Civic EP2 have common transmission fault?
Discussion
Hi, i am looking to buy a new car and i'm interested in a Honda Civic EP2 1.6 i VTEC ( 2004-2005 Sport 3dr ) but i have been put off a little from what i have read on several forums. From what i've seen, there seems to be a transmission issue on the EP2 Honda Civics, is this true? If so is it a common issue? I'm not sure if it's just the earlier models, pre facelift (2001-2003), that have this issue?
I hope i have posted this in the correct section. Thanks in advance.
Most common in early cars I believe, later face-lifts might not be as much of a problem, i'm sure most owners get by trouble free.
Probably is a matter of time/use, although isn't that the case with all things mechanical, perhaps there is a more reliable alternative (Focus/Corolla)?
If it did end up going I would suggest you avoid Honda and find a well recommended independent garage to fit new bearings, TGM are excellent and very reasonably priced if your in the south.
Probably is a matter of time/use, although isn't that the case with all things mechanical, perhaps there is a more reliable alternative (Focus/Corolla)?
If it did end up going I would suggest you avoid Honda and find a well recommended independent garage to fit new bearings, TGM are excellent and very reasonably priced if your in the south.
I believe mine had the start of this issue, but it never particularly bothered me. There was a slight grumbling/grinding noise when at idle but it disappeared when the clutch got pressed in. I think this is the input shaft bearing or something similar, but as I say it wasn't loud enough to cause a problem for me. I kept it for 10k miles and it never had anything go wrong, so really can't fault it. It is definitely worth a look just make sure there are no major noises when pressing the clutch/changing gear.
Thankyou for the responses.
Do you know roughly the cost of getting it fixed ? I know honda charge over £1000 but i'm not sure about an independent garage. Also does the transmission issue show up on an M.O.T history?
Sorry for all the questions, I just want to get some info before I decide to buy one.
Do you know roughly the cost of getting it fixed ? I know honda charge over £1000 but i'm not sure about an independent garage. Also does the transmission issue show up on an M.O.T history?
Sorry for all the questions, I just want to get some info before I decide to buy one.
The issue will likely not show on an MOT as until it breaks there isn't anything wrong related to road worthyness as such.
As for costs a quick search seems to be anything from £500-£1000 for Honda dealers as you point out! It would depend if you have any local mechanic you use or if you are close to any specialists (TGM, Hond-R, Dream Automotive, Grinspeed, Eurospec, TDI North to name but a few). If you are reasonably close then Grinspeed would be a safe bet (Manchester area) as they do a lot of gearbox and diff work, their prices are reasonable and customer service top notch from what I have seen as well.
As long as you listen for noises when the clutch is either in or out you should be fine. The thrust bearing is another fault which occurs so watch for that one. It isn't the sort of thing they could hide on a test drive unless they speak really loudly all the time! Other than that they are very solid cars, although don't expect blistering performance to match the looks! I sold mine in the end for an EP3.
Good source of info is here: http://www.epcivic.com/index.php?/index
It is aimed at general EP1 (1.4)/EP2 (1.6)/EP3 (2.0 Type R)/EP4 (1.6 Diesel) owners rather than others that are more Type R centric.
As for costs a quick search seems to be anything from £500-£1000 for Honda dealers as you point out! It would depend if you have any local mechanic you use or if you are close to any specialists (TGM, Hond-R, Dream Automotive, Grinspeed, Eurospec, TDI North to name but a few). If you are reasonably close then Grinspeed would be a safe bet (Manchester area) as they do a lot of gearbox and diff work, their prices are reasonable and customer service top notch from what I have seen as well.
As long as you listen for noises when the clutch is either in or out you should be fine. The thrust bearing is another fault which occurs so watch for that one. It isn't the sort of thing they could hide on a test drive unless they speak really loudly all the time! Other than that they are very solid cars, although don't expect blistering performance to match the looks! I sold mine in the end for an EP3.
Good source of info is here: http://www.epcivic.com/index.php?/index
It is aimed at general EP1 (1.4)/EP2 (1.6)/EP3 (2.0 Type R)/EP4 (1.6 Diesel) owners rather than others that are more Type R centric.
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