FWIW this is a known issue w/ the Honda Ody as well. Over on the www.odyclub.com site there have been some that have fashioned grill screens to help prevent this. Its been a while since I read them so don't remember if there was a commercial source for the screens or not, if so I imagine there might be for the Civic too. Poke around in the "05+ Odyssey" section for more info if interested.

Here is a sample thread: Front Grill

http://mrgrille.com/MrGrille-Honda-Civic-01-03-Page.html

What year is your Civic?...I don't see one on the Mr. Grille site for 04+, but do for previous. See a link but no product.

http://mrgrille.com/MrGrille-Honda-Civic-Page.html

If you decide to get the A/C fixed, you may want to consider this or another fix. I haven't done it myself, but probably should, we put quite few miles on the van. Sounds like they may have changed the Ody design for '08.

Thanks AT, a little search on 8thGenCivic.com and I found detailed DIY's of what I need.

Most guys have been covering the condenser with wire mesh or black screen door mesh, so as not to restrict airflow.

The condenser is to the lower left of the license plate, behind the grill.

Close up of the mesh fix.


The same issue is reported with Oddy's,and Elements, as well as Toyota Corolla's.
Interestingly, Toyota recomended useing wire mesh over the condenser as a dealer installed fix.

Just brilliant!

Cap'n; you sure a little Pygmy didn't sneak under your car one evening and vandalize it, thereby causing damage. Seems that would be covered under your insurance's comprehensive policy.

But in real life, my youngest son's Mitsibushi got a stone hit on the hood and the insurance fixed it.

Actually if the condenser is what is leaking, then it's going to be much harder to cover it, since it has been struck multiple times. It's a poor design and opens the condenser up to a lot of wear and tear. Honda should warranty it, in my opinion. And since it's out of warranty the extended warranty should cover it. But if neither will, then they both suck eggs and should lose Capn's business.

Huh? Replacing the condenser puts you back in square one. A little shield will affect the airflow around it. It should create a buffer zone because the air is going to have greater resistance around the screen. That buffer zone should push most road debris (rocks) away. Deflect it away. And if something does get through, the screen will drastically reduce the energy it's going to hit with.

Hey Capn...could you take a pic of it so we can see how it's situated?

Here are a few pics of how some others installed mesh attached to the ribs of the lower front grill, in front of the condenser. The condenser is behind the bottom grille.
No airflow restriction if done this way.





This guy went the extra mile, and installed mesh behind the top and bottom grills, to protect the radiator and the condenser. If you look closely, you can see the black ties holding the mesh to the grill ribs.



It is covered under comp on my insurance, but I have a $500 deductible, and I think I can get it done for about $250.

Looks nice. There is restriction, just not to a significant degree.

And btw...ignore my previous comment. That's not where I thought the screen needed to go. I was thinking UNDER the car...

Very poor diagnostic procedure, IMO.

You really should replace the dryer, too, or you could be looking at replacing the compressor prematurely too..

Thanks Bob, I had hoped you would see this thread. I will check with the dealer to verify what all was included in the $740. I think it was just the condenser, recharge and labor. The price they quoted is typical of what dealers have been charging Civic owners in other states for the same repair. Those repairs were also just the condenser replacement, no mention of a dryer.

And if I know Honda, they'll have some line of BS to explain why nothing else needs replaced. The main problem I have with Honda is their philosophy of "trust us, you don't know what you're talking about, just give us your keys and let our Honda certified techs take care of it and don't ask any questions." Then the car gets completely screwed up, but at least it was screwed up by a Honda certified tech.

Having said that, when ours was destroyed in a wreck I promptly went out and bought another new one.

Our Odyssey was in yesterday for a tire balance & rotate. I asked the guy about some of the recent models taking rock hits in the condenser area.

"Yeah, we've had a couple of those come in."

"And I understand Honda is denying any sort of coverage at all under any circumstances on them."

"You are correct on that."

"Is there any sort of factory fix for this problem? I know Honda knows about it. They've had complaints nationwide, and they've added a screen on the '08 Ody's because of it. Or, have you guys come up with any tricks of your own?"

"Nope."

I'm planning on ordering a Mr. Grille on Monday.

Anyone know ... should I be concerned with this on our '06 CRV?

Let me explain a bit. When diagnosing A/C systems, it is prudent to tickle a Schrader valve to see if any pressure exists. If there is any pressure, then an A/C machine or gauge set should be attached to see what is going on. If there is an undetectable small leak, causing diminsihed performance, them recovery, evacuation, recharge and dye installation is a good procedure.

In the case of the Honda, a quick blip of a Schrader valve would have revealed no pressure at all. Next step would be to pressure test the system with an inert gas (nitrogen is a favorite), and the leak would have been easily found. Total diagnostic time - 2 minutes. Leak detection using the vacuum method is archaic, and only finds the big leaks that could have been found quicker (IE cheaper for the customer) by pressure checking.

If there is a MAJOR leak (such as in this case), I always recommend replacing the dryer/accumulator. There is no doubt that it is sucking up moisture from the hole. Moisture is public enemy #1 for an A/C compressor, and failure to replace the dryer in a case like this COULD lead to premature compressor failure. Moisture is such a problem that many aftermarket A/C companies will not warranty their compressors (new or reman) if the dryer wasn't replaced at the same time. Consider yourself warned..