[fordfreak]

10,000 KM update:-

Crossed the 10K mark on the ODO recently. It's taken a year and 8 months to bring up this milestone. Since the City is mostly self-driven by me, it's usage is significantly lesser than our other rides.

Since my last update, not a lot has happened. I had the car serviced in September and also gave it an interior and exterior polish treatment around the end of September. It now looks as shiny as the day it rolled out of the showroom! I have made it a habit to replace the smell freshener every three months, and that has helped in keeping my car smelling as fresh as ever.

Before switching off the car at the end of the day, I open and close all four windows and the sunroof just to keep the mechanism free and smooth. Despite this, I have noticed a difference in the speed at which each window rolls up/down. Any clues as to why this happens?

The rear-seat bottom seems to have worked itself loose and creaks when it is occupied. Will need to get this sorted out during my next service. Other than this, the car has not thrown up any issues whatsoever. Fuel economy has settled around the 9 km/l mark thanks to bumper to bumper traffic that I deal with on a daily basis. No other creaks or rattles have surfaced (*touch-wood*).

Next service is coming in March of 2018, so that is still a while away. Apart from the scheduled jobs, there isn't anything that I need to get done on the car.

[fordfreak]

ODO currently stands at around 11,300 and there isn't much to update about, other than the car has been running perfectly. The only issues at the moment are a couple of rattles that have cropped up inside the cabin. The first one seems to be coming from somewhere around the instrument cluster, while the second rattle is coming from either the LHS rear door or the LHS B-pillar area. Will have these looked into during the scheduled service in March.

Crossed this milestone about 8-9 days ago.

[fordfreak]

2 year update:-

Celebrated my car's second birthday on the last day of February. I can't believe where the last two years have flown by!

Looking back at the last two years, I can only think of the enjoyable drives, the smooth engine & gearbox, the car's ability to swallow up insane amounts of luggage and munch the miles without complaining, the comfortable interior, etc.

Barring a few minor issues here and there, it has been a trouble free experience with my car (as has been the case in the previous 3 Citys' we had/have). I honestly don't have too much to write about since I haven't faced any major issue.

Even after two years, the car still feels as fresh as it did when it rolled out of the factory. The paint finish is still as shiny as ever and the interiors still smell and feel new. To be fair, the car is the least used among all the others in our garage since it is 99% of the time only driven by me.

As a birthday present to my pride & joy, I'm planning on getting a polishing/detailing treatment done. Plus, I need to attend to a few small scratches on the front bumper. I will probably get time to have this done once my work travel ends towards the end of April.

Currently racked up a little over 12,000 kilometers on the ODO (10,000 of which was done by me). The scheduled service was carried out on the 5th of March and got quite a few minor things done.

Firstly, both the right-facing windshield washer nozzles had gotten blocked. They fixed one of them properly, but the driver side one still needs attention. Will get that looked into during the next service or sooner if it gets worse.

Secondly, a few rattles had popped up around the instrument cluster/dashboard and around the LHS rear door/B-Pillar area. They seemed to have solved all of these.

Thirdly, the car's Bluetooth was not being able to connect to my phone. Solved this myself by deleting all the paired phones and re-pairing them. Working fine now.

Lastly, the normal service was done as per schedule.

Overall experience with the service center was fine and I the work was done properly + car was returned in a clean condition. However, there were a couple of instances where I felt they were trying to make a quick buck off me.

I got a call from the SA saying my key-fob battery was low. I had never experienced this on my City and this issue wasn't there when I had handed the car over to them that morning. I politely asked him not to replace it as I had a new battery at home. Got the car back with the 'key battery low' light flashing on the instrument cluster. I'm guessing that they swapped my battery with one that was low on charge, to get me to buy a new one from them. It would be one hell of a coincidence that the key-fob battery decided to throw out a low charge warning the moment it arrived at the service center. Anyway, I swapped swapped that with the new one I had at home. Problem solved.

I was advised to change the front brake discs and pads as they had rusted and worn out, respectively. I haven't felt any decline in the braking performance whatsoever, thus declined to have this job done. I would be grateful if anyone here could educate me about how long the City's discs and pads last under normal usage conditions (car spends 99% of it's time in city traffic)?

Car is running perfectly as ever and I don't have anything as such to complain about. Looking forward to enjoying that nice i-VTEC more and more.

[fordfreak]

16,000 KM update:-

Its been a while since I updated this thread. But got a few new things to share, so here goes.

Battery - The battery had started becoming weak and I had been advised to change it. Continued using it till one fine day the car refused to start (someone had left one of the interior lights on the whole night). Recharged it and managed to make it last another month before it died again. Got a new battery (Exide) this month and solved the issue.

Body Rust - In under 3 years, the first signs of rust have shown up on the car. There are two small rust spots forming where the rear bumper meets the body on the LHS. I'll post a few pictures of these later. The SA is consulting his seniors if this can be fixed under goodwill.

Wheel Hub Rust - I had sent in my car today (31/10/18) for a check up as I could hear some minor grinding sounds whenever I turned the steering wheel while driving. The SA called me back after checking my car out and was horrified by what he had found. Attaching the pictures, so see for yourselves.

As per him, the car is dangerous to drive in this condition. He has said they will be changing the 'knuckle' and a few related parts and has advised to keep the at the workshop for now. This issue was observed on the front wheels only.

Anyone faced something similar?

Will have her back with me on Monday. Other than this, the car has been running perfectly in all senses. I've not driven her personally in a while since getting the new Altis.

[Durango Dude]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

16,000 KM update:-

Its been a while since I updated this thread. But got a few new things to share, so here goes.

Battery - The battery had started becoming weak and I had been advised to change it. Continued using it till one fine day the car refused to start (someone had left one of the interior lights on the whole night). Recharged it and managed to make it last another month before it died again. Got a new battery (Exide) this month and solved the issue.

Body Rust - In under 3 years, the first signs of rust have shown up on the car. There are two small rust spots forming where the rear bumper meets the body on the LHS. I'll post a few pictures of these later. The SA is consulting his seniors if this can be fixed under goodwill.

Wheel Hub Rust - I had sent in my car today (31/10/18) for a check up as I could hear some minor grinding sounds whenever I turned the steering wheel while driving. The SA called me back after checking my car out and was horrified by what he had found. Attaching the pictures, so see for yourselves.

As per him, the car is dangerous to drive in this condition. He has said they will be changing the 'knuckle' and a few related parts and has advised to keep the at the workshop for now. This issue was observed on the front wheels only.

Attachment 1813499

Attachment 1813500

Attachment 1813501

Attachment 1813502

Anyone faced something similar?

Will have her back with me on Monday. Other than this, the car has been running perfectly in all senses. I've not driven her personally in a while since getting the new Altis.

Looks like Honda Quality has become a myth. I've had problems with my 1.5 year old City CVT run 8000 kms with a scoured brake disc which they were pushing me to change, I gave them a piece of my mind and have mailed Honda India to replace them free, lets see what happens. My City with this quality will not last even 5 years. Good that I've retained my old car 2005 Elantra that I'm using now.

[fordfreak]

(Almost) 5 year update:-

Can't believe my car will turn 5 in February 2021. How time flies! Been over 2 years since I shared any update, so here goes.

ODO is now at about 32,500 KMs and the car has been running well. Been getting a steady average of 9-10 km/l in city driving conditions, so quite happy with that. The engine and transmission have been trouble free and still feel as fresh as the day I drove the car out of the showroom!

A few minor niggles have been dealt with over time as listed below.

• Starter Motor - Randomly started experiencing starting problems one day. It would sometimes take 10 -15 cranks to get the engine running. Got the battery checked and found it to be fine. The dealer diagnosed the problem as a faulty starter motor and changed it. Problem solved!
• Tyres - My car is still on it's stock rubber and still has a decent amount of tread left. Planning to get new rubber after another 5,000 KMs or so, especially since my usage has also reduced significantly post-lockdown.
• Rust - Had all the rust repaired about a year ago from a trusted body shop. So far only one area has started rusting again (driver's door). I've resigned myself to the fact that fixing rust spots on the car has become an annual affair. Decided to live with it and repair whenever I spot any. It is unfortunate how an almost 5 year old City has encountered rust on multiple occasions, but my 10 year old Altis is still rust free!
• Miscellaneous - The usual minor cabin / dashboard rattles still do raise their head occasionally, but nothing unmanageable thankfully. The leather on the steering wheel has faded very badly (not torn) and looks like someone has sprinkled talcum powder on it! The horn is very moody and changes it's tone every now and then. One of the power windows seems to occasionally go on strike and stop working, but then changes it's mind and functions normally.

Though there is no need for replacing my car, the minor niggles (and the positive reviews about the new-gen City) have given rise to a slight new car itch. In all probability, I will retain the City for another year or so before moving on to something new.

I still find my City relaxing to drive in heavy traffic, but the awful roads make the bouncy ride very painful. On good roads, it's relaxing as ever!

[fordfreak]

Not updated this thread in almost 3 years, as there wasn’t anything exceptional to write. Overall the City has been a fuss free car for us and has served us well. I still find it hard to imagine that the City has been with us for over seven and a half years!

Since the pandemic, our City’s role has changed quite a bit. It has become our office vehicle – serving as a pick-up / drop vehicle for our staff, doing some local deliveries, deliveries to transporter offices, etc., along with some home duties too. ODO is currently at about 71,500 kms.

Mechanically, the car is still solid. The engine and gearbox are still trouble free and there is no drop in performance since the day we took delivery. A few minor niggles had cropped up, but were sorted under Honda’s ‘Anytime Warranty’ (malfunctioning horn x twice and wing mirror motor). With our usage being 100% in heavy city traffic, the clutch has started to feel slightly hard, but still got life left in it. The suspension may need some TLC in another 10,000 km or so, I feel, but still good to go.

Rust was an issue I had mentioned before and it has continued to be an issue. Got all the rusted portions on the body repaired in June, 2023. Car came back looking spanking new. Hope the rust stays in check for a longer period of time though.

Unfortunately, my car’s uneventful routine changed on the 19th of August. While waiting at a red light, we got rear ended hard by a hired government vehicle (1st gen Swift Dzire). There was a biker behind us who got hit first and then the Dzire hit our car. The biker escaped without a scratch thankfully, while his bike was partially sandwiched between our car and the Dzire. Long story short, the Dzire driver got a sound beating and the matter got settled with the help of the police (who were very supportive!).
Looking at the damage, I was expecting my car to be out of action for atleast a month. But from the day I handed it over to the authorized service center (Pinnacle Honda), my car was back with me within 12 days! The quality of repairs performed was also top notch.

A shoutout to the staff at Pinnacle Honda, who have always been extremely prompt in every interaction. My car is also serviced by them, and I’ve not had any major reason to complain. The body shop advisor was a pleasure to deal with and kept me informed every step of the way. I did not have to ring a single time to request an update! Highly appreciate their consistently good service!

Relieved that no one was injured in this entire saga and also happy to have my car back in perfect working order once again. No plans of changing the City for the foreseeable future. Hoping for many more comfortable drives in her!

[EV_Head]

Can you also share post repair images, thanks. Also have you face any misalignment issues, or trunk lock malfunctioning?

[fordfreak]

Originally Posted by EV_Head

Can you also share post repair images, thanks. Also have you face any misalignment issues, or trunk lock malfunctioning?

The dealer (Pinnacle Honda) did a fantastic job with the repair. No paint mismatch, no misalignment, no opening / closing issue. The car looks, feels and drives exactly as it did before the accident. Attaching images as requested.

Before repair


During repair


After repair

All the replaced parts

[sreerknair]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

The dealer (Pinnacle Honda) did a fantastic job with the repair.

Attachment 2515282
During repair

Hi Fordfreak, May I know if this part was cut and removed and later welded together ? Or is this a replaceable part/panel of the body ?

[fordfreak]

Originally Posted by sreerknair

Hi Fordfreak, May I know if this part was cut and removed and later welded together ? Or is this a replaceable part/panel of the body ?

Hi sreerknair. If my understanding is correct, this part was cut out and replaced with a fresh new panel. The new panel was welded back in place. No old / damaged parts were repaired or reused.