new owner of Civic 1.6 vtec SE-2004

[luke_civic1.6]

Hi there I am looking for any advice from people who have the same model and how they care for their car ie.- engine oil, motor care and other related things.

[dodger]

An excellent choice of car. I had one for five years with no trouble at all. I used Mobil Super S 10w/40 semi synthetic in mine but that was only because it was the oil used by the dealer.

As far as other things are concerned the only problem was paint chips. Whilst nice to drive and lively if you use the gears it was boring from the reliability point of view. Only had to replace the wearing items.

One thing I found was that the fuel consumption deteriorated after about 18 months but returned after the 2 year service making me think the plugs or air filter will not last for 2 years.

You mention getting the cam belt changed whilst not due mileage wise it should have been changed 2 years ago time by time interval.

[luke_civic1.6]

according to service book its due at 72months and 96 months in the book.

[dodger]

I thought it was 60 months. but that may have been in the Haynes Manual. I know the Honda manuals confused me.

In the end I had it changed at 65 months as I was moving house and wanted it done by a garage I trusted.

[luke_civic1.6]

i have been told by people that the vtec engine is bullet proof, and honda say that with newer engines the cam belts last longer

[dcivic]

Overhere it's 8 years or 150000 km.

[luke_civic1.6]

ok.
will be updating my profil today with some snaps

[luke_civic1.6]

heres some of my new photos of my car:






hope you like them

[Cody]

I've got an EP2, 1.6 SE.
Keep an eye on the gearbox buddy, they bearings are prone to defects.
Have your engine running at the steady 650 idle, sit in, door open, in neutral. Listen to all the noises of the engine, then drop the clutch, if the noise quietens down, then a grinding or wirring noise reappears when you pull off the clutch, it's either the release or thrust bearing of the gearbox.

Mine's making a grinding noise and has been for years but it still drives and changes gear perfectly. The EPCIVIC website im signed up to, 1 guy cleverly described it as worn in, not worn out because some owners have over 100k on the clock with the same issue and STILL no failure.

Just a heads up matey, mine turned 7 years old December gone and has 55K on the clock and it has NEVER let me down so yeah, if looked after, VTEC's are bulletproof

[Cody]

http://www.civinfo.com/forum/attachm...1&d=1333111982

Mine's different body style to yours so I don't know if you have the exact same components, you definitely have the same engine (1.6i, SOHC, VTEC).
Other than that, nice start mate and all you need now is some 16's (only go 17's if you're upgrading the suspension), if you're not, say goodbye to your spine and handling, I put 17" Dare V5's on mine on standard suspension and it was awful ride quality, the most annoying part being, because more tyre surface area was touching the road with less profile to absorb imperfections, it was all over the shop, the steering got heavier (heavier alloys) and if you hit an imperfection in the road or very un-level ground, the steering jolted so you're constantly having to redirect the car, even on a straight road :S. I had 7J 17 and 205/45/17.