I bought a new 2008 HCH (Magnetic Pearl) on November 7. I live alone, and so I don't need a great deal of passenger or cargo room. I find that the HCH has enough room for me and my relatively long legs. I like the idea of saving on gas, but I especially like the idea of cleaner emissions. After some 1500 miles of driving so far, my overall mpg is around 46. Considering that it is new, and that the weather is getting colder here in Maine (mpg for any vehicle drops by 10-15% in winter here), I'm pleased. The car is comfortable enough for my needs.

However...

Ten days after I bought the car, the "check engine" light came on. When I was able to bring it into my Honda dealer, they said that it was a bad O2 sensor. They ordered a new one for me, and I can have it installed next Wednesday. I've had Hondas before, and have always been impressed by their reliability. Having a problem with a new vehicle, however, is a bit disconcerting! Is this a problem with the HCH, or with Civics in general? I'm hoping that replacing the sensor will solve the problem.

 

First off welcome to GreenHybrid and congrats on your new HCH!! Great job on FE 46 mpg is pretty amazing for a new car in the winter.

I do not blame you for being skeptical about the o2 sensor. It is never good when something on a brand new car goes bad. However, this is not a major issue with civics and you just got unlucky. Hopefully this problem will not reoccur.

Good luck and enjoy your new HCH!

 

If stuff is gonna fail it is gonna do it in the first few months. After all the infant mortality issues get sorted out, the car will be fine.

Don't worry, after all it is just a machine.

 

This is simply a brief follow-up. I had my HCH in to the Honda dealership yesterday, and the O2 sensor was replaced. So far, after some 125 miles of driving, the check engine light has not come back on. So far, so good!

 

Glad to hear! Good luck with your new HCHII and please continue to be an active member of GH!

 

It's likely it was simply a bad sensor in manufacture. When they build tens of thousands of the things, sounds like you got the unfortunate one that sucked. Hopefully no more problems.

cheers --
doug