[sgiitk]

Folks remember those doing 2500km per month are not likely to be pottering about town, so the bulk of the running in on highways. I for one would have gone even higher. Remember worldwide the oi, change interval is about 10,000/12,000 MILES. Multiply by 1.6 to get the km!

[honeybee]

Why not check the oil after 10k and then decide? Road conditions or traffic conditions might affect the oil, such as if you are doing more of a start-stop driving or lots of short distances, you might need an oil change earlier than if you were doing long drives at consistent speeds.

So at the end of the 10k running or after 12 months whichever is earlier, just check the condition of the oil and decide if it's good to go for another month or so.

Usually a blackish colour means the oil needs replacement.

[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

I would say the 15k service interval is just a marketing gimmick. I would not push the engine oil in what is described as harsh driving conditions that Indian roads are known for. Personally i would not push the oil in the cng Civic for more than 10k. In theory cng burns hotter than petrol i think, this might expedite the degradation of the engine oil making it lose its properties sooner. Just an assumption but i change oil every 9k or six months just because my Civic's on cng too.

with Sumeet here.

Originally Posted by nik0502

Hi Ace F355,

I agree Indian conditions are harsh, however VW and Skoda both have 15K service interval with synthetic oil in the our Indian conditions and do just fine. I am surprised why not Honda. I have switched to CNG.

Originally Posted by nik0502

Hey Sumeet,

I will probably keep on getting it serviced at 10K interval just for the peace of mind however I do not think 15K interval is a marketing gimmick. A close friend has a Rapid DSG and it does fine for those 15 K Kms.

One man's fine is another man's _____ (if you know what I mean). Therefore, at the end of the day, it all boils down to personal preference on what you feel is okay for you/your car. I have stuck with 10k intervals with my cars and would recommend the same.

Here is an interesting thread for you to look over.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ou-adhere.html

Originally Posted by nik0502

I am glad to see someone from my hometown on the forum.

Fellow BHPian Bluevolt is from Jind as well. His Honda City thread below.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...nst-world.html

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Folks remember those doing 2500km per month are not likely to be pottering about town, so the bulk of the running in on highways. I for one would have gone even higher. Remember worldwide the oi, change interval is about 10,000/12,000 MILES. Multiply by 1.6 to get the km!

Yes Professor. I agree with that logic too. It works like a charm in developed countries. I used to follow 10k miles on my Mazda Millenia S in Canada (it was imported from the US, hence had mile based recommendations). However, I would not stress the engine in India with that high mileage between oil changes. Like I said, at the end of the day it a personal preference on what okay for your car according to you.

Originally Posted by honeybee

Why not check the oil after 10k and then decide? Road conditions or traffic conditions might affect the oil, such as if you are doing more of a start-stop driving or lots of short distances, you might need an oil change earlier than if you were doing long drives at consistent speeds.

So at the end of the 10k running or after 12 months whichever is earlier, just check the condition of the oil and decide if it's good to go for another month or so.

Usually a blackish colour means the oil needs replacement.

With diesels, run a new engine oil and it will turn black within 500 kms. Not so quickly with petrols. Viscosity is the key there. A few times, my Mechanic took out the dipstick and felt the oil, looked at me and said the oil seems okay for another 1-2k kms. So-n-So people use their oil for much longer.

I smiled and replied, I love my car too much to do this. I would rather change the oil earlier than recommended than pushing the boundaries there.

[KaandBaaz]

Hello Folks,

I am about to purchase a Civic in a day or two. After scanning the market and test driving a few cars, I have decided on a car. Its a 2008 , V variant, has full service history, new tires, has run 81,000 kms. The asking price was 4,00,000. I have negotiated on 3,45,000.

Can you people please guide me on tips to check before I take the delivery. Also tomorrow I have decided to take it to Deccan Honda for a check-up. Any heads up would be appreciated.

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by KaandBaaz

Hello Folks,

I am about to purchase a Civic in a day or two. After scanning the market and test driving a few cars, I have decided on a car. Its a 2008 , V variant, has full service history, new tires, has run 81,000 kms. The asking price was 4,00,000. I have negotiated on 3,45,000.

Can you people please guide me on tips to check before I take the delivery. Also tomorrow I have decided to take it to Deccan Honda for a check-up. Any heads up would be appreciated.

Check for engine mount issue , steering rack leakage, power steering pump leakage,busted rubber bushes and also check the ac for cooling effectiveness. Rest of the stuff should be standard for any other car eg worn out tyres, shocks, accident repair, brake pads etc.

If its a auto make sure the D light is not blinking. This will mean issue with tranny and that car should be avoided.

[KaandBaaz]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Check for engine mount issue , steering rack leakage, power steering pump leakage,busted rubber bushes and also check the ac for cooling effectiveness. Rest of the stuff should be standard for any other car eg worn out tyres, shocks, accident repair, brake pads etc.

If its a auto make sure the D light is not blinking. This will mean issue with tranny and that car should be avoided.

Its a manual transmission, the mounts were recently changed. Taking the car tomorrow to a FNG as well as Deccan Honda for further checks. Just felt while taking a test ride as the clutch to be a bit hard. Can you comment on the cost for the same, if it needs to be replaced. e.g Master cylinder or clutch plate.

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by KaandBaaz

Its a manual transmission, the mounts were recently changed. Taking the car tomorrow to a FNG as well as Deccan Honda for further checks. Just felt while taking a test ride as the clutch to be a bit hard. Can you comment on the cost for the same, if it needs to be replaced. e.g Master cylinder or clutch plate.

A clutch overhaul along with flywheel skimming should at a good garage should be in the range of 10 to 12k max. The clutch slave and master cylinder at Honda should be cost around 10k to 15k min . Check clutch fluid before going for overhaul etc. In case the cylinders are kaput the clutch feels limp and has to be pushed hard to the floor for engaging.

[coolkurt]

So I finally got around to changing the front suspension set up as there was a metallic thud everytime i hit a rough patch from the right strut as it had worn off. Had changed the linking earlier.

I got the following:

A new pair of struts for Rs 6000.
And the mounting for Rs 1500.
Labour - Rs 400.
Total Damage - Rs 7900

Shop: Ghai Spares, New Delhi.

Peace of mind - priceless. The noise is gone and handling bad roads is a breeze.

I've booked for the 1,30,000 Kms service tomm. Is this a major service? Any specific things I need to keep in mind?

[revvhed]

Hi coolkurt.
This comes at just the right time. I had given my Civic to the HASS as my engine mount had given up and needed to be changed. When i got it back the car was bouncing and bottoming like crazy and when i took it back to them they told me that all the dampers need replacing. They're quoting INR 8000 per front damper and INR 4500 per rear damper. Looking at what you paid there's a HUGE difference in cost. Could you please tell me what was the brand of the dampers that you purchased ?
Have any other members replaced the dampers on their Civics and if so have you'll used the Honda original spares or some other brand ?
I'd love to put Tein / Koni / Bilstein but i'm sure i can't afford those :(

Thanks in advance guys. Awaiting your inputs.

[coolkurt]

Originally Posted by revvhed

Hi coolkurt.
This comes at just the right time. I had given my Civic to the HASS as my engine mount had given up and needed to be changed. When i got it back the car was bouncing and bottoming like crazy and when i took it back to them they told me that all the dampers need replacing. They're quoting INR 8000 per front damper and INR 4500 per rear damper. Looking at what you paid there's a HUGE difference in cost. Could you please tell me what was the brand of the dampers that you purchased ?
Have any other members replaced the dampers on their Civics and if so have you'll used the Honda original spares or some other brand ?
I'd love to put Tein / Koni / Bilstein but i'm sure i can't afford those :(

Thanks in advance guys. Awaiting your inputs.

Greetings

Well the original struts were from Munjal. But I don't think they make them anymore or they're clearly not available, probably only at HASS. I don't remember the brand but the folks at Ghai Spares gave me two options - One set Costing 6k which is oem and the other set costing 4k. The latter is pretty good too and does the job really well.

I'll try and enquire the brand. or else, you're free to Call up Ghai Spares - 098-102-99709.

I'm happy with the struts I got. As good as the Munjal ones. And I've got a friend who bought the 4k ones 6 months back and they're doing a great job too.

[sgiitk]

@coolkurt; It is tough to evaluate struts esp their long term performance. I will spend the 2000 extra and go with the OEMs. Whether a strut lasts for six months or six years is a very tough call.

[revvhed]

@coolkurt
Just to clarify, did you pay 6000 per strut or for the pair ?

[coolkurt]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@coolkurt; It is tough to evaluate struts esp their long term performance. I will spend the 2000 extra and go with the OEMs. Whether a strut lasts for six months or six years is a very tough call.

Absolutely. Which is why I didn't risk it. Peace of mind is of utmost importance.

@revvhed

6k for a pair. The mounting costs another 1.5k. And the kit costs extra as well.

[laluks]

Thanks to coolkurt, I received the engine bedding today.



Weekend I hope to replace it. Lift the car, remove 3 nuts and replace, as simple as that. Hopefully the jerks gets arrested with this.

[coolkurt]

Despite all the doubts I had, the aftermarket engine mount lasted for 50k kms. I'd bought the same 2 years ago for Rs 1900 from Ghai. So I consider myself lucky that I got a decent quality part.