The Civic Takes a Turn

October 31, 2017 2:34 pm

Back in July I wrote about my Honda Civic being 10 years old and going strong with no major issues.  That apparently was a catalyst for trouble.

In September my cruise-control switch assembly failed.  I use the cruise control constantly, so that was annoying.  I found the part on Amazon and managed to replace it myself with only a little trouble.  I stripped (about 80%) one of the mounting bolts that holds the airbag assembly to the steering wheel and only barely managed to get it removed.  So I popped over to the dealer (in the van) to get a replacement bolt.  And I was back in business.  Total cost ~$50 and a Saturday morning.  Not too bad.

But, over the past couple of months I started having trouble starting the car, but only occasionally.  Then it started happening more often.  Then I realized it seemed to have the most trouble trying to restart when the engine was already hot.  Once it was running it was great, so I figured it probably wasn't the battery or alternator.  I could hear the fuel pump running, so I figured that made it less likely to be the culprit.  My guess was on the starter.  The first shop I took it to that had good reviews wanted $65 just to diagnose if it was the alternator or not.  So I took it to a parts store and they tested the battery and alternator for me and said they were fine.  They also said the starter was fine.  But they were wrong.

Over the weekend I was talking with Jess to figure when this week would be least inconvenient to drop it at the shop (a different shop, recommended by a co-worker) to be diagnosed and fixed.  A discussion which became moot when I tried to go to work Monday morning and it wouldn't start at all.  So then I had to pay for a tow truck to take it to the shop ($90).  The shop called today to say it needs a starter  for $403.  Ouch.  The price is mostly labor because it's apparently a complete pain to get at the starter.

Here's hoping that's all it needs for another few years.

One thought on “The Civic Takes a Turn”

  1. That is disappointing. Meanwhile the old Corolla we bought as a used missionary car keeps chugging along. Mollie just got it inspected today and it passed. Not sure whether she was referring to safety inspection or emissions, but it's 15 years old and just keeps going. (knock on wood)

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