Broke down and bit the bullet. Got a 2011 Civic.

[mshu7]

Originally Posted By: FirstNissan
Gorgeous car, Honda and toyota white paint is really something else. Ive got a white nissan 2009, paint quality is nothing compared to my old hondas and toyotas.


Interesting. Honda still uses old-school single stage paint when it comes to white. I don't know if that's true with the 2011's, but they were still doing white SS as of a year or two ago.

The white SS paint dries out, fades, and oxidizes quickly and looks like [censored]. It's prone to staining as well.

To the OP, if your car is indeed SS paint, you'll need to polish and wax often to keep it looking good. Also note that the bumper covers may be base coat/clear coat (they get painted in a different plant) where as the body of the car will be the SS paint. If the bumpers stay shiney while the rest of the car looks like chalk, you'll know you have SS paint.

Great looking car though!

 

[onebigunion]

Originally Posted By: mshu7
Originally Posted By: FirstNissan
Gorgeous car, Honda and toyota white paint is really something else. Ive got a white nissan 2009, paint quality is nothing compared to my old hondas and toyotas.


Interesting. Honda still uses old-school single stage paint when it comes to white. I don't know if that's true with the 2011's, but they were still doing white SS as of a year or two ago.

The white SS paint dries out, fades, and oxidizes quickly and looks like [censored]. It's prone to staining as well.

To the OP, if your car is indeed SS paint, you'll need to polish and wax often to keep it looking good. Also note that the bumper covers may be base coat/clear coat (they get painted in a different plant) where as the body of the car will be the SS paint. If the bumpers stay shiney while the rest of the car looks like chalk, you'll know you have SS paint.

Great looking car though!


Interesting. My white 05 has held up very well. Really has kept its shine with minimum upkeep. The bumpers are another story. Especically the front one, it is absolutely covered with stone chips (not surprising with the interestate driving in the winter where they basically cover the rode with small pieces of gravel). No difference in color or shine between the body and bumpers however.

 

[ClarkB]

Originally Posted By: SLCraig
I plan on doing the MTF sooner actually, but mainly because all the reading I do about the Amsoil MTF is that even on a new car it makes a nice difference. I am a huge synthetic trans fluid supporter so I want to get it in there as soon as possible.


I read the same thing and changed the MTF on my '99 Civic a year or two ago. Before the oil change it was silky smooth shifting and after (to Amsoil MTF) it was still silky smooth.

My advice is to change it when the factory recommends and go with whatever your oil preference is. I don't think there is any actual or perceived benefit from doing it earlier than that.

Clark

 

[SLCraig]

So far so good on this car. 90 miles per day commute, she is comfortable and fairly quiet. Great little car.

I have put Amsoil MTF in the gearbox and it is the greatest thing ever. The gears just snick snick snick flawlessly every time. Honda manual trans and proper fluid = bliss.

I have yet to calculate MPG but I am thinking it will be a bit of a wash with only 1500KM on the car, it is still breaking in and is only returning something like 8L/100 or so on my last fillup. (46L with 1 gas bar left, 50L tank)

I checked under the fill cap just for fun, (The BITOG'r in me) of course no marks at all.. Kinda nice to see, even though its brand new basically.

Things I don't like:
- The factory stereo is the worst I think I've ever had.
- Hinged gas pedal feels weird and I still have a hard time getting used to it for some reason.

Things I like:
- Cockpit. Seats are great, steering wheel is great (leather wrapped) gauges are idiot proof and easy to read, it is a great space for drivers.
- Lockable trunk, and rear fold down seat releases are only accessible from the actual trunk (makes it very hard to get into the trunk should someone break in)
- The trans is fantastic. Feels great, typical Honda.
- Massive back seat for a car in this segment. It's totally comfortable to put 4 people in this car.

The jury is still out on:
- Gas mileage

 

[onebigunion]

Interesting about the stereo. The line-up is different in the US, but my wife's Civic VP has terrible speakers (two in door, two in the back). My LX has much better sound (has additional tweeters in top dash, not sure if other speakers are the same or not, possibly not). Not sure how which your model might have, or maybe completely different.

The absolute worst car speakers I've ever heard were in a 2010 Corolla I rented. Thre was so much bass boost / distortion, that even with the bass turned completely down, it was unlistenable because of too much upper bass, low midrange. That stupid annoying type of one-note sound that tries to make everything sound like the stererotypical FM DJ from the 1970's.

 

[addyguy]

SLCraig,

I gotta ask, what are your 'oil plans' for this car?

 

[SLCraig]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
SLCraig,

I gotta ask, what are your 'oil plans' for this car?



addy,
I honestly have not decided.
I realize that pretty much any quality 5 or 0w20 should work, but how then would I be a BITOG'er?

I am trying to resist the boutique oil, but I may try some Amsoil XL in it, after my PYB is gone (2 jugs) I think the syn would be a good idea for winter anyways, but for this summer it will probably get PYB conventional for at least the next 2 OCI's. I think my first OCI will be at 5K KMs just because like a lot of ppl here, I can't leave the factory fill in forever.

Just a side note... I do have a lot of Petro Points which do work for oil, but I don't think any 20 weights are included. Maybe I'll run some 30 weight in it down the road to use the points up..

Your thoughts?

 

[odie]

Was told by Honda parts that the HONDA oils (0w-20) are now supplied by CONOCO / PHILLIPS . Said made the switch a few months ago from MOBIL to C./P. . Is this correct ?

 

[odie]

Keepin' the factory fill for the '11 FIT until 8,500 miles or so . Won't be easy . Oh , the suspense .

 

[odie]

Went for a 226.9 mile trip . The tank read little below 1/2 when refilled with 87 and stopped at 1 click of 5.889 gallons to read a little above full . The overall average showed this tank of gas was 39 m.p.g. , calculated mileage was 38.52 . This is the base model w/ 5 speed auto . The trip was very hilly , winds up to 20 m.p.h. ( head on at times ) , tires at 34+1/2 p.s.i. , average speed of 46 , 30% city / 70 , and 2 people . The car is close to 1,000 miles since bought new with only 14 miles . Very happy with it thus far .

 

[mjoekingz28]

timing belt or chain?


Dig the white since it really helps in hot summers. The engine bay looks pretty busy. Hope for you it is easier to work on than it looks, but likely will not compare to the Saturn. But on the plus side, maybe you won't have to as often.

Good choice on the 5 spd. Hope you get as many hundred of thousands of miles you want to get out of it.

 

[rationull]

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
timing belt or chain?

...

The engine bay looks pretty busy. Hope for you it is easier to work on than it looks, but likely will not compare to the Saturn. But on the plus side, maybe you won't have to as often.



Timing chain. As the owner of a 2007 Civic (coupe, but same car pretty much) I can say that while the engine bay looks tight, the wrenching positions and accessibility on this car are actually pretty good. Oil filter is on the bottom of the engine easy to get at. Oil changes don't require dripping oil on any frame or suspension parts. Plugs are dirt simple as you can see. Serpentine belt is tight as it is on most newer transverse engine cars but actually has more room than some. Items like the thermostat, PCV valve, etc. are more accessible in this car than they are in my wife's Mazda3 which has a wide-open engine bay.

For some jobs you have to remove the cowl covering which is a little annoying, but once you get over the fear of breaking the plastic clips that hold it on (which luckily are pretty strong and can be replaced if needed anyway) that only takes an extra 20 mins or so to take it off and put it back on at the end.

 

[SLCraig]

Timing chain yes. One of the reasons I ended up with the Civic. Not interested in that 100K timing belt business. Been there with a 97 Neon, annoying job considering its "routine".
And yeah so far it seems easy to work on. Trans fluid was fairly easy although I did end up removing the airbox because my trans fluid funnel was not long enough.

Rationull how has your 07 been?

 

[Mr Nice]

I also have a 2007 Civic EX with 98K miles and its been trouble free, just regular maintenance. I'm keeping his car for 300K miles until I buy another Civic.

 

[SLCraig]

Figured I'd post a follow up, its getting close to 2 years ownership of this car now.

I believe this model is an LX-S in the US, but in Canada its an SE.
It currently has 82K KMs on it.

Things I like:

Cockpit
Interior room
Interior build quality (rattle and creak free)
Gas mileage
Smooth as silk engine

Things that could use improvement or that I'm on the fence about:

A/C could use some improvement.
Power is a bit lacking but I knew that going into it.
5 speed manual is not the greatest I've driven, although its not bad. (can be notchy esp. when cold - Amsoil helps)

Things I can't stand:

Rear suspension/ride quality. The rear suspension in these cars is horrible. My car has had alignment issues since new and although it drives pretty much straight, the passenger rear camber is off, which is common with 8th gens, although it was supposedly fixed after 08. Apparently not. On top of that the rear suspension is harsh and it bounces a lot when people are in the back seat. I have tried a different pair of shocks and it made no difference over OEM.

Would I recommend this car overall? Yes, I think I would. It gets good MPG, and the engine is fantastic albeit not a rocketship or anything. Not all 8th gen owners have suspension problems or even notice if they do, so it's not that big of a deal for the average Joe, I just find it annoying.

Warranty work done to date:

Replaced a defective CV shaft that clicked as power changed directions (reverse/forward)

Everything else is original, brakes, tires, everything.

Here are some current pics taken just last week. (Weather-tech floor liners installed for winter, but no snow tires yet)

 

[Blue_Goose]

You now have Redline in there instead of Amsoil for the tranny fluid? Notice much of a diff?


Goose

 

[SLCraig]

Originally Posted By: Blue_Goose
You now have Redline in there instead of Amsoil for the tranny fluid? Notice much of a diff?


Goose


Definitely, I like the Amsoil better.
The 5 speed in these cars is an odd duck. It sometimes feels great and other times its just notchy. One thing I did find though, shifts are great after a fluid change but it degrades quickly. Some of the Honda guys do trans fluid changes every other oil change to keep shift quality good. I don't bother, I just try to master driving the thing smoothly. What I'll likely do after the Redline is try the Honda MTF from the dealer, and then if I still like Amsoil better I will just use it for the rest of the car's life.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Originally Posted By: SLCraig
One thing I did find though, shifts are great after a fluid change but it degrades quickly. Some of the Honda guys do trans fluid changes every other oil change to keep shift quality good.


That sounds like a Honda transmission to me haha.

Granted my 04 was an auto, it essentially did the same thing. Smooth shifts with fresh fluid and then it started feeling notchy several thousand miles later.

 

[[email protected]]

Im glad you are still happy with it - it looks very sporty.

 

[Blue_Goose]

Is the fluid change points in the Civic the same as in the Accord? I have to pull the wheel to do it lol