Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeroen
Could you elaborate?
Jeroen |
So this happened in June 2013, just a few months of the 1st gen release. It’s a little murky in my head and though they were long mail trails - I’ve since cleared my emails many times over.
It was really a very weird issue that had everyone stumped. The rear left made quite a “thunk” when driven hard over a speed breaker or pothole.
Sad, but I remember the first time vividly when we caught it. A close friend and I took delivery of the car, and noticed the clunk when I drove over a speed breaker a bit too hard 30 mins after taking delivery. I remember Leons face oh so clearly when it happened. He passed a few months back - after eating a cheap meal of fried rice and chicken on the marina beach. Severe food poisoning.
I’ll remember you for a long time yet, ya crazy Anglo!
Anyway - it really had everyone stumped. They first changed - I think the housing first, then the tyre and then just the rear suspension - and then the whole set, but the issue persisted.
They then asked me time for factory engineers to visit and I was there when they did. Some 7 people came, all Japanese and bowing at everyone and everything.
Like I said, it finally culminated in a full chassis change - which required a change in the registration. The deal was that Honda would give me 5 years warranty on the car + 7 years Honda roadside for free as well. But, I’d have to accept an amendment on the registration. At that point, I refused the amendment saying that the cars re sale value would be drastically hit and I demanded an assured by back value when I decided to sell the car, however long it took - not at the companies value but my value. I wanted this in writing from the dealer, endorsed by Honda. If this was not acceptable, I wanted a brand new car.
In a few days time, I was given the car back, and given 5 years warranty, and given a brand new RC book and insurance with the new chassis number with no amendment.
The whole process took a little over 2 months, and the dealer gave me a test drive Honda City while it was going on. They refused for any replacement car at first, but I found going to the dealer when they were crowed with customers like on a weekend and raising a really loud ruckus was getting me what I wanted.
I did get into a little trouble when I tried to foreclose the loan with my bank though - the RC in their records didn’t match with the one that I had, something we all had overlooked. The dealer - Capital Honda - owned by a ruling party bigwig, made this issue disappear as well.
I remember the funny thing is after all of this - the day I got the car re delivered.. I went and poured water into the coolant chamber instead of the spray can and drove it for a bit before I realised. They came and took the car on a flatbed, drained all the fluids for free and gave it back!
And a few years after that, when Chennai was flooded, my area was not, and I wanted to see what the fuss was about - I drove to a flooded area, got promptly flooded, and tried restarting the car - leading to all 4 pistons being changed, at an insurance cost of some 2.25 lakhs.
I did some crazy things with car - getting it stuck on a mountain top, and on the banks of the Cauvery, running out of diesel in the middle of nowhere - having my priority Honda care take care of it all - deeming it all having happened on “deemed roads” when they were not.
That car was truly Amaze!