04 Civic owners wanted for AC question

As reported earlier, on my new 04 Civic EX when I'm accelerating in 2nd and
3rd the AC compressor goes off and I get non-cold air until it hits 4 th
gear. Before I take this issue to the dealer I want to know if others have
noticed this.

If you live in a warm climate, would you put your hand over the vent,
accelerate through 2nd and 3rd and see if the air temp changes from cold to
'warm' and back to cold when you get into 4th?

I want some data before I take this up with Honda.

Please post here or reply off-list.

Thanks,

Al

 

One more note: I have the automatic trans. on the 2004 Civic EX.

 

it's normal. it's called compressor cut, they do it to provide more
power under acceleration. if it stayed on all the time people would
complain that they didn't have enough power under accel. the dealer
can't do much about this.
Chip

 

It does not happen on my wife's new Toyota Rav which has about the same size
engine. Nor did it happen on my 1990 Accord which I replaced with the Civic
last month.

Al

 

++++++++++++++++++

Al,

If you buy a used police car, it has the same feature.

You can have it COLd, or FAST, but not both. A/C uses something like 20%
of your engine's power, and that feature prevents the A/C from cutting
in while you're trying to pass a truck while climbing a hill with all
your family and gear loaded.

Isn't this explained in the owner's manual?

'Curly'

 

I posted this on your other thread you started, so I copied and pasted it
here as well...

I have finally found someone else who shares my dissapointment with their
2004 civic's air conditioning! Al, I live in Arizona, and let me tell you,
it is no picnic with this car's air conditioning when its 110 degrees
out.

I have taken my car into the Honda shop 3 times now, and every time they
tell me that the air is "normal" and they have also informed me that this
was built to blow warm air when accelerating while getting onto the
freeway.

Aside from that, there are times when it takes 15-20 minutes for my car to
cool down. That doesnt help me out when I have a short drive to the
grocery store, and a baby in the backseat.

Their solution to the problem? They tinted my windows
for free. While that is a nice gesture, and it does keep some of the heat
out, it doesn't help the actual air conditioner cooling off the car.

I have already called the Honda customer service center, to complain. That
is when they contacted my local dealership to have them tint my windows.

During a follow up phone call from the dealer, I went off on him telling
him I will never purchase another Honda again, nor will I keep this
vehicle to the end of the lease term which is 2.5 years away. I am
assuming he passed this message along to the customer service department
because they have not returned any of my phone calls. My next step is to
complain to the BBB about this. I refuse to pay $ for a car that I dont
even want to drive. The makers of this car should try driving it in the
middle of an Arizona summer, then maybe they will build a better air
conditioner...

A small update to this post I posted yesterday...

I called Honda Customer Service AGAIN today to speak with my case
manager's supervisor. Of course they wouldnt let me speak with them, but
they did leave them a message that the case manager was not returning my
phone calls.

I finally got a call back from my case manager. I told her that my AC
still sucks, and that I never would have purchased this particular vehicle
had I known the AC would be so bad. She basically told me that she cant
help any more when it comes to this issue if thats the way the
manufacturer built this car.

Aside from my AC sucking, I have also been having electrical failures
which they cannot seem to figure out either. Sooooo, I am taking it to
another dealership to have it looked at one more time. If they come back
and tell me that everything is normal, I will pursue these issues with the
Better Business Bureau, and if they don't resolve this, I will get a
lawyer. I have had it with this POS car, and I will not continue to pay
for it for the next 2 years.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you out!

Alie

 

Thanks for this info. I missed it the first time around.

If there is nothing that can be done to fix this problem at least I (we) have
the obligation to get the word out to the general public. I can help in doing
this as I own a book publishing company and I have a bit more access to the
media than the average person.

I believe that this 'feature' should have been disclosed to the prospective
buyer and while IANAL, it sounds like consumer fraud to me.

I want to get more 'testimonials" from other owners and then take the story to
the WSJ, NYT, Car/Driver, etc.

As for the car, I have title to mine and I'm already looking in the newspaper
ads for year-end deals... on other makes/models. Tomorrow I'm going to drive
a Toyota Carrola and see if it also shuts down the AC compressor when
accelerating.

Al Canton, President
Adams-Blake Company, Inc.
Fair Oaks, CA
http://www.adams-blake.com
http://jaya123.com

 

Al, I am glad this info helps! I have been searching for other people with
this problem, but you are the first person I have come across. I see that
you live in CA so you know how I feel when it's hotter than hell out here
and the AC is not functioning properly.

I definitely think they should have a disclosure about the crappy AC,
because I never would have bought this car if I knew it was going to cause
me so much grief.

I am going to do everything I can to get out of this lease, and into a
Toyota Corolla. My boyfriend's dad has one, and he loves it! No AC issues
whatsoever!

Keep me posted, and let me know if you need anything else!

 

Take a pill people...I have an 04 Civic and the A/C works great, and I think
it's a great idea to briefly cut the A/C while you're trying to accelerate.
With such a small and admiringly under-powered engine, it's good to know
that it's not going to kak trying to pass another vehicle on the streets or
highway. They need to use every "trick " they can to get every last bit of
power out of the engine, so good on you Honda for coming up with a
reasonable and acceptable compromise to achieve this. Again, I personally
find that the A/C works just fine, as long as you keep the temperature
setting all the way down(blue), and don't drive like a psycho rabbit! Keep a
nice constant speed, and you and the car will be as cool as a cucumber.

So why don't you call Honda and say you're sorry, and you now UNDERSTAND
that its actually a very good feature, and you can't wait to drive it to the
beach and show off what a cool little car it really is!!!

Cheers!
'gman'
PS Sorry for replying personally, I clicked the wrong button

 

they could buy a corolla, the engines rattle like hell, then
there's the famous toyota sludge problem. when you buy the low end
cars there will always be something to tick you off. buy a 6cyl
accord, you'd never notice compressor cut but it's there.....
Chip

 

Why wouldn't I notice it in a 6cyl Accord then in a 4 cyl Civic? Warm air is
warm air! If you put your hand on the vent you can easily feel the temp
change when going from 1st to 4th in the Civic (auto trans.)

Why would compressor cut even be necessary on a 6 cyl?

ANC

 

How much time and effort are you prepared to put into this? Think about
it, you get a few seconds of not-so-cold air when accelerating, how bad
can it be? My car ('94 Civic) does not have the A/C cut feature, and I
have contemplated implementing it. And yes, it gets hot here in
California.

 

How hard would it be to have the dealer turn off the AC cut "feature". That's
what I'd like done.... however I don't think they will do it. So basically
my goal is to just get Honda to acknowledge this "flaw" in their literature
so that other buyers won't get stung like I did. And if Honda won't do it,
maybe the major media will make mention of it.

As far as I'm concerned the car does not work to my specs. Besides the AC cut,
basically the damn car just does not have the cooling power to handle our 10
+ heat. I will sell it and buy something else that does.... not sure what,
but there are a lot of good deals out there on many different makes and
models. I'm sure there is a small car that is good on gas that is fun to
drive. I considered the Ford Focus (recalls and all) before the Civic so
maybe I'll give that another look. Or maybe I'll trade up to a 6-cyl Accord.
It all depends on what kind of a deal I can find when I go shopping.

Al

 

They probably can't do it, even if they are willing to. If it is
hard-coded in the ECU firmware, they would have to re-write that
firmware - ain't gonna happen. If it is a configurable option, they
likely would not be allowed to change it, tampering with emission
control systems etc.

Aside from the fact that Honda does not build cars to your specs, have
you test driven another, same model car to see if it is indeed a general
issue with the Civic, or if perhaps there is something wrong with your
car?

You probably are not too eager to pay for it, but you could try taking
the car to a place specializing in A/C systems. If they find something
wrong, and you have documentation that you tried to get Honda to fix it,
Honda may have to reimburse you.

 

Forgot to mention, back in '87 my girlfriend bought a new Civic.
Unbeknownst to me, the dealer put in an after-market A/C instead of a
Honda unit. It went back to the dealer (62 miles away) twice, and they
were not able to get it to work. She gave up and took it to an A/C
specialist. Didn't cost much, and it worked until she sold the car 7
years later.

 

Randolph wrote:

Of course I will FIRST take it back to my dealer for their analysis. What I
wanted to get first was some data of other folks with the same car in a 100+
degree climate so that I won't get a run-around from the service manager.

That's not a bad idea but I'll have to spend some time finding a reputable AC
shop. Worth a try... but I think I'll try the dealer first.

My guess is that what everyone else has said is correct. This IS the way the
car was designed and manufactured. So my best guess is that if it can't be
'tweeked' to give me a colder cabin, I'm going to unload the vehicle and get
something else... and I'll drive it on a hot day to make sure it meets my
climate control standards.

Al

 

Al,

Quick question-is your 04 Civic a 4 door with both front and side door
airbags?

Thanks

Alie

 

"> Why wouldn't I notice it in a 6cyl Accord then in a 4 cyl Civic?
Warm air is

because it happens at a very different rpm!! it's needed because
people want the power to be there when needed, and a/c compresser uses
around 20 hp.
it's still normal on the civics any way you look at it.
didn't you test drive the car first?
Chip

 

4 door EX but only front (dash) air bags.

-Al

 

Yes, but in Feb. when it was 47 degrees here! In the summer we can go days and
days of 100+. Thats the downside. The upside is that Sacramento does not get
earthquakes, tornadoes, or hurricanes.

I like the Civic and I feel I'm doing the right thing environmentally
(interesting for a conservative Republican!) but I feel that Honda should
have alerted me (i.e. people in warm climates) about this a/c 'feature.' Of
course, if they had, I would not have purchased the automobile so I
understand why they didn't. But in the long run they lose because I will tell
friends and colleagues... and they don't need that kind of bad publicity. The
car does not sell all that well as it is.

Al