[magikrider]

Hello,

I am in the market to buy a sedan in the 10-12 lacs range and was considering the Honda City V-MT Petrol. took a couple of small test drives also. the car is spacious and nice to drive but the build quality seemed flimsy compared to even the last gen city. Also I read on a thread on this forum about the reliability issues and niggles faced by owners of the new city. There are discussions about how the new city isn't as reliable and sturdy and the build quality isn't great either with parts falling off or rattling sounds from few months old car reported by many owners.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...e-anymore.html

So I am in the market for a new sedan and my options were the City V-MT Petrol and the Vento TSI/TDI mostly. So I would like to know from owners of the current Honda City that is it worth going for the city and are there actually so many problems with the car and are there any major problems faced by them. as one needs to make sure before committing for the next 5-7 years and spending 10-12 lacs.

Hope to know more directly from the owners.

Thank you.

[wheeledsoul]

Originally Posted by magikrider

Hello,

I am in the market to buy a sedan in the 10-12 lacs range and was considering the Honda City V-MT Petrol. took a couple of small test drives also. the car is spacious and nice to drive but the build quality seemed flimsy compared to even the last gen city. Also I read on a thread on this forum about the reliability issues and niggles faced by owners of the new city. There are discussions about how the new city isn't as reliable and sturdy and the build quality isn't great either with parts falling off or rattling sounds from few months old car reported by many owners.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...e-anymore.html

So I am in the market for a new sedan and my options were the City V-MT Petrol and the Vento TSI/TDI mostly. So I would like to know from owners of the current Honda City that is it worth going for the city and are there actually so many problems with the car and are there any major problems faced by them. as one needs to make sure before committing for the next 5-7 years and spending 10-12 lacs.

Hope to know more directly from the owners.

Thank you.

I too am in the same dilemma. I will be in the market for a petrol sedan. Honda city was high on my list followed by Verna and Etios/Linea/Duster (P). But the niggles thread floated the Verna's boat a bit more now.

[jesrani]

Originally Posted by SaurabhSaran

Avoid using yellow colored cloth as you will get swirls on your car all around, use fine quality Microfiber towels instead.

Daily cleaning process should be:

- First use Jopasu Duster to pick all the dirt from the car
- Follow two-bucket method to clean/wash your car (as and when needed), but remember not to clean/wash under direct sun or when car body is hot.
- Keep different color MF cloths for different areas of car like one for upper body part of car, glass, lower part of gates & bumpers and wheel caps/alloy rims.

Once a week or when needed use Ultima Waterless Wash to clean your car, this saves water and is much faster/easier to clean your car.

Ultima Waterless Wash can also be used as quick detailer to get instant shine.

P.S. : I am no way associated with any brand/product mentioned in this post.

Thanks for your advice.
What is the 2 bucket method? Which shampoo to use?
Should I buy the Jopasu Combo or only single duster is okay?
Where to buy Ultima Waterless Wash? How much does it cost?
Which make MF cloth do you use?

I have another question regarding the seating position. I am 6'2" tall and am finding it difficult to get the right seating position. Taking the seat fully back and about halfway down. But the underthigh support on right leg is less and getting some pain if I wear shoes and drive. Barefeet or with socks is much better. Anyone else have this problem? Please let me know which driving position and steering position tall owners are using.

Originally Posted by magikrider

Hello,

I am in the market to buy a sedan in the 10-12 lacs range and was considering the Honda City V-MT Petrol. took a couple of small test drives also. the car is spacious and nice to drive but the build quality seemed flimsy compared to even the last gen city. Also I read on a thread on this forum about the reliability issues and niggles faced by owners of the new city. There are discussions about how the new city isn't as reliable and sturdy and the build quality isn't great either with parts falling off or rattling sounds from few months old car reported by many owners.

So I am in the market for a new sedan and my options were the City V-MT Petrol and the Vento TSI/TDI mostly. So I would like to know from owners of the current Honda City that is it worth going for the city and are there actually so many problems with the car and are there any major problems faced by them. as one needs to make sure before committing for the next 5-7 years and spending 10-12 lacs.

Hope to know more directly from the owners.

Thank you.

Originally Posted by wheeledsoul

I too am in the same dilemma. I will be in the market for a petrol sedan. Honda city was high on my list followed by Verna and Etios/Linea/Duster (P). But the niggles thread floated the Verna's boat a bit more now.

Took delivery of my idtec VX just 5 days back and run only 150kms so far, so maybe my advice is not the best. However the car is very good. I found the build quality much better than my previous SX4. The City also got the best ratings in some crash test recently, it is not the sheet metal thickness but the structural integrity of the cabin that matters. Very happy with the purchase, but of course it's too early to tell. The diesel does have some noise but much less than our Punto and with the music system on even at low level, it is not a problem at all. In fact the noise in the TD car was more, so it seems they have improved in production. The advantages over Linea/Vento/Polo are definitely the space. The music system is much easier to operate than the Punto. The Polo/Vento also have very low GC but this issue does not seem to be in New City. Even in the diesel the clutch is light and gears are short, but a bit notchy. Not an issue though. I had felt the clutch in Duster to be quite hard when I had TD'd it last year.
Do back to back TD's of all cars in a day and then decide.

[SaurabhSaran]

Originally Posted by jesrani

Thanks for your advice.
What is the 2 bucket method? Which shampoo to use?
Should I buy the Jopasu Combo or only single duster is okay?
Where to buy Ultima Waterless Wash? How much does it cost?
Which make MF cloth do you use?

Two-Bucket Method:
Fill one bucket with car wash soap + water (or only water for daily cleaning) and the other bucket with clear water. Dip your wash mitt in the soapy-water bucket, wash a small section, and then rinse your wash mitt in the clear-water bucket before dipping the wash mitt in first bucket with. Also follow the top-down approach to clean your car. Wash tyres/rims in the last and keep a separate cloth to clean them.

Why two buckets? A separate rinse bucket will remove the dirt that your wash mitt picks up. If you use a single bucket, you'll be depositing all that dirt into the soapy water, loading it back onto your wash mitt, and rubbing it all over your car and this will cause fine swirls on the car.

Buy the combo as the big duster is good for exterior and small hand glove duster is very useful for interior. I have both. Do get few MF cloths as well.

Currently I am using Formula 1 Caranuba Wash and Wax and happy with the result. You can also go for Meguiar's Nxt Car Wash.

You can buy Ultima Waterless Wash from detailedclean.in or autofresh.in it cost approx. Rs.1700, it is highly concentrated and you can wash your car for 16 times or can make 660 ml of Quick Detailer using 1/2 ounce of the UWW

I am using Jopasu and EuroFirber MF cloths.

For more details on car care: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ing-guide.html

[aviator1101]

Originally Posted by magikrider

Hello,

I am in the market to buy a sedan in the 10-12 lacs range and was considering the Honda City V-MT Petrol. took a couple of small test drives also. the car is spacious and nice to drive but the build quality seemed flimsy compared to even the last gen city. Also I read on a thread on this forum about the reliability issues and niggles faced by owners of the new city. There are discussions about how the new city isn't as reliable and sturdy and the build quality isn't great either with parts falling off or rattling sounds from few months old car reported by many owners.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...e-anymore.html

So I am in the market for a new sedan and my options were the City V-MT Petrol and the Vento TSI/TDI mostly. So I would like to know from owners of the current Honda City that is it worth going for the city and are there actually so many problems with the car and are there any major problems faced by them. as one needs to make sure before committing for the next 5-7 years and spending 10-12 lacs.

Hope to know more directly from the owners.

Thank you.

Originally Posted by wheeledsoul

I too am in the same dilemma. I will be in the market for a petrol sedan. Honda city was high on my list followed by Verna and Etios/Linea/Duster (P). But the niggles thread floated the Verna's boat a bit more now.

I somehow feel that the first batch of Citys, more so the petrol versions were niggle-ridden. The new batch especially the ones ex the new plant at Rajasthan do not seem to have many of the issues reported earlier by owners in this thread. Its been a year since its launch and Honda seems to have rectified many of the issues, maybe as a face saving measure. Lot has been discussed about the brand image vis-à-vis the flaws in the present generation city. One needs to understand these are teething problems which more or less all brands have. If you talk about Vento or Verna, the gravity of problems are of much serious nature. On one occasion, air bags deployed on their own leaving doors deformed. Imagine what could have happened to the occupants. Verna jad its own issues with the rear seat and boat like swaying characteristics at higher speeds. About my personal experience, since you asked for it, I own a City VMT a month old. Driven 1000+ kms. Due for the first service in a day or two. Thank fully no issues whatsoever as yet. Im a happy owner and have no regrets choosing the City and hope you would have none too.

[knight.rider]

Originally Posted by aviator1101

I somehow feel that the first batch of Citys, more so the petrol versions were niggle-ridden. The new batch especially the ones ex the new plant at Rajasthan do not seem to have many of the issues reported earlier by owners in this thread. Its been a year since its launch and Honda seems to have rectified many of the issues, maybe as a face saving measure. Lot has been discussed about the brand image vis-à-vis the flaws in the present generation city. One needs to understand these are teething problems which more or less all brands have. If you talk about Vento or Verna, the gravity of problems are of much serious nature. On one occasion, air bags deployed on their own leaving doors deformed. Imagine what could have happened to the occupants. Verna jad its own issues with the rear seat and boat like swaying characteristics at higher speeds. About my personal experience, since you asked for it, I own a City VMT a month old. Driven 1000+ kms. Due for the first service in a day or two. Thank fully no issues whatsoever as yet. Im a happy owner and have no regrets choosing the City and hope you would have none too.

@magikrider
I suggest you buy the CVT... It is pure dream to drive. I agree that the new batch post August has less niggles. My car has done 1700 km. Getting consistent 14-15 kmpl in city. Got upto 18.5 kmpl on the Mumbai Pune expressway. Enjoy the blessings of driving a CVT this doesn't get better than this.
Amazing driving experience. Sniff :'-)

[adarsh76]

Originally Posted by jesrani

I have another question regarding the seating position. I am 6'2" tall and am finding it difficult to get the right seating position. Taking the seat fully back and about halfway down. But the underthigh support on right leg is less and getting some pain if I wear shoes and drive. Barefeet or with socks is much better. Anyone else have this problem? Please let me know which driving position and steering position tall owners are using.

I was in a similar situation. With my height at 5'10" I was aiming for an SUV but the lack of Automatics made my choice to the City.

What I did is the below:

Start the engine.

Adjust the seat height to the central position. If your head is touching the roof decrease the height as required. As a start, the seat reclination should be upright or slightly backward. Then adjust the seat forward and backward making sure the leg is not strained while keeping the brake depressed fully. Take your legs of the brake and adjust the steering tilt up or down making sure your leg is not touching the steering when you try to brake as in real world.

Now, once you drive you may feel to increase or decrease the height. You can do this while driving but with caution. DO NOT ADJUST THE SEAT FORWARD OR BACKWARD AND ADJUST THE SEAT RECLINATION WHILE DRIVING.

Still, if you feel back pain or feeling uncomfortable, stop you car to the side, adjust the seat inclination either to the front or back or adjust the seat forward or backward. And also the steering tilt if required.

Not an easy task. You may need to do these steps repeatedly until you find a right one.

But the bright side is, whatever you do with the seat, the rear passengers will have enough leg space

[adarsh76]

Originally Posted by adarsh76

I'm planning to get Bosch wipers soon after my final service is over this month end. The stock wipers are constantly producing lines while wiping. Once cleaned, the lines will disappear for a few days, but again comes back.

Bosch wipers are now available for 2014 City. Costs around 350 rupees. Any comments on Bosch wipers? Are there any other better ones?

Friends, can you please help me on this? My final service is due next week. If the service tells to replace wiper blades, then I need to make a choice.

Bosch Aerotwin blades are supposed to be the best costing around 1200. But, does it get damaged on sunlight exposure? I have a covered parking at office and home. But if occasionally I need to park in sun and I put the wipers in upward position, does it minimize the damage?

[nkghai]

Originally Posted by magikrider

Hello,

I am in the market to buy a sedan in the 10-12 lacs range and was considering the Honda City V-MT Petrol. took a couple of small test drives also. the car is spacious and nice to drive but the build quality seemed flimsy compared to even the last gen city. Also I read on a thread on this forum about the reliability issues and niggles faced by owners of the new city. There are discussions about how the new city isn't as reliable and sturdy and the build quality isn't great either with parts falling off or rattling sounds from few months old car reported by many owners.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...e-anymore.html

So I am in the market for a new sedan and my options were the City V-MT Petrol and the Vento TSI/TDI mostly. So I would like to know from owners of the current Honda City that is it worth going for the city and are there actually so many problems with the car and are there any major problems faced by them. as one needs to make sure before committing for the next 5-7 years and spending 10-12 lacs.

Hope to know more directly from the owners.

Thank you.

Same situation here. Wobbling between City, Verna, and Vento. Had ordered a Verna 1.6 VTVT (SX) during diwali time, but the dealer in Raipur could not deliver the desired colour and model and had to cancel the booking as i had to go on long vacation. Now planning for a new year buy and again back to where i started ...looking at all options. So will be interested in comments on this thread

[tejas08]

Originally Posted by magikrider

I am in the market to buy a sedan in the 10-12 lacs range and was considering the Honda City V-MT Petrol.

Originally Posted by wheeledsoul

I too am in the same dilemma. I will be in the market for a petrol sedan. Honda city was high on my list followed by Verna and Etios/Linea/Duster (P). But the niggles thread floated the Verna's boat a bit more now.

Originally Posted by nkghai

Same situation here. Wobbling between City, Verna, and Vento. Had ordered a Verna 1.6 VTVT (SX) during diwali time, but the dealer in Raipur could not deliver the desired colour and model and had to cancel the booking as i had to go on long vacation. Now planning for a new year buy and again back to where i started ...looking at all options. So will be interested in comments on this thread

Yes, there are niggles in the new Honda City, but I do not remember of any person (Maybe a couple of BHPians out of so many BHPians who bought City 2014) who says that the decision to go with Honda City 2014 was a wrong one.

I have been using City 2014 for over 7 months now with more than 5000 Kms driven. Yes, i had issues with the Alternator Belt grinding noise. Got it changed from ASS. Its been around 800+ Kms and the sound seems to have gone away for now although not a 100% confident on this as sometimes I feel that the sound has started again.

I will be going for a road trip of 3000+ Kms in the 1st week of December. So by 10-Dec-14, I would have driven close to 9000 Kms and 4000 Kms after the alternator belt getting changed. So will come to know whether the grinding noise is gone or it has come back to haunt me.

Mind you, this grinding noise did not seem to affect any bit on the performance, as I was driving with this grinding noise for close to 2000 Kms.

Overall, I have been happy with the purchase and also the ASS has also been treating me fairly well.

[nkghai]

Originally Posted by tejas08

Yes, there are niggles in the new Honda City, but I do not remember of any person (Maybe a couple of BHPians out of so many BHPians who bought City 2014) who says that the decision to go with Honda City 2014 was a wrong one.

I have been using City 2014 for over 7 months now with more than 5000 Kms driven. Yes, i had issues with the Alternator Belt grinding noise. Got it changed from ASS. Its been around 800+ Kms and the sound seems to have gone away for now although not a 100% confident on this as sometimes I feel that the sound has started again.

I will be going for a road trip of 3000+ Kms in the 1st week of December. So by 10-Dec-14, I would have driven close to 9000 Kms and 4000 Kms after the alternator belt getting changed. So will come to know whether the grinding noise is gone or it has come back to haunt me.

Mind you, this grinding noise did not seem to affect any bit on the performance, as I was driving with this grinding noise for close to 2000 Kms.

Overall, I have been happy with the purchase and also the ASS has also been treating me fairly well.

Thanks. Yes, i have not yet come across anyone asserting against buying a City. While ideally i would love to have a niggle free new vehicle, but just in case of an issue, the service quality and the speed of the corrective action matters a lot. I think that is where Honda scores over German counterparts, whose ASS has been commented upon by scores of members.
Will wait for your post after your road trip.
Wish you a safe and happy driving experience

[jesrani]

Originally Posted by knight.rider

@magikrider
I suggest you buy the CVT... It is pure dream to drive. I agree that the new batch post August has less niggles. My car has done 1700 km. Getting consistent 14-15 kmpl in city. Got upto 18.5 kmpl on the Mumbai Pune expressway. Enjoy the blessings of driving a CVT this doesn't get better than this.
Amazing driving experience. Sniff :'-)

14-15kmpl on Petrol CVT, that seems fantastic!! Then the diesel does not really have much advantage. Are you a sedate driver or do you go fast?

[themonster]

Hello Everyone!
I have been a silent reader of the forum for a long time now and I have been following the 2014 City thread from the first post. A big THANKS to the moderators for approving my registration into the forum and for keeping the forum well maintained.
I am a owner of a Taffeta White Honda City VX i-VTEC MT since March 2014 (Thanks to my dad). The car is a Feb 2014 make and one of the first batches of the petrol variants. The car had its fair shares of ups and downs but its a joy to drive and the ODO currently reads at approximately 16,000kms.
The car was purchased from Vision Honda, Kottayam, Kerala and it has seen a fair amount of the 3 south Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Since I study around Bangalore the car is with me here.
i haven't heard the Alternator Grinding noise till date nor the clutch problems some people face but i have had my share of unique problems like the engine sounding like a diesel at times. The car came with Stock GoodYear GT3 175/65 R 15 tyres. The first 3000km of the car was driven by my dad and
Accessories bought from the dealer at the time of purchase (which I can remember as of now) :
- Underbody Coating
- Sporty double chrome grill
- Rear duck tail spoiler
- Sports pedals
- Floor carpet lamination

Accessories fitted by me (again which I can remember) :
- Philips Xtreme Vision Headlamp upgrade for low beam (H11) 55W
- Blind spot mirrors
- Door Guards (the I-POP ones)
- 3M Nomad style noodle mats (thanks to BHPian dinu2506 http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...loor-mats.html)

Other Events
*First service at 1700kms at Vision Honda, Kottayam in April 2014
Apart from the routine service, one of the tyres had a tyre burst(I don’t exactly know, I wasn’t in the car), it was the passenger side front tyre. A sharp stone which was in a pothole pierced the sidewall. Got the tyre replaced as it was a new car. (Paid extra for the Tyre)
*Second Service at 5200kms(approx.) at Magnum Honda, Bangalore in May 2014
Routine service was done. The day before the service I had gotten a dent in the passenger side door and the running broad underneath it. They were asking me to fix the dent, but I left it for later.
*Third Service at 9666kms at Vision Honda, Kottayam in July 2014
Routine service was done. Got the Roots Megasonic horns fitted by the dealer, no effect on the warranty of the car (said by the dealer). Got Zinc coating for the silencer.
Just before the third service, on the way from Velankanni to Theni, in Tamil Nadu a stone had struck the front windshield, chipping the glass. This happened in the blacked portion of the windshield and was not easily noticeable, until it started growing.
Due to the initial learning phase of me driving the car, I had several scratches on the body, apart from the dent. This included the front bumper, the rear bumper and the ORVMs. Got all the scratches on the car painted and got the dent fixed. The front windshield took time to arrive from Chennai and it took almost 3 weeks to get the new windshield.
*In August 2014 had gone to 3M car care, Basaveshwaranagar. Got the Paint Sealant Advanced Treatment done. Car looked brilliant after the job. It’s a small shop, but don’t let the size fool you and they did do a pretty good job. They have packages for cars, which I felt were value for money; but I didn’t have the money at the time to go for a package. They also do sell car detailing products of 3M’s and Meguiar.(Note: I am not in any way associated with 3M car care franchise and I am just spreading the word for others)
Just after the polish got a scratch by an impatient auto on the passenger side front bumper in front of Orion Mall. Its about an inch in length and hardly noticeable until its pointed out.

*At present, the condition of the car is:
- Engine mud guard/ guard is removed. Had hit a stray dog on the road at speeds of around 40kmph in October 2014. He’s ALIVE and NO BLOOD was shed, but he kicked one of my roots megasonic horns into the engine bay, broken 2 clips of the front bumper, clipped off a little paint, damaged the passenger side partial wheel well cladding and knocked down the engine mud guard. (I know, that’s quite a bit of damage, I tried my best to avoid the animal, but it LITERALLY ran into my path, and several two wheelers were around me and it couldn’t endanger their lives too.) The mud guard “Hanged around” (pun intended) till earlier this week, when it fell down completely and was dragged around on the road. It was held by just ONE clip type screw.
-Last week for a long drive. Was going in the direction of Bangalore on the Bangalore-Pune highway. A tiny stone hit the front windshield; and cracked it AGAIN !!
- After the third service, I noticed a particularly unique problem. The foam od the backrest of the driver’s seat got “misplaced” and I can feel the metal frame of the seat everytime I sit. Another issue I saw was that the driver’s seat adjustment does not stay and it does back down in due time. The dealer said this is because the seat was not designed for heavy people (I am 6 feet 3 inches). It will be rectified during the next service.

Mileage: 12-15km/L in the city, 16-20km/L on the highway.

Now my questions for other members:
1. Could I get anything to prevent my NEXT windshield from cracking/chipping? (couldn’t find a thread on it earlier)
2. Any use in upgrading the high beams to Osram NightBreaker Unlimited HB3 9005 60W? I feel the Low beams are more brighter than the high beams at the moment. (for other members, searched full JC Road Bangalore, it is not available there. Its available on e-pitstop.com and powerbulbs.com and the Philips Xtreme Vision is not available for the HB3 9005)
3. This might come as shocker to some, but I do scrape several speed breakers (mostly the engine mudguard, front bumper, silencer and the running broad touches) I try my best to maneuver, but still it touches. Any tips on this anyone? (tyre upgrade is being considered at the moment, most probably will be done after the present set wears out, which might be another 10k-15k kms)
4. Another Member asked a couple of posts back about the dimming of the headlights when operating other electricals in the car, like power window switches. I have the same problem, and along with the usage of power window switches, I see it when “ON”ing the Fog lamps and when applying brakes (even when the car is in motion)

Whew!! That was a long first post.
I would also like to thank RavenAvi, neel911, //M, vsrivatsa and other owners of the new Honda city on the forum.

[anky]

@ themonster
I own a Amaze Vx diesel , regarding your seat height adjustment going back to default after some time , it does not happen to me and I am 5'11" and 100 kgs . As both our cars share quite a few common parts I thought I'll point it out to you .

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by adarsh76

Friends, can you please help me on this? My final service is due next week. If the service tells to replace wiper blades, then I need to make a choice.

Bosch Aerotwin blades are supposed to be the best costing around 1200. But, does it get damaged on sunlight exposure? I have a covered parking at office and home. But if occasionally I need to park in sun and I put the wipers in upward position, does it minimize the damage?

I haven't tried Bosch wipers so far, but I was getting the same line formation on the windscreen sometimes and realized that any specs of mud/debri on the wiper blades are causing this.

To avoid the lines, everytime I clean the windshield, I ensure to wipe the wiper rubber blades clean as well and the lines have stopped appearing.

I believe wiper blades should last about 18 months in any car. I used to deligently replace the blades every 18 months in my previous car.