Honda Civic Problems

Before you make an expensive car switch, try changing to a quieter tyre. You don't say which model Mazda3 you have, but some sportier versions have aggressive tread for grip and they can generate quite a lot of noise including drumming from the rear. Otherwise, I've just driven the all-new Honda Civic and it's very quiet and comfy.

Buying on-line requires the same careful consideration as buying from anywhere else. You certainly don't buy sight unseen; always see the car for yourself. Be wary if the seller suggests meeting in a public place, or at night, or somewhere that might make you suspicious. It's always worth having someone else with you at the time. If you want something a little more exciting you could look at various European brands, Like VW, Renault, Skoda, but in saying that I need to add that the Asian brands like Honda will generally be cheaper to run and maintain than the Europeans.

Honda's Neil McDonald says: "The dealership tested the vehicle and no fault was found with the Passenger Side Airbag. They did, however, find the SRS light illuminated due to an internal failure in the seat belt pre-tensioner. Although this is unrelated to any previous concerns raised by the customer, Honda is covering the cost of this repair for the customer as a goodwill gesture."

42,000 km isn't many kilometres, but it isn't unusual for a car to need pads and rotors at that sort of mileage. It's worth doing your research on things like the brake life you could expect to get on a car before you buy it. That way you won't be in for a nasty shock later on.

If you only had to spend $452 on repairs over the 12 years you've owned your car you've had a very good run out of it. You really need to decide if you're going to keep it or not. If you're going to keep it get the dents knocked out and tidy it up. If you're going to move it on don't bother. A dealer won't give you any more for it if it was undented than he would if it has a few bumps and scrapes. Given its age it's probably best to trade it in on a new car.

You could use a 0-30W oil, which is readily available.