so everyone knows the clear on 8th gen civics is soft as heck. i don't know if i've examined an 8th gen civic (or late model honda for that matter) that doesn't have defects in the paint, ie trash, dirt, etc. in a manner that in years past honda would NEVER let happen.

my wife has had an '07 si lemoned - i don't want to get into what was wrong with it but it is safe to say "almost everything". she got another '07 in exchange, and while she has accrued over 60k on it, that is not to say the thing hasn't had an incredible amount of warranty dealer visits for so many things.

at any rate, i've read here and there about people having clear issues on the roof of these cars. i wrote it off as a combination of soft and somewhat thin clear...and neglect. now, i am a detail extraordinaire, but my wife's car sees so much action that i simply try to keep it clean. the finish gets protected, and i never let anything sit on it for too long, but the main point is i take care of it way better than probably 95% of 8th gen civic owners.

today i was drying it and noticed a dull spot (about 3 inches in diameter) on the roof near the rear window...a spot that i have not noticed in the past. i wash her car about once every two weeks or so, and am pretty aware of all finish issues on it. the spot resembles when clear fails from too much buffer action. as i'm drying the front of the roof, between the sunroof and the windshield, i notice a rather large patch (at least 6 inches in diameter, if not more) is failing in the same manner, but not nearly as evident (yet). it's starting to craze.

so, obviously the car isn't covered for this, but it burns me up because this is something i'd expect on an early kia or hyundai, NOT a honda. i mean, i'm not surprised at this point and am really convinced that honda is middle of the road at this point, but it still makes me mad because it is yet ANOTHER thing with her freakin' car that causes us concern and worry that ideally shouldn't even be on our radar. i thought the same thing about the:

-noisy clutch master cylinder after, say, 45k or so.
-failing 3rd gear syncro in the 6 speed that took many years for them to 1. admit and 2. administer a fix.
-sun visors, which my wife has had replaced like 3 times.
-poorly sourced/failing rear shocks.
-poor fit and finish, esp. the interior (mysterious rattle in the b pillar on the passenger side, a pillar material coming out from rubber molding on passenger side).
-trouble with the steering following the grade of the road (this is SO annoying and someone recently made a thread about it).
-windshield wiper motor that most likely will fail permanently if it sees a long stretch of freezing weather.

i'm just sick of it. i can't wait until she gets rid of this POS and consequently I will be rid of it FOREVER!!!

no more new hondas for me. they have lost me for life.

2000 was the pinnacle of honda - it was the epitome of value and engineering. the '80s through the '90s were fantastic leading up to that apex of y2k. things started to slide a bit vs. the competition up until 2005. that was the last year that i consider honda being worthy of their reputation.

 

+10. I've owned lots of new cars and am still in love with my 1992 Accord Station Wagon EX 5sp. I think some of the "best" built Honda's are the 2nd gen Legend(as far as materials and craftsmanship, not so much with engineering). But being older I'm partial to older Honda's

 

you are partial because you know how good they were! the best, IMO.

it makes me so angry that honda has forced me to hate them now. i was a honda lifer, one of those people destined to have these cars until i'm old, but that went out the window with these pile of **** 8th gen Civics.

 

X2.

Ive been into Honda's for a while, and work at a Honda dealership. I think they fell off after 2000. There not built like they used to be.

 

built those FA civics had TONS of problems with the blue color that they were painted in, also newer honda odysseys had the same issues, those were most common, i also did one that was black, i had to strip the roof, hood and the tops of the fenders on those cars, it was an atrocity the paint would blow right off by means of compressed air, still got my 95 coupe dx, and aside from the crappy work the previous owner did, im happy with it

 

If it's had that many problems, take a match and burn it and collect on insurance lol the. Buy a mint em1 si

 

i talked to a local honda dealership painter and he said the same thing about him blowing the paint off with the compressor on odysseys without me even mentioning your post, haha. he didn't have any recollection of issues with civics except one.

he said he'll call me when the rep is coming by so i can show them. i'm almost wondering if i should bother completely detailing this thing before hand or not. this is my wife's car - i don't correct the finish but once a year. the finish is so soft it rarely needs more than an all in one with the PC, with the exception of specific scratches which end up needing more aggressive treatment - the rest of the time i'm just washing it. about every 3-4 months i apply optimum spray wax. if anything is on the car when she comes home i remove it with optimum instant detailer. but that's about it.

my car, ****, i put 1864 miles on it since last august. it sits, perfectly detailed ; )