[shuvc]

Originally Posted by spadix

Mine's a July 2010 V M/T - same vintage as yours more or less - that is currently at 32400 km

May 2010 V M/T with the ODO just short of 28K kms. It hardly runs nowadays.
It has mostly been driven on fairly good to some rough roads within city and some amount of excellent highway roads.

Maintenance cost stands at 47p/km. This is leaving out discretionary expenses like tyre upsize and ICE.

[Arun Venugopal]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

One quick old fashioned check. Push the corner down and then wait for the recovery of the car. A good damper will recover maybe with a minor overshoot, a bad one will oscillate. Do all four corners.

Originally Posted by smartcat

Get the wheel alignment done to see if the problem persists. Since Honda guys have already checked the suspension bits, I suspect improper wheel alignment.

Thanks for the tips, will check out the dampers and the wheel alignment.

Assuming dampers need to be changed would it be advisable to change all 4 in one shot (considering age of the car) or should I stick to just replacing the damaged one. Also, is it advisable to change suspension bushes as well. Am guessing the rubbers must have hardened after 6.5 years.

Has anyone changed dampers recently, what is the cost of these?

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by Arun Venugopal

Assuming dampers need to be changed would it be advisable to change all 4 in one shot (considering age of the car) or should I stick to just replacing the damaged one. Also, is it advisable to change suspension bushes as well. Am guessing the rubbers must have hardened after 6.5 years.

The dampers are changed in pairs - front and rear are separate sets. The bushes must be replaced at the same time.

[Arun Venugopal]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

One quick old fashioned check. Push the corner down and then wait for the recovery of the car. A good damper will recover maybe with a minor overshoot, a bad one will oscillate. Do all four corners.

I tried the push test on all corners. Did not see any extra bounce/oscillation. Looks like I will have to take it to Honda A**.

Is it better to go in for replacement of stock dampers or should I look at Koni's or Tein's. Am not sure of the cost involved, just a thought and whether it is worth exploring...

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by Arun Venugopal

I tried the push test on all corners. Did not see any extra bounce/oscillation. Looks like I will have to take it to Honda A**.

Is it better to go in for replacement of stock dampers or should I look at Koni's or Tein's. Am not sure of the cost involved, just a thought and whether it is worth exploring...

Another way is to place your hand between the wheel well and the tyre and see if the gap is less or more on each side.The side with the lesser gap is the one with the more worn out damper.This method may not be accurate but will give you a fair idea.Make sure you park the car on level ground.

[Suresh Nair]

Hi friends,
I am a new member and this is my first post to the forum. I bought a pre-owned 2009 Feb Civic VMT with 27000 Kms on board. The only issue with the car I found was that the clutch was hard that it takes out the pleasure of driving the Civic in stop - go Bangalore traffic.

I had my first service ( after buying) done at Whitefield Honda yesterday and asked the Service advisor to look into the clutch issue, clearly stating that I am not prepared to replace the clutch assembly, but only bleed the lines and lubricate the fork / pivot. I was informed that they did not bleed the clutch lines, but only did the lubrication (charged Rs 200 for the labour). The clutch as become significantly softer, not though quite "butter soft" with just the lubrication. While 27K is not high enough mileage for clutch to go bad, The stop - go Bangalore traffic certainly is not helping. ( My reference for clutch is my faithful 1996 Zen, with 170K Kms on board and still going strong). I have used a 1998 Civic (Auto) for 160K miles over 8 years while in the US, without having to do any single repair outside of scheduled maintenance, which is what oromoted to go for a Civic when I came back to India. Appreciate if anyone can help me with the following queries.

1) Will bleeding and replacing fluid in clutch lines make the clutch softer, or this only helps in case of a Spongy clutch ( resulting from too low fluid / air in the lines)?

2) My car is in pretty good cosmetic condition ( almost new look inside and out, thanks to 3M's Advanced Exterior package, availed at 3M Care center, Marathahalli, Bangalore - The best Rs.5500 ever spent). However, due to daily washing by the previous owner, and not drying properly,there are hard water stains at all crevices and show up pretty bad along the boundary of all beadings and panel joints. 3M guys could not offer any solution. Is anyone aware of tricks to remove hard water stains without damaging the paint?

Thanks
Suresh Nair

[spadix]

Originally Posted by Suresh Nair

1) Will bleeding and replacing fluid in clutch lines make the clutch softer, or this only helps in case of a Spongy clutch ( resulting from too low fluid / air in the lines)?

It might help, now that you have already tried lubricating anyway and you are not still very happy.

By the way, how is the pick-up and mileage? For instance, mine (Jul 2010 V M/T, 32660 kms) has got a creaking clutch pedal which HASS refuses to lubricate (they want to replace the clutch pedal assembly which is absolute nonsense) but is rewarding me the best mileage I've ever seen - always above 10.5 kmpl in city driving with mixed AC usage and always above 13.5 kmpl on the highway. Pick-up is also very good, so I know that the clutch itself doesn't need replacement yet. It's just the pedal that needs some TLC.

Originally Posted by Suresh Nair

However, due to daily washing by the previous owner, and not drying properly,there are hard water stains at all crevices and show up pretty bad along the boundary of all beadings and panel joints. 3M guys could not offer any solution. Is anyone aware of tricks to remove hard water stains without damaging the paint?

Oops! I was banking on 3M to get rid of this for me on my car. In Hyd I used to wash the car myself around 2/3 times a week and ensured good drying. In Gurgaon now, the car has for the past 1.5 years been at the mercy of the colony car cleaner and the very hard supply water. The deposits especially around the quarter glass panes/beadings, ORVM edges, front grille, bumper crevices, fog lamp enclosures and windshield base are quite visible on a black car. :(

The body treatment guys at HASS said it's quite easy to get rid of them, but I didn't ask them exactly what they would do. The reason I trust what I heard is because it came from a cleaner and not a supervisor/SA. I plan to get this done next month. Let's see.

Regards,
spadix

[Suresh Nair]

Originally Posted by spadix

It might help, now that you have already tried lubricating anyway and you are not still very happy.

By the way, how is the pick-up and mileage? For instance, mine (Jul 2010 V M/T, 32660 kms) has got a creaking clutch pedal which HASS refuses to lubricate (they want to replace the clutch pedal assembly which is absolute nonsense) but is rewarding me the best mileage I've ever seen - always above 10.5 kmpl in city driving with mixed AC usage and always above 13.5 kmpl on the highway. Pick-up is also very good, so I know that the clutch itself doesn't need replacement yet. It's just the pedal that needs some TLC.



Oops! I was banking on 3M to get rid of this for me on my car. In Hyd I used to wash the car myself around 2/3 times a week and ensured good drying. In Gurgaon now, the car has for the past 1.5 years been at the mercy of the colony car cleaner and the very hard supply water. The deposits especially around the quarter glass panes/beadings, ORVM edges, front grille, bumper crevices, fog lamp enclosures and windshield base are quite visible on a black car. :(

The body treatment guys at HASS said it's quite easy to get rid of them, but I didn't ask them exactly what they would do. The reason I trust what I heard is because it came from a cleaner and not a supervisor/SA. I plan to get this done next month. Let's see.

Regards,
spadix

Thanks Spadix for prompt response. After driving for a day, and going back to HASS and trying on a new Civic as well as couple of other < 1 year civics that had come for service, I am happy to report that my clutch is now as soft as it gets on a Civic, and the car is so delightful to drive now, even in stop go traffic. The clutch disengagement used to be a little jerky, making it a conscious effort to get off from a complete stop in 1st gear smoothly, but after lubrication and whatever adjustment HASS made in the preloading, the release is now very progressive just as it should be. Pick up is superb, and I do not face much issue with lack of low end torque. I had got the job done at Whitefield Honda in Bangalore and the Service Advisor was Mr.Shyam who was very courteous and accommodating to all my requests. Total charges came to Rs.3800 including oil change. Labor charges for clutch lubrication was around Rs.220, and another Rs.500 odd towards lubricating all door handles / linkages ( had to remove all door pads) on my request.

There are couple of videos on how to lubricate squeaky clutch pedal on civics and it is a simple DIY activity - Maybe you want to try that out since HASS refused.


As for mileage, I averaged only 8.5KMPL in the first tank full, but again has been driven only in Bangalore stop- go traffic, with AC on all the time. Plan to take this beauty on a long drive soon, and hope the mileage will improve.

The hard water stains are exactly what you described. The 3M guys tried with their multipurpose cleaner, quick detailer etc with no avail, and I had to stop the cleaning guy when he started attempting to scrape the stains of the paint using a coin. After a bit of web research, I found that Vinegar can be used for getting the stains out ( with a bit of patience and elbow grease) from all the glass edges and chrome. Just ensure you rinse with plenty of water once done. I did not risk trying that on paint yet. My car is Harbanero Red, and though not as visible as in black, it is still an eyesore. I will check with HASS and update if they have any solution.

[sumeethaldankar]

Guys i have attached a pic of the Civic's coolant reservoir and you can make out there are some coolant stains on same.I also found some coolant in small quantities deposited on the resevoir can.Is this any cause for concern?
Thanks

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

I also found some coolant in small quantities deposited on the resevoir can.Is this any cause for concern

I do not own a Civic but can't tell that this is a concern. It appears as if coolant is being pushed out of the system as a result of over filling (Not to worry but you need to remind Honda not to over fill the tank if they are) or as a result of pressure being being up in the system causing the coolant to over flow (Very worrying).

Pressure being built up in the system is a result of a over heating engine. Check if the radiator fan is functioning as it should. It could also be a case of clogged coolant passage around the engine block and this is very worrying as it requires lifting the engine head and clearing the blocked coolant passages. This will be a very expensive job if you do it at Honda. I hope the problem is not as serious as I have stated.

[jatinpatel]

@sumeet its a common problem in civic and accords
first try and change the coolant bottle cap usually the cap develops a small leak and under pressure throws out the coolant

will result in coolant level drop get it sorted.

[harishpr]

I have a strange observation. My civic VAT, done 30k has started to have a blinking D light intermittently. I cannot reproduce the behavior on demand, but while crazing all of a sudden the green light next to D blinks. If i restart the car, it goes away. Not sure what's wrong. No other warning lights or issues. Any advice. I plan to take to service center this weekend. It's strange because 30k service was done 2 weeks back.

[jatinpatel]

tell HASS to reflash or rest the ECU by there scanner, it will go away.

Its a minor software bug.Hopefully.

[mukeshgoel]

Got 70k service done today at 72406 kms.

I had no complains just routine 70k service, synthetic oil change and wiper blades replacement were required.

SA suggested injector cleaning and throttle body cleaning. Initially I refused but later I agreed to it.

Total Cost: Rs.7382/-.

I got last service (60k) and synthetic oil change on 9th Jan, 2012 at 62911 kms for Rs.5964.

[manim]

Originally Posted by mukeshgoel

Got 70k service done today at 72406 kms.

SA suggested injector cleaning and throttle body cleaning. Initially I refused but later I agreed to it.

Total Cost: Rs.7382/-.

In comparison with mine at 70K, everything seems okay except for injector and throttle body cleaning (I have never done it before).

My total cost came to only around Rs.3,700 (w/o the wiper rubber), but this was in Sep-2010.