Honda Civic Forum : “Who has problems with their late model Civic”

Hi there. I have 2 civics, one is a EX and the other is a LX, the EX i take it to the track and 1/4 mile races, i drive it every day, and let me  tell you i'm
impressed because now is perfect is a 2006 model, the LX is a 2007 and is also perfect. I never had to change anything just tires and brake pads. Never
ever had an oil stain in my engine neeever!!! always going to red-line in tracks, and in daily drive i go to 5 or 6k all day!! RELIABLE IS THE WORD. So i think
maybe your dealer did something!!!

I'm happy your Civics are serving you so well. Unfortunately my latest Civic hasn't not measured up to their high standards. The fixes on the engine have been authorized and approved by the engineers at Honda Canada, and it's still sitting at the dealership. I presume with another oil leak. The engine has also been replaced with the same problems that occurred before. I really don't understand what is going on here, but other forms lead me to believe that Honda has some major problems with aluminum block milling at one of their manufacturing plants.  

i had a lot of problems with my 96 civic...radiator and oil leaks, overheating, transmission, clutch, hard starting, battery...maintenance was expensive, considering that it's pretty old...

i have an 08 civic si w. a type r front end and my paint is chipping but that is because whoever painted it (the second time) didn't prep
the car correctly. i have heard a lot of people saying how their paint chips on the hood and bumper. it is the new paint honda is using
(earth-friendly, apparently). i would bring your car to another honda dealership and have them look at both the paint and the oil leaks
because you definitely shouldn't have to go back that many times for them to fix it. paint is supposed to be covered under warranty as
well. .mine was making a weird oblong noise coming from the back axle and they fixed it the day they had it. good luck!!

every car company has some cars come off the line that are just plain bad apples.  it happens.  i never thought honda was any better in quality than a lot of other car companies.  ive seen a lot of hondas have problems just like other companies.  

about the paint problems...those who had such or who are currently experiencing those types of problems might have the wrong impression about Honda's paint job...some people usually have their cars repainted by someone else and not the dealer...coz in my case,eversince i got the car, i had no paint problems with it, until recently when i got into a nasty accident and it left a pretty bad dent on my front bumper, i had it repaired and then repainted in a nearby auto detailing shop coz it was no longer under Honda's warranty...a few weeks it was okay then i started to notice bubbles and then chipping...i found out that there was no primer and it was painted over immediately...that explains why it just took 4 days to finish the job, and i didnt want it to be rushed coz there might be imperfections... i had it done again by a different professional auto detailer and had no problems eversince...

about the LX and EX...i presume they're both stock...taking stock civics to the track and having it reach the redline is gonna cause a lot of problems in the future...the stock engine isnt in anyway fit for racing unless you replace the block and transmission (be it turbocharged or naturally aspirated)...the first thing you will experience is frequent overheating followed by oil leaks from continious engine rattling and shaking...it's good you had the suspension fixed but it'll do no good in terms of additional power, just better traction and cornering, that's all...if you really want the best out of it on and off the track, i suggest that you start with a b18 or a k20, bolt ons and a turbo kit...

Hondas are pretty reliable on the road for EVERYDAY DRIVING...fuel economy, driveability, cornering, the AC...but if you pressure the engine too much, it'll give you problems in the future...either in a few days, weeks, months, even in a few years it'll show...gotta learn to take care of your cars...either brand new or old-ass ones...it's not always the factory defects..sometimes the problem is with the owner...i have a 96 civic and it still runs great even if it's quite old, i just take good care of it..know-it-all repairs and regular maintenance...if this car's still good after 20 years, that's gonna be the bomb!

My EX and LX are stock, and they have a loot of miles, and about 5 and 4 years each one, I've never ever had a problem, and i repeat a drive them
HARD!! HARD!!. But!! oil changes at 4000 miles with filter!!! good washing products, cleaning the interior every week with good products, taking them
to be revised as the owners book says... BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS: TAKE YOUR CAR TO A HONDA DEALER, SHOP OR WHATEVER YOU
CALL IT!! BUT GO TO HONDA!!!! A FEW BUCKS MORE IN HONDA = A FEW THOUSANDS IN OTHER PLACE!!! I had never touch my engine, never
changed anything, when i changed my wheels i bought Si rims and tires, and mi front under spoiler guess what i got it from Honda!!! Remember this car
was car of the year in more than 48 countries, Take good care of it.

Thanks for your reply Brittney. All painted plastic on my 08 Civic started peeling. I immediately returned the car to the dealer for a re-paint. The new paint worked out well with no problems. The frustrating point is each time it cost me $200. for the material as the paint was NOT covered under warranty. However that is small compared to the leak which can deplete the engine of 1 or more litres in a single evening.

I have included a picture of the very beginning stages of the peeling. IT got much worse later.

i got to agree wit that...regular visit to a Honda Dealer is a good thing...you still got warranty on that and its good...but im afraid the older models like mine are going obsolete in a few years and there will be no 90's DX, LX or EX on sale but 2nd to 3rd-hand ones...i studied each and every specs of a honda (the older models) so i have no problems having it tweaked in tune shops coz i know that they know what they're doing...its also actually cheaper when i buy the parts (either aftermarket or Honda) myself...i bought my b16b and it was shipped from japan...then my d15 from a friend (traded it with my b16) and it's in incredibly good condition...