jgg204

I have done many searches and I see many 2001-2004 Honda Civic owners with the same complaints I have...I just thought it was time I voice them all.

I have a 2003 Honda Civic Coupe with 59K miles. I went in for the 60K tune-up at the dealer where we bought the car. I told him beforehand that the car seems to vibrate a lot and the auto trans shifts rough in the first couple of gears. He checked out the car and did a test drive and noticed the same problems I was having. He said one of the engine mounts is cracked and as a result there is more vibration. He said with regards to the auto trans shifting rough...he said new fluid would do the trick. He said if I don't notice any improvement within a month of driving that means that my auto transmission is dying.

I am rather dumbfounded by all of this...first off with the engine mount cracking. Second off...the auto transmission is dying before 60K miles?!??! That is almost unheard of in my experience with Civics. I had a 1992 Honda Civic and I took it way over 100K miles without any problems. Just routine maintenance such as changing the oil, fluids, brakes, and tires...nothing else! Then I bought a 1997 Honda Civic after that and took that to 92K miles and again...no problems!

Then, I bought a 2003 Honda Civic Coupe and I have all of the following issues:

1) Engine mount cracked
2) Auto Transmission possibly on the verge of dying
3) Power door lock actuator died (driver's side)
4) Driver's side door lock cylinder broke (covered under warranty thanksfully)
5) External top rubber lining between windshield and roof of car came loose (covered under warranty)
6) Random short circuit which blew out all of the bulbs in the rear portion of the car (brake light, tail lights, trunk light) - ( covered under warranty)
7) Alignment is so damn sensitive that within 3-4 months I need another alignment (granted I drive 80 miles/day for work but it's 70/80 miles of highway!)
8) The boots on the struts are tearing and I know I won't get more than 1-2 years out of the struts before I will need to replace them too


I have taken excellent care of this Civic...maintenance performed at the dealer every 7,500-10,000 miles. All oil changes have been done in 4,000 mile intervals.


SHEEESH!!!

baron340

iTrader: (4)

Thats all piddly little crap. Dust boots on the struts are cheap and made of rubber, prone to wear and tear, motor mounts are the same way. Depending which one it is, I may have one I'll sell you cheap. And a cheap easy fix for motor mounts is filling them with window weld. It will make it stiffer and may vibrate a little more at idle, but its a $10 fix for a broken motor mount. The trans is prolly fine, just needs a fluid change. Transmissions do get a litle rough over time, just the way it goes. Everything else was under warranty.. so whats the problem really. Sometimes electrical gremlins just cause problems. Chill out, and take your car to some other dependable shop next time.

jgg204

Thank you for the insight. I do want to point out a few things.

1) When the next motor mount goes, I will definitely give your recommendation a shot. The dealer said that another mount looks like it will go within the next year due to the stress put on it from the other one being broken. I will probably have a use for your quick-fix within that time frame

2) The Auto Trans fluid was changed...still doesn't make a difference. The Auto Trans on on the 1992 Civic at 110K miles ran smoother than the one on my current 2003 Civic.

3) I understand that some of those things were covered under warranty...but it is pathetic that they had to be replaced. I mean...my friend from high school has the first production year Ford Focus and he has had less problems than me. I am very disappointed in the quality of this Civic, and unlike all of the other times when I was in the market for a new car...I will be sure to check out ALL brands of competition including Ford. I'm just very disappointed to be honest and I hope that Honda put more durable mounts and struts in the 8th generation models.

4) I take my Hondas to 2 different Honda dealers. One of the dealers is near my corporate building and the other is closer to home. They both have provided excellent service for my Hondas since 1991. No issues, no scams, and no bullsh*t. The problem doesn't sit with the dealers...it's my car that's the issue.

baron340

iTrader: (4)

Hmm.. .mmmk.. the thing with the mounts is you basically fill them with a harder rubber and they become solid mounts. A lot of people do it for a cheap performance upgrade but it works for a substitute of a new mount. I don't know about the trans man, I know the auto trans has had a lot of problems in the 7th gen civic. It might genuinely be dying. It may be pathetic that some electrical stuff fails, but a lot of that stuff can be a domino effect. As long as it hasn't had any problems since, you should be ok on that front. I just say take it to other places because generally dealerships are a joke. Their mechanics aren't always the best and they have always given me a list of crap that is wrong that really isn't. I do my own wrenching and had to get a new key cut. They did a 'complimentary' inspection when I got the new key and gave me a list of like 2k in repairs that was complete BS. Needless to say it left a bad taste in my mouth about them.

Tomj333_EM2

Well, i have to say that mine's been ok... i mean my windshield rubber is coming away, but honestly apart from that.
It's amazing.
I have had the car since 60k it now has 82k on it... it runs great, and everything is original, i've not had any problems.... i've even crashed the thing into a 3" curb at 60mph and nothing broke... only my anti roll bar linkige.
Not saying i'm proud of this, but its imo a good test to say its a strong car. There was a Renault Clio behind me that crashed too, slower speed and his wheel fell off and he snapped all he driveshafts.... my car drove off... albiet a bit worse for wear.

ronaldo9

iTrader: (6)

109K miles and still running strong albeit some wear and tear but no major issues. The OP might just have a lemon. FYI I have a 2003 civic EX (manual) and got it with 0 miles.

wallydude03

I have 56K miles on my 2002 civic lx 2dr and the only problems that i have with my car is a broken door lock actuater (driver side) and my window motor is broken because of my speaker install. Thats it. I think it all comes down on how your honda was built.

+MM+

Hmm. Is it possible that you just 'got a lemon'? I bought mine brand new in 2003. 6 years later, and 110,000 miles later I have had ZERO let-downs. The only things I have replaced were the power steering pump (covered under warranty) and one outer tie-rod end. Christ, I'm still on my original rear brakes and battery. The only complaint I have about this car is the rough ride. This seems to have been a unanimous complaint about the 7th gens amongst the reviewers. Anyway, that's my two cents.

RogerB

I own an 05 coupe and I've had too many issues with it.

• Within a year Honda had to replace the power steering rack due to a leak.
• Alarm turned itself off. (Sure wasn't me)
• Car gave poor heat. Hopefully fixed now. (Clogged heater core and coolant was a weird color)
• Gas cover cable broke.
• If I keep losing coolant I might have a blown head gasket.

I was hoping to buy a sedan next year when I have this one paid off. As it stands, I'm almost ready to sell this one and take the loss. Honda will have to give me one heck of a deal to keep me as a customer.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

after 2000, quality really started going downhill unfortunately. some people get lucky but there are still alot of common problems with the car.

will_o5civ

Hey i feel you, ive had the Random bulb slowout, the alignment, the door lock, and now my a/t trans exploded. It suck when your going down the 416 at 120kph and the front end locks up and you hear your trans explode inside, not to mention the front winters dont like it to much either, my car is an 05' with 91kms. Good luck, hope you can fix your car before disaster hits.

Protan988

I would be changing my tranny fluid every 30k miles If i were you. These Gen of civics auto trans are horrible. Keeping your tranny fluid good is what is going to save it if anything. You could try like a lucas transmission fix aswell. Helps with slipping. But really tranny fluid, is your 2nd most important fluid and a new tranny from Honda would be about $4k. So treat it well.

Protan988

Also if you got the tranny done at honda all they probably did is a filter and pan service. May want to look into getting your whole system flushed. Meaning tourque converter and everything. only about 1/3 of your transmission fluid is actually in your transmission pan itself. In the case that your fluid was really nasty though, then you shouldnt flush it will cause more problems with the tranny.

sentbacktothesu

im on my third tranny, and second radiator. just passed 90K yesterday. im never buying a honda again. first tranny was fixed in march 08, second one died feb of 09.
the radiator was a honda part replaced my my body shop after my accident, tranny cooler went and broke the tranny.

tell me about all the problems. i think ill have better luck with a ford.

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

My only major complaints with these cars is the rocking seats..and the side srs light always coming on. Other then that I love my civic

Tomj333_EM2

the rocking seats is annoying thought that was only me though :\

+MM+

Nein...I think almost everyone is rocking or has rocked the rocking seat. I've been putting up with it for years. There's a DIY posted here. I'm far too lazy to attempt it myself, though.

Tomj333_EM2

^^^ Were's this D.I.Y i've never seen it.......?

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...seat-rock.html

jgg204

if my transmission dies i am scrapping the civic. even though it only has 60K miles for it, buying a new transmission would be half of the value of the car. screw that...i guess i should just pray that it doesn't die b/c at this time i really cannot afford to buy a new car. i refuse to ever buy a honda civic again b/c of my last experience with my 2003 model. i would consider a honda accord b/c i know they put better quality and more durable components into it. they cheaped out big time on my civic and i am very disappointed in Honda for doing so...

+MM+

There are so many horror stories surrounding automatic transmissions by almost ANY company. All of you auto drivers should have considered the manual transmission for your Civics. Seriously, they're bulletproof and silky smooth, and also require less maintenance. Cheaper to repair also...IF anything ever goes wrong with them. Change the fluid every 40,000 kms or so and you're all set. I love mine.

civic-king

iTrader: (1)

your older auto civics lasted so long because of design. the older trans was a gear driven trans with band acctvation, basicly a manual transmission with a torque converter and electric control. the newer ones are clutch plate design like most other automatic transmissions. it all comes down to cooling. if an auto transmissions tempature exceeds 175 degrees, it dramatically reduces the life of the transmission. i'd segust to anyone the first thing to do is install a huge oil cooler on the transmission. if you are using coolant to cool, it will only cool the oil to the temp that the coolant is at.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i installed a cooler at 20k miles. i also put the oem civic HX external fluid filter in there and change it once a year. at 50k my trans started slipping 2-3 gear by about 200 rpm but only when cold before the fluid warmed up. im at 87k and the trans did not get any worse like alot of others ive seen. still very solid once it warms up. i also have some LC20 in the honda atf fluid from lubecontrol.com

civic-king

iTrader: (1)

^^^wow, that's lame.

Ckutch02EX

I had a manual 02 ex coupe with a manual. Had to have a full rebiuld at 100k. Thing sounded like a jet when you hit the gas. At about 90k the sparkplugs fused to the head, that was a mess. And last but not least from 3000 miles on, the car overheated and threw up coolant. I had two radiators, two thermostats, and the headgasket repaced, and it still overheated. The car had no mods and was EXTREMELY well taken care of. I just traded it in for a 05 ex coupe with 46k. Hopefully this one holds up better because even with the problems my old one had and the overall lack of power, they are fun to drive and look sporty. I will always rock a VIC.

lowlife9

maybe if you didn't beat the crap out of it it whould have lasted longer.

lightningslp77

...what the f*ck is wrong with all your civics???

I bought my 01 in 2005 with 40,000 miles on it. I'm stationed at an army base in the mojave hotass desert of california and have driven it HARD for the last 4 years and it now has well over 130,000 miles and i've never had anything wrong with it...

all i've ever had to do was change the timing belt, brake pads and rear drums, and oh yeah new shocks and struts...regular sh*t.

when i'm out on old desert roads that go straight for 30 miles my car never dips below 110mph...even when its 126 degrees outside and i think my tires are melting lol.

i guess it a real hit or miss with vics apparently!

Hondaddict

I have an 05 Coupe (manual) I bought her almost 2yrs ago had 22k on it now it has a little over 50k no problems except my cd player went out once honda replaced it and the 2nd one just went out last month again so that is my only complaint on my civic you get good and bad cars with any manufacturer **** happens lol

lowlife9

i do hear alot of problems with the 01-03 models im glad i got an 04 they seemed to have got the bugs out except for the compliance bushings wtf.

soarintothesun

195K and still running strong. Still original A/T, but it's been slipping lately. It's all in the luck of the draw on the 7th gens I guess but mine gives me respect with little grief. I change and the changeables (fluids, plugs, etc.)and clean the cleanables and she loves me for it

But honestly, and this is very neglectful of me...I haven't changed the tranny fluid since I got her...in 2004,....with 64,000 miles on her. Maybe it's time...