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Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions
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Comments
by fixing the problem that caused the light to come on in the first place. Auto Zone will scan the codes and reset the light, but it will come back on again if the problem is not fixed.
I have a new car, 300 miles, and the front passenger door rattles. It sounds like it is coming from where the door and the dash meet. Anyone have this problem? Any luck with dealer repairs? It rattles most of the time and drives me crazy.
Thanks
I have no idea if it can be fixed or not. Car was made in Canada.
And to update on the service appointment - I was told by the technician whom I test drove my car with that the noise I was hearing is apparently normal in 04 Civics. I kinda already knew that was going to be the impression, as the noise itself is somewhat subtle, not overbearing. Oh well. Maybe I'll try another dealership if/when I have the energy or the optimism. More than likely, I'll just have to live with it.
Thanks in advance,
Elissa
Actually, Keenan Honda, where I bought it and take it for service, said it COULD be a coil, but they were not sure. They basically said they could start replacing parts and see what happens, and I said no thanks. It seems to me that they should be able to troubleshoot this, and they aren't bothering because I have an extended powertrain warranty. I'd take it elsewhere, but I don't want to void the warranty...
I don't know why so many people think that they will void their warranty if they take their car to a reputable mechanic other than the dealer they bought the car from. All you have to do to maintain your warranty is have it serviced according to the maintanance schedule. That could involve going to any dealer for maintenance, going to any auto repair shop for maintenance or doing the maintanance yourself. Although I advise you to keep very good documentation if you do either of the last two options. Especially if you do your own maintenance - you should keep a log of work done with dates and mileage and keep receipts.
However, if you want warranty work done on the car - then I think you are obligated to go to a dealer for that. Honda will reimburse the dealer for warranty related work but won't reimburse Joe's Auto Repair.
My recommendation: if you really want the diagnosis and your dealer refuses to do it, get them to document your complaint and document that they will not diagnose it, save a copy of that invoice. Go to another Honda dealer to see if they will diagnose. Failing that, go to a reputable repair shop for a diagnosis only - a shop that has the codes and software for your car and model year. If they find a problem, bring proof of diagnosis and proof of the dealers' refusal to diagnose back to the dealer for a covered warranty repair and I'd even go one step further and try to get your diagnosis fee paid by Honda - since you'll have proof of the problem and of the refusal to honor the warranty by running a diagnostic on it. Good luck with that though, I'm sure they'll never reimburse you, but at least you can stick it to that lazy dealer by telling on them.
Maybe you can avoid all that just by asking to see the service director?
Elissa
My 2004 Civic LX transmission is getting a loud 'tick' sound, when stop and move the transmission to from 'Parking P' to 'drive D' or reverse. It is not usually happened, but it is very loud when parking in down hill, moving between them.
Is it normal? What is the problem? Please advices.
Thanks.
I just purchased a 2004 Civic VP a few weeks ago and there is a sound I have noticed from day one. When I park, kind of like a tick (I am so bad at describing sounds, not sure the difference between a ping, knock, etc) this only happens after I have been driving for a while, and it continues for about 5 minutes while parked. Sometimes if the trip is VERY short then it wont happen. Sounds come from under the hood.
I took it to the dealer and they said that this is normal, something about the metal contracting. The sound was not as loud when he heard it, though. This doesn't sound right to me, I haven't seen a car do that before, though I admit I dont know anything about cars. I have done searched on the internet and cant really find any discussion about this. Was wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar.
Thanks for any help. I am so happy I found this website.
Elissa
Now, however, for the first time, I'm noticing that the fan speed of the blower for my A/C tends to change while driving. For example, when I go to apply the brakes during a stop, with the a/c on high, you can hear the fan actually speed up as I apply the brake, and once I stop, it seems to slow down. There is also fan speed fluctuation when I hit a bump in the road, which I find very weird.
Does this mean my alternator is going bad, or anything like this at all? I'm going to be selling the car in the next six months anyway, but I'm curious to know if anyone else has experienced similar problems.
Thanks for your help.
I need to get that replaced. Is there a suggested place I can get the exhaust pipe with Resonator + installation, any recommended place? How much should it be costing.
Also since my car has 82,000 miles on it, i want to replace the timing belt. How much is that going to cost?
Thanks v. much
I belive it has to do with Honda's approach to alternator powering up the battery. The car basically runs on battery alone when it is 90-100% charged. And alternator is taken out if the circuit to reduce the load on the engine.
The cost is: MSRP $146, online dealer $110.
I need to get that replaced. Is there a suggested place I can get the exhaust pipe with Resonator + installation, any recommended place? How much should it be costing.
Also since my car has 82,000 miles on it, i want to replace the timing belt. How much is that going to cost?
Thanks v. much
I need to get that replaced. Is there a suggested place I can get the exhaust pipe with Resonator + installation, any recommended place? How much should it be costing.
Also since my car has 82,000 miles on it, i want to replace the timing belt. How much is that going to cost?
Thanks v. much
The reply# 3069 was for you.
1) I can hear some annoying humming noise on the highway, say above 45mph. This noise is like sth rubbing the road surface. Looks like it is still there whether I press the gas pedal or not. I suspect tire noise? anyone has same experience?
2) Gas pedal vibration, not always, but it happens now and then when speed is above 70 mph. It is possible related with problem 1.
Other problem I found on this forum is "gurgling noise" I have no such a problem
Thanks
elissa
Gas pedal vibration?? Never heard of such a thing. If it's in your steering wheel it's wheel balance.
Andy
Does anyone know what might be wrong with my car? Everytime I am at 2000 rpm in second gear or sometimes 3rd gear, it makes a little odd noise. It didn't do this until recently. I have a 2000 honda civic lx 5 speed.
If anyone is considering the Civic LX or EX, you may want to check out the Elantra. I've seen them advertised for a loaded model with auto (same eqpt. as LX) for about 11K. And with the variable cam 138HP engine, side airbags, maintenence free timing chain, 5/60 b to b warranty (like many luxury cars) and high JD Power quality scores, it's hard to go back to the Civic.
i had posted earlier regarding the engine check light. i had taken to dealer, he replaced, spark plugs wires, rotor etc.. ($300). The engine check liht appears again. this time around I took to dealer again thinking it is under warranty. He says i have to do a servicing! that didnt sound logical to me.
I went to autozone and read codes P0300, P0301, P0303, and P1399. basically much of it is cylinder misfires. anyone has any idea of the solution..
Also my coolant is emptied every month. i have to fill it up. else temp guage goes to red hot all the time..($70 spent already to replace thermostat etc)
any suggestions.. thanks agian..
Here's what I think happened. You had a cooling system failure some time ago - maybe your cooling fan went out (that causes overheating when you're sitting at a light and will get worse in stop and go driving). When you let the engine overheat you do tremendous damage to the engine, the more you let it get in the red, the more damage. So, initially you might have been low in coolant ($5 to fill) or had a bad fan motor ($300 to replace) but you let the problem persist. Temperatures in your engine got so hot that your head gasket likely got warped ($1000 to rework or replace), causing hot spots on the cylinders which worsened the heat problem, causing your cylinder head to crack ($2000 to replace - there's no repairing this) which in turn let's coolant leak into the combustion chamber and lets oil leak into the coolant. I'll bet you anything your car's exhaust is blowing white smoke indicating that your coolant is being burned in the combustion chamber. All that coolant and water in there is causing the misfire, but the misfire is HARDLY your biggest problem. If you drained your coolant (if you have any in there) it's likely got some oily residue or white chunky crap floating in it indicating head gasket and cylinder head failures I'll bet. You're probably also rusting your engine out but that's just a wild guess.
THE SOLUTION?!?!?! Ha! New cylinder head, new head gasket, re-build the engine - $6000 if you're lucky... uhm, you'd be better off actually donating the car, taking the tax write off and buying something that hasn't been driven in the red for months.
Lesson learned: NEVER continue to drive your car when the temp gauge shows anywhere near the "H" or red mark. Ever. A $50 tow to a good service station is cheaper than the new engine you need now. I can't believe the shops you took it too couldn't have told you this. This won't be covered under a warranty because it's negligence really. My theory on how this started? Your fan motor probably went out. Next time you drive it and it gets to normal operating temperature, let it sit and run at idle, as the temp gauge climbs, get out of the car and look under the hood, I'll be your cooling fan is not running; but it should be.
I'm really sorry to hear about this happening. Civics really are great cars but they do have a little thing with the cooling fan motors going. And no car is immune to burning itself into a firey ball of metal when the cooling system fails. I really hope I'm way wrong here and/or you have the financial resources to deal with this. Good luck! Please let me know if I'm right here or way off track. Please take it to a professional immediately.
Elissa