2006 Honda civic needs help!

Bill loni

I recently bought a 2006 civic lx with 130k,automatic trans., the previous owner was honest enough to tell me NOTHING has been done on this car. The oil changes have been kept up, but that is it. No other services have been done. My question is, in order of priority, what should I be doing to this car? The car seems to run ok, not as good on gas as I would expect, but I am sure the spark plugs are shot.

MikeInNH

Does this vehicle have a timing belt??

If so then that should be FIRST...

Transmission fluid is a MUST.

Replace the plugs. Get OEM plugs. NGK are the OEM manufacturer of Honda plugs.

Air Filter is probably a good idea too.

Bill loni

they tell me this one has a timing chain.

friedo82

I hope you got a good deal on it. There are a lot of things that should be done.
It would be a little bit of a stretch for me to list them all. I am sure others would have a better answer.
Look in your owners manual. Make a list of everything that was supposed to be replaced by 100K and get it all done at once. I would guess that your looking at $1K to $2K worth of work.

Bill loni

I am afraid the owners manual went bye bye many moons ago! the deal was very good.

Bill loni

Are the denso plugs any good? a lot cheaper than the ngk iridium.

friedo82

I totally agree with MinInNH

MikeInNH

If a timing chain...then nothing to worry about until about 250k miles or more. But it'll start making noise to let you know it needs changing.

Denso plugs are good.

You don't need Iridium plugs. Standard plugs work just as well. Iridium and Platinum plugs just last longer.

texases

Replace all the fluids, including brake fluid and coolant with Honda-compatible fluids. Use Honda brand transmission fluid.

circuitsmith

There should be a sticker on the underside of the hood.
It will say what brand and part # plug to get. It will likely have Denso and NGK #'s.
Denso or NGK are equally good, just get exactly what the label says.
Change the fuel filter and get the brake fluid flushed.
You might be able to fine an online maintenance guide at honda.com

ok4450

Considering the situation, this car should have any and all basic maintenance chores performed including a valve lash inspection.

However, before going too deep into this thing monetarily I would recommend 2 things. One is to check for oil sludge/coking problems and the other is a compression test; each possibly being related to the other. The compression test means the spark plugs come out so replace them at that time.
The easiest way to check for oil sludge/coking is to remove the valve cover (this is where valve lash inspections factor in) and to probe the bottom of the oil pan with a wire loop during an oil change to see if any tar like substance is stuck to the loop.

If there are signs of oil related problems and/or compression problems then I wouldn't get too enamored with the car. The fact the seller was honest enough to tell you they had done nothing to the car may not mean much. That can also be, and often is, a way of saying that they recently discovered an expensive headache and is their way of playing dumb.

If you have a compression test run you should see readings of 180 PSI and above on all cylinders.