[AAAP]

Hello Folks,

My 4th Gen Honda City (5 years old) has aged pretty well. Of late couple of issues that seem to bother me.

1. A knocking sound from front left suspension when going over rough roads. Could it be broken / needs replacement. SA didnt seem very keen to replace.

2. This monsoon for the first time in 5 years, could notice moisture forming on the inside of glass windows and windscreen.

Appreciate if anyone has suggestions to tackle these. Thanks.

[ChoosetoCruze]

Originally Posted by AAAP

1. A knocking sound from front left suspension when going over rough roads. Could it be broken / needs replacement. SA didnt seem very keen to replace.

2. This monsoon for the first time in 5 years, could notice moisture forming on the inside of glass windows and windscreen.

1. Get it diagnosed by a trusted FNG. It may be a simple fix such as a worn/cracked rubber suspension bushing/mount. If the car is high mileage then it may be other things too, but have it diagnosed by a competent mechanic first.

2. Is your AC cooling the cabin without any complaints? Also have a read through this - https://www.carmudi.com.ph/journal/p...g-in-the-rain/

[AAAP]

Originally Posted by ChoosetoCruze

1. Get it diagnosed by a trusted FNG. It may be a simple fix such as a worn/cracked rubber suspension bushing/mount. If the car is high mileage then it may be other things too, but have it diagnosed by a competent mechanic first.

2. Is your AC cooling the cabin without any complaints? Also have a read through this - https://www.carmudi.com.ph/journal/p...g-in-the-rain/

As to the second point, the AC is working fine. the problem arises when the car is stationery usually under the elements (rain) during monsoon. Also the first time mould/moss formed on the leather seats, leather steering wheel and gear knob. I am suspecting some issues related to the window/door seals. Will get it checked at a Honda Service Center.

[ChoosetoCruze]

Originally Posted by AAAP

As to the second point, the AC is working fine. the problem arises when the car is stationery usually under the elements (rain) during monsoon. Also the first time mould/moss formed on the leather seats, leather steering wheel and gear knob. I am suspecting some issues related to the window/door seals.

It could be that. It could also be because the floor mats were still wet when you last locked the car abs then the resulting humidity & dampness caused the mould.

Checking the door & window seals should be easy with a pressure hose under a dry roof. If any of them are leaking, you shihkd be able to pinpoint it relatively quickly.

[Voodooblaster]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

The official City review thread for example spans 3000 replies - huge amount of data that reveals and conceals a whole lot of information about the product.

I was curious and decided to deep dive into these 3000 posts. I believe the results are rather convincing and requires a special discussion in itself. It was also interesting to note that the sheer quantity of data available was a limiting factor, and people tend to consider some of the problems as a 'one off' whereas it was reported a few hundred posts earlier by another member.

The Data:

Shown below are a summary of the complaints raised by various owners over a span of around 3000 posts in the thread.

Thank you CrAzY dRiVeR for mining data, and more importantly cross referencing it

We are not talking about thin sheet metal quality here. I agree that Honda City has received 5 stars in the ASEAN NCAP but we do not know if the same structural integrity makes it to the Indian market, so lets spare that topic here.

Have Honda tested their Indian spec 4th gen City in the 2017 facelift or BS6 avatar ?

Or at least the 5th gen city ?

Road Testing:

• At least five members complained about the car "twitching direction" at high speeds above 80kmph.
• At least nine members commented about severe visibility issues at night with the headlamp design and spread.
• No spy pics of the car till the official unveil. As GTO mentioned in the official review, it is safe to assume that the car was not tested on public roads in India.

What members had to say:


As the above quotes reveal - these are not just small issues, and have been reported by quite a few members. Could have been caught during the road testing of the product? If the version would have been road tested abroad (any spy pics on that?), would it be the Indian spec version that was tested?

Poor build quality:

• At least five members complained of misaligned panels.
• At least four members complained of poor paint quality. Prominent 'orange peel' effect seen in most cars.
• At least seven members complained of dashboard rattles (Very hard to set right!). At least 10 complained of rattles from cabin plastics.
• At least two members complained of ABC pedals vibrating when horn is pressed. Three complained of pulsating accelerator pedal.

Parts falling off!

• At least two members complained of dead pedal falling off.
• At least three members complained of door beading coming off.
• One member had the ORVM fall off while adjusting.
• Another member had the rear license plate lens cover fall off on day one.

Persistent Niggles (Required multiple visits to the workshop that rendered new car unused for one or two days):

• At least two members complained of rain water leakage in cabin.
• At least 11 members complained of grinding noise from the alternator belt in the iVTEC.
• At least four members complained of grinding noise from the clutch.

Design flaws and ergonomics

• Bluetooth is SV variant is useless due to mic positioning. No solution provided by Honda.
• Piano black finish and glass on console prone to scratches and peeling off! And it is provided for most used parts.
• Atleast seven members complained of back pain due to poor lumbar support plus choice of seat material.

Quality Control (or the lack of it):

• Two members had vapour misting in the headlamps and the units were replaced soon after delivery.
• Other reported issues include power socket not working in new car, remote key issues in new car, etc.
• As mentioned earlier, at least five members complained of misaligned panels.
• As mentioned earlier, at least four members complained of poor paint quality. Prominent 'orange peel' effect seen in most cars.

Should we expect better quality levels from Honda? Yes. If anything, team-bhp as a forum is the one thing that can really voice these opinions. City was / is a great product and the company has constantly kept it updated to keep up with the competition. I believe they will make note and make corrections sooner rather than later.

Has Honda resolved these problems in the 2017 facelift or at least in the BS6 iteration of the 4th gen city ?

I think we need to wait a few months to see if this has been resolved in the 5th gen City.

[car_guy1998]

We own a 2014 Honda City Diesel VMT at home, which was bought used in 2017 when the odo was 35000 Kms and now, it has run 1,08,000 Kms.

I have been facing some issues like hard power steering, which I've been observing since last 2 weeks (but not as hard as our Innova's steering, which is hard by default), horn stops working while honking (faced the similar issue in our 2011 Innova as well, which we eventually replaced the spiral cable, which costed Rs.15k) and after sometime, it works on its own (horn fuse might had gone kaput) and poor AC cooling, which I need to get it rectified soon as summer is here.

And, another issue is ABS warning light, which lits up on the odo every time I take the car. When I got it checked at Honda ASC, my SA told that ABS modulator had given up and to replace it, it will cost around Rs.40k and the car had extended warranty, which unfortunately, got lapsed in 2018.

BTW, this car was manufactured in the month of May 2014.

[Torq]

I was planning to go for a "premium" no hassle fill-it-forget kind of vehicle for dad. The king of C segment Honda City came to mind and we got a test drive of the newer as well as the outgoing 4th gen model.
Pricing makes the older model much more attractive, with ofcourse some missing features, features that we could probably live without.

I am still sifting through this enormous data dump. Thanks so much crazy driver for painstakingly compiling this.

[RJ2285]

Originally Posted by Torq

I was planning to go for a "premium" no hassle fill-it-forget kind of vehicle for dad. The king of C segment Honda City came to mind and we got a test drive of the newer as well as the outgoing 4th gen model.

I am still sifting through this enormous data dump. Thanks so much crazy driver for painstakingly compiling this.

I own a 4th-gen 2016 I-vtec and have clocked 65000kms. I assume Honda ironed out most of the issues faced by owners who bought cars from the initial batch of 2014.

Touchwood, I have not faced a single issue mentioned in the niggles thread in the 5.5 years of ownership.

[jna4cob]

Originally Posted by drjumbo

1. Suddenly one day while driving over small potholes I heard a metallic clatter that occured over soft bumps and continuously rough patches. After about 2 weeks of searching and frustration I could find it came from under the codriver seat. It could be easily recreated after banging on the backrest. This occured at about 3000 kms. Problem fixed with a smile at Prestige Honda Chandigarh. They assured me these kind of niggles are commmon. I was happy as it was the first instance and fixed in no time.

Could you please let me know how this issue was resolved? I am facing exactly the same issue and HONDA ASC says that this issue is common in honda cars and needs a replacement of the seat rail which costs Rs. 14,500.

[fordfreak]

I own a 2016 VX Petrol (Manual) with about 65,000 KMs on the ODO. While my car has never left me stranded due to any mechanical trouble since new, the overall body quality (other than engine, transmission, mechanicals & electrical components) of the 4th-gen City is definitely a low point for Honda in India.

The amount of rust on my car is just appalling. Additionally, I have already gotten rust repairs done in the past, as early as when the car was 3-4 years old. As a comparison, my 2010 Corolla Altis that has done about 1,19,000 KMs under the same usage / parking conditions, does not have a spec of rust anywhere.

Having owned each generation of the City till date (other than the current 5th-gen), I have noted a steady drop in the quality of steel / metal used by Honda in their cars.

While I like the 5th-gen City and would like to consider it as a replacement for my current 4th-gen City, I am very hesitant of dealing with rust issues again. Would appreciate any advice on the comparison between the body quality between the 4th & 5th-gen City.

I'll now let the pictures do the talking. Also, anyone else facing something like this?

RHS Rear Rocker Panel

RHS Front Rocker Panel

LHS Rear Rocker Panel

LHS Boot / Windscreen area

Center Boot / Windscreen area


RHS Boot / Windscreen area

[pravint]

Did you do any repair work or repainting on these panels few years ago ? Such issues are common when repair work is not carried out properly.

[scuderiamania]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

I own a 2016 VX Petrol (Manual) with about 65,000 KMs on the ODO. While my car has never left me stranded due to any mechanical trouble since new, the overall body quality (other than engine, transmission, mechanicals & electrical components) of the 4th-gen City is definitely a low point for Honda in India.........

Hi Fordfreak. Just to understand the situation, do get get the car washed everyday with water Hose? If so, I would highly recommend that you ask your cashwash guy to change the practice. To give you my example, my father had the habit of getting the car washed everyday. We are from Kolkata as well so weather / climate conditions will be same as yours. So the swift he had at the time started rusting horribly within 3 years to the point where the door section just above the window had a huge hole big enough to push your finger through. We had to get the door repaired from an FNG since ASC said the only solution was to change all the doors ( on a 3 year old car)!

After we got the car repaired, i changed the washing routine where the car was only dusted with a jopasu duster on a daily basis. Incase that wasn't enough (especially for days where the car had to be parked on roads or other sections without a shed) the cleaner would wipe down the car with a damp cloth after using the duster. Some forum members would say that that is a recipe for swarl marks, I simply get the cars polished once a year to counter the problem.

The swift was with is for a total of 12 years, 9 years post the repair job and the problem never recurred. We currently have a 2012 Honda City and a 2019 Honda Jazz. No rusting issues whatsoever.

[outdoorlover]

Originally Posted by scuderiamania

Hi Fordfreak. Just to understand the situation, do get get the car washed everyday with water Hose? If so, I would highly recommend that you ask your cashwash guy to change the practice.

I think it is a very good move. I can also share my personal experience of usually dusting my car with Jopasu duster and when it is really dirty, using a waterless car wash (from a concentrate) which gives the car a beautiful shine. Posting below the details of the concentrate that I use; hope that helps

BTW, I have a 2014 March Honda City VX CVT that I have driven in Gurgaon and extensively through the misty Himalayas and now in Bangalore and across south and there is no sign of rust yet on the car.

https://www.amazon.in/Proklear-Carna...zcF9hdGY&psc=1

[davelok]

I had a 2008 City when I lived in Mumbai. It developed serious rusting around the front and rear windscreens within a few years, with rain water getting in from the roof and into the cabin. The panel under the front windscreen went almost to pieces with the rusting, and getting it remade at a cost of Rs. 10-15,000 didn't stop the water ingress. I guess it was the Mumbai air and disinterested ASC that led to this. I had to scrap the car eventually (some years of disuse, different story) even though the engine and gearbox were still excellent.

This rusting issue, along with frequent wheel bearing replacements makes me think Honda isn't India-proofing its cars.

[Lavs]

I feel Honda only boasts of high quality.
I have Amaze 2018 model and the doors have already started rusting from below. I stay in NCR.
And this is when I make it a point of not washing it much since I bought it. It is not washed more than 2 - 3 times a year.
The stereo has connectivity issues, speakers are chattering, windows if slightly open start rattling in the top end Diesel Automatic model. There is a long list of quality related problems.
The engine and gearbox are fine, but mountings fail often.
It is sad state of affairs at Honda.