[spadix]

Hello Professor! Nice to see you on my ownership thread . I hope your Alabaster Silver AT Civic is now free of all electrical glitches.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Agree with shuvc. First two services cost me Zero. I paid Rs,20 at teh second for a fuse I had managed to blow when lugging in the car fridge (cause unknown till date). In the first service they tried the usual tricks - undesealing, Teflon, Nitrogen all of which I declined.

I complained about a squeaking wiper blade under very light rain and they charged me INR 45 for wiper fluid (perhaps to soften the blade a bit). I should know whether that 45 went down the drain in the next light (not heavy) drizzle.

I wanted the under-body coating (peace of mind thing, really). It's just that the way the whole saga played out left a very bad taste in the mouth. Had I known the real cost upfront I would either have said no or figured out if I was OK with the cost.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I may add that while the first service was from the vendor - Pushp Honda, Kanpur the second was from Heritage Honda, Gwalior.

I'm going to Sundaram Honda (the only other act in town) for my 2nd service. If Sundaram also turns out to be a not-so-ideal place I'll just have to settle with the lesser of the two evils until I'm out of warranty cover. There's still a long way to go for that :(.

This is perhaps one of those few occasions when someone is sad that the warranty period is so long (4 years) because it means nothing other than those stupid authorized service centers all that while.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Consumption on an AT - 9.4km to 1200km, it is virtually 11 on the next tankful.

In all of the vehicles I've owned I've never experienced mileage improving after the first service. In fact, in the case of the Pulsar it actually dropped, because I started riding faster and faster after each service (as per the guidance in the owner's manual) even during the 2500-km long run-in period.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Have pushed it to 135kph and is stable as a rock.

Absolutely! The car felt really good in my last "speed run" at 142 kmph. I've never driven this fast on Indian roads. Never had a vehicle which could go so fast, really. So I'm being cautious about it. For instance, while the relationship between speed and braking distance is well-known, I am appreciating/understanding the effect much better now at these higher speeds.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

This is one of the first BS4 spec Civics to be delivered (on 1 June 2010, manufactured May 2010). The reversing sensors are standard but only with beeper! So the cost increase of Rs.10,000 is more than nullified by the drop of 20,000 due to the sensors.

Professor, I don't think the standard issue reverse parking sensors on the Civic V are worth 20k. The 20k part comes with all bells and whistles - distance read-out, shrill voice-overs and in-RVM display - going by what I heard on these forums. I think the part we have (and I like its minimalism) is probably worth 2k INR (at non-Honda prices) or 5k INR (at Honda prices).

Regards,
spadix

[spadix]

Some quick updates.

First of all, as I said earlier BQ is just absolutely malai makkhan still, so my fears about losing this character after the service were unfounded. I've started opening her up little by little with quick bursts of acceleration and boy, what an addictive feeling that is in this car! It brings a wide grin to my face every time I do that. Nimble, aggressive but sure-footed - that's the nature of the car now.

I can't wait to hit the ORR-Shamshabad-PVNR circuit again, if not a real proper highway dash!

I registered by complaints about the service at the Honda India website and there have already been one mail (from corporate) and two calls (from service center) with more to come I'm sure. So at least I'm getting heard !

Let's see what else transpires out of this episode, which I'll describe in detail as soon as I find time.

Regards,
spadix

[spadix]

Originally Posted by spadix

I can't wait to hit the ORR-Shamshabad-PVNR circuit again, if not a real proper highway dash!

And I did just that today. This was the first high-speed outing after the 1st service. The engine was super-smooth and I'm happy to report revs far more easily than it did before the 1st service. I don't know if they really changed something or it's just my perception.

I touched 161 kmph on a very straight, wide and empty stretch on the Outer Ring Road. There were heavy cross winds, so it was a tiny bit of work keeping BQ in her lane. Not a huge problem, though.

This lasted merely a second, however, because I observed a scary problem. The steering wheel started vibrating quite noticeably beyond 150 kmph (sometimes 139-140 kmph depending on the road surface). In my speed run before the 1st service, the car felt really stable at 142 kmph on roughly the same stretch of road. It didn't feel that stable today, and as I said, at 161 kmph it felt it was best to slow down immediately.

Everything is spot-on till 135 kmph, however.

In any case, I don't feel really comfortable doing such speeds on our roads. I don't see myself crossing 115-120 kmph on a regular basis. I wish there was a dedicated race track here that is easily accessible to occasional "testers" like me who would like to test out their own vehicles from time to time.

This is something I'll need to get checked during the 2nd service.

While I'm not finding time to provide a very detailed review of the 1st service experience, I thought I'll just mention the issues that I had reported. All of these were satisfactorily fixed. As I said earlier, the car feels like gold. It's only the people and their attitudes at Pride Honda Service that need some tuning.

Issues reported during the 1st service and their resolution (based on one week of observation now) -

1. Bad odour from AC vents when the blower is switched on after a very long time - Fixed
2. Rattle from rear parcel tray - Fixed (but a new rattle has developed on the front left side - either dashboard or door panel - today)
3. Squeaking wiper blade when there's very light rain (i.e. very small amounts of water on the screen) - Fixed
4. Squeaking clutch pedal - Fixed

Another development is that I seem to have mastered the art of wet-washing and cleaning a car. I've never done this regularly before on any of the cars we've owned over the years, and my first two attempts on BQ painted a very poor picture of my skills in this area. The black colour just made it worse. However, I've become almost perfect at it now. It takes me an hour (without the alloys, tyres and wheel wells) at least to do the job. I think the long-term proof will be in the number/intensity of swirl marks (which have increased tremendously in number after the 1st service) and the finish/gleam of the paint.

Regards,
spadix

[calm_cruiser]

@spadix - Did you put on black window tints on your ride ?. My mind is drooling at the thought of a black civic with black tints !. Also - talking about the black color, is it difficult to maintain; as in is it more prone to swirls appearing on it when wiped with a dry cloth etc ?.

Nice ride though - sorry to read about your silencer scraping our famous carkillers a.k.a speed breakers.

[spadix]

Originally Posted by calm_cruiser

@spadix - Did you put on black window tints on your ride ?. My mind is drooling at the thought of a black civic with black tints !.

No, haven't put any tints on it yet. Somehow I feel putting black tints will take the car's looks down 4-5 notches, unless it's a totally jet black tint which matches the car's shade. And that's very dangerous.

We (wife and I) are keenly observing other black cars on the roads. We found a couple with light black tints which looked decent, but we're still apprehensive.

For now we're driving around with clear windows, and we'll start hunting come February.

Originally Posted by calm_cruiser

Also - talking about the black color, is it difficult to maintain; as in is it more prone to swirls appearing on it when wiped with a dry cloth etc ?

Black is extremely difficult to maintain, as I'm finding out now in a manner that I'll never forget. That said, you spend the time on maintaining the car and it'll reward you with killer looks.

However, swirls are very clearly visible on black, even if you clean the car thoroughly of dust and make it look shining new.

Originally Posted by calm_cruiser

Nice ride though - sorry to read about your silencer scraping our famous carkillers a.k.a speed breakers.

Thanks, man! I will get the replacement tips as soon as I can find a shop that can brutally undercut Honda (who are quoting around 4800) in their pricing .

Regards,
spadix

[spadix]

I don't remember coming across this in the Civic maintenance costs thread, but after reading this post I wanted to enquire if any of the auto magazines came up with a similar article for the Civic.

Even if they did I think it may be pretty old considering the Civic is already a 4+-year-old model here, but I would still appreciate any leads in this regard.

Regards,
spadix

[vasoo]

Originally Posted by spadix

I don't remember coming across this in the Civic maintenance costs thread, but after reading this post I wanted to enquire if any of the auto magazines came up with a similar article for the Civic.

Even if they did I think it may be pretty old considering the Civic is already a 4+-year-old model here, but I would still appreciate any leads in this regard.

Regards,
spadix

I remember seeing a thread where somebody posted a pdf document of the prices of accessories and spare parts for cars in this category. I have attached a zip file here. Not sure how accurate and current the figures here are. Heard from a Cedia owners that the info is incorrect for that car.

[spadix]

Originally Posted by vasoo

I remember seeing a thread where somebody posted a pdf document of the prices of accessories and spare parts for cars in this category. I have attached a zip file here. Not sure how accurate and current the figures here are. Heard from a Cedia owners that the info is incorrect for that car.

Super thanks, vasoo! This is really helpful. Also thanks to whoever originally posted this on the forums.

Yeah I'll need to check the accuracy of these prices, especially considering that in Avi's Cruze thread the ORVM assy (1 side) was quoted as 9k whereas this document quotes something much lower, but at least in comparative terms there *shouldn't* be too much of a difference.

I'll take a print out of this and visit the dealer. They are somehow very cagey (deliberate) or unsure (not so deliberate) about these prices and never gave me convincing answers.

Regards,
spadix

[Motoringlover]

Hi Spadix - Congrats on the acquisition.

i have posted a similar set of questions for Shuvc also, and i totally forgot you are from hyderabad.

Mate - I am currently in the process taking the plunge of acquiring my dream machine. (Civic)

Lets just say am in search of some re-assurance. Please pardon me if i am being repetitive


1. How has the car been to live with – We have all spoken extensively about the GC issues, is this such a big problem for this car, I do recall you mentioning an issue with the exhaust hitting the bump, what exactly do u have to watch out for especailly with this car, cause on paper 170mm gc seems adequate and infact more than some of the cars, let me know your thoughts on this, this is been the single big issue at present on my mind.

2. Hyderabad - well with my limited experience of over 14 months has given me a fair share of what can it mean when it rains, how was your expereince with BQ, especially when we have to pass through stagnant water.

3. Any other general comments overall about the car ?

Your thoughts are much appreciated.

Motoringlover

[spadix]

Originally Posted by Motoringlover

Hi Spadix - Congrats on the acquisition.

i have posted a similar set of questions for Shuvc also, and i totally forgot you are from hyderabad.

Thanks, Motoringlover! I answered on shuvc's thread and then I realized that you may have posted the query here too. Anyway, I'll be happy to answer Hyderabad-specific questions in more detail here.

Originally Posted by Motoringlover

Mate - I am currently in the process taking the plunge of acquiring my dream machine. (Civic)

Lets just say am in search of some re-assurance. Please pardon me if i am being repetitive

1. How has the car been to live with – We have all spoken extensively about the GC issues, is this such a big problem for this car, I do recall you mentioning an issue with the exhaust hitting the bump, what exactly do u have to watch out for especailly with this car, cause on paper 170mm gc seems adequate and infact more than some of the cars, let me know your thoughts on this, this is been the single big issue at present on my mind.

Go for it! It's a sweet car which will keep you very happy and give you immense pride of ownership.

I'll help you out with what you need to keep in mind -

1. 170 mm sounds adequate, but pair it with the 2700 mm wheelbase and suddenly it's *very* inadequate.
2. Drop to 1st gear and speeds of around 3-5 kmph on the really big 'breakers, and you'll be fine, unless the car's fully loaded.
3. The car has huge front *and* rear overhangs, unlike most hatches. So slow down considerably much before you approach a 'breaker and don't build up speed until you've cleared it and put some distance.
4. Take 'breakers diagonally, traffic permitting. This technique has been known to help.
5. Don't let looks fool you. Even innocent-looking ditches and speed-breakers can have the car bottoming out even when you're the only load in the car. Remember point #2 above.

I've had many scrapes and underbody hits after that unfortunate silencer tip incident, but there's nothing to worry about. The car's pretty solidly built. I've looked at the underside of the car and it's the G-CON cage that takes most if not all of the hits. While that is definitely not good for long-term structural integrity/strength, you won't find parts falling off on a regular basis and there won't be any damage to plastics and other fragile components.

From my ownership diary, I see that I've had a total of 10 scrapes/hits to the underbody (1 major - where I lost the tip, 3 not-so-mild, 4 mild and 2 very mild) in 46 days and ~1570 kms of driving in Hyderabad. Most of these scrapes have been in the Jubilee Hills, KPHB and Lingampally areas which mostly have smooth roads with the occasional really bad and bumpy stretches.

Maybe 3-4 of these 10 were avoidable, but hindsight is always 20/20.

Originally Posted by Motoringlover

2. Hyderabad - well with my limited experience of over 14 months has given me a fair share of what can it mean when it rains, how was your expereince with BQ, especially when we have to pass through stagnant water.

You have to be extremely generous with the throttle and slip the clutch. The low-ish GC means that the front bumper is fairly low and so enough resistance gets built up when you're in a puddle. Couple that with the weak low-end torque and the car can stall easily in stagnant water if you aren't generous enough with the throttle. I had one heart-stopping moment in the puddle on the approach road to my apartment in August. Instinctively I just floored the throttle and the car came through. But this was only knee-deep water. I haven't taken BQ through waist-deep water and I don't *plan* on doing it. If I just happen to find myself in such a situation, well, we'll see about it when it happens!

Originally Posted by Motoringlover

3. Any other general comments overall about the car ?

Nothing beyond what I've already put in this thread and what has been said by others in their respective threads.

Regards,
spadix

[Motoringlover]

Thanks a ton Spadix. This really helps, i guess my heart is already set on this car.

[spadix]

Originally Posted by spadix

From my ownership diary, I see that I've had a total of 10 scrapes/hits to the underbody (1 major - where I lost the tip, 3 not-so-mild, 4 mild and 2 very mild) in 46 days and ~1570 kms of driving in Hyderabad.

Make that 11. On my way back home from work tonight BQ hit a 'breaker which she usually clears with ease. This fell into the "not-so-mild" category. I guess I was maybe 2 kmph too fast (or the road lost yet another inch of its surface) or something.

Originally Posted by Motoringlover

Thanks a ton Spadix. This really helps, i guess my heart is already set on this car.

Then just go for it! As episode #11 above proves, bad stuff will happen despite taking all precautions and heeding all warnings. Don't let that detract from the ownership of an otherwise wonderful car.

Referring back to my ownership diary again, I have no major issues other than the GC (which can't be fixed), poor headlamp and steering wheel vibration at 150+ speeds (both of which can be fixed).

Regards,
spadix

[Motoringlover]

Originally Posted by spadix

Make that 11. On my way back home from work tonight BQ hit a 'breaker which she usually clears with ease. This fell into the "not-so-mild" category. I guess I was maybe 2 kmph too fast (or the road lost yet another inch of its surface) or something.

Then just go for it! As episode #11 above proves, bad stuff will happen despite taking all precautions and heeding all warnings. Don't let that detract from the ownership of an otherwise wonderful car.

Referring back to my ownership diary again, I have no major issues other than the GC (which can't be fixed), poor headlamp and steering wheel vibration at 150+ speeds (both of which can be fixed).

Regards,
spadix

Thanks for the update spadix - But have you considered upgrading the stock tyres to 205/65/15, let me know your thoughts.

[spadix]

Originally Posted by Motoringlover

Thanks for the update spadix - But have you considered upgrading the stock tyres to 205/65/15, let me know your thoughts.

Motoringlover, I have two upgrades in mind -

HID headlamps
Tyres (mainly to cut out road noise and get slightly higher GC if I can)

Of course the ICE is a never-ending 3rd upgrade and I have some parts salvaged from my old car, some of which could do duty in BQ.

Right now however I'm too broke. Besides, I'll wait for around 6 months so that if there are any problems with the car that require warranty cover to be invoked I am in the clear.

Regards,
spadix

[mobike008]

Prashant, having read your feedback regarding BQ hitting the bumps 11 times in 1600kms approx. It sounds really bad.

This morning, I made a note of how many speed breakers that i cross each day. You would be shocked to know in my daily route, i cover 14 speed breakers one way. 8 in Rd.No10, 4 in Whisper Valley, 2 at Gachibowli

That's total of 28 speed breakers that i need to cross every single day.

All of them are bad where i slow down to 20-25kmph to cross them. 2-3 are really bad that i drop to 10kmph. Touchwood, till date WA hasnt hit a single bump

I am really glad that even with lower GC on papers but with a stiff suspension, it makes so much of a difference.