Why I will never buy a Honda again

[Davecr-v]

I thought about putting this in the other cars section and the problems section but as the board says Honda actually reads this section so I thought it would be good market research for free. I bought a Honda CR-V for a few reasons I wanted a 4wd vehicle that was good in snow, versatile, reliable and easy to insure. Being that most Japanese company's don't make 4wd sedans and Subaru's are too ugly for my taste the CR-V appealed to me because it has 4wd it's fuel efficient and being it was a Honda I figured reliability and to Honda's credit the car has filled those duties; however, I mistaken reliability as overall quality. I drive a simple route all highway for about 40 miles a day mostly asphalt some broken up road surfaces but not too bad. Now test driving a vehicle you don't get a real sense and reviews fill you in about road noise but you never really can tell if the author is exaggerating the problem and wants a Lexus quiet vehicle. Here is my issue you buy a German car because you want Luxury and performance, you buy a Japanese car because of its quality and reliability which even includes Luxury market Japanese cars. When I bought a Honda I knew I wasn't getting the interior of a Mercedes S-Class I knew this was going to be nice but not in the 40K realm and on the lot the interior seemed like a nicer place to be than the Rav4 things felt like most Japanese cars do not Germanic but you know they won't brake. Cruising around town it felt fine to the suspension was a little firm but compared t the others it was fine. I guess I can define my experience with the V in this way a great proposition but difficult to live with. First off insulation it isn't the most unknown thing on these forums but I must say I shouldn't have to yell to have a conversation or turn the stereo up near halfway to hear music I mean honestly Honda needs to know that this poor insulation is unacceptable it makes long trips seem longer and long highway trips are something that most SUV's should excel at with their higher driving position and larger legroom. Also poor insulation makes it difficult to drive every considering you do get tired of it. The second thing is rattling everything in this car rattles or makes noise 3 of the door panels the rear table the back seats and the sunroof cover this is the thing I hate most I can’t even listen to talk radio because I need to drown out the incessant rattling by blasting music or opening the sunroof. I don't care about the performance the brakes are really good it must be said and overall its fin to drive but it is way to stressful I had to pull over 3 times today and try and fix rattles. I can go on and on about design flaws like the hard plastics inside the glass holder which leads to another rattle but to be honest my next SUV will be a Toyota not a Rav4 I hate the looks and never would have bought one. I know I am going to get flack for this but to be honest I like the CR-V its great it just Honda's reluctance to fully finish this car bothers me it’s a big step from a Honda to an Acura and I am not going to make it because of road noise I would make the step to Toyota, Volkswagen, Subaru if they made something I like, and a Used Audi before I paid that premium to get a properly developed vehicle.

[Honda 367]

Interesting read. Thanks for sharing your perspective. I imagine it is very difficult to do everything well. Surely, even Honda has shortcomings. I am sorry that your experience has left you somewhat unhappy. I wish you best in your search for next vehicle.

[Davecr-v]

Interesting read. Thanks for sharing your perspective. I imagine it is very difficult to do everything well. Surely, even Honda has shortcomings. I am sorry that your experience has left you somewhat unhappy. I wish you best in your search for next vehicle.

Well I've got time I am not going to replace this car just when it needs to be replaced I will go for something more live able I am wondering what I should do I know insulation can cost into the thousands hopefully my new Versados will quiet the car some but I have to find some solution the rattle in the front passenger door is bad but the other doors and windows make noise as well I guess I am going to have to take it in but its going to cost a ton since labour is a rip. I am going to try putting foam under the rear table

[NSI31]

First off insulation it isn't the most unknown thing on these forums but I must say I shouldn't have to yell to have a conversation or turn the stereo up near halfway to hear music I mean honestly Honda needs to know that this poor insulation is unacceptable ... the thing I hate most I can’t even listen to talk radio because I need to drown out the incessant rattling by blasting music or opening the sunroof. .

You have got to be kidding....if CR-V's were that bad, this forum ( or new CR-V's )wouldn't even exist...:rolleyes:

Maybe you got a bad one.....have you ever tried another "V" ???

[2RedV's]

Tires?

Have you tried going thru the interior and tightening screws, etc.? It certainly isn't tough to remove the door panels so you can find out what is rattling. I keep a large blanket and spare coat, among other winter emergency things, wrapped up inside the tub in the back. it does help keep noise down.

[lefooey]

Well I've got time I am not going to replace this car just when it needs to be replaced I will go for something more live able I am wondering what I should do I know insulation can cost into the thousands hopefully my new Versados will quiet the car some but I have to find some solution the rattle in the front passenger door is bad but the other doors and windows make noise as well I guess I am going to have to take it in but its going to cost a ton since labour is a rip. I am going to try putting foam under the rear table

I'm sorry to hear that your door rattles persist. Out of curiosity, did you purchase your V new or used? Has anything aftermarket been added to the interior?

[chippergsr]

Maybe you should try dynamat. It is not terribly expensive and the door panels are not hard to take off. My front door panels rattle also and it can be quite annoying.

Good luck and i hope something happens to change your mind about your V.

[rdorman]

Sorry to hear of your experience. Are the expectation a bit high for a vehicle with a base sticker 2/3 of the average new car? A couple hundred bucks would eleminate the road noise and properly fixing rattles mean they won't come back. Best of luck in your next purchase.

[Davecr-v]

I bought the car completely stock used but from a reputable dealer and the car passed my mechanics inspection. To be honest the car rattles a lot in colder temps I tried tightening the screws on the door this fixed the problem for a while but it has come back its quieter but it still rattles. I sent an e-mail to dynamat about the door insulation I cant really open up the doors because I don't have a garage and I am terrible at any form of automotive repair I guaranteed if I open up that door panel the windows wont work :p . I think dynamat could be a solution to the problem but I don't want to spend tons of cash. I know from experience that Toyota and other companies don't have this problem and I don't think I am expecting too much since my moms Hyundai which was cheaper new than my car was used is much quieter and doesnt have any rattling or unsettling noises.

[isellhondas]

Although I think that post greatly over amplfied the noise problem, I agree that ALL Hondas have too much road noise compared to other cars.

The problem isn't THAT bad but, still, as often as people complain, you would think they could get to work on this.

[F4Gary]

It's the tires. Our EX-L doesn't rattle at all, but these crappy Bridgestones are the noisiest tires I have ever owned. I can't wait until they wear out and I can replace them.

[illegal]

sounds to me like you need an mdx or another acura

[Davecr-v]

sounds to me like you need an mdx or another acura

Sounds like I could get a Toyota for the same price with much better build quality, I bought the Honda because I liked the styling more than the Toyota Rav 4. And Wait so a Hyundai is quieter and cheaper yet I need to buy an ACURA!!! That's ridiculous I would buy an Acura for lux features performance and style not a car which doesnt rattle modern cars shouldn't do that. This is the reason why I wouldn't buy another Honda there is a much bigger difference between a CR-V and any Acura. The road noise isn't the worst and to be honest I knew that it wasn't a Lexus. I didn't want automatic air con, Sat-Nav, fancy leather, a DVD system, and ground breaking technology. I wanted a 4wd small SUV that got good mileage good insurance rates, is reliable, and quality made an Acura fills few of these needs aside from the last 2 My Honda might be reliable but a Quality product I'm not sure yeah it won't brake down but the fact is any car over 10 grand shouldn't make these noises. And I am sorry for going on a Rant about Acura but your statement is towing the company line of Honda which is "well our Acura products are complete" to be honest Honda has to earn my trust for me to drop big money on an Acura and if I was in the market for a Lux Japanese car I would buy a Lexus because they are built with the same quality of a Toyo

[Davecr-v]

It's the tires. Our EX-L doesn't rattle at all, but these crappy Bridgestones are the noisiest tires I have ever owned. I can't wait until they wear out and I can replace them.

Yeah I am getting Versado LX's when it warms up but the rattle is something with the door panel I am dynamaxing them if I can get the damn panels open :D

[Davecr-v]

sounds to me like you need an mdx or another acura

Also for 45 K the MDX better do more than just have the doors not rattle :rolleyes: and for 10 K more than the CR-V the RDX isn't much of a solution either