[sgiitk]

Just returned from a trip to Gwalior. The Ac went kaput half way, car is 18 months old and has done only 7000 km. Was serviced only on Saturday. I am informing Honda though will not be able to get it attended before mid December.

[manim]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

The Ac went kaput half way, car is 18 months old and has done only 7000 km.

What exactly went wrong?
Did the compressor fail to turn-on or the whole system including fan stopped working?

I am also having a problem with the AC for the past few months: The compressor fails intermittently on long drives. Since the problem is not reproducible at the service-station the service-people are NOT able to diagnose. From earlier posts on this very thread I think it may be due to a 'Compressor-Relay' which when heated, acts randomly.

But still on the whole, having done 96K the AC has never let me down so far.

[jatinpatel]

@manim

first try changing your compressor relay irrespective of what service people tell you that its good or not. cause its not possible to check if the relay is gonna fail or not as it does not show any symptoms prior to failure.

its some 1800rs for relay and its in the fuse box

[dot]

Frankly I am a bit disappointed about Civic's reliability.

[manim]

Originally Posted by jatinpatel

first try changing your compressor relay irrespective of what service people tell you that its good or not. cause its not possible to check if the relay is gonna fail or not as it does not show any symptoms prior to failure.

its some 1800rs for relay and its in the fuse box

Yes, will do that in my 1 lakh kms service due in another one or two months.

Originally Posted by dot

Frankly I am a bit disappointed about Civic's reliability.

But compared to other brands, Honda is still extremely reliable: Over 96K kms it has never let me down even once. I feel safe in my Civic when I do late night drives with my family over long distances. Also the smoothness, luxuriousness, it gets me every time!

[dot]

Originally Posted by manim

But compared to other brands, Honda is still extremely reliable: Over 96K kms it has never let me down even once. I feel safe in my Civic when I do late night drives with my family over long distances. Also the smoothness, luxuriousness, it gets me every time!

I understand what you are trying to say. I share the same feeling. What I meant is Civic is as reliable as any other car. I used to think it was special, but perhaps it is not. Just search for 06-08 engine cracking in NA Civics. You will find that due to faulty forging, the aluminium engine blocks can crack and leak coolant inside the moving parts. Honda has written all owners in NA and offered 8 years extended warranty or replacement.

My old Santro and Ikon never gave any issues on the go. Yes, Ikon had a couple of issues, like engine belt noise (squeaking), it was replaced under warranty and once the steering rack leaked, so it was replaced by paying. I hear and read similar issues in the Civic too. Yes, rattle-free, safe all is ok and accepted, but when it comes to parts failing, I see no difference. It is possible that some cars are more prone than others; some owners may have fantastic experience, others not so lucky. But on average, the issues are similar.

[sgiitk]

Thanks folks. The car is under warranty and I will let them get on with it on my return on the 15th. Did e-mail the SM yesterday, no reply so far.

The rest of the HVAC system is working, only the compressor does not turn on.

[sandeep108]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Thanks folks. The car is under warranty and I will let them get on with it on my return on the 15th. Did e-mail the SM yesterday, no reply so far.

The rest of the HVAC system is working, only the compressor does not turn on.

Difficult to guess what the problem is. My gut feeling is that since you were out of town, a small pebble/stone has punctured the condensor. You may have to claim insurance.

I do not suspect the relay so much as it is doubtful the relay will fail in 18 months. Also the relay failure does not result in complete lack of cooling. After you let it cool, it starts working again for 10-15 minutes and compressor will come on and you get cooling, till it heats up again with the work it has to do and gives up.

The other possibility is that the relay has come loose. Open the box (top right hand side) and just try and press all of the relays down firmly and see if it works. Or in this weather if you do not wish to fiddle, wait for the 15 days or so.

I am facing a constant flickering of all lights. Is it the battery or the alternator? And if there is any heavy load (AC compressor kicking in or power window being used) just at that time, it appears that all electricals seem to almost die. This has been happening since more than a month, but otherwise no other issues - everything works, there are no warning lights, the car has not died on me even once or refused to start, etc.

[sgiitk]

@sandeep108; I will check the relay. They did quite a bit of fiddling in the fuse box, since I had an intermittent charging light when new. It was ultimately traced to a loose connection for the alternator output, inside the under bonnet fuse box. As for your problem take a look at the screws in the same area, maybe there is a loose screw there.

The only catch is that after failing the compressor did come on once for about 15 minutes until I stopped. This will not happen with a punctured condenser.

[sandeep108]

Then for sure it seems the relay.

[dot]

Originally Posted by sandeep108

I am facing a constant flickering of all lights. Is it the battery or the alternator? And if there is any heavy load (AC compressor kicking in or power window being used) just at that time, it appears that all electricals seem to almost die. This has been happening since more than a month, but otherwise no other issues - everything works, there are no warning lights, the car has not died on me even once or refused to start, etc.

Could be due to a loose ground wire or weak battery.

[sandeep108]

Ya, will try and take to the a.s.s. for an electrical check tomorrow.

[gaurav_diavolo]

I love the feel of my Civic...everytime it makes me feel so special...and every ride is a drool-maal. But I am very disappointed with the non-availability of small spares and very very casual service experience. I am infact very annoyed over this issue and on a lookout for a store that carries various parts.

1) The driver's seat back (with the storage pocket) comes out by just touching. Honda said they have repaired. Came home and it was already down again. Took again, and there was a very small lock that was broken, a small repair job. Honda says, replace the entire seat back. Price 4000/- approx. Now I am roaming around with the same broken.
2) The cloth behind the rear arm rest got torn. Replacement cost 48000/-. Change the entire seat sir. What the hell Honda. Now I am roaming around with the arm rest up always.
3) 'H' logo on steering has lost polish. Replacement 85000/- because apparently Honda says, we need to change the cover and that will disturb the SRS assemby. I can't stop laughing.
4) The screw that keeps Stephany intact broke. Honda says, we have a couple of pending orders, should come in week's time as the factory processes small things at their convenience. Bravo. My car doesnt have a spare wheel now for the past 2 weeks.
5) Small rubber supports in centre arm rest and glovebox need to be placed again as they are gone because of the heat in Jaipur. Replacement? What replacement! Answer: Sir, you can try any Civic, they all rattle like this. Solution: Replacement of the entire glovebox lid and arm rest assembly. For 5 rupee rubber 'gutkhas'????
6) The bumper (after insurance has been claimed) has 2 different types of nuts on both sides. And I find it funny looking for a 15 lac car.
7) Drycleaned seats have black spots all over because unfortunately my seat lock came off and the worker fixed it with black hands.
8) I asked for a titch button to be placed in boot, and the plastic nut they placed is different from the other 4.

I am so annoyed right now that I want to just place a complaint against them somewhere....but my dad just doesnt want to have these hassles and says talk to them properly and they will find a solution. I miss my ford ikon, i paid a lot on spare parts but atleast got satisfied, what do we earn for if not satisfaction.

[vigsom]

@sgiitk
i just suspect it to be a loose conn -maybe the socket at the compressor or at the discharge pressure switch;there is no way the compressor or condenser can conk off so fast

[dot]

Originally Posted by gaurav_diavolo

1) The driver's seat back (with the storage pocket) comes out by just touching. Honda said they have repaired. Came home and it was already down again. Took again, and there was a very small lock that was broken, a small repair job. Honda says, replace the entire seat back. Price 4000/- approx. Now I am roaming around with the same broken.

Actually in my car also the driver seat back cover is loose as the seat cover guys broke one of the clips while installing the art-leather cover. I realized the issue many months later. While there is no problem as the cover sticks to the seat body pretty well, I have a plan to fix the clip by using araldite epoxy and hardener as thin layer of resin adhesiveand a thin gauge copper wire as reinforcement. Perhaps something you can try..!

Originally Posted by gaurav_diavolo

2) The cloth behind the rear arm rest got torn. Replacement cost 48000/-. Change the entire seat sir. What the hell Honda. Now I am roaming around with the arm rest up always.

A new rear seat cover should solve this issue.

Originally Posted by gaurav_diavolo

3) 'H' logo on steering has lost polish. Replacement 85000/- because apparently Honda says, we need to change the cover and that will disturb the SRS assemby. I can't stop laughing.

I think Ace had installed a red H logo on the horn pad. Perhaps he can suggest an option here.