manufactured in Japan. In past most Si's were.
  • skepticalskeptical Member Posts: 65
    Hi there! I just noticed your post and I'm so glad I didn't get that Elantra now--

    The whole experience left quite a bad taste in my mouth...

    It was NOT loaded aside from the bluetooth (which given new CA laws, would have been nice). It did have AT and a rear spoiler on it, which I had zero interest in, but apparently it was the only one left in the dark blue. No moon roof or special wheels...

    And btw, since they had no cars with spoilers on the lot, I had no idea what it would look like. Sight unseen they nonetheless insisted I sign paper work and fork over the money entire-- before I even saw it (it was to be transferred from another dealer) or test drove it. I offered a deposit check (refundable) to show my seriousness (as they said that was the issue, and they initially said that wouldn't do. Thankfully, I called a wise friend and he said NO, don't do it. So I refused and began to walk out. Magically ;) a manager appeared in the cubicle within seconds and said that would be okay to wait on the payment. We agreed upon the fully refundable deposit instead, which seemed much more reasonable to me...

    BTW, the $19.000 was with taxes....but still, that seemed high--especially because a $1,500 rebate was supposedly included in the deal. They insisted it was a fantastic deal because it was such a hot car now and there were only a few left and consumer reports came out with such glowing reviews that made them all fly off the lot apparently...

    Anyway, this is exactly what the Civic LX (no bluetooth) came to, which to me seems a much more solid car and far better re-sale value to boot.

    Anyway, I'm glad I didn't get it. I really am not a spoiler person. I suppose if I were younger, I might not mind as much... I think they look a bit over-kill on a compact car, kinda like it's trying too hard to be something it's not.

    I am a tad concerned though, because I've yet to receive my deposit check back in the mail, which they confirmed was mailed over a week ago...sigh....
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