Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions

srockr · January 2003

Anyone tried to Ding remover they sell in stores now for about $19.95? Am afraid to try it was just wondering if it works and if safe for Civics

ecastone · January 2003

Thanks! I will have to call the dealership and ask them about that. Have you ever had problems with the car not starting. That seems to be my biggest problem. I talked to the dealership and they said they arent sure what is causing the problem but they said that they have been getting a lot of complaints about that. I should hear from them tomorrow! I'll keep you posted. Thanks again about the front end squeak!!!

srockr · January 2003

Has your Civic left you stranded by not starting?

ecastone · January 2003

It hasn't left me stranded (yet). Some times though it will take up to 45 minutes to start. I know this sounds crazy but it sounds more like an electrical problem then a gas problem. (that is what they said it might be either the 3rd or 4th time i called). It is getting very frustrating. This has been happening since about 1 month after I had the car.

srockr · January 2003

Try eliminating as much metal as possible from your key chain. Also try starting next with one of your extra keys. Have heard that a lot of stops and gos can cause hard starts.

Do you notice this when moisture is in the air?

bjk2001 · January 2003

Do you mean no cranking from starter or what?

ecastone · January 2003

It keeps cranking and cranking but it won't turn over. I tried taking the keys off the key ring but it didnt do any good.

srockr · January 2003

A few times my '03 Civic did not start at first try. I switched keys (used my other car key) and started ok. Don't know if this helped or will help you or not but it's worth a try. Just carry a second key with you. Make sure the keys are from Honda not aftermarket copies as they don't work well in the Hondas from what I have been told.

Also try turning the key to the notch right before the start position and let it sit for a few seconds before trying to crank the engine in the start position. I have read that it gets things going ...

rivertown · January 2003

I saw it in the manual, I think. There's a microchip in the keys of later model Hondas (that's why they're so fat) which is sensed by the ignition switch and which is required for the fuel pump to function. It sounds like the sensing is a bit tricky, and my guess is that you might need to take the key off your ring or clean it gently with alcohol or perhaps get a replacement. My salesman told me replacement keys cost $50.00. That barcoded slip of paper which should have come with your keys is the combination for your lock/key microchip. It's an anti-theft feature; car won't start without a legit key.

I haven't had a prob with my new Si.

eternalblue · January 2003

I never thought I'd say this (at least not so soon), but my 2-month old 2002 Civic EX Sedan got rear-ended today.

I just moved to MA (Middlesex County) and I'm wondering if anyone has any good recommendations for auto body shops. I'm at a loss for what to do. The bumper is going to need to be completely replaced as well as the taillights, and POSSIBLY the quarterpanel.

First new car, first accident. What a bummer.
Also, anything particular I should know about Mass. auto insurance and such would be great.

Thanks in advance.

srockr · January 2003

Have an '03 Civic:

Anyone know an easy way to chk the coolant reserve tank? It is in the front of the engine near fan but down low and hard to read.

Also, hood is not super tight. There is slight looseness on the right and left side front when it is latched and shut. Anyone know if this can be adjusted?

Thanks

srockr · January 2003

Sorry about your accident. If you are like me you treasure your little Civic. Posting on these boards is a good way to start to look for an auto body shop in your area. You might also check other boards for this same reason & call the better business bureau?

Good luck

mattbrat · January 2003

Hey all,

My car slips all the time, those firestones have no traction whatsoever. I have about 42,000 miles and that may have something to do with it, but I can't afford to replace the tires till summer.
By the way, I took my car to the dealers for an oil change and they told me that I needed to get the rear brakes adjusted. Is this normal? Do I need to get the rear brakes adjusted? and if I do need to get it adjusted, does this need to be done every once in awhile?

srockr · January 2003

Anyone know about how much to get the brakes adjusted at the dealership?

spokane · January 2003

Keeping the above suggestions in mind, go to another shop. A shop that tells you to "pump the gas pedal" is not one to be trusted. That action cannot possibly help, even though it will not cause flooding on modern fuel-injected engines. Good luck.

jrock80 · January 2003

This is very interesting to read all of these starting problems. I just bought a 2003 Accord EX V6 and it is doing the same thing. It takes a couple tries to get it started once in a while. While my dealer has been "unable to reproduce" this problem, they have replaced the fuel pump and pressure regulator. It was good for about 2 weeks and then tonight it took 3 times to get it to start. Reading the Odyssey and Pilot message boards as well, it looks like there are quite a few of us experiencing this problem. Maybe if we all band together we can start a class action suit against Honda. I called American Honda as well and was told that they know of no such issues involving hard starting or no starting on any of their vehicles. (yeah right). I dont feel so alone after reading all of these posts, but what do we do about it?

jholdrid · January 2003

I am getting ready to replace the CV Boots on a 1993 Civic LX and was wondering how much this should cost. I want to get a number before I call around for quotes. I live in the DC area if that helps. Thanks

wmajcher · January 2003

Hi,

I posted earlier on here about the replacing the window switch and I appreciate the responses. I do have another question about the 1999 Civic EX Coupe. When I try and spray winshield fluid on the window I have to keep pulling back on the lever and at first nothing happens then slowly the washing fluid will spray out of the nozzles onto the windows. Why does it take a few seconds for it to start spraying and why doesnt it spray as much as it should. If its the pump how hard is that to replace? How much would it cost? Where can I buy one?

Thanks

jade00 · January 2003

I have to say I LOVE driving my 2001 Honda Civic EX... It's that Zen at-one-with-the-car thing that allows me to relax and truly enjoy driving.SIGH..I bought my Civic brand new in Dec. 2001 and have had an ongoing problem from day one. The ac/heater fan output fluctuates with RPMs and the fan speed cycles up and down while idling.Of course the usual assortment of [non-permissible content removed], rip-offs and liars in my local Honda dealers service department all claimed this was Normal...maybe. Now when fan speed cycles up and down my interior lights and headlights will dim and brighten. Sometimes my ABS light comes on as well. At this point my CD player will slow down or stop altogether all of this occurs in tandem with the fan. In Dec 2002 the alternator was replaced, problem solved!(at least for the 80 mile drive home from Portland) By the next day all "symptoms"were GO again, the new alternator has made NO difference whatsoever.Has anyone got any ideas about this?? or better yet has anyone had this problem solved. I'd be happy to give the services guys an idea of where to start looking fro the problem as they are obviously grasping at straws for an answer now!! For a more detailed posting of the issues I have with Hondas claim of Reliability, Service and yes, even Safety I will post to Honda Problems board. Thanks for listening!

bjk2001 · January 2003

Jade00

Have they checked your Civic regulator?

bjk

srockr · January 2003

I would think to check "Class Action Suites" on the internet might be a good start.

My '03 has done this a few times but has always started on 2nd or 3rd try. Once all gauges quit working while driving. Didn't interfear w/ driving. Stopped car and then restarted then ok after that. Just had car washed earlier that day.

Please let me know what else you find out;

Doodlebog@aol.com

Thanks

redrockbunny · January 2003

This probably won't help you but here goes........
I also have a 2001 Civic EX purchased in June of 2001. When it was new with very low miles I immediately noticed that the a/c fan was fluctuating. Couldn't figure it out. After a while of thinking I had a warranty problem I realized it was the electric engine fans kicking on and off that was causing the slight occillation in the a/c fan. When they come on, in certain low RPM conditions, it can cause a slight drain on the electrical system, thus making the other accessories that pull high amps fluctuate. I think I also read a bulletin from Honda at the dealer mentioning the situation and saying it was normal. My situation is so slight, however, that most people would probably never notice it. Yours sounds much more severe. Now, I am not saying that this is in any way related to your situation, but you might have the dealer check the load on your alternator when all accessories are on including lights and the cooling fans kick in and out. There may (although most unusual) be a short of some kind in one of the cooling fans that is causing a tremendous drain on the electrical system to the point of causing the abnormalities you relate. All components of your electrical system are suspect, including the battery's charge. Good Luck!

jfigueroa1 · January 2003

recommend the dealer check the load on your alternator using a fluke meter to determine the out put when all accessories are on including lights and the cooling fans kick in and out while the car is in "D" and brakes pressed" also check the rpm's at the same time.(not normal but, see if by adding maybe 50 rpm's might give the extra spin to compensate)
Greetings from sunny Miami.
fig.

chacha99 · January 2003

I have the same problem with my honda. If you read back to message #1670 thats when i started typing, there's alot of suggestions there (none that helped me). I've had my 2002 Civic EX for 6 months and it's been in the dealership for over 20 days with no repairs made. The dealership cant find the problem so i called American Honda in California (800-999-1009)call them and let them know about your problem (actually they're not much help either, then sent me a free 10,000 mile service, that didnt make my car start). I got a lawyer to get rid of this car, my suggestion is get rid of yours too. About 95% of 2001-2003 Honda owners i've spoken to have had the same problem so there's obviously something wrong with these years. Dont get me wrong, i love civic's with one exception, it doesnt start. Honda also told me to pump the gas petal and hold the key in the crank position until it started (which i was doing for at least 15 sec. at a time), this will flood your engine. If you flood your engine then they can blame the starting problem on you.

JROCK- America Honda Lies! I have spoken with them at least 30 times and had screaming fights with many people there. They know there's a problem with these cars they just dont know how to fix it.

ecastone · January 2003

ALL OF YOU ARE AWESOME!!! Never in my life had I had so many people care who dont even know me!!! Its good to know there is a site like this where everyone can help each other. Hopefully there will be an end to this soon! My car goes in Tuesday! Wish me luck!!!!

rivertown · January 2003

Good luck, Ecastone! Let us know what you find out?

(LOL, ain't none of us awesome. Just ask one of us about the others. I bet you get some @#$&*#'s mixed in with the awesome's, LOL.) I'm playing.

srockr · January 2003

What did they do in the 10,000 mile check?

redrockbunny · January 2003

It is too bad so many are having to deal with this issue. This forum is the first place I have ever heard of it. I have no idea what the problem is but I can assure all that Honda would be aware of it if there are many complaints, and probably are working out a solution. My 2001 Civic EX has 45,000 miles on it now in a year and half since purchase. It has never failed to start quickly usually on the 2 to 3 crank in all those miles. So obviously many of the cars are fine, and the problem can be resolved.
Good Luck, and happy motoring.

chacha99 · January 2003

Well according to my lawyer she has had MANY compliants on the new honda civic's not starting. And if the problem could be resolved i'm sure honda wouldn't be dealing with a law suit from me.

SROCKR--My car only has only 5,000 miles on it so i havent gotten to the 10,000 mile service yet.

gee35coupe · January 2003

What are you trying to get from a lawsuit. And isn't that gonna cost just about as much as just trading the car?

chacha99 · January 2003

I'm trying to get what i paid for. The reason for the lawsuit is cause Honda doesn't want to deal with this problem, believe me if there was an easier way to do it i would. I've been fighting with honda since 3 weeks after i bought the car and it's now 5 months later and they were no help. And no my lawyer will be free cause WHEN i win honda pays all the fees. Why would i trade it in? I dont want another Honda.

bdfitz · January 2003

Today I purchased a 2003 Civic EX 4-Dr automatic. Tonight when driving home on the freeway I too noticed the dancing lights(the freeway lights reflecting off the dash)!
srockr Dec 1, 2002 9:01pm

rivertown · January 2003

What's the requirement under the lemon law? Honda/dealership has to buy the car back? Why wouldn't that apply here? Is a lawsuit even necessary?

I don't have the term right, maybe; but there's the idea of warranty of merchantability - that something can actually be used for what it's sold to do, else the seller has to refund. At some point, a 'car' sold as 'car' which doesn't start reliably enough to be used as a 'car' ceases being what it was sold for, ceases being a 'car'.

I wouldn't think you'd have to go full blown lawsuit and trial, but you might need to have an attorney's help with a letter 'demanding' a solution or even filing the lawsuit in court.

The 'injury' is loss of use of a product you've actually paid for or become endebted to pay for.

jade00 · January 2003

Thanks for the input. I guess I should cut the service guys some slack about telling me the fan fluctuation is normal( since that's Honda's story and they're sticking to it!) I was thinking maybe the reason the alternator needed to be replaced so soon was caused by the short or whatever??Also my battery has one of those green eye deals to see if it is fully charged and it has never been green, I never really thought it was important but it's one more symptom I guess.

jade00 · January 2003

I love to drive my Civic and I can't believe you have 42,000 miles on those nasty Firestone tires I didn't make it to 4200 miles with mine! When you can afford to replace them try the Tire Rack http://www.tirerack.com/ it's a great site to research by vehicle then narrow down your choices with questionnaires about how and where you drive and then by price. I put Dunlop Sport A2 tires on mine I ordered then from TireRack for $55. They are High Performance All Season tires and I have absolutely no complaints and will replace them with the same.

anonymousposts · January 2003

Just another frivolous lawsuit which will only result in increased prices. It's a shame that responsible consumers who aren't always trying to make a dollar off of someone will end up paying the higher prices as a result of law-suit happy gold-diggers who have nothing better to do with their time.

anonymousposts · January 2003

Wait a minute ... "I'm not suing honda" but then you say "the reason i have a lawsuit is because they wouldnt take the car back". Kind of contradicting yourself there.

Under New Jersey's Lemon Law if your car has less than 18,000 miles on it and it has been repaired 3 times for the same thing or it has been out of service for more than 20 days at a time it might fall under the Lemon Law. The Lemon Law is in place to give the manufacturer adequate time to repair the vehicle. If you have less than 18,000 miles and the car has been repaired more than 3 times for the same thing why are you suing Honda instead of pursuing the Lemon Law in your state?

Something's fishy.

rivertown · January 2003

Well, my take is that Honda generally builds a car reliable and durable enough to command a price premium and that Honda service is generally very good.

On the other hand, a car in the shop 20 days during the 1st six months strikes me as a real problem; and an owner willing to go that far has really done his part.

Assuming the facts are as stated, which I do, it seems that Honda could, should, and would be well served by fixing the problem or buying the car back. Voluntary compliance with the lemon law on the part of the car company and dealership would be very impressive, would help cement the Honda rep, and would defuse the situation very nicely. Heck, the dealerships are the pro's in this situation and could take the lead in resolving it. It's a shame that voluntary compliance with the law would be impressive.

bjk2001 · January 2003

Sorry to hear about your guys/gals Honda not starting. We have two Honda's 01 Odyssey EX 19k miles on it (18 months) and an 02 Civic Ex 5300 miles (9 months)on it. My daughter's Honda most time sits on our driveway (daughter goes to college and comes home on weekend) and drives very few miles each way. Both cars never had any starting problem at all. Always started in first crank.

Maybe the weather? Southern Calif is never cold here.

jrock80 · January 2003

I have had the same problem with my 2003 Accord EX V6, it has left me totally stranded 3 times now and I have had it in for repairs 6 times since I got it. Next week it goes in for another weeks worth of testing to find out why its doing it. It has been very embarassing when the car I paid $26k for doesnt start and leaves me stranded, when the $2k 10 year old Grand AM I traded in for it never let me down. I dont want any kind of money back, I just want a car that works.

auburn63 · January 2003

You may want to ask them try another computer(ECM/PCM) if they dont have any other ideas as I have (knock on wood) repaired 2 03 Accords with similar complaints. One was a no start at all and the other a intermitant no start. There also is something going around about isolating your key as the chip is being decoded at times by other devices in peoples purses and pockets or key chains with too much metal..When your car doesnt start try taking notice what the immobilizer light is doing...Good luck

srockr · January 2003

I keep the extra keys with me just in case one doesn't work. Haven't had to resort to that yet (& hopefully never). It's a hassle keeping so many keys on me (car & house) but I feel a little more secure.

srockr · January 2003

Aren't the dancing lights weird? Beware of the static esp. at gas pumps. I never get back in my car during fillup (wait till I'm ready to leave) and try to touch my key to metal when getting out of car. Sometimes spray myself w/ Static Spray before going in car.

Still absolutely love the car!

wmajcher · January 2003

Hi,

I have a 1999 Civic and it takes a while for the washer fluid to shoot out onto the window and when it does its very weak. I would like to replace the washer pump, but am not sure how hard this would be. Is this difficult to do? Where is the pump located? Has anyone out there tried this on their own? Any responses are appreciated.

Thanks

anonymousposts · January 2003

The Dunlop A2's are good tires. We had them on a couple of cars and were pleased with them.

crazygrrrl · January 2003

I just bought a 2003 Civic LX sedan about 2 weeks ago and so far, I've had no problems other than cats sleeping on my car.

If my Civic is to get the "no starting" problem, how soon would that happen? I've got 700 miles on it so far with no starting problems. I drive it just about every day.

Does the immobilizer dashboard light blink when the car refuses to start?

If you use your spare key, does the car still refuse to start?

I keep my Honda key away from all my other keys. I hope this is enough to prevent the problem.

I also have a question: are my dashboard lights supposed to be on all the time, even when I don't turn on my headlights? (I don't mean the warning lights, but the background lights on the gauges.)

Thanks.

gee35coupe · January 2003

It's like living next to a Honda service facility. You'd think they all break since that's all you see coming to the shop all the time. This just has a concentration of problems in one place. They seel a lot of these little buggers you know. Even 2 percent failure rate is over 6000 last year.

rivertown · January 2003

I think we need to consider the hypothesis that those with real car probs may not have time/interest/energy for message posting. Shucks, the most vocal detractors show up only intermittently, which sorta supports the hypothesis that they're too busy fixing their Hondas to visit with us.

LOL! LOL!

gee35coupe · January 2003

Yeah we spend so much time chasing ours down hills we barely have time to post. LOL.

rivertown · January 2003

you're right, Gee. I am a nut, even to the point getting the attention of squirrelly people. I thought my Si purchase would normalize or rehab my identity, but . . .

Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions

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Honda Civic: Problems &amp; Solutions

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Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions