The full engine service at 90,000 miles cost me over $1,500 with a new hose and belt. I almost fainted when they gave me the bill with no prior indication of how much it would be. I was expecting to pay like $500.
A wheel hub went out when the car was new.
The keyless remote will not work, even with new batteries, Honda wants up to $2800 to repair the remote entry.
The little green light on the cruise control button does not work now. It is hard to use the cruise control as I have to keep pushing the button till it finally works.
My gear selector, automatic, on the dash is stuck in the “R” and the light will flash every now and then, but I can tell what gear the car is in by looking down at the floor shifter.
The dealer says that they need to hook the car up to a machine and this may cost me up to $4000 because they say that the car may need a new transmission, but mine works 100% perfect.
Both head lights now have some kind of dull film/smoke in them and are not very bright at night, even with new bulbs. I need the whole light assemble, I have been told. These are over $600 each. Parts and labor.
This car was great at first, but now that it is paid for, it has been costing my thousands of dollars to keep in good service.
I am beginning to wonder if I am being taken advantage of or if the car is really that costly to work on. I cannot get any other shop to look/diagnose things about the car because they say that they can’t order the parts and don’t have the proper computers to do the stuff with, so I have to keep taking a six year old car back to the dealer.
I just can’t believe how much money I have already spent and how much more the car may/will need. One of the nice guys at the dealership says that my transmission may not engage at anytime and leave me calling a cab. He says this is because of the light on the dash and that this light is a sign of some problem, even if the car drives as new.
Even with all these things, I have to remember that the car is getting old and that it does have a good amount of miles on it. I suspect that I will trade it in for a new car soon, before the transmission may, or may not go out.
I can say that I have enjoyed the car and it has truly been the best car that I have ever owned up until a year ago, or so.
The seats are 100% comfortable.
The car gets relative good fuel mileage for its overall size.
The trunk is really of a good size.
The A/C and heat will make you think that you live in Hawaii.
The paint looks like it did when it was new- minus the headlights.
The car still feels as tight and quiet as a new car.
I think I may look into that new car from Hyundai next. I had a Kia and it was a ton cheaper than this Honda. I think that Kia and Hyundai are the same cars.
Stay away from Kia and Hyundai. You'd be better off sticking to Honda. You just got a bad car. Mine (02 Civic 5-speed) has 140,000 miles with no problems, but these car are costly to service, but they don't break down and get great mpg. I know some people with newer Hyundais and Kias and they wish they never bought them. They are like 2002 and 2003's with big problems like oil leaks and a/c problems.
Since you appear to not be very knowledgeable mechanically at least it appears by this review... you may want to trade it in or better yet sell privately getting its blue book value. It is approaching high mileage, but being a Honda it should be easy to sell. Or I would trade it in on another Honda perhaps getting a better trade in same model again. With a new car you will have monthly payments, but also a new car warranty. You are seeing pretty high repair bills. I also try to stay out of dealerships when the warranty expires as well. Good luck!
I agree with the second comment that you are paying WAY too much for the basics on this car. Stop relying on the dealer for everything, or anything for that matter as it seems your dealer is ripping you off. Find a good independent mechanic and your love for this car will return! Also, shop around online for things like the headlight lenses and such. $600 each is at least three times as much as those should cost. Before buying new ones though, try a headlight cleaning kit. Some of these work better than you might think.
My 99 has its cruise control light out too on the dashboard. Just remember that when it is flush with the dash it is on, and when it is sticking out it is off. Simple! No need to lose sleep over it...
As far as repairs and the dealership goes, there are some good dealers out there, but I take mine to an independent shop. They are quite a bit cheaper, use ONLY Honda parts, and have a very good reputation in my area. And some of the tune up/repairs are costly. But when I consider that I have not even replaced the spark plugs, wires, timing belt, etc. yet at 115k... (doing all that soon), then it doesn't sound so bad. My girlfriends mom comes out of her GM dealer (Chev Tahoe) with 1-2k bills on a yearly basis.
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