The mother in law’s 2015 CRV lease is almost up and even though it is bland, boring , and gray, the price is nice and it’s been garaged and gently used the first 40,000 miles of it’s life. The Wife is contemplating it but wants to know if there are any known problems we should know about/have checked before we go ahead. I assume being a Honda it is fairly reliable and we should be able to service it ourselves but thought I’d ask if there’s anything to watch out for.
Apart from causing your soul to slowly wither away and die they're pretty trouble free.
It’s a K powered Honda. Add fuel and do oil changes.
Sonic
UltraDork
6/17/18 6:01 p.m.
It will run forever with basic maintenance. Seriously one of the best cars ever made for normal people.
APEowner said:
Apart from causing your soul to slowly wither away and die...
That’s the part we’re most afraid of. At least half the cars in the retirement community my MIL lives in are CRVs. It makes my Buick look fun. It’s the smart thing to do financially but the thought of it is tough for her to take. She wants to know if we can give it some kind of personality, maybe stripes or big knobby tires and a snorkel.
What if you get that and wrap it in a crazy color?
In reply to JamesMcD :
I’m going to call a friend for a price tomorrow.
Some have had a problem with the heater core. There should be a TSB.
I saw a Scion xb with family truckster wood grain wrap. It was sweet. Need pix of Wally's woody ASAP.
APEowner said:
Apart from causing your soul to slowly wither away and die they're pretty trouble free.
Rav4's do this.. CRV's are better driving cars.. It's sad, but true.
Not much help for you, but my ex has a really nice 2011 EX-L. It's a nice driving car and a remarkably decent place to spend time. It grew on me a lot more than I expected it to.
H&R lowering springs and your choice of wheels?
I just drove my Mother's CR-V with 114,000 miles on it. It is much dirtier inside than when new, but has the same ride and acceleration and solid feel to it. She has never had an issue with it, she changes the oil and gets it inspected.
Wally said:
APEowner said:
Apart from causing your soul to slowly wither away and die...
At least half the cars in the retirement community my MIL lives in are CRVs.
The other half are Subaru Outbacks, right?
In reply to minivan_racer :
I was actually looking for some lift and wide A/T tires. Might as well get a beach permit if I have AWD.
Among my family members there are four CRV's. People run into them all the friggin time. One is only a few weeks old, but the other three have been hit five or six times. This isn't useful information, but it's the thing that stands out to me about CRV's. They are comfy and they seem to last forever.
For a group that likes stupid old cop cars and rusty Jeeps, I suppose a CRV would seem a bit lame. Reliable, good resale value, decent looking...Who would want something like that?
lrrs
HalfDork
6/18/18 9:51 a.m.
spitfirebill said:
Some have had a problem with the heater core. There should be a TSB.
If you are in a cold climet, definatly check the heat in the driver's side vent compared to the passengers. It seems the hc gets partially blocked, and there is low or no coolant flow on the portion that the air flows through for the drivers side. The first part of the TSB helped some, the second part, replacing the hc if the first is not effective is about 1500 bucks last I checked. I had many drives to work with nearly warm heat to my hands and feet, and trips where I was going into hypothermia cause the gf on the pass side was melting.
We had a 2003 CRV that we sold to my brother in law a few years back. I think it is up to like 175k and has had almost zero problems. We put an AC compressor on it slightly before 100k if I remember correctly, but other than brake pads, tires and oil changes, it has needed nothing. It still looks good too. Now as to wether your soul will survive in tact, that's a different story, but they are excellent for basic transport that can carry things.
My wife had a 2014 CRV.
It is what it is. Respect it for that. It ain't macho. It is however, near perfection at traveling the miles and asking nothing in return.
Valerie's returned 33mpg over the years she drove it.
lrrs said:
spitfirebill said:
Some have had a problem with the heater core. There should be a TSB.
If you are in a cold climet, definatly check the heat in the driver's side vent compared to the passengers. It seems the hc gets partially blocked, and there is low or no coolant flow on the portion that the air flows through for the drivers side. The first part of the TSB helped some, the second part, replacing the hc if the first is not effective is about 1500 bucks last I checked. I had many drives to work with nearly warm heat to my hands and feet, and trips where I was going into hypothermia cause the gf on the pass side was melting.
Find someone with a Hecat flusher and pay him. They are a bit magic for most situations, and I've been wanting to try mine on one of those. Not just a CRV problem, either- Jeep, Matrix, Dodge pickup...I didn't own my Hecat when those were in the shop, sadly.
Vossen CV3 - Honda CRV by Ronaldo Stewart, on Flickr
My Wife's best friend leases CR-Vs, is on her 3rd now. I can attest to the above comment about how they attract knuckleheads. This current one has been hit twice in the parking lot, and a deer ran into the back door once. The last one got into 3 not-her-fault fender benders. I've done all the service on them, and really enjoy the occasional drive I get to take in them. Great value for what they are. Used ones hold up nicely. I think we have a total of 4 in our extended family. Haven't heard any complaints, major or minor.