[Habanero City]

Hi RV good to see the Civic in great shape and fantastic picture there under the flame of the forest.
With regard to the bonnet release, 1 month is a long time not to look inside to check for vital fluids and other parts.
Please consider either visiting Honda service or a trusted local garage at least to release the hood lock.
How many KM's have you munched in the last 1 year?
Drive safe and have fun.

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by Habanero City

Hi RV good to see the Civic in great shape and fantastic picture there under the flame of the forest.

Thanks a ton. I saw that beautiful tree on the outskirts of Madurai and I couldn't resist crossing the road and parking my car there to get that click. It is one of my personal favorites too.

Originally Posted by Habanero City

With regard to the bonnet release, 1 month is a long time not to look inside to check for vital fluids and other parts. Please consider either visiting Honda service or a trusted local garage at least to release the hood lock.

Rightly said. I have already decided to visit the service station this Sunday. I will be calling them and fixing up an appointment tomorrow.

Originally Posted by Habanero City

How many KM's have you munched in the last 1 year?

The Civic has been with me for 1.5 years now and I have covered around 11,000 km now. Needless to say, I have enjoyed every bit of it and continue to do so.

[arvi86]

As if to compensate for a subdued few months, there were a couple of long drives in quick succession and a couple more planned. A beautiful drive along the ECR to Pondicherry in the second week of October and yet another drive to Trichy the next weekend in the NH45 that my car calls home. In the middle of these two drives, I thought it was wise to get my service done.

My points to the SA while handing over the car were

* Periodic 45,000 km Paid Service
* Replacement of Engine Oil
* Check all 4 brake-pads
* Check the AC ducts as I observed vapour coming out of them on a couple of occasions &
* Check the under-body for any damage, courtesy quite a few scraping sessions

The brake-pads were declared fit for usage atleast for the next 5000 km and the under-body was clean with just minor dents that doesn't need a repair. As requested, AC Ducts were cleaned and disinfected too. Oil Filter was replaced along with a couple of clips and a washer drain that were fitted as they were mysteriously found missing.

Total Charges: INR 3,361

So, the message is clear. Treat the car with respect and it returns the favour by not burning a big hole in your pocket.

Next comes a surprise that's probably not a surprise, atleast for owners of Civic including me. I was sort of prepared for this going by the growing number of instances of engine bed problems in Civics around the 40,000 km mark. Though I started feeling mild vibrations in the first and reverse gears which sort of increased over the past few weeks, I never bothered to point this out to the SA before the service. The SA promptly found that out and mentioned that the engine bed needs to be replaced.

Thanks to Team-BHP, I insisted that the part needs to be replaced free of cost and the SA accepted it stating that it is indeed a manufacturing defect. But the part wasn't available on stock and I was shocked that Honda is sitting on a pile of back-orders for the engine bed. It seems there are a whole lot of Civics on road that needs their engine beds to be replaced. I have got this typed in the invoice too and am waiting for a call from the dealership once the part is shipped to them.

When I received a call from the dealership for feedback today, I reminded the lady about this point again. Apparently, the part hasn't arrived yet and she has promised to ask the SA to call back once it arrives. Let's see whether they call back or I am forced to go back to them for this.

[sumeethaldankar]

Glad to know you will be getting the mounts replace free of cost.What about the bonnet lock did you get it fixed ?

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Glad to know you will be getting the mounts replace free of cost.What about the bonnet lock did you get it fixed ?

My bad, I missed it Sumeet, thanks for reminding me. During the joint pre-service inspection of the car, the hood opened after a few times. At first, the SA couldn't open. Then, he bent over and peeped through the gap, pulled the lever with one of his fingers and it opened. Subsequently, I am able to open the hood normally too.

[sumeethaldankar]

Also is it possible for you to post pics of the gap between the mounts so that it could help others identify such issues easily.


thanks man

[skdking]

Originally Posted by arvi86

...

Though I started feeling mild vibrations in the first and reverse gears which sort of increased over the past few weeks, I never bothered to point this out to the SA before the service. The SA promptly found that out and mentioned that the engine bed needs to be replaced.

Thanks to Team-BHP, I insisted that the part needs to be replaced free of cost and the SA accepted it stating that it is indeed a manufacturing defect. But the part wasn't available on stock and I was shocked that Honda is sitting on a pile of back-orders for the engine bed. It seems there are a whole lot of Civics on road that needs their engine beds to be replaced. I have got this typed in the invoice too and am waiting for a call from the dealership once the part is shipped to them
......

Hi,

Which dealer did you go to?

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Also is it possible for you to post pics of the gap between the mounts so that it could help others identify such issues easily.

I will definitely try to post a few pics of the engine mount as soon as possible. But, it may not be possible for the next couple of days.

Originally Posted by skdking

Hi,

Which dealer did you go to?

My car has always been serviced by Capital Honda, GST Road. I am happy and satisfied with them.

[bhuvan_prasad]

Quite surprising to hear that they agreed to replace an engine mount for free. Which mount was this?
I have gone to Capital Honda,GST road once for a routine service and was more than satisfied.

Originally Posted by arvi86

As if to compensate for a subdued few months, there were a couple of long drives in quick succession and a couple more planned. A beautiful drive along the ECR to Pondicherry in the second week of October and yet another drive to Trichy the next weekend in the NH45 that my car calls home. In the middle of these two drives, I thought it was wise to get my service done.

My points to the SA while handing over the car were

* Periodic 45,000 km Paid Service
* Replacement of Engine Oil
* Check all 4 brake-pads
* Check the AC ducts as I observed vapour coming out of them on a couple of occasions &
* Check the under-body for any damage, courtesy quite a few scraping sessions

The brake-pads were declared fit for usage atleast for the next 5000 km and the under-body was clean with just minor dents that doesn't need a repair. As requested, AC Ducts were cleaned and disinfected too. Oil Filter was replaced along with a couple of clips and a washer drain that were fitted as they were mysteriously found missing.

Total Charges: INR 3,361

So, the message is clear. Treat the car with respect and it returns the favour by not burning a big hole in your pocket.

Next comes a surprise that's probably not a surprise, atleast for owners of Civic including me. I was sort of prepared for this going by the growing number of instances of engine bed problems in Civics around the 40,000 km mark. Though I started feeling mild vibrations in the first and reverse gears which sort of increased over the past few weeks, I never bothered to point this out to the SA before the service. The SA promptly found that out and mentioned that the engine bed needs to be replaced.

Thanks to Team-BHP, I insisted that the part needs to be replaced free of cost and the SA accepted it stating that it is indeed a manufacturing defect. But the part wasn't available on stock and I was shocked that Honda is sitting on a pile of back-orders for the engine bed. It seems there are a whole lot of Civics on road that needs their engine beds to be replaced. I have got this typed in the invoice too and am waiting for a call from the dealership once the part is shipped to them.

When I received a call from the dealership for feedback today, I reminded the lady about this point again. Apparently, the part hasn't arrived yet and she has promised to ask the SA to call back once it arrives. Let's see whether they call back or I am forced to go back to them for this.

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Also is it possible for you to post pics of the gap between the mounts so that it could help others identify such issues easily.

Sumeet, apologies for not posting the pics of the engine mount yet. I happened to drive down to Trichy for a friend's marriage and returned back by train. I will be driving it back to Chennai next weekend and will ensure that I make some time to shoot the troublesome part.

Originally Posted by bhuvan_prasad

Quite surprising to hear that they agreed to replace an engine mount for free. Which mount was this?

This is the hydraulic engine mount, the most expensive mounts of all in Civic. It also has the dubious distinction of the 'most replaced' and 'most failed' part in the 8th generation Civic. Refer to this thread where the part, its assembly and the actual problem are beautifully explained.

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

That Capital Honda has agreed to replace it free of cost isn't really surprising Bhuvan. I heard many dealers across the country are doing that.

Originally Posted by bhuvan_prasad

I have gone to Capital Honda,GST road once for a routine service and was more than satisfied.

Yup, these guys are quite good but I will wait until they honor the commitment they gave me on this engine mount issue. Keeping my fingers crossed!

[arvi86]

It's been two months now since Capital Honda in Chennai told me that they will inform once the ordered engine mounts have come. Subsequently, there were two telephonic conversations, one initiated by them for getting the service feedback and the other one by me to know the status of the engine mounts. On both occasions, I reminded them of this and got an assurance that they will revert. I don't think they will do so now and I am planning to talk to them tomorrow about this before the issue gets any serious.

Of late, I have been hearing many bad experiences about Honda dealerships across the country. Though I haven't been involved in one (I still wouldn't declare this engine mounts issue as their problem), are their standards reducing below the industry average? Weren't they supposed to be one of the best in these aspects?

The Civic, meanwhile, is happily munching miles across Tamil Nadu. Yet another drive to Trichy and many temples in and around Kumbakonam was done very recently. Apart from the strictly average ride quality (I observed that even a Figo rode better) and a couple of minute rattles in the left side of the dashboard, everything else is going fine. I want to get rid of those rattles but not sure how to approach and zero in on where they actually come from. I have tried the trick of emptying the glove-box but the rattle still remains. Opinions are welcome.

[spadix]

Originally Posted by arvi86

Of late, I have been hearing many bad experiences about Honda dealerships across the country. Though I haven't been involved in one (I still wouldn't declare this engine mounts issue as their problem), are their standards reducing below the industry average? Weren't they supposed to be one of the best in these aspects?

They were never among the best. Mostly it was all strictly average. To top that, most dealerships act very high and mighty and take their customers for granted. They get away with it because people still like the cars and so will keep buying them.

There is this old case from a few years back of a friend of my father's. Uncle had bought a 10th anniversary special City and the music system conked off within days. HASS replaced to replace it within warranty. After a lot of hand-wringing they "agreed" to lift the unit from another car (!) and fit it to his. Needless to say, he declined and ultimately paid a princely sum to get a replacement unit. Imagine. 10th anniversary special edition car. In warranty. And you pay to replace a part that should never have conked off so soon.

Originally Posted by arvi86

I want to get rid of those rattles but not sure how to approach and zero in on where they actually come from. I have tried the trick of emptying the glove-box but the rattle still remains. Opinions are welcome.

Are you absolutely sure these are from the LHS? I used to hear a lot of these rattles from various parts of the car's dashboard during my time in Hyderabad - in the car's early days. Got most of them fixed by just having HASS remove and refit most of the window, roof, parcel tray, boot and A-pillar panels and beadings. It took them quite a few visits and trials to finally get the major ones and fix them.

A few minor or occasional ones remained. They advised me to not go in for a full dashboard remove and refit unless it got really persistent and bad. Over time, old noises died out, new ones originated but only temporarily and eventually - 31000 kms and ~2.5 years later - it's all silent from the in-car plastics now. This is quite surprising because on the whole, roads in Hyderabad are smoother than the ones in Gurgaon. So I have no idea how the minor/occasional squeaks and rattles vanished in my car's case.

Regards,
spadix

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by spadix

They were never among the best. Mostly it was all strictly average.

I somehow got the opinion that they were amongst the better brands, probably only next to Maruti-Suzuki, Hyundai and Toyota. The J.D.Power surveys when I used to be a regular reader of Autocar India might be the culprit here for forming this opinion.

Originally Posted by spadix

They get away with it because people still like the cars and so will keep buying them.

Now, that's what is saving many companies in India, isn't it? Best of the lot is obviously Volkswagen & Skoda, where customers struggle to even get a service appointment on time.

Originally Posted by spadix

Imagine. 10th anniversary special edition car. In warranty. And you pay to replace a part that should never have conked off so soon.

That's bad, he shouldn't have accepted to pay for it.

Originally Posted by spadix

Are you absolutely sure these are from the LHS?

Very rarely do I get a chance to be a passenger in the car. Most of the times, I drive and, when I drive, I observed that these rattles came from LHS of the dashboard. Having said that, the rattles crop up only when I go over a broken patch of tarmac (highways) or potholes (in the city), the car is super silent otherwise.

Originally Posted by spadix

Got most of them fixed by just having HASS remove and refit most of the window, roof, parcel tray, boot and A-pillar panels and beadings. It took them quite a few visits and trials to finally get the major ones and fix them.

Let me try with them the next time my car goes there. But the SAs don't test drive the car when I give it for service. May be this time, I will insist them to do so, so that they hear those noises too.

Originally Posted by spadix

31000 kms and ~2.5 years later - it's all silent from the in-car plastics now. This is quite surprising because on the whole, roads in Hyderabad are smoother than the ones in Gurgaon. So I have no idea how the minor/occasional squeaks and rattles vanished in my car's case.

Surprising, but good that the rattles vanished.

[spadix]

Originally Posted by arvi86

The J.D.Power surveys when I used to be a regular reader of Autocar India might be the culprit here for forming this opinion.

That was from a long time back, wasn't it? Giving credit where it's due, what I have found is that HASS is perfectly OK as long as you need to get only the regular TALC (Tighten, Adjust, Lubricate and Clean) routine done, and the occasional replacement due to wear-and-tear. Where they are horrid is at the finer aspects of servicing - diagnosing and nailing quirky, individual vehicle-specific issues, wheel alignment and balancing, customisations etc. It's during discussions around these things (some of which result in warranty replacements such as the air mix motor assembly in my car recently) that their true colours emerge.

Some of those rattles took 2-3 visits by service personnel to my home/office and 2-3 visits by me to HASS to finally vanish.

I still hear odd sounds from the suspension that HASS either refuses to believe exist, or brushes away saying even new Civics have the exact same sounds (yeah, right!) or blames the roads and just asks me to live with them!

Originally Posted by arvi86

Let me try with them the next time my car goes there. But the SAs don't test drive the car when I give it for service. May be this time, I will insist them to do so, so that they hear those noises too.

Forget the SAs. HASS has weird policies (Maruti happily sends its SAs to your place along with technicians to drive and take notes from your test drives at areas where you can reproduce issues) but they do send their mobile mechanic/technician crew to your place if you ask for it. Make use of this. Most of these rattles were fixed by technicians who visited me at my place of work or at home. They would just periodically relay information back to the SA/service head etc.

There was in particular this one mechanic who spent nearly half a day on my car (this was in Hyd). He couldn't fix the issue eventually but he felt pretty impressed with my attention to detail and persistence, and said issues like these make him want to stay in this business. So he said he didn't mind losing half a day's work (these guys are paid based on their throughput) if he could just get to work and fix issues like this, because that's how he will learn and grow in the long term. So he was hoping that all customers are as nit-picky as I was and ensured even the smallest of issues were found and fixed. Quite impressive, and rare, for someone at that level to be speaking that language!

Regards,
spadix

[arvi86]

Hello everybody, I just returned last night from a 1800 km road trip to Kumarakom, Thattekad and Munnar. Having planned the dates for this trip (29-Dec to 02-Jan) well in advance, the car gave us a scare to spoil the entire trip as the AC conked off the day before our departure (28-Dec).

It had happened to me once more than a month back, but the AC started working after some 15 minutes and I totally forgot that incident until this time, when it failed again. This time too, the AC worked perfectly well when I took the car to the dealership for rectifying the problem. After explaining the problem and asking them to check the system, I was told that two relays have become weak because of which the compressor clutch isn't engaging at times. As with most other parts for the Civic, they didn't have these relays in stock and wanted 2 weeks to source the relays from Honda. I was desperate to make this trip and didn't want to cancel or postpone.

I spoke to other dealers in Chennai and even in Trichy (Capital Honda is right on the Chennai-Trichy Highway) and Madurai (I would have to take a detour from the planned route), but none of them had the relays in stock. Finally, I took a gamble and went ahead with the trip. The AC worked perfectly until I entered Chennai yesterday. It again stopped working from the outskirts of the city. I am planning to get it resolved quickly and will post more details upon fixing it.

Apart from the AC which was constantly troubling my mind, the remote key has stopped functioning and I was forced to take the normal key for this trip. The Honda dealer is quoting Rs.7000 for a new remote key. Are there any chances that I will be able to get this done outside (in and around Chennai only) as I personally feel this is a rip off? There are full central locking systems available for around Rs.4000 and here is Honda charging twice the amount for a spare key alone. I know Civic is an entry-premium car but I still think this cost is very high.