[tejas08]

It's been a long time since anybody talked about this. And I can also see that there are a lot of new Honda City owners now here on the forums.

The question is specifically to people who have bought Manual i-Vtecs post September-2014 (Just a random date as we have discussed this issue a lot prior to that). Has anybody had the grinding noise coming from the Alternator Belt in cars delivered post September-2014. Or is it safe to assume that Honda might have taken care of this issue with their sub-vendors or it could possibly have been a case of a specific batch of Alternator Belts being defective.

A couple of issues I noticed recently which possibly some of the seniors / experts on the forum can answer perhaps:

I hear a whistling sound and slightly grinding noise from the engine on Cold-Start. It goes away after a couple of minutes of running the car (idling or otherwise). Once the engine is hot, even if I turn-off the engine and start it after 15 mins or so, I wasn't able to hear that sound again. Seems to be coming only during cold-start of the engine. Any inputs on this please.

During engaging the reverse gear, I can sometimes hear a clicking sound of the reverse gear being engaged in the slot. This sound is not from inside the cabin. Hearing is closely, it can clearly be understood that this sound is coming from below the car (Possibly from the gearbox itself). Is this normal? The reason for asking is earlier I did not notice this so much. Also, with the first year with my car coming to completion, the Honeymoon period is soon getting over and this is the time when you start looking at all the nitty-gritties. Pardon me for that, this is my first car after all. So was a little ignorant earlier, but yes did keep an eye some of the issues that have been discussed here on the forums.

[geotracks]

Originally Posted by tejas08

It's been a long time since anybody talked about this. And I can also see that there are a lot of new Honda City owners now here on the forums.

The question is specifically to people who have bought Manual i-Vtecs post September-2014 (Just a random date as we have discussed this issue a lot prior to that). Has anybody had the grinding noise coming from the Alternator Belt in cars delivered post September-2014. Or is it safe to assume that Honda might have taken care of this issue with their sub-vendors or it could possibly have been a case of a specific batch of Alternator Belts being defective.

A couple of issues I noticed recently which possibly some of the seniors / experts on the forum can answer perhaps:

I hear a whistling sound and slightly grinding noise from the engine on Cold-Start. It goes away after a couple of minutes of running the car (idling or otherwise). Once the engine is hot, even if I turn-off the engine and start it after 15 mins or so, I wasn't able to hear that sound again. Seems to be coming only during cold-start of the engine. Any inputs on this please.

During engaging the reverse gear, I can sometimes hear a clicking sound of the reverse gear being engaged in the slot. This sound is not from inside the cabin. Hearing is closely, it can clearly be understood that this sound is coming from below the car (Possibly from the gearbox itself). Is this normal? The reason for asking is earlier I did not notice this so much. Also, with the first year with my car coming to completion, the Honeymoon period is soon getting over and this is the time when you start looking at all the nitty-gritties. Pardon me for that, this is my first car after all. So was a little ignorant earlier, but yes did keep an eye some of the issues that have been discussed here on the forums.

HONDAs cars are built for performance & reliability. Both HONDA & TOYOTA cars age very well from what I have heard speaking to owners of each. Your HONDA City is a good choice with no exceptions.

What you described here is not normal or main stream, for quality products like HONDA. My recommendation is that you take these issues up with your local HONDA dealer and try to replicate it, so that they know what it is. From what I know of, most HONDA dealers are helpful and prompt in attempting to resolve issues. If anyone on this forum has similar issues and can suggest what they did to resolve, it would be an added piece of information to you. But for now, I'd say go the dealer asap and try to get this resolved.

Hope this helps.

[wheeledsoul]

Had gone through Crazydriver's Honda City niggles thread in detail, despite that went ahead and booked a taffeta white VMT iVtec in Dec 2014. The car was delivered on 24.02.15 (deciphered the make as Feb 2015, through VIN).

The car is a breeze to drive. Done 1200Kms before the first service. Until 800Kms it was sedate driving with speeds not exceeding 60kmph however on a to and fro roadtrip of 400kms approx, couldn't hold myself back anymore, in fact I wanted the car to experience various speed runs, Got FE of 15.8kmpl (11.8kmpl - 12.8 kmpl in city)

The stock Goodyear tyres are "ok" for city use but not confidence inspiring for highway runs, especially high speed cornering. I would strongly recommend going for wider rubbers. I'm planning to switch to Michelin XM2.

Drive safe!

[adarsh76]

Originally Posted by wheeledsoul

The stock Goodyear tyres are "ok" for city use but not confidence inspiring for highway runs, especially high speed cornering. I would strongly recommend going for wider rubbers. I'm planning to switch to Michelin XM2.
Drive safe!

I was planning to change the tyres once the ODO reached 10000. However, thinking again now. Wider tyres will void the suspension warranty which is till 40000 kms. I too have the stock Goodyear tyres which is not good for fast driving in curves. Else it's good.

Another question coming to mind is whether the current suspension is capable of having a wider tyre if we look at safety.

[tejas08]

Originally Posted by adarsh76

Another question coming to mind is whether the current suspension is capable of having a wider tyre if we look at safety.

Surprising to see this query on the Team-BHP forum, since there are a huge number of Honda City Owners who have upgrading to wider tyres from Day 1. I think I can safely say that there are at least a cumulative of over 2 Lakhs Kms from the BHPians on wider rubber without any issue on the suspension. Trust me the 2 Lakh Kms is way to conservative number. I have done 12K, seen a couple of others reach over 20K inside a year and a lot more. You can safely go ahead and upgrade the tyres.

My SA even told me upgrading the tyres in terms of width is not a problem but do not go for higher size tyres (Meaning 16" or above).

[loving_alaap]

@Shreyans_Jain on 13/03/2015: The width of the steel rims of the lower models and the alloys of the V and VX is identical. 195/60R15 is a direct fit. I am using 205/60R15 on the stock alloys and that also works very nicely, no issues whatsoever.


205/60/R15! Thats a bit unique. Can you please share the options you have consider and reasons for finalising the same? Moreover, how is your experince in terms of ride quality, bulging (as you are on stock alloy), scraping, GC and FE?

[adarsh76]

Originally Posted by tejas08

Surprising to see this query on the Team-BHP forum, since there are a huge number of Honda City Owners who have upgrading to wider tyres from Day 1. I think I can safely say that there are at least a cumulative of over 2 Lakhs Kms from the BHPians on wider rubber without any issue on the suspension. Trust me the 2 Lakh Kms is way to conservative number. I have done 12K, seen a couple of others reach over 20K inside a year and a lot more. You can safely go ahead and upgrade the tyres.

My SA even told me upgrading the tyres in terms of width is not a problem but do not go for higher size tyres (Meaning 16" or above).

I had this question again because I was at the service center yesterday. The SA told me there are quite a few vehicles whose front suspensions were replaced without warranty coverage who had updated to wider tyres prior to 40000 kms. But yes, there are vehicles without any problems as well. I guess it all depends on the condition of the roads.

Considering the roads in Kerala, I'm confused on this now.

[tejas08]

Originally Posted by adarsh76

The SA told me there are quite a few vehicles whose front suspensions were replaced without warranty coverage who had updated to wider tyres prior to 40000 kms.

What I understand is that Suspension Damage can be due to bad handling of the car too. So not sure if any car manufacturer will replace the suspension under warranty, unless it's an absolute clear cut case (Which even I don't know if it exists).

The manufacturer / dealer can always push the suspension damage on bad handling of the vehicle by the owner / driver.

If the Warranty would void due to wider rubber then even the 40K Kms shouldn't be a criteria. People who have opted for Extended Warranty cannot upgrade their tyres till 4 years in that case. My personal opinion would be that the suspension damages would have been due to bad handling of the cars (Going over bumps at high speeds or hitting speed-breakers suddenly at high speeds) needing replacement. In such scenario, one can either pay by themselves for the suspension replacement or get it done through the insurance company, if the insurance company pays for such replacement.

[knight.rider]

Hello everyone.
An update on my car, got the 3rd free service done yesterday. Running on the odo is around 4300 km. Bill settled at 1480 approx. Charges only for engine oil, filter etc.
Only issue was the brake in my car going soft. This was rectified saying that the oil level needed topped up and then they bleeded it. Don't know about it though, but all is working well. The car has smoothened up considerably. Mind I say it's better than my first drive with it!

[Carpainter]

Originally Posted by tejas08

The question is specifically to people who have bought Manual i-Vtecs post September-2014 (Just a random date as we have discussed this issue a lot prior to that). Has anybody had the grinding noise coming from the Alternator Belt in cars delivered post September-2014.
I hear a whistling sound and slightly grinding noise from the engine on Cold-Start. It goes away after a couple of minutes of running the car (idling or otherwise). Once the engine is hot, even if I turn-off the engine and start it after 15 mins or so, I wasn't able to hear that sound again. Seems to be coming only during cold-start of the engine. Any inputs on this please.

During engaging the reverse gear, I can sometimes hear a clicking sound of the reverse gear being engaged in the slot. This sound is not from inside the cabin. Hearing is closely, it can clearly be understood that this sound is coming from below the car (Possibly from the gearbox itself). Is this normal?

I got my car (MT i-vtec) delivered in March 2015. Haven't faced any of the issues you've mentioned above. Anyway, I'll check tomorrow morning again. Don't know if Honda has really rectified these problems or not because my running has been low and the car has completed only 1.5 weeks. Although when I take my car out in the morning, I let it idle for a couple of minutes until the cold engine light goes off. Yet, during the first couple of kms in the early morning, I hear a very low hissing sound from the brakes (rear ones I guess). Don't know if I should be worried about it or not. Any suggestions?

Originally Posted by adarsh76

But yes, there are vehicles without any problems as well. I guess it all depends on the condition of the roads.

Absolutely true. Here in India, we have some roads that are hardly anything but tarmac. We face lots of gravel roads, unscientific speed breakers, potholes etc. everyday in our daily drive. So suspensions take the hit. Moreover, there are people who drive like maniacs on these roads. Just a few days ago I saw a brand new City being driven stupidly over bumps (don't know if it was a chauffeur or the owner).

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by loving_alaap

205/60/R15! Thats a bit unique. Can you please share the options you have consider and reasons for finalising the same? Moreover, how is your experince in terms of ride quality, bulging (as you are on stock alloy), scraping, GC and FE?

I went to the market looking for 195/60R15, got a great deal on Michelin XM2 205/60R15, did a quick calculation on the overall change in dia and said YES!

What I have bought is a size under clearance sale by Michelin. It is listed at 7200 bucks apiece, and I got it at 5400. In contrast, 195/60R15 in XM2 was quoted 5600! Its an "offer valid till stocks last" kind of deal.

These tires are made in the 40th and 41st week of 2014 (fairly new). They have a treadwear rating of 450 along with A and A for traction and temperature and are V rated (upto 240 kmph). Some very respectable specs.

I've driven a good 1500km+ on these tires now.

These tires fill the arches properly but DO NOT bulge out. Perfect fit. Grip, agility and stability are improved. Road noise has reduced. Drastic, I repeat, drastic improvement in ride quality. Its as if I am diving a different car altogether. You have to experience it to believe it. I am keeping the tire pressures at 28-30 psi, solo use, and plan on dropping them by another 2psi sometime soon. Still searching for the sweet spot. Minor improvement in GC: car sits visibly higher but I haven't really driven over any huge speed breakers of late. Regardless, no scraping to reported of. FE has dropped by around 1.5kmpl, but is still above 20kmpl so I really don't mind! I am also experiencing a small but perceptible reduction in pick up, but that can also be because the 30k km service is due.

The overall experience has been excellent. Just yesterday, I bought another set of 4 of these tires for my Jazz as well.

[adarsh76]

Originally Posted by tejas08

What I understand is that Suspension Damage can be due to bad handling of the car too. So not sure if any car manufacturer will replace the suspension under warranty, unless it's an absolute clear cut case (Which even I don't know if it exists).

The manufacturer / dealer can always push the suspension damage on bad handling of the vehicle by the owner / driver.

If the Warranty would void due to wider rubber then even the 40K Kms shouldn't be a criteria. People who have opted for Extended Warranty cannot upgrade their tyres till 4 years in that case. My personal opinion would be that the suspension damages would have been due to bad handling of the cars (Going over bumps at high speeds or hitting speed-breakers suddenly at high speeds) needing replacement. In such scenario, one can either pay by themselves for the suspension replacement or get it done through the insurance company, if the insurance company pays for such replacement.

Suspension warranty is only till 40K kms, it's not covered under extended warranty. I don't think Insurance will provide a cover to suspensions damaged due to bad road conditions. Damages occur not just due to bad handling but there are certain conditions when we unintentionally can fell into potholes or unmarked humps. There are quite a lot of these types in Kerala roads. Only people who knows the roads well or drive extremely carefully can avoid these.

However, I'm not sure if the replaced suspensions will be provided warranty.

[tejas08]

Originally Posted by adarsh76

Suspension warranty is only till 40K kms, it's not covered under extended warranty. I don't think Insurance will provide a cover to suspensions damaged due to bad road conditions. Damages occur not just due to bad handling but there are certain conditions when we unintentionally can fell into potholes or unmarked humps. There are quite a lot of these types in Kerala roads. Only people who knows the roads well or drive extremely carefully can avoid these.

However, I'm not sure if the replaced suspensions will be provided warranty.

Exactly my point. Stock Rubber or wider rubber, there is no way one can get the Suspension Replaced under warranty or Insurance from normal driving conditions. It has to be some major defect or something caused by a significant accident. In fact, even hitting unmarked humps or big potholes will also not be considered for replacement under warranty or insurance possibly regardless of the tyre size.

It is only the Dealers who tend to scare people under the name of warranty. People aware of what they are doing will certainly know that the changes we are talking about will not in any way harm the suspensions on its own.

[adarsh76]

Originally Posted by tejas08

Exactly my point. Stock Rubber or wider rubber, there is no way one can get the Suspension Replaced under warranty or Insurance from normal driving conditions. It has to be some major defect or something caused by a significant accident. In fact, even hitting unmarked humps or big potholes will also not be considered for replacement under warranty or insurance possibly regardless of the tyre size.

It is only the Dealers who tend to scare people under the name of warranty. People aware of what they are doing will certainly know that the changes we are talking about will not in any way harm the suspensions on its own.

As per SA, suspensions are more prone to damage with up sized tyres due to the increase in tyre weight plus the road conditions.

I need to ask some questions to the SA again:

1. Will the suspensions be replaced under warranty if it's damaged due to road conditions with car running on stock tyres?
2. Suppose, if the suspensions are replaced, will the new set of suspensions be given another 40K kms warranty?
3. Can I go for other suspensions during replacement which will match the up sized tyre weight? Does it affect the car warranty for other areas?

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by adarsh76

As per SA, suspensions are more prone to damage with up sized tyres due to the increase in tyre weight plus the road conditions.

I need to ask some questions to the SA again:

1. Will the suspensions be replaced under warranty if it's damaged due to road conditions with car running on stock tyres?
2. Suppose, if the suspensions are replaced, will the new set of suspensions be given another 40K kms warranty?
3. Can I go for other suspensions during replacement which will match the up sized tyre weight? Does it affect the car warranty for other areas?

Suspensions will not be replaced under warranty. Tata will cooperate but certainly not Honda. These are wear and tear parts, their life depends on the quality of components used and the abuse they are subjected to.

Tire size does not play a very major role in it, unless you put in something absolutely humongous, low profile and extra-extra wide. Difference in weight of the stock tire and something like 195/60R15 is hardly anything. In fact, the better cushioning provided by bigger tires coupled with lower air pressures should lessen the wear and tear of the parts.

From the looks of things, Honda seems to have compromised with the quality of the suspension components. At 30k km, I have also started to feel extra thuds from the front, as if the jumping rod bushes are shot. This is in a car that is driven almost exclusively on good highways. In contrast, the suspension of my Jazz is still as good as new even after over 60k km with plenty of abuse.