2002 Honda CRV - Advice?

2002 Honda CRV - Advice?

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gman88667733

Original Poster:

1,192 posts

67 months

Saturday 27th July 2019
quotequote all
Went to see an 02 CRV petrol auto SE last night. It has done 92k miles. On the test drive when I gassed it, the EML came on and it spluttered a lot and seemed to go into limp mode, the fault code was a VTEC code of some sort. I checked the oil and it looked reasonably fresh, golden brown colour.
The garage have said that they will fix the issue and call us back to test again. So assuming they do, that's all OK.
My big question was, the accelerator pedal in both CRV's I have tried have been quite stiff, they needed to be pressed quite firmly, is that correct?

Also, the steering was quite heavy, compared to our 2003 Kia Sorrento which has ridiculously light steering. Again, is that just how they are?

The car overall was nice, all new tyres, quite clean and tidy. The folding table in the front didn't fold up all the way, but I expect that is an easy fix.

The engine ran really smoothly and the gearbox seemed to change fine, no clunks or whines that I noticed. I'd expect to take it on a very good long drive if we tested it again to make sure. Plus the air con works fully, which is a huge bonus...!

They want £2150 for it, but have said they will sell it to us for less given the hassle with the test drive. What realistically would be a good price? It has a full history up to 72k miles, but patchy after that. Last owner for 10 years and the garage have known it for that time.

Any advice or input?

Edited by gman88667733 on Saturday 27th July 08:44


Edited by gman88667733 on Saturday 27th July 08:53

LordHaveMurci

12,043 posts

169 months

Saturday 27th July 2019
quotequote all
My OH had a 2001 (I think) for just over a year, she liked it but it cost her over £1k in VTec repair costs & she lost faith in it & changed.

They are known to eat brakes so check them. Rear diffs can be noisy, just an oil change required I think.

There are several useful threads on here if you search for them.

gman88667733

Original Poster:

1,192 posts

67 months

Saturday 27th July 2019
quotequote all
What were the symptoms of the VTEC issues?

LordHaveMurci

12,043 posts

169 months

Saturday 27th July 2019
quotequote all
gman88667733 said:
What were the symptoms of the VTEC issues?
It was on going for a while but it went into limp mode & wouldn't rev over 3k which is quite an issue on a VTec motor!

To be honest she was unlucky, other than that, the brakes & a broken PAS pipe it was fault free in over 10k mls.

gman88667733

Original Poster:

1,192 posts

67 months

Saturday 27th July 2019
quotequote all
So assuming they sort the current issue and it revs freely and all the way, it should be ok? Obviously I'll try it a good few times

Poppiecock

943 posts

58 months

Saturday 27th July 2019
quotequote all
Find another car. This sounds like far too much hassle.

gman88667733

Original Poster:

1,192 posts

67 months

Saturday 27th July 2019
quotequote all
It's frustrating, it seems like a clean car and I'm looking to get one asap!

LordHaveMurci

12,043 posts

169 months

Saturday 27th July 2019
quotequote all
Poppiecock said:
Find another car. This sounds like far too much hassle.
I'm not sure that's fair.

OP, £2150 sounds quite high, have you WBAC'd it to see what they'd offer - bet it's in the region of £500!

gman88667733

Original Poster:

1,192 posts

67 months

Saturday 27th July 2019
quotequote all
I expect so, but WBAC is notoriously stingy...
I understand that garages always command a premium because of warranties and such.

What do you think I should do in this situation? I actually really like the car, it seems like an honest car. The VTEC thing I'm not too worried about, because if I see it again, it will have been fixed.

I really just want to know if the steering is supposed to be a bit heavyish, the last one I saw was a bit too. Plus the heavy/stiff accelerator pedal.

Cheers

gman88667733

Original Poster:

1,192 posts

67 months

Saturday 27th July 2019
quotequote all
Also - what would a good price be? If I could get it down to £1750 or so, is that okay?

gman88667733

Original Poster:

1,192 posts

67 months

Monday 29th July 2019
quotequote all
So the strange issue has been sorted, it was the VVT oil solenoid apparently. I've asked about whether the heavy steering is an issue, they are taking it for a long run and then getting back to me.

gman88667733

Original Poster:

1,192 posts

67 months

Wednesday 31st July 2019
quotequote all
So I saw it again last night. The issue is completely fixed and it drove fine. I really gave it some beans and it didn't play up whatsoever, after a good 20 minutes or so driving.

The steering was fine too, just a tad heavier than our other car. They agreed to extend the warranty to 6 months, so we agreed to buy.

Looking forward to getting it home!

LordHaveMurci

12,043 posts

169 months

Wednesday 31st July 2019
quotequote all
gman88667733 said:
So I saw it again last night. The issue is completely fixed and it drove fine. I really gave it some beans and it didn't play up whatsoever, after a good 20 minutes or so driving.

The steering was fine too, just a tad heavier than our other car. They agreed to extend the warranty to 6 months, so we agreed to buy.

Looking forward to getting it home!
Good for you, hope it all works out, they're nice to drive & absolutely huge inside!

Again though, get them to check the brakes, they are a known weak point on these.

gman88667733

Original Poster:

1,192 posts

67 months

Wednesday 31st July 2019
quotequote all
The discs seem okay, pads were starting to get low.

It is going for an MOT and service before I collect it, so hopefully if it flags up on the MOT, i'll negotiate that with them.

gman88667733

Original Poster:

1,192 posts

67 months

Wednesday 31st July 2019
quotequote all
First job will be an auto transmission oil change I think. Is it recommended to double or triple flush them through? I would imagine it has never been done, so it'll be fairly urgent for peace of mind.

I'm hoping to DIY most jobs on this car (never have before) but I figured now is a good time to start!