Honda hasnt been able to build an AC system that doesnt grenade compressors since forever. They have also been equally bad at V6 automatic transmissions.What issues has he had? Other than a/c compressors on the 16-17 models the new civics have been rock solid from what I've seen come through my location.
If it helps there is no service bulletin for this concern and I haven't seen a similar issue on those, I'm at a fairly high volume dealer so usually if its a common issue we've seen it before. I wouldn't go aftermarket, I would find another dealership and get some fresh eyes on the issue. They should be able to reach out to tech-line for more assistance if they can't get it nailed down.
Their 4 cylinder stuff has typically always been solid. Apparently overall quality has fallen off a cliff.