My Civic started to become slower and slower at turning over, and in general, would take more and more tries to get it to start after not driving it for a week or more. At the time, I thought it was because of the battery and the cold weather, but lo and behold, the battery was perfectly fine even after running a couple tests on it (and I also tried another brand-new battery). The starter finally kicked the bucket at a supermarket parking lot.
That's not the end though. I thought I'd be able to easily replace it myself. You'd think Honda would put the starter in a decent location like in the Corolla, but nope. It's in one of the worst locations I've ever seen and I do not have the skills nor the tools to take it out. Of course, I had no choice in the end and took it to a small shop to get it replaced.
Overall, I'm very disappointed with the myriad of issues Civics have had after 2001 and their decline in quality. They just don't make them like they used to. Compared to my '00 Civic which had almost no issues in the 13 years I owned it, I'm scared to rely on it to take me to work or go on road trips.
The starter is beginning to drag. It will need to be replaced eventually. It appears that the manufacturer is using less reliable parts. This Civic is one made in the US.
Update from Nov 16, 2016: About two weeks after the original post here the starter got completely unreliable and waqs replaced at a cost of $140.00. The repair person said these starters were made in Korea.
- Robert H.,
Thomaston, GA, US
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
My Civic started to become slower and slower at turning over, and in general, would take more and more tries to get it to start after not driving it for a week or more. At the time, I thought it was because of the battery and the cold weather, but lo and behold, the battery was perfectly fine even after running a couple tests on it (and I also tried another brand-new battery). The starter finally kicked the bucket at a supermarket parking lot.
That's not the end though. I thought I'd be able to easily replace it myself. You'd think Honda would put the starter in a decent location like in the Corolla, but nope. It's in one of the worst locations I've ever seen and I do not have the skills nor the tools to take it out. Of course, I had no choice in the end and took it to a small shop to get it replaced.
Overall, I'm very disappointed with the myriad of issues Civics have had after 2001 and their decline in quality. They just don't make them like they used to. Compared to my '00 Civic which had almost no issues in the 13 years I owned it, I'm scared to rely on it to take me to work or go on road trips.
- Tomato S., Pyongyang, ON, Canada