When did Honda start cutting corners on quality?

[integra15]

As much as I hate some of the cost cutting moves Honda made, you have to realize you cant have a $30k car for $25k. The paint on my first car, a 90 Integra, was far better at new than the Hondas of the last 10 years. But it was still a loud rattle box that developed rust after 7 years.

There have been technology improvements but they still have to make a profit somewhere.

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[Pcmechanic1]

Water-based car paint is not as good as solvent-based....
Low GWP (should be now renamed to CCP, hahaha) refrigerants are not as good as the traditional freons...
Lead-free solder in electronics is not as good as the traditional lead-containing solder....
Soy-based cable insulation is not as good as the regular insulation...
Replacements for lead-based anti-knock agents are not as good as lead.....
Ethanol in fuel.....
Titanium or zinc-based white paint is not as good as lead-based white paint....
No thermometer is as as good as the mercury thermometer in some applications....
Asbestos substitutes are not as good as asbestos....
Soy-based inks...


"Not as good" means mostly that it will cost you additional money, at least during the decades when these products are introduced. Consumers paid billions of $$$ for inconveniences and failures related to these and similar replacements. Some of these bans and replacements were better justified than others, but none of them came without consequences and costs to consumers.

That might be true but my 94 civic had 1/8" thick paint job. Now hair is thinker than a paint job

 

[stingray]

I’m a detailing freak too. I’m very disappointed that Honda is ok with putting poor quality paint on their cars. I wish they at least had a few paint colors as paid options. I’d rather pay $1k extra for a high quality factory paint job. I’m going to have to call the dealership and talk about the garbage paint job on my brand new car to see if they will do anything (doubtful).

People have been calling Honda paint poor for years. Our ‘13 CR V, our ‘16 CR V and our ‘19 Si have better paint than other cars I have owned, and that is a lot of them. The Arizona sun has not affected any of them

 

[stingray]

I agree. They absolutely cut corners on the exterior with the paint and panel gaps. Thankfully the engine, transmission, and suspension are among the best of cars in the price range. The interior is better than average but could use some better materials for the high wear areas. As someone who is very OCD with car detailing, the paint issues and panel gaps are frustrating.

I worked in an assembly plant for 8 years. The paint and panel fit on my ‘19 Si are some of the best I have seen. Not all will be perfect. Problems come up, but do a thorough walk around before taking delivery.

 

[gtman]

I worked in an assembly plant for 8 years. The paint and panel fit on my ‘19 Si are some of the best I have seen. Not all will be perfect. Problems come up, but do a thorough walk around before taking delivery.

So walking around and looking at my brand new car on the dealer lot with the pristine looking paint would have told me that my car had soft, crappy paint that would become chipped to hell?

Like I've mentioned, I've driven the same roads to work for well over 30 years with numerous new cars. My Civic X's paint is the most prone to chipping of any vehicle I've owned including several other Honda/Acura cars.

From a distance my car's Cosmic Blue paint looks great. I detail it weekly. But close up, there are an incredible amount of small chipped spots.

To say the paint and panel fit is some of the best you've seen, I have one question. Just how much Honda Kool-Aid have you been drinking?

 

[Hollywoo0220]

Paint gets chipped, wheels get rubbed/rashed, dents happen...deal with it - it's part of driving a vehicle.

 

[gtman]

Paint gets chipped, wheels get rubbed/rashed, dents happen...deal with it - it's part of driving a vehicle.

We do deal with it but we also are allowed to compare the current Civic's paint chip resistance to other cars we've owned, correct?

 

[stingray]

So walking around and looking at my brand new car on the dealer lot with the pristine looking paint would have told me that my car had soft, crappy paint that would become chipped to hell?

Like I've mentioned, I've driven the same roads to work for well over 30 years with numerous new cars. My Civic X's paint is the most prone to chipping of any vehicle I've owned including several other Honda/Acura cars.

From a distance my car's Cosmic Blue paint looks great. I detail it weekly. But close up, there are an incredible amount of small chipped spots.

To say the paint and panel fit is some of the best you've seen, I have one question. Just how much Honda Kool-Aid have you been drinking?

First, drive over stones, you get chipped. Your fault, not Honda’s. Drive too close on a freeway, you get stones chipping you. Again, on you. If you hate Honda paint, why did you buy one? If you hate panel fit, and mine is superb, why didn’t you check it before buying?

 

[gtman]

I bought one because I love the car. That doesn't mean it's perfect. And having driven 15+ vehicles in my time, I think it's valid to mention that this paint chips easier than any car I l've owned. Panel gaps are large on this car, it"s just something that's factual. I can stick my fingers between the decklid and rear fascia for example.

I've been at this forum 4 years and these are common complaints. Glad yours is perfect but you sound like a bit of a shill.

 

[McDavid]

The only panel gaps I notice are around the trunk, it's almost looks like it's unlocked.

And the ease of scuffing that happens at the bottom of door interior is very annoying

 

[Potsnu]

It has nothing to do with Honda, my Porsche chips just as easily. Manufacturers have moved to water based paint and they don't hold up. My first summer on my Porsche ended up with 30 paint chips, and the area behind the back wheels looks like it's been sand blasted.

In regards to clearcoat blemishes, did you instruct the dealer not to wash the car on delivery? That's where most of the damage is caused.

 

[stingray]

I bought one because I love the car. That doesn't mean it's perfect. And having driven 15+ vehicles in my time, I think it's valid to mention that this paint chips easier than any car I l've owned. Panel gaps are large on this car, it"s just something that's factual. I can stick my fingers between the decklid and rear fascia for example.

I've been at this forum 4 years and these are common complaints. Glad yours is perfect but you sound like a bit of a shill.

I am not concerned with your 4 year membership. You complain about the car you “love”. Why would you buy a car with ludicrously wide gaps? Again, why complain about something you knew about, and ignored? The paint on all my Honda’s have been the equal or better than any of my other cars. (32 of them) want to see bad...check GM

 

[Axatax]

I just went into my third year yesterday.

The paint has held up as well as any other Honda I've had. There's like two small nicks on the bumper from rocks. I consider that "normal" car wear.

And my trunk has those really wide gaps. It's obvious this is how the panels are made, for whatever reason. It's not a case of something being misaligned or crooked, etc. My wife's Prius has those same ginormous gaps on the hatch. It seems this is being done for a reason.

 

[fjrman]

"And my trunk has those really wide gaps."

It's a design choice. Easier to assemble I'd guess.

I haven't looked at Fits. Do they have large gaps too?

 

[Axatax]

"And my trunk has those really wide gaps."

It's a design choice. Easier to assemble I'd guess.

I haven't looked at Fits. Do they have large gaps too?

Just so I'm being clear -- those gaps aren't the result of someone misalining or mis-fitting the trunk lid. The gaps are a result of a conscious decision in the design state somewhere at Honda.

Look at other Japanese cars of this vintage. You'll see the same wide gaps around the trunk. My wife's Prius has these same wide gaps around the trunk lid. It's not an issue of the trunk being installed on a Friday or something like that... That's how the trunk was designed, for whatever reason, and they're all like that.

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