[300 KMPH]

Hello Bhpians! This is my first ownership experience in my 10 years of existence on Team-Bhp. I hope you enjoy it. So let’s begin. So if you’re eager to see the pics first, just scroll down to the bottom.

Let’s start with our beloved ex-Indica. We had a Tata Indica Petrol bought in 2003 and it used to have a lot of niggles now and then after 4-5 years of usage but was one hell of a car due to its naturally aspirated 1.4L 75 bhp MPFI engine. It was properly fast in those days and even had a B.A.R. free flow exhaust fitted by Viper Performance. We sold the car in 2013 in interest of adding other cars in the family. My brother learned his driving on the Indica and I got the basic driving lessons and driving knowledge on that car. It was the car which my mom used to drop me at the school and for her other petty works. Lot of memories attached to it. I actually cried when we sold it. Soon in 2013 itself, my dad and my brother got their cars for their personal use but my mom was practically not left with a car. So we started having a look for other affordable small cars for her. My brother checked out the Alto K10 and the Hyundai Eon for her. The Alto K10 was very fast but didn’t feel modern as such. The Hyundai Eon was properly an upmarket car. The interior quality and other bits were very impressive for its price. The engine wasn’t up to the mark but it was really an amazing package for the city. The budget was really small.

My family isn’t very interested in pre-owned cars because one never knows the history of the car no matter what the owner claims about it. There are some certain points which we understand only after spending time with used cars and a used car can never be reliable like a new car which is sort of true. But while exploring the options, there was a good friend of ours who wanted to sell his Honda Jazz. I had a wild thought of buying that car instead as it was always a dream to own a Vtec Honda but I thought I’m doing something stupid and didn’t share this thought with anybody. But after a few days, my dad exactly had the same thought of buying the same Jazz of our friend. What a co-incidence! My dad went to the Honda dealer and enquired about the parts availability and he was told that nothing is available with them of the Jazz and Jazz models were sold in pretty low numbers especially in the city of Nasik, Maharashtra. He immediately informed this to my brother who immediately called the Honda dealer in Mumbai and learned that all parts are available. If at all anything is not in stock, the parts can be ordered for the customer. Yes guys, we were seriously not into preowned or old cars so we didn’t know these things. So without thinking much, we offered the owner to buy his car. He gave us the car at a killer price. I wasn’t particularly unhappy about buying a preowned car because I had seen this car from day 1 and knew well how well the car was maintained. The Jazz had spent some of its life off roading to some extent. It had underbody scratches and the right door/s were repainted when a biker had rammed into it. We even had this car given to us a couple of times for usage when our car was unavailable due to scheduled maintenance or outstation trips. So we knew the car well.

After all the paperwork was done, the car was delivered to us at 10 p.m. on 31st May, 2014. The owner handed over the keys to us and left. I remember sitting in it, turning on the car and checking if all the features are working and was surprised to see each and every button working. The car was already 4 years old and had done 76,000 kms. Each and everything was working apart from the hazard light switch backlight which had momentarily worked after I went through a series of potholes around 2 years later lol. The car was driven to Mumbai immediately the next day and was flew down happily. In a few days, my brother did a few spirited runs on the sea link and the engine was revving happily like a brand new engine. The black tints were later removed and seat covers were added which were exclusively made for the Jazz and the fitting is amazing.The car was later sparingly used by my mom as her work never crossed the radius of 5 kms from my home and the max speed one can hit on those roads is 35-40 kph. It’s my mom’s favorite car because of the ease of driving within city it offers.

[300 KMPH]

BREAKDOWN: Immediately after a month of purchase, the car refused to start due to a dead battery. Luckily that was quite close to my home so the local mechanic replaced the battery. The replaced battery is now 5 years old and still running excellent.

LEARNING TO DRIVE, THE BEST THING FOR A CAR ENTHUSIAST: I joined my driving classes for a period of 15 days as I already knew the basic driving techniques. I only wanted to drive in traffic which I never had done. It was a Santro in horrible condition. It even broke down once due to overheating and I indirectly got trained how to push the car as well. Arrghh… Well, I learned all of my ‘public road’ driving on the Jazz. It was surely the best car to learn with as the visibility is tremendous and the controls are really light with no driver aids like parking sensors which was a boon for me to sharpen up my skills.

My first long road trip with the Jazz to Alibaug


THE OWNERSHIP EXPERIENCE AND DETAILS: Well, the Jazz is already reviewed on Team-Bhp which is quite a detailed review. I remember reading the review thoroughly when it was finalized to buy the Jazz. So let’s start with the major part.

• Buying year of the car: 2014 with 76,000 kms on the odometer.
Today (February 2019): Well over 1,07,000 kms.

• Service Interval: 5000 kms or 3 months (whichever comes earlier) but I prefer servicing it once in a year instead or 5000 kms
(whichever comes earlier).

• Honda kind of follows the concept of ‘Minor’ and ‘Major’ service schedule which keeps on coming alternatively.

• Service costs are usually between 8k to 12k per service from official Honda Service Outlets.


1) The Engine: When we bought the car, it had done 76000 kms. In all these 76000 kms, I’m sure that the car was driven by multiple people which even included people outside the family of the first owner which naturally includes various driving styles. In fact, my neighbor who is good friends with the first owner of the car came to me and said that he has driven the car multiple times, lol.
Turn the key and it fires up exactly like a brand new engine. Thankfully it had gone through regular maintenance. The engine is super silent at city speeds. There is hardly any noise the engine makes up to 3500 rpm. There was hardly anything done to the engine ever apart from normal service. Actually when we bought the car, it was sitting idle and used to run only a little lately. Since it was not in regular running, there was a noticeable power drop during the drive but no abnormal engine noises whatsoever. I’m quite sure that the engine must be still producing 90 horsepower if I dyno test it. Even today, the engine throws water during cold starts.

Issues faced and parts changed:
Poor low end torque – Rectified by a regular service by changing dirty filters.

2) The Clutch and the Gearbox: Till date, the car is running on most of the original bits. Yes, its even running on its original clutch. The gears are super light and slot in perfectly well. But since the engine is so silent and refined, the gear shifting noise rather feels very loud inside the cabin to me. The clutch was initially feeling a bit on heavier side and the action was not uniform which led into jerky gearshifts. The biting point was feeling very messy. The blame doesn’t entirely go to the car, the blame even goes to me. I was in the initial learning stage of driving a car on my learner’s licence so maybe I was not getting very friendly with the clutch.
From around 2016, the 2nd gear shift started getting a bit rough. It started making a grinding sound as if the synchroniser was giving up. Also, shifting from 2nd to 1st gear was becoming an issue which used to make a louder grinding noise after multiple items. The main culprit was very weird. Apparently during the service, the Honda guys had put the dealer floor mats and our aftermarket floor mats together which the accessory guy had removed and kept it in the boot which was a sensible thing done by him as because of two floor mats, the pedals couldn’t touch the floor. So, this reason caused problem engaging the clutch fully causing significant wear to the clutch. Nope, it doesn’t slip but it gave rise to this gear shifting issue unnecessarily. Now since only one floor mat is kept, the clutch engagement is better which has reduced the issue a lot but not cured it fully. The service adviser suggested to get a new clutch after a while but weirdly the problem is decreasing slowly without doing anything, and as of now, the gear shift is smooth.
We have done some spirited runs with the car. The car has gone through 12-15 major wheelspins since purchase and mechanically it has done quite well I suppose.

Issues faced and parts changed:
1) Heavy clutch with imprecise action – Rectified by adjusting the clutch from Honda Service Outlet during service.
2) Hard gear shift into 2nd – New clutch suggested by Honda but since we don’t use the car much we don’t plan to replace the clutch soon.

3) The Chassis: I would be very honest in this part. I expected the car to be super agile and sporty like the OHC. But oh god, the car is strictly designed for matured driving and not to do any stupid things. When you cross higher triple digit speeds, the car does have decent stability but easily loses its composure over undulations. Nothing gets dangerous but it’s not predictable as such. The suspension is not in its best nick like any older car. I have never driven the Jazz when it was brand new so I don’t know how a new Jazz rides like but I’m sure that entirely new suspension will make the change but doesn’t even make sense either as new suspension assembly costs 40k! Due to lack of use and age, some bushes were cracked so they had to be replaced. The tie rod bushes and link rod bushes were replaced in this year and the last year, as they were cracked. Tie rod bushes were needed to be changed as it was ruining my car’s wheel alignment. The steering play also reduced and it became a bit sharper. There are no abnormal suspension noises as of now and everything is behaving normally.

Issues faced and parts changed:
1) Wheel alignment getting disturbed without going through potholes – Rectified by new tie rod bushes.
2) Regular cracking of bushes due to age and lack of use – Replaced.
3) New bushes cracking last 2 years which I find completely normal.

[300 KMPH]

Other Miscellaneous points of the vehicle

• LHS quarter panel (Black panel next to ORVM) fell down on the highway. New part fitted.
• Mitsuba (Made in Japan) OEM horn survived for 7 long years! New horn was quoted for 4k from the dealership. The horn sounded super
sweet but it wasn’t practical to spend so much. Thus, opted for Bosch horn costing 700 rupees from local shop.
• The steering leather has worn out badly. Will have to put aftermarket steering cover.
• Co-driver’s sun visor’s mirror cover is broken.
• Fuel lead actuator is not working. It has got jammed and hence there is no spring action whatsoever. The fuel lid has to be opened by
insertion of thin object such as a key between the gap of fuel lid and the fender to open it.
• The steering rack does make some noise sometimes when the road is full of potholes and the car can’t exceed 20 kph. Honda themselves
advised not to put the new rack as spending 55k on a new rack is completely pointless.
• One of the lug nuts of the rear left wheel got jammed which I thankfully realized at the tyre shop while going for tyre rotation. I was told that
the nut had to be broken to replace it. I was also told that if the tyre gets punctured or torn, I’ll be in deep trouble as we don’t keep spare
lug nuts with us. So, I got the lug nut replaced for 600 bucks from Honda and immediately the next day, the same tyre got punctured! What
a close call that was.
• The ‘plastic’ headlamps have been the most major pain for me. I got them buffed thrice in my 5 years of ownership. Now I don’t have the
money or the energy to get them buffed every now and then so I instead use ‘WD-40’ every week on the headlights which keep them
decent nick.
• The gear lever leather cover had prematurely worn out. I am still wondering how.
• All the 4 tyres were replaced after 5 years from 195/50/R15 Continental CPC2s to 185/60/R15 Goodyear Duraplus.
• Summer 2018, the car suffered loss of cool air from air condition during longer journeys. Internet and Honda, both suspected malfunctioning
AC clutch coil which costs 10k. Since the car is serviced at the same dealership always, the dealer kindly refilled the AC gas free of cost for
us. The AC performance will be tested this summer now.
• One of the magic seats is stuck. Have to get that sorted. I tend to forget each time to tell them this issue.
• LHS rear mudflap is missing. Will order one soon locally and get it fitted.
• The RHS doors have been repainted at a local garage by the ex-owner when a bike rammed into it.
• Except for one service in 2014 at Arya Honda in Mumbai, all the services were done at Rushabh Honda, Nasik City.

My car was having eyelids for 4 years
Attachment 1851738

How does the car drive today?

Well, I gave you an overview of what is done and what is not done throughout the lifespan of the car in my hands. But, what about today? Right when I turn on the car, there is no hint that the car is 9 years old. The engine is butter smooth, the pedals feel smooth, brake feel is the best which boosts your confidence and ensures predictable stopping power. The wheels tend to easily lock up at less than 30 kph if you SLAM the brake pedal. I think ABS calibration could be better.
Few rattles do exist which is not very normal in a Honda. In most of the ownership reviews, several people have complained about the rattles in the previous generation Jazz which even I face. But apart from the vehicle documents, I have literally kept nothing in the car to reduce the rattles at its maximum. You can try this with any car, it makes a lot of difference! The suspension does make noises every year which mostly is because of the fatigue of the rubber bushes which I mentioned earlier and the noises are well contained when the bushes are changed. The steering rack has developed some play. There is absolutely no feel and feedback at any speeds. I know the Jazz is not a sporty car but I think the rack ‘plays’ some role in it.

[300 KMPH]

Here are some points which I like and dislike about my Jazz as a preowned buy.

LIKES:

- Bulletproof reliability! Absolutely nothing fails. Just service it regularly and the car keeps on running faultlessly.
- Small bonnet and flat from all sides without any awkward bulges makes it easy to drive with large glasses and mirrors.
- Jazz manages to hide its age well when it comes to design or engineering bits.
- I picked it up really cheap at 2.9 lakh. All the Jazzs for sale were at 3.5 lakh that time.
- For the price I paid, the car is supremely spacious with decent comfort.
- Refinement levels can humiliate many other petrol engines even of the newer generation.
- I can redline this car all day long as it’s a Honda.
- Brilliant air conditioning as well as heater.
- Stickers in Japanese everywhere on the car. Always reminds you the amount of import content in the car and the quality speaks even today.
- All variants were equipped with ABS, Airbags and EBD so safety isn’t a problem.
- Continuous beeping if driver doesn’t wear his seatbelt. Very useful.
- Hot engine as well as cold engine warning light. Now that’s really cool.
- Abuse friendly car as far as you don’t scrape the underbelly.

Pics from 2016



DISLIKES:

- Not really fuel efficient. No matter how carefully I drive, haven’t managed to extract more than 14 kpl which includes highway+city driving 100% A.C.
- With 5 people on board, the Ground Clearance becomes truly horrendous. My car’s underbelly got scrapped very badly and an Elite i20 with 5
people on board passed without any effort on the same hump.
- Chassis doesn’t feel that responsive. Not sure if the Jazz was always like that or it’s just my Jazz.
- Nasik City has only 50-55 old Jazzs I presume. So cosmetic stuff is never in stock with the dealership. They always have to place an order
which take 10 days to come roughly.
- The car’s maintenance costs are decent. But if you damage something and have to repair or replace any mechanical or cosmetic part, then
the prices are not exactly cheap.
- Headlight plastic quality is very poor. Keeps on getting yellow haze after seeing harsh sunlight.
- Steering pad’s Honda logo has faded which looks really ugly though I’ve got used to it.
- Music system is strictly average. If only Honda has provided Bluetooth and USB port in the car. It only has an AUX port and the AUX cable
really looks ugly in the cabin dangling everywhere.
- 5k kms or 3 months of service interval is ridiculously low.

Pics of the engine bay



Is the Jazz still Jazzy enough?

YES! The car has all the safety features you need, it has a humongous boot, oodles of space on offer, good service support. The car doesn’t feel historic, the dials are easy to read and futuristic, has steering mounted controls, fun to drive in the crowded streets within the city, and Honda’s peace of mind with that brilliant i-vtec motor purring under the hood which gets addictive to rev beyond 4000 rpm. It’s a brilliant package overall and the relatively low sales make it a rarer model to own making it exclusive and even the cars whose good care is taken are available at a really tempting price. No wonder the car was overpriced when it was launched brand new, but after using it for these 5 years, I realized that all the money Honda was asking for back in 2009 was only for its faultless quality.

[300 KMPH]

Some Original Japanese stickers for you.

Airbag sticker on co-driver's seat sun-visor.


Boot struts still retain their Japanese stickers.



Tail lights manufactured by Stanley.


The Owner's Manual, First Aid Kit and Warranty Booklet


How the car looks today (February 2019)

The eyelids were removed in May 2018 when the headlights got buffed.



The dashboard still looks fresh apart from the steering and Honda badge wear.


Thanks a lot for taking out the time to read my thread out BHPians! I shall update the thread time to time

[Varun_HexaGuy]

That's a good writeup about your experiences with the Jazz. This car surely doesn't look like it has done more than a lac kilometers on the odo.

The First-Gen Jazz was a very good package but didn't sell only due to the price factor. Infact, this first gen Jazz appeals to me more than the current gen. That 1.2L i-VTec gets the job done and job done without any complaints. Only if I wish it was the 1.5L i-VTec under the hood of the Jazz. This will munch miles like nobody's business. Just wait and watch this car serve you faithfully for the years to come. Pure JDM style, I say!

Keep updating this thread as the car clocks more kilometers on the odo.

Cheers!

[GTO]

Nice & quick used car report - thanks for sharing! You seriously got a lot of car for Tata Nano money. Well, that's the beauty of the pre-owned car market and why I'm its biggest fan!

Originally Posted by Varun_HexaGuy

Infact, this first gen Jazz appeals to me more than the current gen.

It was certainly built to higher quality standards than the Jazz (& Hondas) of today.

[BeemerBug_06]

That's a very quick and concise review of your Honda Jazz 300 KMPH! It was indeed a good move on your part to go ahead and buy the Jazz. Just like any other JDM car, the Jazz is also ultra reliable and easy to maintain. I'm sure it has Jazzed up your garage somewhat if not completely. It will definitely continue to serve you for many more miles to come Enjoy the chilled out owner's life and easy maintenance! Might I add, that you have got some awesome pictures of her, keep up the good photography!

CHEERS!

[V.Narayan]

Congratulations on a very well maintained car. It carries its 10 years with cheer.

[300 KMPH]

Originally Posted by Varun_HexaGuy

That's a good writeup about your experiences with the Jazz. This car surely doesn't look like it has done more than a lac kilometers on the odo.

The First-Gen Jazz was a very good package but didn't sell only due to the price factor. Infact, this first gen Jazz appeals to me more than the current gen. That 1.2L i-VTec gets the job done and job done without any complaints. Only if I wish it was the 1.5L i-VTec under the hood of the Jazz. This will munch miles like nobody's business. Just wait and watch this car serve you faithfully for the years to come. Pure JDM style, I say!

Keep updating this thread as the car clocks more kilometers on the odo.

Cheers!

Thanks a lot Varun! Yes, the engine does seem underpowered. But 1.5L will also give horrible FE I'm quite sure.

Originally Posted by GTO

Nice & quick used car report - thanks for sharing! You seriously got a lot of car for Tata Nano money. Well, that's the beauty of the pre-owned car market and why I'm its biggest fan!



It was certainly built to higher quality standards than the Jazz (& Hondas) of today.

Thanks Admin! This was I guess the last hatchback to be sold in India with majority of import content. Reminds of the good old 800 SS80. It's rewarding to see those Japanese stickers. I intend to retain them forever.

Originally Posted by BeemerBug_06

That's a very quick and concise review of your Honda Jazz 300 KMPH! It was indeed a good move on your part to go ahead and buy the Jazz. Just like any other JDM car, the Jazz is also ultra reliable and easy to maintain. I'm sure it has Jazzed up your garage somewhat if not completely. It will definitely continue to serve you for many more miles to come Enjoy the chilled out owner's life and easy maintenance! Might I add, that you have got some awesome pictures of her, keep up the good photography!

CHEERS!

Thanks Beemerbug. True, it's very very JDM. One of the most popular hatchbacks in Japan.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Congratulations on a very well maintained car. It carries its 10 years with cheer.

Thanks buddy! It was my kind of 10 years challenge, lol!

[Ankoor]

Congratulations for your ride, it looks awesome.

The older Jazz had its own charm and feel. Coincidentally I also had a white 2010 model that I sold of in 2017 after using it for 1 lac kms.

Its interior quality etc is far superior than the new jazz and its a very reliable car to own.

Happy driving cheers

[300 KMPH]

Originally Posted by Ankoor

Congratulations for your ride, it looks awesome.

The older Jazz had its own charm and feel. Coincidentally I also had a white 2010 model that I sold of in 2017 after using it for 1 lac kms.

Its interior quality etc is far superior than the new jazz and its a very reliable car to own.

Happy driving cheers

Thanks a lot dear Ankoor. Would love to see some pics of your car. The older Jazz felt properly JDM. I like the new Jazz too but would prefer with a 1.5L petrol. The price at which it is sold is not pocket friendly at all. Since the Amaze and the diesel engines Honda has launched here, I think it has lost the brand value of the olden and golden days of Honda.

Here is a pic at Honda service centre of my Jazz and the new Jazz side by side.

[300 KMPH]

Hello Fellas! I wish to add one unique ownership experience which everyone is not lucky to have. This was on 3rd of July, 2018. Me and my dad were sitting both inside our cozy house with the main door open. It had just rained and the fragrance of wet soil is something which I love, rather everybody loves. The place where I stay in Nasik is full of wildlife. Everything has visited near my house right from King Cobras to Leopards to Tigers.

So I casually peeped out of the main door and saw something unusually big having a walk. I screamed and said, "LOOK! A PEACOCK!". I thought that it had lost its way. In my life, I had never got a chance to see a peacock so close. Here is a pic which I quickly managed to click with my phone. Its a horrible pic but I knew this has to be in my archives for this beautiful memory.



The peacock went somewhere in the back, and the gardeners and sweepers went behind it so I followed them too. There were a couple or residents gathered around it and it appeared a bit scared as it was sitting quietly in a narrow corner. I again clicked a photo which was a much closer encounter than the previous minute. I decided not to disturb it anymore as animals easily get freaked out by people especially those who are not used to seeing humans up close.



So I said in my mind, enough of viewing pleasure now, I should leave it alone. Apparently the peacock was not moving at all from his place and gardener suspected something weird. So he lifted the peacock with his arms and got it to our place. He wanted to take it somewhere at a much more 'peacock-friendlier' place in an area where all the peacocks usually reside.
Here is a closer glimpse.



The gardener said it was a peahen and not a peacock. All of a sudden, HORROR! 2 blood drops fell from the peahen's body. The peahen was attacked by dogs and injured that's why it was so restless and roaming at areas where its not supposed to. The peahen was then taken away at the friendlier place on a motorbike. The gardener had no other mode of transport to take it. It did feel a bit weird for him too, but there was no alternative.

The peahen was just going to be dropped at the friendlier place and no treatment was planned. I am a bit fond of animals, mostly cats and dogs (I'm a mad cat person!). So what I did was, called up the snake catcher who had come at my place previously to catch a King Cobra. Thankfully, he recognized me even after 6 years! I told him the whole scenario and he immediately warned me not to drop that peahen at the so called 'peacock-friendly' area as injured animals are easy targets for dogs to attack upon. He told me that he will get the peahen in his own custody so nothing wrong happens with it.

So after multiple phone calls with the gardener and the animal helper and waiting for 25 mins more, we got the message that his bike was broken down and he was unable to reach the spot. We had almost given up on the hope of saving the peahen and were almost ready to leave it in the jungle. So I asked the helper his location and it was just 4-5 kms away.

Now I immediately had this wild thought of why not use the Jazz to save the poor thing's life?

Without thinking much, me, the gardener and the lovely peahen boarded the Jazz. We went to the spot were the bike was broken down. He was not exactly at that spot so after reaching there as well, we waited there roughly for 45 mins! The lovely peahen sat in the back seat of my Jazz waiting patiently checking out the roomy interiors of the Jazz. It didn't even spill a single droplet of blood on the interior though I was ready for the interiors to get damaged. After the long wait, the helper finally arrived after fixing his bike. We handed the peahen over to him. He said that the peahen will be taken to the vet, will be given proper treatment and then will be released deep into the jungle where it actually should belong to. I can't tell you how satisfied I was after saving that poor thing's life.

Here is the last pic I clicked of the peahen while waiting at the spot till the animal helper arrived with his bike.



What did I gain after doing this?

Well, not really anything apart from happiness. I just used to watch animal rescue videos on the internet. But that day, I actually rescued one partly, if not completely.

Did I get blessed by the Peahen?

Well, immediately the next evening, I unexpectedly got a message that our engineering results were out. These were my final semester results on which my engineering degree was relying on. And I graduated with distinction! I think it only happened due to the blessings of that lovely peahen which I will never ever forget in my life.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by 300 KMPH

What did I gain after doing this?

Well, not really anything apart from happiness. I just used to watch animal rescue videos on the internet. But that day, I actually rescued one partly, if not completely.

You gained the respect of a BHPian too. As you said, the cause is its own reward and lets just say that your car has been used for a really, really good reason as well. Hope the beautiful bird is living life as usual in its space.

Congrats on the car, as far as space, value and F.E (14 is really, quite good) goes, this car is high on everyone's wish-list.

[300 KMPH]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

lets just say that your car has been used for a really, really good reason as well. Hope the beautiful bird is living life as usual in its space.

Congrats on the car, as far as space, value and F.E (14 is really, quite good) goes, this car is high on everyone's wish-list.

Thanks a lot! Yes, I hope it's living a beautiful life. 14 kmpl might be good as you reckon but I think if I bring the car in daily running, it's FE will improve.