[MumbaiBoy]

Yes, fuel filter has been regularly changed by Apex Honda at recommended intervals. In fact, when fuel pump assembly was removed to access the pump, it did not look too ugly.

I often drive even when the yellow low fuel light is activated, to try and see how far the tank goes and to monitor efficiency (a couple of times, the car has crossed 600 km with some highway run).

Most of my driving is within Mumbai so I am inclined to let the situation be. Is there any knowledge in the forum on warning signs for imminent fuel pump failure. Also, is it possible that fuel pump was not working due to some electrical wiring problem.

[~~VinZ~~]

Hi All Civic owners,

I am planning to replace my Punto with a Sedan (petrol or diesel) and a used Civic will top my list if i finalise on petrol Sedan.

1) What will be maintanance cost involved if i get a 30k+ or 40k+ Civic? and how often she will take me to Service station for works?
2) GC is definitely a concern but compared to Punto, anyone can give me some light in to this?
3) Any other suggestions ?

[Blue Thunder]

Originally Posted by Tempelhof

Current update on the AC issue:

• Evaporator Cleaned
• Gas refilled
• Relay replaced

...

What was the cost of this service, Tempelhof ?

Hope the AC is working fine now.

[manim]

Originally Posted by MumbaiBoy

Is there any knowledge in the forum on warning signs for imminent fuel pump failure. Also, is it possible that fuel pump was not working due to some electrical wiring problem.

At 5.5 years and 1,19,500 kms on the odo I have never faced this problem so far, but am concerned after I read your post. Let us know the exact reason the pump failed if you find it out.

Originally Posted by ~~VinZ~~

1) What will be maintanance cost involved if i get a 30k+ or 40k+ Civic? and how often she will take me to Service station for works?
2) GC is definitely a concern but compared to Punto, anyone can give me some light in to this?
3) Any other suggestions ?

1) My Civic has had low costs for maintenance so far. But spares rates has been increasing recently (maybe due to sky-high-inflation and the rupee devaluation).
2) Though GC is less, if you are careful it will not bother you. I have driven over various terrains and wherever any other car goes the Civic can follow!
3) I am an extremely satisfied owner and will highly recommend you to buy one!

[sarathlal]

Originally Posted by ~~VinZ~~

Hi All Civic owners,

I am planning to replace my Punto with a Sedan (petrol or diesel) and a used Civic will top my list if i finalise on petrol Sedan.

1) What will be maintanance cost involved if i get a 30k+ or 40k+ Civic? and how often she will take me to Service station for works?
2) GC is definitely a concern but compared to Punto, anyone can give me some light in to this?
3) Any other suggestions ?

1) 30k is not a major service, so if the tires are good, this milestone wont be a problem. But 40k is a major service and would need to factor in 8-12k for the same.

2) As Manim mentioned, if you take the Civic carefully, you can take her through most of the normal terrains. Make sure you don't bounce the car. Yes indeed, this is a low slung car, and one have to be careful.

3) Brilliant, no nonsense car, go for it.

[Tempelhof]

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

What was the cost of this service, Tempelhof ?

Hope the AC is working fine now.

Sure, the car is back after repairing that minor dent in the front bumper (free of charge).

As regards the AC, the part that was replaced was the RELAY. Cost of that is mentioned as Rs. 25/---

But, the charges for removing the dashboard, servicing the AC (evaporator et al) and placing it back is around Rs. 4500/--

I'll upload the Bill tomorrow - it is in the office.

Yes, (so far) the AC has been running smoothly - but, I'd like to see how it performs on a long trip.

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by MumbaiBoy

I often drive even when the yellow low fuel light is activated, to try and see how far the tank goes and to monitor efficiency (a couple of times, the car has crossed 600 km with some highway run)

This could be one of the reasons why the fuel pump could have mal-functioned.When the fuel level reaches the low point dirt etc which gets accumulated over a period of time in the fuel tank tends to get inside the fuel pump which could damage the same.Also having enough fuel in the tank is necessary as it also cools down the fuel pump.Please try to maintain fuel level atleast till the last bar ie just before the low fuel warning lamp.Quite frankly it's not worth the few extra kms that you gain by travelling on reserve unless it's a emergency.

Originally Posted by ~~VinZ~~

Hi All Civic owners,

I am planning to replace my Punto with a Sedan (petrol or diesel) and a used Civic will top my list if i finalise on petrol Sedan.

1) What will be maintanance cost involved if i get a 30k+ or 40k+ Civic? and how often she will take me to Service station for works?
2) GC is definitely a concern but compared to Punto, anyone can give me some light in to this?
3) Any other suggestions ?

Try to get a face lifted civic ie 2008 and above as it has a better suspension and some minor changes like FE display,aux-in cable etc.Also the pre 2008 civic have been known to have engine mount failures which i am under the impression (unless someone knows better) is not a issue with the face lifted civic.Even if you go for a pre 2008 model make sure the engine mount is in good shape.You can use this link to the check for the most common mount problem.It has been reported by several users that HASS is offering free replacement for engine mounts but do not take a unnecessary risk.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post2352049


Another issue with the civic is that it's brake discs seem to wear out as some users have reported.Replacing the discs will be a major expense however this can be avoided be disc skimming which can postpone this particular expense a bit.

My car and bhpian JatinPatel's civic both unfortunately were victims of steering rack leakage which cost me a bomb to fix from HASS(25K) + 7k for the hose.The leakage can happen because of loss of power steering fluid as in my case which in turn happened as the power steering hose developed a leak.So you need to make sure that your car does not happen to have this problem.A dead give away of a car running low on PS fluid is engine whine while turining the steering wheel especially on cold starts.

Some car's have also reported issue with the cooling coil for the a/c and you need to make sure the same is working fine.At 40K there is a major change for the fuel filter which alone would cost you 4.5K atleast.So be prepared for that.Test the suspension for ball joint etc wear related problems.Take the car to a HASS for a complete thorough checkup before finalising any deal.

Good Luck.

[rr_zen]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Try to get a face lifted civic ie 2008 and above as it has a better suspension and some minor changes like FE display,aux-in cable etc.

The face lift happened towards end of 2009 and not 2008 if I remember correct.

[sarathlal]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

This could be one of the reasons why the fuel pump could have mal-functioned.When the fuel level reaches the low point dirt etc which gets accumulated over a period of time in the fuel tank tends to get inside the fuel pump which could damage the same

Isn't the fuel pump intake always at the bottom of the tank, and in this case, what would be the difference whereby the dirt getting accumulated or into the pump due to low amount of fuel in the pump?

Originally Posted by rr_zen

The face lift happened towards end of 2009 and not 2008 if I remember correct.

Yes, it happened in September 2009.

[gomzi]

Originally Posted by sarathlal

Isn't the fuel pump intake always at the bottom of the tank, and in this case, what would be the difference whereby the dirt getting accumulated or into the pump due to low amount of fuel in the pump?

The fuel pump on my old indigo had also needed to be fixed earlier this.year and the TASS SA mentioned that it happens due to dirt build up.
I then recalled that our family chauffeur waits till the fuel gauge hits red before refuelling, whereas in the other car driven by me which is older was always topped up after.reaching half way.
I guess over time heavier sedimentation gathers at the bottom of the fuel tank and if we regularly drive the car till near empty some of this gets sucked in clogging up filters. I'm no expert in this but this is my deduction.

[Tempelhof]

Originally Posted by Tempelhof

I'll upload the Bill tomorrow - it is in the office.

Apologies for the error in the price of the Relay - it is Rs. 900/--.

Here's the bill.

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by rr_zen

The face lift happened towards end of 2009 and not 2008 if I remember correct.

Thank you for the correction.

Originally Posted by sarathlal

Isn't the fuel pump intake always at the bottom of the tank, and in this case, what would be the difference whereby the dirt getting accumulated or into the pump due to low amount of fuel in the pump?



Yes, it happened in September 2009.

Frankly i am no auto guru and i am just repeating what has been told to me by mechanics over the years.Here are few links on the same topic.Having enough fuel in the tank provides cooling and lubrication for the pump.Having fuel at the empty level will make the pump hot as it is not getting enough lubrication and make it work harder as it has to pump in all the fuel remaining at the bottom along with the debris which have collected over a period of time.

Quoting a few lines from the below link

"When the fuel level is low, the pump has to work much harder to produce the same pressure. This is because the reduced fuel weight no longer pushes fuel into the pump. Instead the pump must draw the fuel in. There is also less fuel to dissipate heat and the overworked pump is likely to be damaged"

http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/195

Also check out.

http://tankonempty.com/viewstory/71
http://am.delphi.com/news-spotlight/...ssure-repairs/

[spadix]

Hi all,

I've been fairly inactive over the last few months. Really bogged down on both the personal and work fronts, but I thought I'll drop in to provide a quick update on the 30k kms service my car recently underwent.

This was at Ring Road Honda, Gurgaon on Sunday, Nov. 18.

Total cost was INR 16831 and included new wiper blades (around INR 1500 including parts and labour) and a new battery (around INR 5900 including exchange discount for the original battery which had become weak). The other major contributors to the remaining cost were oil change (~INR 3k), wheel balancing/alignment/rotation (INR 600) and lubing/tightening of nuts and bolts throughout the underbody, suspension and all doors (~INR 3k). Taxes themselves amounted to ~INR 2.2k!

I didn't notice this when I dropped the car in, and the SA didn't mention either, but if I had delayed the service by just a day I could've saved up to INR 1k. Honda is running a Deepavali dhamaka offer from Nov. 19 to 23 where prices on select parts are off by 10%, accessories off by 15% and wheel balancing/alignment off by 50%. If any of you is thinking of parts replacements or picking up OEM accessories, now is the time!

The car is 2 years and 4 months old now, so the wiper blade replacement and battery replacement were around the corner, more or less. The wiper blades were leaving streaks on the windshield, and I could make the headlights and cabin lights dimming slightly whenever the AC compressor kicked in - sign of a weak or weakening battery.

In addition to the usual items I complained about the various noises I was hearing from the suspension, brakes, clutch pedal, passenger seat mount and air mix motor.

Except the noise from the brakes, which developed recently, every other sound has been a long-pending issue which HASS either refuses to acknowledge that it exists, or refuses to investigate to my satisfaction, or says it has fixed but really hasn't.

The air mix motor sound was identified to a faulty part which they promised to replace under warranty when I visited them for the 25k service a few months back. They didn't have the part in stock then and so replaced it now. This wasn't smooth. Initially they said I'm not eligible for replacement now as the car's out of basic warranty and the air mix motor is a plastic part. I had to put some pressure on them and had to run home to get all previous service bills to prove that the car was serviced regularly. It was going to become a sordid episode, borderline, but thankfully everything got resolved. The cost of the air mix motor assy. is otherwise around INR 1800. The noise has greatly diminished after the replacement but hasn't vanished completely.

Other than that, even this time, only the brake noise has been fixed (no part replacement).

With regard to the tik-tik sound from the clutch pedal, the SA said that the noise didn't go away even with liberal spraying of lubricant. In his way, the clutch pedal assembly is reaching end-of-life and would have to be replaced. I think I should get a second opinion.

The front suspension sound, which has been a bugbear for over 20k kms and ~2 years now, is something that I should probably just give up on. The symptoms are very close to what many on this forum and elsewhere know to be the issue with faulty bump stops. I even showed the SA and mechanic Honda's TSB (07-043, for those interested) but they brushed the suggestion aside. Instead, the SA mentioned that the RHS engine mount is showing signs of weakness. I told him that still doesn't explain why the noise comes only when the wheels are turned (either way) and not when the steering is dead-on straight. I guess I just have to give up and stomach the damper replacement whenever it's due. These guys don't understand the concept of preventive maintenance. They constantly refer to the 4-year warranty (which as we have now learnt doesn't cover plastic parts), but do not understand that a slightly faulty part could build up to a bigger failure outside the warranty period. Ah, well!

Finally, there's also some uneven tyre wear. The left rear tyre is quite worn out in comparison to the others, so tyre rotation wasn't done. The front two tyres were switched L-R and the rear two were untouched. I thought this was strange. At least the rear tyres could've been switched L-R too to even out the wearing a little, but the SA would have none of it. In any case, he said the tyres (these are the stock OEM NCT5s) are good to go for another 10k kms.

So that's that - the honeymoon period seems to be over now that the car is into its 3rd year and I have to be prepared for the average maintenance cost to shoot up from its hitherto 50p/km to somewhere around 70-80p/km in the long run (right now it's at 1 Re/km).

Regards,
spadix

[gomzi]

Originally Posted by spadix

They constantly refer to the 4-year warranty (which as we have now learnt doesn't cover plastic parts), but do not understand that a slightly faulty part could build up to a bigger failure outside the warranty period. Ah, well!

Irrespective of the car manufacturer thats how most dealers make money! Very difficult to find a service center which focuses on this point. I still haven't found any in Thane.

Originally Posted by spadix

Finally, there's also some uneven tyre wear. The left rear tyre is quite worn out in comparison to the others, so tyre rotation wasn't done. The front two tyres were switched L-R and the rear two were untouched. I thought this was strange. At least the rear tyres could've been switched L-R too to even out the wearing a little, but the SA would have none of it. In any case, he said the tyres (these are the stock OEM NCT5s) are good to go for another 10k kms.

Always do alignment/balancing from outside. The first couple of times at Maruti and at Hyundai, there were either always issues with the alignment/balancing or the work was just not done and I had to insist on it during delivery.
I intend to continue with the rotation/alignment/balancing for my civic from outside.

[mukeshgoel]

Originally Posted by spadix

...wheel balancing/alignment/rotation (INR 600)...

Finally, there's also some uneven tyre wear. The left rear tyre is quite worn out in comparison to the others, so tyre rotation wasn't done. The front two tyres were switched L-R and the rear two were untouched. I thought this was strange. At least the rear tyres could've been switched L-R too to even out the wearing a little, but the SA would have none of it. In any case, he said the tyres (these are the stock OEM NCT5s) are good to go for another 10k kms.

My first set of tyres also had uneven tyre wear because Honda A.S.S. never rotated the tyres and I was under impression that it was part of every 5k service which I was getting done religiously. Now, I get it done in front of my eyes every 5k kms and my 25k old Yoko DBs looks 12-12k old.

For alignment, balancing, rotation, I have been going to STAR WHEELS (Mr. Deepak) at Atul Kataria Chowk, Sector 14, Gurgaon for last 4 years . Since you are in Gurgaon, I will suggest you to try him.