24th Sep 2004, 03:40

I have driven 4 Civics in the last month - 1 x Type R (mine) and 3 x courtesy cars (small engines lots of dealer stickers) and they all steam up pretty quickly. I have had this problem before in other makes of car, but only when it's full of people talking and on a wet day. In the Civic, I have to drive with the air con on constantly, this 'dries out' the air and does clear the windows - the manual advises this on the 'half window/half at your feet' setting (second from top).

Then just as you think, "I'll turn off the AC because it must be adding a degree of strain on the engine and increasing my fuel consumption" …three miles down the road the condensation is creeping back.

Can anyone help me with this problem? My Type-R which is currently in at the dealers has a dash rattle behind the clocks on the off-side. This is the forth day it has been in for 'exploratory' work to find the rattle, but this is not the problem at the moment.

Fortunately my dealer accepts that the rattle exists, but doesn't accept that turning my steering wheel through 180 degees to engage the steering lock is. They say that it is perfectly normal, even though non of the courtesy cars turn more than 30 degrees nor any other car that I have driven in the last 18 years.

Small inconvenience I know, but it's the 'fobbing off' from the dealer that pi***s me off.

28th Sep 2004, 02:04

My mate has had his Type-R delivered just over a week ago and is experiencing the same window misting problem as has been mentioned above. But it affects the front windows as well. When the A/C is turned on it clears the front windows almost instantly, but doesn't affect the back windows. Other than that (and the interior looking a bit cheap for a 16 grand car) it's a cracking car in every other respect.

28th Sep 2004, 06:02

I have an entirely reliable Alfa 147 2.0 T Spark. I like my Alfa a lot, but will admit that as a driving tool, the Type R will beat it in every department.

The Alfa is much more comfortable, and the interior shames the cheap plastic Type R cabin, and my windows only steam up if I leave the air recirculate button pressed in by mistake.

I have driven Type R's on road and track, and they are a good hot hatch, but not in my opinion as good as the Integra Type R or the Focus RS, both of which cost more when new.

My friend's 2002 Alfa 147 recently had its second engine rebuild and this has prompted me to sell mine before the warranty runs out, I might look for a late low mileage Integra Type R (not in white) as a replacement. I will also drive the Civic again, but in the past they have always dissapointed me.

On a lighter note, read the 2002 Ford Puma review (there is only one) on this site, the owner claims his Puma is the equal of a Civic Type R and can beat a BMW 330i with ease.

30th Sep 2004, 17:20

Just a small comment to make on the window misting problem. I had exactly the same problem with my RX7 a number of years ago, and found it to be the heater settings. If the heater was set to re-circulate air within the cabin, due to the way the car was so well sealed, that is exactly what it did, recirculate air and humidity within the cabin. Switching the re-circ button to 'off' cured the problem instantly, as fresh air was constantly coming into the car and thus removing the moisture from the air in the cabin, just a thought.

Also putting air con 'on' will make the problem worse as the interior air will be colder, condensing the moisture in the atmosphere sooner.

7th Oct 2004, 03:00

With regard to the windows steaming up, I have to say that my Mum has the same problem with her Civic on occasion. However when I wash the windows with plain hot water inside and out - it seems to relieve the problem - for those of you whose car is just new, there is all sorts on the windows, and you will probably have to clean them two or three times before you will see the results.

DO not use cleaning fluids inside the windows; they just leave a nasty film, which increases chances of misting.

10th Feb 2005, 01:56

As far as the windows misting goes I do have this problem in my Suzuki swift as well. I unfortunately don't have a working air con (long story), but my rear demisters work fine. I set the from fan to blow air on the windscreen and 99% of the time I'm OK. With 2 people in the car on a really humid day in the rain I do get a bad misting problem. You can buy demister sprays and wipes from most decent auto shops that do a great job of preventing misting on the interior windows.

I was interested in a Honda Civic Type R, but I since have learned that it is difficult to modify the engine to improve efficiency due to the VTEC system. Most engine modifications will reduce performance, unless you really know what you are doing. If you are planning on adding more performance mods to a car I'd avoid the civic.

These cars retain their value like nothing else in Australia. I'm not sure if it's their owners holding onto them, or simply their rarity. An old clapped out 92 Civic VTi can still fetch over $10,000 AU with over 200,000K's on the clock. If you can manage to find a Type R Civic for sale secondhand, you will be shocked at the price compared to other sports cars.

16th Mar 2005, 18:50

Why not use rain x to get the misting off of the windows. I know it worked for my windows.

It stops water from attaching to the window.

Think about it and tell me if it works for you.

Later.

Phil.

18th Mar 2005, 07:57

Agree with the above -> get some RainX and you won't have any more problems with misting up. I've never had any problems of this nature with my CTR.

Re tuning - The CTR is a very tunable car. A low boost supercharger will see you running around 260bhp easy. With a bit more work to the internals, you can raise the boost and get well over 300.

12th Jul 2005, 15:09

Do not use Rain X, it is the devil's own special weapon that removes any trace of visibility the first time it rains.

29th Nov 2005, 10:40

Well I have too agree with a few people on here, I have had my 55.5 Type R for 1 month now, and NO AIR con, my windows haven't misted up at all, and it is only a few minutes before all is cleared inside from these early cold mornings...

As for performance extras, I tend to agree, I have put on a K&N typhoon kit, and whilst this makes a cracking sound when you hit the special rev range, I don't feel any real performance improvement.

Overall for just under 17K, you get a fast as you like Civic, which certainly turns heads, with a very sporty feel.

BUT... unless I am not driving it correctly yet... I 'm having trouble keeping up with these latest diesel cars!.