[dodge3p]

Friends, a quick question. Does each Honda city models have specific Wheel alignment specifications?
Yesterday I went in for my 40K (2014 model) service and refused to have WA & WB done at the service center. The adviser suggested that Honda city different gen models have different spec for alignment and outside vendor may not have those specs and could do a bad alignment job if done outside.
Does the adviser's comment have any merit? The spec might be different, but I believe any reputable outside vendors would have these programmed into their machines. What is your experience?

[Nohonking]

Originally Posted by dodge3p

The adviser suggested that Honda city different gen models have different spec for alignment and outside vendor may not have those specs and could do a bad alignment job if done outside.

Well the SA is correct. The alignment specs(such as caster, camber, toe etc.) vary from generation to generation. However, if you take your vehicle to a reputed wheel alignment center, they would have created a specifications profile pertinent to each generation. They should advise you upon looking at your vehicle if they are capable of it.

Thanks,
Simmi

[outdoorlover]

Originally Posted by rugsrags

Hi everyone i have a October 2016 Petrol honda city VX CVT which has covered 3200kms as of now. Initially it was just kept parked and had just 180 kms on the odometer till February due to which the service was also skipped. The first service happened in February and the second service just happened last week in which they changed the oil too.

=================

The other issue i face is that while speaking via the bluetooth if the lights are switched on there is a lot of static and disturbance on the call. If you turn the light off the static goes away. Its very peculiar...any ideas? The workshop first said they'd update the software but on checking they saw that there was no software update required and have asked for 3-4hours with the car to diagnose the wiring. Will be sending the car for this once I'm back from my trip.

Hi, the car has done too little of a mileage still to open up; you could expect close to its potential efficiency by around 10k mark.

The second issue is quite strange and appears to be some interference from the lighting circuit.

[iss1307]

Originally Posted by rugsrags

Hi everyone i have a October 2016 Petrol honda city VX CVT which has covered 3200kms as of now. Initially it was just kept parked and had just 180 kms on the odometer till February due to which the service was also skipped. The first service happened in February and the second service just happened last week in which they changed the oil too.
================
The other issue i face is that while speaking via the bluetooth if the lights are switched on there is a lot of static and disturbance on the call. If you turn the light off the static goes away. Its very peculiar...any ideas? The workshop first said they'd update the software but on checking they saw that there was no software update required and have asked for 3-4hours with the car to diagnose the wiring. Will be sending the car for this once I'm back from my trip.

I have the same issue with the interference. It wasn't there initially. Just came up a few months ago.
However, I get the interference when the engine is on, lights don't matter.
Will show it to the service station soon.
Let me know if yours is fixed.

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by Ruchir031

.. had a weird problem..
... the car was swaying left to right on its own,... The car was never steady at speeds above of 70.
....I got the air pressure immediately checked which was fine... does anyone have some pointers as to what the issue could be or has anyone else faced it?
P.S Wheel alignment and balancing was done a month and 1100 kms back.

Checking the air pressure during the middle of a drive is extremely dangerous.
This is one of the major reasons for tyre blowouts.
Heated tyres have expanded gases in them and checking pressure would actually cause the air to be taken out due to the higher reading leading to under-inflation and potential blowouts.
Checking with a hand held pressure guage is OK, but checking and filling air should be avoided on heated tyres.

Originally Posted by Ruchir031

... balancing/rotation and alignment have been regularly done every 5,000 Kms since the purchase of car.

The tyres are the MRF ZVTV's
Do you think alignment could be a cause for this?

Its not necessary to get the alignment and balancing and rotation every 5000 KM, the service center would recommended it because they can make money out of it. It can be done every 10,000 KM diligently.

I had one instance of a wobbly and unstable ride at higher speeds during a drive and it turned out to be a simple case of a loose bolt that connects the suspension lower arm to the body frame was loose. You could check if the bolts connecting the lower arms are tight.

Originally Posted by dodge3p

... Does each Honda city models have specific Wheel alignment specifications?
... went in for my 40K (2014 model) service and refused to have WA & WB done at the service center. The adviser suggested that Honda city different gen models have different spec for alignment and outside vendor may not have those specs and could do a bad alignment job if done outside.
Does the adviser's comment have any merit? The spec might be different, but I believe any reputable outside vendors would have these programmed into their machines. What is your experience?

Originally Posted by Nohonking

Well the SA is correct. The alignment specs(such as caster, camber, toe etc.) vary from generation to generation.

My personal experience over the years has been that alignment, balancing job is never done properly during the service (any car brand) It will usually be just one item in the bill with additional costs for the lead added to balance the tyres. Also the cost of Alignment-balancing-rotation is much higher at the authorized service(usually).

It is in fact better to personally get the alignment and balancing and rotation done outside at a reputed Tyre service center. This works out better.

Yes, the alignment parameters are different for the 4th Gen Honda City. Thankfully it is much simpler now.
Out of the Camber, Castor and Toe parameters, only the Toe needs to be adjusted, its that simple now (Caster and Camber cannot/don't need ajustment).
The rear wheels anyway stay as they are without any need to touch them.
So all in all, its a simple and straightforward job to align the wheels of the 4th Gen City. The service advisor was just trying to scare.

[Ruchir031]

Originally Posted by for_cars1

Checking the air pressure during the middle of a drive is extremely dangerous.

Thanks for the inputs! The pressure checked by my house-worker with the use of a digital gauge which I keep in all cars of mine, no air was filled. I do know how dangerous it is to fill the air in heated tyres and I never do that!

Its not necessary to get the alignment and balancing and rotation every 5000 KM, the service center would recommended it because they can make money out of it. It can be done every 10,000 KM diligently.

The car is for most of the part driven on very rough roads & highways which are full of bad patches and potholes, so I tend to do this at every 5,000 KM's from a neighborhood alignment shop.

I had one instance of a wobbly and unstable ride at higher speeds during a drive and it turned out to be a simple case of a loose bolt that connects the suspension lower arm to the body frame was loose. You could check if the bolts connecting the lower arms are tight.

Will get this checked. Thanks!

[rugsrags]

Hi guys,
Just a small update. Thought it might be useful for someone doing the running in period. As mentioned in my earlier post where I was facing and issue with the mileage and of the engine straining and revving way more in a very metallic sort of way i took the car for a long highway tour (1000kms) which included around 400 kms of expressway roads where the car continuously ran at a constant high speed. Well during the course of my trip the engine dynamics have gone through a very noticeable change. The engine is now putting down the speed in proportion to the rev counter and is sounding way way more sweet than before. There was a metallic clatter earlier and now its a very muted affair!!! The mileage has suddenly gone up and i got an average of 14.5km/pl with the AC on always which i feel is very very decent. I had never seen the MID show anything more than 11 earlier. Even with a refill and drive in the city today where it never went over 10.5 and usually hovered around 9-9.5 it's showing a healthy 13.5!!!!

The car has done around 4400kms as of now and I feel the entire change has happened because finally the engine has managed breaking in by having its entire tractability used. So all i now know is that having the car run on the highway is very important to get the engine properly run in.

[for_cars1]

I've been mulling about getting a roller sunshade blind for the rear window, one that can be pulled up and retracted similar to the one in the links below.

A couple of car accessory folks where I checked did not have it and advised against going for one mentioning that the rear visibility will be severely impacted with these pulled up.
So I ended up buying the regular foldable blinds with the rubber suction cups (Already had them and replaced some of them that had had worn out)

Has anyone fitted one of these for your Gen-4 City and has the experience (rear visibility) been good ? Some of the cars (eg: Octavia) come factory fitted with them and seem to be translucent enough to have a good view in the IRVM .

http://www.amazon.in/Emerging-Windshield-Retractable-Sunshade-Keyring/dp/B01NCYR41H?tag=googinhydr18418-21&tag=googinkenshoo-21&ascsubtag=bbff9685-93ff-4b84-afea-3aa233dc598f

http://www.ebay.in/itm/172631082053?aff_source=Sok-Goog

[seaferns]

Dear all
Will be making my first long distance drive in new Honda City CVT mumbai-Mahabaleshwar-mumbai from 22 Jun Thru 26 Jun
Vehicle was Purchased end October 2016 and has Recently completed the second free service
Have around 3000km on the odo
Would be grateful for any advice regarding highway performance / pre departure checklists / experiences of other drivers etc specific to the Honda City on long distance routes
Thanks in advance for your advice
Travel safe
-seaferns

[iss1307]

I recently did a 800kms road trip with my family and I noticed that at 120kmph, there was a slight vibration on the steering wheel.
Car is just under 9000kms and running on stock Michelin tires.
Does it need balancing and alignment or is it something else?

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by iss1307

Does it need balancing and alignment or is it something else?

Since the vehicle is new, let's do the basic checks first.

Wheel alignment and balancing plus fill-in the correct cold tyre pressures​ as recommended and see if the vibrations reappear or not.

[iss1307]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Since the vehicle is new, let's do the basic checks first.

Wheel alignment and balancing plus fill-in the correct cold tyre pressures​ as recommended and see if the vibrations reappear or not.

Tyre pressure was filled at 30psi and filling in 33psi makes the ride very bumpy.
First balancing and alignment is left.
Should've done it before the trip.
Thanks mate.

[avdhesh15]

How important is the engine under body cover? Mine fell off yesterday and am wondering whether or not to get it replaced. Inputs would be valuable!

[Ruchir031]

Originally Posted by avdhesh15

How important is the engine under body cover? Mine fell off yesterday and am wondering whether or not to get it replaced. Inputs would be valuable!

A few months back on my way to Jaipur, on the highway a huge rock was on the road which I didn't notice as the car ahead of me suddenly dodged it and I had no chance doing the same at the speed of 80kmph.
It hit the lower bumper near the fog light and got stuck under the engine guard for which I had to stop the car and get it out of there.

I didn't notice any major damage except few scratches on the bottom of bumper so I continued my journey. While returning from Jaipur the car hit a pothole and some weird noises (something dragging on road) started coming, since it was around 9pm and I was only 10-15 kms away from home I continued without inspecting.

Later in the morning when I inspected it there was a small piece of plastic hanging which was causing the noise. Took the car to my trusted mechanic and he unmounted the guard and fixed it using heat as it was slightly bent due to the impact from the rock.

Later when he started mounting the engine guard back, I asked him to align the bumper as it was slightly loose. He was unable to do so properly so he started inspecting the inside of bonnet as to why bumper is not sitting on the hooks. What he found shocked the crap out of me.
The condensor was half bent, radiator was dragged backwards almost near the compressor and the frame where both condensor and radiator sits was badly dented upwards.
He later removed the bumper and radiator then fixed the frame. Condensor wasn't removed as it would have leaked the gas. Later he also fixed the bend on the condensor. He explicitly said, had there been no engine guard, I might have ended up draining a lot of money from my pocket.

Surprisingly, the engine guard didn't suffer any damage except a small bent which was obvious given the nature of impact from the stone but was easily fixed. Although no cracks or other damages which I believe is beyond amazing.

I'd say get it mounted back asap.

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by seaferns

...any advice regarding highway performance / pre departure checklists / experiences of other drivers etc specific to the Honda City on long distance routes
....

Just fill-it, shut-it and forget it and enjoy your drive following all safety norms and road rules, stay within speed limits