fcs

Hello forum,

I'm buying a low-mileage 2006 LX sedan. Is there anything special I should watch for or know about? Any systems that tend to have issues?

This is my first Civic and my first post to this forum. I've got an older CR-V that has been really good except for recurring suspension problems. I'm a shade tree mechanic and live in the rust belt.

jordan1794

Two things that I know of.

Firstly, some of the 2006's have an issue where the engine block can crack.Not sure if there is a certain VIN range that are more prone to it or not, and I don't know what kind of warranty extension, if any, is available for it.

Secondly is that the rear upper control arms are faulty on most of the 2006's. They cause un-even/rapid rear tire wear which will eventually produce some pretty significant road noise.
I believe there is a letter in white on the arms if they have been replaced, but if they are stock they will need to be replaced. Currently there is a pending class action lawsuit, so if they have not been replaced then I'd wait until it goes through to get it fixed, if possible.

I'm sure e-zone will be in here eventually to drop a link for the lawsuit page, and to tell any info he has.

If not I'll post the link in the morning, don't feel like it now.

ezone

Post it if you find it. It's late, I'm lazy.

The rear upper arm deal is now in effect and will expire in early December IIRC.

The car must be shown as eligible in a VIN inquiry
The car must have the original upper arms, the improved arms have the letter "C" either stamped into the metal or painted in white.
And you need to have the complaint of odd tire wear on the rear tires, choppy inner edges, irregular wear, cupping, noisy, etc.. Inquire more at your dealer.

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The block issue applies to 06-08 and early 09 1.8 engines. Warranty on the block was extended to 8 years/unlimited mileage, and again the VIN inquiry must be done to see if it is eligible. (Some early 06 cars are now past the 8 year time limit.)

My guess is less than 5% have failed here. They sure can't keep me busy replacing the engines here.


Do a search for 'crack block' on this site.
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...ml#post4576543

jordan1794

www.ControlArmSettlement.com

fcs

Thanks for this info. I'll see if the control arms have been replaced. The tires are new so I'll probably not see excessive wear by January when the settlement ends. We don't put on a lot of miles.

I just checked and the rear arms have the white C, so that is good.

ezone

Honestly, the control arms don't eliminate the tire wear issues, but they reduce it.

Improper tire care and low quality tires seem to have just as much to do with the choppy tread wear as the arms did.

JMHO. YMMV.

fcs

Is there a way to tell if the block on my car has already failed & been replaced?

ezone

There is a VIN type tag attached to the original block, a replacement block would not have it.

You can see it in this pic of an original engine block, (blow it up to full size if you have to)....it's below the crack and coolant leak stain at the bottom of #3 cyl, below where the starter sits, bottom edge of the block, just above the oil pan line.... It's about a 3 inch green metal strip that looks riveted to the block.

Covered in oil and grime.



A VIN inquiry would probably tell the dealer if it had already been done as a warranty job too.

fcs

Thanks for the pic ezone. I checked and the VIN-type tag is still there. So I guess time will tell on the block. I'll carry a couple bottles of Bahrs Stop-Leak in case it starts dripping coolant :-)