[eccentric]

Originally Posted by sunilch

Any info or guidance is much appreciated.

Based on the information imbibed from this thread and on the experience I have with my car over the 3 years, I'll list down some points which would be beneficial for you in the selection process.

1. Pop the hood. Check whether the hood insulator is present and free from damage. The engine bay should be as dry as a bone and void of rusts(Flood affected vehicle). No shiny lacquer treatment or freshly wet surface should be there. Only then you'd be able to identify any leak/stain of the fluids present
2. Inspect whether the fluids(engine oil/clutch/brake/coolant/PSF/wiper) are at the optimum mark(between Max and Min)
3. Carefully examine the surrounding of the Power Steering Fluid(PSF) reservoir. Should be devoid of any spillage. Civics' are known for leakages in the pump, rack and hoses. Again, depends on the driving style, nature of terrain and ageing of rubber
4. Hydraulic engine mount. Clearance of 6mm - 12mm should be there. Refer old posts
5. Battery. Check the health indicator on it. Should be green in color. Don't forget to ask the warranty card for it
6. Open the fuse box. Inspect the area for any carbon deposits and make sure that the fuse puller is present in the cover. Hunt for exposed wiring(aftermarket horns/lights/relays) and aftermarket filter/ plumbing if any.
7. If possible, check the condition of the air filter and ascertain if it's OEM or not

8. The original key has built-in lock & unlock buttons. The Honda logo will have a golden accent. Observing the instrument cluster, insert the key into cylinder and turn to ACC position. You'll be greeted by a bunch of warning lights. After 40 seconds, all must go OFF except the battery indicator & the low oil-pressure indicator
9. Crank the engine. Now, all warning lights must vanish. I have seen problematic Civics with CEL and airbag icon staying lit! Do note that initially, tachometer would hover at 1000 RPM and should settle to 800 RPM at idle
10. Felt any vibration on the seats during cranking? Switch on A/C. Feeling vibes on the seats? Gently raise the throttle while on Neutral. The vibes would go away. Again, points to weak engine mounts
11. Gently, quarter-turn the steering wheel to the left and right. RPM would fluctuate. Don't mind. Pay heed to any abnormal noise. Excessive whining noise points to air in PS pump system. Mild clicking noise may signal the problem in the steering rack

12. Find the manufacturing year of the tires. Should be less than 2 years old. Set all the tires to 30PSI. Go on a long drive. Ensure that the coolant temperature level remains constant throughout and the fuel gauge is working properly. Have seen Civics' with inverted fuel gauges!
13. Set the A/C temperature of your choice. Should blow cold air during the entire drive. Civics' are known for evaporator leakage/failure since Honda removed the cabin filter for India
14. Hit some upper echelon triple digit speeds. Only then you could observe the suspension behavior. Weak dampers lead to uncontrollable bouncy ride. Progressively increase the pedal pressure of the brakes to detect vibrations on the steering wheel / brake judder. Points to scored brake disc and pad
15. Failed wheel bearings lead to howling/growling/helicopter noise during the drive. Vary your speeds to detect any abnormal noise. Also, watch out for eccentric steering left/right pull. Cars poorly reworked after accident, exhibit this behavior
16. Tread the car gently over bad roads. Be in all ears for any noise
17. Is a there a lag to accelerate when applying throttle? Worn-out spark plugs may be the culprit. Also, Fuel filter should have been replaced every 40k KMS.
18. Finished the Drive? Do not turn-off the car but let it idle. Check the wiper mist function. It should effectively spray the liquid else we could write off that the hoses are chewed up by rats! Every Civic owner must have faced this
19. Recline the seat and observe the roof liner and A-pillar edges for stains(Water ingress)
20. Turn ON the heater. The vents should blow warm air. Means that the cooling circuit of the car is fine. Usually, un-skilled mechanics bypass the heater core to troubleshoot engine overheat scenarios. Also, check whether all the A/C vents have tabs to divert the air-flow
21. An official recall by Honda for all Civics sold in India to have either the passenger/driver airbag replaced or both in 2015-16. Check service history.
22. Arm rest latch tends to break over time. Check for play as well. It rattles when fit loose

23. Now, the exterior. All the door and windshield weather-strips are bound to wear some day. Be prepared
24. Civic is a low-slung sedan and is bound to get hits. Watch out for dents on the rocker panel
25. Check the service history with the maintenance schedule. Now, take the car to the Honda ASC and report all your findings. Insist them to perform HDS(Honda Diagnostic Services) to find out error codes if any
26. Specifically, instruct them to dislodge the dampers from the strut assembly. Only then, could the condition of strut bearings, strut mounts and bump stops be diagnosed.
27. Inform them to perform a vacuum test on A/C, evaluate the condition of the drive belt and then all their usual stuff

They'll provide you with the recommendations list as you posted above. From there, you could take it further.

Since I own a manual transmission one, I can't provide any pointers about the AT power train.

Happy Hunting!

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by eccentric

Based on the information imbibed from this thread and on the experience I have with my car over the 3 years, I'll list down some points which would be beneficial for you in the selection process.

Thanks a lot eccentric for the list. This is very nice of you to put down such a list.

[rio1905]

Originally Posted by sunilch

Thanks for your guidance on the Civic purchase. That one I have decided to skip since it’s a very old vehicle (2006) and I am not sure if the reported issues were ever fixed.

Hi Just read your posts. good thing u let go of the civic with alternator issues, it's best not to buy a civic with electric issues. regaarding your second car although every thing seems to be well documented something seems a bit off. firstly it has 4 owners within 12 years and only 31k on the odo which is very odd. Definetely not a good indiciation. secondly the parts that have been changed and the accidental damage isn't very assuring. my 2007 civic has done 81k km and the lower torque rod hasn't cracked. The other suspension bits also seem to be replaced really early. The steering rack is a comon issue but 31k is still quite early for that in my experience. Unless the car was parked under a lot of heat and abused a lot these premature replacements shouldn't have been done. The fact that it is 4 owners and has had an accident really lowers the value anyway. But not even considering that the odo meter might've been tampered with every year to keep the reading down or records might've been edited with dealings between the owner and the advisor as in India these days a lot of scams are happening.The guy who i got my civic cluster meter repaired from told me that lot of people with civics come to him to modifiy the odo reading so please be very careful. I wouldn't risk buying this car just because there are so many things off with it . Just get a car with less owners no accidents even if it has run more. One way u can kind of verify the mileage is genuine is to check the gear lever, steering,pedals and the window switch panel for wear although this isn't a 100% accurate way to check as such stuff can be refurbished. Despite this if u still feel comfortable please go ahead.

[indiankesh]

Originally Posted by eccentric

Based on the information imbibed from this thread and on the experience I have with my car over the 3 years, I'll list down some points which would be beneficial for you in the selection process.

Wow ! this is such a lovely community i mean i have seen this before in this community people who would go extra mile to help others just like you sir who spared so much time and your heart out to help a fellow BHPian with explaining each and every possible point in so much detail so that another forum member can learn and make an informed choice.

I am a reader of TeamBHP from few years who recently signed up and got my account approved and it really feels to see such amazing acts and to know that something like this forum exists where true honest help and advice is available from fellow auto enthusiasts. Your kindness made my day

[kapilsharma80]

Originally Posted by eccentric

Based on the information imbibed from this thread and on the experience I have with my car over the 3 years, I'll list down some points which would be beneficial for you in the selection process.

1. Pop the hood. Check whether the hood insulator is present and free from damage. The engine bay should be as dry as a bone and void of rusts(Flood affected vehicle). No shiny lacquer treatment or freshly wet surface should be there. Only then you'd be able to identify any leak/stain of the fluids present

Happy Hunting!

Wow! This is great stuff. Thank you for sharing. Requesting mods to park this post permanently under suitable Forum thread for the benefit of members who need pointers to evaluate a used car.

[sunilch]

The search continues (Tall tales from the second-hand car market)

[Hammad]

Originally Posted by coolvenk

I am getting a somewhat high frequency whirring noise right after a cold start from the front right-ish side; sounds like noise from something rotating at high frequency. The noise is higher when I rev her up and even when I am in neutral; it occurs during driving too. It is an AT.

Thanks !

Hey coolvenk, I'm facing the same issue with my 2008 Honda Civic AT. Could you let me know what was causing the issue and how did you resolve it? Thanks.

[pta320]

So lately my 2010 Civic VMT with 1.1 lakh kms started giving me a lot of issues, I'd list them down here :

1) AC compressor stared making very loud noise and had to be replaced. Got the same Sanden TRSE07 compressor at a good deal.

2) One rear and one front wheel bearing went bad. As a precaution replaced all four. Front ones were NTN bearings, rear ones were IMB.

3) Power steering pump developed serious leakage. Got it repaired with new seals and gaskets.

4) Main engine mount and gear side engine mount went bad, replaced them with Technix engine mounts.

5) Front control arm bushes and link rods went bust. Got them replaced.

6) Similarly rear tyre had uneven wear on the inside and it went completely bald from inside. Alignment didn't fix a thing. Upon closer inspection, few of the rear bushes were torn completely and all the upper control arm, knuckle and rear trailing arm bushes were replaced with the RBI ones. Alignment done again.

7)Since the tyres were all finished with age and tread, got used set of Pirelli Citurato P1 as replacement. Upsized to 205/65 R15 and it has almost eliminated the car touching the bumps even at full load.

8)Rear brake calpiers were seizing leading to rear wheels not turning freely. Had them cleaned and serviced which solved the problem.

9)Car started overheating during summers. Culprit was the choked radiator. Got it thoroughly cleaned by disassembling and changed the coolant. No overheating anymore.

10)Battery, front brake pads, rotors and spark plugs were be replaced.

11)One of the axle seal of the transmission developed a leak and was replaced.

In last two years, I have spent a little over 1.2 lakh rupees on the maintenance of the car. However now it feels that car is mechanically sound and ready to take on the roads. Being a Honda, engine and transmission issues are unlikely. So far there are no electrical issues with the car. Hopefully these were some of the last of the expenses that I incurred.

[sarathlal]

80K service done, and nothing major to report. Fuel filter is due for replacement but could not do due to the part not available. So thats pending.

White color was getting difficult to maintain, of late. Maybe the clear coat wearing off or age, but even minor smudges were getting difficult to remove. Even those routine mechanic finger prints near the wheel arches won't go off even with some serious dedicated focus. Not to mention about the petrol drops. The edges also started losing most of the paints, with thin layers emerging - primarily at the bonnet and door edges. Increased washing effort and worry about potential rust where paint is thin, decided to try out doing a detailed decontamination and Ceramic coating. Did not opt for wax/polish because the paint was getting very thin at few places and I did not want prolonged abrasion process that have only limited life.

Had a few options at my place in Trivandrum and finally went with Britemakers. Whole process took 6 days and super happy at the end result. I am sure it would have been a really tough job to restore an old white car, however good it looks superficially. On top of that, I used to bug them daily by dropping in to check the progress Thanks to the team at Britemakers and Amin especially for painstakingly getting this result. Highly recommended for those near to Trivandrum. (Disclaimer: I have no financial interest with this shop, recommendation purely based on the dedication witnessed and the difficulty in finding the right place for those who search for)


Couple of pictures taken at the time of delivery

[RunSam]

Sharing my experience on how I procured an OEM Civic Sport/Modulo body kit.

I've been on the lookout for almost a year for a full Modulo kit for my 2010 Civic. A lot of suppliers in Thailand and Malaysia had replicas but refused to ship to India. It's surprising that none of the mod shops here sell these add on kits for the Civic, despite them being super popular on the City Type II Vtecs.
I have never been a fan of the Mugen & TypeR replicas. I find the CRZ and other newer kits an eyesore on what is otherwise one of the most beautiful cars ever designed.
Over the past year, I spent a considerable amount of time on OLX and Facebook marketplace like most car enthusiasts. My search always included the limited edition Civic Sport that was launched in 2009 and came with the body kit I wanted. Out of 1000 Civics on OLX and Marketplace, there were probably only 1 or 2 Civic Sports, and believe me, I replied to every single one of those ads asking whether they were willing to sell the kit separately. Mostly it was like getting rejected on Tinder, but then one day, after a whole year of swiping right, one dude says.. '20k'. I grabbed the opportunity and closed the deal quickly. The car was in Chandigarh and it was It was quite tough as my Hindi skills are almost non-existent, and the gentleman was a used car dealer and didn't know English.
He wanted an advance of 10k and I thought to myself ''Am I getting scammed?'' but then he sent me a video of the kit getting removed from his car, and this gave me a bit of reassurance.



Attaching some pics of the donor car post removal



The kit was packed and dispatched from Chandigarh.


A week later I received the courier, and oh what a feeling that was!


Was nice to see that it was manufactured in Japan, made it feel even more special!


The kit came with all the OEM brackets and didn't require drilling any holes apart from the rear boot spoiler. I took it over to a painter I know (This guy's work is magic!) and he refurbished the kit, painted it and installed it within a few days.
Overall, I'm over the moon about getting my hands on this particular kit, and I hope mod shops start making add on skirts for the Civic!

I have the OEM front skirt for sale, I've listed it on Classifieds as it fits the pre-facelift 06-09 models.
https://classifieds.team-bhp.com/buy...ront-Lip.html/

[Sach_511]

Congrats Bro, your passion for your car truly stands out and it seems, Loud Shout out for the person being a true gentleman who honor his promise and dispatch kit for your lovely car.

[jono213]

This car is epic!! I can't remember the last time i saw a clean civic and this post has just quenched that thirst, great going and many more happy miles!

[Merc_Freak]

Your civic looks to be quite a clean example. Makes me miss my habanero red civic, driven only 62,000 kms in all these years, which I had to get rid of due to the 15 year rule in Delhi NCR.

[G20Rider]

That right there used to be the stuff of my dreams when I was in college. IMO, 8th gen Civic was the moment Honda peaked in India.

Glad to see well maintained examples of the car.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by RunSam

Sharing my experience on how I procured an OEM Civic Sport/Modulo body kit.

Attachment 2456570.

I took it over to a painter I know (This guy's work is magic!) and he refurbished the kit, painted it and installed it within a few days.

Amazing to see a well modded Civic and the kit looks fab ! Can you share the details of the painter please? I hv few contacts from the Chennai friend circle, any additional info is always a value add.