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Honda Civic: Problems & Solutions
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Comments
It's not a problem with the car, it's a problem with the driver. I live in Cincinnati which is the city on 7 hills (and they're big). I never have this problem, and I have a 5 speed. Do not drive with one foot on the brake and one on the gas. Learn to drive right and you won't have the problem.
I'll use the dino until I run out of free oil change coupons at my dealer. Then we'll see and I'll be better informed, I hope. The weight has to be good for me in the winter up here in the north country (MN)
I find it interesting that Mercedes (who uses syntecs), by using the on-board oil monitoring system, you can stretch oil changes out to 18k (depending on driving habits/conditions). Standard engineering thresholds can make that 18k minimum, and still preserve warranty. That looks like if an engine lubrication problem occurs - it is not the oil (or they would have embedded a firmware algorithm that alleviates that). Now, are Honda and Mercedes engine manufacturing tolerances considerably apart?
Hmmm.
A reasonably true guide to the number of problems is the latest J D Power initial quality survey results that put the Civic below average. Yes, that's right, BELOW average.
The A/C never felt too cold, but our previous car had none, so I let it go.
After a year, the A/C died totally. I turned it on one day, and it sounded like somebody dropped rocks in the engine.
So i took it in, and the dealer replaced 'the entire A/C system' - dryer(?), compresser, condenser, etc.
After a month my fiancee told me the air still wasn't working right. In denial, I ignored it.
This morning, I noticed a medium loud squeaking noise over the sound of the engine when I stepped out, with the engine running. That was the first sign the last time.
So I'm taking it in again.
My question - anyone heard of sucky, break down prone a/c's coming standard on 1999 Civics?
This whole JD Power survey is just that: A SURVEY!!! What one person likes, maybe someone elses dislike. Car and Driver, Consumer Reports, and Edmunds.com reports are just that too, opinions of some person. I like my 2001 Honda Civic. I compared this car to a Mazda Protege, Ford Focus, and ZX2, Dodge Neon. And the Honda was the best decision for me.
This is just my 2 cents
D
My .02
But what should I get the car back and it still doesnt match correctly? There is only one Honda dealership up here. Should I request a different vehicle because I am paying for this car, and I want to keep this car for a while. I love driving this car.
My car also doesn't have the radio, or gas gauge problem, but I have only had the car for a week, but we will wait and see what happens
D
JD Power survey is not just a bunch of opinions. If the same questions are asked to all of the car makes surveyed (which they were), then you still have a level playing field. The "opinions" of a Lexus owner are no more or less accurate than those of a Kia owner. So why wasn't Kia at No.1? No it is not scientific, but I believe it provides a reasonable idea of how each model is performing. The Civic scored low and I can understand some people may be in a state of denial. But denial is just a river in Egypt. Sorry, I had to end all of this negativism with a joke.
All this is moot if you drive you car until the tires fall off.
To all... Long live your Civic.
thanks
As for 5W20 motor oil, there is a great deal of discussion about this in the "Engine Oil - a slippery subject" and "Synthetic Motor Oil" threads in this maintenance section. Basically, 5W30 (especially synthetic) is an acceptable substitute if you (like me) feel the new stuff protects engines only marginally.
Sherman_WM, the A/C on Civic DX cars is DEALER INSTALLED and is not as good as the factory installed units most Hondas have ... on average. The dealer-installed air on my '95 Civic Coupe DX with over 100,000 miles on it is fine, however.
--- Bror Jace
as far as pick up, i would assume the 1.7 liter would have more pick up than my 1.6 liter. you just have to learn how to drive it. the reason people reccomend 5 spd with a honda engine is that you need to shift very late to get the full potential out of the little engine. when i am in the mood for fast driving i usually shift very close to the red line. if you want pick up at low rpm`s you have to buy a car with at least 2.0 liter engine. but your fuel economy will suffer greately. great fuel economy that civics offer comes at a price. the price is pick up, that is why honda developed the vtec, so people who want more pep can get it on demand. but don`t complain when your MPG`s go into the 20`s from the mid 30`s you have been enjoying. shifting late will lower your mpg significantly.
My thought is JD Power must be in bed with the American auto industry because I have a really hard time believing that any American car could have better quality than a Japanese make.
Don't flame me; just stating my 2 cents.
Wick
My '01 Civic coupe is silver, and also has the mismatched paint on the passenger side door, while the driver side door is fine. I really notice it on the trailing edge of the door, and only in certain light.
As for having the dealer repaint it, I won't let them touch it. This is actually the second car they've given me. The first one had a deep paint chip in the passenger door, and when they repainted it, it was a very different shade of silver than the rest of the car. My confidence in their ability is not high. However, when I think back, I believe that the original paint on that car's passenger door was also slightly off.
Sounds like maybe this is a common problem?
Other than that, no problems with the car (radio, gas gauge, etc.)
To me, quality does not have nationality in global economic world. I think majority of people have some type of myth that Honda and Toyota are the only superior cars in the US market. Absolutely not. Lets look at some examples like Hyundai Elantra either 4cyc. or V6. They are in the same range with Civic LX they have better warranty, they have everything that Civics have, their engines are more powerful. New generation Neon, my wife has 2K Neon. It is excellent car interms of performance (132HP), it has 4 wheel ABS Disc Brakes, in dash CD, AT and we only paid $11.5K after rebate.We put 6K miles, it works like Swiss clock. I drove 2K rental Intrepid for two weeks during my vacation. Excellent performance, nice passing power, smooth ride, good look, very comfortable seats. Unlike edmunds states interior was not cheap at all. Also the other LH cars from DC and Impala from Chevy. The Impala is far superior than any Toyo or Accord in terms of technology, power, comfort. I drove 3 different generations Honda (91, 99 Accords, 93 Civic) 94 Corolla, Subaru.
I don't really care what JD Power says either nor Consumer report. Especially CS hence so many people don't have ability to differentiate what the real problem is on their car. Their statistical sample pools are limited to people who have subscription to CS magazine. Like one user is complaining about seat, passing power(What you expect from 114HP car???)
and other things. Most likely he will give below perfect marks to Civic if he receives the questionnaire from CS. But in fact Civic is a good car even tough it is overpriced.
This is my $0.02. There are others too.
Your personal experience with American vehicles is, for the most part, positive to say the least. My family, myself included, have had terrible luck with American vehicles; vehicles that are supposed to be on the more reliable side of American automotive manufacturing. Ford, Dodge and Chevy trucks to mention a few. We were plagued by electrical and transmission problems mostly. My father bought an accord in 1991 and never looked back. It has close to 160K miles on it while never requiring irregular maintenance. He recommended the Civic to me and I took into account his success with his Accord. I traded in my 1998 Dodge Dakota 4X4 truck with only 40K miles. BTW, at 40K, I had more problems with that damn truck than you could shake the proverbial stick at.
I enjoy my new Honda and hopefully it will give me a long, reliable life. Most individuals I talk with will tell me that Honda=reliablity. Seems true to me in retrospect.
Thanks for listening!
Wick
Elantra has no V6. And even though the engine is rated more powerful than the EX it's slower.
Neon has the value retention of a falling brick. And the long term reliability of whatever the brick hits.
to compare interpid to civic is like saying my elephant can squish your taxon. take accord ex v6 and compare it to interpid. i drove a friends intrepid once, let me tell you, if you enjoy holding the steering wheel with both hands, this is the car for you. the car is contantly searching for the road, it is not staying straight, i had to keep correcting it at all times. the car was only few months old when i drove it, compare that to accords crisp handling and accord comes out on top. and for $22G (V6 ex)you get leather seats, sunroof, pwr everything, sunroof, climate control, and a whole bunch of stuff.
dodge neon, neon has been on the market for 5 years i think. look at a 5 year old civic`s repair history and a neon history. neon has a a mile long list of minor and major failures. the "self-adjusting" ABS brakes that need to be adjusted at the shop are one for example.
i can go on and on, but i won`t
I had a '98 Neon. In the first 6 mos I owned it, my water pump went bad. Left me stranded, and I had to get a tow. And as far as warranties are concerned, yes the Neon was under warranty. But who wants to spend their time in a waiting room at the dealer waiting for their car to get repaired. I think American cars are getting better in INITIAL quality, but long term reliability is still the measure of a vehicle. My accord (still runs) has 188,000 miles and my '97 Civic has 163,500 w/nothing but regularly scheduled maintenance.
Imports rule! Catch up, Detroit.
IMO EX is a joke. Overpriced car to squize more money from consumer. Any base model Neon can kicks out Civic EX. I am not even talking about R/T. But all these performance comparisons. Civics are good cars, to me they are overpriced. Any consumer can get the same usage from different manufacturer with less money. Civic is not a unique car interms of long term reliability. Everything depends on the owner and the maintenance.
If you wanna explore something new and exciting, take a test drive on Impala LS. You will see what I mean.
Dudka: I went back and reread my post, did not see any indication that I was comparing Intrepid/Impala with Civic. I gave these names to show US manufacturers might have good cars as good as Japaneese ones based on some other person's posting. For the Noen comments you can refer to my response to fxashun.
Up until two months back I had 99 Accord LX. Last winter, during my Florida vacation I rented 2K intrepid and drove 1.8K miles. I was holding the steering with my tumbs. It was as smooth as Accord. Your friend Intrepid might have some alignment issues or low grade tires.
Cavaliers are real junk. No smart consumer should consider that car. Our 2K Neon is ticking like a Swiss Clock. I am looking for a replacement of my wrecked Accord. Buick Century, Chevy Impala LS, or Intrepid will be in my list.
I went to the dealer, they said it was hit by a rock or something like that. I don't think so, since it sounded like an explosion. A rock should have at least left a hole there. By the way there is no damage on the body at all.
Does anybody know about this kind of problem? Is it a defect in the glass? I just can't believe a rock has such energy to blow out the whole window instantly.