[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

DRL's look awesome on your car, I'm sure pics are not doing justice. They have anyways reduced the mustache effect of the obnoxious front grill.

Originally Posted by Rocketscience

Well first of all , the DRLs look stunning , kudos to your installer for finding this novel place to install DRLs , it surely looks something futuristic.
I'll get DRLs installed in the same place ASAP.

Thanks, guys. It looks fantastic at night, and is pretty bright during the day as well. Can't stare directly at it without shielding your eyes!

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

What was the cost, and can you share the link for the same please??

Originally Posted by Rocketscience

Can you please provide the link to the DRLs you bought , would get them installed along with parking sensors and horn on my next visit to the car accessory shop.

Posted the link two pages back. Quoting myself:

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

I have sourced them from here:

http://www.ebay.in/itm/221479794231?...84.m1497.l2649

If they last the distance, well and good. If not, I am planning to get one of those Philips/Hella ones later on.

Originally Posted by Rocketscience

Coming to the V variant , it sure makes much more sense when charged 60k over SV , but this is if you love the OEM alloys , i hated them and had to get them installed anyways so it made little sense to me. I Could live with other things absent in the car and have spent about 60k (and counting) on the car anyways , so that was the varant to go for me.

In my case, I was gently but firmly conveyed by the dealership that upsizing the tyres and/or swapping the alloys would void my warranty. Since I have gone for the Extended Warranty as well, I didn't take the risk. Quite frankly I don't have the energy to fight with them or the company over this issue. Will stick it out till the warranty period is over and then change both the alloys and the tyres.

You sure are lucky that your dealership is more accomodating.

I love accessorising my cars as well. My Pegasus thread bears testimony to that. [details]

[Whiplash7]

Originally Posted by smsrini

Hi!

I have a question regarding the engine noise that filters into the cabin. Does this reduce as the engine settles in / run in ? or does it remain as loud as on day 1?

I Test Drove a City iDTEC with 3000 kms on the odo, and it was pretty loud, and per my family, louder than what you hear in a Tata Safari. the engine note too is very 'clattery'.

I like the City, but this is becoming a deal breaker..

Hope you enjoy your ride!

thanks.
Srini

Originally Posted by anilagdr

smsrini, I have read opinions that say, in essence, that noise reduces after the engine runs in for some time. I can't however vouch the veracity of the same as I found the NVH levels in the test drive car (that had run quite a bit) to be above the desirable level.
Can others with iDtech cars chip in with their assessment?

I own an amaze idtec and was quite disappointed with the noise levels especially at higher speeds in the highway. But the goods news is that it gets better and smoother once the engine runs in. Don't expect a huge improvement but I'm sure your family will stop complaining.

[smsrini]

Originally Posted by Whiplash7

I own an amaze idtec and was quite disappointed with the noise levels especially at higher speeds in the highway. But the goods news is that it gets better and smoother once the engine runs in. Don't expect a huge improvement but I'm sure your family will stop complaining.

Thanks for the update Whiplash7. I'm wondering if it will make a difference if you apply sound damping sheets like dynamat or the Wurth spray on, to the firewall from the inside of the car.

Anyone tried this ?

[Whiplash7]

Originally Posted by smsrini

Thanks for the update Whiplash7. I'm wondering if it will make a difference if you apply sound damping sheets like dynamat or the Wurth spray on, to the firewall from the inside of the car.

Anyone tried this ?

Could be. I'm planning to install them next month. I saw " self- damp AL 200" , " dampmat" and " tufclad" in ebay, they seem to be quite inexpensive. I'm not sure if dynamat would be worth the cost. I could even sick additional layers at this cost which might price better than dynamat.

[Rocketscience]

Originally Posted by smsrini

Thanks for the update Whiplash7. I'm wondering if it will make a difference if you apply sound damping sheets like dynamat or the Wurth spray on, to the firewall from the inside of the car.

Anyone tried this ?

Hey , well first of all , the only thing getting between me and this car initially were the very high noise levels and the harsh drive, i went ahead and bought the car anyways but to my surprise there was a huge difference in the overall NVH levels between the car i got and the test drive cars (initial batch) , so much so that my car is more refined than the vento/rapid diesel (till about 3k rpm), and the NVH Levels are no longer bothersome and certainly not a deal breaker.

I drove my Cruze just after taking the test drive and Cruze felt much more silent and refined , but my city is noticeably quiter throughout the revv range now. (Although it gets harsh post 3k RPM)

As far as damping is concerned , the car accessory guys claim they make a difference , but i have'nt felt much reduction in wind noise after installing them in my front doors. (I installed them for better acoustics and reduction in any rattles caused by new speakers and they are performing that job well).

[anilagdr]

Originally Posted by Rocketscience

Hey , well first of all , the only thing getting between me and this car initially were the very high noise levels and the harsh drive, i went ahead and bought the car anyways but to my surprise there was a huge difference in the overall NVH levels between the car i got and the test drive cars (initial batch) , so much so that my car is more refined than the vento/rapid diesel (till about 3k rpm), and the NVH Levels are no longer bothersome and certainly not a deal breaker.

Greatly reassuring that Honda has done something for their cars (and customers). This could in all likelihood boost their sales figures.

[Rocketscience]

Originally Posted by anilagdr

Greatly reassuring that Honda has done something for their cars (and customers). This could in all likelihood boost their sales figures.

I don't understand , why are they still using those old test drive vehicles , i mean the prospective buyers get disheartened and they must have been loosing customers because of this , people in team bhp and even outside are under the impression that city diesel is very noisy , all the vehicles provided to the media were also from that batch and that explains all the reviews complaining the car having poor NVH levels , although i have'nt driven the Mobilio but GTO's review says that NVH levels are acceptable in that car , i'm sure City has also been given the same treatment , Honda just needs to change the perception now!

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Rocketscience

I don't understand , why are they still using those old test drive vehicles , i mean the prospective buyers get disheartened and they must have been loosing customers because of this

Honda just needs to change the perception now!

IMO, to please customers, Honda just cannot give every customer a new car to assess every point they are looking. A test drive vehicle is ought to be abused and no harm in doing so. Think about the economies of scale as Honda has to produce so many TD vehicles that have to be available at most of the dealers so that as may customers as possible get the car to drive around and decide accordingly.

During the TD of my Ritz, the car that was sent was BAD! It is an understatement but I knew the new one will not be like the TD vehicle. I was just looking at the feel and overall impression.

Anurag.

[Rocketscience]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

IMO, to please customers, Honda just cannot give every customer a new car to assess every point they are looking. A test drive vehicle is ought to be abused and no harm in doing so. Think about the economies of scale as Honda has to produce so many TD vehicles that have to be available at most of the dealers so that as may customers as possible get the car to drive around and decide accordingly.

During the TD of my Ritz, the car that was sent was BAD! It is an understatement but I knew the new one will not be like the TD vehicle. I was just looking at the feel and overall impression.

Anurag.

Fair enough anurag , but my point here isn't that they should get new test drive cars time to time and the car should be in mint condition , City test drive vehicles are not noisier and harsher because they have been abused , the production cars (or the cars which were actually delivered to the customers) have better NVH levels because Honda clearly worked on the car to make it so , they must have beefed up the insulation and tuned the engine.

My point is they should provide the updated cars and not the initial batch (which were given to the reviewers and are being used as test drive vehicles) , for they might loose some customers by not doing so because the NVH levels were very high in those cars and can be a deal breaker.

Say if Hyundai works on the turbo lag of the i20 , and the car becomes responsive from lower rpms as opposed to 2k RPM of the earlier cars , should'nt they be providing the updated cars as test drive vehicles ?

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Rocketscience

My point is they should provide the updated cars and not the initial batch (which were given to the reviewers and are being used as test drive vehicles) , for they might loose some customers by not doing so because the NVH levels were very high in those cars and can be a deal breaker.

I understand your point sir. Fully agree with you. But just think on economies of manufacturing, Honda will not do it in this situation. I know customers can come to a conclusion after the TD saying that the New City is noisy hence not worth the money, Honda could eventually loose sales.

But I am still reserved that the TD vehicle that was dedicated since inception will be there till it falls apart or the car itself has a major changeover.

Anurag.

[vsrivatsa]

Originally Posted by Rocketscience

My point is they should provide the updated cars and not the initial batch (which were given to the reviewers and are being used as test drive vehicles) , for they might loose some customers by not doing so because the NVH levels were very high in those cars and can be a deal breaker.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

I understand your point sir. Fully agree with you. But just think on economies of manufacturing, Honda will not do it in this situation. I know customers can come to a conclusion after the TD saying that the New City is noisy hence not worth the money, Honda could eventually loose sales.

The City has just crossed the 50,000 (URL) sales mark this month and seems to cross the 7,000 units barrier every month. Given this situation, Honda is too busy in delivery of the bookings that are coming their way. I guess they wont bother to make those updates for a long time simply because the demand is more than what they can supply currently...

[damager21]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

I am very impressed by the end result, and I must say the LED DRLs are really, really bright. Everyone who has noticed it till now has commented how wonderfully bright they are, and how pathetic the stock lights (low beam, high beam, fog lamps) look all around it.

Those DRLs look quite smashing! Do the DRLs switch ON as soon as you power the car or have you connected them to any switch / control which gives you more control to switch the DRLs ON / OFF depending on your requirement?

Also, how easy is it to maintain the beige interiors, would you have preferred grey interiors?

I think City looks very good in white and darker shades like yours.

[Chalu]

I own 2013 Honda City, recently I went on a drive on the New Honda City of my colleague. There were some rattles in a month old car and also felt that the New city has lots of bells & whistles but Honda has compromised on the quality and doesn't feel sturdy compared to my old city. I was looking to exchange my City to the new one but after this experience having second thoughts. Have people experienced the same? Any advise

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by Whiplash7

I own an amaze idtec and was quite disappointed with the noise levels especially at higher speeds in the highway. But the goods news is that it gets better and smoother once the engine runs in. Don't expect a huge improvement but I'm sure your family will stop complaining.

I can testify to this as well. Empress's NVH levels have definitely improved a lot from the initial days, specially in the 1.5K-2.5K RPM band.

Originally Posted by smsrini

Thanks for the update Whiplash7. I'm wondering if it will make a difference if you apply sound damping sheets like dynamat or the Wurth spray on, to the firewall from the inside of the car.

Anyone tried this ?

It might, but it won't be a long-term solution. Some others have reported lesser NVH levels after getting the underbody Anti-Rust treatment done, so that's another tried-and-tested way of doing it. The manager of my dealership also affirmed this as well.

Originally Posted by Rocketscience

Hey , well first of all , the only thing getting between me and this car initially were the very high noise levels and the harsh drive, i went ahead and bought the car anyways but to my surprise there was a huge difference in the overall NVH levels between the car i got and the test drive cars (initial batch) , so much so that my car is more refined than the vento/rapid diesel (till about 3k rpm), and the NVH Levels are no longer bothersome and certainly not a deal breaker.

The i-DTEC is definitely more refined than the TDIs powering the Vento/Rapid twins. With time, the refinement levels go further down. Also, Honda engineers are working hard on bringing down the harshness of the i-DTEC as well. Several new i-DTEC owners are reporting this in the official City thread - the NVH levels in new City diesels is definitely a few notches lower than the initial batch(es).

I would suggest to anyone thinking of the City diesel, to not go by the engine harshness of the test drive cars. Think in terms of the Maruti DDiS and it's clatter, and you will have a good idea of how the newer i-DTEC powerplants will sound.

Originally Posted by damager21

Those DRLs look quite smashing! Do the DRLs switch ON as soon as you power the car or have you connected them to any switch / control which gives you more control to switch the DRLs ON / OFF depending on your requirement?

Also, how easy is it to maintain the beige interiors, would you have preferred grey interiors?

I think City looks very good in white and darker shades like yours.

Nope, the ACC points are the ones which power up when the ignition is turned ON, so the DRLs are connected to Empress's ignition. Turn the key to "ON" position, and the DRLs switch on, turn key "OFF" to turn DRLs off as well. My main requirement is that the DRLs be on throughout the day, specially in these heavy rains, so I don't need a separate ON/OFF switch, per se.

Really tough to maintain. I am using transparent plastic mats over the Nomad mats which I had installed a few months back, to tackle the continuous rains and muddy roads around me. The OEM beige mats are much further down, and safe from exposure. As for the seats, the Autoform set is doing it's job. I am a cleanliness maniac so rub all seats clean before calling it a night. The rest (doorpads, armrest, etc.) are taking care of themselves. So far, so good.

Thank you. The Golden Brown Metallic shade looks royal, and is receiving a lot of compliments from all people around me. It's a pain to keep it clean through this season, though. I am washing her every 2 weeks, despite the dirty exteriors. It's annoying to see the dirt but no use washing her regularly to see her become dirty the very next day.

Continuous rains around these parts, stretching from July till Diwali. Great for farmers, pathetic for car owners!

Originally Posted by Chalu

I own 2013 Honda City, recently I went on a drive on the New Honda City of my colleague. There were some rattles in a month old car and also felt that the New city has lots of bells & whistles but Honda has compromised on the quality and doesn't feel sturdy compared to my old city. I was looking to exchange my City to the new one but after this experience having second thoughts. Have people experienced the same? Any advise

I agree. The 3rd-gen City was a bit more sturdy and had better fit-and-finish and overall quality than this generation. Even the color quality has gone down quite a bit. If you are keen for this generation's City and all those wonderful features, it's a worthy upgrade, specially if you are thinking of the diesel option. Otherwise, I would suggest to you to stick to your City, until this generation's one sees a facelift, with (possibly) better build and quality.

[dre@ms]

Excellent write-up buddy. Pictures make equal justice. Empress with your princess is Gorgeous!!!

The DRLs look pretty neat and reminds me of Iron Man. BTW, where did you source the door visors? They look pretty neat and love its style and design. Will it fit my 2012 City?