My 1995 Civic VX

[GearHeadDriver]

Hey all,

I got my VX the other day. I'm so excited!

It seems to be running OK. It does have a faint oil smoke cloud that comes from the engine when you drive it for a little while. The color is very light white. The engine does have oil. I checked that.

I immediately ripped out the entire interior, minus the plastic trim panels. I've been giving the entire inside a good cleaning. I'll take a ton of pictures and throw them up here.

I replaced the VX seats with Integra LS seats. They are more comfortable and were a direct replacement.

A few minor things I can mention that I've noticed about the car.

1. Ton of dents around the exterior of the body. None of them were shown in any of the pictures I was given. They were also not described in the body condition of the selling post.
2. Paint chips and cracks in the paint on exterior of body.
3. Burning oil. (already knew that before my purchase)
4. Temperature Control knob doesn't go all the way to the right. (could be a cable issue)
5. Speedometer doesn't always run.
6. Rear spare tire lid is missing. (ordered a new one)
7. Rear mounting points for the cargo cover are slightly broken. (it may still hold the privacy cover)
8. Tires have little to no tread left.
9. Domb light doesn't turn on. (bulb looks good)
10. Driver side front fender was replaced with a DX or some other type of Civic trim. The panel has holes for the door moldings.
11. The rear of the car is LOUD. The glass squeaks and shakes. The car sounds like I'm driving a UPS or a small utility van of some sort. Some of the noise is due to the stiff suspension. I may end up adjusting or swapping it out to a softer one.
12. The driver side wheel well splash guard is missing.
13. Gas door panel doesn't close flush.
14. I can't find the stereo antenna plug in the dash.

I was thinking about lining my floor with sound deadening material. Would you all think that would have an adverse impact on the MPG?

The headlights look fairly decent. I actually like them a lot. I'm not a huge fan of HID's because of the nature of getting pulled over, etc. I might just keep them for now. The previous owner included a sway-bar kit. Is that something I want to put on or is that going to increase weight in the vehicle affecting the MPG?

Now, I'm not too disappointed with these issues. I'm having fun re-doing the interior. I also have friends who know how to fix these cars that won't charge nearly what a shop would.

All in all, I think it's a beautiful car. I'm going to start removing the dents and see if I can bring the shine back out of her!

 

[GearHeadDriver]

Okay guys, I'm back!

I did some interior work the last few weeks. I put LS Integra seats in the car and I also installed a new aftermarket carpet that will help with a little sound deadening. I added a center console and an iPod jack inside that looks fairly OEM. The radio has been installed too.

My friend just installed power windows on driver side from an EX. It also has power locks. You'll notice the passenger side door doesn't have it. That will be swapped today .

I'm still troubleshooting the V-Tech. When I plug the sensor back into the V-Tech, the car drives horribly in 3rd - 5th gear. It almost feels like the car is hesitating, loosing power, etc. when you give it gas.

I had the engine swapped with another engine (same model) to get something that was in better condition than the one I have. Everything runs smoothly now. I had the radiator replaced after I was shown it had a leak. The exhaust manifold was welded. The car's belts were changed. I just need to replace the A/C pulley to see if that get's the A/C working again.

The brake booster and master cylinder may need replacing. My brake pressure isn't that great when I hold the pedal for an extended amount of time.

The car drives very well. I love the suspension on the car. It's really enjoyable to drive. I can't wait to get all the little things repaired so it's in almost tiptop shape.

 

[connies96hatchie]

Oh you have a vtech? Those are so rare!

 

[XpL0d3r]

I had a similar issue with brakes -- turns out I had rust on the top of the brake lines, and got so bad it started causing a slight leak. As for the sound deadening, I don't think doing so will have any other impact on the car other than sound.

Also, as for HID's, you'll probably be fine as long as you're not blinding oncoming traffic.


Finally, drop the h from Vtec.

 

[mymmeryloss]

 

[xxBLOOD88SHOTxx]

s**t I'd love to find a VX.

 

[Mr.Baker]

Now, I'm not too disappointed with these issues.

You shouldn't be, it's a 20 yr old econobox...finding one without issues in stock form is getting harder as they age.
All in all, once you get everything sorted, you'll have a nice, simple, commuter!

 

[GearHeadDriver]

I just got the car back from the paint booth. I was supposed to get PB5 (Electric Metallic Blue), but somehow there was a miscommunication between myself and the shop and they gave me PB1 (Ice Blue). I'm trying to like the color, but I don't know if it'll grow on me.

I'll end up spray painting the rims black to give it some more contrast.

I will take interior photos tomorrow when I can clean her up.

What do you guys/gals think?

 

[HeX]

That really sucks about the paint, but thats why you always see the color before its painted. The lighting in the pictures make it seem like its just silver. All the body work and lines look fantastic. I'd personally either color match the rims or paint them gunmetal-ish. I just hate black rims on everything except for newer Dodges for some odd reason.

 

[GearHeadDriver]

If you look at the car in the sunlight, it has a nice blue tint to it. It depends on where you stand though. It's all about the angle. The car does look very silver from far away until you get closer. I don't think the color is bad. I just would have preferred electric metallic blue. At least it looks a lot better than some Honda-fanboy groups cars.

 

[GearHeadDriver]

I had a similar issue with brakes -- turns out I had rust on the top of the brake lines, and got so bad it started causing a slight leak.

I replaced both of the rear brake shoes the other day. It seems I don't have that pressure issue with the pedal anymore. One more problem solved!

I'm still troubleshooting the AC and the VTEC. In addition, the HVAC controls doesn't sit too well in the dash. the corner keeps popping out. I'm pretty sure there's a kink or problem with the cable that attaches to the temperature slider. The dial doesn't want to stay all he way to the left.

Other than that, the car is running beautifully. I don't expect to sell her anytime soon. If anything, I would keep her and buy a 2nd car that is more sporty. This vehicle is going to last a very long time.

I'm letting my friend spray paint the rims with black that has pearls in it. I believe the pearl color is a mixture of green and purple or something. I'll get pictures when I can. The car is starting to really look beautiful now!

 

[HeX]

You may want to reconsider that paint on the rims. A green & purple pearl color sounds like itll clash with the bodys silver that seems to have alot of blue hue in it.

 

[GearHeadDriver]

Here's an actual picture of the rims. The center cap has not been completed yet.

 

[GearHeadDriver]

UPDATE: The paint job I got is starting to crack off tremendously. I went back to my painter and he agreed to re-paint the entire car. This time it will not be in Ice Blue (PB1), instead it will be in Electric Metallic Blue (PB5). That's actually the color I wanted originally, but due to a miscommunication it wasn't ordered properly.

That car is coming along very nicely. I will post up more pictures as I have time.

I've added a light layer of sound deadening material to the trunk, floor, doors, and side panels. I threw a 5 channel amp sub in the car with front component along with rear coaxial speakers.

I am planning on adding a double din to either the top of the dash and relocating the HVAC controls, or I'll throw the radio in the bottom JDM 2 din console.

The car drives beautifully. I have no complaints at all. It's even better after I did the disc brake conversion on the rear drum brakes.

 

[HeX]

UPDATE: The paint job I got is starting to crack off tremendously. I went back to my painter and he agreed to re-paint the entire car. This time it will not be in Ice Blue (PB1), instead it will be in Electric Metallic Blue (PB5). That's actually the color I wanted originally, but due to a miscommunication it wasn't ordered properly.

Thats a beautiful color when applied with a good quality clear coat.

You can see the difference in finish between the Dodge Ram original color (above) and the vintage Chevy Apache below.

 

[obracer12]

Nice VX and welcome!!

I live in NJ, better get that security going. Have had 3 attempts at stealing my hatch, all thwarted by my own security measures. The alarm was disabled all 3 times or atleast bypassed somehow.

Keep it up man

 

[HeX]

I live in NJ, better get that security going. Have had 3 attempts at stealing my hatch, all thwarted by my own security measures. The alarm was disabled all 3 times or atleast bypassed somehow.

The best security options start with a 2-way pager alarm. Anything less and you might as well just leave it unlocked with the keys in the ignition. An alarm siren car be easily bypassed, but to date I haven't heard of a way to bypass the signal to the alarm before it sends a warning message.

I'm anxious to see this VX in that Electric Metallic Blue paint. That gen. is my favorite hatchback model.

How's the MPG doing so far?

 

[GearHeadDriver]

I have a Viper 2-way pager / remote start. I don't normally park in poor areas that looks suspicious. If you don't mind me asking, where was your car during the attempted thefts?

My installer keeps telling me to go with a door pop kit so the car is harder to steal. I didn't really think about it too seriously, but I may consider it now. I don't know how comfortable I would be knowing if my key fob died I couldn't get in though. I will have a gps tracker installed too.

I haven't been tracking the fuel that closely, but I just filled up and I got 230 miles and I only needed 7 gallons of gas.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[HeX]

I have a Viper 2-way pager / remote start. I don't normally park in poor areas that looks suspicious. If you don't mind me asking, where was your car during the attempted thefts?

Within the first 6 months of owning this Civic in Miami, I had 1 successful break-in and 1 foiled attempt prior to the alarm. Post-alarm install I had 1 break-in attempt and one car-theft attempt. These were all attempted in front of my home in a good neighborhood. Miami has a huge Honda theft issue with chop shops. I haven't had a single successful break in the 4+ years since then with this alarm.

My installer keeps telling me to go with a door pop kit so the car is harder to steal. I didn't really think about it too seriously, but I may consider it now. I don't know how comfortable I would be knowing if my key fob died I couldn't get in though. I will have a gps tracker installed too.

I agree about the potential of the dead fob, which is why its important to have a back-up in a safe place. I still dont think door poppers are really needed if you load up on every other sensor available. The tilt sensor is another useful one as it goes off in the event that someone tries to tow it away.

I haven't been tracking the fuel that closely, but I just filled up and I got 230 miles and I only needed 7 gallons of gas.

Thats just under 33mpg, which is very low for a VX. You should average mid to high 40s with little effort and at least occasionally crack 50mpg. That engine & tranny may need some TLC. I know you said it feels like it runs beautifully, but you may have more beauty to unlock in that VX. Check out the following link for some ideas to unlock the missing extra MPG.
http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=215664

 

[GearHeadDriver]

I will admit I can be a tad heavy on the gas pedal. I'm not even talking bout speeding though.

The motor was replaced with an identical one that had between 40-80k miles on it.

I've replaced oil, air filter, belts, radiator, and some other minor things like tires. I kind of want to believe it's my driving habits and not the motor .