Honda Civic B12 Service – What Does This Service Code Mean?

by Conner Mckay

Have you gotten a message on your cluster that indicates a B12 service and you want to learn more about what is the Honda Civic B12 service? Well, if that is the case, then you are in the right place because, in this article, there will be a lot to cover on this topic.

Doing your own research on a certain problem that you come across should be one of your top priorities. We are not saying this just like that, since if you do something wrong, there will be some consequences and repercussions that you will have to face.

That’s why anytime you notice something new and strange, you should consult with your web browser and see what people are doing when they came across the same or similar problem.

The web is full of solutions for our problems and our duty is to dive deeper and learn more about these problems. And we are here precisely for that, to help you out in this aspect and make sure that you sort out the B12 code problem in no time.

First, we are going to learn what is a Civic and the benefits of owning a Civic, we will also go through the maintenance costs of a Civic and whether buying one is a good investment. Then we will cover why maintenance matters and the type of maintenance.

We shall also discuss the Honda Service Minder and the different trouble codes that you will come across, including the Honda Civic B12 Service. So, if you want to learn more, follow along.

Honda Civic

Now before we dive into more complex topics and start explaining about the Honda Civic B12 service, let’s first introduce ourselves to the Civic and learn more about this model and what makes a Civic so legendary.

Since there are a lot of people still in doubt about whether or not they should get a Civic because of these error messages that sometimes can be annoying to handle. So, let’s see what the Civic is all about.

The Civic is a model that is produced by the Japanese carmaker Honda since 1972. The Civic came at a time when the country was in a big oil crisis and a lot of emission standards started to be implemented.

And the Civic basically came well-prepared for this task. The model was something really new for the US market. It came as a front-wheel-drive, unlike most of the cars back then that came only with a rear-wheel-drive. And most importantly, this car came with a small engine that delivered excellent MPG.

Back in the day, the introduction of Japanese cars in the US was something similar to now with the case of electric cars. People were just crazy about these cars. They sold in really big numbers and the Civic is still sold now.

Before 2000, the model was sold as a subcompact car but as of 2000, the model was sold as a compact car. And with each generation, the model grows in size. With the eleventh most recent generation being big as a mid-size car on the inside.

There are a lot of benefits of owning a Honda and more about them, we are going to elaborate in the following chapter, and once we clear that, we will discuss the Honda Civic B12 service.

Benefits Of Owning A Civic

Now let’s cover another topic before we dive into the Honda Civic B12 Service. And this is the topic of the benefits of having a Honda Civic. We understand that a lot of people are interested in purchasing one of these cars and are turned off because of these messages, so, we need to further elaborate on the topic.

The first and most important aspect is probably the price. The all-new Civic starts at $25,750. And in our book, from our long experience working with cars, this is a deal that you shouldn’t miss out on.

And not only that, but for only a few grand more, you can get a really well-specced-out model with all the bells and whistles.

Honda Civic B12 Service

Not to mention that the new Civic interior and exterior look most appealing than ever before in its history. This time, Honda decided to go for the more traditional route and be conservative on the design. And we think that this will attract a lot of people to buy this new model.

Another very positive thing when it comes to owning a Honda Civic is its reliability. Honda and Toyota are probably the most reliable car brands as well as being among the most long-lasting car brands in the whole car industry and their cars last forever.

Though, every once in a while, sporadic and odd issues do appear that you need to be aware of. For example, there’s the electric parking brake problem for the Honda Civic, the Honda Civic air conditioner recall, in addition to issues where your Honda Civic won’t start.

This is why there is a total of eleven generations of the Civic. People keep buying every new model and Honda has created a truly long-lasting relationship with their customer base during these long years of doing business in the US.

And there is also another factor for this. And this is the maintenance. Honda is cheap to maintain. But how cheap? Well, more on that, we are going to cover next before we dive into the Honda Civic B12 service.

Honda Civic B12 Service: Honda Civic Maintenance Cost

Now let’s dive into the maintenance cost for the Honda Civic before we discuss the Honda Civic B12 service. Maintenance costs are key when it comes to purchasing a new or used car. So, we need to learn more about what you can expect to pay in terms of maintenance during the first 10 years of owning a Civic.

The maintenance for the Honda Civic is really low. Especially during the first 5 years of owning one. For the first year, the maintenance is about $180. And this number gradually increases up to $400 for the next five years and $500 for the sixth model year.

A big change in the cost of operating a Civic is seen from year 7 onward. For the 7th year of owning one, you can expect to pay about $700 annually and this price gradually increases to up to $1,110 until year number 12.

For vehicles that are older than 12 years old, the cost of owning one is above $1,200. This is the case because these cars are old and require more maintenance, like your typical beater car. There are some expensive components to be replaced like the timing chain or belt and water pump. And all this adds up to the cost.

So, for vehicles older than 12 years, we can only speculate on the right amount of money to be required to operate one. But we can say that if there are no major repairs to be done, $1,200 is the average amount of cash that you will spend on repairs and maintenance on your Civic.

But what about the Honda Civic B12 Service? More on that, we will elaborate in a moment.

Why Honda Civic B12 Service Matters

Now let’s take a look at why car maintenance matters. This is an important topic to cover since there are a lot of owners out there who immediately after they notice the Honda Civic B12 service, just delete the code and pretend like the code never existed. Which is something that you should definitely not do.

Since if you decide to be lax with your car and skip scheduled maintenance, you are basically at risk of ending up with a hefty repair bill after certain overdue mileage.

You can delay this for a certain amount of miles but you should not overdo it. Since if you do this with every oil change or filter change, there will be more and more damage to be done to the engine. And in the end, you will end up paying for a brand-new engine or transmission.

With each overdue oil change, you basically shave 5,000 miles or 10,000 miles from the engine. And instead of replacing the engine at 300,000 miles, you will replace the engine at 100,000 miles. So, it’s a good idea to not test the limits of how many miles can you go over an oil change, or what happens if you don’t change the oil.

This is why maintenance is key. And we are giving here the engine just as an example. This could be the case with any other component. Like the transmission, tires, axles, and bearings, Everything is important and you should never go cheap, especially when it comes to cars and systems that guarantee your safety on the road.

Poor suspension components for example can make your car behave strangely and put you in dangerous situations. So, you get the idea of why maintenance is key. But what about the Honda Civic B12 service? More on that, we will cover in a moment.

Honda Civic B12 Service: Types Of Maintenance

Now let’s discuss another topic that will be really important later on in the article. And this is the type of car maintenance that you should do on your vehicle.

You are probably familiar with oil changes and you know that this maintenance is one of the many types that are out there. Since a lot of components need to be maintained in order for your Civic to work well.

The second most important maintenance that you should be aware of is the transmission fluid. Automatic transmission cars are the majority of vehicles in the US. And these cars require regular transmission fluid flush.

Honda Civic B12 Service

Also, the coolant should be flushed at a specific interval. Other fluids that need changing include the brake fluid and power steering fluid. The next components that need maintenance are the tires. Tires have to be replaced once in a few years and rotated every visit to your dealership.

Other major and really important things to be serviced are the air filter, spark plugs, fuel filter, drive belt, as well as the timing belt or chain depending on the car that you are running. Usually, when you do your timing belt or chain job, you also replace the water pump.

Overall, these are the major things that have to be addressed during the ownership of a vehicle and replaced at certain intervals. Other components like suspension pieces are replaced if there is a need to do so. But what about the Honda Civic B12 service? More about that, we are going to cover in a moment.

Honda Civic B12 Service: Honda Maintenance Minder

Now let’s get to business and start learning more about the Honda Civic B12 service. If you didn’t know, the B12 service is a part of a system known as the Honda Service Minder. So, what is the Honda Service Minder?

Well, the Service Minder is a special built-in feature by Honda that tells you when you have to do your service. This system does not follow a pattern but directly monitors the health of the fluids in your car.

So, for example, if you push your Civic quite hard all the time, you will be more likely that you will get a service code sooner compared to the situation if you drive slowly and gently.

That’s why your intervals could end up being shorter if you decide to drive your car like a maniac. This is how it should be since the engine oil is basically obliterated when you thrash the car most of the time. And you most likely will need to do maintenance earlier than expected.

This is why you should not ignore it when one of these messages pops up and tells you about the service. Which in this case is the Honda Civic B12 service and how much oil life you have left. Just make sure that you’re also aware of what oil type your 2017 Honda Civic uses.

It could be 15% at the start but this number will slowly drop and eventually you will end up with a service overdue. Which is not something that you want. Now let’s move on and cover the common maintenance codes. Including the Honda Civic B12 service.

Honda Maintenance Codes

Now let’s dive into the Honda maintenance codes that you should be wary of. What is worth noting is that there are two types of services. Honda A-Services and Honda B-Services.

In the following chapters, we will go through all of these codes and we will learn what they mean and also how you can solve the problem on your Honda with the Honda Civic B12 service. So, without further ado, let’s get into the topic.

Honda Civic B12 Service: Honda A-Services

Now let’s start with the A-Services. These are the service codes that begin with the letter A. This letter is then followed by a number from 1 to 7, and also on these codes can be a variety of numbers that can mean different things. So, let’s cover the most common ones.

Honda A1 Service

Now let’s start with the A1 Service before we learn about the Honda Civic B12 Service. What does A1 mean?

Well, A stands for an oil change. You need to change only the oil without the filter. Then rotate the tires and also fill them up with air (a bit of tire inflation does wonders for your car) and inspect for damage.

Honda A12 Service

Honda A12 service means that you have to replace only the engine oil, then you should also rotate the tires, top them off with air and check the condition of the tires in the process. Then, replace the air filter, inspect the drive belt and replace the cabin filter.

Honda A13 Service

Honda A13 service means that you should change the engine oil in your Civic. You will also need to rotate the tires, and check the tire pressure and also the tire condition. The tire pressure is especially important, especially if you’re having trouble with a tire pressure sensor fault, and need to use tire pressure gauges.

In addition to this, you will also need to flush the transmission fluid on your Honda. But what about the Honda Civic B12 Service? More about that service will cover in a bit.

Honda A123 Service

The next service that we are going to discuss is the Honda 123 Service. So, what this service requires?

Well, the first thing you want to do is to change the oil (if you know how to change oil in car), only the oil and not the filter. Then, you should rotate the tires, check the tire pressure, and also the condition of the tires.

Then you will have to replace the air filter, inspect the drive belt and also replace the cabin filter. And lastly, you will have to flush the transmission fluid on your Civic. If you want to learn more about what the latter entails, do check out our guide on the transmission fluid change cost for your Honda.

Or, the transmission fluid change cost for any car, in general. But what about the Honda Civic B12 service? More on the B12 service we will discuss in a moment.

Honda A17 Service

The next service that we want to discuss is the A17. This service requires you to change the oil as we mentioned previously, then you will have to flush the brake fluid since the number 7 refers to this particular service.

For more insight, feel free to head over to our detailed write-up on the brake fluid flush cost, what a brake fluid flush or brake fluid change entails, as well as how much brake fluid do I really need.

Honda Civic B12 Service: Honda B-Services

Now let’s discuss the Honda B-Services. B-Services are similar to the A-Service but a bit different in the requirements. More details, we will answer in the following chapters where we are going to discuss the Honda Civic B12 Service. So, let’s dive into the topic.

Honda B1 Service

So, what is the Honda B1 service? This service is the basic B-Service. This means that you should change the oil, plus change the oil filter. Also, inspect various components according to the owner’s manual. Then rotate the tires, check for air, and also their condition.

But what about the Honda Civic B12 Service? More about that we are going to learn next.

Honda B12 Service

Now let’s get to the main service that we are interested in this article. And this is the Honda Civic B12 Service.

The B12 Service requires that you change the oil and also replace the filter and check various components and systems according to the owner’s manual. Check the manual for details. If you want to do this yourself, make sure you also have an oil filter wrench, and are aware of do you have to change the oil filter every time.

Then rotate the tires, and check for pressure, and condition. Then replace the air filter, and cabin filter, and also inspect the drive belt condition. Overall, that’s all about the Honda Civic B12 Service.

Honda B13 Service

When it comes to the Honda Civic B13 Service, we need to say that first, you have to change the oil and replace the oil filter. Then check the manual about what other systems have to be inspected.

Also, rotate the tires, check the condition and top them off with air. Lastly, flush the transmission fluid with brand-new fluid.

Honda B123 Service

The Honda Civic B123 service requirements are the following. First, replace the engine oil and oil filter. Inspect various systems according to the owner’s manual.

The second step requires rotating the tires, checking for pressure, and also the condition. Then you need to replace the engine air filter, replace the cabin filter, and check the drive belt for damage. And lastly, replace the transmission fluid.

Honda B17 Service

The last on our list is the Honda Civic B17 Service. So, what this service requires? Well, this service requires that you replace the oil and filter, inspect various components according to the owner’s manual, and then flush the brake fluid.

Honda Reset Maintenance Minder

Now let’s cover another topic. And that is how to reset the service minder on your Honda Civic. What are the steps involved in this job?

More in detail, you can see in the video how the guy resets the service codes on his Civic. It is a really simple process. Just follow the steps involved.

Honda Civic B12 Service: In Conclusion…

In this article, we have covered quite a bit when it comes to the Honda Civic B12 Service. First, we learned what is the Honda Civic and why you should get one.

Then we discussed about maintenance and why maintenance is key for the longevity of the car. And then we covered the Honda Service Minder and the codes that this system usually shows. Besides these, we’ve also discussed other numerous Civic maintenance tips and guides.

If you’re thinking of putting a steering wheel cover on your Civic, you might find our guide on the size of the Honda Civic steering wheel insightful. Other than that, we also looked at how long do Honda Civics last, whether or not the Honda Civic Si comes with an automatic, and compared the Honda Insight vs the Civic.

FAQs On Honda Civic B12 Service

Now let’s answer some frequently asked questions.

What Does Si Stand For Honda

The Si designation originates from the 90s when fuel injection was invented. The Si stands for “Sport Injection”. And since then the Si has become a real trim level that still sells really well.

What Does The Wrench Light Mean Honda Civic

This means that you should service your Honda Civic. Usually, there is also a message like A1, B1, and B123. This indicates a need for a specific service that has to be done to your Honda Civic.

What Is B1 Service For Honda

B1 Service means that you should do an oil filter change and an oil flush. Also, you need to rotate the tires, check for tire pressure and also check for tire damage.

What Does B12 Mean On Honda

Honda Civic B12 service means that you should do an oil change and also replace the oil filter. Also, you need to check the tires for pressure, check their condition and rotate them. In addition to this, you will also have to replace the cabin filter, air filter, and check the drive belt condition.

What Does 15 Percent Oil Life Mean

This means that the oil life is running low and you have 15% oil life left. It is recommended that you replace the oil when it hits 15% since if it gets lower, it could damage the engine.

How Much Does A Honda B17 Service Cost

Honda B17 service usually costs anywhere between $150 and $250. This is the case because you have to flush the oil and replace the filter, check the tire for pressure, check the tires for damage, and rotate them. In addition to this, you also need to flush the brake fluid.

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