Things to look for, used Civic SI

[natejj]

Time to upgrade the wheels, found a good deal on an 07 Civic SI. Guy is the original owner... what should I be looking for on this thing? And what can I expect to break? I don't expect much... as the car is fairly new.

Price is $16k /w 50k.

[Aleks]

2nd and 3rd grear grind and 3rd pop out at higher revs. Pretty much happens to all of them at some point.

[revelations]

At that new of a mileage, there isnt a lot to worry about.

The initial bugs have probably been worked out (if there were any) and most drivetrain components are worry-free probably until around the 200,000k mark.

I'd check that the car has been maintained regularly.... eg it doesent still have the factory filter installed!! (seen this before).

[inline6turbo]

3rd and 5th gear pop out. Mine did it all the time. It's just an adjustment though, nothing major.

[InLoveWitRSX]

Check v-tak fluid.

[speeed]

The 2nd gear grind and 3rd gear pop is the major issue with these cars. Getting mine looked at tomorrow.

[Kardon]

Don't mean to hi-jack, but do these problems also apply to ep3s?

[revelations]

^ from a quick check the recall seems to apply only for the 6speed trannys.... but the EP3 has known tranny issues as well. Changing the fluid seemed to help many.

[2ndgenlude]

they seem to have fixed it in the 08+'s there is a TSB out for the issue though so the dealership should sort it out. my 08 has 42k and third has grinded maybe 10 times, and 2nd has popped out once or twice. and it could have been me. 2nd only supposedly pops out on a high rpm shift. my tranny has been solid so far. way better then the people i hear about where it pops out of third a few times a day.

[Darkane]

I've never had an issue with my Tranny?

no pops, other than driver error no grinds either.

You guys getting a grind under normal driving?

[GQNammer]

Hmm, I get a lot of 3rd gear grinding too. And it's ONLY on the 3rd gear. Thought I was just a horrid driver, then again, maybe I still am!

[Sorath]

06-07 had the grinding and pop out issues. i had an 08 doesnt seem to have it, from most people i know.

[speeed]

Originally posted by Darkane
I've never had an issue with my Tranny?

no pops, other than driver error no grinds either.

You guys getting a grind under normal driving?
Not under normal driving, i'd say i get the occasional 2nd gear grind twice a month on average.


For me, 3rd gear feels like it doesn't want to go in only on cold starts, other than that I haven't had much problems with mine.

I was just in the dealership today for maintenance and I brought up the transmission issue. The tech was able to replicate the problem himself when we went for a drive. My transmission is coming apart next week when the parts arrive.

[Swank]

I've had the 3rd gear problem from almost day one. The dealership is always unable to replicate the problem so they won't fix it. I've heard from other owners that when they repair it that they replace the worn parts with identical parts so it ends up happening again. It's something that you may just have to live with if you have your heart set on an 8th gen Si.

Creaking in the front suspension is pretty common too, I think there is a seal that goes bad and the lubricant then leaks out/dries up. TSB for that too.

Stock battery is pretty bad, I was on my third one then gave up and went with one from Wal-Mart, made a huge difference.

[heavyD]

I thought people bought Hondas for reliability? Sounds like typical Nissan or Chrysler problems.

[Darkane]

Not to Hijack, but it could be relevant to the thread here:

I did the oil myself the other day ( had dealer do it prior) and I noticed the filter had grease smeared all over it. Anybody notice this? It has no place being there, it wasn't oily sludge it was exactly like dirty packing grease.

Didn't look like a CV boot or anything had a tear. Not to sure.

Was the dealership lathering it up to make it impossible to take off unless I brought it back? It was a bitch because of it's location. God damn K series :banghead:

[signature7]

I don't know if you care about interior stuff, but a lot of Civic coupes I have been in have huge scuffs from the seat belt being put back, especially on the passenger sides, because generally passengers don't care. I even had it a little bit on my coupe. Small potatoes compared to tranny issues...Thought I'd say it anyways.

Also, my friends SI had a sagging passenger door on the interior where his plastic would pop out and sag down. He was told that clips broken were common problems.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by signature7
I don't know if you care about interior stuff, but a lot of Civic coupes I have been in have huge scuffs from the seat belt being put back, especially on the passenger sides, because generally passengers don't care. I even had it a little bit on my coupe. Small potatoes compared to tranny issues...Thought I'd say it anyways.

Also, my friends SI had a sagging passenger door on the interior where his plastic would pop out and sag down. He was told that clips broken were common problems.

I was just in a 2008 Civic the other day and was surprised at the gaps in the dash plastics near the A pillar. Fit and finish looked worse than my Lancer ha ha.

[Mr_ET]

it should, your lancer is 45K:thumbsup:

I have not heard of many 3rd gear issues from 08-10 SI drivers but a lot of people I know have complained about that problem in an 06-07, if the one you're looking at has not had any transmission work done, make sure you beat on the car around 8k rpms shifting from 2-3 to see if you can hear the grind OP.