Is the new CR-V really that bad?

[cwilliamsws6]

I have a 2007 CR-V and with how much money I've put into it to keep it on the road (easily 3K at this point) I want to get a new car when I graduate (I'm keeping the 07 as a weekend beater but I'll need a more reliable and stable daily driver for school and work).

I've heard almost nothing good about the new CR-V's between the oil dilution problem and the airbag issue, and if I'm not mistaken the new CR-V is actually smaller so I'd actually lose potential cargo space right?

One of my friends has an internship at a local Honda dealership and his job is taking cars off the delivery trucks and filling them up with gas at a nearby station. I let him drive my car when I had it at the dealer for the airbag recall and he told me he would take my CR-V over one of the newer ones any day.

The new CR-V's look really nice but with all I've heard about them I'm not sure if I'd want one now. My neighbor has a 2018 and loves it and told me she has had no issues so I really don't know what to make of them. The only other car I would consider is a Buick Regal TourX because I originally wanted a Roadmaster as my first car before I got the CR-V.

Does anyone here have one of the 1.5 turbo CR-Vs and can say anything about the truth of the oil dilution issue? Have honda gotten it under control now?

 

[bubbatime]

We test drove a brand new one last week and we love it. Wife has made up her mind, thats the car she wants. The technology and safety on it is pretty impressive.

 

[bepperb]

The oil dilution depends on your use case, if you do short trips (under a few miles) in a cold climate it could be an issue. If you don't its not. And that's the case with most vehicles.

Worrying about the airbag recall is stupid. And I don't use that word lightly. Just start making a list of all the manufacturers that didn't use any Takatas and enjoy riding a bike instead.

 

[cwilliamsws6]

I short trip a lot, my drive to school is 1.2 miles and from my house to work is 2.5 miles. Sooo probably not a good idea for me then.

 

[IndyIan]

Just get the last year before the turbo and save yourself some money. I don't think a new one will do anything for you better than one a few years old.

 

[Schmoe]

Had ours since 9/18...no problems. Wife absolutely loves it. I wouldn't worry one bit about the oil dilution problem. You only hear about the bad things on the internet. No one posts positive things. Every car has issues. Honda acknowledges theirs and fess's up to it. I get it and drive with confidence.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

I have the last of the Japanese made ones, 2005. It's why I ponder 24/7 if I should rebuilt the transmission or not at this point. The rest of the car is solid and everything works. 275k.

 

[Danh]

If you look at virtually any used oil analysis for the 1.5T here from Oil Analyzers (because they measure fuel dilution using gas chromotography), you'll find fuel dilution is >5%. They don't quantify values over 5% as they should be rare.

So yes, the 1.5T does have a fuel dilution issue. And in extreme cases it can result in fairly alarming increases in sump level. The real question is whether is is harmful and we won't know the real-world answer for some time.

Lots of owners claim they don't have an issue. Maybe the don't, but more likely they haven't had a UOA from a good lab and rely instead on not seeing a sump level increase. But with a small sump size 5% fuel dilution is only 6 ounces or so which could be hard to detect based on sump level, especially if a little oil consumption is also present.

And Honda has done anything but fess up to the issue. There is a TSB for cold climates but it seems to have little impact and Honda will maintain that all's well regardless of fuel dilution level.

So it's a bit of a crap shoot. You could buy a LX, which has the 2.4 non-turbo engine or look elsewhere.

 

[PimTac]

I have a friend who drives a 2018 CRV. She loves it and it has been trouble free so far. She does put a lot of miles on it per year. My guess is 20-25k a year.

 

[Andrew1972]

With the $3000 you put into why would you get rid of it?

My suggestion is start saving for another vehicle however run the 07 CRV long as possible. An 07 CRV with 200k+ is not going to depreciate much nor worth a lot.

New car is great if you have cash in hand and money to spend I guess. If you wait long enough more data will be out if new 2018 CRV is fully sorted out.

I love my 200k 07 Acura MDX with body rot. I just change the oil at this point and not worry about much else with it.

 

[road_rascal]

Before my wife (me) bought her '18 Nox she (we) test drove a bunch of SUVs/CUVs and the '18 CR-V was the worst. It was so loud during acceleration and the road noise was worse than her old '09 Saturn Aura. I rode/drove fine but the interior noise was just terrible. I'm now wondering if we test drove a 'built on Friday' model. But my brother in law (before he bought his '18 Mazda CX5) test drove a CR-V at a different dealer and he said the same thing about the noise.

 

[cwilliamsws6]

Originally Posted by madRiver
With the $3000 you put into why would you get rid of it?

My suggestion is start saving for another vehicle however run the 07 CRV long as possible. An 07 CRV with 200k+ is not going to depreciate much nor worth a lot.

New car is great if you have cash in hand and money to spend I guess. If you wait long enough more data will be out if new 2018 CRV is fully sorted out.

I love my 200k 07 Acura MDX with body rot. I just change the oil at this point and not worry about much else with it.

I said in my OP that I was not going to get rid of it as KBB values it as less than I have put into it.

My ultimate plan is to put some 15" steelies with 235-75/15 mud tires on it, a roof rack, and bull bar and make something like this:

Still I will ultimately need to get another, new car to own alongside the CR-V.

 

[skyactiv]

I see the OP is in Ohio as am I. The CR-V is assembled in Ohio and is an extremely popular vehicle in my state.
Not that it matters, well over 50% of drivers behind the wheel of the CR-V are females from what I see.

There are better vehicles out there.
If your wanting a new Honda because of the old Toyota and Honda is the most reliable philosophy, think again.

 

[cwilliamsws6]

Originally Posted by skyactiv
I see the OP is in Ohio as am I. The CR-V is assembled in Ohio and is an extremely popular vehicle in my state.
Not that it matters, well over 50% of drivers behind the wheel of the CR-V are females from what I see.

There are better vehicles out there.
If your wanting a new Honda because of the old Toyota and Honda is the most reliable philosophy, think again.

My CR-V is actually one of the ones from Japan! The papers in the glovebox say it was made in Sayama Saitama , 100% Japan parts and shipped to a dock in California then sold in Chicago.

 

[SatinSilver]

Is it all wheel drive or front wheel drive? I'm in NE Ohio here.

 

[cwilliamsws6]

All-wheel drive.

 

[SatinSilver]

I'd focus on changing out all the fluids in the driveline. ATF drain/fills, front and rear differentials and the transfer case with the appropriate fluids. All that alone should keep you busy.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

My BIL has a corporate lease on one for his wife. Its a DI Turbo, They love it.

He told me has got some notices for extended coverage for turbo failure ( unusual whirring noise) and another for the possibility of the shift knob falling off the lever.

I mentioned some engine teething probelms without being specific to him. I don't want him worrying. Its under warranty.

My SIL just got her blown Kia Sportage back. It blew the engine. They covered it but it took them months to fix it. IN the meanwhile she was given a KIa Sorento V6 loaner : ) "Hey Guys, take your time; See you in the Fall !"

The NIssan Rogue Sport is pretty Decent, And The Mitsubish Outlander is supposed to punch big above its price.

Not Everything is Rav4 and Honda.. I fond my Honda Fit Sport just Mehh and WAY WAY overpriced - but I didn't get an Accord Sport with a stick

I think the last Honda Chassis I liked was the Old late 80;s Civic with no struts. I hate Struts.

The OP is another guy that needs and off-Lease Bargain Electric car.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by cwilliamsws6
Does anyone here have one of the 1.5 turbo CR-Vs....

Give more weight to those folks (ones who actually have one) vs the "I heard...." crowd.

My Mom has an '18 CR-V and it is very nice. The 'safety' features were a big selling point for her. I do love the "tech" features it has but they are too much for her. I have no doubt that it's smaller than yours too. Does space (interior) matter to you ?

 

[cwilliamsws6]

Interior space does matter to me because I have a 4x 15" subwoofer box and when I don't have that in the back it's because I'm hauling something for myself or someone else.