[ImmortalZ]

This is the first time it has happened. In their defense, they had cleaned the floor and carpets thoroughly. I'm guessing they missed the seats in their hurry. I have to go to them again to get my reverse sensor hooked up anyway. I'll show it to them and see what they do about it.

[ImmortalZ]

The car was given it's fourth service today (9 months/15K KM). This was also the first paid service. The bill is attached.

I had some problems with mushy brakes after my accident. They have solved it somewhat. I think they had it nailed when I collected it today, but they seemed to have softened again by the time I got home. I might be imagining things though. I shall be keeping a close eye on the brakes during a rather long trip this weekend.

The interiors were cleaned very well. I forgot to tell them to not to wipe the front windscreen from the inside because they keep scratching up the sunfilm. Oh well.

Newer Civics come with a different Made in Japan wiper blade instead of their usual Bosch Aerotwins. Supposed to have some sort of coating on the blade. They also look funkier. These are now standard across their entire range of cars.

Alignment is still spot on after 8300KMs of Japan Kudivella Padhathi (Japan Water Project) infested roads, which I'm happy about. Balancing had to be redone because the tyre was taken out of one wheel to repair a rather bad puncture. Cost of both these facilities seem reasonable from the dealer. Do tell me if not.

Nothing major to report, smooth sailing as usual. Overall mileage until the last fill of petrol was 8.8KMPL thanks to mostly city runs.

[manim]

Just for the record:
I paid only Rs.674/- for the 15K Service.
No wheel-alignment, balancing, etc were done.
But that was way back in Jan-08.
Presently I have done 44K and will be going for the 45K routine service soon.

Car is great except for some tire noise on MXV8 which have done only 13K kms. (It is ironic since MXV8 are advertised to be very silent by Michelin).

I have been 'hypermiling' recently and got 15.3 kmpl over the last 657 kms.
I myself find this unbelievable!

[equinox22]

^^ I believe you dude! Just got back from a 1,500 km trip and got between 14 and 17 kmpl. My car has currently done 10,500 km and has had one servicing.

[equinox22]

Folks, I have been contemplating a writeup on my experience with my Civic Si so far. Its been about 11 months and 10,500 km since shes been with me. We have been on few 400km trips and one 1500km trip besides daily use.
But then I wonder if my experience here in the US will be useful to any of you in India. If you all are interested let me know and I will work on it.

[ImmortalZ]

Ownership reports are ownership reports. Write it up

@manim : Without wheel balancing/alignment, the cost would've been around INR 875/-. I decided to do it because in the ~8300KM of running, she has never had an alignment check done. People advice doing it like every 2500KM, especially if the car regularly travels on bad roads. So I thought I should do it to prevent any long term problems. Could you also PM me your techniques? I'm struggling to get anything near to the mileage you get on your car. I'll be hugely thankful.

The labor rates have been revised since your 15K service, I'm guessing. I was taking a look at our first service bill and it too says the labor rate for 15K service as INR 750/-, so this was changed a while back.

I should also write about my problems getting the insurance claim for the accident I had a while back. It's been what, two months now and we're still to get the claim money. We had to pay the dealership out of our pocket as the insurance was supposed to mail a cheque to our home. This never panned out and the people at the dealership were clueless on what was the delay.

They should honestly stop using the phrase "I'll check and call back." because they never, EVER, do so, no matter the information I request is. It is annoying as hell. After so many calls, we were told to go to the insurance office here as the cheque was already there, waiting for us to sign for it and receive it. We went to the address the dealership gave us and it was for the wrong insurance company (New India Assurance is our insurers and the dealership pointed us to the National Insurance office). I called them up and asked for the correct address. Once again I was told that he'll call back in two minutes. He never called back. I waited for 15mins and just went home disgusted.

Today my dad went to the real office (a quick look at NIA's website gave us the correct address) and it turned out the whole thing is truly screwed up. The cheque is at their head office in Cochin, in the dealership's name and it was them who were supposed to pick it up. My dad talked to the insurers and they had no problems sending it to Trivandrum. Obviously the dealership has never heard of the word "communication".

Idiots.

Now we have to wait for the cheque to arrive at TVM, collect it from the insurers, take it to the dealership and get a new cheque from the dealership for this ordeal to end.

I do realize that, compared to the ordeals other customers go through with their dealerships, this is a minor tussle. But it doesn't make the taste any less sour. Of course, during all this running around, while hunting for a mysterious rattle, I found a big *** screw in the back door's side pocket. God knows what they forgot to screw on. I hope the suspension won't fall off at high speed.

The insurers were candid about some of the issues now faced by Peninsular Honda, particularly about a big lawsuit by Emirates Airlines.

[manim]

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

Could you also PM me your techniques? I'm struggling to get anything near to the mileage you get on your car. I'll be hugely thankful.
.

Here are some things I do to get around 15+ kmpl:

1) I use the car mostly (99%) on highways. (Not every one can practically do this!).

2) I try to hold a steady speed within 67 to 74 kmph.
The AT maintains 5th gear at these speeds.
(My wife and children fight with me to go faster, but I don't ).
Even buses and lorries overtake me! But then I enjoy the stress-free, safe and quite drive.

3) I try to avoid using the brakes as much as I can. (This needs a lot of anticipation and forward planning).

4) I minimize AC usage - when I travel with my family I use the ACC, but when alone I keep the lowest possible manual setting).

5) I keep tyre pressures at 33 psi. I regularly check them and use a foot-pump. (Maybe I can go higher for better FE, but I do not want to sacrifice comfort).

6) When I know a speed-breaker is going to come, I sometimes shift the gear-selector to 'N', so the car 'coasts' to it. (Cars following me get angry with me for this! ).

Some more notes:
Since my place is a small town, I can get on the highway within around 5 kms, whereas in big cities you need to go through a lot of traffic and signals wasting fuel.

I go for very long drives without stopping (400 kms) twice a month. Since I avoid short starting and stopping, I think the engine always runs at its peak efficiency giving better FE.

I always self-drive and do not have a driver.

Finally the most important is motivation!
I keep challenging myself to break my previous FE records.
I maintain meticulous records in a spread-sheet of all my fuellings. (I always fill full-tank).

Here are some more statistics:
In the first year:
kms run: 23,567
petrol consumed:2,243 lts
Kmpl: 10.5 (bad!)

Second year:
kms run: 18,537
petrol consumed: 1,536
Kmpl: 12.0 (great!)

Now I want to push myself to achieve 13 kmpl in the third year!

(I know that I should have gone in for a Diesel car for the amount I drive, I fantasize that hypermiling with a Logan can save a huge amount year after year, too bad!).

[Parm]

39 months 140,000Kms and just the right front engine mounting changed, it leaked!

regular service with Honda and thats about it!

60 dirhams for a full tank and 600kms to the full tank!

normal dubai driving conditions, a mix of city and highway driving, speed of 120-140 on highways, speed of 80-100 in and around dubai.

[sgiitk]

I am looking at the Altis v Civic question. Must have an AT. Some queries:

1. Why you chose Civic Over Altis?
2. Fuel consumption.
3. Service interval distance/time and also oil change interval.
4. Any gripes?

[ImmortalZ]

@manim :

My running is mainly in the city and my dad refuses to turn off the AC. "We bought the car for bloody 14L! Why would I want to turn off the AC?!?" That's that out of the window :P

Nearly impossible to drive at a constant 60-70 speeds you mention in Kerala's two lane highways. I guess I should be content with what I get.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I am looking at the Altis v Civic question. Must have an AT. Some queries:

Ah, the eternal debate.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

1. Why you chose Civic Over Altis?

Narrowed down to Civic/Altis for reliability and no need for a diesel.

My reasons for choosing Civic :

The brilliant engine that loves to be revved. The Civic's motor asks you "Is that all you've got?" when you floor the throttle. The Toyota's motor is more "Oh, do I have to? Okay...". The difference is subtle, but after quite a few full blast runs from 0-100 with the windows down, the Civic had me.

The looks. I did not like how the Altis looked. I remarked in one of those fights I had with that Altis dude that it looks like a bugeyed goldfish. The dashboard is a work of (modern?) art.

The four speed A/T box. It just didn't feel as... immediate as the Civic's five speed box. The paddle shifts though, are a novelty which are pretty useless on our roads. However, the sport mode on the shifter is great fun. It keeps you in the power band and always ready to accelerate. That's what I use if I want to drive quick. The paddles are active only on the S position, but they need to be activated while there. So the auto mode in S is a slightly hidden gem I guess.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

2. Fuel consumption.

You'll get one KMPL less than the manual counterparts. The Altis gets slightly higher economy figures than the Civic. However, the 4AT will be less efficient and will bring the figures down for the AT. I don't know they stack up, to be honest. For my car, I see 8.5KMPL for in city use and 12-13KMPL for highway use, which in Kerala, is just like city use with higher speeds involved. 100% AC.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

3. Service interval distance/time and also oil change interval.

Regular service intervals are every 3 months/5000KM for the Civic. Oil change intervals are 6 months/10000KMs. 2+2 year extended warranty is standard. Spares are expensive, service costs are cheap.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

4. Any gripes?

Low ground clearance. If you are in Bangalore, you'll absolutely hate it. There are strengthening beams on both sides, which take all the abuse. Only the mudflaps are below this level. So either the mudflaps take a beating, which they are fine with because they are flexible plastic or the girders do.

Suspension is soft, yet ride quality is surprisingly average.

Some dealers are extremely apathetic. They don't rip you off and generally try to kill you like Skoda dealers, but they are not as customer centric as the average Toyota dealer.

Low slung nature means some people might have ingress/egress issues. Altis is also suspect in this nature, although not to the extent the Civic is, thanks to its higher stance.

In any case, they are both brilliant cars in the price range and you'll have a great time with them, whichever way you go.

[ash_blore]

In bangalore city conditions I can manage only about 7-8 kmpl with a/c. Nothing more.
Highways usually is about 11-12 kmpl

But nothing can beat the comfort of the drive.

[ImmortalZ]

Bah, ran out of time to edit this in.

Can't believe I forgot this. Brilliant driving dynamics and braking. Driving fast in this thing is a breeze. So is stopping. The seats have big bolsters to keep you in your place while you drive like a madman. The small steering wheel with the hydraulic power assist is direct and gives you a lot of feedback from the road. It just is in a different league as a driver's car.

[trrk]

Hi,

Originally Posted by manim

2) I try to hold a steady speed within 67 to 74 kmph.

My kind of guy! There is a general speed limit of 70kph for cars in the Keral roads. In my City CVT 60kph is the slowest in which it hold the highest gear and hence try to be at that speed whenever possible. But since the driver also handles the car, the driving conditions do vary.

Originally Posted by manim

I keep challenging myself to break my previous FE records.

Well, I try to maximise the returns from what is essentially a precious commodity.

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

@manim :
Why would I want to turn off the AC?!?" That's that out of the window

I never switch off my AC too. After all personal comfort also counts.

[ImmortalZ]

Hit a major milestone today.

10,000KMs up and nothing to report. Smooth sailing as usual. The mushy brakes persist as Honda is unable to find out what's wrong. My current diagnosis is that the real brake pads have worn pretty unevenly. I get plenty of braking force if I apply pedal - the initial response and feel is just missing.

The Nautilus went bad recently when I had to use them in torrential rain. They ate spray from a lorry for a few kilometers - the mud and muck was too much for them. I still stand by their efficacy though.

[ImmortalZ]

I took the car on a ~800KM road trip last week. I went to Kodaikanal by the Nagarcoil -> Madurai (bypassed) -> Usilampetti -> Kodai route and came back via Rajapalayam -> Shencottai -> Thenmala -> TVM route. The journey was 420+350KMs. I cruised at 120KMPH, AC 100% thanks to the four lane GQ road and just before hitting the ghat roads, filled up the tank. Tankful to tankful, the car returned an astonishing 16KMPL.

Overall mileage for the trip remains at around 12KMPL because after that refill, I traversed the Kodai ghat roads twice and the Kerala border ghat roads once. In sport mode. Not to mention the way back was always two lane and the last ~100 of so KMs were an absolute pain.

During the aforementioned 100KMs, the roads were very rough. Actually there was no road, just a lot of patches of repair work. I took the car through that surface at around 70 to 80KM just because babying the car through such tarmac like I usually do would make us very very late to reach home and I didn't want that for various reasons. I flew through bad roads, potholes and some very nasty sounding suspension hits.

It might be because of our previous experience with the Padmini, but for some reason I'm astonished that after the torture it took, there are no new rattles or creaks or annoying sounds. You can accuse Honda cars of many things, but badly built is not one of them.

Odo currently stands near 12000KM. I might be taking another long trip this week, in which case I'll hit the service point of 13000KM before the scheduled date of October 3. If rippergeo has found someone to look at my brakes, I'll get them looked after in Cochin during this trip. He has been an absolute saint sitting through my hour long rant about Peninsular Honda and their ineptitude.