[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by sarathlal

Oh I thought the pump alone is that much. But again, the whole power steering system is kinda looped in together as a dead knot.

If you dont change the power steering fluid, the motor will start whining. If you change the power steering liquid, the chances of pump developing leak is high.
Now if you change the pump, the increased pressure will cause the hoses to give way.
Hmm

But at the end, the joy it gives on the open roads make all it a worthwhile struggle, just like being with a toddler

I am not sure why Honda guys struggled, usually they outsource the job to a third party here in Mumbai and charge the owner a mini bomb. Have done this twice on my car. Once at Honda and second time with a garage with a gap of 2 to 3 years with 16k per year so it should last a while. The third time I had to get the rack repaired after which the steering felt weird at times but the PS pump overhaul did not cause any issues with the steering behaviour.

[thetinywanderer]

Hi fellow civic enthusiasts,

I have recently re-joined the civic club after purchasing a 2013 AT model that had clocked 47K. I was forced to look for another car after my Skoda Laura's engine broke down and RC was also nearing its expiration. Chose to let go of the car and get another one instead of trying to get it fixed

Now that I have the possession of the the civic, wanted to bring it back to a good/great driving condition. Some of the issues that we noticed,

1. Steering system was making whining noises and was not sure what was wrong - the rack, pump or just the hoses. This is one the common issues in these hondas and I accounted for this when I purchased it.

2. High speed stability was horrible. Above 80 and the steering would wobble and was very unstable. The tyres seemed old and needed replacement and I also felt 15" is little too small for the civic

3. Lots of small things like the doors squeaking a bit, door handles needed some work, missing monogram/ emblems, one of the tail lights was not well aligned.

I dropped the car off at a FNG for two days, below is what they did about the issues,

1. Steering System - Luckily, the issue seemed to be just the hoses and O ring wearing off - replacing which the noise went away and everything seems smooth. Hoping the steering doesnt bring up any more issues

2. High Speed Stability

- I had purchased a set of tyres for the Laura just 5 months ago and wanted to use them as they were in mint condition. These were 205/R16/55 instead of the 195/R15/65 that comes on the civic. I wanted to have the civic also on 16", but the rims (Skoda Octavia rims) on my Laura would not fit on the Civic so I had to exchange it with a set of 16" whose design I did not like (the chrome accents are nono) but had no option and did not wanna really spend too much as this was an unplanned purchase. I am planning to just get it painted all black later

- Now that the car had 205/R16/55 tyres and wheels, I was also told the shocks were kaput and needed new set, got new TRW shocks front and rear and buffer kits.

- Got the wheels balanced and aligned

Even after all the above, the car is does not feel good post 90kmph - the steering wobbles and on braking it gets worse (rotors/pads?) and also one of the test rides - the balance rod popped off and had to be refitted back to position. Now the FNG is saying that the bushing is worn off and would needs replacement. I am okay to have them replaced, but seems more like the issue is not being narrowed down and more of a hit or miss approach, below is what was done and the pricing (not sure if its a good/bad price)



I am planning to get a second opinion from another FNG as I am not really getting the confidence that the current one knows what they are doing/ any advice and recommendation for this situation will be very helpful from the more informed folks on this thread. As I do a lot of highway rides, high speed stability is critical. Also, below are the pictures of the car in its current condition - the wheels are really not to my taste but really hope they look good in all-black

[CzechItaliaMoto]

Originally Posted by thetinywanderer

Now that I have the possession of the the civic, wanted to bring it back to a good/great driving condition. Some of the issues that we noticed,

1. Steering system was making whining noises and was not sure what was wrong - the rack, pump or just the hoses. This is one the common issues in these hondas and I accounted for this when I purchased it.

2. High speed stability was horrible. Above 80 and the steering would wobble and was very unstable. The tyres seemed old and needed replacement and I also felt 15" is little too small for the civic

3. Lots of small things like the doors squeaking a bit, door handles needed some work, missing monogram/ emblems, one of the tail lights was not well aligned.

I dropped the car off at a FNG for two days, below is what they did about the issues,

1. Steering System - Luckily, the issue seemed to be just the hoses and O ring wearing off - replacing which the noise went away and everything seems smooth. Hoping the steering doesnt bring up any more issues

2. High Speed Stability

- I had purchased a set of tyres for the Laura just 5 months ago and wanted to use them as they were in mint condition. These were 205/R16/55 instead of the 195/R15/65 that comes on the civic. I wanted to have the civic also on 16", but the rims (Skoda Octavia rims) on my Laura would not fit on the Civic so I had to exchange it with a set of 16" whose design I did not like (the chrome accents are nono) but had no option and did not wanna really spend too much as this was an unplanned purchase. I am planning to just get it painted all black later

- Now that the car had 205/R16/55 tyres and wheels, I was also told the shocks were kaput and needed new set, got new TRW shocks front and rear and buffer kits.

- Got the wheels balanced and aligned

Even after all the above, the car is does not feel good post 90kmph - the steering wobbles and on braking it gets worse (rotors/pads?) and also one of the test rides - the balance rod popped off and had to be refitted back to position. Now the FNG is saying that the bushing is worn off and would needs replacement. I am okay to have them replaced, but seems more like the issue is not being narrowed down and more of a hit or miss approach, below is what was done and the pricing (not sure if its a good/bad price)

First, congratulations on your new purchase. I am not sure why you decided to go with this particular Civic in spite of the problems you have listed above but well we all have our reasons

Second, coming to the issues-

- I'd say you have been taken for a ride by the FNG. The suspension may have become weak after 11 years but it definitely isn't the only part of the system that is supposed to be replaced. You should get all the control arms examined, the rubber bushes would have deteriorated with time, and the control arms themselves would have some sort of bend if the vehicle has been in an accident previously. Do not forget replacing the front stabilizer bar bushes as well.

- The steering system - My advice would be stick to the 15-inch wheels. 16-inch might be pushing the limits, since it puts extra strain on the steering pump as well as the rack, which will wear out sooner. You did dodge a bullet here by only repairing the pump and the hoses, but with the bigger tyres the pump will definitely start wearing out faster, and will need replacement in the future.

- The brake judder should be fixed with new brake pads and freshly skimmed discs. If you find warpage in the discs, they should be skimmed or replaced if the remaining material is not enough for skimming. Better to go for new pads and new discs since you will be out on the highway, better to be safe than sorry.

- Your tie rod-ends and stabilizer link rods in the front must be replaced, if not done already. Usually, these things are done along with the suspension replacement but why your FNG didn't do their due diligence is only a question that you can ask to them.

You should take a second opinion from either Honda directly or another reputed garage, before proceeding to spend money on the car at the same place. Best of luck!

[thetinywanderer]

Originally Posted by CzechItaliaMoto

First, congratulations on your new purchase. I am not sure why you decided to go with this particular Civic in spite of the problems you have listed above but well we all have our reasons

Second, coming to the issues-

- I'd say you have been taken for a ride by the FNG. The suspension may have become weak after 11 years but it definitely isn't the only part of the system that is supposed to be replaced. You should get all the control arms examined, the rubber bushes would have deteriorated with time, and the control arms themselves would have some sort of bend if the vehicle has been in an accident previously. Do not forget replacing the front stabilizer bar bushes as well.

- The steering system - My advice would be stick to the 15-inch wheels. 16-inch might be pushing the limits, since it puts extra strain on the steering pump as well as the rack, which will wear out sooner. You did dodge a bullet here by only repairing the pump and the hoses, but with the bigger tyres the pump will definitely start wearing out faster, and will need replacement in the future.

- The brake judder should be fixed with new brake pads and freshly skimmed discs. If you find warpage in the discs, they should be skimmed or replaced if the remaining material is not enough for skimming. Better to go for new pads and new discs since you will be out on the highway, better to be safe than sorry.

- Your tie rod-ends and stabilizer link rods in the front must be replaced, if not done already. Usually, these things are done along with the suspension replacement but why your FNG didn't do their due diligence is only a question that you can ask to them.

You should take a second opinion from either Honda directly or another reputed garage, before proceeding to spend money on the car at the same place. Best of luck!

Hey thank you CzechItaliaMoto Well, I was in a hurry to get a replacement car and was finding it hard to get any cars that were less than 50-60K on the odo. I knew I would have to spend a bit to get the steering and suspension overhaul but rest of the car was in good condition, especially how the engine and transmission felt.

I have dropped it off at a reputed FNG found via the directories from teambhp. I have explained him the situation and asked for recommendation. Will have the bushes, other consumables replaced and other parts checked. Too late on the 15" I already got this replaced with the 16" and cant go back now especially with the new(ish) tyres

Getting the rotors checked, definitely needs work from the way the brakes feel. Considering new pads + rotors.

I wish I could have gotten a comprehensive advice initially so I could have gotten everything done for once. I will wait to hear from the FNG and have the necessary replacements done. Will update once I get back the car. Thanks again for your advice on this.

[sarathlal]

CzechItaliaMoto covered everything

Just wanted to reiterate that its better to get the brake discs and rotors replaced. That will remove the wobbling for sure.

Though I dont remember the specifics, when I replaced the suspension system around 6 years back, it burned somewhere close to 70K that included a myriad of associated components that were replaced. Just putting here for a comparison.

Get the balance rod also replaced. Should not cost much.

Civic ideally should be very stable at 110 kmph cruising speeds.

Those wheels are definitely going to break the steering pump. Be prepared for that .
I had taken care of mine as much as possible (like not having the full turns et al), but still went off recently. So with this much additional strain, its a high risk. Will cost around 40K

On a related note regarding suspension. Has anyone tried the coilovers?