CDN Honda Model Identification

[LB]

Hi,
Was wondering if anyone out there knew of any easier way to determine Honda's models, without calling the dealership. We find that alot of Honda's here in Canada do not have the tag distinguishing the model such as DX, EX, LX and so forth. It is not on the owners manual, nor listed on the insurance papers.

I appreciate the help, thank you..



p.s. Happy Friday

[steven kiser]

don't know if this will help but i run the vin through world pac to at least narrow it down. i remember years ago the motors books would have pictures identifying the model. another thing i do with a fair amount of luck is pop the glove box and go for the owners manual. we have a few rice rockets with no markings but then again they're so modified it really wouldn't matter........

[LB]

Thank you for the response, the owners manual was one of the first things I looked at in hopes it would specify model, no such luck, as there was nothing on it, other than Civic. I tried that world pac website, I am still searching to see where I could enter the VIN # in to see if that would narrow it down, however, I am not finding the area in which to do that. I also checked Honda's website to see if there was a place there, again no suck luck. The odd occassion our aftermarket parts supplier asks for model of the Civic we are working on, some do have markings others don't. Truly frustrating when ordering parts, having to wait over night for some to find out, wrong model.
Clicking my heels 3 times for either this car to disappear or myself.

[ricmorin]

Have you tried http://www.decodethis.com? I tried a few Hondas from my database and it always came up with the correct trim level.

[LB]

I truly appreciate the help with this..

With the decodethis website I get the following message: The VIN entered is unrecognized. Please check your entry and try again (I double checked the vin on the car and input, still get the same result)

After googling and some cursing, I found :
http://www.insider-car-buying-tips.com/ ... er.html#11

which gave me:

VIN: 2HXXXXXXXXXXX1 (x'd out for privacy)
Year: 2002
Make: Honda
Style / Body: Sedan 4D
Engine: Unleaded Gas 0 0
Country of Assembly: Canada
Model: Civic LX-G / Sport (I have my model, I was thinking DX, but was wrong)

I just hate having to call the dealership to get this information, and then calling the local aftermarket to order my parts, (i feel guilty). And not all dealerships and / or service wom/men are helpful.

Again, I appreciate the help, these forums have been a life saver more than a few times. I find myself just reading them and then remembering I had read something on here to help the guys with a problem job they are working on.

[steven kiser]

not for nothing here but when i get that same vin message i usually have entered an i instead of a 1. ya i know, steve made a silly mistake. if i were in your shoes i'd send the parts guy or guy's at the dealership something. i've found having pizza delivered on a friday is a plus. two or three times a year i'll call and tell the parts guys that pizza is on the way. i do it for most of the dealers and all my regular part suppliers. i make sure i do it for the drivers as well. i find that i'm always on the top of the delivery list. i've found that for some reason i'm the only one that does this and it's greatly appreciated and these guys will jump through rings of fire for me. do you allow car fax to use your information? i think part of the trade off is a reader. i've found that even in situations like this i have to force myself to make the appropriate notations on the order so i don't have to do all the detective work again. on world pac i have the option of entering the vin on the information page. when i open an order and open the world pac order page it will automatically open the information page. sometimes there is only one option in the model window but more than not there are numerous choices. i click on the vin option at the top of the window and let it fly. even with that sometimes there are blanks. another thing that i've discovered is that when i'm on the work order / vehicle selection page that i can on occasion choose the model by engine. it's kind of bass akwards but there are more than a few where an engine is only available on certain models. the ones i love is when a customer brings in a car that's been modified numerous times by the person that sold it to them and the customer didn't get any documentation. on these situations i tell the customer it will take a bit of detective work to create a folder and there will be a cost and that there is probably always going to be a bit of detective work involved in getting parts or even repair information. it's not like the 60's and 70's when working on jacked muscle cars. those days were a piece of cake compared to today's cars. well that's just about enough for me.............

[crmeyers]

Hi LB.

What Steve's talking about when he says WorldPac website, is not actually a "website". Its the SpeedDial program that WorldPac has available to all who purchase from them. If you order from them now, then you probably know where to enter the VIN number. It quite often will differentiate between trim levels - not always - but often. If you don't order from them now, and you work on more than a few imports, you need to! Hope this helps!

[prestigeauto]

DX = base model, no power windows or locks
LX = Has power windows and locks, no sunroof
EX = Sunroof and power everything
SE = Leather seats and all power but with 4cyl engine(I think).

[LB]

Thank you for the additional information.