... move 65+ miles from my job. I wanted to know what all should I have done to my car so that it won't fail on me. I'll be traveling 120+ miles a day so the information is very critical. Thank you! My email is wattsdonte@ gmail.com
I've had my 96' Honda Civic for about 9 months now and I've never gotten a tune up. I'm about to?
- Posted:
- 3+ months ago by dontevans
- Topics:
- auto, honda, traveling, mile, done, wanted, job, repair, maintenance, civic, month, car, cars
Details:
Added 3+ months ago:
What type of maintenance should I have done to my car?
Added 3+ months ago:
It has 164,000+ mile on it.
Responses (1)
First thing you should do is to look at the servicing record that may have come with your car. From that you should prehaps perform the next service, either by yourself or by a garage. The idea is to exercise preventive maintenance, as you will perform an inspection during the service any way and spot any potential problems & deal with them on its time& not yours at the side of the road!
If there is not a clear qualified maintenance record, then you may be advised to perform a full service including vitally replacing the valve timing belt with a kit.
There is no shame in taking it to a trusted garage to have this done for you and their experience may pick up things we might miss, but beware of the dreaded unnecessaries! ( thats why its best for you to go over it first so you can justifiably question).
Cars prefer long runs to stop start local work so your 130 miles/day should not be to hard if you take it steady, even better if on a motorway, especially in a well maintained Honda.
The best scheme of course is to find a lift share, at least then you both have back up plus reduced milage & costs.
Hope this is useful if not entirely what you may have wished to hear!
A full service for your Honda Civic I would expect to pay a garage around £170 to £200. For the Cam belt kit & fit add another £80 to £ 90. As I said earlier, if you have any doubt to when and how many miles ago the Cambelt was changed last, get a new one fitted as failure will at best require a recon head (say goodbye to at least £500 + a week!!!) This task is best given to the garage & also the full service, as parts for a full service would be approx £90 at an autofactor ( don't go to Halfords unless its a Sunday & you need it now!). That way you may get a discount on both tasks, a guarantee (of sorts! ) & the benefit of an experienced mechanic casting his eye over your car. If you wish to try your hand at maintenance, do the interim service and safety learn & earn!
Finding a garage you can trust of course is an art in its self, but if you find one treat him well & he will you.
Forgot the part 2 of your question tyres!
I personally phone around & surf the web. Traditionally procurement requires 3 quotes. Of course check the prices include VAT, environmental disposal, new valves, balancing & fitting. I always appear to end up at a local independent. Like the garage, its always a good idea to build a relationship especially as they often do exhausts, shocks & brakes. In fact it would be to your advantage to visit 3 garages for your servicing to see the workshop, how they work, a quote & see if you get along.
On that point, it might be a good idea to add a Mot on to your service as an independent inspection check against your car & the garages work.
Final point! Do not forget to check oil & other fluid levels (washer, brakes), tyre pressures on a minimum of a weekly basis especially with the high milage your going to do. Your Honda is highly regarded by the trade, as being capable of huge milages, but only if servicing is correctly done, which includes checking levels.
Remember, take it steady (overtaking I've found only saves a few minutes & done for fun!)
Thank you that was some useful information. How much do you think I will have to spend on getting it maintenance? What about tires? I have 17' inch wheels on my car. Which tire retailer do you prefer I go to? If I buy the parts myself would that totally effect the cost of the repair?