The Civic GX works fine, but there are some frustrations when you're driving a car that requires specially trained repair people and special fueling equipment that comes from a sole source.
Mostly it boils down to time – time spent waiting.
Two cases in point are the ongoing saga of our Phill home natural gas fueling unit, and a recent recall to install a thermal insulator between the fuel tank and the back seat.
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We waited.
On Jan. 31 we got an e-mail letting us know that the Phill finally was being shipped to the only installer in our area, a Southern California plumbing company called Dr. Drain.
We waited.
It was supposed to take five to seven working days to get the unit from FuelMaker to the good doctor. That should have had the Pill arriving by Feb. 12, so installation was tentatively set for Feb. 15. Dr. Drain told us on Feb. 19 that the thing had just landed at his shop.
We're still waiting, with Feb. 26 the new tentative installation date.Â
As for the recall, well, we got the notice back on Dec. 17, nicely worded so as not to scare us, but basically cautioning that if we had a big fire in the rear seating area of the GX, the heat could cause the fuel tank to make like a rocket.
We couldn't do anything right away, though, because Honda told us that the part needed to fix things wasn't available yet.
We waited.
A letter arrived in mid January telling us the fix-it part was now available. (Good thing no one tried to have a backseat barbecue in the interim).
Mike Magrath, Edmunds' vehicle testing assistant, called a local Honda dealer to order the part.
Then we waited.
About two weeks later, the dealer's parts department called to say the part had arrived. So Magrath called the service department to schedule an appointment and was told that, sorry, that dealership wasn't authorized to work on the GX fuel system, which required specially trained service personnel.
No explanation was offered as to why they didn't tell us that when we ordered the part, Magrath says, adding that he encountered the same disconnect between parts and service (yes, we can order the part, no, we can't install it) at another area dealership before being told there was only one in all of the sprawling Los Angeles-Orange County area authorized to do the repair.
We finally got the fix done on Feb.8 and are happy to report that a) the work was done quickly and, so far as we know, properly, and b) the fuel tank is still attached to the car.
John O'Dell, Senior Editor, Green Car Advisor @ 11,822 miles
zach101 says:
09:39 PM, 02/22/08
No fires in the back seat?! What's next, no J-turns in the G??? ;)
banhugh says:
07:19 PM, 02/24/08
it sounds like it took almost as much time as reaching 60mph from full stop. Seriously now, what is the mpg of equivalent oil that you get? Are there any money or C02 emission savings compared to Prius?
z479 says:
10:39 AM, 02/25/08
As I've been saying Everyone buy a Toyota Camry!!
redliner says:
03:20 PM, 02/25/08
not just any Camry, a Camry SE. Can you say SPOOOOOORTY!
firstwagon says:
04:27 PM, 02/25/08
"As I've been saying Everyone buy a Toyota Camry!!"
Why?
stephen987 says:
02:38 AM, 02/26/08
What, exactly, does the Camry reference have to do with the Civic GX?
pazbien says:
03:50 PM, 02/26/08
z479 is a stupid high schooler that gets home and has to come on edmunds to make everyone buy a Toyota Camry just like his dad's. The camry is a POS please don't post some crap about the camry on a civic blog. Even the 1.8L 140HP Civic can beat a 4 cylinder camry in 0-60 and in handling. Stupid toyota fanboys, what are you trying to do? rival the GM fanboys just like toyota is rivaling Gm?
firstwagon says:
08:29 PM, 02/28/08
pazbien
are you even in high school yet?
winky1 says:
10:37 AM, 03/ 3/08
Correct me if I am wrong, but there are a couple dealerships in the area that can service the GX. Scott Robinson in Torrance and Honda of Hollywood. A problem is that dealerships train techs to service the GX, then they leave the dealership. If you buy a GX in socal, I suggest you live near Scott Robinson. In response to one of the comments below, another benefit of the car vs. the hybrid, you don't need to get it smogged.