I will never buy a HONDA again!

James3spearchucker

Senior Member
First Name
James
Joined
Dec 31, 2017
Threads
0
Messages
342
Reaction score
121
Location
El Paso, Texas
Vehicle(s)
2017 Honda Civic Hatchback Sport
Country flag
I hear this so often..

"Oh X isn't as good as it used to be, because I had this problem."

Look up the TSBs for the 90s civics, they definitely weren't perfect either...

There are plenty of people on this forum that have had absolutely no problems with their car, including me and probably many other people on this thread. Honda wasn't perfect, isn't perfect, and will never be perfect, neither will any other car brand. Nostalgia definitely puts a lens on how we view older cars. I'm saying that because I'm guilty of it too.
There are two sides to this coin. People have always forgiven Honda for building the Civic line with compromises but in 2020 and with the above 20k price point, people expect more in terms of design and build quality. I think turbo/GDI is definitely a compromise in this iteration because the L15B7 1.5 is not as refined as the K-series motors that feature bed-plate and counter-balance. These engines feature very advanced engine mounts but they have a good amount of vibration. The seats could definitely be better. Noise is a step back. When you speak to Honda about flimsiness or issues, they readily say that it is all to reduce weight. Many improvements could be had with zero weight penalty but were not done. I agree that there are plenty of good qualities to these Civics and they are not perfect but I feel that Honda focuses Accord for its NO COMPROMISES approach and leaves Civic owners with plenty of frustrations even though the prices are not very different. I also think the whole design was rushed and it shows. Why did Civic sedans come out in 2016 and Accord in 2018? Because Accord was more fully designed and vetted and tested. On Civics, the visual aesthetic was a little funky and the interior elements half-baked.

Overall the Civic saw very good engineering to ensure decent cooling to the new global turbocharged engine and good drivetrain, braking, and suspension. The more human elements involving comfort, noise, and entertainment/infotainment were underdeveloped.
Sponsored

 

frontlinegeek

Senior Member
First Name
Jason
Joined
Feb 25, 2018
Threads
6
Messages
765
Reaction score
313
Location
New Brunswick, Canada
Vehicle(s)
2020 CRV Touring, 2017 Civic EX Sedan Honda Sensing
Country flag
I agree that there are plenty of good qualities to these Civics and they are not perfect but I feel that Honda focuses Accord for its NO COMPROMISES approach and leaves Civic owners with plenty of frustrations even though the prices are not very different. I also think the whole design was rushed and it shows. Why did Civic sedans come out in 2016 and Accord in 2018? Because Accord was more fully designed and vetted and tested. On Civics, the visual aesthetic was a little funky and the interior elements half-baked.
I don't have anywhere near the complaints about my Civic (Canadian) EX sedan but I also have no delusions about the difference between the Civic and Accord. We keep a car and an SUV in the running and when the Civic is due for replacement, it will likely be an Accord. Partially for the higher build quality and partially because I will be over 50 and want something more cruiser sized.
 

06XTOR

Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2019
Threads
0
Messages
41
Reaction score
32
Location
Denver
Vehicle(s)
2019 Civic Sport Sedan
Country flag
There are two sides to this coin. People have always forgiven Honda for building the Civic line with compromises but in 2020 and with the above 20k price point, people expect more in terms of design and build quality. I think turbo/GDI is definitely a compromise in this iteration because the L15B7 1.5 is not as refined as the K-series motors that feature bed-plate and counter-balance. These engines feature very advanced engine mounts but they have a good amount of vibration. The seats could definitely be better. Noise is a step back. When you speak to Honda about flimsiness or issues, they readily say that it is all to reduce weight. Many improvements could be had with zero weight penalty but were not done. I agree that there are plenty of good qualities to these Civics and they are not perfect but I feel that Honda focuses Accord for its NO COMPROMISES approach and leaves Civic owners with plenty of frustrations even though the prices are not very different. I also think the whole design was rushed and it shows. Why did Civic sedans come out in 2016 and Accord in 2018? Because Accord was more fully designed and vetted and tested. On Civics, the visual aesthetic was a little funky and the interior elements half-baked.

Overall the Civic saw very good engineering to ensure decent cooling to the new global turbocharged engine and good drivetrain, braking, and suspension. The more human elements involving comfort, noise, and entertainment/infotainment were underdeveloped.
Yes... Love the K20 motor in my 19 4dr Civic sport!
 

jdm5lughatch

New Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2018
Threads
0
Messages
4
Reaction score
6
Location
VA
Vehicle(s)
2018 Civic Sedan EX-L Nav
Country flag
As others have said, the onboard computer determines when your maintenance is to be done. If you do a lot of short in-town trips, you will get a lot less miles until your oil changes than you do if you do a lot of highway miles. I get only 1,500 miles per oil change because I only do short trips. Some get more than 10,000 miles per oil change because they do long trips. Basically, every time you cold start your car, you are one cold start closer to needing maintenance. Group your errands together to stretch your oil changes out.

And yes, Honda's quality is not anywhere near as good as it was 20+ years ago.
Next time, get a Toyota. I know that I will.

Toyota has their share of problems too. No car manufacturer is perfect. We came from a Prius and still own a Corolla. However, I still have a love for Honda. If you want cars with little problems (and even then there's no guarantee you won't have problems) I would say make sure the car is made in Japan (our Civic Sedan is, as have all of my cars) it's one of the first things I look for, the exception was my 05 TL and it was garbage lesson learned stick to Made in Japan. Try to buy higher end models from Honda/Acura (ilx has the K series motor) & Toyota/Lexus (Lexus bends over backwards to make their customers happy) all the while avoiding Nissan. If you're buying low end cars like a civic (us included it's our commuter) too much technology isn't always a good thing at that price point. Personally I'm glad we have the 2018 model year. Recently we had a 2019 loaner for a week and I hated the adaptive cruise control and lane assist. It is unusable in areas with heavy traffic and more of a liability than it's worth. That's my take though. So far our civic is about a year and a half old and we have already passed the 36k miles threshold. As long as it lasts 5 years with regular oil and tire changes I'll be happy. I'll be happier if I get more miles out of it than the Prius we had.
 

saz468

Senior Member
First Name
Stan
Joined
Jul 31, 2018
Threads
71
Messages
2,488
Reaction score
2,382
Location
Florida
Vehicle(s)
2023 civic EX Aegean blue metallic
Country flag
Toyota has their share of problems too. No car manufacturer is perfect. We came from a Prius and still own a Corolla. However, I still have a love for Honda. If you want cars with little problems (and even then there's no guarantee you won't have problems) I would say make sure the car is made in Japan (our Civic Sedan is, as have all of my cars) it's one of the first things I look for, the exception was my 05 TL and it was garbage lesson learned stick to Made in Japan. Try to buy higher end models from Honda/Acura (ilx has the K series motor) & Toyota/Lexus (Lexus bends over backwards to make their customers happy) all the while avoiding Nissan. If you're buying low end cars like a civic (us included it's our commuter) too much technology isn't always a good thing at that price point. Personally I'm glad we have the 2018 model year. Recently we had a 2019 loaner for a week and I hated the adaptive cruise control and lane assist. It is unusable in areas with heavy traffic and more of a liability than it's worth. That's my take though. So far our civic is about a year and a half old and we have already passed the 36k miles threshold. As long as it lasts 5 years with regular oil and tire changes I'll be happy. I'll be happier if I get more miles out of it than the Prius we had.
Very true no auto manufacturers are perfect. I’ve posted this statement a while ago on another thread
Car are mass produced and all components on the vehicle is mass produced and made in multiple locations
There are other involvements that are included shift change machine break downs and yes there are employers that just don’t care and don’t give a crap and a laundry list of situations that go on in a assembly line. Some car companies are better then some Toyota, Honda I know people that have bought Mercedes and BMW and Audi. These people thinking buying a “ German car “ it’s going to be the best thing the whole world it turns out they probably the worst vehicle they bought and they paid three times amount for a Honda
And it usually turns out that Honda or Toyota they used to have was better then that “ German car “
This is not always the case but it does happen
I’ve had my civic EX-T for two years now with zero problems ( knock on wood) yes cars have problems
Some more than others it’s unfortunate but remember this they are machines
 


James3spearchucker

Senior Member
First Name
James
Joined
Dec 31, 2017
Threads
0
Messages
342
Reaction score
121
Location
El Paso, Texas
Vehicle(s)
2017 Honda Civic Hatchback Sport
Country flag
I've had my Civic Sport for over 6 months now, and while I do love the car, I have to admit it has shaken my faith in Honda as a manufacturer. My 2000 Civic LX had over 100k miles and at times felt as well put together as this new car... and the noises this 1.5L makes and behavior of the CVT on a cold start makes it sound like a jalopy... my 1LE Camaro had a smoother sounding idle at cold start, and that is a cammed pushrod V8 that saw plenty of open track days we're talking about.

It gets great gas mileage, but I was expecting far more refinement from a brand new Honda.
V8 and I6 engines are inherently smooth. Whether a cammer or a pushrod engine V8's kick ass especially 1LE. While this 1.5T rattles and shakes, and the direct injection makes diesel like sensations, this car blends torque from 2k with horsepower above 3k. Its a little dynamo but it is not the epitome of smooth silk. Have you tried different oils? I have found 30 weight oil to make the engine smoother and there are different CVT oils as well such as one from Motul. For the US market, Honda lubricants are on the thin side.
 

Maxum

Senior Member
First Name
Mike
Joined
Nov 16, 2019
Threads
8
Messages
65
Reaction score
26
Location
Canada
Vehicle(s)
2020 Si
Country flag
Dude! My issues is not with understudying the damn display. Is getting info or estimate on what would be a average maintenance that dealer or Honda hq would not say. After all my damn onboard was reset. also resetting car settings is idiotic to reset maintainable items. Should be another wat!

Hypothetically speaking. If the minder breaks means I never have to do maintenance?
If you reset it, just change the oil now and go from there....better to be safe.
 

Maxum

Senior Member
First Name
Mike
Joined
Nov 16, 2019
Threads
8
Messages
65
Reaction score
26
Location
Canada
Vehicle(s)
2020 Si
Country flag
1. I was driving a 5 speed 1998 Civic for 20 years before I bought my 2018 Civic. And the new Civic's 6 speed is definitely much stiffer, the older 5 speed is much smoother (fortunately I kept the '98 so I can drive it whenever I start to miss it.) Some of that is the age of the transmission, some of it is design. It took a little while to get used to it, but I'm okay with it now. A month or two probably just hasn't been enough time for you to get used to your new 6 speed. Give it a few more months. You'll be fine.

2, 3, 4, 5. Tell your dealer. Make sure these are documented in case they become chronic issues. At the rate you're putting on miles, you'll hit 36k in 6 more months.

6. Skipping this one...

7. I think this has been well covered above.

8. Seems this is part of the climate control system. But it doesn't have to be on all the time. It took me a short while to get used to it, again coming from driving my '98 which had a simple AC button that was always under my control. But turning off the AC on the new Civic is a matter of a couple quick clicks. And I've found that once I turn it off manually, it either stays off until I turn it back on or it turns itself back on if I crank the climate control down to 60 degrees or so. It's a logical system... you just have to get used to the logic. Patience is key.

9. Not sure what you're describing here. I've never tried to disengage my parking brake automatically (it does that if you go in reverse? If that's a feature, I wasn't aware...) I don't use brake hold, never had a problem with hill assist cooperating. If it's not functioning as it should, tell your dealer and make sure it's documented.

10. Lot of discussion on this site about the ECO setting. Apparently it's mildly effective in very limited circumstances. Not worth getting upset over. As for the dash MPG... mine is consistently inaccurate. By that I mean it very consistently is 7% too high. Not sure why this is, but I figure it's still useful. I just knock 7% off to get the true mileage. Again, not worth getting upset over.

11. As mentioned above, it's a computer. Which means it's going to follow its code. Which, fortunately, is flexible. Have some fun with it, find something that works for you.

Good luck with getting these problems sorted out. I'm sure once you do, you'll find driving your Civic is pretty enjoyable.
My parking brake will disengage automatically if I move forward with it on by mistake. In reverse, it will stay on and I have to turn it off. It will also turn itself on when you stop and shut the engine off, if you have the Brake Hold on when you park. Not sure if that's new or not really, my first 10th gen
 

frontlinegeek

Senior Member
First Name
Jason
Joined
Feb 25, 2018
Threads
6
Messages
765
Reaction score
313
Location
New Brunswick, Canada
Vehicle(s)
2020 CRV Touring, 2017 Civic EX Sedan Honda Sensing
Country flag
Personally I'm glad we have the 2018 model year. Recently we had a 2019 loaner for a week and I hated the adaptive cruise control and lane assist. It is unusable in areas with heavy traffic and more of a liability than it's worth.
ACC is actually the best of all the features. LKAS is definitely annoying in the winter with the loss of lines so I just turn it off. All the rest is fine and it really only took a month to get used to them. The CMBS actually forced me to not be as aggressive when closing distances with a vehicle leaving the lane in front of me.
 


OP
OP

remusrm

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2019
Threads
8
Messages
95
Reaction score
24
Location
LA
Vehicle(s)
2020 Civic LX 6spd
Country flag
I have one more new issue! I recently felt some vibation when driving at fway speeds and thought it was my tire balance. Went to america's tire and had a balance done and they were all good, except the back left was .25oz off. Now the vibration is worst and its between 2500-3100rpm and it also on when standing still with or without clutch engaged! I am thinking the engine mount is busted since was an issue on my lancer but that had 124k! Great and only 7400 and did an oil change!
 

frontlinegeek

Senior Member
First Name
Jason
Joined
Feb 25, 2018
Threads
6
Messages
765
Reaction score
313
Location
New Brunswick, Canada
Vehicle(s)
2020 CRV Touring, 2017 Civic EX Sedan Honda Sensing
Country flag
I have one more new issue! I recently felt some vibation when driving at fway speeds and thought it was my tire balance. Went to america's tire and had a balance done and they were all good, except the back left was .25oz off. Now the vibration is worst and its between 2500-3100rpm and it also on when standing still with or without clutch engaged!
I don't care if you freak out at the following assertion but there is something big you are not telling us. There is just no way that ANY car other than maybe a Fiat or an Alpha Romeo would develop the cavalcade of issues that you present and then now this? No. Just no.

I am thinking the engine mount is busted since was an issue on my lancer but that had 124k! Great and only 7400 and did an oil change!
Impossible? No. Likelihood? Go buy a powerball ticket.
 

FK7 Civic Pilot

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
Threads
1
Messages
229
Reaction score
169
Location
San Diego, Ca.
Vehicle(s)
2017 Civic Hatchback
Country flag
I have one more new issue! I recently felt some vibation when driving at fway speeds and thought it was my tire balance. Went to america's tire and had a balance done and they were all good, except the back left was .25oz off. Now the vibration is worst and its between 2500-3100rpm and it also on when standing still with or without clutch engaged! I am thinking the engine mount is busted since was an issue on my lancer but that had 124k! Great and only 7400 and did an oil change!
Sounds like it's time for you to trade in your despised Honda for a new Mitsubishi Mirage and move on. Not sure what else this forum can do for you, we get you think the Civic is a POS,
 

gtman

Senior Member
First Name
Mitch
Joined
Oct 27, 2015
Threads
328
Messages
16,672
Reaction score
24,357
Location
USA
Website
www.civicx.com
Vehicle(s)
2017 Cosmic Blue EX-L Sedan
Vehicle Showcase
2
Guys, let's face it, he hates the car and I wouldn't be surprised if his next post mentions his wheels fell off. :p

Me, while I have some complaints here and there, I love my car. My EX-L is comfortable, good looking, economical, fun to drive and reliable. And my next car might very well be an 11th gen Civic. :thumbsup:
 
OP
OP

remusrm

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2019
Threads
8
Messages
95
Reaction score
24
Location
LA
Vehicle(s)
2020 Civic LX 6spd
Country flag
I don't care if you freak out at the following assertion but there is something big you are not telling us. There is just no way that ANY car other than maybe a Fiat or an Alpha Romeo would develop the cavalcade of issues that you present and then now this? No. Just no.



Impossible? No. Likelihood? Go buy a powerball ticket.

like what? That I am disappointed the car is far bellow expectation?
Sponsored

 


 


Top