There's not much new to say about the Civic GX - it still runs like a top, albeit one that's a bit slow to wind up; hasn't given us any trouble and except for a little body work after a fender-bender hasn't been in the shop other than for oil changes and one brake job (a problem with Civics).
The first major service isn't scheduled until 100,000 miles - that's about 67,000 miles from now - and I've every reason to believe it will get there just fine.
Not sure about its home fueling companion, though.
Our Phill is about 25 percent through its apparently artificial lifespan of 6,000 hours.
The installer pointed this out to me when he hung the unit on the garage wall: FuelMaker programmed the software to shut the system down at 6,000 hours to ensure that nothing bad would happen - and, probably, to make a little more money as the approved route was to ship it back to FuelMaker for a $2,000 rebuild.
FuelMaker's gone now, and a new company - Fuel System Solutions - has taken over, promising to continue making home units and repairing Phills.
We don't know yet how FSS is going to handle stuff, but we're hoping that its installers and repair people will be allowed to reprogram the thing so that it keeps running as long as its parts allow.
I ran the "hours of service" check this morning - for the first time - and found that our Phill has somewhere between 1,500 and 1,749 hours on its clock (instrumentation is minimal, just a set of lights that come on in a coded sequence to tell you the range of hours that the pump's been operating.
If anyone at Fuel System Solutions is listening: put a real clock on the new units, please, along with a gauge that records how much natural gas flows through. The lack of either is a big flaw on the present model.
Back to the Civic GX - I haven't been driving it much lately because I've been working from home for a bit and haven't been commuting.
But I'm headed to the airport in the morning and unlike the other 50,000 or so people who'll be crowding the freeway about then, I'm looking forward to the drive - CNG cars here in California are considered "Clean Air Cars" because of their very low emissions and for that reason get a single-occupancy carpool lane pass.
John O'Dell, Senior Editor, Green Car Advisor
gdmstrb says:
07:46 PM, 07/28/09
John does the state of CA still issue "Access OK" stickers. I was under the impression that they did not anymore (but could be transfered).
I applaud Honda for continuing to offer the Civic GX, but on the flip side of that it seems as if this technology is a hassle.
jaxonll says:
08:15 PM, 07/28/09
Honda Civic Sedan. When you say Honda, the next word that likely comes to mind is Civic. After more than 30 years on the market, the Honda Civic continues to impress with its blend of high fuel economy, legendary reliability and class-leading resale values.
With a sleek, angular new body and a high-tech interior, the Civic Sedan visually distinguishes itself from the competition. A combination of value and good looks, the Honda Civic Sedan continues to be the standard by which compact cars are measured.
See: http://tinyurl.com/n7x48b
hybris says:
08:22 PM, 07/28/09
I still think it has less personality than a cubic foot of tofu. But the fact that its been so reliable is commendable.
jerome81 says:
09:13 PM, 07/28/09
I can't believe Honda STILL puts such brakes on their cars. I had a 1991 Accord that would warp rotors the second you touched the pedal.
It just amazes me they don't put just slightly better brakes on their cars.
dougtheeng says:
05:45 AM, 07/29/09
Given the cost of repairing that unit, I'm not sure I find the idea of home-natural gas filling to be very appealing. $2000????
kingfish4 says:
05:56 AM, 07/29/09
jaxonll-It appears that you have been brainwashed.
The first Honda Civics were noted for several attributes, and reliability was certainly not one of them. The infamous CVCC engine that blew head gaskets like popcorn, and combined with the 3 valve head made rebuilding next to impossible. The famous 3 bbl carb, that confounded mechanics the world over, that also proved to be unserviceable. Then there was the body rust, in which the fenders would simply dissolve. And not to mention the brakes, which had a tendency to corrrode and cause the calipers to seize. And, if you were really a glutton for punishment, you got the infamous Hondamatic 2 speed transmission, that, when the torque converter failed, left you with a 0 speed automatic.
I know an employee with Honda and his first assignment was to grab fenders and head gaskets and give them to anyone that asked.
ckk2 says:
06:54 AM, 07/29/09
I'm in love with the idea of CNG cars but the implementation so far has been preposterous.
bodyblue says:
10:40 AM, 07/29/09
Interesting point kingfish........Some people nowdays believe the tripe that all imported cars were always wonderful and all domestics were garbage...... may they arent old enough to remember gems like the Datsun 210 Honey Bee in Barf Yellow or the Toyota Starlet or early 70's Dodge Colts...complete throw away cars. Even fun and interesting cars like the 240Z rusting into dust in your driveway.
John O'Dell replied to comment from gdmstrb
11:21 PM, 08/ 1/09
CA doesn't issue "Access OK" stickers for hybrids any longer, but the rare EV or Fule Cell car and a bunch of CNG cars and trucks still get them (check http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm) - not for fuel economy - the rationale for the hybrid stickers - but because they are clean emission cars. Don't forget the original reason for carpool lanes, an adjunct to easing congestion, was that by keeping traffic moving and reducing the number of cars on the road, they help clean the air. EVs and CNG got a pass on the multiple occupancy issue because their emissions (none from the tailpipe in the case of the EV) are so much cleaner than gasoline and diesel ICEs.