Maintenance Schedule for 2006 Civic

I just bought a 2006 Civic LX AT Sedan. In going through the manual
and related materials, I can't find a mantenance and service schedule.
My old 1998 Civic had a booklet indicating what kinds of service the
car needed at different mileage intervals. Is there such a schedule
for the Civic and if so how would I obtain a copy?

 

It really should be there. Check again, and, if no go, then
call the dealer's service department and ask where it is.

One can also use the Owner's Link at
http://automobiles.honda.com/ to obtain the service
schedule. It's free.

 

Actually, Oakparker is correct. I just bought a 2006 Civic LX AT sedan as well.
The owner's manual does *not* contain a maintenance schedule. What it does
contain are the instructions for responding to the "Maintenance Minder".

The Maintenance Minder is a system on the car itself which keeps track of the
remaining oil life, as a percentage, and prompts the driver when it's time to
change the oil, along with any other maintenance that the system has determined
the car is due for. Along with the percentage of oil life remaining, various
codes may be displayed -- (here's the list for those who are curious)

A - replace engine oil

B - replace engine oil and filter
inspect brakes
check parking brake
inspect following:
tie rod ends, steering geer box, end boots
suspension components
driveshaft boots
brake hoses and lines
all fluid levels and condition of fluids
exhaust system
fuel lines and connections

1 - rotate tires

2 - replace air cleaner element
replace dust and pollen filter
inspect drive belt

3 - replace transmission fluid

4 - replace spark plugs
inspect value clearance

5 - replace engine coolant

And that's it. Nowhere in the manual does it give an indication of at what
mileage these codes are likely to pop up. And unfortunately, contrary to Elle's
suggestion, all that the Honda's Owners Link gives you is the same information
in the manual.

Some drivers might like the idea of just doing what their car tells them to do
when it tells them to do it, but personally I'd prefer a standard recommended
maintenance schedule so that I can *plan* the maintenance in advance.

Also, the dealer told me that I shouldn't have to change the oil until I reach
the 10,000 mile point. Is that the truth, or should I expect that my car is
going to tell me something different? If it does tell me something different,
is it because the oil is being broken down faster due to some deeper underlying
problem that should be investigated?

Another thing is that the Honda Civic has an interference engine, and absolutely
needs the timing belt replaced in a timely (all puns intended) fashion before it
breaks -- but the Maintenance Minder system doesn't mention the belt replacement
at all.

This is my first Honda, and I'd planned on doing most of the maintenance more
often than the schedule, because I really want this car to last. That's a bit
difficult to do when you don't know what the schedule is.

I guess I just would prefer that I make the decisions about my car, rather than
meekly obeying my car when it deigns to tell me when it needs something.

 

I am pretty sure that all Civics are now chain-driven.

 

"Maintenance Minder".

Unless you want to split hairs, that's essentially the same
thing.

Keep reading. You may know your new Honda a lot better after
this discussion.

From Honda's Owner's Link site, it seems to be simply a new
name for implementing a maintenance schedule, aided by
warning lamps on the dash, set off, for a number of common
maintenance items, according to a computing algorithm, using
a computer that has inputs from various sensors.

From one site that discusses the Maintenance Minder:

"The maintenance requirements for your [Honda] Ridgeline are
determined by an internal algorithm, which considers the
engine starting temperature, driving distance and engine
RPM. The onboard computer also judges your driving
conditions and habits, and then calculates the remaining
engine oil life, displaying it as a percentage."

snip for brevity

unfortunately, contrary to Elle's

The maintenance info at the Owner's Link site for the 2006
Civic appears to be about as detailed as that in my 91Civic
owner's manual. It's just presented differently and
incorporates the new technology I mention above for
identifying when maintenance is needed. In addition, it most
certainly does give the mileage at which certain maintenance
is required. But not for all maintenance. The approach for
modern Hondas is different.

Did you really dig in, clicking on the links for Maintenance
Minder A, Maintenance Minder B, etc.?

Log in, go to the Maintenance Minder section, and click on
and then read all these links before posting back.

snip

needs something.

Study what exactly the Maintenance Minder system is. Spend
more time at the Owner's Link site and/or reading your
manual and/or googling. This evidently is new technology.
(Wikipedia suggests the Honda Maintenance Minder technology
may have been first introduced in its 2006 models, or
otherwise very recently.)

I will say I don't completely trust the American Honda site,
since I can't find anything on the timing belt for the 2006
Civic at the moment there either. This is not the first time
I've found its maintenance schedules incomplete.

Still, my first post was to encourage the OP to investigate
further, since it most certainly is customary for auto
manufacturers to make readily available to owners detailed
information on when and what maintenance is to be performed.
The glitch we're running into here is that the 2006 Honda
evidently has very new technology for optimal maintenance
(or so it's advertised). As a result old-timers will
initially tend to be turned off by it. Can't teach some old
dogs new tricks, etc.

Googling turns up sites like
http://www.spinellihonda.com/en/service/maintenance/index.sp
y?cmd=menu&menuid=472&make=Honda&model=Ridgeline&trim=&year=
2006 , which says at Maintenance Minder # yada, for a
Canadian yada Honda, replace the timing belt.

You may have to buy at least a Chilton's manual for the 2006
to get a good grasp of what exactly the new Honda system
uses to determine when maintenance is due. I am not
advocating or criticizing this approach to maintenance at
this time. I am saying this is so far the reality for a
layperson who wants to maintain his/her new 2006 Honda. I
expect in the coming years technicians will have more to say
on how astute this technology is.

http://www.hondanews.com/catID2013?mid=2005083041013&mime=as
c has a little more on how the Maintenance Minder works.

 

Because it's not mileage based. It's based on many factors that the
computer is storing and evaluating--cold starts, short trips, ambient
temperatures, etc.

 

Two comments on the discussion:

1. I understand that maintenance and service needs will be different
for every driver. However, we do not want to be in a position where
we are in the middle of nowhere and suddenly a light comes on for a
requirement for significant maintenance. So, are there any Honda
manuals that at least have rules of thumb for the major maintenance
and service needs?

2. Concerning the timing belt. When we bought our 2006 Civic LX, the
dealership told us there is a timing belt and it has to be replaced
every 90,000 miles. (This is an improvement on the 1998 Civic which
needed it replaced every 75,000 miles).

 

IMO, this was a valid basis before the advent of technology
that allowed direct monitoring of engine etc. wear. From my
reading of this Maintenance Minder system, a computer
effectively gages the wear on an engine's parts better than
a guesstimate of any individual's driver's habits. It does
make perfect sense, and in theory, it should save the owner
money on maintenance and repairs. How this will pan out in
practice is something else.

In addition, note the little blurb I posted before says the
computer "judges your driving conditions and habits" in
determining, for one, when the oil should be changed next.
So it /is/ monitoring every driver's habits.

I think you're underestimating the thoughtfulness of the
design of this system.

ISTM that when the code for changing the oil comes on the
dash, that means you have, say, another 1000 miles or so to
go before things even begin to look grim.

Just consider the margin of error behind the old-fashioned
(in comparison) recommendation to change one's oil every,
say, 5000 miles. Will the engine catastrophically fail if it
is instead changed at 5500 miles? Not likely.

Brake pads similarly have a squeal indicator to tell the
driver when the brake pads are low. But the truth is, the
pads need not be changed as soon as the squeal starts.
There's still a fair amount of pad left.

Engine coolant: So what if it goes another week beyond the
two-year spec?

The Owner's Link I cited before does have mileage guidance
for certain components.

Funny dealer. The parts site below confirms the 2006 Civic
LX has a timing chain, like High Tech Misfit suspected. Your
dealer's service people would seem to be not up to date yet
on the latest Hondas.

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/prddisplay.
jsp?inputstate=5&catcgry1=Civic&catcgry2=2006&catcgry3=4DR+L
X&catcgry4=KA5AT&catcgry5=CAMSHAFT-CAM+CHAIN

I know chains don't last forever. OTOH, they're supposed to
last much longer than timing belts. Perhaps the latest
materials are made so the chain is supposed to last the life
of the car, or until certain symptoms are indicated.

The 2006 Honda Ridgeline I mentioned earlier has a timing
belt.

That doesn't sound right for the 1998 Civic, unless it's a
severe driving condition spec. I am too lazy to check at the
moment.

 

use the maint. schedule from the previous gen civic. it won't hurt.

it's a chain, not belt on the 06. typical dealer b.s. chains are
usually "for life".

 

from what ive read, those "smart" indicators measure how long the engine
runs, and at what RPM, and makes a decision from there. if you do a lot
of freeway driving, it MAY be 10k.

but if that freeway is the 405 during rush hour in LA, it might be 3k

 

i wouldnt sweat it.

my manual says 7yr/105k miles for "normal" service on the timing belt.

 

id at least check it, however. then change ASAP.

 

Makes sense to me, especially since this "Maintenance
Minder" sensor and computing system is so new that any bugs
may not have been discovered yet.

I suppose I personally would find which Honda Civic engine
that does /not/ have a Maint Minder and was most similar to
this one, and then obtain its maint schedule. The 2004
Civic, maybe? Dunno.

Anyway, I'd then compare what the Maint Minder says to what
the traditional maintenance schedule recommends. I'd
monitor, like you say Mike, parts and fluids that I could.
E.g. spark plugs, oil, coolant. Or I'd read like mad how
Honda had tested this Maint Minder system.

Until it's demonstrated that this system saves a significant
amount in maintenance costs, I think I'll view it as one
more dagganged bell/whistle/fo'dummies item that one really
doesn't need but--lucky us--gets to pay for up front. (Does
it ever occur to Auto makers that some of us prefer
econo-this-and-that so we can give our monies to charity??
*&^%) The Maint Minder system better be cheap. Else I'll go
Toyota Yaris shopping in a few years.

 

Ask your Honda dealer for their suggested maintenance guide. Usually
the dealer has a long list of "suggested" maintenance items that far
exceeds the factory requirements. If your Honda dealer doesn't have
this, try your local Toyota (or any other) dealer. Apply common sense.

Opinions vary on this but I sure wouldn't leave the factory fill in my
new car for 10,000 miles. Check www.bobistheoilguy.com web site for
some oil analysis info. That said, modern motor oils are pretty tough
and unless you do bad things (lots of short trips in cold temperatures)
the oil will probably last a lot longer than you'd think. [FYI: I
changed the oil/filter every 3500 miles when I got my new Accord. At
14K miles I switched to Mobil 1 synthetic and now change every 8K to
10K miles (6 months).]

YMMV

snip

 

Their "suggested" maintenance items would have him in every 1500 miles,
and would include blinker fluid.

 

I've heard synthetic blinker fluid lasts three times as long as the
usual stuff.

 

whoa, but hang on. Synthetic will ruin your entire lighting system if
you replace it before 15K blinks.

Best to go with the blend up front. Whatever you do, don't leave the
factory fluid in past 1K blinks.

 

this "Maintenance Minder" sensor and computing system is so new that any
bugs may not have been discovered yet.<<

This system is definitely NOT new. Honda has been putting them in Acuras
for a long time, and they work well.

 

How long? My quick search indicates the first one on an Acura was about
2004.

Aside: The other day I saw a TV commercial for GM vehicles and (Onstar?)
indicating they had such a system as well.

 

They usually use new technologies outside North America befor bringing
them here.

It seems like everyone is using them.