A/C issues post repair

[kwk1]

There are some differences. It has some vtec now. But yes, it struggles to heat up in extreme cold. It’ll never get to operating temperature just idling. I’ve yet to see any engine failure reported here due to oil dilution.

Fire it up. Wait 30-45 seconds for cold start idle to drop some and just drive it. More than 3 miles…

Hard to drive when you can't see out the windows.

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[Swordfish]

Went in for service and had the a/c checked out. They said the condenser was bad and replaced it under warranty. I saw the condenser which had several black spots where the dye was leaking. They were all on the driver side if you are looking directly ahead.

When I was there, there was another female who had came in for a/c problems as well same make and model. Likely, if you own this Gen 10, your number will eventually get called. Just be prepared.

This was a huge relief b/c right now, I'd have a difficult time buying a new car. If this happened a month ago, it would be fine but I have had a lot of unexpected expenses in the last 3 weeks so really not a great time.

At this point, I am going to hold on to the car through the summer and see where things are in the spring next year. I figure the condenser should be fine until then, hopefully there is a conclusion to the lawsuit and car prices are not insane like they are now.

I always keep my a/c on year around even in the winter when it is cooler here. I don't like rolling down the windows and I am used to a cool breeze. My driving is about 1 hr to work each way, then regular driving so with the a/c running non stop that's probably what kept the seals fine and extended the life.

If next year there is not a comprehensive warranty on the a/c then Ill trade it and plan in advance to.

I think the whole "sorry it's your compressor/evap" and +$1,600 expense when you are at your worst in the summer isn't a position I want to be in again. Also, given the car's price point, the Civic is targeted towards a working class person who probably right now is either working extra hours or taking another shift struggling to pay for the high cost of gas and inflationary expenses and now are forced to pay a high diagnostic fee or a/c repairs beyond the condenser or do without on an issue that Honda is very aware of.

 

[RetroRacer1980]

Glad to hear it was the condenser and that you were taken care of.
My 2020 Civic Sport Sedan 6MT only has 6500 miles but it’s something I’ve always been concerned about.
However my neighbor has a 2019 with over 90,000 miles and his AC is still perfect, as well as a friend of mine who has over 70k miles with no issues.
All 3 of our cars were built in Canada however. My ex gf has a hatch that was built elsewhere and hers went bad at 35k miles (When you open your drivers door and look on the upper door sill the sticker will tell you where it was built.)
I think it’s probably nothing but it seems odd to me. Like yourself I’m anxious to hear what comes of the lawsuit.
I have a phenomenal portable AC unit that fits in the drivers seat which works extremely well I used in myEx GF car until she got it fixed.
The car itself (1.5Tor 2.0NA) will last hundreds of thousands of miles though, so you still have a car that won’t leave you stranded. I’m keeping that portable AC unit on standby just in case but at 6500 miles I don’t expect an issue anytime soon. (Fingers crossed)
Again, glad you got everything resolved, have a great summer bud

 

[Swordfish]

Glad to hear it was the condenser and that you were taken care of.
My 2020 Civic Sport Sedan 6MT only has 6500 miles but it’s something I’ve always been concerned about.
However my neighbor has a 2019 with over 90,000 miles and his AC is still perfect, as well as a friend of mine who has over 70k miles with no issues.
All 3 of our cars were built in Canada however. My ex gf has a hatch that was built elsewhere and hers went bad at 35k miles (When you open your drivers door and look on the upper door sill the sticker will tell you where it was built.)
I think it’s probably nothing but it seems odd to me. Like yourself I’m anxious to hear what comes of the lawsuit.
I have a phenomenal portable AC unit that fits in the drivers seat which works extremely well I used in myEx GF car until she got it fixed.
The car itself (1.5Tor 2.0NA) will last hundreds of thousands of miles though, so you still have a car that won’t leave you stranded. I’m keeping that portable AC unit on standby just in case but at 6500 miles I don’t expect an issue anytime soon. (Fingers crossed)
Again, glad you got everything resolved, have a great summer bud

If anything changes I'll mention something. Which portable ac unit are you using? That sounds like a great back up to have no matter what.

My car is a 2017 EX, so it is NA and it was made in Canada. I believe Alliston. The other person that was there I'm not sure what year she had but it had the chrome rear bumper trim which I believe was added in 2018 and later.

Car wise I do agree the car will last. I like the design and the seats are very comfortable. The car meets my needs and I have an old Corolla as well. It is ugly as shit and very very weak and slow on the freeway but it is 16 years old and the ac is just as cold as my civic. I only had to replace the alternator in it with over 170k miles. Unfortunately Corolla their trademark is making ugly cars with 90hp but can't knock their reliability.

 

[RetroRacer1980]

I will take a picture of it when I get home and post it here. All 3 of ours were model year 19 or over. My Ex’s hatch was a 2017 and maybe someone here can correct me but I believe they changed condensers in 2019 to a different model number but if I can recall unfortunately it was the same company.
Again your car will run for many many more years, don’t let this get you down. With the way the economy is looking and possibly getting worse be glad you have a Honda and not a BMW, Range Rover etc. your car will KEEP RUNNING
I’m at work in CA but when I get home I’ll post pic/info of my AC unit for ya

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

If your car has a rebuilt title, will Honda still honor a faulty condenser?

2 weeks ago on a drive from El Paso to Florida, I noticed the air wasn't blowing cold and there wasn't much volume of air.

Was driving today and same thing. Ended up turning the AC off for about 10 minutes and then back on and the air ended up blowing cooler and stronger. Definitely not a fix.

I think I'll be calling Honda tomorrow with my VIN and see what they say. If it's more than a few hundred dollars, I'll probably end up getting rid of the car. I've put about 60k miles on the car in 2 years so it's been driven. I can't afford to fix it myself and definitely can't afford to pay someone else to do it.

 

[Fk7ismetal]

First time I’m posting my story about this. I’m pretty “heated.” I own a 2017 Hatchback that had its condenser replace by Honda in October of 2021 only to have, at the LEAST, a full compressor failure by “leak” in Late May/early June, right as weather hit highs. I took it to my trusty mechanic, who did a visual inspection. My mechanic reported that whoever looked at my AC system prior (so Honda) had already used dye in the system and it was full on leaking at the compressor. My thoughts:

1: AC began to struggle in the weeks up to this incident. I usually manual my ac on low to mid fan. I didn’t mean to, but hit the “Auto” climate button. Full Ac kicked on briefly. What followed after 3-4 seconds of build up was the sound of significant decompression and leaking air whooshing out. Like a gate opening. Ac proceeded to blow warm permanently after.

2. All these customer/owners are being told “it’s the condenser.” I keep hearing that low refrigerant will affect the compressor seals. What if Honda tech knew my compressor was on its way out, fixed the condenser only as protocol, topped up refrigerant, and said “all good.” What incentive would Honda technicians have to disclose signs of - impending or current - compressor failure. Wouldn’t that mean more time/money/labor Honda would have to cough up to fix its mistakes?

3. I like to ask 11th gen owners how much they paid for their car. The last person said he traded in his 2017 10th gen because the ac was shot. The way he spoke, he didn’t seem to know why or what could’ve been done. Matter of fact-ly stated it was broken (like a hassle) so he traded it in as the logical choice. For $12,000. That’s some sh*t. Making money off a faulty product, getting amazing value for it by receiving it through trade in. Fix the AC then resell for $20k+ knowing it’ll probably break again. Btw he said he paid 31k otd for 11th sedan and we’re talking 2022 shortage prices.

Seriously waiting impatiently for Honda to go past the condenser and cover the damn compressor too.

 

[MetalKnightCivicHB]

Ive always wanted to take my car to Honda but there seems to be a bigger problem with the AC system. Its not just the condenser. Ive been suspecting the compressor. Im still waiting until there is a full solve to this issue

 

[jtrader]

If your car has a rebuilt title, will Honda still honor a faulty condenser?

2 weeks ago on a drive from El Paso to Florida, I noticed the air wasn't blowing cold and there wasn't much volume of air.

Was driving today and same thing. Ended up turning the AC off for about 10 minutes and then back on and the air ended up blowing cooler and stronger. Definitely not a fix.

I think I'll be calling Honda tomorrow with my VIN and see what they say. If it's more than a few hundred dollars, I'll probably end up getting rid of the car. I've put about 60k miles on the car in 2 years so it's been driven. I can't afford to fix it myself and definitely can't afford to pay someone else to do it.

My 2018 is a rebuilt. Front end damage, condenser was non OEM. So honda said no way - and rightfully so. But then they wanted $1200 for a new condenser, and went on to say if that didn't work they'd sell me a compressor for another $1200. They even used high pressure sales tactics to get me say yes on the spot, but I walked and googled diy refrigerant refills with r1234yf and got almost 2 years with my first bottle. I'm on bottle #2 now.

All that to say, don't sell your car because of warm A/C. If Honda says no, try fixing it yourself first. It's super easy. Here's a good post about it...
https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/diy-refrigerant-recharge-experiences.49613/post-1146248

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

jtrader,

Thank you for the link. You are awesome!

Perhaps I'll try a recharge first and see what happens. Even if I have to recharge every year for the rest of the time I own the car, that would be cheaper than replacing some of those components.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against making car repairs, I'm just not in the financial situation to do so now with expensive parts.

 

[MetalKnightCivicHB]

My 2018 is a rebuilt. Front end damage, condenser was non OEM. So honda said no way - and rightfully so. But then they wanted $1200 for a new condenser, and went on to say if that didn't work they'd sell me a compressor for another $1200. They even used high pressure sales tactics to get me say yes on the spot, but I walked and googled diy refrigerant refills with r1234yf and got almost 2 years with my first bottle. I'm on bottle #2 now.

All that to say, don't sell your car because of warm A/C. If Honda says no, try fixing it yourself first. It's super easy. Here's a good post about it...
https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/diy-refrigerant-recharge-experiences.49613/post-1146248

Ive been recharging mine since 2019. Uses two cans. It just sucks that it leaks every fall season. When temps drop, thats when I lose all my refrigerant. I noticed my compressor is all soaked.

 

[jtrader]

Perhaps I'll try a recharge first and see what happens. Even if I have to recharge every year for the rest of the time I own the car, that would be cheaper than replacing some of those components.

That was EXACTLY my thought. $1200 can buy many years worth of r1234yf. And there is no guarantee the new condenser won't cause a problem 2-4 years down the road and you'd be in the same boat, only $1200 poorer.

 

[BriteBlue]

Not all AC condensers are made in the same factory & I was wondering if the problem ones came out of the same location. Take a look at this thread which shows photos of the part number & country where the condenser was made.
https://www.civicx.com/forum/thread...st-only-three-years.73706/page-3#post-1138019

If anyone can get a look at or a photo of their old part at the dealer it might be interesting to find out where the condenser was made.

 

[Swordfish]

Ive been recharging mine since 2019. Uses two cans. It just sucks that it leaks every fall season. When temps drop, thats when I lose all my refrigerant. I noticed my compressor is all soaked.

What cans are you using ? I saw some cans that can be connected to the hose. It seems simple enough, however; if the compressor is toast does this even still work ?

Been a week and a/c is still working fine and is great in this heat. Once I start up my car, even if it has been sitting outside in the heat, within 2-3 minutes the car is cooler and I can feel cold air blowing out. So this is how it should be working. If your car is not doing this, then it is probably leaking or something.

My stance is still the same nonetheless. Hopefully there is a resolution towards the entire a/c system although it seems like this court case will drag on.

If the entire system is eventually covered, I'll keep the car as I am largely happy with it. If not, then at some point I will trade it for a Corolla or other Toyota. I paid under 20 for the car, the prospect of paying almost 10% of the cost ($2k) in repairs for a car that is rapidly approaching 100k miles isn't going to happen for me. I'll just use the cost for a new vehicle.

 

[jtrader]

What cans are you using ? I saw some cans that can be connected to the hose. It seems simple enough, however; if the compressor is toast does this even still work ?

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NFRR1234YFCAN
They sell them on ebay too.

A compressor is usually never "toast" but rather just leaking. And depending how big of a leak will determine how long a can lasts. They just replaced your condenser, correct? If your a/c is cold again why are you concerned about your compressor? I would just relax and enjoy your cold air and hope it stays cold for 1-2 years. Cheers.

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