Honda City Vtec-20000 km report - updated to 52000km

[Jaggu]

not necessarily.. i would say the engine is bad and burning oil.. lol.. which is not the fact..

so this leads to the good ol debate of mineral vs synthetic oils.. and as far as i know, synthetics are better than mineral after the intial run in periods..

and yes vtec valves require better lube but loads of finer machinery with even complex valves than vtec uses synthetics right?

[Rtech]

not necessarily.. i would say the engine is bad and burning oil.. lol.. which is not the fact..

well, that's a different point!! Oil "X" getting dirty sooner than oil "Y" in the same engine would mean that Oil "X" is doing a better job.

so this leads to the good ol debate of mineral vs synthetic oils.. and as far as i know, synthetics are better than mineral after the intial run in periods

I don't think there is much of a debate anymore though. Many new vehicles, with their tight tolerances, come straight from the factory with fully synthetic oil in them.

and yes vtec valves require better lube but loads of finer machinery with even complex valves than vtec uses synthetics right?

I would think the Vtec would thrive on fully synthetic oil. The "Honda" oil is semi synthetic. However, it does seem to be doing a good job seeing the almost complete absence of any engine failures on Honda's!

If it ain't broke, why fix it

[GTO]

so this leads to the good ol debate of mineral vs synthetic oils.. and as far as i know, synthetics are better than mineral after the intial run in periods..

Totally Jaggu, there is just no comparison between the regular oils and synthetic. I use only Mobil 1 in all my cars and the superior lubrication and level of protection can be felt from the minute that you start the engine. My Mahindra Jeep has done 1,07,000 with yet healthy levels of compression compared to other Jeeps which require an engine rebuild after 80,000 kms. The Esteem still revvs as freely as it did when new (1,30,000 kms) and the Merc/Vtec are far smoother and free-revving than other examples.

Ajmat, Shantanu and other BHPians...just go and pick up a can of Mobil 1. Its one decision that you will stick to for life.

GTO

[Floyd de Souza]

Hi there guys...this is my first post and I thought that this topic would be the right one to start. synthetic vs mineral..the age old debate. Well I own a Palio S10 and decided to use Mobil1 5W50 after the warranty period was over i.e Sep'04. The recommended visc. is 15W40 and though I feel 0W40 would have been a better option, I couldnt find it anywhere. Have I noticed any benefits with the switch? For starters...engine seems to run cooler and slightly smoother(I get my car serviced every 3 months and have the oil/filter changed so it was difficult to notice a real difference in smoothness). I havent changed the oil/filter after switching to Mobil1. There has been a negligible improvement in FE(probably 0W40 would have given me a noticeable improvement)...Yeah guys, the Vtec is a great car and I would have probably gone in for one hadnt they stopped it..But no regrets with the S10...great engine, ride..built like a tank..iffy quality but worth every pie I have spent. And I think a shift to synthetic oil will help in the long run. I used it on a M800(probably overkill) after 90kkm and there was a 1kpl improvement in FE...this was about 7yrs ago. The new synthetic oils are even better.

[Rehaan]

Hi Floyd,

Welcome.
Since you are from bombay why do you feel that the 0W40 would be better than the 15W40 ???

cya
R

[Floyd de Souza]

Hi,
Mobil1 is not available in 15W40 so the best compromise would be 0W40 with which comes measurable FE benefits..Thanks for the reply

[ajmat]

So I've been driving Ford Focus's, Fiesta's, Ferrari's Evo V's, X5's, Merc C 220 's - so whats it like getting back into the Vtec

1: Comparatively well put together compared to the Fords
2: Engine is smooth except for the BMW
3: Steering felt loose and not that direct- after the firm steering feel of the others - understeer at low speeds is awful, you need to keep shuffling your hands - very un-racing style
4: Gears - smooth but they like slow downshift compared to the Fords
5: Brakes - good but they are a generation behind - not the cars fault

[GTO]

After driving those supercars, just the use of words like "smooth, good and well put together" by you says a lot about the Vtec.

Most bang for the buck! And throw in some practicality too.

GTO

[ajmat]

30000 km service - car picked up promptly on time

"any complaints sir? "
"errm no, except for some rattling + a wire loose under the dash" (stupid hifi installer!)

Car departs

Phone call from supervisor

" did oil and filter change, nothing else needed to be done, no rattling could be found after we took it for a test"

6.00 PM car arrives - bill for Rs 1900 (200 is pick up and drop charge). My wifes M 800 cost me around Rs 2500 for its 30k service. Mid range response improved.

Only gripe - windows are smudged

Performance but no drama = Vtec ownership. You pay a premium for the quality and the latter shows

[Shan2nu]

6.00 PM car arrives - bill for Rs 1900 (200 is pick up and drop charge). My wifes M 800 cost me around Rs 2500 for its 30k service.

Many are gonna find that hard to believe, aren't they? My 30K service bill was Rs. 1,500 and 45K service was Rs. 1092.

Performance but no drama = Vtec ownership. You pay a premium for the quality and the latter shows

Yup, 5 years down the line, you end up spending a lot less than you think you would have.

"Touchwood"

Shan2nu

[aveek]

My cars last service was at 83000 Km... my total bill was 6000 bucks cause they had to (finally) replace the oil seal and put in new oil(routine), fix the A/C coils(a wire went loose), and check the clutch. It had become slighty hard after half way, before which it would melt under the foot. is this normal, or is it something that has happened to only my car? I've had the car for 5 years now, and otherwise there's been no reliability issues.

[Rudra Sen]

Had a short spin on Sunday. My first tiny experience on VTEC.
Smooth, light weight and faaast. Ajmat, highways calling us. Let's just go for it. Pleeeeease.

Umm, you need to let me know when, because...

[ajmat]

[quote=Rudra Sen]Smooth, light weight and faaast. Ajmat, highways calling us. Let's just go for it. QUOTE]

If psycho does not mind me saying - it describes the Ferrari 360 on a much smaller scale except for the balance part - but oh the torque at low speeds.

I don't know if you noticed the bling mobile blasting on your tail. It could match you upto 30 km/h and then the vtec starts its heavy breathing

[GTO]

It could match you upto 30 km/h and then the vtec starts its heavy breathing

Boy, I love Vtec heavy breathing moments. Actually I love most of lifes "heavy breathing" moments

Mr. Powerbox (Rtech) had a high revving moment the other night in my Vtec. His comment "Powerbox this, powerbox that, Turbo Diesels and CRDis. And then you drive a high revving petrol and you know what you have been missing on"

Sometimes, I see my Vtec like a really high powered gokart - Its unbelievably chuckable (especially after the C220 and the CJ3B). On a lone saturday night, gunning the Vtec is makes me feel like a kid who has got free coins in a video game arcade.

Its entertainment...uncensored.

GTO

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by GTO

Sometimes, I see my Vtec like a really high powered gokart - Its entertainment...uncensored.

GTO

Then fit a strut brace, put decent tyres then you'll end up having to ban yourself from the forum......but I still think the old Peugout 205/309 GTi's have the best fwd chassis's