I just had the following done to my honda:

1. engine oil (Mobil 1 5w-30 synthetic) change
2. engine filter (Mobil 1 m1-110) change
3. brake pad (centric brand)change
4. brake shoes (centric brand) change
5. brake rotors (centric brand) change
6. brake drums (pronto brand) change
7. brake oil flush and bleed ...$95.15 @ the ASE mechanic shop (at Express Gas station) 

The flush was necessary because the brakes felt mushy (would take a little while to stiffen when depressed...scared me some) as the guys at Jose' left air in the brake line. Not wanting to take any risk, I went to Jiffy lube after researching the issue online. I was directed to go to the Express Gas station and ask for Tim. Brakes feel like the old buddy I know so well.

 In total, items 1 - 6 cost me $120 for labor (to the guys at Jose's shop) and $197 for parts at both Parts Authority and Advance Auto . The sum total expenditure for my car maintenance today was $412.

Car mileage = 155453
Next brake flush would be in 2015

Auto Issues and Maintenance from Jan 2012 to Sep 2012

9/2/2012: Engine oil and Filter change
Jose changed the engine oil (4 qts of synthetic mobil 1's 5W-30) and filter (mobil 1's M1-110). Labor cost was just $20. He mentioned that my water pump has a whining sound coming from it which needs to be looked at (too much or too little tension, he guessed). I would have been for it had it not been for the prohibitive labor charge of $350. I told him that, I would consider doing it at a later date especially since I only use the car marginally these days.

6/30/2012: Auto diagnostics at Firestone
After paying $106.35, the guys at Firestone gave me an estimate of $926.01 to do the following:

• replace my ELD (electrical load detector in the underhood's fusebox which costs only $45 at Honda dealership...currently in search of a good mechanic with electrical know-how to fix this)  
• change my 2 oxygen sensors (still on my todo)
• clean my fuel system (I did this by emptying 2 cans of lucas fuel system cleaner into my gas tank)

.
5/6/2012: Tire service at Costco
Tire rotation, balance and nitrogen tire inflation were done at costco for free (benefit of buying the tires from them).
After I was done at Costco, I went to Firestone to benefit from my free lifetime wheel alignment. I was instructed to take care of the following:

• Heat shield on catalytic converter needed replacement as it was loose. (I don't really care for this...want it to fall off)
• Third brake light which was out.

Car troubles in November 2011 - bad alternator

Dec 17, 2011
Had the alternator replaced by Wade Auto Repairs. He had taken me to parts authority (www.partsauthority.com) where I managed to get Denso (REM) alternator for $218.90.
After the labor ($90) was completed by Wade Auto Repairs, I returned the faulty alternator that had just been replaced to Parts Authority and received a core (refund) charge of $34. This reduced the price I paid for the alternator to approximately $185.

Nov 19, 2011
Had the engine oil and filter changed by Wade Auto Repairs. Car mileage recorded = 152214

Nov 14, 2011

As it turns out, my alternator is issuing low voltage of below 12 volts.

When the battery light came up on Tuesday, I thought Sears had sold me and installed onto my car another defective battery but after they and the folks at Advanced auto performed diagnostics test on my system, I am convinced that my alternator is bad.

I have to research alternators to determine an optimal one for Honda Civic. The lowest bid for labour that I received is $75 by a mechanic named Wade. He did my oil change today.

My heat shield for the catalytic converter is still rattling.

Battery light on

Update 9/16/2011: Car started this morning without any screeching sound. Aside from the audio system which I have not turned on as a result of not having the code handy, all other systems are up and running.




Update: The alternator was checked and deemed fine as its reading was in the 13.something range.
The battery was defective and thus changed but I had to fork out the money for it less $40 from prorating the warranty.
In addition to the battery, an alternator belt and a power steering belt was installed to fix the screeching sound. The litmus test to gauge the effectivity of the solution put in place will be starting up the car tomorrow. No screeching will mean, it is fixed and if I get even the slightest screeching sound, I'm headed back to the sears store.
In total, I paid $234 and some change for all the work done today.



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When I started my car yesterday, and attempted to drive off, she let out a loud squeal like that of screeching tires which came on whenever I stepped on the gas pedal.
On calling Sears about the battery since I've had it changed twice since getting it in 2008 from them (first one lasted almost 2 years and this is its replacement), they think it might be the alternator.

At the moment, I'm researching the issue. The suggestions include:
1)checking the voltage to see if it is between 13.75V and 14.25V
2)checking and adjusting the alternator belts if not tight
3)cleaning the accessible connections
4)changing the battery if all else check out ok

Tire maintenance at Costco

On 9/1/2011, I took my car to Costco for the monthly rotation, balancing and air pressure check of my tires.

By next month, I will have to start considering Engine oil and filter change

First Tire Balancing and air pressure check/update

Last Friday, 6/24/2011 to be precise, I took my car over to Costco to have the tires balanced and the air pressue filled. I'm not quite sure if this should be a monthly thing or not. I will, however, go monthly just so I don't fail on any hidden clause (if any) regarding my Tire warranty.

Next time, I'll ask for rotation, balancing and air pressure check.

My honda rides like a dream now and I won't forget to ascribe all glory to God who made me keep the car instead of selling it off and made a way for me to afford all the repairs! ^_^

Tire and LCA replacement

My old tires (nankang toursport) cost me roughly $350 for its sale and install. Though I found them durable, I can boast that I never ventured in the rain or any other inclement weather as an intrepid driver. I knew something was off but never thought to blame the tires. Skidding when making corners on raining days, running the red light when flurries made the road slippery and getting stuck in a few inches of snow were all the things that made me consider getting snow tires.

However, I wanted all season tires since I didn't want to bother with storage issues. You know, where to put the snow tires when not in use not to talk of the extra cost of having 2 sets of tires. So, my contemplation led to researching various tires. My poor tires were described as nankang toursport 911 by reviewers. Thank God, I never read that in the early years of its ownership or I would have been pressed to toss them.

Anyway, a friend recommended getting tires from Costco and I took advantage of the $70 discount they had on the Michelin MXVA. In the end, I had to cough up approximately $450 but I believe it is worth it for several reasons I will not delve into for lack of time. During the install on 5/27/2011, I was told that my wheels were in dire need of alignment.

This led me to seeking for price quote for the replacement of my lower control arm bushings. The shops would not do an alignment on a car with bad front LCA. The price from the guys at Sears seemed reasonable so I thought I'd go there. On reaching the shop, I received a different and higher quote for the job. Severely irritated that they were going to charge me the same amount for labor to replace the bushings (a tiny sub portion of the LCA) as it would cost to replace the whole LCA, I requested for replacement of the 10 year old LCA. Of course the parts cost more but in my opinion, it was reasonable. The total sum came to $601 plus change, I think.

I am content with the spending given that the Firestone techs wanted approximately $530 to change just the bushings.

The alignment done yesterday was subpar. I went back to them after discovering yesterday that my car veered to the right or left (in no discernible order) when I took my hands off the steering wheel and cruised. So I returned to the shop today to request for the before and after alignment reports and a repeat of the procedure. They obliged me. My car is now properly aligned as of today.

Warranties:
Tires: 5years or 60000 miles plus free road hazard care, free rotation & balance and free nitrogen air infusion
LCA: 2 years
Alignment: 6 months (I really don't care about this one as I have life time alignment with Firestone).