[idle_wild]

Dear Admins, please move this thread to the appropriate location if you deem fit. I tried posting to "how to buy a new car" sub-forum but did not have the authorization. Did not find an alternative location. Pardon my ignorance!

This question is not exactly technical, but can be thought of as bordering on that, given my father and I are trying to figure out if we will be in trouble if we don't take the right steps right now about the following:
----

My father is purchasing a VMT+Exclusive ANHC from Pinnacle Honda in Kolkata. He was allotted a car manufactured in March 2011 and delivery is scheduled for this week (11-12 August). The particular car came with Goodyear tires.

I have two questions:

1) Should I feel uncomfortable taking delivery of a 4+ month old car? What should be some of the special checks during the PDI that I need to ask my father to do?

2) I have read very negative views about the Goodyear tire that Honda puts on the ANHC (they are GPS2 tires), and also that most dealers around India are able to provide the Michelin if the customer requests for it. Pinnacle Honda is helt-bent upon the fact that they CANNOT do this and switching tires/wheels with another car will amount to warranty issues, as the tires numbers are mentioned in the PDI book, against which all warranty situations are checked. How much accuracy is there to this stand of theirs? Is it just a matter of Kolkata-ish "this will not be possible" stand being taken or is it that warranty does get into trouble?

Thanks much!
Soumit

[deepfusion]

Originally Posted by idle_wild

Dear Admins, please move this thread to the appropriate location if you deem fit. I tried posting to "how to buy a new car" sub-forum but did not have the authorization. Did not find an alternative location. Pardon my ignorance!

This question is not exactly technical, but can be thought of as bordering on that, given my father and I are trying to figure out if we will be in trouble if we don't take the right steps right now about the following:
----

My father is purchasing a VMT+Exclusive ANHC from Pinnacle Honda in Kolkata. He was allotted a car manufactured in March 2011 and delivery is scheduled for this week (11-12 August). The particular car came with Goodyear tires.

I have two questions:

1) Should I feel uncomfortable taking delivery of a 4+ month old car? What should be some of the special checks during the PDI that I need to ask my father to do?

2) I have read very negative views about the Goodyear tire that Honda puts on the ANHC (they are GPS2 tires), and also that most dealers around India are able to provide the Michelin if the customer requests for it. Pinnacle Honda is helt-bent upon the fact that they CANNOT do this and switching tires/wheels with another car will amount to warranty issues, as the tires numbers are mentioned in the PDI book, against which all warranty situations are checked. How much accuracy is there to this stand of theirs? Is it just a matter of Kolkata-ish "this will not be possible" stand being taken or is it that warranty does get into trouble?

Thanks much!
Soumit

Hi.

Try and wring out the maximum benefit out of the dealer using this issue (car manufactured in March being given). I suppose the benefit should range from 10-20000 rupees. Bargain hard and it could be even more. Technically I don't know much, but to me, a car manufactured in March might have reached the dealer somewhere around May. If it has an odo reading of about 50 kms, then you are good to go.

If you are successful in bargaining, the dealer would also change the tyres to your liking.

Tell him bluntly that you would not, in any case, accept tyres that are more than 6 months old from now (in all likelihood, the tyres would have been manufactured somewhere around January. So, make merry my friend. You have won yourself a lottery fro Honda- of atleast 10,000 bucks.

[idle_wild]

Originally Posted by deepfusion

Hi.

Try and wring out the maximum benefit out of the dealer using this issue (car manufactured in March being given). I suppose the benefit should range from 10-20000 rupees. Bargain hard and it could be even more. Technically I don't know much, but to me, a car manufactured in March might have reached the dealer somewhere around May. If it has an odo reading of about 50 kms, then you are good to go.

If you are successful in bargaining, the dealer would also change the tyres to your liking.

Tell him bluntly that you would not, in any case, accept tyres that are more than 6 months old from now (in all likelihood, the tyres would have been manufactured somewhere around January. So, make merry my friend. You have won yourself a lottery fro Honda- of atleast 10,000 bucks.

Deepfusion: Agree with you. Tried that and will try some more. However, the complexity is that father has already made the payment and was not in town so he could not physically verify the car that was being registered in his name. So we are kind of crippled in our ability to stretch the bargain-returns.

That said, we will try to impress the two points upon the dealership as you mentioned:

1) The car is 4 months old, so are the tires, we don't want such old tires
2) If you cannot help it now, compensate by some other manner e.g. extra embellishments

From a worst-case perspective, should we think of changing the stock tires with Michelin (Primacy LC) once the car is with us? Also, is it true that warranty on the tires are void when Honda dealer gives me wheels and tires from another car?

Thanks much!

[ssh1979]

I'm assuming here that the factory bill has been raised and the delivery is scheduled this weekend, so the car is technically 50% yours.

Only the registration is pending. However, until completion of registration, you can still ask for a replacement car BUT only if there are defects. Defects as in, what's promised Honda and the dealer, in a BRAND NEW vehicle isn't there.

Do a thorough PDI (extensive checklist available here at TBHP). The first thing you might want to verify is whether the mfg mm/yy is indeed March 2011!

I agree with @deepfusion. Tyres have an expiry date so there's already six months taken out there, so try and bargain. The dealers will sure try to pull you down and push the vehicle as is, so expect this.

[bluevolt]

1) Should I feel uncomfortable taking delivery of a 4+ month old car? What should be some of the special checks during the PDI that I need to ask my father to do?

No issue in that. You can surely go with the current car without any tension. 4-6 month is OK time.

2) I have read very negative views about the Goodyear tire that Honda puts on the ANHC (they are GPS2 tires),

I have good year tyres with my car and I am overall happy with them. You need not to worry about this too. The dealer can swap if you wish but if he doesn't then you can go ahead with good year.

[mayankjha1806]

On the tyres thingy, i really dont think its a cause of worry. I have used Goodyear in my Baleno (She came fitted with Goodyear) and they lasted close to 5 years.

I dont remember reading about tyre expiry, just searched the web and some one who wrote an article says the expiry is around four years. I have used my tyres beyond that and nothing happened and i am sure there are many who use it beyond the 4 year limit.

The other question i have is, "If there is an expiry date the manufacturers put the expiry date rather than manufacturing date", for example medicines they have expiry as well as manufacturing date. Isnt this followed by tyre manufacturers (Quiet logical given there is confusion all over)?

[kap04]

My ANHC going to be delivered next week is also coming with stock MRF's. I had requested for another car with Michellins, but unfortunately they dont have another Harbanaro Red S-MT. So i am going to go ahead with the MRF's.

And swapping the tires is unethical, and it can void the warranty as well . So always better not to tread that path.

[SirAlec]

at this point i would not worry about the tyre but other things. Through check is needed. Please do haggle for discounts, as Honda is slowly sinking in sales due to lack of diesel models, which is current favorite of the masses due to obvious reasons.

[nirmaljusdoit]

From my personal experience, on our ANHC which has done 40 K kms on the stock goodyears, the performance has been adequate, wear is also good, atleast another 5K life is left.

The only drawback is that they are noisy, more so at higher speeds.

If you get the Michelins, they should definetly be better !

[idle_wild]

It is indeed a relief to read about some positive feedback regarding Honda stock Goodyears. I was dismissing them altogether.

The registration has also been done and the delivery hopefully happens tomorrow. Have sent dad the very helpful PDI document on TBHP! He feels much more confident with that in hand, thanks to all the good people on this forum.

After the current discount schemes being offered by Honda, the dealership is offering mats and perfume, converted free comp insurance to free zero-depreciation. They are charging 7.5K for the under-body rubber-paint and upper-body buffing with 3M polish, 3.5K for dealer-fitted reverse-sonar sensor, and 1.5K for the body cover.

So the dealer is not giving much at all. My father did not put a lot of work into bargaining I guess given the dealer was readily helping him figure out the best discount scheme from Honda and in fact also passed on to him the latest scheme in which the registration is also free. Net net, he feels discounts of more than 1.3 L has already been factored in to the 2-3 month old VMT+Exclusive price already.

What should he still bargain for and still be reasonable do you think?

[alam86]

Wow, if you already have a discount 0f 1.3L - you got a great deal! Is that with or without the original Honda price reduction [45K - 66K]?

About the goodyears, we asked our dealer the same question in Pune - can he ensure that our car comes with Michelins. He said he cannot confirm that. Cars come in batches with Goodyears, MRFs or Michelins and he cannot just switch tyres as - first - it is unethical [someone else has Goodyears instead of Michelins] and second, I read on T-BHP that he has to do the balancing/alignment all over again and 'could' cause warranty issues for both your car and the car from which they get the Michelins.

We were lucky that our car did come with the Michelins, but we were pretty much ready to take the car irrespective of what tyres it came in. Reading a few posts here - doesn't seem like it is a deal-breaker anyway, so just enjoy your new ride

[deepfusion]

Originally Posted by idle_wild

It is indeed a relief to read about some positive feedback regarding Honda stock Goodyears. I was dismissing them altogether.

The registration has also been done and the delivery hopefully happens tomorrow. Have sent dad the very helpful PDI document on TBHP! He feels much more confident with that in hand, thanks to all the good people on this forum.

After the current discount schemes being offered by Honda, the dealership is offering mats and perfume, converted free comp insurance to free zero-depreciation. They are charging 7.5K for the under-body rubber-paint and upper-body buffing with 3M polish, 3.5K for dealer-fitted reverse-sonar sensor, and 1.5K for the body cover.

So the dealer is not giving much at all. My father did not put a lot of work into bargaining I guess given the dealer was readily helping him figure out the best discount scheme from Honda and in fact also passed on to him the latest scheme in which the registration is also free. Net net, he feels discounts of more than 1.3 L has already been factored in to the 2-3 month old VMT+Exclusive price already.

What should he still bargain for and still be reasonable do you think?

Congratulations, buddy, on your new car.

I forgot to mention yesterday that I too drive a Fusion plus which has stock GT3s. The car has been driven for about 40,000 kms with these tyres and surprisingly, the tyres have still got some 50% tread on them. I have done all kinds of driving with these tyres.

So, IMO, you should stop worrying about Goodyears. They are better, in mileage and tread wear, than the Michs.

Try if you could extract more than 20,000 rupees, in cash or in kind from the dealer, and you could spend that on other accessories for the car, like a good quality sunfilm all around.

[deepfusion]

Originally Posted by kap04

My ANHC going to be delivered next week is also coming with stock MRF's. I had requested for another car with Michellins, but unfortunately they dont have another Harbanaro Red S-MT. So i am going to go ahead with the MRF's.

And swapping the tires is unethical, and it can void the warranty as well . So always better not to tread that path.

I agree.

End of the day what is important is what we got left in our pockets.

Dealers will be more than happy to give us discounts.

The only thing is we need to haggle a bit.

[ssh1979]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

.

I dont remember reading about tyre expiry, just searched the web and some one who wrote an article says the expiry is around four years. I have used my tyres beyond that and nothing happened and i am sure there are many who use it beyond the 4 year limit.

It's certainly not a cause for worry for @idle_wild. I'm talking more about shelf life. It's not obvious from the outside, but rubber compounds do wear internally and would just crumble when you apply pressure after they're past their life. I'm just guessing here, the shelf-life may be anywhere between 2 and 6 years.

Not exactly a fan of eHow, but here goes: How to Read a Tire Date Stamp | eHow.com

[deepfusion]

Originally Posted by ssh1979

It's certainly not a cause for worry for @idle_wild. I'm talking more about shelf life. It's not obvious from the outside, but rubber compounds do wear internally and would just crumble when you apply pressure after they're past their life. I'm just guessing here, the shelf-life may be anywhere between 2 and 6 years.

Not exactly a fan of eHow, but here goes: How to Read a Tire Date Stamp | eHow.com

2 years seems to be on the conservative side