Centos 8th gen Civic 2011 Detailing and Maintenance log

[centos]

Hello all and welcome to my 8th gen civic thread. Here I will be sharing my experience of owning and maintaining the 8th gen cars for last 6 years.

Going to start with detailing the car as that's what I am going to start working on now. I will share the maintenance history and experiences later as we go along.

I had been planning to detail my car for some time so after long research and watching many youtube videos I have now invested in some basic detailing tools and going to start working on the car from today and continue over the eid holidays.

I am a first timer / new comer / freshie in this field so let me know if I make any mistakes but I hope some of you learn something on this journey you'll be taking with me.

About the car
It's a 2011 black Oriel Promatec with 93k on the odo. I got it detailed in I think 2016 from detailing crew and got pretty disappointed with the result. I paid exactly what they asked for 13k and didn't even try to negotiate because I wanted the best treatment done but all I got was just the average polishing. They only managed to take care of the swirls and haze, that's it. They didn't even remove minor scratches let alone the medium or deeper ones. They didn't even bother opening and cleaning the sunroof, it was full of dust and dirt. I went back twice and still found issues so didn't bother going back after that.

This is what they call detailing here in Pakistan.

1. Wash and clean the car
2. Clay the paint (maybe)
3. Polish or compound the hell out of it
4. All done

Current condition of the car is good. There are minor to mid level swirls and light scratches. My guess is it mostly needs polishing. I will make sections and try polishing first and if it doesn't fix the issue I will try medium compound.

There are some mid level and some deep scratches on rear left door and the rear fender. It got scratched with a drum while taking a turn at a construction site. This is the reason I am going to attempt paint correction myself because these scratches might not come out with compound and most probably will need wet sanding.

Other than that car needs a new front bumper (a biker came out of no where and ripped it apart breaking many clips), fog lights and some dry denting on the fender. All this will be done after eid or maybe after I return from my trip to north that I plan to take in last week of this month.

Going to start with the windscreen.

This is the windscreen before, notice the haze, the thin layer/film of dirt and grime. I doesn't come off with any window cleaner and I have tried many.

My plan is to wash, clay and then compound. Let's see how that goes.

My arsenal so far
Makute rotary polisher 1300w - Rs. 7800
Maxshine 6" backing plate - Rs. 2400
Buff n Shine 6" polishing foam pad - Rs. 2400
Buff n Shine 6" cutting foam pad - Rs. 2400
Meguiar’s Ultimate Polish Rs. 2200
Meguiar’s Ultimate Compound - Rs. 2200
Chemical guys MF towel 16x16 - Rs. 1250

Got every thing from Luxe auto spa except the polish and compound I ordered online

[centos]

Ok, the first attempt was aweful. I wanted to give the big wool/mf pad a try to start off to see how it cuts as it's supposed to cut deep but I couldn't handle the machine. It kept running from me even at the lowest speed.

Then I switched to the max shine 6" baking plate and the yellow pad which is for polishing. This time I managed to handle the machine and did few passes but I was struggling to keep control of the machine. It was easier to control at higher speeds. I did test passes with little product but the foam would stick and machine got harder to control so then tripled the amount of product and it got smoother.

I manage to cut some of that thin layer of haze but not completely. It was past midnight so decided to resume in the morning. Tomorrow I will try the medium cut purple foam with the compound to see if manages to clean off that oxidation.

Before pic. Washed, clayed and taped.

[centos]

I couldn't sleep and kept thinking about how to tame the rotary polisher. So I watched some more videos on youtube and had another go. Starting with the windshield was probably not the best idea because for beginners they recommend to learn and practice on flat surface like the bonnet. But I didn't want to leave the windscreen half done so I resumed where I left.

I wanted to give the wool/mf pad another go because it's recommended for best cut. This time kept the machine at lowest setting, used enough product so that the pad won't get too dry, and tried to keep the machine stable and smooth. Trick is tilt the machine at little 10-15 degree angle when you feel it's biting the surface. This maguire's ultimate compound is light cutting compound so I had to do a lot passes. I think I applied 4 times with the wool pad and then switched to medium cut foam pad and did 2 sessions.

Now most of the grime and oxidation is gone. I will take another look in the morning and few more passes if needed and then finish it off with few passes of maguire's ultimate polish with the yellow polishing pad.

I might also need another compound with deeper cut to make the job quicker so probably go with maguire's 105 or Ahmed Yar sb from Luxe auto spa recommended some carpro compound.

[roony]

If you can get your hands on carpro ceriglass, it's a pretty good finisher for glass. Clears up any gunk or hard water spots with the right pad.

[Thinking]

good going. waiting for updates

[centos]

Completed the windscreen the next day. I would say it removed 99% of that thin layer of dirt and grime but now there are minor swirls only visible if you see really closely that is common with the rotary polisher.

Lesson here is that you use hard cutting compound to clean up windscreen that is in this condition. Meguire's ultimate did the job but I had to use a lot of product and spend a lot time. It'd be a lot easier and cheaper to use hard compound like the meguire's 105 or clear cut by car pro. Also it'd be better to use a smaller pad like 3" one to have more control of the machine.

I have not mastered the rotary yet but I have good control now. I will resume compounding/polishing rest of the car in next few days. I hope I master the rotary enough that I don't get the swirls and haze that you get with rotary but if I don't then I probably will need a DA to finish the job.

[centos]

I started the body with the boot as it was smaller and flat compared to other body parts. I divided it into 2 section to first try just the polish with polishing pad. Polishing got rid of the swirl marks but couldn't remove some low to mid level scratches. So I went with the cutting pad and compound combination for the 2nd section. It removed most the scratches. So I redid the 1st half with compound and then finished it off with polishing the whole boot with polish and polishing pad.

Next day I worked on the bonnet. I tested a section with polish and it removed all the swirls, low scratches and the haze but there were still some scratches left. I tried compound with medium cutting pad and took care of most of the scratches too. So I gently compounded the the whole hood and then finished off by polishing.

Since I was using the rotary I was extra careful working on the hood. I only did 2-3 passes with compound and didn't apply any pressure on the machine, speed was set to minimum which is 600 rpm and I used faster hand movement compared to DA (1 inch per sec). This helped me get nice clean finish with no swirls or haze.

Now there are 3 problems here and I would like to highlight them so any new comers avoid the issues I faced.

1. First problem is the rotary itself. Even though it weighs only 2.8 kgs but working for longer periods with it puts a strain on your body because unlike the DA you need to put some effort to keep it under control. I recommend using a smaller and lighter machine. I am not sure where to get a small rotary at the moment but I will find out and let you know. It's best to go with DA but if the budget is tight find a small light weight rotary.

2. The backing plates and the pads. Ahmed yar sb gave me a six inch backing plate and 7 inch pads probably because that's only what he had in stock at the moment. I'd recommend new comers specially someone like me who is only going to work on his own cars to use smaller backing plates and pads. Get 5" plate max and 5 to 5.5" pad max. Smaller the plate, easier it is to manage the rotary or even the DA. Even professionals like DPC prefer working with 5" setup instead of 6" or higher. Also try and get a plate that has some foam cushioning so it's easier to bend on curves. (more on this later)

3. The temperature. Never work on a car that is hot and by car I mean body. High temperature is your enemy. I made mistake choosing to work in August when it's hot and humid. Car body and paint should not get hot while working on it so if it's already hot because of the weather it only becomes more challenging. Also I was sweating buckets while working. Ideal time of the year to work is either spring or autumn, winter is good to if you can bear working in cold.

So I managed to complete the windscreen, trunk and the bonnet but it was stressful and tiring because of the pads. 7" pad is just too big to work with rotary. It's very had to keep the machine under control. It tries to run away from you in all direction, pads get dry quickly and start sticking to the body which you absolutely don't want to happen as it can burn or even remove the paint completely.

I shot a video but it stopped recording after few mins for some reason. Here is picture from after I did the first section with just the polish. You can see the difference.

[sufined]

Keep posting sir

[centos]

I needed some clay and some IPA solution for cleaning so I went back to Ahmad sb shop. I wanted to buy smaller backing plate and pads but all he had at the time was a 3" backing plate and a 4" soft wool pad, so I went with that combination.

Over the next few days I worked on front fenders and one passenger side door. For these panels I used the 3" backing plate with the 4" soft wool pad and it made things way easier. Machine was easier to control and I could work in smaller sections specially the curves on the fender. Cleaning and finishing with the wool pad was so good that I went from 2 step to 1 step correction and ditched the compound. For rest of the car I decided to stick with 1 step correction using just the polish with the wool pad, unless of course there is some deep scratch that needs compound.

By now I was pretty tired and my family was pretty annoyed that I am spending too much time and making a lot effort for over a week, and they couldn't even tell the difference lol.

They were right, it was very time consuming and takes hard work as working with rotary is not easy. I decided to take a break for few days but after few days it was almost time to leave for my planned trip to north.

[centos]

After coming back I decided to let the humid weather pass and resume detailing work in October. But now since the dingy season is full on, I am going to wait some more even though weather now days it pretty chill. In the mean time I am going to share the maintenance history of the car.

[centos]

For most people maintenance means regular engine oil change and that's it. When I was searching for this car I'd ask people about power steering and transmission fluids, and the fuel filter etc if they got that changed or not, and if yes when. most of them would have no clue about.

I bought this car in mid 2015 and it was 40k driven. Owner clearly said he hadn't changed any fluids etc that were due on 40K. Also it had the original euro star tyres that were in bad shape.

So as soon as I got the car I got the 40k service done and fluids changed from defence motors. Total bill paid was about 18-20k I think.

It included:

• Power steering oil
• Transmission oil
• Engine oil and filter
• Air filter
• Coolant 4 bottles genuine
• Brake service
• Throttle body service
• Tuning
• etc

Then got the back cam changed as it was pretty blurry. Got it replaced with new one from tracking world for 6.5k. Also got new tyres Continetal CC5 in stock size for 32k from Neela gumbad.

Couple of months later I noticed car heating up while stopped on a signal. Turned out the radiator fan motor is gone. Got that replaced from cavalry honda.

In April 2016 I noticed some weird grinding sound. It was coming from one of the rear hubs so got that changed from Honda point for about 11k. Also around that time got the car detailed from Detailing crew for 13k.

In September 2016 the other radiator fan motor gave up, got that replaced with a kabli from magic motors model town.

In October 2016 changed all the brake pads with geniune costing about 15-16k from honda point.

In January 2017 the engine mount gave up so got that replaced with a thai version from cavalry honda for about 8k.

In July 2017 got it tinted with black 35% tints of Spectrum(some korean brand) thanks to @arkhitekt who recommended the shop on DHA main boulevard.

In August 2017 the generator went kaput so got that changed with a kabli bought from a shop in township for 6k and replaced at magic model town.

In October 2017 car got very sluggish and fuel consumption went down to 5-6 km/l, turned out the cat was chocked. So got the cat cleaned for 2k at magic motors. They recommended changing the plugs so got those laser iridium ones for 4.5k and got the throttle body cleaned. That fixed the power loss and fuel efficiency. Car was now like a rocket, loved it.

In May 2018 I noticed coolant level going down, I'd top it up with tap water. But within few days it started going down more frequently. Got it checked and one of the water body pipes was torn. The saeen and greedy mechanic changed it with a used pipe he had taken off from another car and charged me Rs 500 for it claiming "naya nahy milta, yeh geniune hai". That also burst in few days. I went back to the mechanic and gave him some peace of my mind.

Water body has 2 main pipes and they have to bear a lot pressure so if you ever have to change them make sure you change them with new genuine ones and change both because if one of them is gone, chances are the other one will follow soon. They cost about Rs 500 each and are available easily at genuine honda parts dealers.

So after a month when I was sure there are no other leaks. I flushed the radiator myself. Put 4 bottles of the new blue honda coolant(Rs 900 each). Car hasn't reduced any coolant since.

July 2018 came and it was time for the 80k service. So this time again changed all the fluids and related parts costing about 23-24k from cavalry honda.

It included:

• Power steering oil
• Transmission oil
• Transmission oil filter
• Fuel filter
• Engine oil and filter
• Air filter

Around this time I felt the engine mounting is giving up so got that changed with a thai version costing about 6k.

In December 2018 the car was at 85k kms. This is when I switched from the geniune honda oil 5w-30 API SN semi synthetic to total quartz 9000 5w-30 API SM fully synthetic. I immediately felt the car to be more responsive and nimble, and the fuel efficiency went up by 1-2 km/l. It used to do 7.5-8 km/l but has been giving 9-10 km/l since the oil switch.

Also I have always used the genuine oil and air filters. I change oil at every 5k and oil and air filter at every 10k.

To be continued...

[Thinking]

brother very nice maintainence log.

just so you know, first coolant change is recommended at 200K kms and afterwards after every 100K kms if you pour in orignal honda type 2 coolant.

you can see the same on the sticker inside the bonnet.

[centos]

Thanks, I know that but I probably forgot to mention that the car had water in when I bought it so I had to put coolant in. I am not sure why the last owner put water in it.

[hash737]

@centos when changing power steering fluid make sure you dont drain all of it keep draining and meantime pour in fresh one...one of the main reason of this going haywire is people draining it all the way and then pouring in new resulting in air bubbles which are later removed by starting and turning the wheel but till then damagh is done.

Also highly recommend using liqui moly power steering leak stop its only 50ml tube which you pour in the reservoir...it lubricates the teflon seals so well that if theres any problem upcoming it will sort it itself also after good 1000km drive your steering will get super smooth...highly recommend it...ive posted its complete usage detail in my 8th gen thread...this cars a gem provided if its manual happy loving.

Also.....the oem 5w30 SN (green pack) is made by chevron Australia which is patent blend of honds highly recommend that over silly total products. Its a gem of oil and costs only 3179 rupees from dealership.

[centos]

I get all such work done only from honda and their mechanics usually know how to get things done so yes they used this method both times I got the PS oil changed. So far I have had no problem with the power steering and I hope it stays that way.

[centos]

The oil mounting Plague

July 2018, two weeks after the 80K service I noticed some vibration and it was again the broken oil mounting. I had installed a thai version from cavalry honda and it lasted about 18-19 months. Got it replaced with a thai version which I bought from some friends shop on ferozpur road near ichra for just 4k plus 1k labour. But it turned out be some chinese crap and only lasted for 3-4 months so had to replace it again in jan 2019.

January 2019, this time I went back to cavalry honda (where I had got the original thai version 2 years ago) and got the thai version for 7k including installation, but this too only lasted few months.

So in August 2019 I decided to get the genuine one as sughoi claimed that the newer version no longer breaks and lasts a long time, so got the oil mounting from suguoi for 21700 and got it replaced from cavalry honda for rs 1000.

That's 3 oil mountings replaced within a year. Let's see how long the genuine one lasts.

The original thai version is no longer available in the market and shops are selling chinese version calling it the thai version, but it only lasts 2-4 months, unlike the original thai version that used to last about 18-24 months.

[centos]

All new suspension

February 2019, ride was now getting bumpy specially while turning/cornering or changing lanes at high speed. Also there was a little play in the steering that only I felt. Most mechanics said it's all good and just change the front shocks.

Got the new front shocks(23500) and boots(2000) from sugoi and got it replaced from cavalry honda for 1500.

This is what genuine shock looks like [image][image]

Cornering and handling improved a lot but I was still not satisfied with the ride quality as something felt loose compared to my new honda city.

So in april 2019 took the car honda fort and replaced the whole suspension. See links below for details I have already shared in 8th gen fan club thread.

Hey guys, I have completely redone my suspension. Went to honda fort for just tie rod and rack end change but then decided to replace everything. So now the car has new tie rods, rack ends, cv joints, all 4 front and rear stabilizer links, all 4 front and rear lower arm bushes and new shock mounts for the front shocks. In addition to that new front shocks and boots were installed 2 months ago. End result is car feels like one unit now and drives like a new car. Total cost is close to 110k …

Ok, so here are the details of the recent work done. Old Parts [image][image][image][image][image][image] New Parts [image][image][image][image][image][image][image][image][image][image][image] Work in progress [image][image][image] Job Card [image] In addition to suspension work, during the work mechanic detected slight oil leakage on vtec and near tappet cover, it didn't require attention for now but I thought why not take care of it while I am here so got the gasket/jain changed…

click on drop down arrows to see complete posts

[centos]

In may 2019 I felt the car to be a little under powered so pulled few 0-100 runs, it took 15-16 secs compared to 10-11 that is normal for this car. It was obvious that cat is choking again. I was also feeling ocassinal missing on crawl speeds below 20km/h.

So I took it honda fort and got the both the cat con and throttle body cleaned. Rs 8800. I could have got this done from cavalry honda or magic motors for less than half the price but I wanted to give honda fort a try and see how they do it. Turns out they do it just like magic motors or any honda pit stop.

[centos]

Genuine oil mounting

[centos]

Testing out the new Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax

Car was waxed with Nanoskin Hydrophocic wax 2 weeks ago so to remove that I polished the left side of the panel with Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. Did 3 overlapping passes with hand using a foam pad. Buffed it out and then cleaned the surface with CarPro eraser to remove any residue left. Then sprayed some Hybrid Ceramic Wax on dry surface and spread/rubbed it in evenly with a dry MF towel, and buffed it off a minute later.