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7th gen civics and their common problems...

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Old Sep 26, 2004
  #61  
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the seat and driver side door panel are my only problems. dont see how road/wind noise is a "problem", spray some sound dampening if its that big a deal.
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Old Sep 26, 2004
  #62  
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I drive a 2k1, 73k miles and (as yet) none of the problems listed! I hope that isn't a scary foreshadowing of things to come for my little 7th gen. I really love it.
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Old Sep 26, 2004
  #63  
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Rocking passenger seat problem here, it sucks!!!
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Old Sep 29, 2004
  #64  
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Originally Posted by king of 42o
has anyone else had a sh**y 3rd gear synchro ring?
How bad do you define Shitty? I sometimes had trouble shifting to third using the stock trans fluid, but I am using Redline MTL and it's like butta.

HOWEVER, when I am in reverse, it whines like a freaking banshee. Not grinding, just high pitched a little too much for my tastes. Is that normal? Does everyone have it?
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Old Sep 29, 2004
  #65  
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Originally Posted by reddawnman
How bad do you define Shitty? I sometimes had trouble shifting to third using the stock trans fluid, but I am using Redline MTL and it's like butta.

HOWEVER, when I am in reverse, it whines like a freaking banshee. Not grinding, just high pitched a little too much for my tastes. Is that normal? Does everyone have it?

Almost every frontwheel drive car I've had has done that wine. This civic is really loud though, not ear piercing, but still loud.
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Old Sep 29, 2004
  #66  
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Originally Posted by k-man
- viabration/groaning noise from the engine bay at idle sometimes, often when a/c is on
As soon as I hit the AC button, I hear a groan...it's the engine saying "WTF? Only 117 HP, my friend."

Q: How do you stop a 4cyl with no brakes?
A: Turn on air conditioning.
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Old Sep 29, 2004
  #67  
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Originally Posted by reddawnman
How bad do you define Shitty? I sometimes had trouble shifting to third using the stock trans fluid, but I am using Redline MTL and it's like butta.

HOWEVER, when I am in reverse, it whines like a freaking banshee. Not grinding, just high pitched a little too much for my tastes. Is that normal? Does everyone have it?
That's because reverse is a non-syncromesh, straight-cut gear. All the other gears are helical cut to make them quiet.

It is perfectly normal.
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Old Sep 30, 2004
  #68  
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yeah i have the third gear grind at high rpm shifts but thats a normal honda thing not just 7th gens...integras and older civics do that too
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Old Sep 30, 2004
  #69  
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i miss-shift 3rd every 1 out of 20 times i drive "fast"... i think its the revo ss tho.
and the reverse is normal... even my dads old porsche 944 is hella loud in reverse
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Old Sep 30, 2004
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jesus.........I hope I dont have most of the issues you guys are having with your cars. I had my Toyota Corolla for 22,000 miles before my sister totalled it. (bought w/36K on it) Never had any quality issues besides a sometimes squeaky dash. I think lowering the car may have contributed to that though.

Automakers in general just dont make cars like they used to..... Hell my mom's old 85 got the crap beat out of it by many bad drivers. The thing was a tank. I bet its still out on the road somewhere too.
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Old Sep 30, 2004
  #71  
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Originally Posted by modoman
i miss-shift 3rd every 1 out of 20 times i drive "fast"... i think its the revo ss tho.
and the reverse is normal... even my dads old porsche 944 is hella loud in reverse
Dude your avatar is hurting my eyes. I try not to look but I just have to.
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Old Oct 1, 2004
  #72  
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lol ok thats it, youre like the 10th person to say it in 3 days so im putting a warning in my sig
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Old Oct 1, 2004
  #73  
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"Rocking driver/passenger seat"
"Rattles in interior panels"


Those the problems that I've been experiencing ever since the car was 6 months old. Mine is 2002. At 20,000 miles, the two front shocks were blown. Brought it back to the local Honda dealership since it was still under warranty. My buddy who is a mechanic at that dealership told me that it is very common for the 2001 & 2002 model blown their shocks even with that little mileage. He said that he saw few that only have 10,000 miles or less & already blown their shocks.

Another problem that I'm experiencing currently at 55,000 miles is the driver's side power window. Sometimes it works fine where you can press the button without holding it & the window roll down but sometimes, well most of the time, it doesn't work that way. Another thing is the interior light. I set it where you open the door & the light will come on & oh well, now it doesn't work too.

As much as I love the 7th gen Civic, I'm definitely quite disappointed with the build quality of it. I know most people told me, well, it's just a Civic, you can't expect too much but this isn't my first Civic. I had the 1989 Si in the past & the built quality was far much better than my latest 7th gen. I also have other Honda in my household which is a 1997 Prelude SH. At 127,000 miles, the only thing that annoys me right now is just the window rattles a little bit.

...but oh well, I still love my 7th gen a lot though
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Old Oct 3, 2004
  #74  
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yes i have four out those five problems, but some may be do to the car having 167,000 miles on it
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Old Oct 3, 2004
  #75  
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oh forgot to put in what they were

driver's seat rocking

ac vent rattling-annoys the hell out of me so have I have started punching

clutch pedal squeaking-gas and brake were doing that but thats nothing a little wd-40
won't fix

window- when I get going down the road about 71 mph my window starts wistling
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Old Oct 3, 2004
  #76  
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a whistling window... give it a cracker!
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Old Oct 3, 2004
  #77  
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Originally Posted by k2001civicboy
oh forgot to put in what they were

driver's seat rocking

ac vent rattling-annoys the hell out of me so have I have started punching

clutch pedal squeaking-gas and brake were doing that but thats nothing a little wd-40
won't fix

window- when I get going down the road about 71 mph my window starts wistling
Re Window-go 72 mph
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Old Oct 5, 2004
  #78  
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so the issues with the shocks dont pertain to the 04's right? Just checking cuz I thought the suspension was the same for 01-04
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Old Oct 5, 2004
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Originally Posted by reddawnman
How bad do you define Shitty? I sometimes had trouble shifting to third using the stock trans fluid, but I am using Redline MTL and it's like butta.

HOWEVER, when I am in reverse, it whines like a freaking banshee. Not grinding, just high pitched a little too much for my tastes. Is that normal? Does everyone have it?
it whines in reverse because of the type (spur) of gear in the trans that's used for reverse, all the other gears are helical cut that's why you can't hear them. Spur is loud but it's better for power transfer.
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Old Oct 6, 2004
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Originally Posted by gotarheels03
so the issues with the shocks dont pertain to the 04's right? Just checking cuz I thought the suspension was the same for 01-04
I believe 03-05 is using the 55mm struts just like the RSX.
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Old Oct 6, 2004
  #81  
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Originally Posted by TSSCivic
I believe 03-05 is using the 55mm struts just like the RSX.

Some of late '02 have the larger sturts too.
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Old Oct 6, 2004
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no no i got an idea ill go 73
ur real smart pon55
so knuck if ya buck
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Old Oct 7, 2004
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My 04 is only a month old and the driver seat is rocking, never had that problem in my 02.
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Old Oct 8, 2004
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Originally Posted by CivicTrip
My 04 is only a month old and the driver seat is rocking, never had that problem in my 02.
Exactly what happened to my 02 in only about a month or two after I bought it.
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Old Oct 8, 2004
  #85  
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squeaky clutch, rattel in door pannels
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Old Oct 11, 2004
  #86  
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I have rattles in the driver door panel and a creaky rear deck in my '04 EX.
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Old Oct 12, 2004
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Rattles in roof panel, doors and rear deck, leaky sunroof, squeaky clutch pedal, rough idle, and is now at the dealer having a new clutch, pressure plate, and throwout bearing installed. Oh yeah, I only got 30K on it. Unfortunately I don't fall into my states Lemon Laws.
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Old Oct 12, 2004
  #88  
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Rear deck still a pain, my glove box makes to much noise cause the car is slammed. Also my automatic door lock when I press the button makes a weird noise now!!!
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Old Nov 28, 2004
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The only problem I experienced in my '04 coupe was the squeaky clutch pedal, but that went away after about 1000 miles due to the fact that it was brand new and needed breaking in...the car now has about 2500 miles on it, and not a thing wrong....about the wind and road noises....guys, that is all in every one of the consumer reviews about these cars...the car is not sound proofed like a Mercedes or Jaguar, or a BMW...you're gonna get road noise....it's normal. After all, for under 20k, you have to expect some road noise...as far as the warping on the sunroof panel...are you leaving it in the vent position when it rains or there is high humidity for long periods of time? That will cause anything that is composite material with cloth on it to warp...it's just physics!!! Previous to this Honda, I've owned a '92 Accord LX, a '91 Accord EX, an 83 Civic Sedan, and an '89 Accord SE...they all had trim problems after a while in some way shape or form...so I would say that every model year will have its glitches....a lucky few will never have problems, and some will...and of course, all of these previous Hondas had the typical 90k mile water pump problem...I'm hoping Honda has seen fit to fix this problem, although that's typical for just about any car for that mileage, give or take 10 or 20k miles on the clock....
In my opinion, Hondas remain some of the best cars made FOR THE MONEY...and as far as reliability and resale, they are hard to beat (with the exception of Toyota)....I've owned my fair share of domestic autos too....and I would say that I've had much more problems quality and control wise with those than any Honda I've ever owned...just my 2 and a half cents is all. Take it for what it's worth.

.....but still, if these things happen under full warranty, then there shouldn't be that much complaining, especially if it's being fixed for free. Rule of thumb for me, generally, is to get rid of a car once it's reached its warranty expiration, unless it's worth keeping and extending with an aftermarket warranty.
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Old Nov 29, 2004
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Originally Posted by tenayshusD
The only problem I experienced in my '04 coupe was the squeaky clutch pedal, but that went away after about 1000 miles due to the fact that it was brand new and needed breaking in...the car now has about 2500 miles on it, and not a thing wrong....about the wind and road noises....guys, that is all in every one of the consumer reviews about these cars...the car is not sound proofed like a Mercedes or Jaguar, or a BMW...you're gonna get road noise....it's normal. After all, for under 20k, you have to expect some road noise...as far as the warping on the sunroof panel...are you leaving it in the vent position when it rains or there is high humidity for long periods of time? That will cause anything that is composite material with cloth on it to warp...it's just physics!!! Previous to this Honda, I've owned a '92 Accord LX, a '91 Accord EX, an 83 Civic Sedan, and an '89 Accord SE...they all had trim problems after a while in some way shape or form...so I would say that every model year will have its glitches....a lucky few will never have problems, and some will...and of course, all of these previous Hondas had the typical 90k mile water pump problem...I'm hoping Honda has seen fit to fix this problem, although that's typical for just about any car for that mileage, give or take 10 or 20k miles on the clock....
In my opinion, Hondas remain some of the best cars made FOR THE MONEY...and as far as reliability and resale, they are hard to beat (with the exception of Toyota)....I've owned my fair share of domestic autos too....and I would say that I've had much more problems quality and control wise with those than any Honda I've ever owned...just my 2 and a half cents is all. Take it for what it's worth.

.....but still, if these things happen under full warranty, then there shouldn't be that much complaining, especially if it's being fixed for free. Rule of thumb for me, generally, is to get rid of a car once it's reached its warranty expiration, unless it's worth keeping and extending with an aftermarket warranty.

I bought this Honda because I wanted a car for 200,000 miles, not 36,000. This is my 6th Honda, 4th civic. My other three civics where a '91 LX, '94 DX, and a '96 EX. Of all of the civics, my '03 seems to be the most poorly built, and all of the other civics had at least 50K on them before I got them, on even had 225K. The road noise has gone up (which isn't big concern for me), my seat wobbles (fixed it thoguh), my clutch squeaks, the seat belts don't retract, and my e brake line was loose, I've only got 24,000 miles now and IMO this just isn't as good of quality. Not to mention how hefty the civics have become. My '03 EX weighs in at almost 2,900 lbs, that's only 100 lbs lighter than my old '94 5.0 Mustang. It also seems to be the slowest of my civics, but that's just my butt dyno talking, so I won't really harp on that. Don't get me wrong though, it's still a good car, even if Honda quality drops a little, it's still better than my gf's previous Escort ZX2 (she now has an '04 civic EX). ON anouther note, you say you have an '04, since I have both an '03 and '04 in my driveway, I've noticed something, a lot of these little things we are complaing about are gone in the '04. If you don't believe me, take a looks at the TSB for the 2 years. the '03 has 25-30, the '04 had 2 I think. Just my opion.
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