Rep Power: 0

Hi there! I recently bought a new (to me) 2012 Honda Civic with a 1.8l engine and I love it. I don't have any complaints, but I have noticed a few things that I have questions about. When accelerating, there is a slight shudder and maybe even a delay. It's very brief and only seems to occur during gentle moments of acceleration. When I really push on the gas peddle it doesn't seem to happen. The shudder can occur at varying speeds (15 mph-35 mph) and just feels like a slight delay and then goes away. I've tried looking up the potential cause of this, and some people have said spark plugs. I've read that replacing the spark plugs and plug wires in a used car after purchasing is a smart move to begin with, but I'm a college student and would really love to avoid an added expense right now if possible. I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions?

Secondly, if I were to replace the spark plugs, which would be the best to go with? The owner's manual that came with the car says that NGK Laser Iridium spark plugs are the best way to go, but I was wondering if anyone had used the NGK Iridium IX plugs instead. The NGK Laser Iridium plugs are 24.99 a piece versus the Iridium IX plugs price of 9.99 a piece. I am happy to pay the higher price if that's the right way to go, but if there is not a significant difference between the two spark plugs I'd prefer to go with the 9.99.

Thanks so much for the help in advance!

 
Rep Power: 125

Your car won’t have spark plug wires. Wires go from the spark plug to the distributor, which hasn’t been used in civics since the late 1990s.

As for the plugs themselves, there shouldn’t be a huge difference as long as you use NGK. Other manufacturers such as Bosch don’t work as effectively.

 
Rep Power: 222

Use the correct plugs, the shudder is probably from the CVT trans, do a couple drain and fills on it. Fluid is pretty cheap, make sure you get the correct stuff

 
Rep Power: 0

How many miles are on it? Has the trans fluid ever been changed? You have a 5-speed auto so make sure you get Honda DW-1 transmission fluid. If it (the fluid) looks rough I'd do a couple of drain/fills.