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Honda Civic Coupe / Civic Si 2006+
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Comments
Regarding the interiors of the 8th Gen Civics, while I personally don't have a huge issue with them, I do find them to have a look that is several cuts below both the Honda fit as well as say a GTI. Most of the complaints that I've heard in this regard is that the plastic surfaces are easy to scar with regular day-to-day usage.
Regarding the rear suspension, I don't think I've ever heard of a suspension issue with Si models, that said, the DX, LX and EX owners are having significant issues with tire wear.
Regarding your transmission, you seem to be one of the lucky ones. I've heard from plenty of Si owners that have used Synchromesh (or any of the other alternative synthetic tranny oils) where the problem disappeared following the oil change, only to return some weeks or months later. FWIW, I’ve also heard from an unlucky few who switched to Synchromesh and then had their dealer void the warranty on the transmission due to the non-standard fill of oil. I’m thinking that sucketh much. :P
The A/C issues seem to be hit and miss. Last summer I watched (on a different board) a debate rage between a guy from Houston and a guy from Dallas. The Houston guy claimed his A/C was perfect, the Dallas guy said his would only blow "cool" air after a half of an hour and his dealer told him it was "normal". Who's right? Don't know, however, I've heard enough complaints about the A/C to warrant caution.
Now, with all that said, please don't misunderstand me, I like the 8th Gen Civic, in fact, I like it enough to consider actually buying one, however, after driving both a Rabbit 5-Speed and a GTI 6-Speed, I honestly have to say that I like driving the VWs more than the Hondas, and in the end, that's what will probably sway me most when purchase time comes.
Best Regards,
Shipo
A/C depends on where the car is parked and what color it is as much as anything, though it may be possible some vehicles weren't fully charged with refrigerant. Domestics still have the best A/C.
Took about three years and a month.
Thanks in advance.
The 3rd gear issue was only prevelent on affected Si's from 06, 07 and some 08's. There is a specific VIN range that gives the Si's that have the issue. There was a problem where it would pop out of 3rd gear by itself. The other issue was the grind. As stated above, the TSB is out and many members recieved a new tranny tear down and build-up. Members have added Amsoil Syncromesh MTF to remedy the problem of the grind and I will say this once... NO DEALER can void your warranty if you use an oil that MEETS OR EXCEEDS manufacturer requirements. Amsoil, exceeding the requirements, has shown good results. However, it is up to each specific dealer to choose if they want to perform the MTF oil switch for you. That, you can not argue.
The A/C is strong enough and I have not heard many (if any, now that I think about it) problems with it. So owners having problems with their A/C is just a bad luck of the draw. Nothing more.
These are what I feel are the Pros and Cons of the Si:
Pros:
Good gas mileage (I do 60-miles round trip every day to work and I average about 31-mpg)
Handling (One of the best handling cars I have ever driven. I can pull 0.91 G on the skid)
The Price
i-VTEC Powerband (Power and engine note sounds spectacular. ("Wow! What an engine note! Equal parts angry hornet and formula bike" - MotorTrend)
Safety
Honda Reliability
Helical Limited Slip Differential LSD
6-Speed Manual Transmission (One of the smoothest shifting manual transmissions I have ever used. Effortless shift throws)
8,700-RPM Redline
Exhaust Note
2-Tier Digital Speedometer / Tachometer Display
Steering Feel
Maintenance Minder System
Styling (Inside and Out)
Clutch Feel and Travel
Comfort (Racing seats are firm, supportive, and plush. Is that possible to have all 3?)
Interior Room (Front)
Cons:
Drive-by-Wire (DBW) Throttle System (RPMs do not immediately drop when you shift gears sometimes)
Low Torque Numbers
Black Interior (Only comes in Black, which is what I wanted, but every piece of lint or dog hair shows)
No Leather Option (Would have been nice, but the cloth/suede material is excellent in feel. Wears pretty easily as well and starting to see some fade spots)
No Heated Seat Option
Interior Plastics scratches easily
A/C Vent right behind Steering Wheel (Not a real Con, but I’m starting to run out of ideas)
Interior Room in the Rear (A bit cramped in terms of leg room in my Coupe, but maybe that is because I am 6'1" and my driver seat is way back)
That’s pretty much it
The Si is honestly one of the best cars I have ever owned. Sure I could have went with something with more power, or more luxury, but for the money I am paying (I leased), and for what I get in terms of bang for the buck and value, that is where it shines. Comes in Coupe or Sedan, but I went with the Coupe because of the styling.
I looked at other cars like the Cobalt SS, the GTi, Sentra-V, WRX, and the Mazda Speed3 (MS3) and the Si was the logical choice. The Cobalt is a rental car, the GTi is a htach and they look god awful. The Sentra is just bland. The WRX is a bit more money. The MS3 is also a hatch, enough said, but it was the only other car that I considered.
I live in DFW, Texas
-Rev hang
-3rd gear pops out/ it's really hard to shift into 3rd
-my rear suspension creaks and sounds like it's going to break in half
-Tires wear horribly (they're expensive too)
My car has it's issues, but looking back I'd still buy it, I love driving it.