anyone else worried about how well the electronics will age?

[FrankRizzo]

When I got my wifes civic last week, I couldn't help but wonder how well it will age. People all say Hondas are bulletproof. I've had close to 10 of them, and the newer ones don't give me the warm feeling that someone would get buying a d series civic or a da integra.

Someone at the dealer when I was there had the backup camera go out on their oddyssey. It was still under warranty, but they told me the cost was 5,000! There are so many more things to worry about on these cars than the older ones. My wife and I love it, but I have a feeling a lot of these new "upgrades" will lead to tons of heartache and frustration in about 8-10 years.

Anyone else feel the same way? In 1996, any backyard mechanic could fix their ek civic. How many backyard mechanics can deal with all these new sensors and camera issues? The drivetrain is still as strong as ever, but I'm concerned all the other parts will end up becoming an electronic nightmare. :P

 

[webby]

The 5grand on a camera is just insanity. You can buy a new camera and wiring for like way under 50 bucks on ebay. The DIY posted costs of around $30. People have done the full camera add-on for the 2012's when they didn't even come with backup cameras for next to nothing. There was more work in getting the dash apart than the cost of parts.

http://9thcivic.com/forum/threads/adexternals-reverse-backup-camera-diy.6538/

The fact that the cameras and whatnot are standard across the lineups will make the parts cheaper and cheaper. Whoever said they had to pay 5 grand was either an idiot, or they didn't know what they were talking about. Granted the dealership would charge $80-100/hr or whatever it may be in labor. The nav unit is an expensive piece. If someone had to get the whole nav unit replaced out of warranty you're taking a chunk of change. Maybe they had their whole navigation unit go out. The msrp on honda units are around 4-5 grand.

2015 civic navigation unit - MSRP - $4,217.22
http://www.collegehillshondaparts.c...gps-antenna-scat/?part_name=unit-assy-display

 

[Pauly99to17]

They should be fine. Signal lights and stereos etc. are electrical and I've never had a problem with Honda. The only electrical problem I had was on the pop up headlights on my 88 Prelude. They were a little wonky at the end of her run.

I'll be honest and say that, although I did all of my electrical mods carefully, I'm curious to see how they hold up. I have high confidence that they will be fine, but it's a wait and see thing. I added the temperature on the Imid, added a reverse camera to the Imid, added fog lights with an independent control switch button, added ambient lighting in the doors and tray area, changed the headlights, changed the tail lights, added lights in the door control buttons, changed the hazard lights control button, added door sill lights, changed all the light bulbs to LEDs and have a GPS hooked up to my fuse box. If I'm not all that worried, I figure you should have peace of mind.

 

[Monk]

I think I've heard this before over the years(I'm 70). The 1st car I owned was a 51 ford(2 door of course). The electrics were head/tail lights and a interior light, generator, that's about it. Every car since had more stuff, radio, etc., but the main thing was the talk about all the new stuff being more to go wrong, so 55 years later I'm still waiting...........

What I have seen on most old cars & MC's is the hardening of the electrical wiring, but if the wires don't move they are pretty much going to still work. Most of the things that seem to go with age are more mechanical than electrical. My last car I bought in 94 which I traded for my 2012, was doing fine electrically, but hard parts had to be replaced from time to time after about 10/12 years.

In most cases as a general rule, if they make though the 1st 3 years they're going to be fine for at least 200k+ and about 10/20 years.
JMHO........ I'm more concerned how long I'll last.....

 

[Hillstones]

Exactly what Webby said. Backup cameras are not $5,000, nor is the labor. The person you talked to had no idea what they were talking about. Likely the fault could have been the Navigation head unit, not the camera, so that cost would be around $5,000 if you were to buy the part yourself. The dealer of course gets a much lower cost for the warranty repair. Sure the electronics in the Honda could fail. I got rid of my 2013 Civic EX-L Navi coupe because the AC failed at 1,300 miles, and after 7 repairs over a year and a half period, Honda still could not figure out why the AC blower fan continued to fail. I no longer own a Honda after that experience. That is why they sell extended warranties, to cover stuff when they fail after 3 years/36,000 miles.

 

[webby]

Exactly what Webby said. Backup cameras are not $5,000, nor is the labor. The person you talked to had no idea what they were talking about. Likely the fault could have been the Navigation head unit, not the camera, so that cost would be around $5,000 if you were to buy the part yourself. The dealer of course gets a much lower cost for the warranty repair. Sure the electronics in the Honda could fail. I got rid of my 2013 Civic EX-L Navi coupe because the AC failed at 1,300 miles, and after 7 repairs over a year and a half period, Honda still could not figure out why the AC blower fan continued to fail. I no longer own a Honda after that experience. That is why they sell extended warranties, to cover stuff when they fail after 3 years/36,000 miles.

You no longer have your civic?

 

[ken4444]

I don't think the electronics are any more prone to failing prematurely than the ones from a decade ago. What concerns me personally is the existence of all of the electronics in the first place. My perfect car would keep all of the electronic stuff to an absolute minimum in order to reduce cost and complexity. I would choose analog gauges, an old-school easy to service stereo, analog mechanical AC controls, and no other gadgets. I don't want a backup camera, anything locking the doors automatically, digital speedo or tach, or any of that complexity. Keep it simple, reliable, easy to service, and low cost.

 

[Nix]

New safety regulations are mandating things like backup cameras on cars. I think we will see a lot more of it in the future. The old Lambo Countachs are running into this exact problem currently. The ECUs fail after so many years and supplies of replacement ones are becoming very scarce. Funny to think all the collector Countach cars will be stuck siting since their ECUs have degraded.

 

[Hillstones]

You no longer have your civic?

I know it is an old post, from almost a year ago, but I don't visit too often anymore. To answer your question, correct, I got rid of my Civic in February 2015. I traded it in for a 2015 Nissan Altima SL, and love it. I get over 40 mpg on straight highways and average 35 mpg city/hwy, which is about the same as the Civic. However, the Altima is a much nicer car. I miss the stereo upgrade I had done in the Civic. The custom subwoofer, dynamat, and focal speakers sounded amazing. Nissan gave me an awesome deal trading it in. The Nissan has the 9-speaker Bose system, which has great sound. No need to upgrade that. After the way Honda treated me with the Civic, I am never buying another Honda again.

 

[webby]

After the way Honda treated me with the Civic, I am never buying another Honda again.

what happened with that.... I don't recall reading anything about them treating you bad?