Which? Car Magazine (merged 3 threads)

[Kremmen]

Came with this months Which? magazine.

We only do just above average.

Breakdown (petrol) - 5 stars
Breakdown (diesel) - 3 stars
Faults - 3 stars
Niggles - one star

Reported faults:

Fuel system - Petrol & diesel (may relate to fuel filler problem?)
Steering - (may relate to the recall on the electric assist unit?)
Suspension
Exterior Trim

However, compared to the other cars in the sector we do quite well IMO.

The Jazz, previous Civic & 2000 get 5 stars across the board.

The one I did enjoy reading was the Pug307, the faults list is massive, you name it and it's in there.

[l-noel]

Oh I'm not surprised with the fault list of the pug 307... I think I write it myself

Very pleased to see our car well placed, but could you explain the difference between the diesel and petrol (3 and 5 stars ?)

[LuCiUs]

Hey all

Came across this article. Look at what they say about the new civic. VERY INTERESTING. I think Honda took note.

http://www.wheels24.co.za/Wheels24/N...140501,00.html

...

Renier

[skam]

I think that the suspension of the car is stiff but not fault. It has excellent driving stability and good grip although the ride quality is below average. The problem is the rattle and the strange noises that are coming out from front and rear suspension.
The suspension works properly but the noises are unacceptable for a new car. They have already changed both front shocks of my car and the problem is still there. Now what?

[beepee]

Wel, It seems that the results have knocked a grand off our trade in values.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6260328.stm


*EDIT TTDegs to remove what could end up being slightly imflamatory remark

[TTDegs]

cheers for that link

the Which Car report is also being discussed in the General section, but I'm in 2 minds as to which is the more appropriate place for it

will leave both open for the time being, and see how things go - may merge the 2 threads later into one place

[Kremmen]

Just to recap.......

I think the fuel system problem is more than likely to be the fact that at times it was difficult on pre 2007 cars to actually put some in !
The Which? questionaire may have misinterpreted the responses from owners.
Anyone here had a "fuel problem" ?

The steering problems is more than likely to be the recall or replacement of the electric steering unit that caused heavy steering when it failed on early cars.

The suspension is likely to be the shocks put on upside down and/or the noise that came from the early units when they failed prematurely.

Exterior trim could be, fuel filler, foglights shattering, boot struts failing to support the hatch & poor paint as I cannot recall any other common items.

In the main though the majority of these faults have been rectified and the latest cars should be problem free (apart from the water based paint issue which all manufacturers now suffer from).

The "would you recommend this car to a friend" section rated very highly for the Civic.

Yes the BMW 1 series may have got a better score but for the money you pay for them it should do. £ for £ the Civic is far better value and you don't have to add option after option to get some "kit".

All in all I think the Which? review was based on 2006 models which no longer applies (IMO).

[Brodick]

I dropped my which Sub last year -I'm afraid don't trust everything they say.

[Scorcher]

I just read this on the BBC web site................

"Honda's reliability isn't just confined to those who can afford its new cars," Which? says.
"Its older models are some of the most dependable used cars you can buy."
But the car maker's glory days may be short-lived, as Which? swiftly moves on to concerns about Honda's latest Civic model, which it says has "dragged the Japanese maker into stormy waters". "Owners have so far experienced fuel-system faults and problems with the steering and suspension," it says...........

It may not help us much but it may deter potential future customers and tarnish Honda's reputation.

[FWH]

There is a thread :

Which? Car Magazine (merged 3 threads)

[TTDegs]

and this one
http://www.civinfo.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6662

might be time to start merging soon I think

Cheers though Scorcher

[slowhand]

Quote from service manager at Fish Brothers Swindon in Swindon Advertiser, refering to the Which report They had not noticed any particular recurring problem.

Well Sean Collins please explain why the factory engineers came to your dealership and replaced both my front struts with new modified units.

Hiding their heads in the sand wont make this car better, if they are to be believed all the problems have now been resolved.

I would trust these dealers more if they pointed prospective customers to sites like this before taking their money, no I know it will never happen but it is a nice thought

The article mentioned steering problems aswell, I hadnt noticed anyone here with steering problems.


If your civic knocks and bangs over pot holes and speed bumps it should not check the yellow bit at the top of the strut is attached to the strut if it flaps about report it.

[WoolyCiv]

Did anyone from CiVinfo contribute to the Which report?

[spsducati]

http://www.which.co.uk/reports_and_c...557_117187.jsp

Link nicked from another forum!

[chriswarwick]

The Good news is that HONDA has 'topped' the Which? magazine car survey as being the most reliable car manufacurer with the Jazz and the Civic. The bad news is that its the old Civic. Further bad news is that our Civics join the usual suspects of French manufacturors Citroen, Renault and Peugeot under the 'Least reliable new cars'. The Which website has the lists but in todays Guardian it states " New Civic owners have reported problems with the fuel system, steering and suspension problems". Problem is Civic Owners are right. Oh Dear, I hope this poor press doesn't continue. My first Civic certainly had its share of fuel problems. My current EX by comparison is superb.

[3rd Honda]

I agree that it might be 'Oh Dear' as far as our resale values are concerned.

But in a sense I'm glad as its a wake up call to the management of Honda, and Honda UK in particular.

My previous (03 reg) Civic was TOTALLY fault free over 3 years.

My present (06 reg) Civic has had a whole lot of problems, all pretty much due to lack of proper development/quality control. I am still waiting for some to be fixed by a helpful dealer who seems to get minimal support from Honda UK.
(Car back there for 1st service and 4th time on Monday)

As others on here have observed - Honda have our money, so why should they worry? The Which Survey is perhaps a reason they should worry.

[medicsource]

I think this has been discussed already, but yes, it is dissapointing!

Which? Car Magazine (merged 3 threads)

[chriswarwick]

Agee with '3rd Honda' . No doubt magazines lukewarm to Honda [Autocar? What Car?] will chew this over.
Sorry I hadn't realised it had already been discussed. I did try and see a thread this morning before posting mine honest!

[chriswarwick]

In reply to Kremmen's request for anyone with fuel problems other than getting the fuel in...well I had problems getting the fuel in and, during a week over Easter this year, getting the fuel out into the engine. After 5 AA visits it was traced to the fuseboad which would periodically shut down power to the fuel relay[s]. At its worse wiggling the fuseboard would resolve the matter temporary but alaming signs were displayed at random and the rear offside window wouldn't operate from the drivers control.
Like all the best spasmodic faults it never demonstrated the problem at the dealers. So yes I have had 'other' fuel problems although I don't think these formed part of the Which survey - unless they have access to the AA records of course - in which case it might be recorded as 5 faults instead of 1.

[Brodick]

This will have no effect on the resale values of your Honda
yes there have been some problems but in the run of things
the number of cars built with no problems far outweighs the number with problems

Honda are still as reliable as ever ( with one or two exceptions)
and we don't need people like which (of which I am no longer a member)
trying to say different