Honda Reviews

This is a classic symptom of a car with a body computer that is dying a (sometimes not so) slow silicon death. The body computer controls just about everything on a modern car apart from the actual driveline, so things like the climate control, entertainment system, power windows and, yes, the electric tailgate operate on the body computer’s say-so.

In some cases the central locking goes haywire, other times you might come out to the driveway to find the car has switched its own lights on for no good reason. Either way, the body computer, once it has started to fail, can easily be the cause of this.

The ultimate solution (once you’ve confirmed this diagnosis and ruled out stuff like an iffy switch or sensor that controls the tailgate) is a new body computer at no small cost. But before you do that try a little trick that we’ve picked up over the years. Disconnect the car’s battery and leave it that way overnight. Reconnect it next morning and se if the problem persists. This doesn’t always work and, even when it does, it’s not always a permanent fix as the computer continues to degrade, but it’s definitely worth a shot since it’s free and might just fix things for good.

Your car was sold brand-new with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Although that’s technically now expired, it would be worth asking Honda for some financial help if you do have to replace a body computer in a car that’s just a few months out of warranty. You may not do any good, but it can’t hurt to ask, particularly if the car has been serviced by Honda its whole life.

Your Honda has what’s called a CVT which stands for Constantly Variable Transmission. That means it’s not a conventional transmission, but uses a system of cones and belts that allows for different drive ratios. Generally speaking, when a CVT displays this type of behaviour, it’s often time for a new transmission which won’t be cheap.

But in the case of the Honda, the problem is not always terminal. Because Honda designed and built its own CVT (rather than just buy one in) the engineering in it seems better than most. And experience has shown that often, problems with a Honda CVT simply means the fluid that provides the drive and lubricates the CVT, needs to be changed.

That said, refusing to select Drive is a pretty major fault, so a trip to a specialist might be in order. But first, check the level of the fluid in the CVT to see if it's low, as that could be the root problem. Even so, you’ll still then have to find the leak as this is a sealed system and shouldn’t require top-ups.

The main problem with this gearbox is that it’s a CVT and that makes a lot of people a bit nervous. But in the Honda’s case there’s less to be concerned about.

That’s because Honda doesn’t just buy in its CVT, and instead, designed and engineered its own CVT to be a better thing. And it seems to have worked. That said, any Honda that exhibits juddering on take-off, a whining noise from the CVT and even slippage as the car tires to accelerate or travel up a hill needs attention.

The good news is that, in the case of the Honda CVT, the fix is often pretty simple. That’s because these problems in a Honda usually point to nothing more involved than changing the contaminated transmission fluid. For the record, the experts reckon that changing the fluid in your Honda CVT every 40,000km at the outside is the way to go, and should keep any problems at bay.

As far as the engine goes, the Civic’s turbocharged four-cylinder seems to follow Honda tradition by being remarkably reliable. However, it’s worth remembering that this is a high-tech unit and requires careful servicing if it’s to remain so. Make sure any second-hand Civic has a full and complete service history as part of the deal.