I decided I wanted the Civic SI back in 2006. In the reviews I read about this rev-hang problem. Back then people were saying that Honda was working on a firmware fix that would come out any day. I wanted a red one that had GPS (just like the one in the brochure at every dealer) but I was informed that they only made around 100 such cars (that's 2 per state). I got on a waiting list and finally got one in January of 2007. The firmware fix never materialized.
Now the clutch has burned out after only 54,000 miles and the local dealer charged me $1,600 to fix it. I am confident that having the RPM hang and the car lurching forward every time I let out the clutch is a factor. To help explain the problem to people I made
this YouTube video. That way when someone says I don't know how to drive a stick I can have them watch the video and realize that Honda is at fault, not the driver.
In addition I made
this other YouTube video explaining another firmware problem that Honda has failed to fix for 6 years now.
I have seen the rumor that Honda wants it to be broken to meet some emission standard. It seems like holding down the throttle might have the opposite effect, at least in terms of CO2. Does anyone know where this rumor started or if there is any truth to it?