Faults:
31,000 miles - front struts - replaced under warranty.
44,000 miles - all 4 tires & 4 wheel align.
56,000 miles - left front wheel bearing - noisy.
59,000 miles - right front wheel bearing - noisy.
59,000 miles - front brake pads and rotors.
62,000 miles - A/C compressor - locked up.
65,000 miles - oxygen sensor - check engine light on.
73,000 miles - parking brake cable snapped.
81,000 miles - exhaust manifold/cat converter replaced - cracked and was leaking - VERY EXPENSIVE! 1000 miles out of emissions warranty and Honda told me to dangle.
84,000 miles - Left front axle shaft replaced - grinding/popping noise.
88,000 miles - replaced 4 tires and 4 wheel align.
93,000 miles - secondary cat converter replaced - weld broke, fell off and was dragging - VERY VERY EXPENSIVE!
98,000 miles - both left and right wheel bearings replaced again - excessive noise AGAIN.
99,000 miles - Both oxygen sensors replaced - check engine light.
107,000 miles - all 4 struts replaced - very bouncy ride.
110,000 miles - timing belt and waterpump replaced - part of major maintenance.
114,000 miles - exhaust manifold/cat converter cracked and leaking AGAIN - had welded to avoid a 1300 dollar repair.
115,000 miles - CD player stopped working - no longer ejects discs.
121,000 miles - radiator failed - leaked out all coolant.
General Comments:
After being jacked around at the dealer when I bought it, I decided I would not go back. I found the other Honda dealers in the area to be somewhat more honest, but not very helpful.
I bought this car because of Honda's reputation and the fuel economy of this model. It is the first brand new car I have ever owned. I bring it to the dealer for all of its maintenance, and although it isn't the worst car I've ever had (that honor goes to the Ford Tempo) I was expecting more from this car.
The fuel economy is STELLAR, but I feel like the frequency and extreme expense of repairs on this 4 year old car eats up any savings that the MPG offers.
The ride of this car was harsh and noisy when new, replacing the shocks and tires with aftermarket improvements helped matters, but it is still a loud rough riding car.
I'm disappointed with Honda's refusal to replace the extremely expensive emissions components after they failed less than 1000 miles after the emissions warranty expired.
I never abused this car, and I serviced it regularly, and yet my 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera I bought second hand for a 1/4 of the price required less in repairs over the same period of time.
I also feel that a modern vehicle should not use a timing belt, but rather a timing chain, to save on expensive maintenance.
Hyundai is eating Honda's lunch. Better product for less money, and a 100,000 mile warranty to back it up. Either that or I'll buy another second hand GM car. I expect a new car to outlive its payment book before requiring multiple repairs that were more than 1000 bucks.
