I brought my 1997 Honda Civic in for a recurring problem which was covered under an warranty issued by Honda for resetting an emissions problem in 1997 Civics. This is the seventh time I had to have this light reset. The warranty was for up to 150K miles. This time I had 152K miles. I was told from now on I would have to pay a $85 diagnostic fee plus repair. This is unfair as this is a recurring problem that has not been corrected. As this occurs on average every 12,000 miles I could have to pay this diagnostic fee of $85 plus parts for a recurring problem that has not been fixed. Note that a coworker who has the same car had brought the car in nine times. This dealer replaced the catalytic converter on her car and the light has not come back on. When I brought the car in for the repair above I was told that Honda would not repair the car until all the non-Honda parts in the area affected were replaced. The total of these parts was $227. This would be in addition to the $85 diagnostic fee. I was told by the service manager that they would not even look at the car until the non-Honda parts were replaced. I asked if they could reset the engine light as they had in the past and was told no. I asked for the car back and did not replace the parts. I was charged the $85 diagnostic fee. The light is now off and the car runs fine. I have driven another 6,000 miles since that time and the light has not come back on. The owner's manual states that genuine Honda parts are recommended; it does not say they are required. The owner's manual should state explicitly that the use of Honda only parts is required or dealer may not service the car. I feel this is a violation of my right to patronize a certified service facility. If extended this type of policy could be ruinous to non-dealer service facilities. I opened a case with american Honda and they said that dealers are independently owned and operated and they could do nothing. This whole policy exploits the public.

- Shelton, CT, USA

Since Oct '02, I have had my car in and out of the dealership due to the recall for emissions. Each time, the check engine light has come on, I have taken it to the dealership and had the problem fixed. The first time, the computer went bad and was replaced. The second time, the O2 sensor went bad and the car stalled out on a busy interstate in nc where construction is being done and there are no shoulders to pull off on. I believe Honda should replace the entire emissions system covered under the warranty instead of costing their consumers time and a lot of aggravation by fixing the problems one at a time. This will absolutely be the last Honda I own due to this one situation. I'm sick of spending time in the dealership having to wait for them to tell me what the current problem is. A car that is 6 years old should not have to have the whole emissions system replaced in the first place. This is ridiculous and someone needs to fix it.

- Mooresville, NC, USA