[amitksvs]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Anirban Bhaumik saw your post and wrote in with some advice via our Facebook page

cya
R

Thanks for the reply; but the problem remains as the SA at dealership categorically states that not only I have to get the ICE installed from them but I have to buy it from them too. Now, how do I confront him on this, because if dashboard is tinkered with or panels on doors or parcel tray is opened by someone else, will it not give them a chance to say that warranty is void? Please give me some insight on it.
Thanks.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by amitksvs

Thanks for the reply; but the problem remains as the SA at dealership categorically states that not only I have to get the ICE installed from them but I have to buy it from them too. Now, how do I confront him on this, because if dashboard is tinkered with or panels on doors or parcel tray is opened by someone else, will it not give them a chance to say that warranty is void? Please give me some insight on it.
Thanks.

First he will say this because he wants to earn commissions , Ignore him.
If he insists tell me there are enough Honda showrooms and next time you
hear about ICE from him you will walk off. He is just trying to push you don't yield and in extreme case go to another dealer even if it is 25 KM away purchase is one time activity.


Just make sure that proper wire harness is used and you stand on head of installer. These guys habitually run wire cutters so what I did sround 4 years back was to ask the installer to hand over his wire cutter and knife and take from me whenever he feels the need. I kept on repeating no wire cutting. You need to act like jerk but do that it is just one time.

Do not feel shy and don't think your behaviour is odd it is your right.

To give a personal anecdote. I walked off from Whitefield Honda and booked with another because first dealer was insisting on insurance from them so I told him that I will buy from any other dealer except you and will persuade 10 more people not to buy from you.I put condition to SA of second dealer that he needs to write on booking form that they will not ask for insurance. Ultimately I am too lazy and may end up buying insurance from dealer itself and also one car sale is like a drop in ocean for Honda dealership but personally for me asserting my right was important else would have lost my peace of mind.

Finally Honda is not the only company selling cars if you are not convinced and treated fairly do go to another brand and punish them, else every time you will turn on ICE this incidence will play in your mind and spoil your mood for many months.

[mukul_kuls]

This is My Ownership Report for Honda Amaze Petrol, Base version[E iVTEC]. The car has completed 15 days of ownership and has been driven 400 Kms so far.

Making A Choice

Along with the Optra, a second vehicle was on agenda for the last one year, and with a limited budget of around Rs 6 lakhs, the cars on radar were Tata Indigo e-cs, Maruti Dzire, and the two recently launched sedans, the Chevrolet's Sail and Honda Amaze. Sedan it had to be as we were bored of using the hatchback Indica DLS as our second vehicle for the past 10 years, a car that had served us extremely well, but off late has been showing niggling problems due to ageing.

Since my travelling is no more than 10000-12000 Kms a year, Petrol engine formed a natural choice, despite the kind of mileage diesel vehicles now promise to deliver. Tata e-cs was ruled out precisely because Tatas are known for the diesel heart and not for petrol. Dzire was a possible choice, but the neighborhood had them in plenty, and who would want to be a part of the crowd? Besides, the waiting list for Dzire was another thorn in the flesh. So the the final choice was between Chevrolet Sail Sedan and Honda Amaze.

Test Drives

Took the TD of Sail sedan a week prior to the launch of Amaze. The car looked complete and very decent. The drive with the petrol engine was comfortable, but lacked enthusiasm. The engine was a bit lethargic. This was at the Chevrolet Showroom as TD vehicles were still not being sent to individuals (new car hype?).

Bookings of Amaze started the day after. Called the Honda Sales Representative and on assurance of complete refund gave a cheque of 50000/-, amongst the earliest 3 to book Amaze at Bhopal.

A day after Amaze was launched, went to the very crowded Honda showroom, took a TD for both petrol and diesel versions. Found both pretty good and acceptable.

The dilemma between Sail and Amaze continued. So I called upon the Chevrolet showroom, and was surprised that this time they offered to send the TD vehicle to my house. Within hours I was yet again driving Sail Sedan petrol version, this time on hilly areas near my house. Once again, the Engine felt lethargic and weak, and did not find the car very planted at sharp sloping turns. Otherwise, the car seemed fantastic, and like a big proper sedan. To add to the topping was the offer of an additional discount on this new car.

Wife, who also took all the TDs, asked me if a beautiful body can be loved with a weak heart? And what can a good looking car be without a lively heart in the form of an enthusiastic engine? So the choice was made. Amaze it was to be.

Car Delivery

As the booking was made on the very first day when bookings had started, I got a call from Abhikaran Honda within a day of test drive, asking for our final choice for vehicle colour and version. Base version [E iVTEC] was costing just under 6 lakhs including Extended warranty for 2 more years and the Road-side Assistance Service Charges. The base version was good enough: had Power Windows, manual Central Locking etc, and it was no point paying Rs 25000/- more to get the next higher version just for a Single Din Music system (with only 2 Speakers)and body colored door handles and ORVM. The colors available for the base version were White or Black while the third one, the Silver, was not in the ready stock with the dealer. We zeroed upon the White, which was incidentally also costing 4500/- less as compared to Black.

Mahurat was for 18th of April, 2013, 4 pm. When we made it at the appointed time, the car was ready, but the papers were to be processed. After a lot of delay in processing ( as 3 more cars were being delivered on the auspicious day of Guru Pushya Nakshatra, Ashtmi of Navratris) finally our turn came up. The delivery of car happened finally to our relief, and it took 3 hours for us at the showroom. "Honda personnel are still not used to handle crowds", I told this to the Manager who took it with a huge grin accepting that now they need to augment manpower, showroom space and even the workshop area as was evident with a 4 month waiting period of prospective Honda Amaze customers.

Requests for some free accessories/ corporate discount etc. were flatly refused for this newly launched car. There was no Company provided accessory available with the dealer even for sale, except for a single packet of mats, which we bought for Rs. 1500/-. Seat covers for Amaze were still not available even in the market, and the shopkeeper was too happy to take seat measurements with promise of giving us seat covers asap. We went to temple for puja and then entered our home.

This was the first petrol Amaze in Bhopal City, and since then I have had at least two unknown families (along with some known ones) coming to my house (the parked car is visible from the road) just to have a look at the Amaze. So much has been the hype about Honda Amaze. Isn't it Amazing?


A Few Queries

Just a few queries before I pen down (or rather type) my ownership experience:

1. The Ex-Showroom cost of Amaze is 523500/- at Bhopal against 499000/- at Delhi (Please refer Honda website). There are additional logistic charges, amounting to 2995/- added to this. In contrast, the Sail sedan which exactly has the same price of 499000/- in Delhi, costs only 510847/- at Bhopal as Ex-Showroom cost. Why do we get such differences in pricing for various brands? Does it amount to some companies like Honda illegally charging a premium? Is it legal?
2. The Honda did not give a separate warranty for Tyres and Battery. Is it the same with other Honda products like City?
3. Is it necessary to have prescribed services for warranty to hold? For example, if I send my car for servicing after 9 months instead of 6 months prescribed (but before it covers 10000 kms), does my warranty still hold?

Fellow BHPians may kindly answer my queries.

Limited Ownership Experience so Far

Now to the limited ownership experience of the past 15 days with my Honda Amaze petrol.

What I Like:
- Extremely convenient and easy city drivability.
- Good vehicle stability. Vehicle remains well-planted even on hilly turns and slopes inspiring confidence.
- Light accurate steering, which makes you go exactly where you want.
- Very effective AC.
- Well controlled noise levels. Engine is very very silent
- Engine is ready to revv, and feels lively much of the time. Not in the category of Etios though.
- Excellent short turning radius imparting ease of use and comfort.
- The ECO feature is a good edition. Though most of us know that sudden acceleration and de-acceleration are bad for the mileage, the provision of a ECO sign helps in explicitly reminding the driver to drive steady. Just a tag that does have psychological impact, leading to better car handling, savings on fuel, and convenience and safety for fellow travelers as well.
- The cost of initial ownership. Where do you get a Honda sedan within 6 lakhs with power windows, central locking and tilt steering?
- Was very skeptical about Ground clearance of 165 mm, considering the possibility GTO had indicated in his review of Honda Amaze ("The 165 mm of clearance is lesser than the Dzire (170 mm). Though the Brio isn't known to scrape over rough roads, fact is that the Amaze has a longer wheelbase and a softer suspension. I leave it up to our ownership reports to comment on how the Amaze handles tall speed breakers with a full load of passengers."). But even with worst of the humps which would put any Civil engineer to shame, the car did not kiss the ground. Please note that some of these humps have been a perpetual source of anxiety with my Optra, having the same ground clearance.

What I Dislike:
- Rather plain vapid interiors, the dashboard is rather uninspiring.
- Back-seat meant for 2 adults and at most a child. Though the leg space is ample, its the shoulder space that is restricted.
- Poor quality horn that would put any driver to shame, and fellow travelers to just ignore your request.
- May be the Engine is not as peppy as that of say Swift (which I have driven for the past 3 months), the real picture will emerge after the first service though.
- The gears are not butter-smooth, though not hard either. May be with time and vehicle running this would also improve.
- The ingress as well as exit may not be the best for those who are tall. It goes ok for my height (5'7"), but a friend of mine 5 ft 11 inches tall, and having a chronic back pain, tried driving the car and felt uncomfortable. Please note that the higher versions of Amaze do have the option of adjusting driver seat height, and hopefully that would cater to such issues. But the base version, in my opinion, is a strict no-no if you are tall and have backache.
- The car entry is possible only from the front driver side. There is no lock provided on the left front passenger side, and hence no entry is possible from the left side. This is inconvenient at times.
- The vanity mirror on the sun visor is sorely missing even for the front passenger in the base version. Honda, that would surely make lady passengers unhappy! And how much does it save anyway?


My Concerns:
- Mileage appears to be on the lesser side. So far, the car is giving almost 12.0 kms per liter for city driving with AC on all the time. Hopefully this will increase a bit after the first servicing, but it is nowhere near the claimed ARAI mileage of 18 kmpl
- Can Honda workshops handle the number of volumes that they have never handled in India so far? Would the customers continue to get Honda level services?
- The engine remains hot for a long time. Even after 3-4 hours in these late summer evenings the bonnet is hot. Is it true of all Honda engines? Is it true of every new car? Does the engine suck hot air ? (Please recall remarks of the GTO in his review on Honda Amaze:"Unlike its diesel sibling, the petrol's hood only gets partially covered with insulating material. The air intake plumbing we saw on the Brio (link) is missing. We hope it makes it to customer cars, else the engine is effectively sucking in hotter air". Hope the reason for a very hot bonnet is not what the GTO had predicted).

Will keep you posted with updates.

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by amitksvs

Thanks for the reply; but the problem remains as the SA at dealership categorically states that not only I have to get the ICE installed from them but I have to buy it from them too. Now, how do I confront him on this, because if dashboard is tinkered with or panels on doors or parcel tray is opened by someone else, will it not give them a chance to say that warranty is void? Please give me some insight on it.
Thanks.

If he tells about installation then it is because of a genuine warranty concern(But there are professionals who do much better job than the dealers). But buying ICE from them ? what for ?

Sadly this is the state of dealerships of all companies. If a product becomes runaway success, everyone wants to make some quick buck.

First ICE, and then the service will follow. Once Swift and its cousins became big hits, Maruti(I feel its just the dealers forming a cartel) starts saying things like Synthetic oil etc.

Luckily for Maruti there are tons of non dealer service stations wihch are way better in customer satisfaction.
Strangely i did not see such a model by other manufacturers(Correct me if i am wrong). I feel there should be more dedicated non dealer service stations for other cars as well. This will surely reduce the dependency on dealers !!

[sugato_basu]

After TD & advance booking, the sales girl phones up and informs Emerald Blue is not available in EMT model .... Suprisingly it is not mentioned in the brochure nor in the web nor by the showroom sales. Disgusting !

[Sathya_sc]

Amazed by the placement of the radiator grille in Amaze. Went on a car hunt for my younger cousin and considered Amaze as a primary contender with about 10 cars in the race. But was shell schocked to see the radiator grille and warranty details of the Amaze and backed off from Amaze. Removed it from the list straight away. Attaching a picture for reference to show how close and vulnarable the radiator grill is in Amaze.. even a small hit in the front is going to rip the pockets..

One thing to be appreciated.. spot on pricing.

[OnAnd]

Got my VX diesel delivery! One of the first few in chennai, as it seems the rto was holding up registration for a pollution certificate.

First impressions - have done just 30 km:
Good power, smooth gear shift. nvh bit high (for some one driving his first diesel) but already know this. Disappointed with front storage-there is nothing except the glove box... Strange behavior of orvm open/close... it retracts every time I restart the engine... Seating plush. Great legroom even with fully pushed back front seat. Good sedan feel.

Want some advice on running in. Am taking it on a 600 km trip on wednesday. Dealer says just go rip it. Plan to do 2500 to 3000 rpm, is it ok?

[arun_josie]

Spotted Amaze on road, today. IMO, it kind of resembles the previous gen City.

[Enigmatic]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

Spotted Amaze on road, today. IMO, it kind of resembles the previous gen City.

It has an uncanny resemblance !!

But that isn't a bad thing is it ??

[Buffetfan]

Originally Posted by Turbokick

- The price of the vehicle is equally important while computing the cost of ownership. We go ga-ga over the low maintenance cost of Innova or Fortuner but tend to forget that these two are overpriced vehicles. Manufacturer manages to juice out of the costumer one way of the other !

Overpriced compared to what if I may ask? We can only call a vehicle overpriced if another vehicle with comparable reliability, quality and refinement is available in the market and provides similar service experience. Sadly, no comparable options exist for the Innova.

Off topic but no one calls Elantra, Corolla/Altis or Laura overpriced, w/o realising that Innova takes a lot more metal to manufacture, has heavier duty parts, mores space, an AC in every row. Yes it does not have the gizmo's of the Higher C segment sedans, but one quick look and one can realize that it should cost more to manufacture.

See this link. http://www.toyota.co.th/en/product-d...cab&opt=grades

Innova costs 15% MORE in Thailand compared to the Altis (Lowest version starts at 848k THB compared to 751k THB for Altis).

In India, Altis is priced higher than the Innova but then no one calls the Altis or the general upper C segment (Elantra, Altis, Laura etc) overpriced.

[ssbshankar]

Originally Posted by Enigmatic

It has an uncanny resemblance !!

But that isn't a bad thing is it ??

Yes, I too felt the same. I think the front grill makes it look that way.

[msmatic]

Originally Posted by Sathya_sc

But was shell schocked to see the radiator grille and warranty details of the Amaze and backed off from Amaze.

Can you provide more details what the warranty says about this and how is it different in other cars ? also, in case of a hit will the insurance not take care of it ?

[W.A.G.7]

Someone from the apartment next door got a new maroon coloured Amaze delivered. Looks good in flesh actually than in the pictures. However I haven't yet talked to him about the price, and also I think he's got a petrol version. But I am impressed by the car. Looks like it ticks the most of the boxes for most of the people. So now we have two cars for people that tick almost all the boxes in the right way - Honda amaze and the VW Polo GT TSI. Wow.

[Sathya_sc]

Originally Posted by msmatic

Can you provide more details what the warranty says about this and how is it different in other cars ? also, in case of a hit will the insurance not take care of it ?

Strictly in my opinion 2yrs or 40000 is too less for a Diesel car.. w.r.t my running.. I do somewhere around 30k an year and 40000 is too less for me. Also having owned multiple cars so far the concept of extended warranty is a gimmick and very hazy when it comes to what is covered.

With respect to radiator grille, if there is an accident where the radiator grille gets damaged, certainly insurance will cover it. Again, in my opinion, the design of radiator grille closer to the front is not great.. it must be little farther than what it is in Amaze and Figo which will protect it when a minor hit happens, so that the damage is only to the bumper and not to the internals.

[gomzi]

Originally Posted by Sathya_sc

Strictly in my opinion 2yrs or 40000 is too less for a Diesel car.. w.r.t my running.. I do somewhere around 30k an year and 40000 is too less for me. Also having owned multiple cars so far the concept of extended warranty is a gimmick and very hazy when it comes to what is covered.

I agree, the standard warranty of 2yrs/40K kms is quite less. Have you gone through the extended warranty to see what exactly it covers for the Amaze?
I've actually been thankful for extended warranty in my Indigo CS on atleast 2 occassions where part replacement and fixing bill had gone over Rs. 20k.

Originally Posted by Sathya_sc

With respect to radiator grille, if there is an accident where the radiator grille gets damaged, certainly insurance will cover it. Again, in my opinion, the design of radiator grille closer to the front is not great.. it must be little farther than what it is in Amaze and Figo which will protect it when a minor hit happens, so that the damage is only to the bumper and not to the internals.

Don't you think Honda and Ford would have thought of this eventuality and incorporated something into the design to protect radiators? I'd think more airflow to a radiator and condenser is a good thing.