This CR-V was built in North America if it is for the US market. This has been the case since 2007.
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True, but it was either engineered in Japan or here by their specifications. Again, the US auto makers have done the same thing. Again, I wasnāt trying to slam the Japanese auto makers, we were talking about a Japanese car and so I referred to my experience with them specifically but Iāve seen the same thing in low end US cars. Itās all just an effort to make them lighter and more efficient and therefore less expensive to build and operate. No brand insult was intended.
Wayne
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I have no idea what Wayne is talking about .
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I have no idea what the confusion is about, or why there would be any to begin with. Thinner steel will flex easier than thicker steel will. True or false? Of course itās true, itās undeniable. Rust preventativeā¦or just plain paint will flake away where steel has been flexed many times, over time.
If the confusion is about whether or not they started making cars with a thinner gauge of steel, Iām not following where there would be any confusion there either. Of course they started making frame rails thinner, body panels thinner, engine cradles thinner starting back in the 60s. Thinner steel is, of course lighter but, as Iām sure most have noticed, it sure doesnāt take much of an accident to buckle thinner steel. What used to be an inexpensive repair is often a totaled vehicle. Iām sure youāre not suggesting Iām making that up, itās a fact. What would have been a slightly bent bumper on my 57 Dodge would be a totaled late model Cobalt, for example. Is there really any denying that fact? You can push a dent into a a fender with your little finger on modern cars. It would take a ball peen hammer to put a dent in my 57 Dodgeās fender.
Again, and for the final time, I wasnāt trying to bash any brand or really bash the idea of using thinner steel to make cars lighter, but when Iām checking out a vehicle that Iām either interested in buying or checking one out for someone else thatās interested in buying, I look for rust or bent areas on the āframeā or engine cradle, really rusty looking brake lines, broken coil springs, really rusty exhaust, extremely worn spots on carpeting or floor mats or brake pedals that may suggest more use than the miles on the odometer indicate. These are just the things I look for when Iām checking out a car for someone and suggested the OP do so, IF he or she is interested in my opinion.
I really donāt understand how this turned into a peeing match, Iām just offering free advise to a potential car buyer regarding issues Iāve run across while working on cars.Thinner doesnāt automatically mean ābadā but it would probably be a good idea to check out weak points if youāre going to bother with checking out a car youāre looking at.
If Iāve offended anyone, I am truly sorry. That was never my intention.
Thanks,
Wayne
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Quit worrying about offending anyone, I do it all the time, no preemptive apology necessary. Thinner steel may rust out faster than thicker steel, so you might get 2 or 3 more years on structural items?
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You assume that auto technology is static, and it isnāt. Aut body steel used to be only mild steel. The alloys changed to to increase strength which allowed them to use thinner gauge steel. The steel is in some cases coated with zinc to reduce rusting.
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Barky, probably more than that in general I would suspect. The weak areas are what I look closely at. And yes, youāll offend some even if you just say āhelloā.
jtsanders, No, of course not static. Strategic bends will make it stronger than thicker steel in most cases. But there are definitely weak areas on many engine cradles. Thatās the areas I look closely at. Long runs, thin sections, sections that have an access holeā¦etc. And definitely yes on the coating helping prevent rust, except where a lot of flexing is going on. An 1/8 of galvo wonāt protect against weakening in those areas. Thatās where I focus on.
Good stuff,
Wayne
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Cars and trucks are made to crumple in collisions, so the passengers will be subject to lower forces. The vehicle absorbs the impact now. In the 53 Buick the vehicle was stiff as they could make it, and every impact came right through to your chest and neck and face.
And, yes, they use lighter gauge steel, but they also know a lot more about how to fold and bend it to make it strong anyway. Thatās why there are so many crease lines on the side panels and hoods of new cars. And they can stamp them out with some technology that I donāt understand that uses water as part of the press, so they can stamp out something and remove it from the die easily.
What I do know is that the average neglected and abused car lasts much, much longer than ever before, starts and runs much more reliably, and is much safer in a collision. Good enough for me.
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According to the NHTSA, at carcomplaints.com, there are 564 complaints reported, such as engine problems and overuse of oil consumption, grinding noise at startup, ectā¦
My guess is the previous owner already got zapped with at least one of these. My advice - Get a new car, and find a good consumer fraud attorney.
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Along with what I already shared, hereās one complaint that may help you make up your mind:
REF: carcomplaints.com
My elderly mother died in a fire in her 2014 Honda CR-V. there were no witnesses to the origin of the fire. The car was first seen when fully engulfed by flame, 10 to 20 minutes after my mother was seen getting into her car. Unknown if she let it idle before driving. She drove about 1200 feet. Her car was found in wet ivy at the side of the road. Her key was in her hand, and she was leaning towards the passenger side of the car, apparently trying to escape the fire. (because the car was on a hill, leaning towards the passenger side, flames from beneath the car were strongest on the driver side and would have blocked her exit. The passenger side was not completely burned.) it is improbable that the ivy ignited because it was late fall in the pacific northwest and the weather had been very wet for days. I believe that a fire ignited somewhere in the vehicle and this fire caused my mother to go off the road. An autopsy showed she died of smoke inhalation and burns. The car was in good condition with recent servicing. No signs of recent oil leakage in garage. We have located other 2012-2014 CR-V fires that began spontaneously. Some blamed on leaves trapped in vehicle, another on fluid leaks, including two on safercar.gov. (NHTSA nos. 10654938 and 10546273). I retain the vehicle. ## VIN passed ## Honda CRV 2014 ## - Seattle, WA, USA
hi, I am so sorry for your loss. I appreciate your input. Thanks
Hey, I just found out on the internet that CarMax will see to it that all cars sold on their lot will have any recall fixed for free. They had received a lot of complaints for selling too many cars with hot safety issues. You may want to call and check for yourself.
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We are also considering Toyota Rav 4 and Subaru Forester. Thanks