Honda Civic 2005 and earlier

isellhondas

Do yourself and your car a favor. Skip the Fram filters. If you ever saw one cut in half compared to a factory filter you would never use one. Spend the extra dollar.

hattox

I am looking to buy a 01 Civic LX, manual transmission, with no extras. The dealership has the car listed at $15,450.00, I was wondering if any owners would like to share what they paid for their Civic so I can know what to bargain with. Also if you bought it online what was the final price you paid after destination charges and so forth. Thanks hattox

newciv

Paid $12,899 plus tax (mid-February)......same car.

hattox

Did you buy that online or a dealership? If a dealership what state?

justin

I have a 2001 Honda Civic EX Coupe Automatic. I was in an accident (other guys insurance is paying - his fault), and my car has about $4800 worth of front end damage, including frame damage. Now, I KNOW that I am going to lose money on this when it comes time to trade, because they ask if you had an accident, and that effect the trade amount. Allstate is saying that I need to file a "Dimished Value" claim. No one that I know of knows what that is....including dealers.

Any advice??

Thanks

newciv

I bought it at a dealership in NJ. I don't recommend buying on-line. Just look through the Sunday paper for the "ad" cars... the ones the dealerships use to get the people in. Worked for me.....

riohonda

I paid 13988 + 440 dest. charge about 40 for doc fees tax and license came to 15700 and change out the door for an lx with auto. And I got silver like my wife wanted.

phantomca

My friend has a 2000 civil LX and he has circuit city installed an alpine cd changer that will allow him to used the factory radio/cassette. I guess most of Honda use Alpine radio.

I had an old Honda accord 1990 and the radio was from Alpine too!
So..my question is....anybody else here have installed a cd changer to a 2001 Honda civic lx?

bryan27

I bought my silver 2001 lx sedan automatic, no side airbags, no floor mats, for $13,998($15,600 out the door) in the bay area. I regularly saw the manual trasmission for about 600 or so less than that. Remember though that side airbags and floor mats will increase about 400 bucks.

pat

If you haven't already, you might want to ask that question in one of the discussions over on our Finance, Warranty and Insurance Board - one way to get there is by using the "Select Topic" dropdown box on the upper left of this page. Good luck - let us know what you find out.

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

justin

I have done that, and there is a discussion open about that.

thanks!

cmuk

i have a 2001 civic lx and also installed alpine cd changer to a factory radio

popeyeolive

BOUGHT A HONDA LX 2001 LAST 10.22.00. GOT 4000 MILES NOW, JUST HAD OIL CHANGE.

EVERY MORNING, I ALWAYS HEAR A CREAKING SOUND WHEN I BREAK SLOWLY. THE SOUND IS NOT NOTICEABLE DURING THE COURSE OF THE DAY. IS THIS NORMAL?

I WENT TO THE DEALER AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE. THEY TOLD ME THAT THIS IS NORMAL. BUT THE CAR DIDN'T HAVE THIS NOISE BEFORE.

DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS? PLEASE HELP.

THANKS.
:-)

mdriver

I keep seeing discussions about price paid for new Civics. Doesn't anyone trade their previous cars in? These price quotes are meaningless if you have a trade-in.

lngtonge18

I was rather shocked seeing all these posts making a big deal out of the 5W20 weight oil over the 10W-30. The average person as well as the engine would never be able to tell the difference between the two unless the temperature routinely drops below 0 degrees F or above 95. Does anyone in here that was complaining about the dealer using it really know what those numbers mean? The first number is the oil's viscosity (or propensity to flow) at cold temperatures. 10W-30 should be used only if the temperature doesn't drop below -9 degrees. Below that temp, it becomes too thick to flow and will make it difficult if not impossible for the engine to start. Because most of the country does not encounter temps much harsher than -9, it has become the most accepted compromise between cold temp flow and high temp protection. 5W-20 is a lighter weight oil designed to meet the needs of those who drive often in temperatures below 0 degrees. However, the 5W-20 is at a disadvantage when hotter temperatures are taken into account. I just looked at an oil viscosity chart and it showed that 5W-20 should not be used in temperatures that routinely exceed 95 degrees. This is because it is too thin to provide proper lubrication at those high temps. So, those who live in the southeast, central plains, or southwest should not use this viscosity during the summer months. 5W-30 or 10W-30 would be a better choice for these people. I'm sure the same manual that mentioned the recommended oil also has a chart showing recommended oil viscosities based on a temperature scale. I suggest looking at that closely, because the general recommendation doesn't take into account extreme temp variations. In fact, oil change shops in my area (Florida) routinely use 10W-40 unless you specify otherwise because the high temps and high humidity put a lot of strain on small engines. The thick 40W viscosity provides the added temp protection and cooler running those small engines require.
As for those worried that the engine would be harmed by using a different viscosity oil, that's utter hogwash. The recommended oil for our 92 Accord was 10W-30. My dad always used straight 30W oil, except during the 2 coldest winter months, during which he used 10W-30 for less strain on the starter. The engine ran beautifully up until just last week when it was totalled. It had 186,400 miles. It never leaked, nor did it ever burn a drop of oil. Anyway, the moral of this post is to let those who are not informed know that 10W-30 is a perfectly fine weight of oil that will not harm your Civic. Before having a heart-attack over a dealer putting that into your engine, at least understand what the numbers mean and look closely at the oil viscosity charts. And in the case of those who live in hot climates, I suggest making sure the dealer uses 10W-30 instead of the 5W-20.

lngtonge18

You never mentioned it, so I was curious. Did your accident set off your airbags too? What kind of car did you hit and how much damage did you do to it? Glad you were not hurt.

lngtonge18

For those do-it-yourselfers that want to save the few bucks over the factory oil filters, I suggest using Purolator. It has the internal bypass valve, just like the factory one, that most aftermarket filters lack. It also has been tested to have superior filtration compared to Fram, AC Delco, and other big name brands. It costs a max of $2.50 at your local auto parts store (Discount Auto, Pep Boys, etc.).

justin

my airbags did not go off. i hit a 91 four door Civic on it's passenger back door and back fender side. his car is squished because i drove him into a telephone pole and a fence after that. i am sure his is totalled. I pulled what was left of the bumper off my car and drove with a police escort to the honda dealer. he had to get towed

still not sure why he pulled out.....hopefully he is thinking long and hard about it as well. he could not speak ANY English, and had only had a license for about a year. the cop was not pleased with him at all. glad i don't have to go to court...;)

f6biker

In reguards to the owners manual,
1) The owners manual states 5w-20 only, there is no temperature chart.
2) It further states 5w-30 may be used when the recomended oil is not available but should be replaced with 5w-20 at next oil change.

Why use the correct oil?
Penzoil told me of several new cars that use 5w-20 for maximum fuel economy and lower polution and if you are saving receipts for possible warranty verification of correct maintenance, you have a problem, you did not do what they plainly recomend in print. For example the owners manual said use only 87 octane gas in my truck. You might not see harm in putting 92 in untill the mechanic tells you that you burned out the oxygen sensor for $300 and since I confessed to useing a proscribed octane gas they would not pay for it, next time. This is why I am concerned about it. I thought that 92 octane would be ok but it was not. Now I read the book and do just what it says before some engineer tells me why I have screwed up his vehicle.

wma

would anybody please tell me what is the max allowable speed for each gear, thank you.

isellhondas

Kind of an odd question...but...watch your tachometer instead of your speedometer.

I know you can easilly pull 80 MPH in third gear without getting near redline.

lngtonge18

Sorry to hear of your bad experience with a mechanic, but he was pulling your leg. Curiously, what kind of truck is it? There is no such car that can "only" run on 87 octane or risk damaging things. The manual always states 87 or higher octane(usually by stating to use at least 87 octane), except for those where it is recommended to use 91 or higher for best performance. Using the higher octane gas did not burn out the oxygen sensor. Oxygen sensors cannot last the life of the car. They used to be required to be replaced every 60K. Your truck either had a faulty sensor or it burned out under normal circumstances. Don't be so quick to believe what a mechanic says. They will try anything to get out of covering the cost of replacing something under warranty, including lying to unsuspecting people.

f6biker

It is a GM truck with 8,000 miles on it and they paid but did not want to pay again if I continued to burn 92 octane. They had a service advisory from GM on not burning 92+ octane gas.

cwosigns

I appreciate your expertise on the subject of motor oil. However, why would the service department of my dealer or I completely ignore what the owner's manual reccomends? The manual is published BY Honda. And who should know what's best for my Civic than the folks that designed, engineered, and built it?

If my dealer put anything different than what is recommended in my owner's manual, I'd have them drain and fill it with the proper oil. Then if at any point there is a problem with the engine that can be attributed to motor oil, your [non-permissible content removed] is covered by doing it by the book.

bryan27

Ingtonge18 do you have data to prove what you have to say? Charts? Stress Strain graphs? Any sort of engineering data whatsoever?

The point is, the manual states to use a certain oil for a reason. Granted it may be because of fuel efficiency mainly but it may also be for other reasons as well. If you have data that would show the manual to be incorrect or just general information for the owner, then show it otherwise your opinion is invalid. Mechanics, Dealers, Want to be experts on these boards, Owners who think they know everything, they all want to claim that 3,000 miles or 3 months with 10W-40 is best, blah blah. Not until you show me the proof will I deviate from the manual. The manual is written by engineers, all other advice comes from mechanics and the like. Who do you think I should trust? I already know.

sylko

Your father, who I am assuming was some sort of mechanic or engineer since you believe in his actions so faithfully, substituted straight 30w oil for 10w30. Somehow that seems much closer than substituting 10w30 or 10w40 for 5w20. As for your oil change people, I don't know if I'm willing to trust them or licensed mechanics over the engineers. Like, Brayn27 said in an above post, show me your proof. Surely you wouldn't take the word of a non-expert without proof.

gasguzz

As far as oil is concerned, there is little difference between 5w-20 and 5w-30. Honda itself states that you can you use 5w-30 when 5w-20 is not available, proving both are compatible. Mechanically, do you think you can purge EVERY drop of 5w-30 once you've used it in your 5w-20 engine? Given a hotter operating climate, the 5w-30 will indeed offer more protection. The operating viscosity of an oil is measured using the ASTM test method D4683. Specifically, the only difference between 5w-20 and 5w-30 is temperature (aside from energy expended dynamics). However, the manual is written for the-middle-of-the-ground and I would use 5w-20 - to protect warranty.
Also, the manual is not written by engineers. An Engineering Release would consist of data provided by the Engineering group, is approved by the Sales and Marketing team, and is scrutinized for publication by the Legal department. Each of these entities have their own agendas. Do you think this process would allow that two different spec oils may be used between winter and summer?
Lastly, no, I have no proof.

carguy000

I have a week old 2001 Honda Civic EX 2 door Auto/w side airbags with about 500 miles on it. I love it and have had no problems with it. I've got about 340 miles on this tank of gas and my gas needle is about two notches above the "E." Shouldn't my low fuel light be on? Someone had mentioned that theirs wasn't working. When have your fuel lights come on? Thanks!

rkan

I have only put one tank of gas in my 2001 LX, and I was worried that my fuel warning light was not working. The gauge got all the way down to the empty line, then the light came on. I filled up and I had 2.1 gallons left in the tank right as the light had come on.

devore

I've had the same experience as rkan - my fuel light came on today right as the gauge was on the E line, and I ended up putting about 10.2 gallons of fuel in the tank.

justin

Isn't that normal? My car, 2001 Civic EX Coupe, when the light comes on, can take a little over 10, sometimes 11 gallons. Doesn't the light mean you have about 2 or 3 gallons left? Or no?

mdriver

The low fuel light is no more or less accurate than the guage itself. I think it is an annoying waste of a light bulb. I can see when the guage gets to "E" just as easily as a light. Now how about a low washer fluid light? Now that is much more useful because you don't have a washer fluid guage.

bordsource

Honda has issued a technical service bulletin on the fuel gauge and its various assemblies. You can check it out at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov . I'm sure many of you would want the work carried out, as having a bad fuel gauge is a supreme annoyance. My gauge will read 1/8 of a tank of gas left (which amounts to two hash marks off E) with almost 4 gallons left in the tank. It's extremely annoying. My low fuel light has come on only once in almost 5200 miles. I basically trust only the mileage on that tank of gas- I fill by 350, usually around 300. My gas gauge is screwed. Thankfully, it'll be fixed on April 11, when I go in for service.

ejonavin

Doesn't all 2001 Civics have that light? Or is it just my EL?

rsparrow

Read in the latest Automobile magazine that Honda is supposed to be introducing the European Civic hatchback this summer at the New York show for the North American market as a 2002 Si model. Have you heard anything more about this?

http://www.honda.co.uk/civic.html

lngtonge18

My dad is a mechanical engineer with many many years of experience working on all sorts of engines. He is the one that is flown in to determine what went wrong when F-15 fighter planes crash from engine failure. He has worked for the same company for over 35 years. Ever heard of Pratt and Whitney? Their engines power many of the 737 and 747 planes you rely on so much. His expertise was jet engines, but now he works on rocket engines. His entire job is testing the longevity of engine parts and trying to make them break. He also has completely rebuilt a Beetle's engine at least 4 times, his 66 Ford's engine once, a Chevy 350 small block, and a 2.8 Chevy V-6 (and all this out of his own garage). So yes, I feel he is very qualified when it comes to engines and what is ok for them. How many of you here have the same qualifications?

bryan27

While I respect your father's expertise in jet and rocket engines it doesn't tell me enough. What I am trying to say is that unless you are an automotive engineer (more specifically Honda engineer) then you have no real evidence to say it doesn't matter what oil to use.

As far as your comment on changing to 5W-30 when the temperature rises above 95 degrees (another baseless opinion), I've provided a link to show you flash points of different oil viscosities from Pennzoil. See for yourself, the 5W-20 actually had a higher flash point than 5W-30. 5W-20 can take a lot of abuse and when people claim it is not enough for the summer, blah blah, it makes me want to puke. I'm tired of the opinions.

http://www.pennzoil.com/TechData/pdsheet/domesticmarketing/engineoils/pdf/Multigrade.pdf

So there you go, some evidence, of which you have none.

pat

Folks, some posts have been removed due to profanity and incivility.

Remember that your Terms of Use (see link on left sidebar) requires that no profanity (masked or otherwise) be posted, and that you have agreed to disagree with opinions of other posters in a civil manner.

Also remember that responding in kind to such posts will cause your post to be removed as well. It is best to either ignore flame-bait, or email one of your hosts about the issues.

Thanks.

Pat
Host
Sedans and Auto Women's Center Message Boards

bordsource

All Civics have that light. However, due to the fuel tank malfunctions, not everyone's light may be in working order.

oops13

Or they just aren't running the tank low enough. Mine does not come on until the needle has been on the last hash mark for 20 or 30 miles.

phantomca

For all the people who have problem with the fuel gauge, where is the car manufacture?
Check your vehicle identification number on your lower front glass shield. It is usually start with a 1 , 2 or J

oops13

Mine is from Canada and it doesn't read in a proportional manner (100 miles at half tank, 350 at empty when the light comes on). In my opinion this is not a problem, just a poor design. Simply put, it still has enough gas (in the range of 3.5 to 4 gallons) to get me to the next station, wherever it might be, after the warning light comes on.
Do you know something in regards to a problem from a particular factory or are you just trying to gain data from which to try to draw your own conclusion?

carguy62

Honda used to specify in the owners manual exactly how the fuel indicator should work. It was something like, the light will glow steadily when there are 3.2 (not sure about this #) gallons left. When the needle is on E there are approximately 1.8 US gallons left (again not sure about this #). Noticed on my '01 Accord that they don't spell it out anymore but I would imagine it would still work about the same since they have most of the same mechanicals related to the fuel system that they had 12 years ago.

gasguzz

I know mine works as at times (rarely) when it gets to be "low", it lights when I back out of the garage and turns off when it's level out on the street. Do I trust it - absolutely NOT. This especially when even the gauge itself fluctuates exceedingly even on slight inclines.

phantomca

No..I was just curious how each plant will differ as far as quality is concern. I used to drive a 1990 accord and it was built in Japan. I finally sold the car after one of the hose broke and the car overheated. NOw...I am driving a civic lx 2001. Been very happy about it.

s852

Has anyone had interior squeaks and rattles from their new Civic sedans?
Is there plenty of headroom front and rear in EX models (with moon roof)?
Does the automatic transmission shift smoothly?
Is there much road/tire noise at freeway speeds?
Has anyone driven their 2001 Civic in hot weather? Is the A/C strong enough to keep you cool in 100 degree weather?
Is there still a two second delay when you set the cruise control like the older Hondas?
Does the remote keyless entry pop the trunk also?
How do the gauges light up as night? Are they back lit now or still front lit like past models Back lit gauges are not really "important," but it's kind of fun to drive a car with a dash that looks cool at night (like the glowing blue gauges in new VWs).
What kind of real world gas mileage can you expect in a Civic EX automatic sedan?

pat

Pardon the interruption - I want to explain the name change of this discussion.

Since we have moved to our new platform, we no longer have the requirement to stop and restart discussions after the numbers of posts exceed a certain limit. Since this discussion can continue as long as anyone has anything to say about Civic Sedans there is no longer a need for the "3" that has been included in the discussion name. Down the road, that could confuse our newer members so I have removed it.

Please continue...

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

bordsource

Hi, I'll go through your questions as best I can, though someone else'll have to comment on the questions regarding the auto cranny.

I have about 4 squeaks, rattles, and buzzes in my car, with all but one coming from the dash board. My car goes in on Wednesday for servicing, though, so hopefully they will all be quelled for good then.

I am 6' tall, and I can sit comfortably front and rear with no worries about head room. Even with the driver's seat fully raised, my head is nowhere near the roof. Remember that Honda used the same trick Ford and Toyota used with the Focus and Echo, respectively, in raising the roof of the car. It worked, and headroom isn't an issue.

Actually, in my opinion, the big issue at freeway speeds is not road noise, but engine noise. It's kind of buzz. It is the best in this class, but that's not saying all too much. The fact of the matter is that if you're coming from a larger, V-6 engine car, this car will seem annoyingly buzz at first. Around town, however, where engine speeds are lower, road noise is a factor.

I haven't used the A/C, but I can say that if the heater is any indication of the power of the A/C system, then I'll be just fine. The blower is pretty strong, and in my limited use of the air conditioner, it seems to be pretty powerful.

I have no experience with older Honda, so I can't comment on the new cruise control's performance compared to the old, but I can say that the new one for the most part take a short second to set. It's not a long time at all, and many would probably count the engagement as instantaneous.

The keyless entry does not control the trunk, which is a real sore spot for me.

The gauges appear to be electroluminescent at night, which is to say that they're illuminated extremely accurately. The light is pure white, with no green or blue tinges, and everything is easily deciphered. So, answering your question, yes, they are backlit.

And, as a general rule, I believe about 32 mpg is the forum average for both manual and automatic trannies.

s852

It sounds like the gauges will look cool at night. The other Hondas I been in look like the entire instrument panel is floodlit with a flashlight instead of clearly defined numbers and needles.

The remote key fob that still doesn't pop the trunk is disappointing. Aftermaket electric trunk releases don't work well. It is not that big of a deal though.

Creaks and rattles are a bigger turn off, I hoped they might have fixed that problem with a new design.
Had the dash been tampered with in any way? Was an alarm system or new stereo installed that required disassembly of the dash?

The biggest turn off is buzzy engine noise at highway speeds. In the previous Civic, I thought roaring tires were the loudest noise unless the road was glass smooth. I could hardly hear the engine when the car was in high gear.

I wonder if the top gear ratios are lower in the new Civic. What kind of RPMs are going at 65 MPH in overdrive gear in a Civic EX automatic?

Since I have heard people say that the 2001 Civic stereo is still very weak, if you like good music and want to drown out the apparent engine noise and squeaks and rattles, you will need to either get an amplifier or at least get a more powerful aftermarket head unit as well as new speakers.
Unfortunately, this installation may cause additional squeaks and rattles in the dash, doors and rear deck shelf.
I wish Honda would install a better quality factory stereo system at least in the EX models that was at least as good as the best factory stereos in a Focus or Sentra so aftermarket tampering would not be needed for anyone other than those who want to shake the neighborhood or are very critical audiophiles.

justin

My coupe has white on gray gauges during the day and it is backlit orange/red at night. the sedans are different I guess??

My EX Coupe is at almost 3k RPM at 65mph. I don't notice too much noise, but I came from a 2000 Elanta, the king of BUZZ, so that might exlain it.