Team-BHP - 4th-gen Honda City : Official Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by vista_qjd (Post 3441709)

I had raised the issue of the hands-free not working properly on my Honda City SV model (which is the case in every SV variant as has been reported around) - below is the reply from Honda Customer Service:

"Pertaining to your concern raised up with us, we understand that the functioning of the system is as per standard specification of the car. The reception of microphone installed in the audio unit should be done with all windows closed and air vents towards ceiling/ roof as is mentioned in your car owner's manual.
However respecting your communication, we would once again request you to visit to our dealership for a comparative check in your presence with car of same variant."

Imagine receiving a call when driving and you have to reach out to the "air vents" first instead of the talk button! I will have to read the owners manual to find out more about this functionality :-)
Its a shame that no proper testing was carried out on the Bluetooth hands-free by Honda. And on top such a lousy response.

P.S. Pointing the air vents away from the mic does not solve the problem either - has already been tried out.

I really do not understand, how can the car vendors take us for a ride by giving such lousy replies. In my opinion this is such an essential and basical feature and they damn do not even test it. The core issue about this problem is absence of noise cancellation mic. If you observe mobile phones, you will find that all mobile phones have two mics : together they cancel noise. Similarly cars should have noise cancelling mics, whereas the car companies simply cut the cost by removing this feature and hence provide a basic mic and then provide these dirty workarounds. I never expected this from atleast Honda. :Frustrati

Quote:

Originally Posted by shch (Post 3442240)

Need a help with engine noise in my new Honda City (Petrol)!

I bought a new Honda City (Petrol / V-MT) on 16th May 2014. Bought it from Magnum Honda in Bangalore.

Over the past 2 to 3 days, I have noticed a strange noise with the engine. Almost sounds like a diesel engine :( There is a bit of "tak-tak" noise around 1500 rpm which gets pronounced in gradients. I got really pissed when I took my uncle in my car and he asked if it was a diesel car! grrrr

I am not in the best of moods due to this. I was expecting a smooth engine from a Honda but the noise is making me grrr..

I recorded the noise and stored in you tube.

http://youtu.be/RpWOinEEf_4

http://youtu.be/K881QHHzFio

I am taking it to Magnum Service for a check-up later this week.

Any help is appreciated.

Do I escalate this to Honda customer care?

Thx
//Shekar

No, definitely the Petrol engine wont make that sound having driven both Manual and Automatic models. This is a complaint, especially might be the silencer. Get it rectified at the earliest.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AMJ (Post 3441341)

Want to share a great weekend drive experience.

I had a about a 500 km drive over the weekend on VX CVT. Had done 170 km bfr that in the city and got an average between 5 & 7 :Frustrati

On this 540 km drive got an average of 15.4 and at one staged it peaked to 16.1. The drive was maintained at an average of 80 km/hr and always on Econ mode.

Also tried using Cruise Control but after ever stretch of 3 to 4 kms had to get back on the pedal just to pass vehicles who do not follow lane discipline. but still worth the experience and comfort.

So finally feel better about the average now. clap:

I have not done the 3M anti rust treatment and plan to do that before the rain starts.

Dear AMJ,

It is comforting to know the mileage figures. I plan to buy a CVT as well and this information is really useful.

Question regarding the ECON mode - how was the AC performance during the drive? I believe cooling gets impacted as a result of the ECON mode.

Thanks.

Sorry folks as there has been no update from me for a while. I've been too busy on work side but do expect an update soon on my ownership thread. I've clocked close to 2000km and am loving the ride.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ranjit.Shetty (Post 3438993)

I got my much awaited car delivered too on 9th May 2014 from Magnum Honda. I was busy driving around :D Just love every bit of it.

Door Visor
Foot Light
Sports Pedal
Side Step covers (Non-illuminated)
RR parking sensor (Thank god, dealer managed to get 3rd party white sensors and not painted ones)
Floor Mats and Body Cover.

3M Car Care add-ons the very next day:

Under Body Anti-Rust Coating (5 Years warranty with every once in 6 months service)
Paint sealant Essential
CR70 sun film on windshield, sides and rear (5 years warranty)
PPF on running board (Side step area), side mirrors (painted area), door handle cups, door side edges, boot strip on bumper, bottom two sides on front bumper, (Interior) touchscreen AC control, audio player screen and on piano black finish.

Heartiest Congratulations. The car looks stunning and you have indeed gone for an elaborate list of accessories.

I'm also planning to get 3M PPF film done on the front bonnet and the ORVM. This will save bonnet and ORVM from getting scratches/swirl marks/chips from stones that may come flying front front car (a scene common in Bangalore when you drive on certain stretches).

However, when I visited the 3M store, they mentioned that the PPF film that they have been using is better suited for non-white cars as the film is quite evident on white cars. They have come up with a new PPF material suited for white cars which is in testing phase and would hopefully be ready around August this year.

For sun films, I'm passing for now. These films are expensive and though almost non detectable, if the cop finds out, he'll just want to tear it off and all money down the drain. I usually get to park in shade/covered parking so it's fine and summer is almost to an end in Bangalore.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vista_qjd (Post 3441709)

I had raised the issue of the hands-free not working properly on my Honda City SV model (which is the case in every SV variant as has been reported around) -

Totally expected. I doubt anything can be done here. Best thing would be to get bluetooth speaker from Jabra or similar reliable brand.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain (Post 3441790)

In my iDTEC V, the Bluetooth telephony is loud and clear, irrespective of where the AC vents are pointing. Its practically as good as not using Bluetooth and talking directly on the phone.

This issue would not be there on V and VX variant since the mic is on the top near the map lights which is an ideal position. I don't know what the designers for lower variants were doing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AutoB (Post 3443140)

Dear AMJ,

Question regarding the ECON mode - how was the AC performance during the drive? I believe cooling gets impacted as a result of the ECON mode.

Thanks.

The ECON will reduce the blower and it'll affect the cooling marginally. I would highly recommend to keep ECON off when you want to cool the car fast and once a comfortable temperature is reached, you can enable ECON.

Quote:

Originally Posted by neel911 (Post 3443648)

Totally expected. I doubt anything can be done here. Best thing would be to get bluetooth speaker from Jabra or similar reliable brand.

This issue would not be there on V and VX variant since the mic is on the top near the map lights which is an ideal position. I don't know what the designers for lower variants were doing. .

Would completely disagree with your statement of "Totally expected". If your car's A/C stops working tomorrow, would you go out and purchase a 0.5 ton a/c and fit it on your rear window and hook up a generator and call it a day (pun intended) ? Probably not. Agree Bluetooth issue is miniscule, but the whole point in Honda coming up with a integrated Bluetooth device with button on the steering wheel was for a better user experience. If Jabra was the answer then Honda could have bulk source it and handed it out to us directly.
I think the whole point here is about Honda selling something substandard, which does not even pass the basic minimum quality test.
And to add to that our complacency as a customer in raising this as an issue, as opposed to "its ok" attitude doesn't help either.

Quote:

Originally Posted by harshunlimited (Post 3441453)

Yesterday, I got the delivery of my Golden Brown SV CVT.

This is my further Plan of Action & need your advice:

1. Upgrade the speakers - these stock speakers are awful, I am not an audiophile by a long distance, so please suggest me a speaker system without changing the HU that can be had for a budget of say Rs.15k and that can be fitted inside the 4 doors (also all 4 doors have empty tweeters slots), not keen on drilling holes in the parcel tray, I normally listen to FM and sometimes mobile connected music. (a stock system in say a 2007 Civic V-AT that I currently have is perfect for me, listen to the music on volume setting 12-16 out of 30). It would be awesome if you could point out the model nos.

2. Parking Sensors - looking for the front & rear parking sensors with front & rear camera, is this an overkill? we have a very tight parking space.
The honda accessory guys are providing with an IRVM fitment, which is not comfortable with me.
My ideal solution will be an LCD on dashboard, can you point to the right shop somewhere in delhi that can set this up using t-tap connectors? I spoke to the Elegant guys in Lajpat nagar and they recommended RD make front & rear camera with LCD and back sensors, they quoted Rs.10,000/- for this but they refused to use the tap connectors and told that wires would have to be spliced, thus postponed for a moment now.

Congratulations on your purchase Harsh and wish you many happy miles with the car.

Will try and answer your queries

1-For a budget of 15k , you can get a wide range of options from brands like Infinity , Jbl , Hertz , Focal , kicker. I recommend getting Infinity Kappa components in the front and rear and you should be more than happy with them , but then again its your personal choice and some find them a bit too bright. I like their sound for hip/hop , pop,rap and hindi music kind of songs.
Even im planning to upgrade my audio system and am retaining JBL Power series components from my previous car (they are more or less infinity kappa but little less bright , they come from the same family and their drivers and specification seem the same too , twiters are different though) and have got hertz's entry level components for the back (i seldom sit on the back seat) , i've also got Infinity Ref series Subwoofer and would get a 4channel amp and everything installed soon.

2-As far as front parking sensors are concerned i dont think that's an overkill and might prove to be a boon in Delhi's super tight parking spaces , i didn't like honda's parking sensors and the black cat one's they were selling because of the mirror display which looked cheap in my opinion , i'm looking for parking sensors that just provide audio feedback and dont require a display for them. Reverse camera is a welcome add-on too because of horrible rear visibilty in the City.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocketscience (Post 3444227)

Thanks Rocketscience.
Having not received any suggestions in 3 days, I searched through the forum and as recommended went to Motor Concepts in Kirti Nagar yesterday.

Got Rockford Fostgate R1675S comps in front and coaxials in the rear, Aman (the nice owner of Motor Concepts) also suggested the infinity reference series, i liked the RF ones and they are so far so good, definitely way better than the stock ones. The stock speakers are so light that one could play frisbee with them. Also, got the damping done in all 4 doors & boot lid though i didn't install a sub yet.

Got the parking sensors with camera with LCD on dashboard fitted from the black cat guys as they are approved honda vendors and would not void my warranty, though a bit overpriced in comparison to open market, got the body coloured sensors and peace of mind, though have to do without the front camera / sensors yet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by harshunlimited (Post 3444467)

That's awesome , so can you share the total break down of costs ? Even i was planning to go there shortly to get the work done.

Quote:

Originally Posted by harshunlimited (Post 3444467)

That sounds neat. Can you post a break up of costs regarding speakers and Lcd Camera. Also if possible do post a pic of the dashboard with Lcd and the boot of the car where camera is installed.