FOR ANY OF YOU HONDA CIVIC OWNERS KEEP A RECORD BOOK WITH OIL CHANGES & SERVICES. I COPIED MINE AND TURNED IT IN WITH SEVERAL OIL ANALYSIS I HAD DONE. I ALSO LET THEM KNOW I WAS A MECHANIC. THEY COVERED 100% WITH A FREE RENTAL. GOOD LUCK.

I finally got my car back after a month and a half (block cracked on Christmas Day) and spent the majority of that time getting the runaround from Honda. They eventually paid 75%, which left me to pay almost $1000. Honda corporate had said they would re-evaluate paying a higher percentage if I sent in records from all my oil changes and other services which were not done at the dealership. I tracked down all my records and confirmed that every required service had been performed (just not at the dealership). After their “review” they determined that they believed 75% was “more than fair” because my car was 9000 miles out of warranty. I received horrifyingly rude and disrespectful customer service both at the dealership and Honda of America. I’ve filed a complaint with NHTSA and am currently researching my legal options to get my $ back. I will probably end up filing a small claims suit.

Oh, they did give me a 36K mile warranty on the new block. But no one could assure me that the new block was not cast in the exact same way and would not end up with the exact same problem. I’ll definitely be trading in my Civic long before that warranty is up, because Honda clearly does not want my business. I bought my Civic based on their reputation for reliability. I understand that mistakes can happen and products can be defective. I don’t blame Honda for that. I blame them for not NOTIFYING their customers of a potential catastrophic failure of the most vital component of their cars, PAYING 100% for it to be fixed regardless of mileage, and treating their customers with RESPECT and DIGNITY.

I can appreciate your “love affair” with Honda. But try forking out anywhere from $1000 to $4000 for a new engine block where there is a published TSB (Technical Service Bulletin). TSBs are issued for KNOWN problems in large enough numbers that ALL dealerships are notified. I was lucky that Honda paid for 75% of my block – but I’m still paying it off. Many folks only got 50%, or nothing covered for their engine.

You, my friend, need to do the research. The Honda Rep that called me from corporate in California admitted this is a KNOWN problem and that it has affected 3% of ALL the 2006-2009 Honda Civic Sedans in the United States (recalls are issued at 5%). So that begs the question – why not extend the warranty, as you stated, to 100,000 miles and be done with it. Honda won’t, because Honda would lose millions at $4000 a pop on thousands of faulty Civics, thats why. This comes down to a financial issue, not one of customer service, and that makes them no better than any other auto manufacturer.

At least Toyota did the RIGHT thing and issued recalls. Even though it will cost them upwards of $2 billion, they VALUE their customers and they’re willing to invest to keep them. You haven’t seen anything out of Honda on this (short of a TSB). And yes, this IS a safety issue – crack your engine block at 70 on the freeway, have the engine sieze, and tell me how you can steer and brake with no power!

Issues with floor mats or visors, or trunk lids are one thing, but try driving without an engine! Especially when your car manufacturer KNOWS that they created a faulty part. I talked with a mechanical engineer when I was doing research for a lawsuit. His analysis is that the design was fine for cast iron, but not for cast aluminum, because of thermal dissipation issues. My Civic was built, and the engine cast in Canada, so this affects Civics the world over. Again, you do your own research because I already have.

If I had the time and money, I’d sue, just so I wouldn’t have to make monthly payments on my credit card for 12 months for a faulty engine block. I’ve owned 11 vehicles (Chrysler, Ford, Audi, VW, Honda, Toyota) over the past 32 years – all of them had issues, and all of them I drove more than 100,000 miles – but none with design flaws that crack an engine block before 100,000 miles. That’s major and we have a RIGHT to demand that the manufacturer do the right thing.

No, we won’t drive Honda out of business, but we will make a difference at our local dealership – and that my friend is all I want to do. If enough dealerships have lower sales – and the reason is because of major faults in manufacturing, or even the perception – then the message WILL get back to corporate and Honda WILL change. I’ve been contacted twice by corporate with regards to my Honda because I’ve been so vocal on the Internet, with the National Transportation Safety Board, and in the local papers. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

If we do nothing, then we’ve let Honda off the hook for a major defect, and that’s NOT what I’m going to let happen! You have your right to your opinion, but fork out $1000 or $4000 for a defective engine and tell me if you still have the same opinion regarding Honda! If there is a recall, those of us who paid will get ALL our money back – so I have a huge incentive ($1000) to keep this issue alive and well!

I’m going back to Toyota, at least they WANT my business, Honda doesn’t seem to care.

No I don’t work for honda…..

Please list on http://www.carcomplaints.com as well.

Some people do seem to get some help well over warranty. I was told by a Honda representative that they are probably long-term customers they want to retain!