[sushrutha]

Originally Posted by laluks

Front pads cost here 4400, and a rotor 2300.

The rotors are comparitively cheap when compared with OHC rotors.
Last time I enquired with Whitefield Honda for OHC Rotors, they almost quoted ~10K.
4K for the brakepads.

[khoj]

^^ Going OT with my post.

The OHC has a whole lot of parts that were manufactured by Honda's vendors in Japan, resulting in higher pricing. To give you an example I was quoted Rs 85,000/- for my OHC's rack and pinion assembly manufactured by Showa, there was no locally made/sourced alternate available. The new models of the city have theirs sourced from Rane amongst others costing 15000/-

On the flip side I believe this is the reason for the high levels of quality and reliability that made OHC a firm favourite with its owners.

[idofsuresh]

Guys, Can anyone help me please ? I posted this in the wheel alignment section - see post 107 and 109: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...es-here-8.html

[SmartCat]

Suresh, I think all Civics have this "problem" - possibly because the steering is so direct and quick turning. Since the car doesn't pull to the left or right on a flat road, your problem is possibly imaginary.

After you make a sharp turn and take your hands off the steering wheel, does it go back to the center (straight ahead) position? Is the ride quality "normal"? Do you feel the steering kick or do you hear clunky sounds when you go over a deep pothole?

If the answer to the first two questions are YES and the last question is NO, then nothing is wrong with your wheel alignment. But just to be sure, do get the car's front and rear wheels aligned at Magnum Honda on Kanakapura Road. I have done it twice with them and I've had no issues.

[mkc15]

1st service: (1month)
ODO: 1011km/1000km
Dealer: Whitefield Honda

Problems:
* Feeble rattling noise from LHS door
* A gap (into the seat foam) near top left corner of rear seat backrest
* Front door side beading not fixed properly

Resolution:
* Front door locks adjusted
* Rear seat removed and re-fixed
* Beading re-fixed

Cost: Rs.164/-
* Wiper fluid Rs. 44
* Nitrogen Rs.120

Score: 7/10

2nd service: (3 months)
ODO: 3723km/5000km
Dealer: Magnum Honda

Problems:
* Feeble ratting noise from LHS door
* Vibrations felt at times during idling (even with A/C off)

Resolution:
* Rattling *not* fixed
* Checked with HDS, no issue found (I was probably a bit nit-picky about the vibration)
* Nitrogen top-up done outside (in Sai)

Cost: Rs.0/- (wiper fluid was *not* filled)

Damage:
* Rear bumper dented (when a service person banged the floor cleaning machine while taking reverse). Complaint registered with Honda; got the bumper replaced and mudflaps repainted at their cost. More details here.
* Deep scratch near extreme left of front bumper; front bumper repainted after a lot of tussle, at their cost
* Warranty booklet was misplaced by the SA and a new one was ordered (received it after 1 month with 4 follow-up calls) at their cost
* A minor dent on the lower part of exhaust pipe finisher; *not* fixed/replaced (I had run out of bhp's to fight with them for this)

Score: 2/10

3rd service: (6 months)
ODO: 7693km/10000km
Dealer: Magnum Honda

Problems:
* Cut-cut noise while turning over a gradient
* Repaint mudflaps and re-fix rear bumper (as they had not done a good job during 2nd service)
* Tight front LHS door release (outer)
* Feeble ratting noise from LHS door (from previous service)
* Squeaky noise from left rear seat

Resolution:
* Cut-cut noise partially fixed
* Mudflaps repainted at their cost and rear bumper re-fixed
* LHS door release issue fixed
* Rattling partially fixed
* Rear seat clips replaced; issue 90% fixed
* Engine oil changed
* Nitrogen top-up done outside (in Sai)

Cost: Rs. 1124/-
* Rear seat clip Rs.154
* Engine oil (Mineral) Rs.904
* Oil filter Rs.155
* Wiper fluid Rs. 44
* Washer drain plug Rs. 18

Score: 6/10

4th service: (9 months)
ODO: 10595km/15000km
Dealer: Whitefield Honda

Problems:
* Cut-cut noise while turning over a gradient
* Feeble ratting noise from LHS door (from previous service)
* Tight front LHS door release (outer) (from previous service)

Resolution:
* Cut-cut noise *not* fixed; Infact, a senior mechanic told me during the test drive, that its normal to get this cut-cut noise
* Rattling noise *not* fixed; infact increased
* Found silencer misalignment and fixed
* Rear RHS door release issue partially fixed
* Nitrogen top-up done outside (in Sai)

Cost: Rs.1009/- (wiper fluid was *not* filled though it was almost empty!)
* Service Rs.740
* Silencer alignment Rs.175 (mostly a rip-off!)

Score: 4/10

5th service: (12 months)
ODO: 13291km/20000km
Dealer: Magnum Honda

Problems:
* Cut-cut noise while turning over a gradient
* Squeaky noise from front LHS (from previous service)
* Tight front LHS door release (outer) (from previous service)

Resolution:
* Cut-cut noise finally fixed (front right suspension strut joint cleaned and lubricated
* Front LHS noise almost 95% fixed finally (a very feeble noise exists but only occasionally)
* Found a puncture on front RHS tyre and fixed
* Rear RHS door release issue partially fixed
* Engine oil changed
* Wheel alignment/balancing/rotation

Cost: Rs. 5427/-
* Service Rs.1220
* Engine oil (Synthetic OW30) Rs.2378
* Oil filter Rs. 155
* Wiper fluid Rs. 44
* Washer drain plug Rs. 18
* Tyre puncture Rs. 136
* Wheel Alignment Rs. 450
* Wheel Balancing Rs. 400
* Weights Rs. 400

Damage:
* A minor scratch on RHS OVRM
* Couple of deep cuts on alloy wheels around old clip-weights

Score: 7/10

Some irritants:
* Ergonomic recalibration of seat (height/recline/distance) and steering every 3months (post-service!)

* Clips holding the door pads do not fix well with the door (especially near the inner handle); causes vibration with low bass tracks

* The soft/flexible rubber covering on the steering column towards the dash is not properly fastened. The two ends easily dislodge with a slight press.

Car care:
* Exterior wash every week + Turtle Wet Wax + Interior cleaning with moist cloth

* Formula-1 wax every month

* Turtle Leather Cleaner/Polish every month

Insurance:

* 1st year from BA at Rs.24000/-

* 2nd year from BA at Rs.19828/- (10% depreciation)

Upgrades planned:
* Headlamp upgrade by next month (plug-n-play Ring XenonMax bulbs for LB/HB/Fog)

* 5th alloy by next service

* 205/65/R15 tires by next year

[ImmortalZ]

My Civic turns almost 30K and has gone past the two year mark.

The only remarkable incident is last week's. Me and a friend were driving to Cochin. It was early morning on the MC Road (a winding, expressway quality road with only two lanes - it's like a stretched out, widened hill climb road. In other words, a dream of a drive). Near a town, a dog jumped out of a corner and I had to correct to the right to avoid it. I hit a patch of water at the entrance of a bridge.

Only, that wasn't a patch of water. It was a trench. With exposed concrete from the bridge. A massive bang and two seconds later, it was clear that we were in deep dodo. I lost two right tyres and alloys were bent. The front was shredded off thanks to the iron rods that were exposed under the puddle. The rear had two holes in it like someone shot a 9mm at it. At first glance, both alloys were toast. The front right suspension made a very sickening rattling noise on small undulations.

We got a tube put in one and a second had the bald spare tyre. Two days and a visit to the tyre shop and A.S.S later, the damage was clear.

1) Alloys are fine. Only the lips were dented.
2) Suspension damage : Front right LCA bush busted, front right stabilizer bar link rod bush busted. LCA bush can be changed as it is, link rod needs to be changed to change the bush.
3) CD changer jammed. The jolt did it in.

The suspension job will cost around 6k+ labour as the bushes come in pairs and the SA recommends changing the left link rod as well because running the car like this will most like kill it pronto. However he said that if it looked fine when they lower the subframe for the job, only one needs to be changed.

LCA bushes are 1.5k per pair, link rods are 2.2k each. Parts will take at least a week to arrive. Cost is about 25% more than US part prices.

The stereo is at Alpine and I'll know the damage only on Monday.

The sad part is that one of the lost tyres was nearly brand new.

Oh well, kay sera sera. I'll be needing my first set of new tyres earlier than usual I guess.

[vasoo]

@mkc15, I think you have been alternating between Magnum and Whitefield till now. I suggest you to take it to Dakshin Honda at Hosur road. My experience so far with them for first 3 services has been satisfactory.

[idofsuresh]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Suresh, I think all Civics have this "problem" - possibly because the steering is so direct and quick turning. Since the car doesn't pull to the left or right on a flat road, your problem is possibly imaginary.

After you make a sharp turn and take your hands off the steering wheel, does it go back to the center (straight ahead) position? Is the ride quality "normal"? Do you feel the steering kick or do you hear clunky sounds when you go over a deep pothole?

If the answer to the first two questions are YES and the last question is NO, then nothing is wrong with your wheel alignment. But just to be sure, do get the car's front and rear wheels aligned at Magnum Honda on Kanakapura Road. I have done it twice with them and I've had no issues.

Thanks Smartcat. I observed these things specifically after your post.

Ride Quality - Normal.
When going over a deep pot hole - No clunky sound.
Does the steering go back to centre - Goes to centre, well, almost (I will consider it as imaginary problem)

For now I will leave the balancing as it is. I will run the car for a while and revisit this. May be I need to get used to the steering more. I read on 8thcivic.com that the cars in US are setup to pull a little towards the left to compensate for the crown of the road. Wondering whether I should do something similar. Most roads that we drive are inclined to the left.

[idofsuresh]

@immortalz: Sad to hear. It is unfortunate that someone does not do the road job properly and we end up paying for it. I had a bent alloy few years back, travelling from Mudumalai to Bangalore thanks to a very deep pot hole, almost invisible, in a smooth stretch of the highway.

Today, I by mistake travelled through a narrow road with 5 monster road bumps a.k.a mountains. My Civic had 5 people in it. No prize for guessing, a hard hit in one. a medium hit in other 2 and a "trrrrrrrrr" scrape in one more. I was as slow as possible, almost zero speed, on all of them. All in the space of 2 minutes .

[hiren.mistry]

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

LCA bushes are 1.5k per pair, link rods are 2.2k each. Parts will take at least a week to arrive. Cost is about 25% more than US part prices.

Ouch! That hurts even by reading it. Hope you get the car back soon.
What is a LCA bush?

[manim]

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

Near a town, a dog jumped out of a corner and I had to correct to the right to avoid it.

Sad to read this.

Six years back I hit a dog in my OHC 1.5 and it knocked out my AC and coolant line and other things.
I vaguely remember that the bill was a staggering Rs.56K.

[lalitk25]

@immortalz:First of all I hope no one was hurt in the car.
Secondly after reading you description I was wondering how come the Air bags didn't open had you hit a little harder or may be the front might have hit a little lower you might have ended up with open airbags, and I think insurance does not pay for air bags or if they do it is not more than 50%.

[ImmortalZ]

Update : Parts are in stock. Stereo needs a new servo controller board at INR 1300 + INR 400 service charge.

Originally Posted by hiren.mistry

Ouch! That hurts even by reading it. Hope you get the car back soon.
What is a LCA bush?

LCA = Lower Control Arm. The LCA bush is part #17 in this blowup diagram of the lower half of the front suspension.



While we have the diagram, #13/14 is the stabilizer link rod.

Originally Posted by manim

Sad to read this.

Six years back I hit a dog in my OHC 1.5 and it knocked out my AC and coolant line and other things.
I vaguely remember that the bill was a staggering Rs.56K.

With a high percentage of JDM content in the OHC, it is no wonder the bill came to that much.

Originally Posted by lalitk25

@immortalz:First of all I hope no one was hurt in the car.
Secondly after reading you description I was wondering how come the Air bags didn't open had you hit a little harder or may be the front might have hit a little lower you might have ended up with open airbags, and I think insurance does not pay for air bags or if they do it is not more than 50%.

There is an airbag sensor right on the front bulkhead that detects frontal impacts. There was no frontal impact in this case and thus no reason for an airbag deployment.

Insurance pays only 50% of the depreciated amount for airbags.

[mkc15]

@Immortalz, do you have the service manual BTW. I hit this link while searching on front strut joint. But this does not have the diagrams. http://civic.hondafitjazz.com/manual.html. Does anyone have a better version of this?

[ImmortalZ]

The site does have diagrams. Try opening it in IE.

I don't have the service manual. I plan to buy Hayne's when finances permit.