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-   -   Honda Civic : Maintenance, Service Costs and Must dos (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/47997-honda-civic-maintenance-service-costs-must-dos-664.html)

Thanks CzechItaliaMoto. That is helpful. So the suspension is a very important part and CC is a useful feature. Hence I will now look only for a V model from 2010 onward. Of-course this makes it more difficult to find a well kept example rl:

Honda reshuffled between features of facelifted S and V a lot

2011+ S also had cruise control too.

Source: my late 2012 S has it and so did the other late 2011, 2012 cars I checked

Is it an automatic? I wasn't aware of this. Thanks for the info, are there any more differences between 2011+ and 2009 apart from the ones listed above and the cruise control thing?

EDIT: Just checked online, looks like some cars listed as 2012 S variant, manual also seems to have cruise control.

Mine's a manual as well. There were a couple of more changes like addition of fog lamps. A 2012 S basically doesn't miss out much on the V variant. That's why you'll see a lot of 2012 cars of S variant.

Apart from the ones listed above by CzechItaliaMoto;

• The new Front Grille and restyled Front Sporty Bumper
• Dark Smokey Headlights & Crystalline Octagonal Tail Lights
• Audio system got USB port together with the CD player. (As mentioned above, the 6CD changer was replaced with a single CD)
• Polished Metal color introduced. Violet color discontinued.
• SMT had fabric update.
• VMT & VAT got steering mounted cruise control system
• New sporty fog light with garnish
• Newly designed alloy wheel
• Package that included the new spoiler and rear parking sensors with door visors (I think this also came as part of the facelift)
• Date of change: 8th Sep 2009
• Sunroof was introduced on Sep 2010

Mine is a 2010 V MT Polished Metal Metallic. In terms of the rear suspension, I personally could not see any big difference because my car used to scrape every speed breaker with 4 or 5 people on board. I installed Rogerabs on the rear a few years back but that has helped only marginally. The ride quality has gone for a toss after installing them though.

On the new alloys introduced in the facelifted version on the V variant, one has to very closely observe them to make out the difference from the previous ones. :)

Over the past few days, I have noticed a few drops of oil forming a small puddle under the engine bay overnight, on the driver side(right below the pulleys, dripping from mostly the subframe).I have checked for the power steering leakage, there is no drop in the fluid level so that has been ruled out as well. However, the engine oil level seems to have dropped by a bit and I have topped it up accordingly. Can anyone help me with this, whoever has encountered this issue before?
On YouTube, I found this video which involves changing the oil filter for the spool valve, I don't know if it is leaking from that or from the crankshaft seals.

Link to youtube video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwWgk4gOPUM

Thanks in advance

What does below mean? First pic is from 09/2022 and second from 08/2018. Looking for a used secondary car and see these entries in service history. Also Service history is not linear. Car was serviced at irregular intervals. ODO reading seems to be genuine though and it is a low run car. Any info or guidance is much appreciated.





Can ignore the dents or scratches but would like to know what those other entries or defects are about. Just need to make sure that the car should run fine when family members may use it for local 20-30Km runs.

First image concerns:
1. Alternator-Is the battery light on when the engine is running? it seems as if it has a problem and needs looking at, along with the wiring harness(this should not be too much of a big deal, maybe one of those plastic tabs on one of the wires may have broken off
2.Engine mounting and subframe mounting- this is a known issue in the Civic, the hydraulic mounts are notorious for failing every 3-4 years or based on how you drive the car, common issue, nothing much to worry about, although the replacement costs 12k, I'm sure it will last you a while. The subframe mount, or lower torque rod mount is situated at the bottom of the engine, attaching it to the front subframe. This is also not a big deal, mine was changed as well, although I opted for an aftermarket replacement.

Second image: I'm not very well versed with everything present in this, but I hope all of the mechanicals have been sorted out in this image:
1. The front suspension boot is/was torn, nothing much to worry about, if it was replaced then well and good, but an aftermarket suspension repair kit with bumpstop + boot costs around 700 per side.
2. Lower arm bushes- they are often replaced along with the control arms but there are shops which press the bush into the metal sockets as well. Hopefully this has been resolved too.
3. One thing that surprises me is that even when you say that it is a low run car, this report says that the shock absorbers are weak. Seems a bit odd to me but if you're convinced that it is genuine, then it seems alright. All four shocks are weak according to this along with the bushes.
5. Tie rod end bushes- common problem, cheap fix- should not be a problem and should have been done back then.
6. Power steering system- This is one of the most notorious problems of the Civic and make a huge dent in your wallet if it has been reported to be leaking. Most Civics that I've read about have this problem, including mine as well. There is a whole thread dedicated to this, and if the pump + rack starts leaking Honda usually asks you to change both of them, which can cost upwards of 1L. If this has been done before, then you have nothing much to worry about for the next 1L kms or so. Minor leaks can happen, but you won't lose all the fluid present in the steering reservoir. Do check this out thoroughly though, make sure it has a moderately dry engine floor.
7. Lower arm ball joint- Haven't personally had this problem but it is pretty straightforward, should not cost much to replace, hopefully has been done in the past.
8.Subframe mounting has been summarized in the first section wrt. the first image.
9. Others seem to be minor body work, should not really affect the mechanical functioning of the car.

I never thought I would see such a comprehensive report of so many things gone bad on a low run Civic before, seems to be really interesting! If most of the things that have been listed out in the second image have been fixed, I think this is a good buy, well looked after irrespective of the irregular servicing. All the best!

All these were findings in the report and the customer had refused to have these fixed at Honda SC. So I am worried that the car may not have had these fixed even outside. All I know is that tyres were replaced last year so they are all in a decent shape. I had a ride for about 2-3 Kms in the car and it was ok. With 2 onboard, it was not scrapping large breakers either. I am worried that after purchase:

1) It should not cost me as much as the car price.
2) Family members should not get stranded when using it for any of the above reasons. I will be paying for the car parking too as it will require me to get a secondary parking as well.

So I am skeptical now to go ahead with this one considering it may backfire with unknown expenses related to rusting, suspension, etc.

If you're worried about being stranded, maybe go for a longer drive and see how the car feels. If you're still skeptical about the history and maintenance, you may have to keep some money aside(50k including bodywork) whenever you're buying a second hand car.
As far as breaking down goes, in my experience the Civic has never let us down or left us stranded anywhere at all in the last two years of ownership.

I'd say let this one go if the above work has not been carried out yet. If it has, maybe ask the owner for the records and service history to have some piece of mind. Ultimately, safest bet is to sit this one out, I'm sure there is another well kept Civic out there up for grabs.

Hello CzechItaliaMoto,

Thanks for your guidance on the Civic purchase. That one I have decided to skip since its a very old vehicle (2006) and I am not sure if the reported issues were ever fixed.

I have found another one with a dealer and it is a 4th owner car. The car is low running - 31K Km from 2011 with a full service record till 08-2021. Between then and now the delta on ODO is only 2.4K Kms which should be ok I suppose. But in the history I see 2 accident repairs and a lot of parts where changed. I am attaching a summary of the same here. If you can guide me on this, let me know. I am yet to see the car though.

While the rear bumper replacement seems to be ok (could be some rear hit) what is worrisome for me is the full door replacement on one side along with other important parts including engine mounts, tie rods and related components in the steering rack as well.

Appreciate your thoughts on this.










-Sunil

I would take a test drive at speed (safe one..) when taking corners/turning and see how it goes.

A wheel alignment check prior to purchase may be warranted imo.

Hi,

Has anyone remapped their civic recently , how has the response been .

I am confused if I should remap, put a BMC DIA or go for an exhaust first