Overheating Problem, Water Pump, 2003 Civic Sedan
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Overheating Problem, Water Pump, 2003 Civic Sedan
Hello, everyone. Hope you guys are doing fine and thank you for reading my post. We have a 2003 Civic Sedan. It has over 150k miles. Mostly my wife is driving this car and it didn't cost much so far besides the maintenance and we are really happy with the car.
However, 2 weeks ago, my wife has realized that the car was overheating at the traffic light. She turned the heat on all the way and was able to drive home like that. I took the car to the local pep boys on the next morning. Later on, got a call from them and the guy who was taking care of the car was asking what the problem is exactly. I explained but he sounded confused somehow as if they couldn't find what the problem was. They say they will call again and hung up. I got another call a few hours later and was told that the thermostat sensor needs to be replaced also they needed to flush the radiator and the coolant as well in order to make sure everything is ok. I said ok, got the required parts from the local Advance Auto Parts and went back to pep boys. With the extra coupons and discounts, the total came down to around $400. I paid and left.
Everything was good for about a week. My wife was driving this morning and then car started overheating again. My wife was alone in the car and I was away. According to my wife, the gauge indicator kept going up and down for a while. I called the pep boys and explained to them what happened. I mean, the car was in the shop one week ago and it was supposed to be ok after they fixing the problem. We got the car towed to the PepBoys ( was told that they will take care of the towing expense since it has happened right after the first visit) and left there for an inspection. I got a call later on again and was told that the new sensor wasn't set for the right pressure. I was also told that water pump is old and needs to be changed. They also wanted to change the timing belt, too.
My question is,
We have gotten the timing belt changed 3 years ago and didn't put many miles on the car since then. Do we really need to change the timing belt? With the labor and everything, it would cost about $100. Pepboys is saying it wouldn't make sense to not change the timing belt along with the water pump.
If the water pump was old and needed to be replaced, how come they didn't realize it during the first visit? Is in it one of the first things that need to be checked when there is an overheating problem?
The estimated cost that they gave me is around $800 with the extra coupons and discounts it may come down to $680 but it is still too much for my budget. Besides, why did I pay $400 for the first visit then? Should I ask for an additional discount or something? We didn't have any good experience with the other local shops and that's why I took the car to the pep boys (since they were the one fixing the car when the overheating occurred the first time) but I am not sure if I am getting the right price and the service or not? I would greatly appreciate if you guys could share your opinions and give me some advice? Thank you very much for reading the post again, have a good day.
However, 2 weeks ago, my wife has realized that the car was overheating at the traffic light. She turned the heat on all the way and was able to drive home like that. I took the car to the local pep boys on the next morning. Later on, got a call from them and the guy who was taking care of the car was asking what the problem is exactly. I explained but he sounded confused somehow as if they couldn't find what the problem was. They say they will call again and hung up. I got another call a few hours later and was told that the thermostat sensor needs to be replaced also they needed to flush the radiator and the coolant as well in order to make sure everything is ok. I said ok, got the required parts from the local Advance Auto Parts and went back to pep boys. With the extra coupons and discounts, the total came down to around $400. I paid and left.
Everything was good for about a week. My wife was driving this morning and then car started overheating again. My wife was alone in the car and I was away. According to my wife, the gauge indicator kept going up and down for a while. I called the pep boys and explained to them what happened. I mean, the car was in the shop one week ago and it was supposed to be ok after they fixing the problem. We got the car towed to the PepBoys ( was told that they will take care of the towing expense since it has happened right after the first visit) and left there for an inspection. I got a call later on again and was told that the new sensor wasn't set for the right pressure. I was also told that water pump is old and needs to be changed. They also wanted to change the timing belt, too.
My question is,
We have gotten the timing belt changed 3 years ago and didn't put many miles on the car since then. Do we really need to change the timing belt? With the labor and everything, it would cost about $100. Pepboys is saying it wouldn't make sense to not change the timing belt along with the water pump.
If the water pump was old and needed to be replaced, how come they didn't realize it during the first visit? Is in it one of the first things that need to be checked when there is an overheating problem?
The estimated cost that they gave me is around $800 with the extra coupons and discounts it may come down to $680 but it is still too much for my budget. Besides, why did I pay $400 for the first visit then? Should I ask for an additional discount or something? We didn't have any good experience with the other local shops and that's why I took the car to the pep boys (since they were the one fixing the car when the overheating occurred the first time) but I am not sure if I am getting the right price and the service or not? I would greatly appreciate if you guys could share your opinions and give me some advice? Thank you very much for reading the post again, have a good day.
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Re: Overheating Problem, Water Pump, 2003 Civic Sedan
was it just thermostat and flush?
because if it says only that done, 400 is too steep a price.
also, read here:
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/3...reference.html
because if it says only that done, 400 is too steep a price.
also, read here:
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/3...reference.html
If you think a good mechanic is expensive, try hiring a bad one
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From: Midwest. Aiming about mid-chest
Rep Power: 518 Re: Overheating Problem, Water Pump, 2003 Civic Sedan
Origin of overheating symptom/complaint is low coolant level.
Root cause of low coolant level must be pinpointed before proceeding
Either there is a leak, or.......
Head gasket is blown.
We all fully expect the head gasket to be blown. (this is definitely not a cheap repair unless you can DIY it)
Stay away from chain stores.
Take car to someone who knows what they are doing and fixes cars on purpose.
Timing belt info is in your owners manual under maintenance. replace at 7 years or (about) 100k miles, whichever comes first
Root cause of low coolant level must be pinpointed before proceeding
Either there is a leak, or.......
Head gasket is blown.
We all fully expect the head gasket to be blown. (this is definitely not a cheap repair unless you can DIY it)
Stay away from chain stores.
Take car to someone who knows what they are doing and fixes cars on purpose.
Timing belt info is in your owners manual under maintenance. replace at 7 years or (about) 100k miles, whichever comes first
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Rep Power: 118 Re: Overheating Problem, Water Pump, 2003 Civic Sedan
Do not get sucked into replacing the timing belt. Generally they are good for 90k/7year so you have a lot of life left in and they are just trying to code the repair for extra labor $$
If the water pump was the issue then you would not have made it a week before overheating again, nor would trning on the heat make any difference.
To be clear, while it is possible for the water pump to fail, it is not possible for it to intermittently fail. I don’t even think the OEM pump could fail without leaking coolant for a long time first. But possible pump was already replaced with a off brand that was inferior.
No issues with Pep boys in general, some of the techs are great, some not so but you next step should be to just confirm the radiator was low on coolant and if it was, have them refill it and drive it home. Pick up a couple of gallons of distilled water and every morning refill your radiator until you have the funds to repair it.
And yea, don’t use Pep Boys for a Head gasket job, go to a Import shop.
If the water pump was the issue then you would not have made it a week before overheating again, nor would trning on the heat make any difference.
To be clear, while it is possible for the water pump to fail, it is not possible for it to intermittently fail. I don’t even think the OEM pump could fail without leaking coolant for a long time first. But possible pump was already replaced with a off brand that was inferior.
No issues with Pep boys in general, some of the techs are great, some not so but you next step should be to just confirm the radiator was low on coolant and if it was, have them refill it and drive it home. Pick up a couple of gallons of distilled water and every morning refill your radiator until you have the funds to repair it.
And yea, don’t use Pep Boys for a Head gasket job, go to a Import shop.
If you think a good mechanic is expensive, try hiring a bad one
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 32,017
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From: Midwest. Aiming about mid-chest
Rep Power: 518 Re: Overheating Problem, Water Pump, 2003 Civic Sedan
some of the techs are great, some not so
Absolutely..
Problem is, OP didn't get a great one, and probably will be stuck with the wrong one until he's out of money.
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Thank you all for answers. It helps a lot. I have just found the email that they sent me for the first visit, here is the brief summary what they did,
Coolant System Evaluation $34.99
Shop Fee $35 ( Don't know what it means)
Radiator Drain & Fill $65.99
Coolant Temperature Sensor Replacement $154
Remove & Replace Thermostat $$125
It is pretty much what they did and how much they charged for the first visit. I have gotten the parts by myself and was able to save some money at the end.
This time they said the problem is the water pump, but if the problem is a head gasket ( hope it is not ), wouldn't they be able to tell by now already? Or is it some kind of trick? According to them, water pump just blew this morning and that's why it was overheating and the indicator was going up and down. According to them we were lucky to bring the car on time If the water pump blew, is it because they didn't set the pressure right for the sensor they installed? If that's the problem, how can I be accountable for this? Shouldn't they take care of this, at least offer discount? They have the car in the shop and waiting for confirmation to proceed.They have the car in the shop already and waiting for my confirmation to proceed. I am kind of stuck there. If I keep moving the car from one mechanic to other mechanics, I am afraid that it would make things worst. If I keep the car there I am sure the total cost would be too much (I may get %15 off with a coupon, but it is still too much). Thank you very much again for your answers. I am curious about the rest of the coming answers.
Coolant System Evaluation $34.99
Shop Fee $35 ( Don't know what it means)
Radiator Drain & Fill $65.99
Coolant Temperature Sensor Replacement $154
Remove & Replace Thermostat $$125
It is pretty much what they did and how much they charged for the first visit. I have gotten the parts by myself and was able to save some money at the end.
This time they said the problem is the water pump, but if the problem is a head gasket ( hope it is not ), wouldn't they be able to tell by now already? Or is it some kind of trick? According to them, water pump just blew this morning and that's why it was overheating and the indicator was going up and down. According to them we were lucky to bring the car on time If the water pump blew, is it because they didn't set the pressure right for the sensor they installed? If that's the problem, how can I be accountable for this? Shouldn't they take care of this, at least offer discount? They have the car in the shop and waiting for confirmation to proceed.They have the car in the shop already and waiting for my confirmation to proceed. I am kind of stuck there. If I keep moving the car from one mechanic to other mechanics, I am afraid that it would make things worst. If I keep the car there I am sure the total cost would be too much (I may get %15 off with a coupon, but it is still too much). Thank you very much again for your answers. I am curious about the rest of the coming answers.
Last edited by Baris; Feb 27, 2018 at 09:41 PM.
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Do not get sucked into replacing the timing belt. Generally they are good for 90k/7year so you have a lot of life left in and they are just trying to code the repair for extra labor $$
If the water pump was the issue then you would not have made it a week before overheating again, nor would trning on the heat make any difference.
To be clear, while it is possible for the water pump to fail, it is not possible for it to intermittently fail. I don’t even think the OEM pump could fail without leaking coolant for a long time first. But possible pump was already replaced with a off brand that was inferior.
No issues with Pep boys in general, some of the techs are great, some not so but you next step should be to just confirm the radiator was low on coolant and if it was, have them refill it and drive it home. Pick up a couple of gallons of distilled water and every morning refill your radiator until you have the funds to repair it.
And yea, don’t use Pep Boys for a Head gasket job, go to an Import shop.
If the water pump was the issue then you would not have made it a week before overheating again, nor would trning on the heat make any difference.
To be clear, while it is possible for the water pump to fail, it is not possible for it to intermittently fail. I don’t even think the OEM pump could fail without leaking coolant for a long time first. But possible pump was already replaced with a off brand that was inferior.
No issues with Pep boys in general, some of the techs are great, some not so but you next step should be to just confirm the radiator was low on coolant and if it was, have them refill it and drive it home. Pick up a couple of gallons of distilled water and every morning refill your radiator until you have the funds to repair it.
And yea, don’t use Pep Boys for a Head gasket job, go to an Import shop.
I also own a Civic 2004 and got a headgasket problem. I was lucky enough to take my car to a recommended mechanic. There was a big difference indeed their price and pepboy's price. I have called them today but turned out that they are no longer in business.
If you think a good mechanic is expensive, try hiring a bad one
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From: Midwest. Aiming about mid-chest
Rep Power: 518 Re: Overheating Problem, Water Pump, 2003 Civic Sedan
I wrote another answer a while ago, but it is not posted somehow.
This time they said the problem is the water pump, but if the problem is a head gasket ( hope it is not ), wouldn't they be able to tell by now already?
If the pump is actually leaking, sure that's a problem. But is it leaking?
Can they prove the head gasket isn't the problem? I can prove it in 10 minutes. Watch my video in the overheating common causes thread.
You are at the mercy of people who are not troubleshooters and likely have never encountered an engine that fails like this.....
If you show them what is wrong and send them all the info they need to correctly prove or disprove a head gasket breach on this particular engine, it will be completely ignored because you're just a car owner who got on the internet and now you think you know more than they do.......You cannot possibly know more than someone with their name on a uniform shirt. Because ego
they didn't set the sensor and air pressure correctly?
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$35 for evaluation if it includes a pressure test is reasonable.
$35 shop fee is pure profit to offset your “coupons”
Now comes the really fun erm profit part.
$65.99 for drain and refill while easy DYI is not outrageous but
$154 for sensor replacement.. was done while draining the radiator so it was one super easy to reach connector and a 45 second remove/install.
$125 Remove and replace thermostat was also done while the radiator was draining and it consisted of two very easy to remove screws requiring nothing more than maybe 2 minutes tops to hopefully look up the torque spec and reinstall.
Please understand the time required to drain the radiator till it actually almost stops dripping is also enough time simultaneously change the sensor and the thermostat.
See how that works...
If you think a good mechanic is expensive, try hiring a bad one
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 32,017
Likes: 256
From: Midwest. Aiming about mid-chest
Rep Power: 518 Re: Overheating Problem, Water Pump, 2003 Civic Sedan
And that is the exact problem.
$35 for evaluation if it includes a pressure test is reasonable.
$35 shop fee is pure profit to offset your “coupons”
Now comes the really fun erm profit part.
$65.99 for drain and refill while easy DYI is not outrageous but
$154 for sensor replacement.. was done while draining the radiator so it was one super easy to reach connector and a 45 second remove/install.
$125 Remove and replace thermostat was also done while the radiator was draining and it consisted of two very easy to remove screws requiring nothing more than maybe 2 minutes tops to hopefully look up the torque spec and reinstall.
Please understand the time required to drain the radiator till it actually almost stops dripping is also enough time simultaneously change the sensor and the thermostat.
See how that works...
$35 for evaluation if it includes a pressure test is reasonable.
$35 shop fee is pure profit to offset your “coupons”
Now comes the really fun erm profit part.
$65.99 for drain and refill while easy DYI is not outrageous but
$154 for sensor replacement.. was done while draining the radiator so it was one super easy to reach connector and a 45 second remove/install.
$125 Remove and replace thermostat was also done while the radiator was draining and it consisted of two very easy to remove screws requiring nothing more than maybe 2 minutes tops to hopefully look up the torque spec and reinstall.
Please understand the time required to drain the radiator till it actually almost stops dripping is also enough time simultaneously change the sensor and the thermostat.
See how that works...
Their wallet is ~~$800 lighter, the car is still broken, and now they can't afford to get it fixed correctly!
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Would not surprise me if they wanted $200 to change the timing belt on top of whatever they quoted to change the water pump.
To change the water pump they literally have to remove the timing belt to get to out so it’s zero actual extra labor. Well if you take the belt out of the box, cause you know they likely have a unboxing charge in their system somewhere..
Get it out of pep boys..
To change the water pump they literally have to remove the timing belt to get to out so it’s zero actual extra labor. Well if you take the belt out of the box, cause you know they likely have a unboxing charge in their system somewhere..
Get it out of pep boys..
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