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Comments
Your Civic is equipped with an oil life monitor (OLM), and that monitor will tell you the percentage of life remaining for the oil in your engine. Honda (and many other manufacturers as well) have spent tens of millions of dollars proving out these OLM systems, and the work quite well. Follow its advice and your engine will last hundreds of thousands of miles. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
Well, Honda would be really stupid to have people leave oil in longer to make money off of engine problems. That would obviously hurt all future sales at Honda.
As Shipo said, the maintenance minder should be followed. And according to my usage, it should be somewhat past 5,000 before you need to change. (The specific mileage is determined by your driving habits.)
If you were to change it every 3,000 and you reset your minder everytime you get an oil change (as you're supposed to do) it would increase the frequency of how often you do the other maintenance items as listed in the manual. So you'd not only spend extra money on oil changes, you'd spend extra money on everything else.
Stick to the minder...
There's no plastic cutting involved.
link titlehttp://www.honda.com/
or you can also go onto the oem's owners site
link title
I've never seen any published schedule regarding the actual intervals on when to do the service on the latest generation Civic because it is all tied to the oil life computer or the maintenance minder as it's called.
When it gets to 15% oil life, you will see either an A or B and possibly 1,2,3,4 or 5 as well. Your owners manual has a description on what each item is so you can have it priced out beforehand if you want.
If you don't have it serviced at Honda, make sure after the service you follow the manual instructions to reset the oil life at 100%. That will keep you on the proper maintenance intervals for the life of the vehicle.
Thanks in advance
I have a 2002 Civic and I am wondering if that's a typical time for Brake Pads replacement? I am not an aggressive driver, so not sure what determines Brake Pads replacement. Is it usually replaced every at 60K, 90K, 110K?
Thanks,
-Lawrence
Some so called "NON" aggressive drivers are ULTRA aggressive on brake pads and rotors (not to scare you or create doubt, but you must have some sense of it or not) . So for example, a lot of so called (safe in their own minds) pre brake, thinking this is safer, better, etc,( who really can stick whomever's reasoning) Some folks even ride their brakes thinking it is safer. So what happens is since they do not understand that proportioning valves are set to equalize brake application forces, pre braking actually will wear rear pads/shoes app 4x faster than the fronts, which are the ones designed to do the majority of the braking. So if one just brakes normally the proportioning valves will function correctly and normal front to rear wear will occur.
I can't tell what's different, and therefore can't justify the difference in price.
What is the difference between an "oil change" with free multi-point inspection, and an "A1" or "B1" service, for example. Can anyone help clarify this for me?
Probably not much. First of all, per the owner's manual A only means oil change (no inspection listed.)
If there is a 1 along with the letter, that's a simple tire rotation.
B stands for the following:
Replace engine oil and oil filter
Inspect front and rear brakes
Check parking brake adjustment
Inspect tie rod ends, steering gear box, and boots
Inspect suspension components
Inspect driveshaft boots
Inspect brake hoses and lines (including ABS)
Inspect all fluid levels and condition of fluids
Inspect exhaust system#
Inspect fuel lines and connections#
If they're charging you $50 and not telling you why, I'd look around for somewhere to take the vehicle for scheduled maintenance. I got a coupon in the mail from my Honda dealer for a $25 oil change with multi-point inspection.
Did they charge you for a tire rotation perhaps? Did you usually get that with the 97?
Thanks for clarifying. You're right; they're charging me for tire rotations, which I was not getting on the old Civic. (Rotations were free at the place I purchased the tires.)
There's still a bit of a discrepancy in pricing, though... They quoted me $88 for a B-1. The tire rotation/balance accounts for $40 of that, meaning they are charging me $48 for the "B" portion of the service.
I also received a coupon for a $25 oil change with free 27-point inspection. Any idea if that inspection includes the same items as the "B" service?
I don't know if it is exactly the same. I have a 2008 Civic, with 11,000 miles. I've done the A-1 maintenance and am getting close to the next one. (I'm assuming it could be B-1.)
I will probably just tell them to do the regular oil change with the normal included 27 point inspection for the very reason that I don't want to pay an extra $48 bill for a B inspection.
I'm very consistent as far as following the schedule in regards to changing oil, fluid, filters, etc., per the maintenance schedule. But with a 2008 that's under factory warranty, the included 27 point inspection I feel should be enough to catch any major items that may be happening with the vehicle.
To answer your question... Honda's have an oil life indicator. On your Civic, press the trip odometer button (on the console, to the left of the steering wheel) until you see "Oil Life." The remaining "life" of the oil will be displayed in terms of percentage. Being new, your car should say 100%.
When the oil life eventually gets to 15%, an orange wrench will light up on your dash indicating it's time for an oil change. The good news is that newer cars can go a lot longer between oil changes. You won't need to change your oil until you reach 5,000 or 6,000 miles.
Hope that answers your question. Have fun in your new car!
Best Regards,
Shipo
Thanks
Mike
Mike
My question is should I be concern? How often should the fan come on when car is at idle speed in 100-110 Farenheit heat say in a given time period? What interval should it come on?
Thanks for your help.
When I have done work on my Civics it seemed the fans kicked on for about 30 seconds at a time about every 5 minutes when they were cycling normally with the A/C off. Normally the temp. outside was about 80-95 degrees since I try to only to work on the car in the summer here in MI.
Thanks for the replay except I still can't get it to cycle with the heater core blocked off by shutting down heat and even in 97-107 F outside temperature. Gauge 's needle still pegging at same location though.
Is there a maintenance schedule for high mileage civics that I can refer to ?
Hope this helps!
0W20 oils (fully synthetic) are being advertised as energy efficient and a safe substitution. Can I get some opinions on this? Good? Bad? Only on a new engine? Thanks all.
You can switch to the synthetic any time, but I would wait until your maintenance minder tells you it is time for your first change. The oil added at the factory is supposed to have some goodies added that are needed for proper engine break in.
Chillipepper1
Here what the manual say about sub item 2:
Replace air cleaner element
If you drive in dusty conditions, replace
every 15,000 miles (24,000 km).
Replace dust and pollen filter
If you drive primarily in urban areas that have high
concentrations of soot in the air from industry and
from diesel-powered vehicles, replace every 15,000
miles (24,000 km).
Inspect drive belt
The Sandman :sick:
I don't think the first oil change is called for until 7500 miles.
I have always done much more agressive oil changes on new engines (500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000 and every 5000 miles after that), but have been warned off of this for a Honda.
I just don't understand what could be put into a motor oil that would be beneficial to a new engine, but then, I don't know a whole lot about motor oils.
Does anyone know what it is that might be different about the oil that comes in a new Civic?
:confuse: Keith
Why should I wait to change the oil the first time?
Your Honda engine was delivered with an oil that is specially formulated for new engines that have not yet developed their "natural" wear patterns and may contain minute particles from the manufacturing process.
American Honda strongly recommends this special oil be left in the engine long enough for these wear patterns to develop, usually until the first maintenance interval specified in your Owner's Manual, based on your specific driving conditions.
And no, the first oil change for a 2009 civic isn't 7,500 miles. It's whenever the maintenance minder indicates it. On my civic it's usually between 5 & 6,000 miles.
Other than the ". . . . may contain minute particles from the manufacturing process.", which is why I do so many oil changes at the start of a new engine, to remove those particles so they don't become part of the "natural wear patterns".
I don't have this car yet, so I was using 7500 because that was the recommended oil change interval on my Odyssey.
I've never had a car with something that told me when to change the oil. I just do it every 5000 miles, which makes it easy for my wife ("If it ends in a 5 or a 0 I need to know because it's time to change the oil.")
Thanx for letting me know about the ownerlink site. I wasn't aware of that.
Keith
With the maintenance minder, when it's time to change the oil, it shows the code in the odometer display and you have to press a button to clear it out of that display until the minder is reset to 100% by the dealership or by yourself if you have the oil change done elsewhere.
The 1 is for a tire rotation. If you look over the list for B, the only thing that is not an inspection is the oil change.
When an oil change is done at my dealership, they do a fairly detailed list of inspections at no charge anyway and give me a checked off summary sheet of the conditions. So whenever I get a B 1, I just ask for a simple oil change and a tire rotation. Saves me some money over what they'd usually charge for a B1.
I have a 98 Honda wit 106. miles. It spends most of its time in airport parking lots.
I left it off at a Honda Dealer to get a new headlight and oil change and was contacted later with a list of things that needed to be done ASAP.
I would really appreciate any feedback on the need and estimates if they sound about right.
1.)
I do not know what "bushings" are but I guess they are important. I was told that the rear trailing arm bushings need to be replaced @$668.77.
2.) Drain and replace brake fluid $133.09
3.) Drain and replace Power Steering Fluid $151.69
4.) Replace valve cover gasket and Spark Plugs $176.30
Just checking on the urgency as it looks like I would be making their weekly budget
in the service department!
Thanks for any help.
kmp7
1.) If the bushings really are bad, you need to get this done. I would get a second opinion before I spent any money, though.
2.) Probably not necessary (brake fluid)
3.) Probably not necessary (power steering fluid)
4.) Are you leaking oil? The gasket, I think, would correct that. Spark plugs might improve performace, but they are very easy to do yourself, if you're so inclined.
For the sake of comparison, I had a '97 Civic that I drove into the ground. I traded it in about a year-and-a-half ago with about 180,000 miles. I never did #2, #3, or the gasket; and I never needed the bushings replaced. Granted, that doesn't mean you shouldn't do the brake fluid or power steering; I'm just saying I never did. What ultimately killed my car was a very slow transmission fluid leak that I didn't know about until it was too late... So there is something to be said for routine maintenance, fluid flushes, etc.
Whatever the case, you're Civic is barely broken in and you should get many more miles out of it. Good luck!
You can probably get better prices on everything if you go to a mechanic you can trust.
First of, you are correct. You will be helping the Service Dept meet the weekly budget targets, because:
a) Trailing Arm bushings are good to replace at a future time, but are not critical and not Have to be replaced ASAP. Not having them replaced will affect your tire's alignment and wear n tear so you may check it out later. Perhaps call around and get quote from repair facilities. Sears, Pep Boys or go to Yelp.com and search for independent honda mechanic.
b) Brake Fluid change / flush:
This is Important. But there are two things to consider: 1) $133 is too high a price. most honda dealers run specials to do this for $89.99 or $79.99. Call around to get good price. Now the second part (2) check your records to see when was the last time you changed the brake oil. Honda recommends changing this every 3 years regardless of miles driven.if you've changed regularly, then go right ahead and get this done for less than $90.
But, if you have never had a brake oil changed, thats a whole different ball game. The thing is, old brake oil has aged with the car and its seals, that the new brake oil will be stronger and will cut through the old seals resulting in a failure of master cylinder ($600), aka brake failure.. thats a life threatening situation. I had this exact thing happened to me and then later to my brother to his 2000 civic. perhaps you can benefit from experience. Ask the tech how bad is the brake oil? Take your car to other shop and get second opinion. If you can hold off on this, thats great, but if you must change right away, keep checking your master cylinder for any brake oil leaks.
c) Power Steering Fluid:
Thats just total BS. Honda does not recommend changing P/S fluid, and you will notice that in the Scheduled Maintenance' section of the owners manual that p/s fluid change is not mentioned. The Honda service dept cooks this up to get your money. I talked to the Honda Master tech I've known for 10 years and these were his words. He recommended I don't change the p/s fluid.
d) Valve Cover Gasket and Spark Plugs:
These items are usually done when changing the timing belt of the car. Check the scheduled maintenance section of your owner's manual to see when timing belt is due. At that time you'll also need to get the water pump changed.
CONCLUSION:
If you are not married to your civic, the time has come to think about replacing it. Even though the miles are low, it still is a 10 year old vehicle and things are going to start going south soon. In the next 3 to 6 months you will need:
a) Trailing Arm Bushings - $600
b) Brake Fluid change - $ 90
c) Master Cylinder change - $600
d) Timing Belt package (timing belt, water pump, spark plugs, gasket etc) $1000
In total you'll end up spending about $2300 on the car in 6 months with more to come soon. If I were you, I would consider the possibility to replace this car. Take the $2300 you need to fix this car, + about $5k you can get by selling it, you can make that a down payment on a new(er) vehicle that will not have these many issues.