I just had to put the page break in there, somewhere.
I purchased a 2006 Honda Civic and loved the vehicle right up until I went over a speed bump now the car is NOT the same and I am so frustrated and heartbroken. I went over a speed bump this month and as soon as I went over it there was a horrible grinding noise that appeared to be coming from the sterring rack. Then to my horror, the car was NOT in Drive but somehow, having gone over the bump caused the vehicle to go into Neutral. When I tried to steer, the wheel did NOT have the tightness but rather was very loose! The steering would not go in the direction that I wanted it to. Immediately, I put the car in Park turned the ignition off and just sat in shock. My car is only 3 years old and it only has 18,400.00 klm on it. I thought to myself, how can this be happening? I haven’t had a problem before! The very next day, I took it in to the Honda dealership. They had it on the rack and also took it out for a test drive. The service person who took all my information looked into the computer and said I have the extended warranty for 5 years and this should be covered. It was a relieve to have the 5 years. However, the service guy told me that they can’t find anything wrong with my vehicle. I can’t believe that! I again was in shock! I know I am NOT loosing my mind! The car slipped into Neutral from Drive and a horrible loud griding noise from the sterring wheel could be heard OVER MY MUSIC! The steering wheel would not turn in the direction I wanted it too. I explained to the service guy what I had experienced from the car and that there is something terribly wrong and what I went through with this car is NOT NORMAL! The serviceman said there is nothing more that they can do for me! I asked what was done to the car. He said the mechanic looked at the brake line and all underneath the vehicle and that they went on a test drive with it and it appears to be FINE! At this point, I did’nt know what to do. In shock, frustrated and very upset, I drove home. The steering was way off! I had to oversteer just to do a basic right and left turn. Before the speed bump incident that was NOT THE CASE! I can differentiate between tight steering and a loose steering wheel. The steering wheel does not sit in center nor does it go back smoothing. Instead, it goes back in increments as if something is caught, broken, holding it. I have to bring the wheel back myself. Yet, I am NOT a MECHANIC and the mechanic and staff can’t see the problem. I can’t help but ask myself if I didn’t have the extended warranty would they be able to find the problem, fix it and how much $$$$ would I be out of pocket?
Due to it being late in the day while going home, I thought the next day I would call another dealership and get a second opinion! I phoned another dealership. The person said that the steering rack is binding up to have Honda check the subframe because it may be out of wack due to the speed bump. I am at the Honda dealership and told the same service person who looked after me the other day what the other dealership said. He said they don’t need to check the subframe because I need to be in big accident for the subframe to go out of wack. I stated, that the speed bump caused my car to go OUT OF WACK! and isn’t that a reason enough. He looked at me like I am stupid! He kept shaking his head no it is not the subframe. What can I say at this point? Is the other guy wrong and this one right? How do I know. I let it go and said nothing. The service guy said lets take it for a test drive. I drove and make the basic right and left turns and the steering wheel kept going back in increments and not smoothing like it did. The tightness was not there at all. As if I am not frustrated enough having this happen to me. A car that I loved so much and the best feature that I loved was the tightness on the steering. The serviceman could NOT SEE A PROBLEM! He looked and said it appears fine to him! Fine to him? The car is not FINE! The more he said it appears fine the more frustrated and upset I got! I was showing him the wheel how it doesn’t go back smoothly and he said he doesn’t see it! We switched seats and he drove the car. He made some turns and then did some “donut turns” and said the car appears fine. I told him that I don’t do “donut turns” but just doing basic turns the steering wheel has to be brought back. I saw him bring the wheel back a few times on his basic turns and immediately pointed it out to him. He said that is all normal. I asked him if he can’t feel the steering loose and he said he can’t. I kept telling him that I am so frustrated that no one from Honda can see or find the problem. He then said no one knows your vehicle better than you. That is the most and only intelligent thing that he said. We went back to the Honda dealership and he had the manager come out and speak with me. The manager sits on the passenger side of my vehicle and he is ready for me to take him on a test drive. Before I drove off, I explained all over again the problem my car has been giving me since the speed bump incident. He listened then said that we should forgo the test drive but that he will have the mechanic hoist the car and check the alighment and that should return the wheel to normal. My car is returned to me and the serviceman stated that the alignment was way off for some reason on the left side. They fixed it and everything should be fine. I should give the car one more day and see what I thing and get back to them. I didn’t need ONE WHOLE DAY! Just the drive back home, was an indication in itself that my car is not back to normal. The steering wheel doesn’t even sit centred, it is off a bit. The tightness is GONE! I have to oversteer when doing the turns. Getting into my driveway is an effort in itself. Before, all I needed was to turn the wheel slightly and it cooperated. The best feature of my car that I was hooked on and loved was the tight steering and now I don’t have it. What do I do? The so called experts don’t know what is wrong with it! Do I take it in to another dealership? Do I wait after my warranty is over and then get the problem looked at? I waited one day and phoned Honda back and I spoke to the manager. He assured he that he “signed off” on the vehicle meaning that he finds it safe to drive. I explained to him that having a relatively new car with a few kilm that it is not normal for it to act up and slip out of gear all on its own and for a loud grinding noise come out of the steering rack and now to have loose steering. How can this be normal? He said that he has done all that he can do. I asked him what would happen if my warranty expires and then the problem shows itself, would it be covered? He said that would be up to the Dealership and they would decide. I asked shocked, it wouldn’t be a definate yes? He said no, it is up to them! I don’t know what to do! On one hand, I feel silly making a big fuss about this and on the other hand, I am very concerned for my safety! If I go over a bad pot hole and I am surrounded by traffic, will the car slip gears again? Could there be a flaw in the workmanship? The steering, do I put up with loose steering? I paid for the extended warranty and at this point I feel lost, frustrated and upset! Does anyone out there know what is wrong with my car? Has anyone had a similar incident? I would really like to hear from someone because right now, I just don’t know what to do!
Wow. What are these paragraphs that you speak of?
“I just don’t know what to do!”
I bet that happens frequently. Try Paxil.
If he/she explains to service the way he/she writes this note, no wonder no one is listening to him/her. I would blank out after the first 5 lines…
Apparently this person thought all Hondas are perfect…forever – sorry but they are NOT! With 5 years warranty, I doubt he/she will run out before the real problem manifests.
If he/she is really freaked out – which appears to be the case – I would drop a few bucks and go to an independent front end shop or garage and see what they can diagnose.
And STFU – sheesh.
“I purchased a 2006 Honda Civic and loved the vehicle right up until…”
That’s the problem right there. You purchased the vehicle. You should have stolen it. Now you could walk away from it and feel no remorse.
Until then, go find another mechanic.
“…I just don’t know what to do!”
Act all hysterical like a little girl with everyone that you can think of.
PS: Are you also a Corvette owner?
I just don’t know what to do!
Start by taking a deep breath. If that doesn’t work, try adjusting your meds.
He looked at me like I am stupid!
Gonna guess not your first time being looked at as such.
In all seriousness, the last email I got like this was from a deranged, upset sister. When I called her the next day to try and help her with her issue, told me she was over her problem. She got worked into a frenzy because a contractor got some wall paint onto the ceiling.
Have you taken the vehicle to another Honda dealership? You mentioned kilometers, leading me to believe that you are in Canada. My experience with Honda Canada’s roadside assistance has been excellent. They advised me that they would tow my vehicle to my closest dealership, or the dealership that I got my car from, if it was within 100 kilometers. (I had a small issue with my manual shifter not wanting to go to the left side of the shift pattern.)
Anyway. Call Honda Roadside, and see if they’ll help you get to another dealership. ALSO: There is a Honda Canada Customer Service number. They’re a very good starting point as well.
Good luck!
Coulda had a Tahoe!
My car is only 3 years old and it only has 18,400.00 klm
This is the problem right here: The post is in metric. Convert it into English standards, and I’m sure it will be better.
Oh, wow. Where to start?
Take it to another dealership? If you’re not satisfied that the one you took it to is right, then hell yes, take it to a different one.
Has the tansmission slipped out of gear since the speed bump? Most auto shifters can easily be knocked from D to N without pressing the button on the lever, you could have inadvertently knocked it into neutral. It happens.
Your steering wheel will not always return to center after a turn, it’s not supposed to. You must actually interact with the controls as you drive. It’s part of the process. And on sloped roads, your steering wheel may not be on center even though you’re going straight. An alignment is set with the car sitting level. Roads are never 100% flat. EVER. Also, if you hit a speed bump hard enough to damage your steering gear and knock your car out of alignment, then you’re driving too damn fast in the parking lot! Slow the hell down!
Dealerships get paid to work on your car under warranty. Hell, we love extended warranties because many of them give customer pay rates, and we don’t have to worry about having the customer come out of pocket for it. It’s cut and dried. We fix the car, they pay us, and the customer is happy. Any dealership that waits for your extended warranty to expire is letting money walk out the door, and I know few that would allow that to happen. Especially in this day and age.
Lastly, please remind me again, what was it that you loved most about that car?
Who’s to blame dealers to be grumpy sometimes, when they have to face that….?
I’m with Craigbear on this one.
Whoever this is needs to sit back and pour themselves a nice hot cup of shut the f*ck up.
I have to oversteer when doing the turns.
If you have to induce oversteer to do a normal turn, then you have more problems than loose steering.
Karma lives!
Get a second opinion. On the car, of course :).
BTW, how fast where you going when cresting that speed bump?
1) How fast were you going to hit that speed bump to cause the transmission to shift into neutral? (unless of course your hand inadvertently knocked it out of drive…it happens)
2) If the other dealership mentioned the subframe why not just take the car to the OTHER dealership to have them look at it?
3) Find a front end shop and have them take a look.
4) Really?
I can understand your frustration with car dealers. I had issues on a different front with service at a honda dealer. I owned a 92 two door ex accord. The trunk would leak when it rained. I went to the dealership looking for answers and they gave me the run around. I gave up after the third trip. I think it was leaking from the opt. factory wing. I believe that it had become loose from the trunk lid and allowed water in through the bolt holes. I sold the car not to long afterwards to joe schmoe.
The writer is a woman?
I would take the car to an independent mechanic and get it diagnosed correctly. I would guess that a steering or suspension component was damaged by going over the speed bump too fast. The speed bump performed admirably. For the other problems I would copy the entire narrative into Microsoft Word, pick Tools then Spelling and Grammar and correct all of the spelling and grammar mistakes before sending future posts out. That way you won’t be treated like an idiot by the commentators.
Look around for someone else with the same vehicle. They sold tons of them. Hopefully it will be someone you know well enough to let you drive theirs and see what you find. Or test drive a new one, it should be the same as the ’06 and will give you a point of comparison.
I also think you might have knocked it into reverse going over that bump…it would explain a lot.
>>>the last email I got like this was from a deranged, upset sister. When I called her the next day to try and help her with her issue, told me she was over her problem. She got worked into a frenzy because a contractor got some wall paint onto the ceiling.<<<
It’s good to know that I am not the only that gets emails (and phone calls) like that. I am on day 3 of a stream of emails of that nature.
Someone needs to take a chill pill. I couldn’t get past all of the exclamation marks!
A real ‘car guy’ helps people solve their car problems…
If you can hear something over your music, then you may have a problem.
If Canada, if Montreal, second opinion available.
http://www.baileycar.com
Jesus, I have a headache from reading all that.
You need to calm down, wait a couple days, and take it to another dealership.
LOL, hysterical valley-girl speak isn’t limited to America.
1) take the car to a different dealer, this one wont fix anything
2) automatic cars can almost always be ‘shifted’ from drive to neutral. Its just the way it works.
I had a friend who freaked him self out on the freeway, because he stuck a cup of coffe next to the shift lever, and pushed it to neutral, engine rpm’s shoot up, he starts slowing down.
Funny story because he knew that could happen.
AFAIK no “extended warranty” is going to cover damage to the car caused by hitting a speed bump too fast.
As mentioned already, take it on your own dime somewhere else. If they find something wrong with it, submit a claim to your insurance company.
…and speaking of nutjob dealer customers, we had a customer that wanted to buy a bottle of touch up paint, but she refused to touch it. She was convinced that it would poison her if she touched the bottle. Couldn’t figure out how to get it home (let alone use it). She spent 2weeks just about every day standing in the parts department for most of the day, staring off into space, occasionally asking a counter person how she could get her touch up paint home.
She wouldn’t leave, cops said they couldn’t do anything unless she threatened someone. Found out her husband recently passed away and she had no other family. She finally stopped coming in, hope she got some help.
Where the hell are your sympathies? This person is clearly frustrated that a professional mechanic is unable to diagnose the source of her car’s troubles. And here we are berating this person because they’re expessive in their frustrations. This is a Honda, for god’s sakes, not a cavalier!
I suggest this person take their car to another dealer and never go back to this first dealer. I also suggest writing a letter to American Honda about your experience. Hopefully they can get this problem sorted out.
I own three Honda Civics and live in New Jersey, the pothole capital of the whole world. Some of our roads look like the highway to Baghdad. I have never had a Civic slip out of gear going over a speed bump and my regular highway bumps are way worse than anything the person posting here has encountered. Sorry, but I’m confused by this post.
OK, it has to be said:
If you hit the speed bump hard enough to cause that head injury, it probably also did some damage to the car.
By all means, take it to another dealership. I understand that’s sometimes hard if you live in a very rural area, but it’s clear you’re not going to get the results you want from this one.
Next, calm down. Service managers and mechanics are (generally) logical, rational people. They want specific information about a problem and then they want to go fix it. They don’t care why you like the car so much (I think you mentioned that somewhere) or how upset you are. Just the facts, sir/ma’am.
While you’re at the dealership, take a drive in another Civic of roughly the same vintage, if available. See how they compare, and bring the service guy along to demonstrate the differences. Again, facts and quantifiable differences are very valuable to the people trying to fix your car.
As an unqualified repair guy, it seems to me like maybe you’ve got a belt off a pulley or a bad power steering pump. A good way to explain the symptom would be to say that turning the wheel takes a lot more effort than it used to. The “stepping” behavior when turning the wheel also would indicate a bad pump.
The main thing to remember here is that you’ve got a car under warranty and a Honda dealership should be very willing to help you solve your problem. They get paid for that work, and it’s nice to get paid for things…trust me. But if you’re overly emotional or difficult to deal with, then it’s going to be a lot more difficult, time-consuming, and frustrating to get that same amount of money.
Eventually, it gets to the point where dealing with you is not worth the income that fixing your car will generate. Once you’ve crossed that point, their main goal becomes getting you to leave as quickly as possible because you’re taking up too much time and energy.
It sounds like you may have crossed that line with your dealership already. If so, you’re not going to make any further progress there. Take your car somewhere else and try to make a good first impression. You might find that you get better results.
Good luck, and try to find your happy place.
I have an ’04 civic and occasionally hit speed bumps at speed. Still as good as it was when new.
Find a flat smooth surface and check the steering. Still farked? Then take it to a local specialised shop. Someone should be able to sort it out.
Hey isn’t there a no flaming policy in these comment sections, allegedly? All these comments to the OP suggesting s/he adjust their meds, see a shrink, STFU, etc., are pretty insulting and offensive, IMHO.
Someone has a car problem and thought highly enough of the people here to ask for a little help. Having a formatting problem and being upset because your car is messed up are no reason to be flamed for.
When someone is begging in every way possible for medical advice, then it can’t be called flaming.
Wow.
That person’s English teacher would be so proud.
If that rubbish came into the Piston Slap inbox, it’d head straight to the trash can.
@dougjp: Your retort made me laugh, sir. I give up. See you in hell. LOL
Look at all the comments! The solution? Give this person a regular TTAC column, immediately. Weekly at the very most, to build the anticipation.
Then tell Puthuff he has to proof every one of them.
How is hitting shit hard enough to bend something a warranty issue?
Once it becomes clear the repairs have to be paid for the feeling will have much less urgency.
Or call the insurance company and see if they cover road hazards. LOL.
Wow-two whiny used Honda owner columns in two days.
Are you starting to see the trend here?!
Wow. Several smug and condescending comments equating the writing style to mental instability. That’s not what I expect from the Best and Brightest. Think about it for a moment. If the author had purchased and driven a GM or Chrysler product the B&B would have been excoriating the dealer, not the author
EDIT – what am I saying? You would have also torn him/her a new one for buying a GM or Chrysler
I get emails at work similar in style to this one all the time. Sometimes it turns out that some operating platforms don’t translate word processing files as well as others. Really, the only fault I had with the text (NOT the contents) was the lack of paragraphs. There’s lots of punctuation marks, and yes some errors, but who of the best amongst us are not immune to the occasional spelling or grammatical error?
To the originator of the email, fist thing to do is check out another Honda service department. If they offer no relief, then as others have suggested contact an independant repair shop. Another fine suggestion was to test a similar vintage Civic to see if the symptoms in your car are particular to just yours, or whether they all feel different.
One caution, however. If you were driving fast enough for a speed bump to knock your car out of drive, perhaps your driving style is too hoonerish, and you should consider driving less recklessly. I’ve hit speed bumps at 15 to 18 MPH and not done anything more than bounced in my seat. If you hit a speed bump that hard in a Civic, I reckon you must have been doing northwards of 25 MPH, and if that’s the case, well then, that’s f’ing Karma.
I don’t see the point of making fun of the person. They are obviously very upset, understandably so. Maybe the reaction is beyond the first standard deviation (or maybe not–has anyone done an RCT?), but so what? Making fun of peoples’ feelings is rather juvenile. I would add that to the list of things to be moderated.
cliffs notes?
I’m not as flagrant a violator as the writer-inner, but:
“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.”
~Thomas Jefferson
Ironic that Jefferson could have said “The most valuable talent is…” then. :)
I agree with most of the other posters. Seek another dealer or independent repair garage to check out the damage.
This damage won’t be a warranty claim. Impact damage is covered by your insurance as a collision claim. Hitting a speed bump will be deemed to be an at-fault accident and have commensurate effects on your rates. Of course, you can also pay it out of pocket to avoid making a claim and changing your premiums in future.
@David Holzman (and others)
It’s funny primarily because she made so many wrong decisions. (I’m assuming it’s a she just because I’m sexist and too lazy to write gender-neutral language.)
1.) She ran over a speed bump at 25+ MPH (which is illegal, mind you).
2.) She didn’t buy the car because of quality craftsmanship, necessary features, or a good deal – she bought it because it has tight steering. That’s it.
3.) She had to say “I am NOT losing my mind!” (Tip: when you have to say this, take a step back and actually think, “Am I really that out of my mind to have to reassure people that I’m not a crazy loon?”)
4.) The whole organization of the thing is mindbogglingly hilarious, as is the grammar issues and blatant use of the exclamation symbol.
5.) She believes that the entire internet actually cares about helping her fix her car.
6.) She wrote so much that most people would just respond with “tl;dr” and help someone else with less “I deserve help because I know that driving over a speed bump at illegal and dangerous speeds was NOT my fault”-ism.
7.) She thinks that anyone at TTAC would read this, think “Hey, this person needs serious help with fixing her fine automobile” and proceed to help.
8.) She thinks that the dealer warranty would actually cover damage as a result of an accident.
Here’s my advice:
– Take the car to a different dealer. The one you’re working with honestly doesn’t care about your satisfaction anymore. Hell, take it to any reputable mechanic.
– Do not screw around with the details, just flat-out say “the steering has become too loose due to an accident, and I want it tightened.” If they can’t tighten it (or they skirt around the problem), leave immediately and go somewhere else.
– Seek psychiatric help.
1) Switch! to decaf!!! Now!
3) Get an alignment! LIKE! NOW!
Maybe he was typing on a Phone?
anyway my favorite quote is
“The best feature of my car that I was hooked on and loved was the tight steering and now I don’t have it. What do I do?
well what you do, since as it seems your Honda dealer in in denial is go to an independent, known to be honest repair shop. if warranty wont cover, i have a feeling your insurance should cover accidental damage, since an unexpected, unmarked speed bump would be categorized under accidental, because that speed bump you talk of should have been unmarked and unexpected for you to go over at a speed that would knock your Civic into steering disobedience.
my comment on the lack of paragraphs and grammatical mistakes is that they shouldn’t be criticized, it’s very obvious that it’s very emotional and follows a P***ed off line of thought, and anyway it’s not like he’s writing to the truth about grammar,,,,it’s about cars lighten up…