2010 Civic: Maintenance Questions

Hi;

I just bought a new Civic. I want to care for it right.

I plan on

- reading the owners manual and doing the scheduled maintenance

- getting after market all weather floor mats and seat covers for the front seat

- a dust buster to vacuum up the interior

Aside from keeping the car in the garage is there anything else I can do to extend the life of the car and preserve the appearance?

I found many options via internet searches, would anyone care to recommend a particular all weather mat, seat cover or bumper guard?

Thanks in advance for any information or polite opinions

Steve

Reply to
steve
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steve wrote in news:1597ed11-d694-4cd4-aac6- snipped-for-privacy@q21g2000vbd.googlegroups.com:

Follow the Maintenance Minder exactly, or do MORE than it tells you to. Especially oil changes.

Any aftermarket seat cover that fits well is an excellent idea. Really extends the life of the side bolsters.

Floor mats are a good idea as well, so long as they don't ride up and interfere with the gas pedal. The problem with floor mats is that they only protect in the middle. They cannot prevent that ring of salt you get /around/ the mat.

Reply to
Tegger

Does the 2010 Civic have the side airbags in the seats? Keep that in mind when getting seat covers.

Reply to
Seth

"Seth" wrote in news:hraq0e$f9l$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

Damn. I keep forgetting about that.

Note to OP: Study all those big yellow WARNINGS in your Warning Manual -- sorry, Owner's Manual -- to see if there is a prohibition against seat covers.

Reply to
Tegger

I just called my salesman. He said the 2010 Civic LX does not have air bags in the seats and that I am fine to put seat covers on.

Thanks for the heads up!

Reply to
steve

When I bought my new '07 Accord EXL, I asked the Honda dealer car salesman if it had an MP3 jack. Sure, he said-- pointing to a small hole in a panel in the headliner just above the rear view mirror. Strange place for an audio jack, I thought-- but didn't follow up on it as I liked the car and even if it didn't, I still was going to buy the car.

After I got it home, good thing I didn't try to push the plug in there too hard- Turns out it's a tiny recessed light that shines down on the shift lever.

So--- are you sure you want to trust your and your family's lives to what a car salesman tells you?

Reply to
Bitzer

I called customer service at Honda. The representative couldn't tell me if the Civic LX had airbags in the seat. He had to look it up in the owners manual ( which I did last night ). The 2010 Civic LX does. He didn't sound sure it a seat cover was a safety issue or not. I called Honda back a second time and the second customer service person told me that Honda doesn't recommend seat covers and will not manufacture them themselves.

Some seat cover manufacturers have youtube videos of the airbags exploding through their seat covers. Other, more expensive seat cover manufacturers put holes in the covers about where the air bags are.

I have the impression that nobody knows for sure if seat covers are a safety problem or not.

Maybe I will look for something that just goes on the part of the seat where I park my bottom or maybe I will establish a routine for cleaning the seats with some sort of upholstery cleaner.

Reply to
steve

The quandry is whether to pay more for the dealer to do PM or save a few bucks doing yourself or at the corner gas station. My dealer made the decision easier by offering "double warranty" period. And I had two defects repaired free then- bad EGR sensor and bad brushing.

Reply to
rick++

I dont know if the new Civics still have those "toy" spare tires. I try to get a real spare tire ASAP, at least from the first set of new tires. Those toy spares are only rated a few tens of miles and I had to 70 once in the Mohave desert before finding a station that could fix a flat.

Reply to
rick++

Speaking of dealers, yesterday I took a relatives car in to be checked for her and they quoted me a price of $289 plus taxes for new front pads and turn the rotors down. They want her to help pay for all the flat screens and sumptuous furniture in the showroom/waiting area I guess. What a rip.

Reply to
Clete

"steve" wrote

I called customer service at Honda. The representative couldn't tell me if the Civic LX had airbags in the seat. He had to look it up in the owners manual ( which I did last night ). The 2010 Civic LX does.

--------------

My 2004 Accord has little fabric tags, on the side of each front seat, that say SIDE AIRBAG. Does your Civic have them?

I would never even think of putting anything over the seat that would compromise the effectiveness of the airbags.

Reply to
Howard Lester

Clete wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Pads: ~$90 Rotor turning: ~$100 Labor: ~$100 (one hour).

Pads will be better than anything the aftermarket can supply, and usually come with the proper shims.

Rotor turning will be done on-the-car, and will be done properly, with bits that won't tear up the rotor surface.

Labor is factory-trained, not some monkey who was flipping burgers the week before.

Reply to
Tegger

Well, that's the problem--there's no guarantee of that.

And even if he is factory trained, there's no guarantee that he's any good.

I work in a different field, but I work in proximity with equivalent "factory trained techs". Most are average, some are above average, and some are worthless. The worthless ones cause incredibly more damage to customer loyalty than the above average ones can fix.

Even the dealership I use has the worthless ones on staff. I stick with one guy, who's been doing it for 25 years. He works hard, and he's honest--unlike a few of his "colleagues". Yes, the dealership lets the dishonest techs run rampant, because in the end they bring in revenue from people who blindly trust the dealership.

Reply to
Elmo P. Shagnasty

"Elmo P. Shagnasty" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

That is true. Unfortunately.

But I still think you have a greater probability of running into a competent tech at a dealership than at an independent. And you're more likely at a dealership to get your money back, or gain some other form of amelioration, than at an independent, should things go pear-shaped: With a dealership, you can call the automaker.

They let you specify who you want to work on your car? You're lucky.

I'm not sure it's that. I think the incompetents stick around because their bosses never quite find out how they do what they do. The other techs know exactly who the butchers are, but are reluctant to snitch on their fellows.

Reply to
Tegger

Damn straight.

But then, I wouldn't go someplace that *didn't* honor my request for a technician. I fail to understand why they would ever deny such a request.

And in fact, I sit and chat with him while he works on my car.

Reply to
Elmo P. Shagnasty

HOURLY SHOP RATES

Certified Technician $90.00 If You Watch $110.00 IF You Help $145.00

Reply to
Dddudley

Steve, if there are airbags in the seats there will be a little tag or it will be embossed on the side of the seat somewhere. As far as seat covers, I wouldn't bother. Unless you spend a lot of money and get custom-fit ones specifically for your car, they will look sloppy and bunch up. Just get into a routine of vacuuming the seats off regularly. If there's a spill, get a seat cleaner or take it to a detailing shop.

Dan D '07 Oddy EX Central NJ USA

Reply to
Dano58

yeah. Fortunately, I beat those rates handily--the occasional "tip" ("hey, could you throw this aftermarket cabin air filter in for me" with a twenty taped to the filter) and pizzas for the shop now and then keep me on their good side.

My place has service hours until midnight, and it's a MUCH more laid back crew and experience after 7pm.

Reply to
Elmo P. Shagnasty

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