[coolkurt]

Originally Posted by techcoze

You are lucky to have access to top spare parts shops in Delhi, here in Pune we have scarcity of good spare part vendors

Yeah. That way I'm lucky. However, I know the folks at Ghai well so if you provide them an address, they are willing to ship parts anywhere in India. Had arranged the same for Laluks and the parts were shipped to his place in Bangalore. So feel free to let me know if you need anything.

[techcoze]

Originally Posted by coolkurt

Yeah. That way I'm lucky. However, I know the folks at Ghai well so if you provide them an address, they are willing to ship parts anywhere in India. Had arranged the same for Laluks and the parts were shipped to his place in Bangalore. So feel free to let me know if you need anything.

That would be great help! Will contact you when I need my next set of parts.

[ImmortalZ]

Originally Posted by ashishrathi88

Professor, just out of curiosity want to know that is the "iVTEC kick" felt while driving India specific Civic (R18A engine)?
=======
Nevertheless, it's a beauty to look at and makes me smile everytime I take her out on a date.

iVTEC is a catchall term that defines all of Honda's various variable valve timing systems. It was initially used to identify an engine with VTEC and VTC.

iVTEC for the R18A (and for that matter, the K24A3/A4/A8 from the Accord and the K24A1 from the CR-V) are all economy oriented systems in which the cam profiles cause the engine to run on 3 valves (one intake valve mostly closed) during low loads and when it switches over, the "wild" cam profiles make it operate in full 4 valves. The change over is not at a fixed RPM, but in a range. The R18 engines also have more economy oriented features than the K motors (like the WOT throttle at low loads).

Performance VTEC on the other hand, goes from mild to wild cam profiles and the changeover, depending on the engine, especially if you have I/H/E, will be very noticeable.

You do feel the VTEC "kicking in yo" in the R18, but it is far more subtle and most of time, transparent to the driver.

Sadly, the only performance oriented VTEC system being sold today by Honda is in the Type R (which is quite trick - dual VTC, direct injection, all the shiny stuff). All other engines are economy VTEC.

[pixantz]

Originally Posted by techcoze

At one point I started myself questions is this really worth? what if this repair and maintenance saga continues forever.

Repair and maintenance needn't be a "saga". If the approach towards it is disciplined and done strictly following 'time-tables'. The time-table is key to having a stress free ownership experience. That's why you have a very defined one in the owners manual. It's there for a reason and I think if people follow it as closely as possible, there shouldn't be any reason for trouble. Except bad luck, maybe.

It's when people start thinking they know better than the guys who made the car and start using their own science(and spurious parts galore) is when the trouble starts to begin. Skimping on stuff is the main culprit. When you skimp on maintenance, your car starts skimping on reliability. It's like instant karma action. It's pretty logical, actually. No rocket science. Just that many people don't get it.

That said, Honda genuine parts are extremely reliable. Further, using a duplicate one is never going to give you the same feel as the original. The real ones are very precise about their function and duplicators only manage to replicate a fraction of the real thing. Ditto for the one in cars like Ford, Chevy, etc.

[kunal_kaushal]

Originally Posted by pixantz

Repair and maintenance needn't be a "saga".
========
Ditto for the one in cars like Ford, Chevy, etc.

Though what you have written is true but to an extent, As I would like to bring to your kind notice how can one be sure of the authenticity of the diagnosis of middlemen (read Authorised Service Stations) who will warrant repairs, which are really not required, just to fill their pockets.

Trust me, I too like many here, have fallen prey to their malpractice not just once but many times (like the time they misdiagnosed that my car had steering and rack leakage which actually was engine oil seals leaking, second time was when they changed the a/c tension er because there was click click noise coming from the right hand side of engine, which later turned out to be originating from the plate next to brake calipers.).

Also the time tables your good self referring about are sometimes created to aide these guys only (like 3 months service intervals for a competent vehicle like civic, which was later changed to 6 months).

Regards
Kunal

[pixantz]

Originally Posted by kunal_kaushal

Though what you have written is true but to an extent,
============
Also the time tables your good self referring about are sometimes created to aide these guys only (like 3 months service intervals for a competent vehicle like civic, which was later changed to 6 months).

Regards
Kunal

I didn't mention anything about the authenticity of the diagnosis of any middle man or say anything about fault finding or service intervals. That's another story.

What I was pinpointing at was all about PERIODIC PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE. Especially for an old car. This includes keeping a watchful eye on the times at which certain critical components should be changed/reviewed irrespective of whether someone told you to do it or not. Also includes things like a thorough checklist of stuff like checking/correcting Valve clearences and the condition of the valves, for example.

These kind of things you have to refer to the manual to and have it done on time. Whether it feels good or not. Or feels good for your mechanic or not. Helps in the long run in a big way from avoiding being caught on the wrong foot with nasty surprises.

The long and short of it is that a car owner should have a basic knowledge of things like these and not totally and blindly rely on someone else's opinion each and every time for it. Like doing your homework. You can choose not to do it here, but the loss is yours. For example. It's not possible, practically, for all owners to have a mechanical inclination, but it sure helps a lot. Trust me.

[coolkurt]

That's just us. People who take a keen interest in the maintenance and upkeep of their cars. Or atleast know the functions of critical parts and how they are supposed to perform. But most people are clueless and rather prefer to remain so.

Example:
I was planning on a weekend drive to Kufri with a few friends. One of them volunteered to get his car, Toyota Corolla Altis. He drives that car less than once a month with it being mostly driven by different members of his family. So he had no idea about what kind of conditions it's been, whether it's even being serviced timely or not. So despite it being younger at 7 odd years, I told him I'll prefer to rely on my decade old Civic because I've taken pains to ensure its running efficiently.

And it's been close to 5 years I've switched to a FNG for all repair /replacement jobs, while only the service being handled by HASS, and I'm more than satisfied with the way it has panned out.

[kunal_kaushal]

Hi All,

Help needed, the positive terminal connector of my car has corroded (the metal has gone soft, also hydrated copper sulphate has got accumulated over it) and I feel it is about to give up.

Has anyone faced this issue in past ? and has someone changed the terminal connectors ?

Regards
Kunal

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by kunal_kaushal

Help needed, the positive terminal connector of my car has corroded (the metal has gone soft, also hydrated copper sulphate has got accumulated over it) and I feel it is about to give up.

Just get the clamp replaced at your HASS. You could do this change yourself too if you are handy with a 10 mm spanner. Corrosion is not unusual but it generally points to a neglected battery. Make sure the battery water levels are correct and the voltage is between 13.8 and 14.4 at 2000-2500 RPM.

Once you get a new clamp clean the negative one too and coat both with vaseline, not grease. This will prevent corrosion.

Has anyone faced this issue in past ? and has someone changed the terminal connectors ?

I purchased a set of OEM terminal clamps for my car from the ASC. The cost me approx. 1250-1300 each and are made in Japan. Yet to fit them on the battery as the factory fitted parts are still in good shape. The new ones have been retained as spares for now.

You may get these parts from other sources not just HASS.

[kunal_kaushal]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Just get the clamp replaced at your HASS.

Hi Mate, appreciate your prompt revert, I had enquired the same for HASS, but they informed that I need to get the positive wire replaced, and I declined.

Originally Posted by R2D2

Once you get a new clamp clean the negative one too and coat both with vaseline, not grease. This will prevent corrosion.

The battery terminals on my car were always coated with the dielectric grease, I am assuming the accessory fitter guy, while installing the amplifier wire, somehow left the contacts exposed thus causing the corrosion. I will be more careful in future.

Regards
Kunal

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by kunal_kaushal

Hi Mate, appreciate your prompt revert, I had enquired the same for HASS, but they informed that I need to get the positive wire replaced, and I declined.

Hi Kunal, no worries. If you are a DIYer, take off the terminal and wash it in a mixture of baking soda and HOT water. About 1-2 Tbsp in 1/2 a mug of water should suffice.

Please take due precautions with the battery. Wear safety goggles and always disconnect the -ve terminal FIRST when removing the battery and connect the -ve terminal LAST when reinstalling the battery.

Scrape off the corrosion with a wire brush or emery paper. Clean the battery case with water + baking soda (make sure the vent/caps are tightly closed and the solution doesn't enter the battery) and then the battery posts with emery paper. Apply vaseline or dielectric grease on the clamps and posts and then install.

Do monitor the battery water levels. Excessive water can cause this issue as can high charging voltage.

[manim]

Just back from my 2,00,000 kms(or)10 year service.
Car will be exactly 10 years old in a few days.
Odo is now at 1,60,000+ kms.

And still no major problems worth mentioning so far!

The 140 kms 4-lane drive back to my home after the service was bliss!
Silky smooth as usual.

I hope to hold this for another 3, or even 5 years more.
And start saving money for the next Civic! (hope it gets introduced in India by then).

Bill came to Rs.15,754.
Includes wheel-alignment, balancing.

Two un-expected jobs (as said by my SA):
One wheel bolt/nut was damaged and had to be replaced, Rs.1,000+.
One front headlamp bright was replaced since it was poor Rs.1,000+.

I never had any problems many have had here on this thread.
One reason may be car is still 100% stock factory-fitted.
No modifications of any sort, no sun-film even.

Having a friendly HASS (at Madurai) also helps, I am their customer for around 18 years (my previous car was the first fen City which I had for 8.3 years).

Car is 99.99% driven by me, do not even give it to my wife to drive!
And the 0.01% when my friends drive, I am a passenger so the car has only been driven under my watchful eye (except for when I hand it over to service of course).

I am a bit worried like others here about its reliability, to drive long distances with my family though.

The aircon was a bit weak a few months ago, but I after I topped it with gas by a trusted local mechanic, it is fine.

I don't use any FNG's and have only serviced it at HASS so far (except for the aircon gas topping).

I maintain meticulous records of its fuel effiency right from the day I bought it, in a spread-sheet (I always fill full-tank).

Lifetime FE is 12.2 kms/litre.
The best I got years back when I 'hypermiled' was up to 18+ kmpl.
The best for one whole year was in the 4th year when I drove 23,000 kms with 1,700 litres giving 13.5 kms/litre.

Thank you Honda for making this great car!

[laluks]

Originally Posted by manim

And start saving money for the next Civic! (hope it gets introduced in India by then).

I guess you need not wait that long , probably end of this year.
Look out for HRV though!

[coolkurt]

At 1,44,000 kms, the power steering issue comes back to haunt me. I had got an issue with the steering pump at around 1 lakh kms. The pump had a leak and was repaired once. Despite that, it soon failed and I got a genuine Honda steering pump.

Since last week, I've been having steering issues. The steering has got a bit hard, turning the steering wheel at idle is now a strenuous affair. Took it to my trusty FNG. No leaks from the pump, the rack is fine as well, belt is fine, steering fluid level was fine. The PS bottle is dirty...ie..the filter inside isn't as clog free as i'd like. But HASS doesn't have it in Stock so I got the existing one cleaned and put back.

Despite that, I get a mild pump whine when I'm making hard turns, the steering has become harder and turning it at idle is far from smooth. What could be wrong?

I did a 500 kms run this weekend and despite the slightly harder steering issue, the car responded well. No major issue in driving. Driving pleasure at speeds remains more or less the same. But that was in the Plains. I've got a drive to the hills planned for the coming weekend. Around 1000 kms. So I'm slightly worried if the car is able to handle that.

views?

[coolvenk]

Do any of you know if the Civic has ISOFIX mounts for child seats in the rear?

The manual does mention it but in some models. I did try to feel it behind the seats without removing them, but I'm not sure I found it. There were some ridges. If it isn't present, could one buy a Honda part that can be fixed to get the mount, without a compromise on safety.

Any leads would be much appreciated.