Well today was the second day I have owned this car and the last 3 days have been HOT!! It was 105 today and I noticed that when I turned my engine off today twice the fan came on...I am sure this is normal because it is the system cooling down.

But for one thing I kept my eyes on the battery and I went down to 1 Bar I was in about 40 min bumper to bumper traffic. I was heading to go see Stevie Wonder. I noticed on stop and go that the battery got all the way down to 1 bar which had me worried.

I am also wondering about the brake system. It seems like when I am going fast and have to come to a stop the Charge meter goes way up and then it feels like my car is kicking to switch from Gas to Electric. Is this normal.

When I drive 65+ on the freeway it rides smooth but stopping and going is like a bucking bronco sometimes. I don't understand it.

I bought this 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid with 64,000 Miles on it and I got the extended warranty for the battery up to 100,000 miles or 2011 and a Full Car package deal for extended warranty so if somethings goes wrong I can take it in.

This is my second car and I am loving the smooth ride on the freeway, but in stop and go driving it takes a little getting used to. I just wanted to post this to get some advice. I am 23 living in San Francisco Bay Area, California. I just want to ask for advice if there is something wrong or is it normal. Sometimes I can stop really smoothly and then there are other times of the kind of kicking going on. I am just worried I don't have much control over the brakes.

And Also this is a random question, but would a Sony MEX-BT2600

CD Receiver with Bluetooth™ Connectivity be a good thing to buy for this car. I like my iPod hookup via the AUX in the old 1989 Honda Civic LX I had where I could listen to the iPod perfectly.

I am just trying to get some User Info on that product because I heard the BlueTooth works well but I want to know the Phone Book Capacity with it.

Sorry I know not a real Hybrid question, but if you know please drop me a line.

Thanks again

 

Do you have a manual or CV transmission? What you describe could be inexperience with a stick, or way-past-dead CV oil.

 

Well I have a Automatic Transmission. I read the manual and there are a few things that were very complicated to me.

For Example ECON Button next to A/C What does it do? I have read the manual but it doesn't really explain it just says the Auto Idle Stop comes on. What is Auto Idle Stop?

Also in the guide it says I should Keep my Fan on and keep my Car in Fresh Air Mode by turning off the A/C to prevent Stail Air and to prevent the Humidity in the car, which I have a lot of due to 107 Degree Days we have had.

Please help me figure out the following

ECON Button *What is it For?*
Preventing Stail Air and Windows to Fog up (Fresh Air Mode)
Stop and Go Driving (Should I throw my car into (S)econd Mode which is below (D)rive?)

I heard ECON Mode makes it easier in the 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid for Stop and Go Driving. Is that the same in the 2004 I have??

Please answer these as best as you can just trying to learn what the book doesn't really describe. thanks

 

We also own an '04 Civic Hybrid CVT (Automatic)

True, ours does this also.


I've never seen this on ours. One bar would worry me, unless it was after putting extraordinary stress on the engine. The deepest discharge I've ever had was down to about 20-30% going up hills in West Virginia. But, the battery would always almost fully recharge after going down on the other side. I must have gone from 100% to about 30% a dozen times on that trip with no ill effect.

Ours does this, but not to the extent you're describing. If I'm going down hill, when it switches from no charging to charging, and you get the green bars, there is a noticeable jolt. I try not to straddle that boundary. I go either to charging mode and slow slightly, or give it a little gas to keep the speed up and show no green bars.

Well, the braking is pretty automatic. You just brake like on any other car.

Here are some tips for driving:

The most efficient range to drive on level ground is where you are neither charging (green bars) or getting assist (blue bars). As much as possible, try to drive right in the middle with no bars. The gas engine is pretty efficient and can keep you humming along nicely at 40-60 miles per hour. That said, of course you necessarily have to speed up and slow down. The key is to get up to speed quickly and hold your speed with no bars. So, don't floor it, but accelerate with moderate aggression ;-) And, if you are going down hill, coast if possible, unless its a very steep hill, then keep the speed down. I have smelled a strange burning smell after coasting at about 65 miles per hour on a steep hill with full green bars. You can get too much of a good thing ;-) If the hill isn't terribly steep, not only will you bump up your mileage by sitting at 120 mpg on the gauge, but you will charge the battery. BTW, don't forget to push the little **** under the speedometer to show either the Mileage A or Mileage B display. That gives you the dynamic mileage indicator.

With some practice and experience, you will find the sweet spot, which is to drive with no bars and about 80-100 mpg. Do that as much as possible and you will get the same mileage as a Prius, as the Greenhybrid mileage graphs demonstrate.

Good Luck.

 

Well first off I want to say thanks a lot for this info...I am responding by saying I have been driving it and it keeps on staying at 33-34 MPG which is a LOT LESS Then I was told at the dealership...I was told I should get 48MPG City and 51MPG for Highway...But 34 MPG is 14 Miles off...I can't get above 34 no matter how I drive...I am using a CVT 2004 HCH

the tires I am on are...

NANKANG NEB26 185/70R14 88H

I hope that is right...SO what do you think? What am I doing wrong? I try to keep the car from chargin and using Assit...I am right in the middle..

When I Drive on highway I try to stay at 71 miles per hour with cruise control which it accelerates a little using 3 bars of assist, but sometimes on cruise control I watch it and it goes into assist up small hills and stuff.

65 It is ok but not great the bar usually stays at 38MPG on Trip A. I watch the bar underneath the MPG and Miles.

Also is the steering wheel spost to stick when you turn it to the Right? I keep turning right corners and the steering wheel sticks to the right and doesn't center out automatically I have to manually pull the steering wheel to the Left to Straighten it out.

Sometimes it happens when I turn to the left but very rarely. Also on the Power Windows I tried to roll down the Passenger Side window and it doesn't go down all the way. Is this Normal? I think it might be broken. I have a Warranty up to 84,000 Miles on the Battery and 100,000 Miles for the Whole Car. The Car has 64,000+ Miles and I have driven it for 2 weeks and I had to fill up twice just recently. I bought it from the dealership and they filled it up and I had it for about 4 days and I didn't drive that much and had to fill up again. I understand that I have to change my driving, but what frustrates me is the 1st day I filled up the second time I just went around town and I lost 2 bars of Fuel and Trip A said 56 Miles I had driven and I lost 2 bars. I bought the Car at a Honda Certified Dealership Used for 19K which Includes tax, extended warranty, etc. They tried to sell the car to me for 19.5K but I talked them down to 17.9K before the extras.

I just want to make sure I got my moneys worth because a NEW 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid is about 24,000 and there were NONE in stock, but I want to make sure I got a good deal because it was kind of a compulsive buy due to gas prices going up I wanted something great on gas mileage. Is the Prius Better?

 

As with any used car, I would have your HCH I checked out by a reputable Honda Dealership. I had a 2004 HCH I for 88,300 miles, and never had any problems and a lifetime mileage of 47-48 MPG. I would certainly get your oil changed, CVT fluids checked and have them give the vehicle the once-over. I never once got less than 38 MPG, and only once below 40 MPG the whole time I owned mine. Find out if the tires that you have are LRR (low road resistant). Also, 71 miles per hour will not help the gas mileage, as anything over 55 MPH negatively impacts your mileage, though not likely down to your 32-34 MPG.

 

sandman,

I remember a thread where some folks were having the steering problem you describe. Here's a link to what they had to say:

https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...k-miles-14942/

 

sandman,
at 71 mph you WILL NOT get 51 MPG. The 48/51 numbers you speak of are the OLD EPA numbers, which are a little optomistic on the highway number (51), and a LOT optomistic on the City number (48). The NEW EPA numbers are 41/45 (I think).

At 70mph, you probably will get under 40 MPG. But 32 does seem too low.

I'd have someone look at the CVT (tranny) fluid, and change it out unless someone has convincing evidence that it was done recently.
Same with the oil.

Potentially "non-smooth" stopping is part of this car's personality. As you slow down, at around 7-8 mph, the gas engine typically cuts out. Depending on how light or hard you are pressing on the brakes, the car acts differently. If pressing lightly (normally recommended, by the way), thne the regenerative braking acts as your brakes - similar to engine braking. This transition (as the gas engine shuts down) often causes an unnatural feeling as you're slowing down. Almost as if you lessened the pressure on the brake pedal. It takes a little getting used to.
Search on this site for more info. There's TONS of info here.

 

Seems like you are running out of reserve power for your car, It's really hard to notice when to charge the car if it needed to be in full power. Nevertheless I will just stick on my petrol running car during traffic to make my worries out
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