2005 Honda Civic Coupe EX SE 1.7 4 cylinder VTEC

Summary:

Head gasket went at 70,000 miles

Faults:

1. Anti-lock brakes turn on if you hit a bump, pot hole, pebbles, a stick, etc.

2. Less interior room.

2. Engine light came on in October 2013. Cylinder #2 was not firing correctly. Spark plug and coil replaced.

3. Overheating issues appeared in November 2013. Took the car to several shops to have the head gasket tested with no problems diagnosed. Uses a little antifreeze on a weekly basis.

4. Losing more antifreeze in 2014; had head gasket retested = exhaust leaking into coolant system. Head gasket was blown at 70,000 miles. Honda had "product update" and only replaced parts into 2011. Manufacturer will not help.

5. I will never buy another Honda vehicle due to my experience with this lemon.

General Comments:

Less interior room. Don't have enough money to buy a different car, because I've replaced the radiator, water pump, timing belt, sensors, and thermostat (4 times) in order to find out why I lost antifreeze. Head gasket blew at 70,000 miles. I named it garage bill.

I would expect this scenario from Jaguar or Porsche... not Honda.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 7th April, 2014

8th Apr 2014, 11:07

Hyundai makes a great car now. Test-drive a new Genesis...

21st Apr 2014, 12:56

How exactly does the exhaust get into the cooling system? That doesn't make sense to me. Also as far as the overheating did those "mechanics" test anything other than the heads, how about the thermostat, radiator, hoses, leaks, so on and so on. Sounds more like you had a bad mechanic experience, not a bad car experience.

25th Apr 2014, 14:40

The head gasket is what seals the combustion chamber from the cooling passages in the block and cylinder head of any motor. As a mechanic, that's what you test for, you pop off the radiator cap and put a hydrocarbon tester on it to see if gases are coming through the radiator. If they are, the head gasket is gone likely.

I want to say (as a Honda owner) that this is a rare occurrence, but honestly I've seen a lot of 1.7 Civics blow head gaskets.

10th May 2015, 11:55

My 2004 Civic had 2 head gasket replacements at 60000km and 70000km. Now we own 2 Toyotas, a RAV4 and a Yaris.

10th May 2015, 15:49

Or you look at your dipstick, and if it looks like chocolate milk, move on.

2005 Honda Civic EX

Summary:

Safe, reliable and trustworthy

Faults:

Front bearings.

General Comments:

Very nice and reliable car.

I had my doubts initially, but then it was very safe.

The total weight of the car was light; during snow storms I just could not move the car, but that was not a deal breaker.

No issues on the highway at all.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd January, 2013

2005 Honda Civic SE 1.7 gasoline

Summary:

Cheaply made, devalues rapidly, will not buy again!!!

Faults:

Check engine light problem at 33000 km.

Front brake pads at 36000 km.

Rear passenger side power locks failed at about 40000, decided to not fix it.

Check engine light again at 45000.

Had to replace whole front bumper due to a low speed rear end collision in wintertime. It cost over $1500 to replace that flimsy plastic bumper.

Wheel alignment at 60000 kms.

New front tires at 60000 kms.

New muffler at 65000 kms (blame Canadian winters for that one).

Check engine light on again at 80000 kms.

New alternator at 80000 kms approximately. Left me stranded in an Ikea parking lot for 2 hours in middle of winter.

Front wheel bearings at 95000 kms.

At 100000 kms, interior has started to wear badly on driver and passenger's cloth seats. Paint has started to fade on hood and trunk areas.

At 110000 kms, engine is burning/leaking oil, requires top up every 2 weeks.

Also since 100000 kms, many strange noises during shifting the manual transmission. Have not checked that yet, scared of what it may cost to fix.

General Comments:

I bought this low mileage used Honda from a co-worker's mother who was the original owner. It was in very good shape when I purchased it, and I was looking forward to driving it for many years. However, at 112000 kms, I am very disappointed with this car. Sure, it still works and gets me around, and I am still driving it now, but it is a constant source of frustration, wondering what will go wrong next.

It seems every time I get something fixed, a few weeks later something else needs fixing. For the price I paid and the reputation of Honda, I figured this car would be reliable and problem free.

My 1992 Accord made it to almost 300000 kms before it died, and only because it was badly rusted. Even the $500 1994 Buick Regal with 290000 kms that I bought as a temporary beater car, was more reliable and issue free than the Civic. It looks like this Civic will barely make it to 200000 kms, even with more expensive repairs.

Now at 112000 kms, the manual transmission is making all sorts of awful noises during shifting. I have checked fluids and got the transmission tune-up, and that did not do anything. I am very worried about this, since of course this can be an expensive repair. Also the motor either burns or leaks oil; this is very disappointing on a car with such low mileage.

I am very disappointed with the "quality" of this car, and will most likely never purchase a Honda again. For a car that is supposed to retain resale value, mine has depreciated rapidly due to low build quality and poor durability.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 2nd August, 2012