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800,000+ miles and still going strong

659712 Views 1834 Replies 633 Participants Last post by  MaXpeedingRods
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Mileage update: Feb 11, 2011
600,447 miles


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I have a 2006 Honda Civic LX sedan 5spd manual, I purchased it used from a local Honda dealer with 22,000 miles on the odometer on 05/26/2007.

It's currently at 203,284 miles, mostly interstate/parkway at 75 mph (occasional 110 + mph) but it still has a lot of city miles as well. Over 90% of the miles were with cargo in the trunk and back seat (rear seat cushion removed for extra height) comparable to 2 passengers in the back.

When I first purchased the car I was getting around 42 mpg but then sometime down the road it dropped to it's current average of 34 mpg (I have no idea why it dropped).

Sometime in June of 2007 I hit a separated tire tread form a semi that was coiled in the middle of the road (newly paved - black) in the middle of the night at approximately 75 mph, it felt like I hit a dog -- it did over $3,000 in damage: front bumper tore in two (replaced), A/C condenser destroyed (replaced), kinked A/C line (replaced), washer reservoir cracked (replaced), passenger side sway bar bracket on lower control arm bent (Dealership actually said the sway bar itself was bent, body shop said otherwise -- bracket was just bent back into place), and internal gearing of the steering rack was damaged (replaced rack assembly).

A deer ran into the passenger side of the car while I was doing about 60 mph. It shattered the rear view mirror glass (absolutely no damage to the housing or the housing paint) and put a good size dent in the rear quarter panel (no damage to the paint).

An oncoming car was across the center line on a curvy back road, our rear view mirrors hit (thank god that's all the contact our cars made) shattering the mirror glass but again, absolutely no damage to the housing or housing paint (these f#ckers are built :p)

Paint is in superb condition, no cracks, chips, or fading. Windshield is another story, countless chips and a half circle crack in the upper passenger side (g*d [email protected] dump trucks!!!!!). Factory tint (at least I believe it's factory tint) is in mint condition, no peeling or bubbling. Interior is mint expect for shoe scuff marks on the passenger dash board thanks to my fiance and the silver paint is wearing off of my shift knob. There's no fading of the plastic and the upholstery is still in mint condition.

I have always used Mobile 1 full synthetic 5w20 motor oil with a K&N hp-1010 oil filter, I change the oil approximately 1,000 miles past the maintenance minder. I've just recently started using Lucas oil stabilizer. The only parts I've replaced have been the spark plugs (NGK laser iridiums at 80,000 miles), Duralast Gold - lifetime warranty :p - front brake pads at 120,000 and 180,000 miles (it's impossible to find rear shoes that actually fit from any of the local auto parts stores, they were all too wide -- you can get them from Honda, but they're $15 a piece), Tokico shocks/struts at 180,000 miles (absolutely love them -- still have factory springs though, but plan to drop it with Eibach Sportlines and Skunk2 control arms), and got the rear upper control arms replaced under warranty (new alignment specs) at 190,000 miles (they paid for labor and parts, I had to pay for the alignment) I think the car looks much better with practically zero rear camber, and I love the way it handles now. I have not replaced any belts or hoses yet but will replace them soon along with a coolant and brake flush, new full synthetic gear oil and full synthetic Lucas oil stabilizer for the manual tranny, and a valve clearance adjustment (slight ticking at idle). The engine burns about half a quart of oil per oil change (has always done this since I bought it). Other than the ticking at idle, the engine is silent but idle is a bit rough (I think I need to get the idle speed adjusted -- anyone know how to do this, or should I just have the shop do it?). The factory clutch is still holding strong with no noises from the bearings or tranny.

I absolutely love this car and have had no other problems that I can think of at this time. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
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Haven't been keeping track of this thread in a while, you still doing 25K oil changes with the new engine right?

How long does it take you to rack up 25K? a month or 2?
^one thing you have to understand is that the OP doesn't drive the car like a granny. Its a 5spd and he enjoys driving it. The fact that the tranny went out after 350K+ miles means nothing. Every mechanical part has the potential to fail at any given time. A tranny can fail at 20K miles or last a lifetime without problems.

As far as alternators... its a normal wear item, just like batteries, light bulbs, clutch, etc.

I would think any automobile engineer would like to see a car they designed with 400K+ miles to see how well parts of the car held up after all the wear and tear.
what 10w-40 oil?

IDK. A picture of Royal purple 10w-30 oil and a K&N oil filter. I saw it from the link you gave to view the pics of the damage to the civic. I guess it was for/from something else.
^Damn Josh. My Parents own a 1998 Toyota Camry V6 that they bought new in 97. It has 187,000 miles and i swear it drives like New! The Transmission shifts smoother then newer cars that i've driven. Engine runs flawlessly.

You have to either be unlucky and run into random failure of a critical engine component or be a complete moron and either drive the car wrong or not maintain it properly to destroy a car.
Nice! Its just not the same since its not the original engine anymore. :shrug:
I just got the new a/c compressor and condenser in the mail today, so they should be on tomorrow. I'm not going to mess with the PS pump just yet.

It's currently at 512,000 miles. Sorry, forgot to update sooner but I've been focusing more on my Jeep project and just got married so things are kind of hectic ATM. The "new" engine and tranny are at 170,000 miles and the tranny is starting to make the same noise the original one made before it went out, I don't think these transmissions like Amsoil.
:eek:mg: could you experiment with it and change the fluid to say... Honda's juice and if that changes anything. However, chances are if its making the noise already that means its already facked. :pat:

:think: Good thing i switched from Amsoil to Redline in my Si
if anything the Amsoil will extend its life, i think its just a defective part more then oil.
:think: i don't view the turbo section much, i didnt even know people's were having problems.

Of course you have to take into account the fact that they are boosted and the extra torque applied unto the tranny might be the culprit and they the fluid itself.
I just dont believe that.

What makes Redline any better/safer to use? same thing can happen.
His service intervals differ from that of your ave Joe because this car is used for deliveries and mostly does highway miles.
I wonder what happens when you pass 999,999.9 miles.

:rotfl: he could put like 100,000 miles on it again, and the resale value will go back up :giggle:
I dont think Honda invested much time into the mileage display. Only 1 or 2 people will ever reach a million miles on this car.... let alone 300+
^i highly recommend Amsoil auto tranny fluid. I have it in my R18 and its never shifted smoother, can't feel the shift half the time, esp the upper gears. 96k on my 07.
Although I don't think anything will happen if I used Amsoil or anything else, ATF is one of the things Honda says to ONLY use, unlike oil, where they just "recommend" Honda oil for marketing reasons. I notice it shifts a lot smoother into higher gears than lower ones, barely noticeable. How does it shift when accelerating very slowly in lower gears when using Amsoil?... mine has always shifted really hard into the next gear.. just curious.

Amsoil's ATF is a perfect choice for our auto trannies. I've used Mobil1 Synth auto tranny fluid in the R18 as well and its also great juice.

It shifts super smooth throughout the entire rev range. Cold shifting is esp smoother but once it warms up, im telling you, i can't feel it shift.

quick question. i have auto r18. is full flush recommended if i was to switch into amsoil tranny fluid and how much of the fluid would i need?
Well if you want to remove as much of the oil fluid as possible, yes a flush is the best, proper way to do it. Im not talking about connecting a pump to the tranny to FORCE the fluid out but to disconnect the radiator return line and feed new fluid in while all of the oil juice pours out.

You could also just do 3-4 regular drain and fills, with the new - old fluid ratio improving with each fill.

I just do a quick drain and fill every 30k and call it a day (a flush was done to insure 100% Amsoil fluid in the tranny to begin with :thumb:

Each regular drain removes 2.6q
The total capacity is 6.xx you do the math.
I'd recommend a whole case (12 quarts)

The only time Honda recommends a full flush is when you use anything BUT Honda fluid as a temporary fluid when going back TO Honda fluid. I would assume yes, you would want to do a flush (drain and fill several times), but then again I'm not sure it'd matter.
^old myth of large amounts of metal getting forces into vital tranny components during a power flush. I've been doing automotive maintenance for YEARS and never had a problem, even with older cars. (i do the radiator return line "flush")
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^i think he should get it on video. hidden camera type of deal. Lol
Obviously this is a hoax. Take pic of the mileage. He prob got it set on km.

:facepalm: look at the age of this thread. Read the OP. Look through it page by page and watch the mileage grow... in MILES!!!

The OP uses the car for deliveries and drives 800+ MILES DAILY!
I'll keep driving it till I total it in a way that I can't repair it. I don't plan on quiting my job anytime soon so my mileage'll be creeping up at about 100,000 miles every 8 months. I would love to hit a million miles just to see what the odometer does, it would be nice to see a low number on it again, lol.

once it rolls over, rake up 100k and sell it :laughing: No one will ever know it actually has 1.1 mill. hahahaha
I too find the coolant disappearing in both my 07 8th gens... Ex and Si. I always have to top it off during an oil change. I always found that weird but 100k on the EX and 80k on the Si and zero problems so :shrug:
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