I have a 1995 Civic EX that was purchased in Dec 2007 at 116K miles. It's considered salvage since the cost to repair it was more than the value of the car. The rear quarter panel was replaced according to the body shop owner I purchased it from. It was damaged while parked.

Since it was used, I decided to have the timing belt and waterpump replaced. I chose an independent shop that only works on Japanese vehicles and uses OEM parts. As a bonus, they also give me 10% discounts and provide loaner cars. On my first visit in 1/08 the following was found:

1. Car has been in major accident with left rear damage. Left rear trailing arm dented and put hole in frame. Has frame damage.

2. B-pipe bent. Recommend replace.

3. Note: Entire A/C system aftermarket.

4. Oil pan gasket leaking. Recommend replace.

5. Front crank seal leaking bad. Needs now.

6. Timing belt tensioner making noise. Recommend now.

7. Valve cover gasket rubber stiff. Needs now.

8. Has prior front end damage also. Light does not line up.

9. Left front door drops when opened due to prior body damage.

10. Both front upper ball joint boots, both front lower ball joint boots and both outer tie rod end boots severely cracked and dryrotted. Recommend replace before splitting open and ruining components.

I had them do options 5-7 and ignored the b-pipe, oil pan gasket, and suspension items. I received a second and third opinion from Firestone and my friend that works as a mechanic. Firestone advised that something else could give the illusion that the oil was leaking and they couldn't find anything upon inspection. The shop my friend works at told me the b-pipe bent and suspension was just cosmetics. I also know that my friend doesn’t keep his car in the best condition as far as routine maintenance goes. He only fixes something when it breaks since they spend a lot of time working on other people’s cars and don’t have time of their own.

Comment: The independent shop forgot to do a brake fluid flush and I also forgot to check my invoice for it, so maybe they're not as thorough as I thought. My brakes were acting funny (would go down all the way to the floor) since I had the car before the brake fluid flush was done and worked fine since the flush.

I didn't come back to that independent shop until 10/08 to get the spark plug wires, distributor cap, and a valve adjustment done. It was cheaper than Firestone where I normally get my oil changes and I wanted to use OEM parts. When I brought it in, they told me I was due for my 135k service and also oil was leaking from the oil pan gasket and/or drain plug. They didn’t know the condition of the plugs or threads and thought they might be stripped since I don’t have my oil changes done by them. I told them I would bring it back for the 135k inspection, so it wasn’t checked on the spot.

During the inspection, they found the drain plug washer was crushed, and re-used too many times. It didn’t torque right so they replaced it. I didn’t need to have the oil pan gasket replaced. However, the following was discovered on the 135k check:

1.Radiator leaking at lower seam. Upper seam has rust buildup. Recommend replace radiator with thermostat and auxiliary fan switch.


2.Right outer tie rod end boot torn. No grease in joint.


3.Lower radiator hose leaking at thermostat housing. Recommend replace with new clamps.


4.Powersteering fluid black and nasty. Should be flushed ASAP.


5.Both front strut has some wetness starting around collar.


6.Bolt missing from left rear e-brake cable.


7.Left rear e-brake cable routed wrong and rubbing into cable shroud.


8.Both rear brake lines missing retaining clips.


9.Left rear toe set point is maxed out. Recommend alignment.

They showed me the leak at the radiator and the incorrect routing of the e-brake. I had the rear trailing arm replaced by the body shop owner before I purchased the car. I found it interesting that they didn’t mention anything about the bent b-pipe or the ball joint boot but they only noticed the right tie rod end boot instead of both as it was previously found 10 months ago.

I had a 400 mi road trip scheduled so I had them replace the radiator items, rerouted ebrake cable, and perform the power steering flush. The right outer tie rod wasn’t done.

I came back in Dec 08 to have an oil change done and my rear brakes inspected since it was making noise. The following was found:

1.Rear brakes good. 4.5mm and cylinders good.


2.Recommend clean and adjust rear brakes, dirty.


3.Front brakes 4mm pads plus hardware dry, rotors glazed.


4.Left front bellow boot torn on rack, recommend replace.

I had them replace the right outer tie rod end boot since they said it would wear out the tires. It was during the replacement they discovered the bellow boot needed to be replaced. Also, an alignment needed to be done after these changes which they take to another shop. On a prior alignment with Firestone it was still off but after replacing the parts it was able to be aligned within tolerance.

Recently I went back for an oil change. The following was noted:

1.Pan gasket leaking excessive. Recommend replace.


2.Both front upper, both front lower, and both outer tie rod end boots cracked and dryrotted, all need replaced ASAP (right outer tie rod end boot under warranty)


3.Both outer C.V. boots cracked and dryrotted, recommend replace ASAP.

Items 2 and 3 weren’t noted in the 135k inspection but item 2 was discovered over a year ago. The owner told me it’s normal for a old like mine to have those parts wear out. The car is now over 145k miles. Over 29k miles was put on it since the ball joints and outer tie rod end boots “needed” to be replaced. They expanded their business into American cars now instead of just working on Japanese cars. They’re also focused on preventive maintenance. I did notice everytime they told me they “pressurized” tires they didn’t really check them. I maintain my psi at 44 which is the max sidewell instead of the 32 listed in the manual for increased MPG. I’m thinking of taking my car back to Firestone for a second opinion.

The car was purchased for $3200 and looking over past receipts for things like battery replacement, windshield replacement, headlights, and other parts, I’ve spent $3300 in 14 months. The next set of repairs would cost me about $800.

Link to repair/maintenance cost: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?k...YSNqyDUg&gid=2

 

welcome to the forum. You have purchased a car that someone just ran into the ground. You have put in a lot of money to bring the car up to good standard levels. Since you have spent this much, it may be worth it to keep the car for a while, I have a friend that has 250k+ on his civic, but has kept up with the normal maintenance, and the cost is not much. same engine, changed alternator, radiator, timing belt several times, normal ware and in great shape.

 

Thanks for your feedback.

I don't know if this was normal for Civics since I've always heard how they were reliable and could run forever.

I'm mainly concerned about the ball joint boots and outer tie rod end boots issue. The outer cv boots is a new issue not previously mentioned. Since the ball joint boots and tie rod end boots was first discovered almost a year ago I haven't had any problems. I've driven over 29,000 miles on parts that are supposedly torn and needed to be replaced ASAP. It seems suspicious since they didn't mention these parts during a 135k inspection while the other visits were mostly for oil changes. It was during my last oil change 2 days ago did they bring these parts up again and that's why I'm wondering if this is normal or there's something else going on. During that 135k inspection, they did tell me the right tie rod end boot needed to be replaced but didn't mention the other parts.

 

the tie rod end boots is the cover of the end joint, it protects. the boot damage is minimal, it is the dirt that will be getting into the joint and ware is done. If the steering is not shaking on you, it can go for a little longer. when it starts to shake then the joint is waring out. The half shaft boot ( outer cv boot ) being torn is no problem, the greese will spill out and get the area greesy, the cv joint will get dirt and junk and will ware out. As long as there is no clicking at this time, the boot can be replaced with an after market boot to protect the inside, go to autozone, pep-boys,kragen, auto parts house and get an after market boot to install. whom ever owned your car was a person who just drove the car and put in gas and oil. You just happened to get this car and now you are doing the catch up on maintenance.
I've got an 07 Fit, with 70k but is in the shop every 3 months for oil and filter and or thans fluid, or rad fluid or normal maintenance. about 230.00 for the 30k checks, and 30.00 for the oil changes.
Keep asking questions until you know whats going on, by taking an interest in your car, you can have a safer, reliable car to get around in. Also we can all learn a little more with the expense of things to come.

 

I know that the boot is cheap for the CV joint but if you are have it done by a shop it will cost more to do that than replace the whole axle. There is more labor involve for replacing the boot. Your better off to just replacing the axle. The tie rods and ball joints you want your friend to check out cause if they are bad you want to take care of it. If on of the those joints breaks you are going to have some serious issues and all that money you just dumped into this thing is going be wasted. Civics do run for a long time as long as they are maintained but if they are just abused they won't be to long for this world.
Personally I would add up how much you have into this thing and then add what you need to put into it. If you have a 1,000 in and then you need another 1,500-2,000 then if you get into a wreck your out 3,000. I would drive this thing for as little $$ as possible for a little as possible get some cash together and buy something better. It sounds like you may end up throwing good after bad and your going to end up broke and frustrated. Stay away from salvage title cars.

 

A bit off topic now but my car is coming up for the 150k soon. I noticed on my schedule it shows replacement of transmission fluid. The first transmission flush I had was done by Firestone. I recall reading on other sites that you should always use OEM parts for the transmission fluid and Firestone used something else, I think it was Wynn. Another mechanic also told me there's a difference between a transmission flush and transmission drain and fill. I was quoted $254 for a transmission flush and $54 for the drain and fill. Would I be needing a flush since the liquid is a different manufacturer or does that not matter? I figured it was important since the transmission fluid is replaced every 30k.

 

Yeah the flush gets everything out of the Torque Converter. On average most automatic transmissions hold about 15 quarts of fluid. When you do the drain and filter its only getting the 5 quarts that are in the pan. Regardless of what you do; you want to be sure that they are using a fluid that is compatible with your transmission because different fluids have different friction additives than others. If they put the wrong fluid in there it can cause problems with your transmission.

 

Dude,

Sorry to hear your woes. I guess you'll be attending the school of hard knocks. Some times trying to save money by purchasing cheap will bite you in the ***. That's why if you must buy used, make sure you know what you're getting yourself into. And that does not mean believing the seller that the quarter panel was replaced because of an accident it got while parked. Use your good judgement. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. By from a reputable dealer and at least get a CARFAX report. $30 is cheap when you think what could happen. And that happen was a $3000 additional headache for you. But the hairs on your body should have been raised when you were buying a salvage title. Also, what's the point if you buy something cheap but have to put in a small fortune shortly thereafter your purchase. You might as well put up the money up front and gotten a more solid car. It's bad enough, that people with decent cars pile up headaches because of incompetent unscrupulous mechanic shops. Learn from your mistake.

 

They are not ALWAYS bad unless you know what to look for (i.e., flood, accidents, front end damage vs rear, stolen, etc.). I've bought a salvage title vehicle, about 8 years ago and until today, running great... and haven't invested any into it, maybe battery, alternator, tires, brakes,etc.. the usual.

Now to OP, if you still have more costs in that vehicle, personally I would get rid of it if I were you and save the additional $800.00 known costs and from the money of the sale, buy another one.

my 2 cents.