Team-BHP - Honda Civic : Maintenance, Service Costs and Must dos

Quote:

Originally Posted by Axe77 (Post 2712126)

I had to pay about 86k. Total bill was about twice that. Front shunt was little bad. Had damaged bonnet, front bumper, even slight damage to radiator etc.

Woo! Repainting a Civic is expensive. I had got my old Chevrolet Optra (same physical dimensions as the Civic, comparable paint quality) - and it had cost me Rs. 45,000.

I guess I'll have to keep my plans of repainting my Civic (from girly purple to a more manly Black) on the backburner. stupid:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Axe77 (Post 2712096)

My white Civic has completed approximately 35,000 km in 2 1/2 years.

Decided to change color to Urban Titanium during the process.

Fabulous paint job, looks like original.

Actually I have a "good to contemplate" idea to do exactly the reverse, that is change color to white. Somehow white Civics appear wider than the rest.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar (Post 2458743)

How much did you pay for a set of 4 ?

Today i managed to accidently set off the alarm of my Civic.What happened was, i was parked and was sitting inside the car with windows rolled up and had activated the lock button to lock all doors of the car.I enetered the key in the ignition to drive away after some time and the lights started to flash and the car's horn started to sound.

I guess i didn't realize that one has to deactivate ie unlock the doors and then start the car.When in lock mode the red light on the dashboard keeps blinking.When the horns and lights started i had the presence of mind to press the unlock button after which the alarm stopped.

Hey Sumeet,

About a month back I know not what I did, my car went bonkers all of a sudden. Indicators flashing. Horns blowing.

No idea what was happening. So I was embarrassed.

To stop this craziness I started pressing all the buttons one by one. GOK what I did right but the craziness finally stopped after about 2 minutes. And it has never happened again.

Today after reading this post of yours I realized that it was an alarm going off. I had no idea about it till now.

Can you throw some light on it? How does it get activated and how can one stop it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by skdking (Post 2713172)

Hey Sumeet,..

About a month back I know not what I did, my car went bonkers all of a sudden. Indicators flashing...
Can you throw some light on it? How does it get activated and how can one stop it?

You must have tripped off the alarm system.Was the blinker on the dashboard flashing in red ? That would mean the alarm is activated.If someone were to open the door/trunk or try to start the engine the alarm would sound off.To switch off the alarm all you have to do is to press the unlock button and that would disarm and stop the horns etc.

Like I mentioned in the earlier post, there were two shunts at least requiring part replacement to items like front and rear bumper, left headlight, bonnet, radiator etc. Plus when you go for color change there's additional labour and some additional costs since engine has to be removed and all.

It's taking into account all of the above that I paid about 86 K with total bill being about twice that amount and insurance covering the balance.

Is it OK to leave the car unattended for, say 6-8 weeks? I had to go away from bangalore for a couple of weeks, so did not leave the car in custody of anybody. Now, its 3 weeks gone, and I won't be heading back for at least another 3 weeks. Never left any of my cars without running before. Please advise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Axe77 (Post 2713313)

Like I mentioned in the earlier post, there were two shunts at least requiring part replacement to items like front and rear bumper, left headlight, bonnet, radiator etc. Plus when you go for color change there's additional labour and some additional costs since engine has to be removed and all.

That is the reason for Rs. 86K bill.

If a car is repainted with the same colour, they generally don't touch the "invisible" sheet metal like the insides of the engine bay, boot and even the door panels. Because the colour doesn't fade as much as the sheet metal that is exposed to the sun/rain. A nice polish does the trick.

But when a car is repainted with a different colour like you have done, it is a much more extensive job.

Quote:

Originally Posted by civic-sense (Post 2713650)

I had once left my Honda City unattended for nine weeks and after I came back it started at the first turning of the key. I have a Civic now and it should not be any different.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandeep108 (Post 2713664)

It would be better to put the car on jacks or inflate the tires to 40-44 psi, if left for so long. I have left my car for 2 periods of 4-6 weeks or so, without much of issue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tempelhof (Post 2713806)

I had once left my Honda City unattended for nine weeks and after I came back it started at the first turning of the key. I have a Civic now and it should not be any different.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgiitk (Post 2713828)

Four to six weeks is a non-issue. If you are talking of the same number of months then one can think.

Thanks. 6 weeks is what am looking at now.

Wish I had brought the car along. Am driving an old Swift here and its already driving me crazy. :)

@Axe77, nice paint job, but am scratching my head wondering why you wanted to change the color. White, IMO, is the color best suited for the Civic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by civic-sense (Post 2714026)

Thanks. 6 weeks is what am looking at now.

You could use a good cover if you have.The thing that may cause to worry is not the car itself but that of rats.My civic is used only on weekends and for 5 days remains inactive.That much time is enough for rats to litter underneath the car.You should take some precautions against same as these animals can cause unexpected damage to the wires etc of the car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar (Post 2714292)

How would a car cover prevent rats from rntering the engine bay?

PLEASE HELP:
The water that gets dropped from a/c compressor after switching off the car after a run all of a sudden has burning smell to it. The smell is strong enough to be felt if you stand close to the car. I have checked thoroughly it is water only, but with a burning smell. Is it normal that it smells like a burnt fluid or needs immediate attention?