Has your car "loosened up" since you first bought it?

[sonic imperial]

I'm not talking about the motor, I'm talking about the suspension/interior. I remember when I first bought the car in August of '02 and how tight everything was, not a hint of rattles/creaks or anything. Just tight and solid. Now I swear my car sounds like it's falling apart (knocks and rattles, creaks, pops). Pretty sad for a car that's only a year and half old, and still bone stock. Sorry, just had to rant. I'm so frustrated with cars right now I just want one that keeps feeling solid for a few years.

[Z26]

I hear the same noises. This thing aint no audi. You have to expect creeking and stuff in the cold weather. Its just a fact of the plastic geting hard in the cold. Also, this Si is an ecomoney car and it is built like one. I had a 99 mustang before my si and you havent heard noises untill you get in a stang when its 25 outside and you hit a pothole.

I love my si but I knew what I was buying when I got it. Its a civic, a civic I got $4000 off sticker;)

[trk]

Originally posted by sonic imperial
I'm not talking about the motor, I'm talking about the suspension/interior. I remember when I first bought the car in August of '02 and how tight everything was, not a hint of rattles/creaks or anything. Just tight and solid. Now I swear my car sounds like it's falling apart (knocks and rattles, creaks, pops). Pretty sad for a car that's only a year and half old, and still bone stock. Sorry, just had to rant. I'm so frustrated with cars right now I just want one that keeps feeling solid for a few years.

yeah -- I have them too... not too bad though -- just my glove box and the driver side seatbelt holder by your head...

[02SilverSiHB]

Originally posted by sonic imperial
I'm not talking about the motor, I'm talking about the suspension/interior. I remember when I first bought the car in August of '02 and how tight everything was, not a hint of rattles/creaks or anything. Just tight and solid. Now I swear my car sounds like it's falling apart (knocks and rattles, creaks, pops). Pretty sad for a car that's only a year and half old, and still bone stock. Sorry, just had to rant. I'm so frustrated with cars right now I just want one that keeps feeling solid for a few years.
I hear ya...that's one reason I'm considering just taking everything off my car and selling the shit then my car.

[DavidT]

I bought my car with 3k on it. It's now got 14k and it still drives like new but better cause it's faster and handles better ;) It even still smells new.

[eurosteez]

yup, it feels like my shocks are looser now and i'm still on stock springs.

[ryanjennings]

dude i have the same problem i hear rattling i think its cause my sub it made everything loose... oh well i just keep the music turned up and dont hear it.

[pappaljf]

yes, I'm starting to actually regret getting the SI. In many ways, I regret in more the last time I went car shopping, when I bought an integra LS over a GSR. Clown the LS all you'd like, I had ZERO problems with it and it was remained a solid, squeak free car the whole time I owned it.

The SI, on the other hand, rattles all over the place.

I'm starting to notice weird annoying problems with the civic. Does anyone elses seatbelts not wind up when you unbuckle them? Mine just sort of lay slack unless you manually feed them in.

[02SilverSiHB]

Originally posted by pappaljf


The SI, on the other hand, rattles all over the place.

I'm starting to notice weird annoying problems with the civic. Does anyone elses seatbelts not wind up when you unbuckle them? Mine just sort of lay slack unless you manually feed them in.
ditto. It's annoying as shit. I have to do that manual crap also

[Mugen Power]

Originally posted by pappaljf
yes, I'm starting to actually regret getting the SI. In many ways, I regret in more the last time I went car shopping, when I bought an integra LS over a GSR. Clown the LS all you'd like, I had ZERO problems with it and it was remained a solid, squeak free car the whole time I owned it.

The SI, on the other hand, rattles all over the place.



Maybe cuz the Teg was built in Japan? ;)

[myeverlovinsir]

Originally posted by sonic imperial
I'm not talking about the motor, I'm talking about the suspension/interior. I remember when I first bought the car in August of '02 and how tight everything was, not a hint of rattles/creaks or anything. Just tight and solid. Now I swear my car sounds like it's falling apart (knocks and rattles, creaks, pops). Pretty sad for a car that's only a year and half old, and still bone stock. Sorry, just had to rant. I'm so frustrated with cars right now I just want one that keeps feeling solid for a few years.

I have added a few vibration bolt ons since stock... header, engine mounts, hondata, midpipe, megan cat, enkei 17's, prokit, and it still is as solid sounding and feeling inside as stock. Either that or I just love vibration and the power that goes with it. I guess the next thing is to gut it and really feel alienated inside. lol :p

[pappaljf]

I hate to be a wet blanket, but I actually do strongly believe that an entirely japanese built car (like my beloved, riced out teg) have an almost magically reliable quality to them.



It seems like there aren't many cars like that anymore (and I can't afford an S2k or an NSX)



Not 1 problem every with the integra! and they rolled out the red carpet at acura when I would go in for service.

I was immensely fortunate to pay cash for my integra (my father had a life insurance policy specifically for me totalling 20k)

I regrettably wrecked and totalled that car (black ice during a wintry day) But I still miss it! The white teg, slammed on stock rims.

this week will be my eleventh visit to honda after breaking the 20k mark (I'm counting just in case I ever decide to sue). They're always major COCKS, every word out of their mouths insinuates abuse or misuse. I always look at with my best 'I dare you to try' look.

First it's the clutch squeaking, then it's a blown motor mount, then it's the front struts/shocks squeaking, then it's the crappy shifts, and now, again it appears to be the motor mounts/steering rack. Plus, I need to bitch at them about my seatbelts!

There's a damn gremlin in my car

The civic's paid for. Should I trade it?

[Prime Si]

Originally posted by 02SilverSiHB
ditto. It's annoying as shit. I have to do that manual crap also

same here, and i've noticed a new rattle, coming from the area near the hazards button-anyone else have this? i know it's cold and all, but i don't remember this noise last winter.

Overall tho, yes, it is a civic. For the price, i love it.

[styllinep3]

if my ep didnt rattle i would love it, but i curse it on the way to work in the early morning when its cold. it rattles so bad im ready to move on. minor but annoying as hell . why cant it just not rattle mine comes from inside all the interior panels. like the in doors, and behind your head between the windows. its like internally so i cant even try to fix it. it seems to get worst with each bolt on to. other then that its a strong car IMO.

[sonic imperial]

Ok, I feel somewhat better now knowing I'm not the only one. Just for sake of argument, does anyone know of a new car in the civic si price range that is built alot better?

[02SilverSiHB]

Originally posted by sonic imperial
Ok, I feel somewhat better now knowing I'm not the only one. Just for sake of argument, does anyone know of a new car in the civic si price range that is built alot better?
I haven't been in any other car in our price range with the same amount of mileage.

[sniperSI]

My front end squeeks only during cold mornings now, i'm about to rip out my front suspension regrease everything and give it a little tlc, while i put my mounts in. Other then that i'm ok with the vic. i still enjoy it more then any other car i've owned, short of the 3000gt.

[andy]

Just stuff I've heard...

Mini Cooper S - small, some issues similar to Si (tranny probs, no
help from dealers, etc)
Sentra SE-R Spec V - burn up your engine! weeeeee!
Mazdaspeed Protege - not too much bad stuff, but engine doesn't seem
to want to take any more mods - sort of 'maxed out'
Neon SRT-4 - blazing fast, some don't like quality/layout of interior/seats; some tranny/clutch issues
Celica - don't really follow, haven't heard much. A girl's car. ;) j/k
Golf/Jetta - have fun at the dealer. ;)

Saying you're looking for a car that is "built" better than ours is
pretty subjective. For one, not everyone that owns an Si gets rattles,
or hears squeeks, etc. If you mod your car, you've *got* to be ready
for it to start squeeking/making funny noises. It just goes with the
territory. I don't know of one car that you can heavily modify and
still retain factory/off-the-floor specs. Heck, I don't even know
of a car you can drive around day-to-day and not get that stuff after
some point.

If you want a car that is squeek/rattle free and you want to get lots
of love from a dealer, you almost have to go luxury - i.e. Acura (ha,
not really luxury, but you know what I mean), Lexus, BMW, etc. (although,
a friends 323 had more problems than I'd ever want to deal with).
Typically, it seems those dealerships will go out of their way to
resolve any issues you have and those cars should have enough oomph
to make modding seem more of a bother.

[pappaljf]

andy:

my car is stock except for rims and tires, and I have tons of distinct, seperate noise problems (clutch, motor mounts, steer rack, etc.)



I appreciate your list, but what do you know about the RSX-S?

I know the civic si is built on the same platform, but RSX-S is built in Japan, correct? Apart from some flaky 6-speed tranny's (2nd gear crunches, 4th gear lock-outs, very similar problems to our 5-speeds) I haven't really heard any problems. Maybe they just don't ratchet our cars together properly in England?


This one's on the top of my list.

[RedLight_Si]

Toyota Corrola XRS,when it comes out.
They actually stand behind their product if
anything should go wrong.
Cant beat Toyota quality and reliablity.

[andy]

RSX-S is probably a very good choice. Acura service, Honda reliability. Check out clubrsx.com for posts on problems. As with
any group of people interested in cars, you'll find people complaining
about problems.

Personally, I got into cars via my WRX. I could have cared less if
it rattled, I just wanted to drive the sucker to the ground. ;)

[snubnose]

With all due respect, I wish people here wouldn't talk about the Ep like it's a cheap car. Sure, there will be creaks when it's ice cold outside, that's not a reflection of the build quality, it's physics and temperature.

My Si is a high quality, solid machine that performs superbly. It easily outclasses many cars that are more expensive.

[Tenacious G]

i used to be in the same boat as a lot of you. i have a few rattles here and there, and that annoyed the crap out of me. $300/mo. should buy me a rattle/squeak-free car.

but in retrospect, when i ride in my friends' jettas or mustangs or sentras, i'm soooooo glad i went with the EP. rattles are pale in comparison to the problems others have with their cars.

[pappaljf]

Snubnose:

you know, I would have agreed with you three months ago. Just wait until you get some more miles on your car and start dealing with crappy shifts, squeaky clutches, and haunted house noises coming from your engine bay. The fact is that there are a number of us who have put around 20-30k miles on their cars and who are now discovering this car won't go 100k+ miles. This realization, and my shitty book value (12,500!) just get me so mad.

Pretend the car is awesome, go ahead. The fact is that many of us, ecspecially early 02 buyers, are now realizing that this car isn't some magical, market leading, precision engineered car. I fear that the continuous problems (clutch, tranny, motor mounts, random squeaks) will certainly not go away, but only get worse. All the while, my warranty is just collecting dust because Honda refuses to fix anything.

All I have to say is this, and I think many people having problems will agree: If I knew I'd be having these problems, I wouldn't have bought this car. Additionally, I wouldn't reccomend this car to a friend.

That said, I've had good times in the SI. But I'm feeling it's time to make it someone else's problem.

[ATRIOT]

Originally posted by pappaljf
Maybe they just don't ratchet our cars together properly in England?

lol, I think its because they use spanner's.:winkm:

[BluePearl03Si]

In this price range it's a tough call.

The RSX Base is around the same price but doesn't usually go for as low as the EP.

The SVT Focus is.....A focus

The aformentioned cars all have serious problems.

If you want a really good, quality car with performance, you are gonna have to be ready to hand over 32,000 for a Japanese built S2K, or settle for a Japanese Assembled and Mostly Japanese RSX.

VW is making golfs in brazil, BMW in hungary (Can't beat that eastern european engineering and quality!). The koreans couldn't put together a decent car if they copied it (Which they always do) part for part from a Japanese maker. And of course drunken limeys assemble our cars, drunk mexicans assemble the SVT focus, and drunk americans assemble everything we make here.

If it's not Japanese, you are gonna have alot of problems.......god, imagine saying THAT 30 years ago right before the CVCC first showed up.

Of course not all Japanese cars are good either, Mitsubishi is junk (I give props for the EVO, but the rest....ugh). Subaru's have a nightmare warranty department, worse than ours, simple OWNING a WRX means you have abused it to them. Toyotas are incredibly reliable of course, as are Japanese built Hondas like the S2K.

[snubnose]

Originally posted by pappaljf
Snubnose:

you know, I would have agreed with you three months ago. Just wait until you get some more miles on your car and start dealing with crappy shifts, squeaky clutches, and haunted house noises coming from your engine bay. The fact is that there are a number of us who have put around 20-30k miles on their cars and who are now discovering this car won't go 100k+ miles. This realization, and my shitty book value (12,500!) just get me so mad.

Pretend the car is awesome, go ahead. The fact is that many of us, ecspecially early 02 buyers, are now realizing that this car isn't some magical, market leading, precision engineered car. I fear that the continuous problems (clutch, tranny, motor mounts, random squeaks) will certainly not go away, but only get worse. All the while, my warranty is just collecting dust because Honda refuses to fix anything.

All I have to say is this, and I think many people having problems will agree: If I knew I'd be having these problems, I wouldn't have bought this car. Additionally, I wouldn't reccomend this car to a friend.

That said, I've had good times in the SI. But I'm feeling it's time to make it someone else's problem.

I don't know. My car is dead quiet, no squeaks or rattles except in the ice cold until the interior heats up. It has the feel and look of quality and solidity. The shifts are smooth and trouble free and the engne revs freely, easily, and quietly. If anything, the car keeps getting better and better.

Sure, I have been obviously considering the S2K but that should be seen as sign of approval for the Si. If I didn't like it or Honda, I wouldn't be considering another one.

Then again, I can only speak for my car. If I were having the problems you were, I would feel the same. But if you were driving my car, you would not be complaining. My car has 7,2000 miles, BTW.

[pappaljf]

snubnose:

7200 miles. I remember when I had 7200 miles. 02SilverSiHB, I think you'll agree that at 7200 miles, you loved the car and thought it would run great for the next several yeasr.

Just give it another 10-15k. I promise, the complaints we're having will show up. And it just shouldn't be like that. I guess Honda built the car to eventually make its owner crazy and trade it in 2-3 years. That marketing strategy is working on me....

[Mugen Power]

I brought it in at around 2700 miles for the crunchy transmission (and a bad idler pulley) but it hasn't been fixed yet... and I'm almost at 14k now. :'(

You guys should be lucky having a crunchy-free tranny up until 7200 miles or more. :'(

But then again, still no sounds in the cockpit yet! :D

[BluePearl03Si]

Mugen Power:

Did the warranty department ask if you drove around southland freeways with your legs dangling out the window and head out the sunroof?

Abuse? Nah, maybe a little pressure on the door, but not much else.

[Mugen Power]

Heh, nah, they didn't, but 3 visits to 2 different dealerships later and it's crunchier than ever...

[sonic imperial]

snubnose: my car was like yours for the first 3-4,000 miles. you must be one of the lucky one's then to have such a solid car. i chose to keep this car stock because i wanted to get away from all the problems that modding a car can have. i've done plenty of mods to hondas in the past, and it seemed to only cause frustration after awhile. now that my car is stock i still have pretty much the same types of issues (which makes me wonder if modding a car really had any effect to begin with). the motor seems fine, the tranny is ok but could be smoother going into 2nd, but i live in south carolina and it's not that cold yet. alot of the problems i've had occurred in the summer as well, so cold air is not really the cause here. i'm dropping it off friday so honda can have it the entire day. they are supposed to fix what they can.

[pappaljf]

sonic imperial, let me know how your dealership experience went. I've been to several dealerships, and I think I know how honda works:

If you don't tell them exactly what to fix, they won't fix anything.