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Hey guys. how is every one doing?

I am a newbie to this forum and have given some details about myself in the intro section.
I own a cedia sports(black) which I bought in January 2008. In six months I have logged 3500kms(not a lot).I did a lot of research, test drove a lot of cars before I finally came to the conclusion that cedia for its price, features and driving comfort is simply unbeatable. I managed to get 45,000 discount from metro motors (it was hard work man!) and got the registration done in Thane which saved me another 50,000. So ended up paying 9,50,000 on road for this beamer.

There is a lot written about how good the cedia is on this forum and I fact every thing is true. So my review isn’t going to be significantly different from the rest (except for few things about the car on which I have some questions. I have mentioned them in the next para) But since I am a member of this excellent forum which has helped me a lot during my car research days, its becomes my duty to do a bit of writing myself( make no mistake I am a lazy bone). Cedia experience in one word is superb! Loads and loads of driving pleasure is what this car gives. Push the seat as far back as your leg length permits, adjust the seat height and steering to its lowest setting, buckle up and hit the open road.

What follows is ecstasy... Engine feels to be very refined. It’s not a stonker as in the corolla but not far behind either. Initial pickup is little less(my be this is where the corolla scores over cedia) but it makes up for it after 40kmph and when the taco needle goes over 2500rpm, u get a surge of acceleration . When driving on uphills if u loose momentum, it takes time to built up speed in higher gears without downshift. But the engine never faultier or there is no knocking. The gear shift quality is good and it smoothens out with every km (right now my car has smooth shifts). The car is a breeze to drive in city because of very good all round visibility that it offers (no blind spots) and a very torquey engine. Minimum gear shifts are required and the engine pulls even from speeds between 15kmph to 20knph in third gear.

Suspension is a perfect balance between ride and handling. The interior quality is excellent. Significantly better than the sx4, fiesta, Verna or city. Actually there is no comparison. I just mentioned these cars cause loaded versions of these car are just a lac cheaper. Cabin is virtually sound proof. There is no continues humming sound of the suspension, wheel bearings or tyres which creeps in when the windows are up (lot of cars have it). Road noise only filters in when going at high speeds on cement roads and roads with rough surface. But is within limits. High speed stability and steering feel is very confidence inspiring (though I would recommend every one to keep both hands on the steering wheel when going above 130kph irrespective of which car u drive). I have managed to touch 170kph and could constantly and comfortably cruise at 140kph on Mumbai pune express highway which was my only long drive.

I have calculated fuel efficiency of the car four times and was always around 9.5 to 10 kpl (city driving conditions with a/c on). Cooling of the a/c is pretty good. Gets chilly when cruising on highways. After six months of driving there is nothing about the car which I have found inconvenient except for the black color. Boy oh boy. All aspiring black car buyers who envy black car owner and dream of getting a black car one day (like me) think twice before putting your dreams into reality. Cedia looks best in black(my opinion). When clean it looks hotter than Pamela Anderson. But the problem is it stays clean only for an hour after u have cleaned it. In no time a layer of dust makes itself visible and its thickness keeps increasing with the stroke of every hour .Believe me this can get really really frustrating. Any ways coming back to cedia as a car I think it is an excellent all rounder well suited for Indian driving conditions. I have made very few wise decisions in my life and buying the cedia is one of them.

Buying a black cedia is also one of them but only when it’s clean! Haha! I would recommend cedia (sports or select) to all people who want a petrol sedan with their budget between 7.5 to 8 lac stretchable to 9 to 9.5 lac. If not stretchable bad luck guys as it will be a big miss for a smallest of margin.

Now I have some questions to all cedia owners. One is regarding the tyres. There is a “THUD” noise which comes from the front tyres when the car goes over metal strips between two sections of a flyover bridge and also over long deep and wide cracks on the road. Is it because of the tyres? Will other tyres be quieter? Another thing is regarding the a/c. I have experienced that the frequency of the compressor switching on and cutting off is very high. Some times it comes on for just 2 sec and again goes off. Is it same with all cedias? Is the system suppose to work that way? Twice when I was driving up hills in traffic which involved a lot of half clutch operation, a/c compressor started cutting off and coming on with a loud “TAK” sound.

On both occasions the sound disappeared after some time. The first time when it happened I switched off the a/c and directly headed to metro motors. But made a fool of my self cause when the service guys started the a/c the sound refused to appear. Has any one experienced the same? Can the compressor actuator (thermostat) be affected by the driving conditions i.e. half clutch operations? Is there any connection between the compressor actuator, clutch and the accelerator? Cause after my experience I feel there is. Another question is can I fit a shark fin active radio antenna? If yes where should I get the fitting done? And one more question, any tips on maintaining a black car?

Hope this write up helps.
Thanks.

Note from Team BHP Support: Edited to make it more friendly to read, advice you to preview the post before submission for the same.

Hi pete, late cograts on your cedia. Nice test report! So, you seem to be really pleased with your car, after all its rally throughbread.
Engine is a bit lethargic, hope mitsubishi had done some justice to the rally fame.
Ride & handling are surely best in class.
Huge discounts are order of the day for slowly moving models.
Regarding the thud, this is sometimes usual over metal strips on bridges, I experience on my corolla too. What is your tyre brand & are they tubeless? If they are tube type, replace with tubeless.
A.C. needs to be checked, its not normal.
Black is the colour of my car too. Get a coating done- 3m or teflon. Wash with water & soft cloth, avoid harsh detergents.

What is the pressure on the tyres of your car? Maybe the "Thud" is due to stiffer tyres due to more air pressure. Try 28 PSI on all tyres and see the difference.

congrats pete, cedia is a great drivers car.

I use around 30psi on my stock cedia tyres and dont feel any harsh thud like you have mentioned. Check with 30 psi and let us know.

The AC compressor cut off sound is absolutely normal. Happens on my car as well and initially I was concerned. Lathangi (the service center here until recently) showed me the same sound in their test drive car and told me there's nothing to worry about. I guess since then many others have posted about it and its just there on all cars.

About the thud noise... well i get it too but it has reduced a bit since I changed tyres to michelins. Again nothing really to worry about.

Congrats pete on your beauty. I own a cedia and I usually drive it with radio on at level 1 or 2. So I should also hear the thermostat ( my refrigerator makes that TAK sound ), but I never hear it inside the cabin, never in my 250 kms as of now.
Regarding the front side THUD sound, I would advice you to take a similiar car and under similiar conditions ( open/closed window, same speed ) take it over the same road. In some flyovers the sound comes even from my bike due to an improper set up of the gap. Just check with other vehicles and then you would know for sure, whether its a problem or not.

Congratulations Pete. I also have Cedia sports(m Red) for the last 8 months and enjoying every moment.
Regarding 'Thud' sound, please check tyre pressure; I think 28 should be fine.

Hey guys. Are all of you cedia owners running 28psi on your stock tyres?? By the way I think the guide says something like 2.1 kgm or something. So what does this translate to in PSI?

I agree with reignofchaos.
The noise does reduce a bit if you switch to michelin 205 PP2.
also the ride and handling both improve considerably.
On the joints (which is a common thing on concrete roads), I find the noise and the jerk more acceptable after switching to michelins.

I prefer 28psi on city roads, at 30psi, the ride becomes slightly bumpy.
I've tried 30psi on highways, but not seen considerable improvement in fuel consumption, not sure if everyone would agree !

28 psi is the cold air pressure. If you have driven for more than 2-3 kms before you stop for an air fill, you should get 30-32 psi

Checkout Online Conversion - Pressure Conversion

I guess you need to select
Kilogram force/Sq Centimeter
To
Pound / Square inch

2.1 kilogram-force/square centimeter = 29.869 021 002 pound/square inch

yes the a/c switching on and off frequently is also the case with my cedia. and sometimes there is a "tak" sound. the first time i heard it i thought "there goes...somethings wrong" but then deduced that as normal behaviour pattern.

Welcome to Cedia CLub Pete..
I bought my Cedia Spirit in Sept-2007 and have just done 6000+ kms. Till date touchwood. Never a problem.

for your Q#1, I observed this during early days. I had had a Camry earlier when I was in Gulf and had the same thing cutting off and on frequently. I used to do this - If you are going for a long drive, keep the Temp controller at "Coolest" when you start and when your cabin is fairly cool enough and just when the compressor cuts off, turn the temp knob setting to a bit less cooler side. This helps the thermostat to back up. Then the compressor cuts in only when the cabin temp reaches higher than the previous setting. Then onwards, it takes more time to cut off and cut in. Try and tell us the results.

For Q#2 on tire pressures, I keep 28 psi on all 4 tires and its just smooth-ride. If you are driving alone or just 2, 28 psi is more than sufficient for stock tires. If you are full-capacity and on long drives, pump it up a bit to 31 psi, for firmer road feel.