Honda Problems

I expect the extra connectors are for the auto transmission cooler, in which case there’s no need to block them off. The cooler is sealed off from the coolant in the radiator and there is no transmission fluid to run through them.

From the photos you supplied it would seem that the wear is extreme for a car that's just six years old, but because it is that old and well out of warranty I would think you would have little chance of success in getting Honda to help with the cost of repairs.

Your report is not the only one of rapid wear and warping of the rotors, but carmakers regard the wear as normal wear and tear. All brakes wear, so you have to determine if the wear on your car is indeed “normal” or something more. Certainly at 30,000 km you would appear to have a case.

It's not unusual today to see rear brakes wearing faster than the fronts. There's nothing wrong with the brakes as such. Our brake specialist Howard Reynolds of Race Brakes says it is quite common on some Japanese and European cars, and appears to be a result of manufacturers trying to extract as much braking power from the rear brakes as they can. It seems to be worse in low speed city driving and appears at about the kays your car has done.

The first step is to service the transmission and change the oil, which appears to fix some, but with others the solution is to replace the transmission as was done on your car.

I understand that Honda has doubled the warranty on the CVT transmission because of problems like your daughter has experienced. At least one other owner I am aware of has had the CVT transmission replaced free of charge. I would approach Honda directly and ask for assistance with this problem.

The recommended belt service interval is 80,000-100,000 km. If it hasn't been done before it certainly needs to be done. At the same time mechanics often recommend changing the water pump as the tension of the new belt on the old water pump can cause the bearings in the   water pump to fail. The cost to do the service is around $500, but can be up to $800 if you also do the water pump.

It's not possible to say without actually seeing a detailed quote of what the dealer proposed to do, but you could do that if you had such a quote. It's hard to justify a difference of that amount, but I would guess he would charge you a substantially higher labour rate and a higher price for the parts. Even with all of that it's hard to justify the difference, and it further underlines the need to have a detailed written quote for work to be performed and it justifies the use of independent specialists who are often factory trained anyway.

No, it should remember your driving style and start off again normally. If it shifts in an odd way then take it to a dealer and have it checked, but it’s most unlikely that you will do any damage to the transmission.

The CVT transmission needs servicing at the very least, and replacing at the worst. We have had a handful of reports of troubles with this transmission and Honda has come to the party to help some owners with the cost of repairs. Have your dealer check it out.