A mechanic has revealed how a Honda Civic that was traded in suffered a complete loss of its transmission fluid and pinpointed for potential customers and car owners how to spot a leak. The mechanic posted the video on TikTok, where they walked through the Honda’s problems.
Robert Wrapson (@robertwrapson) was openly quite excited about getting the Honda Civic on trade-in. The hope had been that they would be able to sell the car on, but a messy leak of all the transmission fluid threatened to put that plan in the trash.
The video showed where the leak was coming from, and it advised other car owners as to how they can spot a transmission leak. There was also a bit of healthy debate, as some viewers of the video discussed whether the repairs to the Civic would be worth it in terms of the car’s value.
A transmission leak on any car is going to be concerning. Even more so on a Honda, a company famed for producing some incredibly reliable cars. But this video does at least give you some idea as to what to watch out for and how mechanics might go about fixing the leaks.
How the Transmission Leak on the Honda Civic Was Spotted
@robertwrapson Behind the scenes of taking a car in on trade! #carsales #tradein #cartok #civic #sales ♬ Through The Wire Instrumental – Cliffmakesmusic
“We took this car on trade, this little Civic, nice little car. Doesn’t look too bad, but one of the things we didn’t see was this huge leaking mess here,” Wrapson said at the start of the video. The mechanic then walked underneath the car, pointing to the huge mess that was evident, indicating the leak.
The leak was so bad that it was still physically wet. In the video, Wrapson places his hand on the leaking transmission, and we can clearly see the fluid sticking to his finger. As the fluid is still there and that area is still wet, it means the leak is still ongoing, and the Civic is losing all of its transmission fluid. It transpired that the transmission dipstick was missing from the top, so the fluid simply poured out of the transmission.
It transpired that this wasn’t the only problem with this Honda Civic. The wheels were too big, as was evident from the fact that they were rubbing against the inner fender and leaving a black mark. Bodywork repairs have clearly been done too, due to the circular spots on the driver’s door. All of this added up to repair costs that could be worth up to $5,000 when the mechanic initially expected it to be roughly $1,500.
Is It Worth Repairing the Honda Civic?
The problems facing the mechanic meant there was debate in the comments as to whether the car should even be fixed. One said that the car should be taken straight to auction and sold as is to avoid the mechanic working up any more losses. However, others said that fixing the transmission fluid leak was the only thing that Wrapson really needed to do.
“$15 gasket fix, move on,” one viewer said, stating a new gasket would sort the problems out regarding the leak. “Oh yeah, I know that issue. My transmission is also missing its plug. It won’t stay in; it’s blown 5 times, so I just left it. Honda should never have switched to CVT. That’s what ya get,” another said. Sometimes, it seems repairs needed to a car just aren’t worth it. The question is, what would you do?