Honda Civic Sedan 2006

hangaralf1

in reference to the automatic, I have a 99 odyssey which obviously has an auto, and one of the complaints from everyone and the car mags was that it was very easy to overshoot D4 and stop in D3. (ody has only 4 gears). I have found that when driving around town in D4, the engine is always trying to achieve D4 and does this "lugging". THis is not good for the engine. they don't like strain at only 1500 rpm. so.. i found it easier to drive around town in D3. mileage isn't so great, but it has to be cheaper than a new engine. D4 is now reserved only for highway speeds greater than around 60 mph. i have to wonder if Honda didn't plan it that way. there is definitely a deeper detent for D3 than D4.

all this is why my lx in tango red (which i really like by the way,allfiredup) is manual. i have driven it on the PA turnpike with a few semi steep hills and it seems to have no problem. i didn't push it too hard since it only has about 350 miles on it, but when its properly broken in, you just shift to a lower gear yourself. redline is what.. around 6500 rpm, which is just past the peak of the power band . (this is also why i change my oil in my cars every 3000 miles, whether it needs it or not - and usually it does).

as far as the trans flush goes, in the ody, and i "[non-permissible content removed] ume" that the civic is the same way, there is no filter to remove, no trans oil pan. a flush consists of emptying and refilling with new trans oil, driving til its good and hot, and emptying and refilling with new trans oil of course. its easier than doing an engine oil change, and a hell of a lot cheaper than someone else doing it for you. by the way, honda has a proprietary transmission oil with special additives, i would recommend springing for it(of course, its more expensive). you can get aftermarket brand oil and add an additive package to bring up to Hondas specs, but then it costs the same. the additive package isn't particularly cheap either.

hangaralf1

they replaced my ody transmission at 75K for free with a reman. Its shifts better now than when it was new - we'll see for how long, but i'll take it.

navlover

'picked up my 2006 Civic Hybrid yesterday. Very happy with everything the car offers, especially Honda's Nav system, which is better then a lot of others. The only "wish" that I had was that Honda would have taken more of my money.

I would have GLADLY forked over money for a Bluetooth option, which would have integrated nicely with the Nav system (or "Navi" as Honda calls it).

Next would have been a factory-installed security upgrade. I know it has the ignition kill and stuff, but I would have given more money to have a true "alarm" that detected window breakage etc., FACTORY installed.

Last would have been a remote entry & starting system like the Prius has, where the key could still be in my pocket or whatever.

Yes, these options usually are a little overpriced, but I keep my cars for a long time so I would have been willing to pay for them.

And yes, I have a distinct feeling that some of these options, especially the Bluetooth, will probably be available next year, but I wasn't gonna wait.

I do have to say that I am THRILLED to have the media card slot... Very cool.

civicforme

Where is the Taffeta White MT? That is just what I am looking for.

navlover

p.s. - Also, a stereo upgrade to the 350Watt system that is in the EX. I -did- get the bass enhancer but I would have preferred to upgrade to the better overall system.

jaxs1

I doubt Bluetooth will be available on Civic by next year. Maybe on top of the line Accords for the 2008 redesign.
Probably won't be on any Civic until bluetooth becomes a standard feature on lower priced cell phones and then everyone has it.
In the meantime, it is so easy to just get a bluetooth headseat and voice-dial for hands free phone useage today. No need to connect bluetooth to your car.

navlover

There's also "no need" to have a navigation system, when Mapquest is free. Having audio come through your car speakers, through a factory-installed setup is much nicer then my BT earpiece.

Most carriers offer BT phones for $29, or $49. I'm willing to bet you five bucks that it will be an option (or standard) next year. We'll see in a year or so ;-

jaxs1

You cannot use Mapquest and drive at same time. A printout from an online map web page doesn't give you the same functionality as a nav system.
Bad analogy.
A bluetooth headset gives you complete functionality.
It's extremely unlikely they would add bluetooth to the Civic before adding it to the Accord or they would have already done it at the redesign point.
Most carriers also do not have $29 or $49 bluetooth phones now as you said.

navlover

Nav provides you with a map to get to a destination. Same thing a Mapquest printout does, it just does it better. Same way a BT car kit does it "better" then a BT headset. (And I see a half dozen people per week in cars next to me with Mapquest printouts, thus "using" mapquest. (that's a stretch of definition, but the basic idea is sound).

I work for one of the major wireless carriers (the best and most expensive one actually). Even we have BT headsets for $49 occasionally. I can give you links for $49 or less BT phones from all of our competitors. (Wish we -always- had a BT model for $49, but it's only when we have sales)

You may be right about it going in to the Accord first, but I still think you'll be surprised in a year.

allfiredup

That was three weeks ago and all I know is that there were two somewhere in northern Georgia. They were both LXs. Perhaps inventories have changed since then? Are you wanting an LX or EX?

I wound up going with "Plan B". I won't say exactly what that is in this forum for fear of being stoned to death! :P Perhaps in pig latin, Azdamay Reethay. hehe

allfiredup

Nissan recently announced that they're going to be offering Bluetooth capablility as an option on their 2007 Versa subcompact which debuts in a few months. Perhaps Honda will step up and add it to the Civic to be competitive.

The 350-watt stereo in the EX Coupe would be very nice in the EX Sedan and Hybrid. It sounds incredible.

jaxs1

A nav system has lots more functionality than a static printout. It's dangerous to deal with piece of paper while driving, you have to plan the route in advance with Mapquest and you can't get a new route on the fly if there is a problem (map error, road closure etc.) with a Mapquest printout.

You get a laundry list of added features with nav.

Bluetooth lets you hear the caller through the car speakers. A hands-free blutooth headset gives you the rest of the functionality and follows you out of the car, so it's actually MORE useful.

Your passengers get to hear both sides of your phone conversation whether you or they want to or not.

"Occasionally" having a special for new customers who sign a 2 year contract for $49 (after a large mail-in rebate you may get months later) is not the same as being easily being available for $29 to $49 or being widely available on most phones.
It wasn't long ago that Verizon had NO bluetooth phones available for any price.
It isn't a mainstream thing until it is a standard feature on the majority of phones (which it is not).

jaxs1

I don't they are too worried about being competitive with the goofy Versa.
Nissan and Mazda are the desperate ones who try to add extra features in an attempt to be competitive.
If they do ever add it to the Civic, it is more likely that the 2008 Accord would get it first, then they would think about the Civic.
They would have just included it in the 2006 Civic if they didn't want the new Accord to have it first.

raychuang00

The 5 speed auto does shift a lot to compensate for terrain, but it is designed to and it is smooth and relatively unnoticeable. It does not seem to hunt for a gear on a steady grade in my short experience with it (1K mi).

That was the same experience I had with the Honda Civic LX sedan I test drove recently. It does a very good job shifting between gears during acceleration and deceleration (it's certainly smoother than most four-speed automatics from even six years ago! ), and I like the fact it doesn't have the bad habit of "hunting" between gears when accelerating on an upward-climbing freeway ramp. Honda will likely use a variant of this excellent transmission on the 2007 Honda Fit due in April 2006.

charlotte2

I am still dealing with the Honda dealer ship on the ticking noise the car makes. You can really hear it when ideling. They told me it is the fuel enjectors. I don't want a new car that has to be fixed the first 5oo miles. It is loud and bothersome for a new car. They are taking the car in on Friday and the District Service Rep is going to look and see what he can come up with. It is not acceptable to me to have the noise. It does not represent the car very well to have the noise when you are at a red light and the people in the car beside you can hear the ticking. Sounds like a car out of oil. You can hear it in side the car too. and no I do not want to turn the radio up. LOL I told them if that is the sound the car is suppose to make then I don't want it and never would have bought it if I had known or heard the noise. See what they say Friday

boomchek

Congratualtions on your Hybrid!!

The Civic Hybrid does come with a true alarm system that sounds the horn if the vehicle is broken into.

Also the remote starting system is available as an option in Canada. It is a honda made system that's dealer installed as an accessory. It's about $600CDN.

midnightcowboy

All Cell Phones in cars operated by the drivers , WHILE THE CAR IS MOVING, are dangerous and probably the largest cuase of accidents. I personally hope they completely outlaw cell phone conversations carried on by the driver Bluetooth or Not. The human mind cannot multitask well enough to handle carefully, alert driving and carrying on a cell phone conversation!.

If your call is so important, then pull over to the side of the road.

I hope MADD expands its horizons and forms an auxiliary branch MACP (Mothers Against Cell Phones) since they have almost single-handed erraticated drunk driver fatalities by bring the proper attention to the problem.

Sincerely,

MidCow

targettuning

At the risk of being politically incorrect, didn't you drive any of these vehicles prior to sale? If you did and another sample didn't make the loud "ticking" BUT while driving your own purchased vehicle off the dealer lot you noticed the noise you should have stopped right there. It is a rather simple matter to go back and start another car right then and there to compare the two. In fact, any competent service advisor should have been able to determine if the noise was abnormal without any testing at all. The fuel injectors do make a ticking noise while operating but it isn't something a person in another car should be able to hear nor something you should have to mask by turning up the radio. There is also a certain small amount of mechanical valvetrain noise while idling but not objectionable nor even noticeable inside the car.

navlover

True - The horn-alarm will sound if the door is jimmied (sp?) but not if the window glass is broken, or if the car is 'hit' while parked. (That is my understanding - please correct me if I am wrong) Guess the only concern is someone breaking the glass and crawling through the window to take what they want. Seems a little far fetched, but if it is common knowledge that the factory alarm doesn't have a glass-breakage or motion detector, then they'll know that is their ticket in. I'm sure it'll be fine.

My confusion was caused by the text in the U.S. Civic brochure. Perhaps I'm mis-interpretting... for the LX is says "Security System with Remote Entry", whereas on the Hybrid it just says "Remote Entry System with Trunk Release".

I was assuming that that meant that the LX had a 'true-er' security system, but maybe it was just a editing oversight and it is the same system that the EX and Hybrid have.

navlover

Even though I agree that the distraction is great, I don't think a ban like that will -ever- happen. Mobile phones are just too much an integrated part of our culture. I think we -will- see more states doing what NY has done - requiring the use of a speakerphone or headset.

Yes, the conversation portion has been shown to be a distraction, but I see the distraction of people looking around to find their ringing phone, or looking down at it to scroll through their phonebook, to be more dangerous because that is when their eyes have to come off the road. That's where the safety benefit of BT is so valueable. (integrated or headset).

warner

How is a cell phone conversation (hands-free type) any more distracting than talking to one of the passengers in the car with you? Shall we suggest outlawing talking in cars while they're moving as well?

Warner

midnightcowboy

Warner,

Good point and at least in my car when I am in heavy Houston traffic. I ask the passenger, "Hold On a SEC" heavy traffic, can't talk right now.

I find the absolute scariest drivers are the Navigator and Expeditions with the soccer balls with kids names or other sports insigna on the back window and the 'mom" chatting away on the phone.

By the way, most drivers don't know than signalling to change lanes is a law, not an option to tell other drivers close the gap.

Be Cell Phone Responsible, Be a Designated Driver, Don't Let Friends Drive when Embibing in Cell Phones!

The only distraction I like when driving is shifting,

MidCow

crissman

I think the wording in the brochure is just an oversight. My understanding is that one difference between the EX and LX is the trunk release button on the key of the EX. I assume the Hybrid also has this feature.

warner

Warner,

Good point and at least in my car when I am in heavy Houston traffic. I ask the passenger, "Hold On a SEC" heavy traffic, can't talk right now.

I find the absolute scariest drivers are the Navigator and Expeditions with the soccer balls with kids names or other sports insigna on the back window and the 'mom" chatting away on the phone.

By the way, most drivers don't know than signalling to change lanes is a law, not an option to tell other drivers close the gap.

Be Cell Phone Responsible, Be a Designated Driver, Don't Let Friends Drive when Embibing in Cell Phones!

The only distraction I like when driving is shifting,

MidCow

I couldn't agree more. There have been occasions where I ended a cell phone conversation while driving because traffic or driving conditions (here in Chicago) were getting too demanding and I could do both effectively. But you are also right about the soccer moms (and dads) - when I was still riding (and racing) motorcycles (before I got married) I used to fear minivans. I'd typically have at least one "close-call" per weekend and it would often times involve a minivan. The scariest part was that I eventually got used to the close-calls! I did have a couple of accidents on the street (neither were my fault OR avoidable) that both ended in broken bones, but nothing too severe. I quit riding when I became responsible for lives other than my own. (and here I am debating about which economy car gets better 0-60 times....Ugh! I used to do 0-60 in 2.7 seconds - in 1st gear).

Warner

warner

P.S. - I never talked on a cell phone while riding my motorcycle.

midnightcowboy

But you didn't have BT either

Double sixees,

MidCow

mcap

I have to disagree with you all. Hands free has not been shown to be any less distracting. It is a gimmick, feel good type of law that doesn't address the real problem. I don't think any law could.

There are a number of other distractions such as eating, reading, screaming kids, changing radio stations. That is certainly true. But I do think an in car conversation is far less distracting than a cell phone conversation hands free or no. The reason is that when a person is sitting next to you, you can hear them clearly and note inflections in their voice. There is far richer and greater detail than that which can be had on a cell phone. You therefore have to struggle a lot less to comprehend and participate in the coversation. Of course, if you spouse is screaming at you.........all bets are off lol!!!

midnightcowboy

Mcap,

You somehow have misconstrued what i said. I think all Cell Phones are distracting, handsfree bluetooth or not.! Cell Phones should not be used by the driver when driving, period!

No screaming kids, rarely change radio station, rarely eat while driving, and no reading while driving.

Most converstion is okay as well as background radio, but when you are in heavy traffic trying to decide which exit to take on a new trip, it is hard to answer profound questions such as "what is the meaning of life ? or "what was the lead instrument in that last song?"

Promote Cell Free Driving,

MidCow

gonammer

Did you purchase a stock EX Sedan with or without nav? $1300 under MSRP is a pretty good deal. Any interesting negotiating tips?

gonammer

For buyers of an EX Coupe or Sedan w/navigation, please post what you recently paid (state if includes TTL or not). Also, provide City and State.

The local dealers in northern California seem to not budge much on the nav versions.

tamaraster

Usually, if you're having a live conversation in the car, the passengers (except children) are at least vaguely aware of what's going on around you. A front seat passenger almost always notices if you're in a tense or stressful driving situation and can be quiet momentarily until you, for instance, finish merging onto the freeway.

midnightcowboy

You might get better responnse to your questions under the Thread: Honda Civic: Prices Paid & Buying Experience:
/direct/view/.eea7241/2693!make=Honda&model=Civic&ed_ma- keindex=.eea7241

I paid slightly under MSRP for a Civic Si Coupe w summer tires, fog lights and NAV.

Good Luck,

MidCow

mellis

I've never understood this. Why is talking on a Bluetooth speakerphone more dangerous than having a conversation with a passenger while driving?

mvs1

I disagree with hands free ear buds or integrated bluetooth not having an impact on safety.

I would lean towards having two hands on the wheel as being safer than one hand on the wheel, one changing the radio and grabbing a beverage, and driving with your leg....well that's OK as long as your shoes are off. :confuse:

hangaralf1

i hate cell phones anyway - they are just another chain attached to the ball and chain that are your wife, your boss, your...

i like the idea of banning conversation in the car too. I want an isolation booth when i'm driving with my stereo -keeps the distraction of the wife and kids from yammering at ya while your trying make time at 90 mph on the highway...

speaking of 90 mph, seriously now, my civic is still at around 500 miles. how fast am i allowed to drive and what would be my maximum rpm and how many miles before i can experience life at the top of the powerband?

warner

i hate cell phones anyway - they are just another chain attached to the ball and chain that are your wife, your boss, your...

i like the idea of banning conversation in the car too. I want an isolation booth when i'm driving with my stereo -keeps the distraction of the wife and kids from yammering at ya while your trying make time at 90 mph on the highway...

speaking of 90 mph, seriously now, my civic is still at around 500 miles. how fast am i allowed to drive and what would be my maximum rpm and how many miles before i can experience life at the top of the powerband?

It sounds like you need a girlfriend, Hangaralf1! Hehehe..just kidding. I know what you mean about being "attached" or OVERLY available with having a cell phone on you. I feel that way at times, too. Call me "integrated" though, because I actually feel a sense of loss if I don't have it with me. What if one of my kids needs to get in touch with me? I know...10 or 15 years ago it would have been unheard of to have those feelings, but man, that's just the way life has become these days. As far as keeping the RPM's down on your new Civic, I wouldn't worry about it...these aren't like old lawnmower engines anymore. Mine has probably about 2,000 miles on it and it's seen redline more than a few times already. Honestly, I haven't checked the owner's manual to see what it says about this, so if you're super concerned that's where I would look, but these new engines aren't as reliant on break-in periods as they used to be.

Warner

crissman

Not that I'm likely to use it, but would the new Civic see any improvement in performance or efficiency with the use of premium fuel? I believe the compression ratio is 10.5:1. It seems some other cars (Jetta and TSX) with the same ratio are calling for premium. Just curious.

mdchachi

They may not make the actual conversation much safer but certainly the act of making a call is safer using a good voice-activated handsfree system vs taking your eyes off the road to fumble with your phone.

targettuning

Everything I have ever found on the subject indicates that there is no reason to use premium fuel unless specifically called for by the manufacturer. Would there be some imperceptable improvement in performance?? maybe. Would it be worth .50 cents or more per gallon..nope. I have also noted that some engines like all Hyundai V-6's and even the 4 cyl.+ also other manufacturers have fairly high (for the era)compression ratios. Hyundai called for regular gas as does Honda so why does VW use premium? Good question that I cannot answer..anybody out there who can?

outrider

I just picked up my '06 Civic LX and noticed some AM stations have interference, similar to driving under a low-handing, high voltage line. I don't have nav. It's not across all stations. My dealership's service dept says that the film type is the cause. A different type needs to be installed and they will do this free of charge. Don't know specifics yet. Otherwise, all the rest works well and I'm very satisfied.

midnightcowboy

Metallic Tinting affects radio reception of integrated antennas because of the electronic skin effect.

Cheers,

MidCow

navlover

My point exactly.

allfiredup

I paid slightly under MSRP for a Civic Si Coupe w summer tires, fog lights and NAV.

I spoke today with a friend of mine who sells Hondas. He told me they won't even discuss discounts on the Si. The first two earmarked for their dealership started a bidding war and the very first one sold for $1500 OVER MSRP!

warner

I paid slightly under MSRP for a Civic Si Coupe w summer tires, fog lights and NAV.

I spoke today with a friend of mine who sells Hondas. He told me they won't even discuss discounts on the Si. The first two earmarked for their dealership started a bidding war and the very first one sold for $1500 OVER MSRP!

Probably true. But what will the 10th one sell for? The 50th? Pilgrims always take the first arrows. They were saying this about the cost on the Civics in general (that you had to pay MSRP or even above to get one), but without doing much shopping at all, I was able to get over $1,000 under MSRP, and more recent shoppers have gotten much better deals that I did. It's just a matter of time before the prices level off to where they'll be longer term.

Warner

jofu74

Anyone here located in the NYC tri-state area and have bought a 2006 civic under the MSRP?

I am looking to buy a 2006 Civic LX with Auto trans. Carsdirect is offering MSRP of 17,860 minus TTL; any help would be greatly appreciated. See you on the road....

navlover

I had my windows tinted on my '06 Civic Hybrid one week ago. When I was calling around I phoned seven places. Only two of them offered non-metallic tints. This is apparently because the metalic ones last longer.

Anway, I was told that if the fm antenna is integrated in to the rear window, it could definitely cause a problem - mostly on AM but a bit on FM as well. I was told it could also possibly cause a problem with NAV, depending on where the GPS receiver is located in the car.

Because the hybrid has the antenna on the roof I figured that it should make a difference for the radio. I wasn't able to get a 100% certain answer, but I believe the GPS is somewhere in the dash, so I figured it wouldn't make too much different in that area either.

Everything seems fine.

If non-hybrid models have the antenna in the rear window then I would think twice.

Question... there is a dotted area on the front windshield, above the rearview mirror sort of. Is that just on the hybrid, or on all models? Is that an additional antenna or ??

mvs1

I picked up my Civic from Brewster Honda in NY about two weeks ago. I paid roughly $500 over invoice for an EX sedan w/Navi. No added junk fees. In CT dealers add a conveyance fee usually between $199-299, which was avoided as well.

I contacted between 8-10 dealerships, other dealers that was reasonable were Danbury Honda in CT and Hillside Honda in NY who offered same car different color for $200 over invoice, but they did not have my color choice. All the dealerships were contacted through their internet departments.

mcap

I also went through Brewster Honda. Paid more than 1,000 under MSRP for an EX sedan. Went throught their internet department as well. No real fees except about a 40 buck DMV and a very minor doc fee. Also, a very good price on my trade. I live in Brooklyn, so it certainly isn't too far from anywhere in the city. Worth the ride.

mcap

acesfull

I got a lifetime guarantee on my non-metallic tint. Only drawback is the amount of heat reflection or the lack thereof.

I think that dotted area is to block the sun that the visors don't, just my opinion though.

tamaraster

The dotted area is for sun blocking, yeah. My CR-V has it also.