Hi,

I have a 09 civic coupe and have about 1100 miles.
Do I need to change engine oil or spark plugs or anything?
Thanks,

Civic

 

Hello mlee,

I'm glad to meet someone else with an '09 Civic Coupe.

To answer your questions:

1 - Your car monitors the life of the oil. When it gets down to 10% it's time to change it. That's approximately 5,000 mi. (Cycle through the odometer display until it shows oil life)

2 - Your spark plugs are good for 100,000 miles so there's no need to even think about changing those out.

Check out the manual for your car (it knows all). It tells you about regular maintanence for your Civic. Follow that and you're set.

 

Damn.... 100,000 miles for spark plugs??? I doubt it.

 

Follow the schedule in the book. You should not have to do anything except for oil and oil filter changes until 30,000 miles. Keep an eye on the oil and other fluid levels. The "tune up" is kind of a thing of the past. On modern cars, do at least the recommended maintenance, but otherwise just drive until something starts to act up, then fix it.

 

It's true! They are platinum plated so they last much longer.

 

In a perfect world where there's no such thing as oil buildup, carbon buildup, over heating. I'd HIGHLY suggest changing your plugs sooner then 100,000 miles if you care about your car at all. My plugs are rated at 160,000 kms (100,000miles) It doesn't mean that they can't prematurely wear from all sorts of means. Not to be mean but it'd be very nieve to leave your plugs that long.

 

Agreed xsteinbachx.

I understand that harsh conditions such as oil buildup, carbon buildup, and over heating can cause the spark plugs to prematurely wear out. However, if everything is maintained properly, they should be able to achieve their rated lifespan. If not, they should be replaced upon discovery of failure to prevent other problems from occurring.

 

So basically unless you can figure out a way of stopping carbon build up or burned oil or dirty gas change your plugs sooner then 100,000 miles, Trust me you won't be able to stop it. For something that costs you ? 15 bucks? 20 bucks? and will last you for 2-3 years per change why seriously be that lazy about it, it'll increase your mpg, burn your gas properly and generally help your maintenance of the vehicle.

 

Understood. Change them when there's a loss in MPG or "zippiness".

 

Thanks for the info Couper!!!

What kind of oil do you use for your 09 coupe? Do you use 5w20 or 5w30? My manual says 5w20 but i know that many people are using 5w30.