Team-BHP - Honda Brio SMT (O) - Ownership Review, 5 years and 40,000 kms

Quote:

Originally Posted by puchoo (Post 3304957)

I dealt with two of them Automax Honda in Bikaji Gama place , they are right next to the Skoda showroom. The second one was South end Honda in Select City walk Mall , Saket Between the two , will probably go with Southend. This was about a year ago when i was toying with the idea of maybe buying a City instead of the T-Jet (since it had gone out of production) and then again for my grandmother who eventually did buy a city from them.

Ok thanks, I have dealt with Automax Mayapuri so far. Let me check with Southend also before closing the deal.

Hi gpa,

I have a brand new SMT. got a query for you. Couldn't get a clear reply on another thread.

While going through the options in the audio system I realised that in the Sound Fad option the sound volume level in F9 is much more than R9.

Basically the Front speakers are much louder than the Rear speakers.

when I turn the knob full towards the front/forward 2 speakers ie F9 position the sound output/level is much more than when I turn the knob full towards the rear/back 2 speakers at R9 position.

Is this normal or have have i received defective Rear speakers ?

Thanks a ton.

2012 and 2013 Updates!

The Brio has been driven very minimal over the past one year, primarily since I no longer use the cars to drive to work and I have been traveling extensively over this past year. I completed the last II free service on December 26, 2012 last year at the odo reading of 5216 kms. Below are the details:

II free service update

Engine oil (3.8L): Rs.1,216
Oil filter: Rs.202
Drain plug: Rs.20
Total (incl VAT) Rs.1,439

Since then, the car has barely been driven and had clocked 8500 kms recently so I decided to give it for the annual service at Magnum Honda, Yeshwantpur this morning.

I drove in and delivered the car around 10:00 am meeting the Service Manager Mr. Thomas who took the car and passed it on to a S.A after completing an inventory. The total projected bill is ~Rs.3,300 and delivery is this evening.

I need to take the car for a full WA, WB and WR and will go to Madhus some time early in the morning this week. I'll post a full report about the Service and the FE stats shortly.

~gpa

Quote:

Originally Posted by rana_kirti (Post 3305009)

While going through the options in the audio system I realised that in the Sound Fad option the sound volume level in F9 is much more than R9. Is this normal or have have i received defective Rear speakers?

Its possible that the rear speakers could be defective. I have not had such a problem on my car. Why don't you take it to a H.A.S.S and ask them to do a diagnosis. Don't try fixing this yourself since the car is under warranty.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vjautofanatic (Post 3304947)

I experience a lag in 2nd gear sometimes with AC on and when i am light footed . This lag is not there when the revs are higher. Did you notice this ? Or is it only me and my driving behaviour

Congrats and welcome to the club! The Brio is a wonderful car to drive indeed!

Yes, if you are on low revs and upshift (~1200-1500 RPMS) you will experience a slight lag with the a/c on. When I drive normally without the a/c I upshift from 2nd to 3rd gear ~1900-2000 RPM but with the a/c on, I usually upshift ~2100-2300 RPM to counteract this lag. Its an almost imperceptible change but the slightly higher RPM means that the engine does not lag and power delivery is seamless. Try it and it will work!

Cheers,
gpa

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpa (Post 3320739)

thanks I went to the dealer. There a service engineer helped me try the stereo in 3 different brios and it was the same sound as my car in all of them.

So now my doubts are clear. I guess the stereo is designed by default to be a bit louder in the front than in the back. Its sounds perfectly alright. ... i'm enjoying my car :-)

FE Update

As of today, Jan 18, 2013 - the Brio has covered 9119 kms. The FE for the past 5,000 kms has been as follows:

Odo: 3812 kms, Trip: 472 kms, Litres: 33.13, FE: 14.20 kmpl
Odo: 4263 kms, Trip: 451 kms, Litres: 30.31, FE: 14.87 kmpl
Odo: 4749 kms, Trip: 486 kms, Litres: 32.47, FE: 14.96 kmpl
Odo: 5238 kms, Trip: 489 kms, Litres: 32.32, FE: 15.10 kmpl
Odo: 5708 kms, Trip: 470 kms, Litres: 33.38, FE: 14.08 kmpl
Odo: 6146 kms, Trip: 437 kms, Litres: 34.55, FE: 12.64 kmpl
Odo: 6632 kms, Trip: 485 kms, Litres: 07.21, FE: 14.03 kmpl
Odo: 6796 kms, Trip: 164 kms, Litres: 07.21, FE: 11.37 kmpl
Odo: 6905 kms, Trip: 109 kms, Litres: 21.32, FE: 15.11 kmpl
Odo: 7283 kms, Trip: 333 kms, Litres: 06.85, FE: 15.61 kmpl
Odo: 7362 kms, Trip: 125 kms, Litres: 13.26, FE: 18.24 kmpl
Odo: 7586 kms, Trip: 223 kms, Litres: 34.05, FE: 16.81 kmpl
Odo: 8100 kms, Trip: 514 kms, Litres: 34.16, FE: 15.04 kmpl
Odo: 8602 kms, Trip: 502 kms, Litres: 33.21, FE: 15.11 kmpl
Odo: 9119 kms, Trip: 517 kms, Litres: 31.49, FE: 16.41 kmpl

There has been a consistent increase in the overall FE over this period. The car was driven completely in city traffic with a few runs to the airport and on the ring roads. The best FE achieved during the 5,000 kms period was 18.24 kmpl and the worst was 11.37 kmpl.

Given that I'm planning a few highway drives this year and that the car will cross the 10k kms mark, I only see the overall FE rise.

Cheers,
gpa

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpa (Post 3320731)

The total projected bill is ~Rs.3,300 and delivery is this evening.

III paid service update

General Check: Rs.123
Minor Paid Service: Rs.1,129
Engine Oil (3.8L): Rs.1,367
Oil Sump drain plug: Rs.21
Oil filter: Rs.150
Windscreen washer fluid: Rs.50
Consumables: Rs.318
Total (incl VAT): Rs.3,158

When I gave the car in the morning, a junior S.A tried to push an a/c cleaning treatment to me for Rs. 700 which I politely declined. I'm not sure why they did a battery test on a 18 month old car and charged me Rs.123 for it and I use my own windscreen washer fluid so I was a little miffed to find that they billed me Rs.50 for a sachet of it. I suppose the next time, I'm going to specifically write 'no extras' on the job card before I hand over the car. The interior upholstery had a few greasy smudges here and there but overall, I would rate this experience a 7 on 10.

Overall, the customer experience at H.A.S.S is still a far cry from that of Maruti. Then again, I have no reason to complain about the work and the car has no complained either and performed brilliantly.

Hi all,

I'm also happy with the Brio and feeling very proud to own a HONDA. Mileage is around 13 in city and 17-19 in the highways. It has completed 7500+kms. Second service has been done(10k service/6months). Cost was 1512.

But I have this strange issue with my Brio A/C as it gives a foul smell when the blower is turned on for the first time. It lasts hardly for 10seconds. Then it goes off and its all fine. Next time also when I take the car after a gap say(3-4 hours) the same smell for the first 10-15 seconds, then it vanishes. Have complained it during the service, they did some vent cleaning with some foam, but of no use as the problem still exists. I am worried!

Friends please let me know if anyone else has come across this same A/C issue and please advice me what should be done to fix this.

Regards,
SUNNY

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunnyman_46 (Post 3377762)

I have this strange issue with my Brio A/C as it gives a foul smell when the blower is turned on for the first time. It lasts hardly for 10seconds. Then it goes off and its all fine. Next time also when I take the car after a gap say(3-4 hours) the same smell for the first 10-15 seconds, then it vanishes

This is because of condensation on the cooling coil fins inside the a/c system. When you use the a/c and switch off and leave the car, water droplets condense from the cool air that still is present around the cooling coils. This water settles on the coils and tends to attract dust. Over time, this causes the foul smell that you are experiencing.

To solve this, run the blower for about 5 minutes after you switch off the a/c. This will ensure that the cool air is expelled and there's no condensation on the cooling coil fins and will stop the smell. I hope this helps.

The car completed two years of fuss-free ownership in May and since I had put off fitting a steering wheel cover since the time I bought the car, I finally got it done yesterday from Imperial Leathers. The fit and finish is OEM standard and attention to detail is great. The price was very reasonable too given that this is genuine leather. The Brio had a great chunky steering even before and now with this it looks and feels even better!

Steering wheel before the leather grip

Honda Brio SMT (O) - Ownership Review, 5 years and 40,000 kms-img_20140603_144201.jpg

Steering wheel after the fit. Note the stitching and attention to detail.

Honda Brio SMT (O) - Ownership Review, 5 years and 40,000 kms-img_20140603_183020.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpa (Post 3447764)

Hi gpa, nice review. Can you please share the contact details of imperial leathers and how much it cost you to do up only the steering wheel?
Also has the 3M underbody coating made any difference to the noise levels and refinement inside the car? Thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by rashreddy (Post 3451250)

Can you please share the contact details of imperial leathers and how much it cost you to do up only the steering wheel?
Also has the 3M underbody coating made any difference to the noise levels and refinement

You can contact Shivkumar on 94486-85679. For a genuine leather grip, it costed me Rs.800 including the stitching and fitting. The 3M treatment was done over two years ago and since it is the thicker finish, it probably has made a change in the refinement levels inside the cabin. Hitting the underbody and wheel wells results in a damp thud instead of the usual metallic clang.