Well I'm fairly certain my GS-R is going to get totalled tomorrow or the day after. I'm considering the EP3 Civic Si. I drove one a year or two ago and liked it.

I'd like to see what some common problem areas and gripes are. There's a good aftermarket for the K-series, which I like. I don't plan on modifying it as extensively as my GS-R was...perhaps just an intake.

So what are everyone's thoughts? What tends to break easily? What annoys you about your car?

Thanks in advance.

 

It seems like everyone has their fair share of personal gripes about the EP; but here are two of the things most of us EP owners probably agree on:

-Suspension: There is really no way to lower the car 'right', due to the chassis design. The best you could do is spend $1k on the Mugen SS (1.5") or go for a slightly more conservative 1" drop (I'd recommend the HFP, its cheap ~$450 and OEM). The steering rack is also notorious for knocking, creaking and making all sorts of noises even with the OEM suspension...of course this is most often amplified with aftermarket suspension. Honda has acknowledged the steering rack problem; but from what I understand, the racks they are installing as a replacement are no different than the ones that were already there.

-Transmission: If it's not the occasional crunchy gears it's the FD. Of course it's the same FD as the DC5R, which is great for acceleration; but on the freeway/highway you'll be sitting at 4k the whole way...somewhat annoying on long trips. The sound is particularly annoying if you have an intake and/or exhaust. The gears (particularly 2nd) can feel a little iffy; but once you learn the car you'll find that if you just ease it into 2nd it won't feel as bad. All the other gears can feel slightly crunchy sometimes; but not very noticeable.

Overall though, the EP is a good car. Could it be better? Of course; but for the prices they are going for these days when compared to cars in it's class, it can't be beat.

 

my creaking steering wheel...it comes and goes by the year...one year it doesn't creak, the next it does. I can't figure the **** out. I'm dropped on HFP suspension...but have been through lots of different drops...could be the reason I guess.

other than that, my k20a2 inside the engine bay makes up for it...no other problems

 

as for the creaking steering rack mine started with roughly 3k miles - 60k miles it was soooooo loud! but after i decided to switch out my springs for full coilover suspension (progress competition coilovers) the creaking went away 100%

 

The window run channel splitting and clutch creak is a common problem. I've had the passenger run channel replaced twice under warranty within 3 months of each other. I had the clutch creak, which is common for a lot of newer hondas, fixed under warranty last week. No problems with suspension or transmission here.

 

I remember having the same discussion about months ago, here's the tread.. check it out and hope it helps....

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1179038

 

Good link, thanks.