The Official Pleasing Purchase Thread

[David]

Its the lack of back doors which puts me off more than anything

It has two......that's enuff.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I've been poking around the Civic a bit...when I bought it everything except the AC worked, which I thought was pretty good for a £1500 16 year old car. Even the voice activated Twat Nag works! It doesn't know my road exists, but it works.

The AC doesn't blow cold, the seller said "just needs a regas" which IME is generally bollox. I consider AC to be a bonus on a car like this though, so I didn't worry about it too much.

That said, I did take it for a cheeky regas yesterday. Nothing They didn't charge me though, they just took all their gas back.

I've since discovered how to do all the AC sensor diagnostics on this car by pushing various combinations of dash buttons. Every sensor is showing a sensible value. I've also since discovered that this car had a known control relay fault which Honda did a recall on...so now I've bought a 5 quid relay on eBay to fix it.

Even when I get this relay it won't fix the problem, the AC system now has zero gas in it so the pressure sensors will keep the system shut down

Honestly....I have no real idea why I'm embarking on this quest to fix the AC. I guess I'm just amused by having a shit wagon which 100% works.

[Count Steer]

Won't hurt the price when you sell it if the AC works.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Doubt I'll ever sell it TBH.

My other car is though the employee scheme and has very strict return condition requirements. The scheme lasts 12-18 months and then the cars go into the approved used network and I get another new one.

I'll keep the Honda until it dies for going to the tip and the like!

[Taipan]

Never liked Jap cars. Not really sure why, just don’t like them. Mates son has a type R which he absolutely loves and was so proud to show me it. Whilst I pretended to share his enthusiasm I was. Actually taken aback by the ridiculous dash board which was a sort of wrap round affair with more lights than a fruit machine. Hideous, but to each their own all that..,

[Mr. Dazzle]

Can't say I especially like this Honda...but I very much like the way Honda build cars (and bikes TBF). They're really well screwed together IMO. Boring in every sense, not even character building breakdowns (touch wood )

I'd still love an NSX though

[weeksy]

Boring in every sense, not even character building breakdowns (touch wood )

I'd still love an NSX though

Well, apart from air con in a heatwave

[Mr. Dazzle]

I drove with the windows open for the first time in about 10 years yesterday.

T'was fair nostalgic it was.

If I'd been the passenger I'd totally have done that thing where you stick your arm in the wind and "fly" it.

[MrLongbeard]

I've also since discovered that this car had a known control relay fault which Honda did a recall on...so now I've bought a 5 quid relay on eBay to fix it

If it's not that it'll be the other common fault whereas the compressor clutch looses some magnetism so can't engage the outer plate.
Easy to diagnose, start up the car, have someone turn on the air con whilst you watch the clutch plate, if it engages go back to start do not collect £200 and look for another fault.
If it doesn't engage, give it a gentle prod with a screwdriver*, if that causes it to engage it's the magnets, simple fix is to reduce the size of the spacer shims so they are closer to begin with.

*Carefully, your pissing about around the serpentine belt which will pull your fingers / face off.

Had it happen to my 8g, bought the shims but never really cared enough to spend the time doing the job.

https://www.civinfo.com/forums/

[Mr. Dazzle]

Aye, thats what I was looking at.

Trouble is, now this car has no gas in it the pressure sensors are telling the AC to remain off in all circumstances. I think I can probably bridge the terminals in the sensor plugs to fool it, but I don't want to trash the pump. I'm not sure if running it 'dry' will kill it instantly or not.

[MrLongbeard]

I'm not sure if running it 'dry' will kill it instantly or not.

I'd not risk it.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I can probably stick a multimeter in the 'signal' terminals for the control relay socket and see if the system tries to turn the AC on when the sensor plug is shorted.

[Mussels]

If the aircon hasn't worked for a long time then seals may be knackered, did they say it held pressure when you took it in?

I've been doing the window thing for to an obscure problem* with mine, when the car is moving and there right windows are open then there's a really nice breeze.

*On some sunny days hot air comes out of the drivers side, passenger side is fine and the temperature blend works on the drivers side. On cooler days I get cold air out of both sides. When it happens the air is hot for about 30 minutes before it gets down to ambient temp so it's unlikely to be because something has got a bit warm in the sun.
It might be recirculation but I think that's one valve for both sides, the drivers blend valve could be slightly blocked. I need to do more tests but the problem isn't bad enough to get me motivated

[Mr. Dazzle]

They gassed it up, did the automated leak checks etc then tried it...no cold air. So they took all the gas out again cause that stuff's expensive!

Had I known about the relay and clutch thing first id have looked into that before trying the regas.

[MrLongbeard]

[MrLongbeard]

2006 Honda Civic runaround

A thought occurs.
What when it starts to drop colder with the nights drawing in now, turn off the auto windscreen function if you have it.
If the wipers activate when frozen to the windscreen it can voltage spike the ECU and kill it.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Slightly more concerning problem discovered yesterday - the brakes are shite.

I didn't discover this problem on my test drive 'cause the initial bite is fine and it'll do an E-stop no problem. The issue cropped up yesterday when I drove across MK...I nearly ran into the back of someone coming up to about roundabout 10 in a spirited fashion! The pedal was firm I just wasn't slowing down much. When I came to a halt the car absolutely stank of hot brake.

Like I said, pedal is pretty firm and the brake fluid looks brand new. The car was serviced just before I got it and so far I've found every obvious fluid is new and all the filters are new, so I've no reason to believe it needs bleeding or anything.

Perhaps a 2006 Civic on cheapo pads just has shit brakes compared to a Beemer on decent ones! Gonna have to take it easy on them roundabouts, which goes against every instinct.

[DefTrap]

Well, apart from air con in a heatwave

The Aircon in the moighty 406 broke a few years back (compressor and other parts need replacing, lots of labour, 2k of work on a 50p beater, it's not going to happen).
As you would expect, no Aircon in a car down here in 40+ heat is not much fun.
What's more surprising is how much work working Aircon does in the winter when you're constantly clearing condensation from the windscreen.

But anyway, I've just put new discs on it now, I need at least another 100k out of it.

[Mussels]

Slightly more concerning problem discovered yesterday - the brakes are shite.

I didn't discover this problem on my test drive 'cause the initial bite is fine and it'll do an E-stop no problem. The issue cropped up yesterday when I drove across MK...I nearly ran into the back of someone coming up to about roundabout 10 in a spirited fashion! The pedal was firm I just wasn't slowing down much. When I came to a halt the car absolutely stank of hot brake.

Like I said, pedal is pretty firm and the brake fluid looks brand new. The car was serviced just before I got it and so far I've found every obvious fluid is new and all the filters are new, so I've no reason to believe it needs bleeding or anything.

Perhaps a 2006 Civic on cheapo pads just has shit brakes compared to a Beemer on decent ones! Gonna have to take it easy on them roundabouts, which goes against every instinct.

I had that on a ZX I bought years ago, someone had fitted the pads in the wrong sides. IIRC it was a weird car where the left caliper took different pads to the right and someone didn't understand, they had put L&R in each caliper rather than both L on the left side of the car.

[Felix]

Had the same issue in a Pug 309 (Horrid heap o shit) That was cheap pads.