Faults:

I have never performed any unscheduled service on this car.

Replaced the timing belt per maintenance schedule at 90000 miles. Honda should follow the current trend and replace timing belts with chains to eliminate the need for belt replacement.

General Comments:

This car has been totally reliable. It is fun to drive, but not very comfortable for a large person. It has good power, and the moonroof is a must.

This is my 6th Honda. The first, a 1973 Civic, got considerable better fuel mileage at 39 mpg highway. This car does 34-38 mpg highway. If fact, the gas mileage has somewhat decreased over the years, and the performance doesn't seem much better, although I know emissions are much better.

Faults:

The automatic transmission failed after 80,000 miles and to be overhauled. Very unusual for a Japanese brand. I've always had Nissan and Toyotas, and have not had any problems. This is my first Honda and I am very dissapointed with their product. And to think it is an EX. The civic has had a lot of problems and I just try to ignore it like:

The driver's seat rocks back and forth.

There is a squeeking noise in the right rear side of the car and you can hear it from inside when the car is running.

The electrical wiring burned out on the headlight system, but replace under warranty. Good Dealer-Gillman Honda.

The engine knocks hard during a cold start and you hear a loud thud from the engine compartment.

Both door actuators have failed and needed a costly replacement.

There are other minor stuff that are too tedious to list, but it's one problem after another.

I still have a 91 Nissan Pathfinder with 142,000 miles, a 91 Toyota Celica with 92,000 miles, and still have not had any of the civic's problems. So the moral of the story is 'Don"t buy another Honda product, you'll be sorry!!! I am not buying a Honda product again ever. Their product quality and reliability really have become bad and they are not honest about it. I just bought a 2004 Infinit G35 and a 2005 350Z and they're great cars.

Faults:

I replaced my original tires about a year ago. About three-four months ago it began to vibrate when it reached the speed of 53-58 mph. The tire place rotated the tires and balanced them so that I don't feel the vibration. However, after my recent 40,000 mileage checkup the dealership found a leaking strut. I guess I'll be replacing both front struts soon.

The paint of the car is cracking. It went out of warranty a month before I realized how bad the paint was. The dealership charged me for repainting some areas of the car. Now I am noticing cracking and chipping again. This was just fixed just barely six months ago. :-(

General Comments:

I really have enjoyed my Civic. It's a little small when you have kids. But with the ever rising prices of gas, it has been awesome with low gas consumption. The vibrating problem that I am currently having, I look at it as cost of maintaining it. Just as you change the oil, there are things that just wear out and must be replaced.