The Civic had been ours for exactly one week when I backed it into the garage last Saturday, and Garrett stood next to it holding the owner's manual like it was a hymnal. The odometer read 142,180. In seven days he had driven it 180 miles, all of them with me or Tina in the passenger seat, because a learner's permit in Missouri doesn't let him do anything else.
It's a 2012 Honda Civic LX sedan, blue, 1.8-liter, automatic. We bought it from a retired couple in Savannah who had kept every receipt in a folder, which is the best thing a used car can come with. Even so, I don't know what's been done since their last receipt, and neither does Garrett. So before the car ever went to school, we spent a Saturday morning making sure we knew what we had.
My truck was still at the body shop after the deer hit in November, so I had a whole Saturday and nothing else in the driveway to work on.
The $74 receipt
- A 5-quart jug of 0W-20 full synthetic: $27
- A Honda-fit oil filter and a new drain plug crush washer: $8
- Two front wiper blades: $28
- A replacement bulb for the license plate light: $6
- A gallon of winter washer fluid: $5
Total with tax was right at $74. Garrett paid for the bulb and the washer fluid. That was his idea, and I didn't argue.
Oil first
The Civic's 1.8 takes a little under 4 quarts of 0W-20 with a filter change, which after the truck's 8 felt like cheating. The car sits low, so this one does need lifting. We used the floor jack at the front center jack point, then set it down on two jack stands at the pinch welds behind the front wheels. I had Garrett push on the fender to make sure it was solid before either of us went under. He thought this was excessive. I explained that a Civic weighs about 2,800 pounds and he weighs about 140, and he went quiet.
The drain plug is on the oil pan, and Honda wants a new crush washer every time, which is why it was in the bag. The filter is on the front of the engine. I did the filter while Garrett held the light and I talked through the rule I use: wipe the mounting face, make sure the old gasket came off, oil the new gasket, hand tight plus three-quarters of a turn. Then the drain plug, checked twice. He watched me check it twice and rolled his eyes. I'll take it.
The old oil came out dark but not sludgy, with no metallic glitter in the pan, which was a relief. We reset the maintenance reminder, which on this car shows as a percentage on the dash.
Every fluid, one at a time
I had Garrett check each one while I held the flashlight, so he'd know where they are:
Coolant: the overflow reservoir was at the full line, and the color was the blue Honda coolant it's supposed to be, not rusty. We checked it cold.
Brake fluid: the reservoir was between the lines, and the fluid was light amber. Dark brown brake fluid is old fluid, and a brake fluid flush is a job I'd send to the shop.
Transmission fluid: this generation of Civic automatic has a dipstick for it, which is handy. The car has to be warm and on level ground for an accurate read. It was in range and red, and it didn't smell burnt.
Power steering: there isn't any. This Civic has electric power steering. Garrett spent five minutes looking for the reservoir before I told him, which I'll admit was for my own entertainment.
Washer fluid: nearly empty, so the winter gallon went in.
The wipers were cracked and streaking, probably original to some winter around 2020. New ones took five minutes, with a towel on the windshield in case an arm snapped back.
For bulbs, I had Garrett sit in the car and run through everything while I walked around: headlights, high beams, turn signals, brake lights, reverse lights, hazards. The left license plate bulb was out. That's a small thing, but it's exactly the kind of small thing a police officer can pull you over for, and I'd rather my new driver not meet one that way. It's two screws and a twist.
We also checked the tires: decent tread, all four set to the pressure on the door sticker. The battery tested fine at the parts store when we bought the parts.
About two hours, $74 and one teenager who now knows where his car's dipstick is. The notebook has a new page with "CIVIC" at the top in Garrett's handwriting. He'll be filling it in himself before long.