9th Gen Civic Forum banner

R18 High Mileage Club

52K views 176 replies 44 participants last post by  scottyrocks 
#1 ·
So as the title says I'm wanting to start an R18 High Mileage club. Unless the Mods decide to merge this with the SI High Mileage Club. Basically I'm in the military and I just transferred to TX where I will have a 180 miles commute round trip 4-5 days a week. This is going to be a way to track monthly mileage and reliability of the non-SI platform. I have a 2014 LX sedan with the CVT. Currently I have 20,656 miles on it and will start racking up the miles on Monday June 12th. I will update my mileage at the end of every month. If I can figure out how to post a pic I will, but photo bucket has been messed up for the last several months and won't let me share my pics.

2014 Sedan LX CVT, 20,656 miles.
 
#41 ·
Thanks for the welcome! Looks like you and I are at about the same mileage. My commute itself is actually "only" 100 miles a day 5 days a week, but somehow I've managed to average anywhere from 300-500 miles on the weekends as everything and everyone I know is 100+ miles away. I'll be making a 1,300 mile round trip to New Orleans this coming weekend, so I should be around 41k by Monday.

How often do you do your oil changes?
 
#42 ·
My commute is 180 miles daily 4 days a week, sometimes 5. Otherwise the car just sits in the garage and we use my wife’s CRV to go everywhere. I change the oil every 7,500 miles using Mobil 1 Full Synthetic Advaced Fuel Economy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jasper60103
#48 ·
The Civic will catch a little break Just went and picked up a 2004 Honda CRV that belonged to my friend's Mom. She bought it back in 2007 with 91k and 11 years later it is now at 268,000. She finally got a new one and offered it to me at a price I couldn't pass up. Needs a few minor things like a set of tires and the factory radio quit working... but overall still runs like a top, cold AC and she has kept it maintained and repaired as needed. Drove it 80 miles back to my house.
 

Attachments

#51 ·
So I have a question for you CVT owners. Every morning I turn my car on and let it warm up until the blue water light turns off then I drive a couple blocks until I get to the hwy and start driving. I get a hellacious vibration for a good while until the transmission warms up. Is this normal? Do y'all have that? My tires are balanced as of last Friday because that's what I was thinking but it continues to do it. I changed the transmission fluid about 4K miles ago and it was doing it before the change and now after the change.
 
#52 ·
So it feels like a tire vibration as in through the steering wheel while you're driving? Hmmm. I don't get that in my car, it is smooth as glass. The only CVT quirks I get are after making a rolling left or rightvturn and then re apply the throttle, the CVT gets confused and "shifts" up and down a couple times before it settles on a steady speed. And sometimes it seems slow to react to throttle input, but these seem more like software issues. No vibrations, though, even when cold.
 
#54 ·
don't know if you can do this...but, you can try to isolate it. don't let the car warm up...start it...wait about 10-15 seconds. start moving. if you have the vibration...can you shift to neutral, and see if the vibration is still there. if still there, probably a tire issue.

in neutral and no vibration, could be a tranny issue.

just a start to isolating it.
 
#55 ·
Ok, I’ll give that a try in the morning. This morning I let it warm up for quite awhile. It still vibrated but it didn’t last as long as it usually does.
 
#60 · (Edited)
you may have said this earlier...but, when was the fluid changed last? have you checked the fluid level? might be worth the $30-40 to change it again. cheaper than the $120 to have a possible nothing is wrong charge.


i was going to say maybe the tires get flat spotted after sitting...but, you're in south texas and i don't think that happens often there, as much as it does here. my civic will vibrate for a few miles when leaving work when it's cooler outside. once on the highway, less than a mile from work...and up to speed...within another mile or two, everything smooths out. i should mention that happens to a much lesser degree since i put the Pirelli's on. the factory ones were the ones i was referencing too - continentals.
 
#61 ·
I changed the CVT fluid about 5K miles ago. I verified the level when I changed it just to make sure it was right. Definitely not a flat spot on the tires and just had them rotated and balanced with no change. The car only sits on weekends and I use it all week for work. It sounds like my car does exactly like yours. It will vibrate for a few miles first thing in the morning and then a few miles down the road on the hwy it completely smooths out. Doesn't do it to me after work though, just first thing in the morning after sitting for 12 hours. So I'm guessing since mine does the same thing as yours I should be alright....I hope.
 
#62 ·
I have a 2014 Honda Civic ex Coupe cvt. It has 122,000 miles. I use Amsoil engine oil. Amsoil cvt synthetic fluid. Amsoil antifreeze. And Amsoil brake fluid. At 75,000 my rear brake pads were worn completely. My front brakes lasted until 102,000. The only problem I have had with the car was the check airbag system light came on. I I brought it to the dealer it had about 119,000 miles. The driver side airbag inflator needed to be changed. I got the extended warranty for 120,000 miles so it only cost me $100 deductible. I change the serpentine belt and tensioner at 120,000 I love the car.
 
#65 ·
I'm at a little over 47K right now. I'll update with my end of month mileage Monday afternoon when I get home from work.
 
#67 ·
End of month is 47,225. The vibration has pretty much stopped, so I'm thinking what fixed the problem is because the weather is warmer and I have been warming the car up longer.
 
#70 ·
WooHoo hit 50,000! 21,000 miles in 6 months, not as bad as it would have been had I not bought the other 2 vehicles to help out. Had to replace the battery recently, otherwise just 2 oil changes and tire rotations. CVT fluid change next oil change. I really love this car, I recently had a chance to take a new Elantra for a test drive and although it was a smooth, quiet car with nice features and seemingly very good build quality, it just made me appreciate the Civic that much more. The Elantra just can't match the Civics handling, feel, ergonomics and comfort. I did like the Elantra's 6 speed auto, though.
 

Attachments

#71 ·
Awesome! You might pass me pretty soon. I'm at 50,881 right now and have put 30K since last June, so I guess that will be be annual mileage until I transfer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jasper60103
#72 ·
I'm averaging out to about 40k a year, which isn't as much as I initially thought I'd be doing. I worried that I'd have like 4-500k on it by the time it was paid for, but it should "only" have around 230k...which hopefully means I'll be able to enjoy no car payments for at least a little while. The 04 CR-V is purring along just fine with 275,000 now. I have no idea what I'd replace it with, maybe an ILX.
 
#73 · (Edited)
Before turbos and CVT's were basically mandated by Obama, a million mile Honda was realistic. I highly doubt that's possible now. I have not quite 75K on my 2012. No issues but good gas mileage. Original floor mats are good and it's clean. Best car for the money I've ever bought. Best economy car engine ever made, IMHO.
 
#74 · (Edited)
There is a 2006 R18 Civic that made it to 1 million miles, though it wasn't on the original engine, but the engine was replaced (at something like 375k) only because the owner had a low mileage spare engine laying around that he scored for cheap off of eBay. He said the original engine was still running great and he kept it. That second engine got the car from 375k to about 1.1 million before possibly blowing a head gasket. The other million mile Hondas were F22 4th and 5th gen (90-97) Accords.

One of the reasons I chose my 2015 was because it was the last year for the original R18 from 2006. No turbos, no gas direct injection, etc. When researching, it seemed that the 9th gens had the absolute best reliability ratings.

Mine does have the CVT and I don't know what the fate of these Earth Dream CVTs will be, however, I have dug and dug the internet and I just can't find anything. R18 blocks cracking from 06-09, transmission problems in 7th gens, engine issues in 2016s, etc. all day long, but CVT failures in 2013+ Hondas? I just get crickets. I found ONE report of a CVT failure in a 2013 Accord. Most of the transmission issues reported were in regards to the autos in the V6s.

I also researched the CR-Z, Insight and the Civic Hybrid since 1998 which all had CVTs, and found some issues with the earlier ones in the 6th and 7th gen Civics, but still very little and the average mileage was about 180k. Nothing in the 8th gen Civic hybrids and only one that I remember for the CR-Z. But I believe the 2014 Civic uses a revised design, coined "Earth Dreams" generation of CVTs.

Quite a few 1st gen Insights (2000+?) with high mileage (500k+) on their original CVTs.

In any case I'm at 50k on the 2015 and I drive it 75-80+ on the highway 95% of the time at 40k a year, so we'll see.
 
#78 ·
A million miles on an R18 should be very possible if cared for properly. I don't know about the transmission. I hope Honda masters the CVT unlike Nissan hasn't. I also hope the new Honda tiny DI turbo engines last but I would bet serious money against that. So stupid to f... up something that works so well. It's called politics. Drain the swamp and VATIO.
 
Top