2012 Civic ATF 32k change & Wix Air Filter Monitor

[mikefxu]

2012 Civic 1.8L, 32k mi ATF change.











2012 Civic 1.8L, Wix Air Filter Monitor









Bonus: 2004 Accord 2.4L I4 Manual 166k mi, Wix Air Filter Monitor







2012 Civic: I am following the maintenance minder minus ATF every 30k, rotate tires 10k, air filter by Wix Filter Monitor, running 5 psi over door tag. Great car so far, wife usually has it at 36-37 mpg city and it will do 41 mpg highway at 70 mph cruise. Trips from Central Florida to Central Georgia gave 42 mpg up and 44 mpg back the first year, 41 mpg up and 45 mpg back the second year.

 

[Mr Nice]

Yep. Great car.

That slimy paste is normal for the first 2 ATF drain / refills.

 

[RiceCake]

Nice pics, thanks for sharing. That magnet crud never fails to be impressive. I need an air filter minder like you have, thats a very neat package.

 

[mikefxu]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
Yep. Great car.

That slimy paste is normal for the first 2 ATF drain / refills.

Not worried about it, metallic clutch material and initial wear. Oil changes are coming just over 10k mi via the Maintenance Minder. Running whatever synthetic 0w-20 oil change special that comes with Bosch Distance Plus oil filter. Even though the 2012 Civic got slammed by the "automotive community" it has been a great car, like every Honda I have owned. Bought my 04 Accord end of 07 with 108k mi and only thing I have done to it is oil changes, air filter and serpentine belt.....and tires.

 

[jamesonel]

Im impressed most people dont have a pre maintenance program to follow.I used to be a mechanic and alot of people just brought their car in when it broke and claimed the car was junk.Good for you your on the right track.You will enjoy your car for a long time.
"Take care of your car and it will take care of you"

 

[barlowc]

What ATF did you put in? Honda DW1? How many drains/fills did you do?

 

[The Critic]

How many quarts did it take to refill the transmission?

Just took my friend's 2012 on a 250 mile trip yesterday and averaged 43.5 mpg on the computer for one-way, 40.5 on the return trip. Unlike my Prius, It was incredibly easy to exceed the EPA estimates.

 

[panthermike]

Hey thanks for posting this up, helps me out since we just got a '12 Civic. I wasn't sure if the trans had a drain plug and I'm glad it does.

I will be using DW-1 for servicing, but will probably do a drain/fill every 15K just for peace of mind. Plus, with a drain plug it's incredibly easy.

It seems that many newer ATF's become dark quickly, guess it's the norm now.

I don't see alot of 0w20 sales but I'll do the same as you. Unless there's a good sale, likely M1 0w20 since it's around $25 for a 5qt container at Walmart.

 

[panthermike]

Forgot to ask; was you're drain/fill around 2.5qts? Just wondering as that's what the manual says.

 

[mikefxu]

Originally Posted By: barlowc
What ATF did you put in? Honda DW1? How many drains/fills did you do?
Honda DW-1. Just one drain and fill. Going to do every 30k instead of the 3 drain and fills at 120k.

Originally Posted By: The Critic
How many quarts did it take to refill the transmission?

Just took my friend's 2012 on a 250 mile trip yesterday and averaged 43.5 mpg on the computer for one-way, 40.5 on the return trip. Unlike my Prius, It was incredibly easy to exceed the EPA estimates.
2.75.

Originally Posted By: panthermike
I don't see alot of 0w20 sales but I'll do the same as you. Unless there's a good sale, likely M1 0w20 since it's around $25 for a 5qt container at Walmart.
Advance Auto Parts, Buy 2 $32 99 Each, B...lus oil filter.

Originally Posted By: panthermike
Forgot to ask; was you're drain/fill around 2.5qts? Just wondering as that's what the manual says.
2.75

 

[The Critic]

Just wanted to add another data point to this thread -

I did the 2nd fluid change to my friend's 2012 Civic today. She does only highway driving.

The first drain/refill was done at 27k with about 2.8 qt of Honda ATF DW-1.

I did the second drain/refill today at 53,800 miles with 2.9 qt of Honda ATF DW-1.

The drained fluid was still bright red and the magnetic plug only had a hint of magnetic sludge on it.

And the transmission still shifts great!

 

[The Critic]

Just an update - I did the 3rd ATF service today at 76,000 miles (22k since last one). No change in driving pattern.

The fluid appeared slightly brown on the stick, but still okay. I drained/refilled 2.75 quarts this time - Honda ATF-DW1 of course.