What are general maintence I can do to it? It's my first car so I don't want it breaking down anytime soon. Right now my main concern are the miles, 180,000.. My maint req light is on, so what should be done first? And what all can I do to make It in better shape. Help is appreciated

 

You can do practically all the maintenance yourself. The maintenance required light is just based on mileage interval from the last time it was reset, which should be every 8,000 miles for your model year 4 cylinder.

The recommended maintenance items are part of the owner's manual.

Do you know when certain things were replaced last? Oil, air filter, pollen filter, coolant, spark plugs, drive belt, brake fluid, clutch fluid (if manual), power steering fluid, and transmission fluid? Also is this an automatic or manual transmission?

 

It's a auto and no I don't know any of that :/ can a shop tell me ? Or do they charge for that info?

 

In the U.S., independent shops can't tell unless it's the same shop that serviced it and recorded it in their computer system. Honda dealerships may have the info.; but, many people may use a combination of dealership, independent shop, or do somethings themselves. -- I heard in some other countries, they have requirements of logging into a centralized system; but, U.S. is not like that.

Usually the only reliable trail is from the previous owner(s) having all the receipts.

How many miles ago did you get the car, i.e, before now at around 180,000 miles? Also, did you have any service done already?

 

I literally go it yesterday. Iv put maybe 20 miles on it lol I will be getting paid on Saturday and with minimum wage it won't be a big check. So I plan on getting my oil changed and to paint my engine covers/ H emblems. What should I do after that? And my brakes squeak how can I mak them not lol

 

I don't think a shop would charge to tell you when the maintenance was done on your car.

I would call your local honda dealership and ask them for service records. If your car was serviced at any honda dealership, they should be able to find that information.

Also look on the windshield to see if there is a sticker for the next oil change to maybe find out who did service on your car.

 

Would a Honda dealership work on it even if I didn't get it from a Honda dealer? Would it be more expinsive than a regular shop?

 

A Honda dealership would work on it even if it wasn't purchased from them. Generally, it is more expensive at a dealer, there are a few exceptions though.

The maintenance schedule is part of the owner's manual. I've attached the normal schedule for a 4 cylinder.

The 4 cylinder has a timing chain and under normal conditions, does not require replacement.

The car does have a drive belt (aka serpentine belt).

If you don't know what previous maintenance was done, you might want to do some for piece of mind. But, you can do some visual inspections like check the air filter, the pollen filter (behind glove compartment), if it is an automatic (what color is the fluid), how does the brake fluid look, etc.

Check the condition of the drive belt. Look for obvious damage to the belt. A few cracks on the rib side of the belt is okay; but, a lot and it probably should be replaced. The auto-tensioner for the belt has a gauge, check the position of the gauge with the lines. Then start the car, does the pointer move around when the car is on; if it moves around, the auto-tensioner may need to be replaced and the belt.

If you have an automatic transmission, I would recommend doing a drain and fill. Use genuine Honda ATF. DW-1 is Honda newest ATF fluid and is synthetic.

 

nix the painting stuff and change all the fluids and get a trans filter as well as the trans fluid from the dealer, all others can be had at your local parts house, pull the wheels and check the brakes & suspension components for any excessive wear. drive belt is cheap insurance, plugs are pricey at 10 bucks a pop for the laser iridiums (factory) ....my .02

 

My breaks are super touchy, is it normal? I barely press on the brake an it wants to completely stop..