So disappointed with my Honda experience

[Texas Proud]

Tires and batteries aside, as you have said, it seems the problem lies with the dealer's service department. I wouldn't discount all Hondas for a single service department's poor diagnosis and customer service. I personally have never owned a Honda. I got turned off many years ago with Hondas when a dealer wanted premium over sticker price when everyone other brand was discounting. I considered a Honda 2 years ago but the car I was interested in was not on any dealer's site. Cars are mechanical and electrical devices. As such, they do fail. Sometimes due to poor designs, sometimes just because. It is the responsibility of the dealership's service department to properly diagnose, repair and keep the customer a satisfied customer.

Dealers are not the only option to have your car repaired. If you are otherwise pleased with the car, battery and tires aside, try an independent repair shop experieinced in Hondas.

If you choose to look for another car, I suggest looking for a different dealer that is not in the same auto group that your Honda dealer is part of. Many times, a single owner operates different brand dealerships.

I was with you for a LONG time... I remember back in the early 80s when there was a limit on imports.. they wanted $2k over sticker... and getting it.. one guy told me that I was just not ready to buy a Honda like it was a flaw...


I almost bought one in 95 but it again was the dealer... we had a verbal deal and I went to go pick up the car and... they were selling it to someone else for MORE MONEY... decided my deal was not good enough... well, before I left the lot that deal fell through (failed financing) and they tried to get me to complete the deal.. NOT..


BUT, I finally did buy an 04 Acura TL with 6 speed manual... it was a great car for a decade before I totaled it hitting the back of a truck...


My DW loves her 15 Pilot... even with some expensive repairs..



IMO they are not as 'proud' of them as they were before...

 

[athena53]

We had 3 BMWs - 328i, 330i and 540i and they were nothing but expensive trouble. <snip>

A long time ago, about I had owned a Honda Civic and then a Volvo, nothing special and probably won't go back to them.

When my 8-year old Nissan Sentra transmission died in mid-2020 and the repair wasn't worth the car's value, I decided to give up on Nissans. I'd already given up on US brands after my last, an Olds Cutlass Ciera, was junk after 87,000 miles, and Toyota after a wretched buying experience and ripoff financing terms. Subarus were expensive. So... Honda Civic it was.

Anyway, when I called my financial advisor to get the $$ transferred he asked what I was buying. I told him and he laughed and said, "Why don't you get a BMW?" That's why!

Not sure what I'll buy if I get disillusioned with Honda and need another car.

 

[Another Reader]

The 17 Accord is ok, but it's only at 50k miles at 7 years, thanks to Covid. I would not buy the one with the turbo. Camry wins if I have to replace the Accord in the current market.

I want a reliable, safe car that gets from point A to point B with no issues. Time in the shop beyond scheduled maintenance means it's time for a new model.

 

[Al18]

On an CRV, I’d expect at least 60K miles. On a Civic, 40K-45K is typical as the low profile tires just don’t last as long as the larger tires on a CRV. Batteries only last about 5 years if you live in a cold climate - there are lots of devices on cars that need electricity. It was quite different in the 80’s and prior.

You might want to take the car to a different Honda dealer - they are not all the same.

 

[youbet]

Batteries only last about 5 years if you live in a cold climate

Actually, batteries last longer in cold climates. Heat is really tough on them and folks in warm weather areas like Ariz or Fla experience shorter battery lives.

From AAA.com

How long do car batteries last in hot climates?
Heat facilitates the chemical reaction car batteries use to generate electricity, but it also increases the rate of battery degradation. In cooler northern climates, a battery may last five years or longer, but in hot southern locales, a car battery will typically last approximately three years.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

The original poster has her answer - she is being duped.
The diagnosis of four bad fuel injectors is incompetence or outright fraud.

It appears some of us, including me were a little hasty on the fuel injector assessment based on an older design type.
With a little searching it turns out that some 2017 C-RV’s with high pressure direct fuel injection do have a design defect causing premature failure of the injectors. The standard fix is to replace the entire fuel rail with the redesigned fuel injectors.
The symptoms do mirror what was described in the original post.


And this note could be helpful -

The most important aspect of all of this for those who have CRVS that are out of warranty (and note: for 13 states that adopted California emissions standards, that includes a longer warranty on the emissions system and that is where fuel injectors fall into warranty coverage) that Honda corporate is generally being reported by members here of being willing to provide the new injector rail and injectors at no charge, and the owner only pays for the dealer labor to perform the replacement.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

It appears some of us, including me were a little hasty on the fuel injector assessment based on an older design type.
With a little searching it turns out that some 2017 C-RV’s with high pressure direct fuel injection do have a design defect causing premature failure of the injectors. The standard fix is to replace the entire fuel rail with the redesigned fuel injectors.
The symptoms do mirror what was described in the original post.


And this note could be helpful -

You are correct- I did some searching for 2017 crv fuel injector problems, and indeed Honda had major design/manufacturing issues with that model. Some are covered under extended warranty, or partially covered. Maybe contact Honda North America to see if they will help?
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-t72369_ds1157909
Here's a possibly related TSB https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10158738-0001.pdf

 

[JoeWras]

Actually, batteries last longer in cold climates. Heat is really tough on them and folks in warm weather areas like Ariz or Fla experience shorter battery lives.

When I lived in FL, my car ate batteries. Warm weather kills.

 

[HF63]

If you are interested in doing some research before you buy another car, please check car complaints.com. You'll notice that even on the same generation of car, you got some good and bad years.


I see cars as having genes therefore for each make and model year: You would have some problems/ health issues.

 

[MC Rider]

If you are interested in doing some research before you buy another car, please check car complaints.com. You'll notice that even on the same generation of car, you got some good and bad years.


I see cars as having genes therefore for each make and model year: You would have some problems/ health issues.

That's a useful site. You can also see if there is an internet forum for your make and model of car. Especially if used. You can get an idea of common problems and what generation car might suit you. Just remember a lot of people go there to complain and look for a solution to a problem. Not so many go to say what a great car it is.

 

[MBAVisionary]

I don't think you should take a financial hit for the manufacturer's shortcomings. I would have used our lemon law to force them to take the car back and refund the money paid.

I have a 17 Accord and a 15 Lexus SUV. Seven and nine years old, respectively. The shortage of new cars is easing up, but I'm not likely to replace either anytime soon.

I don't think my issues would've met the legal definition of a lemon in my state. Especially the steering issue I never mentioned it directly with my service advisor and it's likely going to be part of a recall. More like 7 different quality issues and 1 impacting drivability / overall safety.

"How do I know if my vehicle is a Lemon?
The vehicle must meet all of the following conditions:

1. It has a substantial manufacturing defect
2. The defect is covered by a manufacturer’s written warranty
3. The owner reports the defect to the dealer or manufacturer within the warranty term
4. The owner gives the dealer a reasonable number of attempts to repair the defect or condition
5. The owner gives the manufacturer written notice (preferably by certified mail) of the defect and at least one opportunity to cure the defect; (Sample letter)
6. The defect persists and substantially impairs the vehicle’s use or market value, or creates a serious safety hazard."

 

[sturge]

I think "Honda Reliability" is a thing of the past. Daughter had a leased 2019 Civic Sport (same engine/trans as a standard Civic with a few minor cosmetic upgrades). It really was a nice car but right after 3 year warranty expired the AC went out (only 18K miles!). Found out it was all over Honda "blogs" for 2018 and up Honda's where compressor failures were very common. The fix was not covered by warranty and it was about a $1500 repair. Luckily it happend late summer and I turned the car in 'as is' before she needed AC repaired.

For OP, I would have already yanked that car away from the clowns you have left it with and brought it to someone else that at least shows appreciation for your business.

 

[Out of Steam]

We had 3 BMWs - 328i, 330i and 540i and they were nothing but expensive trouble. They are great cars if you want to own them for only 3 years and dump them. After that, we went with 4 Subarus - 2011 Legacy, 2012 Outback, 2015 Outback, cheated on Subaru with a new 2018 Lexus 350i which was a dud and we dumped it after 10 months and lost more than $20K, and then to a 2020 Ascent. We love our Subarus. The Ascent had 2 recall items, one of which was a headache but it is now all taken care of and we are in love with Subaru all over again.

My 2015 Subaru (bought new) has over 170K miles. It had a number of recalls between 60K and 100K miles, but almost nothing went wrong after 100K miles until a few months ago.

My inclination is to buy a 2020 Outback, though the savings from new don't seem sufficient to make the used purchase worthwhile.

 

[Sunset]

With all this talk of poorly made new cars, I might have to stop telling DW to get rid of her 1998 Camry (25 yrs old) and buy a new car already.

 

[freedomatlast]

Keep it. There's many people who are sick of all of the complexity of new cars and are looking for older ones in nice condition.

Research at all the trouble people are having with the new Lexus RX350 and the troublesome 4 cylinder turbocharged engine. Dealers are buying them back because they can't fix the issues with the cam timing. Cars with not even 1000 miles are being bought back by Toyota, and it's more than isolated incidents.

I have 3 older Toyotas in my fleet of 8 vehicles and would never consider getting rid of any of them. The quality and simplicity is something not available in a new vehicle at any price.

 

[Another Reader]

Keep it. There's many people who are sick of all of the complexity of new cars and are looking for older ones in nice condition.

Research at all the trouble people are having with the new Lexus RX350 and the troublesome 4 cylinder turbocharged engine. Dealers are buying them back because they can't fix the issues with the cam timing. Cars with not even 1000 miles are being bought back by Toyota, and it's more than isolated incidents.

I have 3 older Toyotas in my fleet of 8 vehicles and would never consider getting rid of any of them. The quality and simplicity is something not available in a new vehicle at any price.

My 2015 RX350 is not a great example of the older versions. Dead battery if not driven every few days. Paint oxidizing for several years. I bought it to replace a 2010 4 cylinder Highlander whose electrical system was failing. No more "expensive" cars here. Corolla or Camry would be the next purchase if one of the current vehicles fails.

 

[Texas Proud]

Interesting... I took my wife's Pilot in today because the brakes were squealing and I think it needs new brakes... but the brake pedal was a bit soft so I might need even more!!!


I am guessing $700 to $1000 when they call

 

[Sunset]

My 2015 RX350 is not a great example of the older versions. Dead battery if not driven every few days. Paint oxidizing for several years. I bought it to replace a 2010 4 cylinder Highlander whose electrical system was failing. No more "expensive" cars here. Corolla or Camry would be the next purchase if one of the current vehicles fails.

Sounds like your battery is just old, if it's over 3 years, good chance a new one will solve your issue.
Of course it could be something left on, in the car that drains the battery.

I did that once with the dome light, had switched it to "on" all the time accidentally and couldn't see it in the daytime.

 

[Another Reader]

Sounds like your battery is just old, if it's over 3 years, good chance a new one will solve your issue.
Of course it could be something left on, in the car that drains the battery.

I did that once with the dome light, had switched it to "on" all the time accidentally and couldn't see it in the daytime.

Been doing this for several years. Battery has been replaced, lights all checked. There is a drain somewhere but no one has found it.

 

[Aerides]

Been doing this for several years. Battery has been replaced, lights all checked. There is a drain somewhere but no one has found it.

Have you turned off the Bluetooth connection? I don't mean just don't connect your phone, but have mechanic turn off the feature that makes (most) newer cars look for a device to connect to
That was the cause of my Acura battery issue, and took a while to be found.

 

[Another Reader]

Have you turned off the Bluetooth connection? I don't mean just don't connect your phone, but have mechanic turn off the feature that makes (most) newer cars look for a device to connect to
That was the cause of my Acura battery issue, and took a while to be found.

Pardon my technological ignorance here, but the car is a 2015 purchased in October 2014. Was that an issue then?

 

[CRLLS]

They make fuse adapters that one can use to measure the current that each circuit is drawing. It replaces the fuse in the fuse block, you insert the original fuse into the adapter and then plug the adapter's wires into a DMM that measures the current. Once you know what the full draw should be when off, then you can look for the circuit that draws much more than expected. A rough approximation of battery capacity is CCA/7.25 = Ah

For example, If a car is draining the battery over 3 days and the battery is rated 650CCA,
650/7.25=89.7AH
3 days= 74 hours
89.7AH/74H=1.2 Amp draw.

If you have a draw in one circuit that is greater than ~80% of that, that is the circuit that needs checking.

 

[Music Lover]

Been doing this for several years. Battery has been replaced, lights all checked. There is a drain somewhere but no one has found it.

My car suffers from battery drain but is ideal otherwise. I hook it up to a battery tender every couple weeks to keep it topped up and for peace of mind.

An inexpensive and simple solution if the vehicle is good otherwise.

 

[Texas Proud]

I would hate to have a car that has a battery drain in a few days... I would find out what it is and get it fixed...


There is NO good reason for a car to drain a battery this quickly and any manufacturer that does should fix it for free...

 

[Texas Proud]

Interesting... I took my wife's Pilot in today because the brakes were squealing and I think it needs new brakes... but the brake pedal was a bit soft so I might need even more!!!


I am guessing $700 to $1000 when they call

WELL, was I wrong... brakes are good... but brake fluid is trash...


The bad news is that the rear shocks are bad (one dented) and the front bushing are rotting out... original estimate was $2900... got them down to $2400 but still...