Team-BHP - Honda Civic : Maintenance, Service Costs and Must dos

So after nearly seven years and 48000 km the infamous engine mount on my 2007 VMT taffeta white civic has gone kaput. Infact I had been hearing some sharp metallic sound while driving at low speeds for the past couple of months. Total expense Rs 8xxx. Now the car is back to its normal smooth self or as manim sir would say butter smooth. The biggest plus after the service is I found the correct seating position. Yes after seven long years. The moment I got into the drivers seat after the service I felt really comfortable. The driver at the service centre had adjusted it for his comfort perhaps and it jus suited me. Crazy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolkurt (Post 3467524)

I'm thinking of getting the engine oil changed at an independent garage, save on costs. Can anyone help me out with the following?

1. Which brand of engine oil and quantity required? I think it's 3.7 litres?
2. Does the fuel filter also need to be changed?

1. Are you looking at mineral oil or synthetic ? For synthetic ones, Mobil 1 and Shell are good in my opinion. I have tried Mobil 1 twice and now my Civic is on the Honda Synth Idemitsu (0W30). The issue is there is no 0W30 available in Mobil 1. Also, I guess it would be good for you to get a 4L can.

2. I am not sure if you were referring to the oil filter here. If so, the answer is 'yes'. The fuel filter need not be replaced while changing engine oil and has a different frequency - 40k km.

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolkurt (Post 3467524)

I have tried Mobil 10W 30 mineral, Total 10W 40 semi-synthetic and now running shell helix 5W 40 fully synthetic.Of all these i have found the Honda OE semi-synthetic to be the most smoothest. I reckon you stick with Honda OE oil as it will be a better bet and is also the exact grade as mentioned by the manufacturer.Also the total actual quantity for the Civic engine is 4.5 liters but i guess since some oil still remains in the sump etc while draining so you would need around 4 liters.I got the shell for 950 a liter.The fuel filter needs change every 40k kms.

@ Sumeethaldankar .. sorry for the late reply.
To answer your question, after i bought my Civic (pre-owned), for the first oil change i just went with the Idemitsu at the HASS. After that for the next oil change i shifted to Shell Helix Ultra and have used it twice since. However, i did not find THAT great an improvement over the Idemitsu. Don't get me wrong, the engine is very smooth but i find a little coarseness at high revvs (though i'm not sure that's only down to the oil) so i thought i'd change brands this time and see the difference. I'm contemplating between Mobil 1 / Total / Motul / Idemitsu. Any suggestions anyone ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by revvhed (Post 3467655)

The first oil change for my Civic was mineral oil after which I have had two fill ups of Mobil 1 0W40 synthetic oil. I recently switched over to the Idemistu synthetic oil provided by H.A.S.S and do not see any noticeable difference in engine smoothness as its been butter smooth always. Also, at high revvs am sure any car would reveal some harshness irrespective of the oil used since the engine is being pushed hard and that is very much normal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rr_zen (Post 3467597)

1. Synthetic. Honda Synth Idemitsu (0W30) sound s good. I'll get a 4L can.
2. Yes. Pardon me. I meant the oil filter.

Any idea how much these would cost otc?

I was driving on the OEM mineral oil for more than 3 years and in my recent service I changed to the OEM fully Synthetic oil (Idemitsu ?). I can feel that the overall the NVH has come down after this change. Not sure if it is just a "feel good" factor or a measurable difference. In fact my wife commented on a recent trip that the car sounds quieter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rr_zen (Post 3467928)

The last oil fill at HASS costed me circa 4k INR.

Thanks for the info. So the oil filter has to be changed every time you change the oil?

Any idea about the make and cost?

I'm thinking of buying the oil and filter otc and take it to a FNG to get it changed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolkurt (Post 3468010)

if you are changing outside HASS, then most likely you are going to encounter oil filters made by elofit, something around 150/-

Quote:

Originally Posted by MARCUS_520i (Post 3461180)

Hi Anunay! Welcome to the forum and to the now limited(since they're not selling these in India anymore) Honda Civic Club.

Although I do not know about Honda workshops in Cal, I can give you a rough estimate of how much the brake-work would come down to, since my '08 baby just came back from a much needed 50,000 km service which demanded a lot of attention the brakes and related components.

A complete replacement of all the brake pads(front and rear pairs) will cost you INR 15,000/-; that's INR 7500/- per pair.

The brake disc skimming for all 4 discs will be INR 2500/-

The caliper on my front RHS needed replacement and just 1 caliper bought from the Honda workshop set me back by a HUGE INR 12,500/-
Replacing all 4 could buy you a used Maruti 800 lol:

So, only brake-work bill for me was INR 30,000/- WITHOUT TAXES OR LABOUR CHARGES.

But since brakes are the most primary of all things as far as safety of the occupants of a vehicle goes, I got it done without a doubt in mind. And if your car needs some TLC in the brake department, I'd suggest you drive it down to a good Honda workshop, get it diagnosed and spend your buck on the necessities first.

Keep us posted on how it goes! :)

Cheers.

Thanks a tonne for your advice and inputs. Immensely appreciated.. :)