Problems in Honda Civic 1.8

[syedmfarooq]

@mubeen

thanks for the sympathy mubeen

you see i dont really care if it went down recently or it has been down for the past 20 yrs..

my only problem with Atlas Honda is that i paid 1.75 MILLION rupees and i deserved a car that came with all its nuts and bolts tightened PROPERLY. with NO scratches and dents AFTER the PDI has been done and signed.

after u mentioned, i remembered the "automatic down" feature of the driver window was not working for a few days when my car was ONLY 1 month old. it however fixed itself mysteriously without ANY wd-40 or anu other lubricant..!

ur right abt the paint also...i have noticed an uneven paint finish on the front fenders and bonnet.
i live in an apartment and see many new cars parked in the basement next to mine..and ive found the paint quality of the new corolla and swift to be really good (i might be wrong..im no expert and this is just my candid opinion)

i dont quite understand how a car can be made ONLY for an automatic transmission..
Please explain this to me...im curious!

Farooq

[Cylestyne]

@cylestene

to me you seem to be the foremost authority on pakwheels when it comes to 8th gen civics so i have a few questions for you later in my

Thank you for that respect

After hearing your story, I'm quite shocked. My Civic has been with me for the last 3.5 years now and has been largely trouble free. To me it looks like you were sold a lemon and that can be troublesome especially in a car which has become 10x more complicated than its predecessor (and its a first for Honda as the fit and finish of this car is far better than the previous generations, it feels more upscale than its counterparts).

Allow me to answer your questions and I understand that I'm answering them late but I just read your post a while back:

(1)the cars been driven 3000km so yesterday i decided to clean all my cars filters and check fluids. again i was disappointed to learn that when i opened the glove box and took out the CABIN air-filter tray...it was EMPTY!!! i paid 1.75million for a car and they didn't put a freakin cabin filter! is that the norm for all 8th gen civics or for 2009 models or was it just my car?

Atlas is not giving cabin filters for some reason; its part of their cost cutting I suppose and is definitely NOT justified for a car which costs this much. I put one in myself when I got the car. You can get them from any Honda dealership in USA, I don't think its sold locally.

(2) what happened to the boot lid insulation (lining)? all the rear lights' wires and number plate nuts and bolts are visible. i suspect this might be contributing to the rattling sound.
also the plastic enclosures for the pivots/hinges of the boot lid are missing.
both these items are present in the previous honda city!

Yet again cost cutting, the hood and boot insulation are totally non-existant in the local model.

(3) i too suffer from a "stiff" 2nd gear even though i drive and change gears very gently and shift at around 2250rpms.

What exactly do you mean by "stiff" gear? Do you mean its hard to shift into, or out of? The car does have one issue which I believe is drive-by-wire related and thats the slight rev-hang it has around the peak 2nd gear rpm levels. But its barely noticeable, is that what you're referring to?

After all these years here are the issues I faced with my car:

• Sticky driver side window; railing replaced as per TSB in warranty but the issue pops back. The railings are defective to date in all models internationally. Its the design of the railing/track which causes this. It is very much a problem in areas which suffer from dust (especially karachi). WD-40 is the best solution.

• Engine mount (front right) wears out fast. This is the oil filled kind apparently and is delicate. Apparently the khaddas and potholes of Pakistan are too much for it.

• My car's knock sensor went bad and was replaced for 2,500 RS (this was in 2008).

Aside from this the car has been largely trouble free. Especially considering how much I have tinkered around with my car; its been very reliable. To this date it is squeak, squeal, hiss, and clatter free as far as the cabin noise goes. No joints have started squeaking yet.

[syedmfarooq]

@cylestene
thanks for the uhhh LATE reply...but thanks none the less...i appreciate it

by stiff i meant its physically difficult to push it into 2nd whether im shifting up from 1st or shifting down from any higher gear or even Neutral!
this happens occasionally..NOT all the time which confuses me even further and ofcourse WHENEVER i take it to the dealer it doesn't appear in the test drives..which just makes me look like a fool in front of the mechanics!

ahh...i see u got it from abroad..
i asked all the different shops in plaza if they imported a cabin filter from thailand, malaysia, japan or wherever..but they hadn't heard of it. ur right, the dealer doesn't have it either!
Indus motors sells one for the new corolla..which i feel is a must for ANY car in pakistan considering the dust and filth we bring into our cars with our feet and the AC recirculation inlet is right by the front passenger's feet.

btw...do u still have that steering for sale? with the cruise control?
or if u can, could u help me out with a new one and also the schematics of the electronics?
i also need help in either installing a USB or AUX port into the stock Oriel indash deck.
i can do a DIY...but i'll need guidance..so any sort of help would be appreciated.

[Cylestyne]

by stiff i meant its physically difficult to push it into 2nd whether im shifting up from 1st or shifting down from any higher gear or even Neutral!

This is very odd as I have -not- faced it and my car is an M/T. There is one thing you could try but I make no guarantees if it will help.

You could try changing your gear oil to something better than what Honda puts in it.

Take a look at this for instance: Gear oil? What? - 8th Generation Honda Civic Forum

See the last post.

btw...do u still have that steering for sale? with the cruise control?

I ended up keeping my car after certain disappointment issues with the build quality of newer cars. So its still in my car however If you want one I can source one for you.

i also need help in either installing a USB or AUX port into the stock Oriel indash deck.
i can do a DIY...but i'll need guidance..so any sort of help would be appreciated.

The Oriels of the first generation didn't come with the indash system but came with the silver kenwood. So I never did this on my car. However I don't recommend a DIY as you can end up damaging the clips which hold the dash in place.

If you want to have it done cheap you could just go to Alpine Maryland in Clifton (near boat basin Jaan's broast [as your location says Karachi]). Talk to Ali over there, tell him Asher referred you and he'll take good care of you. That guy has remarkable fitting skills and has never once scratched my car. He's the only guy I allow to disassemble or tinker with the electronics on my car.

[syedmfarooq]

@asher

if it was a gear oil issue...wouldn't the transmission give me problems fr all the gears?? not just the second gear? im confused..!
which oil would u recommend?

im in dha phase 8..so i'll prefer to go to ali whenever i have the time as he's pretty close by.

i KNOW abt the scratches...i ws WITH the honda mechanics inside the working area cz i didnt want them to use flat tipped screw drivers to pull apart my dash from the seams and edges.
they did however still manege to scratch the steering wheel in 2 places...the AC and ventilation buttons were also scratched..oh...and the best part..the dash was fitted a bit more towards the right and there was a half inch gap between the whole dash and the left door. i complained and they fitted the dash again properly and the gaps between the dash and both doors was reduced.
on inquiring abt proper tools (constructed from softer plastic than the dash material as to not scratch it) needed to undo the clips to ull apart the dash..they had never heard of them.

i was more interested in the audio button than the cruise control. i dont take it out of DHA or clifton thus the cruise control is pointless if im gonna brake every few hundred feet for signals, breakers and those damn pedestrians who like to do cart wheels on the road out of no where.
i checked out your post where u were selling the steering and realized the factory deck doesnt have a remote..or even an IR sensor for an after market remote..will the audio buttons still work in my case?

[Cylestyne]

if it was a gear oil issue...wouldn't the transmission give me problems fr all the gears?? not just the second gear? im confused..!
which oil would u recommend?

It should not necessarily affect all gears. A lot of people with the third gear grinding problems in USDM Civic Si smoothed out the transmission by changing the fluid if I recall correctly.

I have not changed the gear oil in my car as its been running trouble free. I will be doing that at 30,000KM (still about 5,000 KM left for that). I would suggest you search around a bit for royal purple, I've heard good things about it.

i KNOW abt the scratches...i ws WITH the honda mechanics inside the working area cz i didnt want them to use flat tipped screw drivers to pull apart my dash from the seams and edges.
..[SNIP]..

Which Honda are you going to? I go to Honda South and have not faced such problems there. That may be perhaps that they're aware of how **** I am about my car and scratches in particular.

i checked out your post where u were selling the steering and realized the factory deck doesnt have a remote..or even an IR sensor for an after market remote..will the audio buttons still work in my case?

For the Oriel deck and even the newer indash integrated LCD decks (Taiwanese) the OEM switches for audio are plug and play.

[Cylestyne]

^pnp still requires a bit of hacking/wiring

[mubeenshahid]

@farooch i didnt know that the cooperation of honda service dealers is that so bad bcoz honda's support images in pakistan was know as the best

[syedmfarooq]

i was abt to buy my civic from honda south..most of the paper work was done..just the payorder was left..the sales staff was really curteous.. hwever they didnt have an oriel manual in alabaster silver...so i settled for a granite grey one.
i tried the sharae quaideen and defence ones too..didnt like the ppl and they didnt have my color either...the defence salesman even asked for a premium and a booking/ delivery time of 45 days where as no other dealer asked for either a premium or more than 4 working days after full payment.

then i happened to cross the sharae faisal dealership and found out they have an oriel manual in silver..so i bought it from them instead as the honda south ppl cudnt arrange it for me.

it was this strange series of circumstances that led me to the sharae faisal showroom..
they also own the defence wala but i dnt like the ppl there too..plus the sharae faisal ppl know me by name
now that iv made abt 17 - 18 trips in 10 months and they usually let me into the working area which is cordoned off...so i continued going there.

ill try taking my car to honda south from now on..its the same distance as sharae faisal dealer from where i am in phase 8..plus i found the ppl there to be a little better.

abt the steering mounted audio controls..thanks fr the info.
my aunt JUST came from the US 2 days ago and she constantly kept asking if i wanted sumthing..
i cud have easily placed an order online to be delivered to her house.

on the other hand..spending 30 large on just audio buttons is a bit extreme...ill just stretch my hands and reach out fr the buttons! (i read ur post dated jan 2010 on ur "Items for Sale" Thread n found out the buttons alone wud cost Rs30,000)

[mubeenshahid]

a shame for honda atlas for satisfaction of people

my only problem with Atlas Honda is that i paid 1.75 MILLION rupees and i deserved a car that came with all its nuts and bolts tightened PROPERLY. with NO scratches and dents AFTER the PDI has been done and signed.

[syedmfarooq]

@farooch i didnt know that the cooperation of honda service dealers is that so bad bcoz honda's support images in pakistan was know as the best

i thought the same thing!!
ive had similar "after sales" issues with Dewan ppl too.

i owned a new santro for 2 years and still own a KIA Spectra which we bought 8 years ago..both were bought from and maintained by Hyundai Defence owned by Mr Yunus Hashim.

my Spectra's side view mirrors had two different paints..one was painted glossy black and one was left matte blask (plastics original color i guess)
the spectra also had a dent on the front center of the bonnet...and scratches on the bottom part of the dash!
this was all present when i took delivery of the car in 2002!

oh..and before the santro we owned a Mehran..its fuel pump was filled with water when we took its delivery and it stopped a few KMs from the showroom.
So Pak Suzuki isn't any better.

i was too young to remember how the toyota defence dealership was when we owned a corolla in the early 90s.

[mubeenshahid]

@farooch you have very bad experience of honda try buying a toyota

[mani1]

and who says corolla is free of problems?

Interior quality of civic is much better than the corolla which is more prone to these crackling nuts and bolts. A simple opening and closing of doors on both cars reveals the difference in quality

[syedmfarooq]

hahahaha..@trying toyota instead.

mubeen i dont think its Honda's fault specifically. i feel ALL car manufacturers in Pakistan lack professionalism and apply cost cutting techniques to maximize profits and as a result...the after sales service is HORRIBLE and the car quality also suffers.

no more new cars for now!
we bought this one in cash..and i contributed 1/3 of the money..so im broke!
selling it now wud be a huge loss as cars depreciate the MOST in the first year.

my 3rd car which is my personal car is a chery qq.
when i have enough money, i will sell it because my younger brother and i are thinking of combining our money and buying a second hand 2010 swift.

[Cylestyne]

on the other hand..spending 30 large on just audio buttons is a bit extreme...ill just stretch my hands and reach out fr the buttons! (i read ur post dated jan 2010 on ur "Items for Sale" Thread n found out the buttons alone wud cost Rs30,000)

You can get just the audio controls for about 16 large.

[SaUdI1]

Alhamdulillah no problem yet in my prosmatec.

[hanzla]

There's a problem which i know exists in all civics 2004-2010. Its is that when on a straight road hands off the steering all civics tend to go left. It doesn't remain in straight line. Even if you have same tyre pressure on both front tyres, wheels properly aligned and balanced. I have 2004, 2005 and 2009 model and i see this problem in all of them.
Any clues??

[topgear2010]

Civic and City are available in 5 Speed Auto giving good pick up and nice mileage . Civic has problem of its both front side windows which doesnt go up as it stuck with its rubber. have it fixed under warranty twice but again after some times it gives this issue. otherwise no problem at all.

[topgear2010]

Just change the tyre from left to right your problem will be solved for all civics

[hanzla]

Yes i've tried that too. Both the wheel swapping and tyre swapping. None of them worked. Actually i remember asking honda engineer once. He said something about the differential, design flaw or something like that. Im not sure.