Honda Civic (coupe/hatchback)

igloomaster · March 2001

I'm having my very first problem with my 99 Civic CX Hatch.

New England got BLASTED with snow on Tuesday.
I shoveled out my civic 3 times.

Anyhow, today I'm back to work. I dug out the car, it started fine, and everything was going great until I got it up on the highway. When I hit 45 - 50 mph, I started getting this pulsation. I could feel it in the steering wheel, and my bottle of spring water was rattling in the holder. I pulled over into the breakdown lane and got out to look at the tires, figuring one was going flat. The tires were fine! I pulled back out, and accelerated normally. The automatic transmission seemed to shift smoothly and normally.

I don't know what the source of the pulse is!

I'm still at work; I'm going to drive it home and see if it happens again. Weird.

It was FINE this past weekend.

HELP!!!!

igloomaster · March 2001

the pulsation is GONE! must have been build up of snow/ice on the rims, putting them out of balance (as prescribed in the maintenance and repair thread of this glorious message round-table).

YEAH BABY, YEAH!!!!!!

pocahontas · March 2001

We look forward to hearing more about your Honda Civic experience. Happy Motoring! ;-)

Pocahontas
Host
Hatchbacks Message Board

Karen_S · March 2001

....but I'm here to announce the new Honda Civic Owners club now available on Edmunds.com Owner's Club board.

Please stop by and introduce yourself in Meet the Members and let me know how I can help build your club.

I have linked this discussion into that folder, but it will always reside here in Hatchbacks.

Looking forward to meeting everyone!

KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs

pocahontas · March 2001

From Edmunds' coverage of the Geneva Motor show, here's some information on the Honda Civic Type R.

What do you think? ;-)

Pocahontas
Host
Hatchbacks Message Board

only1harry · March 2001

Too bad we 'll never see this car here. Let hope we 'll get the hatchback back in '02 as rumors have it..
Igloomaster: You beat me to the answer. Every time I have to dig my Civic out of the snow I make sure I take off as much snow as I can from the rims. I still get the steering wheel vibration though many times because it's almost impossible to clean all the snow off the rims. My hands can't get through to some places deep inside the rims. Even 1oz of snow will throw the balancing off and you 'll get the vibration. Snow is very heavy and just think of it as extra balance weights on your rims. The only way to get all the snow off is to get a hose with luke warm water (yeah right) and hose them down. I usually only get the vibration when I hit 70-75mph though. Never at 50 or even 60. Always 70 or higher.
Anyway this brings us to anothe good point. Since Civics are very sensitive to good wheel balancing you can easily ruin your tires prematurely. 2-3 years ago I got some Dunlop D60-A2 195-60-14HR tires and got them balanced just once when they first put them on. About 20k mi. later I started getting slight vibrations and knew they needed another wheel balance but never got it done. At 22-23k mi. I noticed they were getting worn unevenly. At 32k mi. the tires needed replacement and most of the tread was gone. So I got the same tires again. This time I balanced them again at 20k mi. They wore out evenly and lasted 45k mi. Lets not forget this is a High Performance tire and 45k is very good for an HR tire. Wheel alignment is not the only thing that will chew up your tires. Good balancing is also essintial to the tires lifespan. Now I have snow tires on but will get the Dunlops again in April since the 're a great performance tire and don't cost much. BTW, I do about 35-40k mi/yr on the Civic. Just turned 124k on the odo.

geck066 · March 2001

This is the fourth Honda I have owned. I purchased this car used last May it had 6,000 miles on it. Got into a 5 car pile up in Sept. (I was car #1 in the pile up. My car was rear-ended) The damage was 4300.00 worth.
This car is so strong, you'd never know it was hit by driving it or even looking at it. I can do 80-85 mph with no shakes or anything ratteling. After the accident I figured I would sell it...NO WAY! I love this car. It has great gas milage. and the integrity is awesome. the only problem I find is high insurance cost of this vehicle. The next Honda I get will be an EX model...I hate manually rolling my windows down.

only1harry · March 2001

Yeah, mine was $5500 damage. I thought about selling it right after I got it back from the body shop. I took it up to 100mph and it was still rattle free and very stable (got 1" wider wheels and 10mm wider tires) and then I changed my mind. It had almost 50k mi. then. Now with 124k trouble free mi. I haven't regreted it.
I don't know what to replace. I did a tune-up at 83k mi. I 'm trying to do something on this car, just because I 'm bored and want to mess with it a little. So I ordered a PVC valve and Manual transmission fluid (MTF) and an air filter, all Honda parts of course (hparts.com have the best prices!). I figure the tranny could use some fresh fluid (although the gears and shifter are smoother than ever) and the PVC valve must be a little dirty after 4yrs and 124k mi. And the air filter has been 40k mi. since I changed it. I guess I 'm doing some preventive maintenance and want to keep the motor running in good condition. I also for the first time picked up some Fuel Injector cleaner, I figured it couldn't hurt, although I haven't really noticed any decrease in acceleration but just in case there is some carbon build up maybe this will help.. I guess I 'm so happy with the ownership costs of this car that I feel I guilty I haven't spend much money on the car except for 1 tune-up (and some brake pads).
Anyway, I think my next one will be an LX or EX. Getting a little tired of the manual windows too which never bothered me before but since I bought my Integra in '99 that has power everything, I got spoiled..

kenitosan · March 2001

I have a 93 civic hatchback. It's gorgeous under the sun, the
electric blue color just jumps at you, but I have many little
dents on the doors that I am not happy with. I have been
paying attention to the same model on the freeway and I
notice 95% of them have dents. Is this because Honda uses
thin metal sheet on the civic? If so how would this hold up in
a car accident. Also need advice, what should I do with the
dents? The car is great only have 80,000 miles on it, the
engine is awesome. I just want it to be as beautiful as the day I got it. I am so attach to it that I won't get another car unless
Honda comes up with another hatchback. I am not going Focus, thanks to my previous car, Ford Festive. Got it new. In the 4 yr I owned it, I had pumped tons of cash into the little sucker. My civic costs me very little to maintain. Viva
Honda civic hatchback!

only1harry · March 2001

we might get a hatchback for '02! There have been rumors that they 'll bring it back. I 'd definitely get another Civic HB, especially if they offered the 127hp motor or like an Si version. I really don't care much for the new coupes and I think they 're a little overpriced, especially when they don't have the double-wishbone suspension up front.

raychuang00 · March 2001

Pocohantas,

FAT CHANCE we'll ever get the Honda Civic Type R hatchback here. :-(

There are two reasons for this:

1. It would cut too much into sales of the upcoming Acura RS (Integra replacement) due anytime now. I believe the 2.0-liter L-4 i-VTEC engine in the Civic Type R will be one of the engine choices in the new RS. I've heard rumors of an RS "Type S" with a 230 bhp motor that will be one barnburner of a little car. :-)

2. I doubt that Honda will sell the Civic hatchback in the USA market. What we may see is a 2002 Civic Si coupe with an i-VTEC version of the 1.7 liter engine used on the 2001 Civics rated at 170-175 bhp due this October (I believe Honda plans to show the Civic Si coupe at the upcoming New York Auto Show).

rsparrow · April 2001

...according to the latest Automobile magazine. It won't be a Type R, it won't be the 5 door hatchback, but it will be the 3 door like the picture shown earlier in post 206. It's supposed to be introduced at the New York show. The car will look very much the same, aside from some modifications to the bumpers as usually happens. It will even have the interior gearshift as part of the dash. Granted it won't have the Type R engine but according to the article it will still make around 160hp... This is GREAT news!!

seguy · April 2001

Since the european market civics are smaller than north american civics, are they merely shipping the same exact car or plans to modify north american civics into a hatch? Any info on this? Also, do they plan on bringing it to the US or only to Canada at first?

only1harry · April 2001

Since when are European Civics smaller than the North American Civics? I was in Europe last September and all the Civics there including the hatchbacks were IDENTICAL to the ones we have here. I even sat in a '98 Civic HB in Greece and it was the same car as my '97 Hatchback. When Honda comes out with a Civic or Accord chassis, it's the same for the whole world. They don't ship different size chassis to different parts of the world. Different engines, yes, but not chassis. They 're all the same size. In Europe they 've had the 160hp Civic HB (VSi or VTi it's called) for many years now, at least since '96.. and now we 're going to get it? 6 yrs later! Honda makes me so mad some times.. The US & Canada is their best market and they send us only the slow Civics.. The EX has only gone up 2hp since '92! Nowhere in the world is the Civic and Accord sold as well as it is in North America. I don't get it.. why can't we have the higher end Civics and Accords like they do in Europe, Asia and everywhere else? It seems like Honda only markets the more powerful Civics and Accords (Accord Type-R and Accord-Euro is sold in Europe since '98 with 215hp and 205hp respectively) to areas where the base models don't sell well. What a screwed up market strategy.. Like Americans can buy over 1/2 million Accords and 350,000 Civics a year but would not buy a couple of thousand Civic Type-Rs or Accord Type-Rs. Give me a break..

otis12 · April 2001

I was reading the May issue of one of the car mags today(forget if it was C/D or R/T), but the article said the US will get the hi-performance version of the 3 door HB but not the standard model. I, for one, would love to have a standard, plain jane civic HB again...no frills, outstanding mpg, plain rims with center caps...okay, i expect to get flamed by some of you enthusiast types, but I think the demand is there for both the base and hi-po civic H/B.

seguy · April 2001

I believe you're right about the civics, I do remember my cousin in the Philippines had a civic like those sold here. I thought they were exclusive to N. America like the Accords. I'm sure of this, since I've seen pics and dimension specs of the euro & asian accords, narrower than ours. I wish they'd just give us everything the same too, but for some reason, pollution, politics, blah blah... they don't. Their loss and ours too, I suppose. Would be nice to get the SR20VE engine here for the sentra, even though the se-r comes out.

rsparrow · April 2001

It's official, check out Honda's site:

http://www.honda2001.com/civicsi/index.html

pocahontas · April 2001

Link Correction: 2002 Honda Civic Si discussion.

Because of software issues, the link I previously posted to our new 2002 Honda Civic Si discussion on the Hatchbacks' Message Board will not work. Please ignore the previous information and use this link instead: Honda Civic Si (2002) discussion.

Thanks for your participation. ;-)

Pocahontas

Host

Hatchbacks/Station Wagons Message Board

only1harry · April 2001

I would 've liked to see a more basic Civic HB too, and not just the 160hp one. If they brought over a HB with the 127hp (EX) motor, I 'd get it in an instant. The 160hp one will be more expensive and will probably run on Premium like the last Si.. although it's possible it will run regula gas since it's a 2.0L and not a 1.6L anymore. It also doesn't have a high redline so regular gasoline looks promising.
I just want another basic Civic with maybe a few more ponnies. My 106hp DX HB is ok but another 20hp wouldn't hurt.. I don't need another 54hp and another $5K on top of that.. We 'll see. If they price this baby right I 'll trade mine in for a '02 Si. I 'm up to 127k mi. now and I want another car soon. I get bored with the same car after 4yrs. A lower version of the HB would 've been nice though or just to have that option.. Well only 15,000 SI's are supposed to be imported so I think they 'll go fast, considering 1/3 million Civics are sold in the US every year.
Oh btw, they finally decided to install ABS standard on the new Si. They must 've listened to all the complaints about lack of ABS in the last version.

igloomaster · May 2001

Here's something different:

Can Cruise Control be installed at the dealer on my 99 CX hatch?

I'd do it if the price was OK

only1harry · May 2001

on my '97 DX when I was buying it and the dealer refused. They said they couldn't do it because the liability would be too great if they screwed something up and the cruise got stuck or something!! Those things are better done at the factory they said.. What a bunch of bull. I think it would be a big deal though and a quiet a few hours of labor involved. Even if they agreed, I wouldn't be comfortable with them doing it if they haven't done too many of them, and especially because they didn't even have confidence on themselves to do it.

dudka · May 2001

jc whitney has aftermarket cruise control units, those are electric actuated not vaccum actuated as the gen 6 cruise control units. does gen 7 cruise use vaccum or motor to control the throttle?

sprice3 · August 2001

I have a chance to pick up a Honda Civic VX for about $800-$1000 dollars. I don't know anything about the "VX" model. Can anybody help me out with the particulars to this type? Did this model have any special equipment and where did it fit in compared to the other models of that year? I think it is a good deal based on it's condition. The only negative is that it has 155,000 miles. Any help?!

only1harry · August 2001

155k mi. is not a lot for a CIvic. I just sold my '97 HB with 140k mi. The car never gave any problems and never broke down. All I did was maintenance stuff on it.
The VX (I assume it's a '92-93 model?) was the economy car. It only has a 1.5L engine with 90hp but it was supposed to get the best gas mileage of all Civics and over 40mpg.

periwon · September 2001

I was just looking at the British Honda web site, checking out the 2002 Civic Hatchback. It looks great! I like the style much more than the U.S coupe, plus you get the added versatility of a hatch. Sure wish we could get a 1.6 or 1.7 hatchback here. I keep torturing myself by looking at British web sites, seeing what interesting small cars they have over there. These are not the greatest times for a small car enthusiast in the U. S..

ghulet · September 2001

........if Honda might eventually bring a 'regular' Civic hatch back to the U.S.? I know the last body didn't sell a lot of hatchbacks, but I think Honda had a lot to do with that (i.e., none available at the dealers, so they were tough to buy). Also, hatchbacks are obviously becoming popular again, this is no time to back out of the market. I think people would buy a DX if well equipped and reasonable, or even a CX as an excellent alternative to Hyundais and Kias.

only1harry · September 2001

they are bringing the Si Hatchback (same "british" one) which will be here in less than a month. New Civics always come out in the middle to end of October. Now this will have 160hp and will cost a lot. Around $19K is what everyone is talking about. Makes sense since the last Si stickered for $18K. No doubt it will have standard ABS (even my '01 EX has standard ABS) and more options that the last '99-00 Si coupe. There are some rumors that "base" HBs might make it here as '03 models and that Canada might even get them this year. If they do, expect to definitely see base HBs in the US next Fall. A 127hp (EX motor) HB version would be nice too but to keep the price low they better make lots of 115hp non-VTEC ones (DX/LX motor). They should sell well because the Focus ZX3 was supposedly selling well up until this year since defects, recalls and other problems started coming to surface..

chem123 · September 2001

Wow, I had no idea that it would be coming out so soon! Where did you get this info from? Last I heard it was to come out early next year. Not that this concerns me, of course. I just hit 49K miles on my 98 DX hatch and am pretty pleased with the car. Quick maintenance question, though: How often does everyone change oil on their Civics and with what oil? The owner's manual says every 7,500 mi is fine--seems long. Also, everyone with 5w10 oil here?

basketballkid · September 2001

I have a custom car cover made for a 1983 Civic. It's in great shape, barely used. If you're interested please email me.
Phil

placombe@charter.net

periwon · September 2001

Most of what I have read expect the Civic SI hatchback sometime in the first quarter of 2002. It probably won't be available this year.

only1harry · September 2001

Use 5w10 oil. You get better mileage with it too. Also mileage on my old '97 DX HB worsened if I didn't change the oil at or before 3500 mi.

chem123 · September 2001

Harry, did you use synthetic or the "other stuff"?

periwon · October 2001

I think Honda would have more success selling hatchbacks if they offered them in more trim levels than just stripped and really stripped. I'd like to have one with a sunroof and the HX engine, and I suspect a lot of buyers were turned off when they couldn't get all the power goodies that the EX offers. As it is, if I want a 3 door hatchback with a sunroof, the Ford Focus is the only one currently available. I'm guessing that if you want a Mini or a Civic SI, and would like to pay no more than sticker, you'll have to wait a year.

ghulet · October 2001

of course, it costs almost $20k also. I know what you mean, VW in this case should offer a sunroof and power windows in the base hatch, they'd sell better.
Honda has always been known for selling all their cars 'one way' (hatch is stripped, HX has power windows and locks but can't get a sunroof, can't get this one with stick or that one with automatic, etc.). They need to grow out of this.

dudka · October 2001

the only reason honda still does that, is because you don't want to be playing the options game with the dealer. look at toyota, they come stripped, you can add individual options, or packages, it is a pain in the neck to comparision shop. with honda it has always been simple, choose the trim and you know what you are getting. all they needed to do is offer hatchback in the ex trim like they do in europe, in england and japan particularly they offer a 5 door hatch with sunroof and all the power goodies.

periwon · October 2001

I guess I could have included the New Beetle in my hatchback shopping list. It is a hatch, although not as versatile as most. I suppose I could have included cars like the Acura RSX and the Mercury Cougar, but those are rather different sorts of cars. And, for a mere $30,000 or so, I could get a Mercedes C coupe with that oh so cool panoramic roof. It's a neat car, but not $30K neat.

periwon · October 2001

I'd rather be able to get a car equipped the way I wanted it, and have to do a little extra comparison shopping, than have Honda tell me what I had to have, or do without.

Speaking of Honda's option policy, why do they make side airbags optional? Wouldn't everyone want them? It's not like an automatic transmission or a sunroof, which some people don't like; the airbags don't make their presence known until they are needed. They do add a couple hundred dollars to the price of a car, but Honda is competing on the quality of their cars, not on having the lowest price, which is now pretty much owned by the Korean makers.

Side airbags and CD players. I say make 'em standard.

robertsmx · October 2001

I prefer a less option lineup. I helped a friend of mine negotiate on an Accord sedan (EX) last year, and guess what, he didn't need a single thing to be added to the car. A brief list of standard equipment...
Floor mats
ABS
Four wheel disc brakes
Alloy wheels
8-way power seat with lumbar support
Moonroof
6-speaker AM/FM/Cassette with 6-disc indash CD changer
Immobilizer
Alarm/keyless entry w/trunk open button
VIN numbers etched on every glass piece
Smart side airbags

and so on.

Obviously, each option adds to the cost, but if you don't want many of these, you could always go down a trim and select from it. If you get LX, you get to choose some options like ABS (also gets alloy wheels), side airbags. Trunk mounted CD changer becomes an option, and standard audio system is 6-speaker with AM/FM/CD.

If you wanted to add 'moonroof', you could choose SE trim which falls between LX and EX.

So, Honda also does it, but packages it to appeal to a wider audience.

As far as hatchbacks are concerned though, Honda has taken extreme ends. I'd rather have a hatchback than a coupe, from utility perspective, but hatch was offered with the lowest trims (CX, DX). Now, the low end models are no more, but only SI gets it. It would be nice to see Honda sending 3/5 door versions of Civic with base (CX/DX), mid-range (HX, and/or LX) and SI/SIR models.

utopia · October 2001

We're considering purchasing a '95 Civic DX Hatchback w/85,000 mileage. 1 owner, oil changed every 3,000 mi., interior & exterior in excellent condition. Is there a place I can read a review on this car, or does any reader have comments? We, of course, love Hondas -- but just wanted to do a little research on this vehicle before writing the check. Thanks...

chem123 · October 2001

If you have any concern about the reliability of this used car (which I hope you do

), have Lemon Busters check it out (lemonbusters.com). This way, a fair, third-party group can give a fair estimate on its worth and what might need replacing in the future. Make sure you have researched the current value of the car by going to your local library and looking it up in the most recent NADA booklet. Also, ask to see all the papers and records of services done. The car you are looking at is very reliable, just take the right steps to make sure it is the same to you.

periwon · October 2001

I guess it's kind of silly for us to debate Honda's option policy when it comes to hatchbacks. We'd all be thrilled if they'd send us any at all!

bottgers · October 2001

I'm thinking of adding a K&N filter and Bosch platinum + 4 plugs to my '90 Civic. Would this give me any noticeable power gains. Would it increase my fuel economy?

periwon · October 2001

Chances are a K&N air filter and/or platinum spark plugs will not make a difference over the stock parts. If your current air filter is dirty and your current spark plugs are worn out, replacing them with new stock parts would make the same improvement as would the K&N filter and platinum plugs. The main advantage that platinum plugs have over non-platinum plugs is durability, provided that the rest of the ignition system is up to snuff. And, the stock air filter gives plenty of airflow for a stock engine. If you had a highly modified engine, the K&N might help.

ghulet · October 2001

check autotrader.com and go to 'reviews'. Your car might have only been reviewed in 92 (the first year of that body) and not 95 (the last year of that body). You can also check out Car & Driver, Motor Trend, Road & Track, Consumer Reports, etc.

ricksrl · October 2001

Hi, I just wandered over from the Isuzu board to check with all you Civic owners. We just bought our second Civic, a 1990 DX Hatchback, for our daughter.
We would like to install a CD player and upgrade the speakers for her.
Can anyone tell me where and how the factory installed rear speakers in this year Hatchback?
I was changing a rear turnsignal bulb and it looks like it may be prewired.
By the way, my wife loves her '95 Civic and that is why we bought the one for our daughter. Only 64,000 miles on it! Thanks.

ghulet · November 2001

a friend of mine has an 89 hatch, I'm assuming they're the same; the speakers are mounted next to the hatch cover on either side, facing up. I have no idea what size will fit in there.

revka · December 2001

In addition to participating in this discussion, be sure to check out our Honda Civic Owner's Club where you'll find direct links to many other Civic discussions throughout Town Hall. Look for a direct in the Helpful Links on the left side of this page. Hope this is helpful. ;-)

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks / Station Wagons / Women's Auto Center Boards

rfruth · January 2002

I have a 00 Civic hatchback its great but need a tube of silver touch-up paint, anyone have some they want to get rid of ?

jimjet · January 2002

I appreciate reading the experiences of fellow Civic HB owners. Mine is a '96 CX HB 5-speed, bought new, with 50K miles that still runs excellent - as you'd expect. Still, I wish the car came with two features it doesn't have: a tachometer and a height adjustable driver's seat. It would have also been nice to have an anti-roll bar up front (like the basic Accord does). The tach and a raised (for me) seat would make the car more sporty and fun to drive for just a little more money. But, no, Honda had to allow such options in its $thousands more models, only. For this reason, I hope Ford and its Focus ZX3 kick their butts. Ford was wise to market the near base (called premium)ZX3 with an abundance of standard features (to include a tilt/telescoping wheel and great wheels / tires. The new Honda hatch looks pretty basic in its photos. So basic, I have no interest in going to see one at the dealership. Still, the one thing you cannot deny the Civic is its great powertrain - engine and 5-spd transmission. I've put 195-60/14" tires (and 14" mags) on the car and it has improved the handling and looks quite noticeably.

Hey, rfruth, if you need touch-up paint, it's at your dealer for about $5.

chem123 · January 2002

A few suggestions for you from a fellow (albeit more enthusiastic) Civic h/b owner (98 DX) for your tachometer and seating position woes:

-find a used Si or EX cluster (it's completely plug and play and you will then have a very nice, factory tachometer built in to your gauge cluster)

-I've honestly never heard of people wishing they were sitting up higher in our cars. The racing seats I have in my car lower the seating position by about 2", and I love it. I am sure there is a way to take apart the seat and fabricate so type of insert for the bottom cushion. Try talking to a body shop or Honda tech that knows his stuff and see if they have any ideas.

Yes, I have no intention of buying the new Si hatch because I have put so much money into my current hatch and find it to be the perfect car for me right now and look forward to autocrossing it in the upcoming season.

Honda Civic (coupe/hatchback)

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