[kunalsingh]

Update on Thursday, 8th October :

I took Hondu for the interior overhaul today. Decided on this place called "Eminent AUTOMOTIVE" as they're supposed to be car upholstery experts and having seen their work on Instagram and Facebook, it seemed like a better place than the usual plethora of car accessory shops in Karol Bagh. They also had a studio where cars can be parked and worked on. I called them up a day before and booked a slot for Hondu.

Eminent Automotive :
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/eminentcarseatcover/?ref=py_c
Google - https://g.page/eminentcarseatcover?share

Reached there at 9:55am sharp (they open at 10) and managed to get Hondu inside the shop (after a lot of careful manipulation). The shop is a narrow service lane with lots of two-wheelers parked around haphazardly and the approach to the shop has a steep incline with sharp stairs on both sides.

Hondu inside the shop (notice the narrow incline) :



I parked inside and waited for the workers to arrive (they started coming in around 11am) and in the meanwhile took some nice shots of Hondu along with the Funky themed walls :



Doesn't she look amazing?



Moving on, I talked to one of the workers asking for the owner Akshay and he informed me that the owner hasn't been coming for the week as they were expanding and he was busy. I was surprised because I'd had all my prior communication with him (we'd even talked in the morning) and now I had to basically start from fresh to explain my requirements to the worker. Decided on the following work - Seat covers, Steering wrap, Gear boot change, Door Pad trims and Armrest(s). I was quoted 10k for the total job but brought it down to 8.5k after a little negotiation with Akshay.

The workers then started dismantling the interior trim :





I tried staying away from them as none of the workers were wearing masks or following social distancing norms. I also didn't like the fact that they were quite rough in handling the interior trims.

Meanwhile, the tailoring team started preparing the various pieces for fitment in the back room :





Door arm pads were the first to get completed. I decided to go for a dark colour as this is a high-contact point and tends to get dirty with regular use :





Next came the steering wheel. This was a job well done and the guy responsible was careful in methodically removing/installing the steering (disconnected battery, locked the steering wheel, marked the position and held the steering in that same position with painters tape).



Here is how the steering turned out :





Up next were the front seats :



This was the condition of the driver's seat after 11 long years. As you can see, some of the foam had started wearing out and had to be compensated for with extra padding :



Last up were the rear seat back and bench :



The guys got around to removing the rear bench and THIS is what I saw in the space below the rear bench :



My dear old friend (rust) had made a re-appearance below the rear seat frame. No prizes for guessing why this happened - Remember the time when Honda A.S.S. (Delight Honda, Mohan Estate) had royally screwed up Hondu's repair? Well, it turns out that they had not even bothered to vacuum or clean the area after working on it. There was dirt and debris and that along moisture trapped in the area had lead to surface rust formation.

I was fuming and got around to cleaning the whole area by myself and found piece of discarded metal, rubber bits and lots of dirt. I did a careful evaluation of the rust after cleaning up :



Called my Nakul (whom I now treat as a mentor for things automotive) and his immediate suggestion was to sort out the problem then and there itself. The rusting was very minor (surface rust) and had not done any damage to the underbody or rear seat frame. He suggested me to lightly sand down the rust, vacuum off the residue and give the area a good wipe before spray-painting the affected area. This should be good enough to solve the problem.

To be fair, the Eminent workers were quite helpful in this situation and loaned me their Vacuum cleaner, some 100 grit sandpaper and some leftover spray paint (which was luckily in the same shade of white as Hondu).

This is how the area looked after sanding and cleaning :



I then brought out the can of spray paint and went about painting the area :



This is how it looked afterwards. Rust free and protected with a layer of paint :





I was so glad to have fixed the situation and have to thank Nakul for his quick thinking and advice which saved me time, effort and headache.

This whole episode took about an hour and in the meanwhile, the eminent workers had started assembling the seats. Here's a look at the front seat and rear seat-base:





Then started the excruciatingly long task of reassembling the seats. This process took a lot of time and it was close to 7pm (I had been at the shop since 10am!!) and I was starting to get a little tired.
Another problem happened once the driver side front seat was reinstalled - the aforementioned (extra) seat padding had not been fitted well and was jutting out from the bottom-left edge of the seat. Thank god I noticed and got it fixed. I was getting slightly irritated by now and just wanted to get out of there.

Finally at around 7:30, the interior work was completed with just the gear boot and centre armrest left to be installed :





I was so tired and irritated by this point that i just went to settle my bill and get out of there. The total bill came up to 9k (they added Rs.500 for the extra padding which they messed up anyway) but I was in no mood to argue for thes negligible amount and just paid up to leave as soon as possible.

Now comes the worst part about the whole experience : Some times things just go wrong no matter how much you try to avoid them. As I'd mentioned before, the shop is in a narrow and crowded service lane with a steep incline and very little space to turn (multiple turns are required to get into the shop). The lane was packed with people on foot and two-wheeler traffic which was understood as it was 8pm on a weekday in West Delhi (you can only imagine the kind of rush I'm talking about). Anyway, the shop workers open the gates and go out to guide me - but this guy who was looking out for the front had absolutely NO IDEA about the approach angle/ ground clearance of a low-slung sedan like Hondu and kept asking me to move ahead to the point where I felt something touch the bottom left side. Hearing that sound broke my heart because I knew that Hondu had scraped it's Bumper lip and I got down to inspect the damage. A part of the lower front lip had been nicely scraped off down to the base plastic trim and there were a few other scratches as well!!
Gave the guy a piece of my mind (had to really control my anger) and reversed out into the lane on my own. Got the hell out of the place and cursed myself all along on the way back home for listening to his directions and not following my own sense.

I went down to my parking this morning to assess the damage. This is how it looked :





My dad and our family driver both said that the damage is negligible and is not even visible unless looked for specifically. But this thing really triggered my OCD and I just wasn't happy knowing that after spending so much time, effort and money - Hondu got scratched up just a week after getting back home (this makes me feel like "nazar lagna" is a real thing after all).

Called up Nakul and he reassured me that these things keep happening in a city like Delhi and are unavoidable. I was still not happy and he then asked me to come back to GAI tomorrow morning to have it fixed. I guess he understand how I feel because he's got the same level of obsession with having things just perfect!

To wrap it up, the experience at Eminent AUTOMOTIVE was a mixed bag of sorts. One cannot deny their expertise with interior work and that is the reason for their fame in the field. However, I felt like the fame might have got to them by looking at their attitude and general lack of regard while dealing with customer cars.
And this is the point where most reputed places just lose the plot - they start doing good work, become known and the success gets to their head after which things start going downhill very quickly.

The interior work done in my car is good, without a doubt. But I took a car in 100% condition in the morning and came back with 90% (scraped bumper and multiple scratches, tool marks inside the cabin). That, for me was the deal breaker.
I would not recommend Eminent Automotive just for the simple fact that they just do not care for your car. I understand that it might be just another car for them but I'm sure we all expect a certain minimum level of care to taken while working on someone else's property.



Anyway, I understand that such is the way of life and not everything can be the way you want it to be. I have accepted the fact that my car cannot be a 100% perfect no matter how much I want it to be. Because cars are meant to driven and as we all know - out on the road, things are beyond our control. I've got some solace with the fact I'm lucky enough to not have to use Hondu as my daily driver (we have other cars at home for that) and I can use it for weekend/fun drives.

Saw a little kitty chilling on Hondu and seeing this gentle little thing choosing Hondu as her preferred resting spot made me smile. Maybe even she likes Hondu :


That would be all from our side now. I hope you have enjoyed reading my experience together with Hondu. I'll be taking a little break with the mods and spend some quality time taking Hondu out on night drives and maybe some weekend hangouts (any fellow members interested in a drive? please hit me up!)

I've already got ideas for my next mod - a remap for Hondu. Experts, would love your views on this!

[kunalsingh]

Originally Posted by asbshyam

Excellent thread, I own a 2012 Honda City Corporate Edition of the same color and this thread reassured my thoughts that the car is real keeper for a few if not several more years to come. It is very comfortable that several owners have the same resounding thoughts.

Also, My steering wheel is becoming patchy with the material wearing out. Any recommendations on a steering wheel cover?

I would suggest going for a steering wheel wrap. I did use a slip on cover for a while and was fine with it until I experienced the joys of using a well-wrapped leather steering wheel on my office Ciaz. The cover started feeling very thick clunky and I felt like a truck driver

Search for a reputed car interior shop in your area. Getting a quality wrap on the steering requires a lot of skill and is a time consuming job (as it involves disconnecting the steering and airbag connectors). It costs roughly 2-2.5k depending on the quality of the material used (pure leather is recommended as it gets better with use and doesn't heat up) but it's well worth the money. Hope you are able to find a trustable place. Good luck!

Originally Posted by asbshyam

No clue if this would help, but I recently replaced all my suspension parts. It cost me 35k at Crystal Honda, Wagholi, Pune. My 2012 car was bought used and the ride was always jerky and bumpy. I also had a minor accident with a two wheeler crashing into my front right wheel, this caused my steering to be off center and the ride would pull to a side when decelerating. Post replacement, the ride is a lot better and so is the handling.

35k for a complete suspension overhaul seems like a good price for A.S.S. Can you share the details of the parts changed? It would be really helpful if you could share a copy of the bill. Thanks in advance.

[sheelRP]

Glad to see your 3rd Gen ANHC looking fantastic. Happy motoring beyond 2L and this IVTEC will always bring smiles. I own a 2011 VMT and have clocked 82K and it has given me flawless experience. Even running on stock brake pads, suspension and just routine maintenance on schedule of course. This was one of the best hondas on indian roads and softer suspension setup and GC in my opinion was bit of of an issue and nothing else - best combination of power and efficiency. Only issue I am facing is the engine knocking at lower revs, especially with the AC on in lower gears. I need to increase the revs and it goes. Engine knock sensor, spark plugs were checked and all are OK. HASS could not solve it. I try to be cautious but somehow it is there though not major. Any advice? Drive safe and enjoy "power of dreams".

Mod Note : Please avoid typing with excessive dots.........like................this.

Thanks

[Sanidhya mukund]

So I was in my car, going along the highway today and suddenly noticed a white Honda city with exactly the same alloys as yours. As I came closer, I saw the team bhp sticker on the windshield and I immediately recognised it as your car! Small world we live in!

PS. Must say that the paint work looks absolutely fab! Looks like a new car now!

[kunalsingh]

Originally Posted by sheelRP

....only issue i am facing is engine knocking at lower revs especially with ac on and lower gears ...i need to increase the rev and it goes...engine knock sensor, spark plugs were checked and all OK ....HASS could not solve it.....i try to be cautious but somehow it is there though not major...any advise .....drive safe and enjoy "power of dreams"....

Hi sheelRP, did you get throttle body cleaning done on your car at any point of time? This might seem basic but I once experienced the exact same knocking symptoms after getting the Throttle Body cleaned on Hondu (outside A.S.S.) without doing a throttle body re-learn procedure afterwards and my life had become hell for a few days. Finally figured out my mistake and got it sorted at A.S.S. and it was all good afterwards!

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

So I was in my car, going along the highway today and suddenly noticed a white Honda city with exactly the same alloys as yours. As I came closer, I saw the team bhp sticker on the windshield and I immediately recognised it as your car! Small world we live in!

PS. Must say that the paint work looks absolutely fab! Looks like a new car now!

Hey Sanidhya mukund, what a small world indeed! This is in fact me returning back from Global Automotives India earlier today. Thank you for this lovely shot and I must say that you have got some excellent observational skills. Hope to catch up with you one of these days.

Update on Saturday, 10th October 2020:

I woke up slightly late today (weekend mood) and called up Nakul to check if he was at the garage and reached Global Automotives India around 11:30 and caught up with the team over there including Mr. Manoj. Everyone was happy to see Hondu with it's new look and admired the choice of alloys and interior trim.

Hondu parked behind a lovely red LR Freelander 2 that had come for some paint work :



Work had also started on Nakul's Honda City (we drive the same year, same model and same colour car!) which is also getting a full exterior + interior restoration. Here is a look at his car (it's got a nice set of alloys) :



Today being a Saturday, the garage was less busy and there were only 7-8 cars being worked on (this goes up to least 12-15 on a busy day). Saw these two German beauties plus a Mitsubishi Outlander, the red LR Freelander, Nakul's Honda, a Skoda Fabia, another Mercedes C200 Kompressor along a few others. A relatively free day at GAI




Showed Mr. Umar the scrape and he immediately got started on it. He first sanded the scrape and the area around it lightly before applying filler and a few light coats of paint to it. This being the underside of the front bumper, we just had to do a light spot touch-up :



Here is a look at the end result :





After this, Nakul and I went for a little fun drive around the block as he hadn't driven Hondu since the repair had been completed. Started the car and he says that he sometimes misses the silent nature of a stock Honda City (his car has got an original Borla exhaust + straight pipe and it just screams at high revs!). Had a good laugh over it and I later gave Hondu some TLC with a nice pressure wash and wipe :







All in all a day well spent with Hondu looking fresh and ready for it's next adventure!

[sheelRP]

Yes got throttle body cleaned at HASS. Should I get it done again to stop knocking at sound as I feel there is bit of strain on the engine....thanx

[kunalsingh]

Originally Posted by sheelRP

Yes got throttle body cleaned at HASS. Should I get it done again to stop knocking at sound as I feel there is bit of strain on the engine....thanx

Well I'm pretty confident that the A.S.S. would have done an idle re-learn after Throttle Body Cleaning but it still wouldn't hurt to have it checked through an OBD scan (a high idle will show up in the scan). The scan will also help identify other errors (if any).

Though I'll be honest, I do not have much experience in this matter. Any expert views would be much appreciated.

[kunalsingh]

A small DIY - Key Fob Replacement :

My original key had started breaking apart after 11 years of use. I use silicon covers on all our car keys but Hondu's key shell had cracked at certain places and was beyond use. So I brought out my trusty little tool-set and dismantled the key casing :



As you can see, the plastic had cracked from many places :



Found this replacement casing on Amazon and deciding to order after seeing some favourable reviews. Decided to put my brand-new and still unused Spare Key into use since delivery time showed 6-8 days (as the product was being sent from Tamil Nadu).

Link : https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B08...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Item arrived today (12th October) and the install was a quick 5-min job :


New key casing along with the original.


The contents of the package - Plastic shell + A small holder for the original key (this is slightly different in design when compared to the original Honda key where the holder and key were moulded into one unit)

Here are some pics of the work-in-progress :









The fit is quite good even though it's not perfect as the screw provided with the set somehow pushes against it's own bracket. I have just backed up the screw by a few small turns and put on my silicon cover for added protection.

All in all, a job well done and also quite easy on the pocket (just Rs. 350)! I'm happy to have my key back (it was such a pain using the spare key without any central locking buttons )

[car_guy1998]

Whoa!I'm impressed with this thread and restoration of your 3rd gen City.Hatsoff to the guy who had made your car look new.This thread made me think restoring our 2014 golden brown Honda City iDTEC,which has minor dings and dangs,thanks to Hyderabad traffic.This gen City feels robust when compared to our own 2014 4th gen City,which has run close to 1,00,000 Kms and facing some minor issues.BTW,ours is a pre-worshipped one and bought it in 2017 from a doctor,who had bought GT TSI as a replacement of City.

My cousin was pestering me to sell off our City as it has run close to 1,00,000 Kms but destiny had other plans.I got my car stock wheels painted to gloss black as a part of mid-life restoration.Now,since we are not planning to sell off our City,planning to get the tyres changed to Yokohama Earth-1 195/60R15 by this month and get the seat covers changed soon along with restoration of exterior.Even my parents were against selling off the City as it gives good fuel efficiency.

[kamilharis]

Excellent mid life restoration , and congrats on your " New " Hondu.

This iteration of city is my favorite next to Type2!

Such mid life restoration suddenly brings up a new car like feel even though it leaves a big hole on pocket.

I know the feel because I just restored my 2012 Honda Stunner bike.

[kunalsingh]

Originally Posted by car_guy1998

Whoa!I'm impressed with this thread and restoration of your 3rd gen City. Hats off to the guy who had made your car look new.

Now ,since we are not planning to sell off our City, planning to get the tyres changed to Yokohama Earth-1 195/60R15 by this month and get the seat covers changed soon along with restoration of exterior. Even my parents were against selling off the City as it gives good fuel efficiency.

Thanks car_guy1998, well yes it did take a lot of searching around and finding the right people but it was all worth it in the end.
With regards to a mid-life update for your City, it seems like a great idea! A comprehensive service to sort out all the minor issues + an interior and exterior revamp will breathe a new lease of life into your car and will guarantee years of trouble-free ownership while the upgrade to 195/60 Yoko's will further improve your handling, ride comfort and braking. Do share updates of your progress. Cheers!

Originally Posted by kamilharis

Excellent mid life restoration, and congrats on your " New " Hondu.

This iteration of city is my favorite next to Type2!

Such mid life restoration suddenly brings up a new car like feel even though it leaves a big hole on pocket.

I know the feel because I just restored my 2012 Honda Stunner bike.

Thank you kamilharis, same here with me - my generation and the Type2 Vtec (which is a legend) are my favourite iterations of the City. It's still my dream to lay hands on a well maintained and tastefully modified Type2 (the likes you find down south in Kerala).

This restoration did cost a bit (approx 70k) but it was still a whole lot cheaper than my initially planned budget of 1L and way below the budget planned for a Kia Seltos haha. So it's money well spent for me!

[Shanky_1002]

Absolutely wonderful thread and great restoration work there inside out! Superb choice of wheels, interior trim color and the charm of the 3rd Gen, makes it a timeless beauty! Do keep us posted on further updates you've in pipeline.

[kunalsingh]

Originally Posted by Shanky_1002

Absolutely wonderful thread and great restoration work there inside out! Superb choice of wheels, interior trim color and the charm of the 3rd Gen, makes it a timeless beauty! Do keep us posted on further updates you've in pipeline.

Thank you! Yes, I will. I'm making a quick trip down to GAI tomorrow. Will post an update.

[kunalsingh]

Update on Wednesday, 14th October:

Had stepped out from home to get my HSRP installed (my initial appointment was for 7th October) but my plates still hadn't arrived at my Honda centre. This after receiving a confirmation that they would surely arrive today

Anyway, I was free today so I decided to drive down to GAI to get a minor paint finish issue sorted. Nakul's car was getting painted today and I thought I'd go and have a look. Took the highway towards GAI and reached there in under 50mins (quite good for a 35km drive around NCR at noon) and showed the paint issue to Mr. Manoj and Mr. Umar :

It was a tiny paint bubble on the clear coat and Mr. Umar levelled it down followed by light rubbing + polish on the area. Took less than 5 mins and it was sorted out:

(please excuse the difference in lighting, these pictures were clicked on different days)

Here are some pictures of Nakul's car getting painted (Nakul is setting up his camera). He runs a YouTube channel and has puts up knowledgeable and interesting automotive videos - repairs, rebuilds and mods. You can check it out over here : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKD...XYv09ta8quMyXA

In the meanwhile, I went on a test-drive with Mr. Sanjeev (owner of GAI) to check Hondu's suspension as it has started to become noisy (being a musician, I have a major OCD against any untoward sounds coming from my car!!).
I will be getting the suspension work done along with Hondu's annual service and oil change next month.

And...Hondu was trying to flirt with this German lady while at GAI. He doesn't realise that she is much older and he's probably not her type

The next few days will be quite uneventful with Hondu staying parked in it's cover as I will be busy with a few music projects. Here is a picture of Hondu resting in our parking with it's other stablemate - our blue Ciaz :

And before signing off, here bonus picture showcasing my parking skills!!
(I sometimes have to move/park Hondu with half the cover on to make way for our other cars) :

[viXit]

Sirji,
I love your restoration thread wholeheartedly. From the beginning to the end.
So meticulous and so beautifully done.

One request. Please continually update is for as long as you have the car. If not anything, just occasional pictures. We have too many threads of amazing restorations etc of cars going radio silent after an year max.

All the best!