[sushrutha]

Originally Posted by dot

2. What I understand, if Civic's odometer is tampered then the engine check light comes on.

I had seen a CIVIC in BLR, for which the odometer was tampered. No C.E.L. whatsoever.
Car in used car showroom was showing 35K Kms, but when checked with showroom for service records, recently it was serviced for 70K Kms.
Car looked as good as 35K Kms run.

Originally Posted by patron

A friend of mine is intending to pickup a 2007 make, 2008 registered V-AT with 28k on the odo for 6.8L (Looks like a steal for Bangalore market)

That's a steal price for Civic in BLR. Verify the service records n insurance claims if any, if found to be decent, iwth no accident or any major repairs then pick the car closed eyes.
6.8L for 2007 VAT... it's mouth watering.

One thing I noticed is that when the car starts up, the engine noise is similar to that of a diesel for a second or 2 then quietens. Not sure if this is normal.
.

In a Civic, It's not normal to have a cluttering noise as that of diesel.

Check the engine/gearbox mounts.

[patron]

Originally Posted by sushrutha

In a Civic, It's not normal to have a cluttering noise as that of diesel.

Check the engine/gearbox mounts.

Thanks Sushrutha, It is not really a cluttering noise as in a diesel, but the engine itself has a heavy feel to it when we crank it up (my mistake bringing up diesel here) once it starts, the noise level comes down.

[rr_zen]

Originally Posted by patron

Thanks Sushrutha, It is not really a cluttering noise as in a diesel, but the engine itself has a heavy feel to it when we crank it up (my mistake bringing up diesel here) once it starts, the noise level comes down.

I think I can relate to this. It is present in my Civic as well and personally am not happy about it. But, yes it subsides within a few seconds of the engine coming to life.

[spadix]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

but some of the interiors have faded eg the steerng horn button, audio controls and the parking brake have faded exteriors.

Could the car have clocked more than it shows on the odo.I have read it's possible to clock back the civic's odo by certains means.

The silver-finished (lookalike) bits of the Civic are known to fade, and I too have observed blemishes on the horn button - gathered over time, for instance turmeric that priests apply during vehicle puja - that won't go away. Don't worry too much about those.

The Honda SAs and even the CEO of Pride Honda told me that the odo cannot be tampered with but I subscribe very strongly to the notion that anything and everything in this world can be broken/bypassed/circumvented including the Civic's odo. Like they say in The Matrix, each system has rules and if you them, you can break them .

The service record is the easiest way to identify. Looking at the dates on the tyres, like autofreak suggested, is another good starting point.

Originally Posted by jatinpatel

Normally the stock tires last till 42k or so. If driven very cautiously then maximum of 50k.

There are people who've nursed their stock tyres till 60k - on Hyderabad's roads - by constant (i.e. every 5k kms) rotation, balancing and adjustment. I feel it's too much overhead and over time one would have ended up spending 12000 bucks (12 times * 1000 INR per visit) on these things anyway, kind of missing the wood for the trees.

Those are in the minority, though. 40-50k is pretty decent for the stock tyres.

Originally Posted by patron

Apart from the minor dings here and there, the car looks clean and drives well too. One thing I noticed is that when the car starts up, the engine noise is similar to that of a diesel for a second or 2 then quietens. Not sure if this is normal.

When the car's cold-started it idles at 1300 rpm before slowly settling down to the quiet 750 rpm "warm" idle. However, this lasts for a couple of minutes at least and is definitely not something that goes away in a couple of seconds.

I would have the car's interior checked for loose panels (roof, rear parcel tray, door panels, armrest compartment and/or armrest slider), any attachments that are free to move (perfume bottle, idol, keys/loose change hidden somewhere out of sight) and vibrations in the seat mounts and adjusters. When the car starts, unless it's totally brand-new, there is a slight vibration before the engine mounts take over and if there are things inside the cabin that can vibrate, you'll hear them.

If this doesn't turn up anything, it's time to check under the hood for loose mounts (not just engine mounts but those of the various fluid canisters as well as battery etc.).

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Question is, is it advisable to go for the car given that the windshield has been replaced (Current one is Garware and doesn't look as nice as the stock). The owner claims a coconut fell on the glass .

I think this shouldn't be a problem. When you say the glass doesn't look as nice as the stock, is it just a matter of cleanliness or things such as clarity and curve of the glass?

As long as visibility is good and the wipers work well, I think there should not be any concerns.

And falling coconuts is a major problem in most Southern cities .

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Will the value depreciate, considering my friend will be the 3rd owner of the vehicle.

While there will be some impact, the used car market is fairly mature and people will understand when they see that it was a company-leased car that was driven by one person only most of the time. It'll not be as bad as a vehicle that's "really" had 2 transfers already.

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

The price seems very attractive though.

It is! My guess is that the original owner got a good deal on it considering it was a 2007 model registered in 2008. Honda is known to provide fat discounts if you're willing to pick up previous model year cars.

Regards,
spadix

[civic-sense]

Originally Posted by patron

A friend of mine is intending to pickup a 2007 make, 2008 registered V-AT with 28k on the odo for 6.8L (Looks like a steal for Bangalore market). The tyres look good for another 5k

The stock NCTs lasts for anything more than 40K. Not sure about the Michelins. Check the tyres for the manufacturing date, and if it is newer than 2007, then it is time to check back the service records.

Check again whether this person works for the same company which owned the car. I had bought my Optra which was in a company's name, and they transfered it directly to me.

Since the price is a steal, you should be double careful.

[dot]

Originally Posted by patron

One thing I noticed is that when the car starts up, the engine noise is similar to that of a diesel for a second or 2 then quietens. Not sure if this is normal.

More like a muted JCB jackhammer like noise? Is the AC on when the engine starts? This is the typical auto-tensioner noise.

As folks have said, it is normal for a Civic.

[patron]

Thanks for the inputs guys.

Here is an update:

• Went for a drive to the A.S.S for an evaluation. The advisor inspected the suspension, engine etc. and found no issues.

• I could feel the brakes were a bit spongy and had a mild creaking noise, asked him the same, he checked the liners and pads and said both were ok and will try to fix the same when serviced.

• Regarding the engine noise, he said the sound is perfectly normal. When asked why my V-AT's engine is not so noisy, he said it could be the difference in the oil or something and said he will check that at the next service.

His evaluation, 6.8 is a good price and his valuation would be around 9L for the same car.

• Next stop, a known Exide battery shop. The guy inspected the battery and said the battery is in good condition.

• Yes, the tyres are all 2007 NCT's.
• The windshield is marked 2008 and has some minor scratches and the wipers work well. Nothing that blocks any vision. Checked at night too and did not find too much of halo effect because of the scratches.
• Another thing is the drivers seat leather was soiled and when asked if the interior cleaning would remove the stains, the SA called the cleaning guys who applied some 3M foam and tried to wipe it off but could not.

All in all, the car seems to be ok, I am probably looking through a magnifying glass given the low price.

[vasoo]

Originally Posted by patron

.....


His evaluation, 6.8 is a good price and his valuation would be around 9L for the same car.

• Next stop, a known Exide battery shop. The guy inspected the battery and said the battery is in good condition.

• Yes, the tyres are all 2007 NCT's.
• The windshield is marked 2008 and has some minor scratches and the wipers work well. Nothing that blocks any vision. Checked at night too and did not find too much of halo effect because of the scratches.....
• .....

I would suggest to inspect this car carefully. Why is the owner selling it? 6.8 L looks unusually low for a 2007 civic. How can the windshield be of 2008 for a 2007 civic? Did he replace it after some accident?

[patron]

Originally Posted by vasoo

I would suggest to inspect this car carefully. Why is the owner selling it? 6.8 L looks unusually low for a 2007 civic. How can the windshield be of 2008 for a 2007 civic? Did he replace it after some accident?

Yes the windshield was replaced in 2008 after a coconut accident.
What else should I check? I am out of ideas.

[civic-sense]

Originally Posted by patron

Yes the windshield was replaced in 2008 after a coconut accident.
What else should I check? I am out of ideas.

I think we are getting unusually paranoid here. If the service history is clear, I think, you can go ahead. Just check the entries in the service booklet, and if possible, copies of all service bills from the service center. If you have any doubt about accidents, inspect the body for paint jobs. Believe me, it is very easy to spot one.

ATs have a low resale value. I bought mine 1.5 years ago for 7.6L.

[sushrutha]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

I got it done yesterday at an outside workshop.

Where did you get the skimming done?
How much did he charge you ? In Honda A.S.S, they quoted me 1500Rs for the same job.

Originally Posted by vasoo

[/list]I would suggest to inspect this car carefully. Why is the owner selling it? 6.8 L looks unusually low for a 2007 civic. ?

Got your point, some people who are crazy abt an upgradation or in urgent need of money might sell their cars for price lesser than the Market value.
Sometime back, I had an offer in Shimoga for 2009 Civic which had hardly run 8500Kms quoted price was 9L...
The day I was about to start towards Shimoga, the very same day it got sold for 8.25L, some used car dealer(from BLR) bought it for that money, Next day, believe it the very next day he sold it for 9.30L in Bangalore.
No accident or nothing fishy abt this car ;-)
Missed the car in matter of hours ;-)

[spadix]

Originally Posted by sushrutha

Got your point, some people who are crazy abt an upgradation or in urgent need of money might sell their cars for price lesser than the Market value.

Or relocating abroad in a hurry...

In this particular case I still think the original buyer is basing the resale price on a lower initial purchase price because of him buying a 2007 model year car in 2008.

That's quite some story, sushrutha! It's time Honda realizes the Civic is still in demand and announces a price cut for the Civic as well, to follow the recent ANHC price cut .

Regards,
spadix

[rr_zen]

Originally Posted by The Saint

Ok boys and to all the civic owners like me, finally after 3 and half years living with my civic and always complaining about the soft suspension, I have got rid of all my problems. I have been researching, reading, asking so many people how to fix it, read reviews but didnt find one from a person who had actually installed, these were all internet reviews or people's views based on whatever.

Finally I have installed Koni's FSD (frequency selective Dampers) entire write-up for all the readers is available on koni's official site, I will give you my first hand experience.

@The Saint: Its been about 2 months since you installed the Koni FSD's on your Civic. Would be great if you can write a detailed review of the same. As you know, most of the Civic owners in our forum are keen to know the benefits of the Koni's and it would be good to get first hand feedback from you on this. Thanks.

[civic-sense]

Originally Posted by sushrutha

Where did you get the skimming done?
How much did he charge you ? In Honda A.S.S, they quoted me 1500Rs for the same job.

Rs 450 was the bill. My friend took me to that workshop, the name which I don't remember now. It was near bannerghatta road. I will pm you the details after I talk to my friend.


I bought an after-market fog lamps from jc road. Can anybody suggest a good place in south Bangalore where I can get it installed? I don't mind if the wiring is not done. Just put the fogs in place.

[The Saint]

Originally Posted by rr_zen

@The Saint: Its been about 2 months since you installed the Koni FSD's on your Civic. Would be great if you can write a detailed review of the same. As you know, most of the Civic owners in our forum are keen to know the benefits of the Koni's and it would be good to get first hand feedback from you on this. Thanks.

I think you have missed surfing this thread, I have already done a complete review on the koni's FSD. just search this thread with my handle name and you will find the entire review, if you have any specific questions after that, you can pm me or call me or put it here, I will be hapy to answer them for you.

Cheers