[ACM]

Akshay have faced the same scenario with a set of 3 jerks sitting on a Scooter and banging the front of my Laura - required a complete bumper and one head light replacement. Cost to me after claiming insurance (only 50% for fiber / plasic / glass)- about Rs. 25K . Was then on an outstation drive and the guys speeded away.

I can understand your pain.

[planet_rocker]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

What about my polishing/waxing idea?

will it help you to get rid of the big scratch which peeled off the paint in the first pic? if yes, then its good.

Take care.

[hiren.mistry]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

I think ill go down tomorrow and apply a few coats of wax over it. That should protect it properly and make it look better.

I hardly expected anyone to do something stupid like this especially since mine wasnt the only car at the intersection, there were like 4 or 5 more.



What about my polishing/waxing idea?

It will suffice as a stop gap arrangement. Get it done as soon as the rains stop (not the monsoon but the one that pouring in Bombay for the couple of days).

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by planet_rocker

will it help you to get rid of the big scratch which peeled off the paint in the first pic? if yes, then its good.

Take care.

Originally Posted by hiren.mistry

It will suffice as a stop gap arrangement. Get it done as soon as the rains stop (not the monsoon but the one that pouring in Bombay for the couple of days).

I did give it a small coat of Meguiars NXT 2 wax. Will give it another one tomorrow and day after, hope that will be enough for the monsoon till I can get a pro job done.

And thank you guys, for the sympathy and the suggestions.

[Akshay1234]

5000 Kms on -

Well the car has now done about 12,300kms, and I have been loving every moment of driving it. It has had its good times and bad times (i.e that idiot who banged in) but not for one second do I regret buying this car.

There have been people who have said "Oh second hand car! Why would you do that." and after they see it they're statement changes to "Dude dont lie, how much did you say you bought it for?". LOL.

The car itself is doing perfectly, the gem of an engine now seems to have opened up fully. When it is revved, the sound of the typhoon screaming is pure bliss. I know Ive repeated that statement many times, but now I will get a video and show you guys what im talking about.

I shudder to think what it would have been like if i had not found this car and bought a new Honda city.

One thing i have noticed is that the suspension is a little noisy, of course relatively to the other cars in the segment. That may be attributed to the bigger rims. Also i should probably get it retorqued after the monsoon, due to which the car has been traveling over terrible roads.

Also worth a mention are the Advan Sports, which grip like leeches in the wet too. The car inspite of having so much power dosent wheelspin much with these tyres. You feel fully confident driving in the wet, around corners, and on tarmac or concrete.

The only regret that I have is that the colour is black. Its just so tough to maintain. The person who cleans my car has totally, and i mean TOTALLY messed up the paint, its full of swirls now. I will get a full interior exterior detailing done after the monsoon and fire that guy.

Honestly I find this much better looking than the present gen Accord. It looks much more aggressive and dosen't seem like a copied design like the new one (think BMW side and back). Its got a stonker of an engine, nice interiors, good ride, and the most important point it manages to put a smile on my face everytime I drive it.

My ICE set-up too should happen next month. Waitin for some stuff to arrive from the US of A and will then head to B&T (Ajay) for the install since he is one of the best. Here is what my ice set-up will be like -

Alpine SPR-17S 6.5" Components for the front.
Alpine SPR-69c 6x9s for the rear.
Focal Solid 4 four channel amplifier for the above two.
Alpine SWR-1243D 12" subwoofer.
Alpine M500 Monoblock amplifier for the sub.
Noisekill Damping.

Im waiting for the last 2 to reach me, I already have the first 2. The Focal amp will source from here itself. Decided on the Focal solid 4 since B&T recommended it to me since my budget dosent allow for a processor now and the amp has speaker level inputs. Frankly I dont think it will sound half bad without a processor, since I think the car's inbuilt HU sounds decent.

[Akshay1234]

Heres a quick photoshop pic that I did. Hope you guys dont mind all these photoshopped pics.

How I wish I could take my car to a track -

[rg_chn]

That's a nice car, and a nice pic there mate. Doesn't the 3.0 V6 come with sunroof as standard? Here it does.

P.S - I like your alloys!

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by rg_chn

That's a nice car, and a nice pic there mate. Doesn't the 3.0 V6 come with sunroof as standard? Here it does.

P.S - I like your alloys!

Thank you, and no the V6 didnt come with a sunroof standard in India though the new one does.


UPDATE

The existing sunfilm was a bit old so I decided to get it changed. Went to Vkool today and got the K14 shade installed. It is quite a dark film but looks very good on the car. The install was fabulous and the price, well just a few hundred more than 3M/Llumar. Since Vkool has the best name in the business I find no reason to recommend 3M or anything to my friends now since Vkool is almost the same price.

Will take some pics and show you all what the car looks like.

And now the mods -
Ice will be installed next month - Waiting for some equipment from the US
Suspension upgrade towards the end of the year - Either D2 coilovers, or Koni Yellow shocks with new springs.
Brake upgrade during or after suspension - Brembo blank rotors with Akebono/Hawk pads.

Also converting my K&N intake to a proper CAI by installing the 2nd pipe for it. After this I should get a slight improvement in power. The filter will be right behind the bumper and out of the hot engine bay.

Any suggestions or comments?

[Sahil]

Akshay- Please post pics of your new tints along with pricing. Did you get windshield film put too?

I need to put tints on our silver Vento tomorrow, was planning to get the Llumar Steel35 put as this is the closest shade to black I have found. Not a big fan of the silverish/highly reflective films.

[Akshay1234]

Here you go Sahil, just clicked one pic



The film is metallised so it is a bit reflective, more so in bright sunlight. This is probably a few % darker than Llumar Steel 20 BTW. You might not want something that dark on your Vento. Vkool also has something called K35 I think which is a lighter shade of the same, with 60% heat rejection. Do have a look at Vkool.

Infact yesterday I was pulled over for my tints lol. Any idea how to get permission for dark tints from the RTO?

Also dont you think the car looks nice from the rear too?

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Also dont you think the car looks nice from the rear too?

Sorry but I'd have to say the rear tint looks very reflective, not my taste They are as reflective as the Garware NF.
I have the VKool high-end series on the Beamer and honestly think it was a complete waste of 25k.

Personally I think the Steel20 Llumar would look best on your black car.
I think I'll stick with the Llumar35, have the same on the Fortuner and quite happy with the look it is giving even on white.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Sorry but I'd have to say the rear tint looks very reflective, not my taste They are as reflective as the Garware NF.
I have the VKool high-end series on the Beamer and honestly think it was a complete waste of 25k.

Personally I think the Steel20 Llumar would look best on your black car.
I think I'll stick with the Llumar35, have the same on the Fortuner and quite happy with the look it is giving even on white.

Id say it looks like that because of the angle. It dosent look as reflective when your standing next to the car. The reflection % is a little higher at 17%.

Llumar Steel 20 was my first choice but I got put off by their response. I called Llumar and asked for dealers, I never got a call or anything whereas with 3M within 5 minutes I got a call back. Then I thought why not just try Vkool.

[Akshay1234]

2 Little Updates -

- The K&N Typhoon that I had put on was in the short ram intake form i.e. the filter was in the engine bay. Yesterday I got the 2nd pipe fitted which makes it a proper Cold Air Intake, so the filter is in the bumper just behind the left fog lamp. Of course ill have to remove it before the monsoons next year.

I have noticed a few differences after fitting the CAI.
-The car has more torque lower in the rev range, with a smaller push of the accelerator I get upto higher speeds quicker.
-The noise has improved even more since the resonator was taken out. It is a little louder though, but while cruising you cannot hear anything.
-At higher rpms the car 'seems' to rev slower. Note I have said seems, will have to drive a few more days and notice.


-Highway Mileage Update. I took the car to Lonavala today. Believe it or not this was the first time shes been out of Bombay and has impressed me quite a bit.

-The car did about 180kms on quarter tank. I cant really comment on the mileage but going by what I usually get from a quarter tank im guessing the mileage is 10.5kmpl. Not bad for a V6 eh?

-Was cruising at a constant 120-130. The car feels absolutely planted, feels like its made for these speeds. Actually it is, for cruising American freeways at about 75-80mph which I was doing. Honestly I was surprised with the effortlessness with which it was cruising, considering its a jap.

-At that speed the wind noise could have been better, I guess thats where the Germans are stellar. Tire noise was much less than I thought, respect+++ for the Advan Sports.

-Was doing a 100kmph or so, and got an open stretch, I floored it till 175kmph and then slowed down again to 120-130kmph. The way it got to 175, boy oh boy, in like 8 seconds from the speed I was cruising at.

-Oh, and the rpm at 100kmph was about 1800 or so if I remember correctly, and at 130kmph was about 2200rpm.

-When the ghats started the soft suspension showed its true colours. But I guess D2 coilovers will take care of that.

Any comments or questions? Thanks for reading.

[Akshay1234]

Forgot to mention, im giving the car for detailing this week. And firing the fool who causes all the swirls. So expect some nice pics this week.

[issigonis]

[quote=akshay1234;2063992]5000 Kms on -

Well .. I have been loving every moment of driving it.. but not for one second do I regret buying this car.

Its got a stonker of an engine, nice interiors, good ride, and the most important point it manages to put a smile on my face everytime I drive it.
[quote]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

[b]
I have noticed a few differences after fitting the CAI.
..more torque lower in the rev range, with a smaller push of the accelerator I get upto higher speeds quicker.

-At higher rpms the car 'seems' to rev slower. Note I have said seems, will have to drive a few more days and notice.


-The car did about 180kms on quarter tank. I cant really comment on the mileage but going by what I usually get from a quarter tank im guessing the mileage is 10.5kmpl. Not bad for a V6 eh?

-Was cruising at a constant 120-130. The car feels absolutely planted, feels like its made for these speeds. .I was surprised with the effortlessness with which it was cruising, considering its a jap.

-At that speed the wind noise could have been better,

-Was doing a 100kmph or so, and got an open stretch, I floored it till 175kmph and then slowed down again to 120-130kmph. The way it got to 175, boy oh boy, in like 8 seconds from the speed I was cruising at.

-Oh, and the rpm at 100kmph was about 1800 or so if I remember correctly, and at 130kmph was about 2200rpm.

Any comments or questions? Thanks for reading.

akshay,

You put it perfectly - we own a car to put a smile everytime we sit behind the steering.
Your mods have made the engine even more tractable- more torque at lower revs.

Not bad for a V6? 10.5?!?
What more do you want?

Your V6 is a better drivers' car than the next versions. Drive well and sleep in peace knowing that you own some terrific surface machinery.

Regards, drive safe