[arvi86]

Though it is not very explicit as I have tried to post something or the other, some of you might have noticed that I have not been as active in this thread. A close pal of mine met with a severe accident on his way to Trichy from Chennai for no fault of his. It was the stupidity of a truck driver who dared to brake right in the middle of the highway for some reason. As a result of this unfortunate incident, 2 precious lives were lost, 2 of my closest buddies are still recovering from the physical and mental pains and a Tata Safari (that you could see in the first page of this thread along with a Baleno) was badly-damaged and sold off.

This happened in the middle of October last year. Ever since, I have shunned away from long drives all these days and was only driving the car inside the city. With the advent of New Year, I decided that life should move on and what a better way to begin a year than visiting temples and offering prayers with your family? When it comes to temples, there is no better place in South India than Kumbakonam and its surrounding villages which have a temple or two in literally every street.

As usual, it all started with a drive to Trichy in the ever-beautiful and the increasingly-dangerous NH45. Just when we were taking a break mid-way, we noticed a huge shadow passing above our car. And, before we could realize what it was, we see this.




The right rear-tires of the truck lost contact with the road and the whole truck almost toppled. Despite alarms and cries raised by other road-users, the crew of the truck had the audacity to stop (again right in the middle of the road), inspect the precariously-hanging load and move on with scant respect for the safety of other road-users. How many more lives do these guys want to spoil before they realize the importance of road safety?

It was a beautiful morning the next day and we started to Kumbakonam from Trichy. Superb roads greeted us until we crossed Thanjavur and it was only the last 34-odd km to Kumbakonam that bothered us. Pothole-ridden and with TNSTC buses driving as if they own the road completely, both us and the Civic were shaken and stirred when we reached Kumbakonam. There is something about this beautiful little town that endears it so much, not only to me and my family but also apparently to many people in South India. The beautiful sunrise, the agricultural farm-lands that stretches as far as your eyes can see, the peace and tranquility of those marvelous temples and deities - Kumbakonam is rural India at its developed best.








We covered 4 of the Navagraha Temples and 3 of the 108 Holy shrines of Lord Vishnu and returned back to Trichy the same day. After spending the next two days with my parents in Trichy, it was time to start back to Chennai for the regular and monotonous urban grind. At the end of the drive, the statistics showed that it was a 980 km drive in which I was constantly maintaining speeds of 100 km/h and above when the roads were good. The Civic returned a mileage of 14.19 km/l for the first part of the drive while I am yet to calculate the figures for the second part of the drive. Again, its nothing great compared to what many other Civic owners in the forum achieve but I am happy nevertheless because I know I was not going easy on the pedal.

[indivic]

Originally Posted by arvi86

Ya, I know that 8-9 km/l is very low because I have got amazing figures of upto 15.7 km/l during one of my long drives. Having said that, most of my current usage consists of a number of short runs inside Chennai city. By the way, I just returned after filling a tank-full of the ever-increasing fossil fuel. The figure has improved ever so slightly this time to 9.31 km/l.

If you try to stick to the speeds indicated in the manual for the upshifts, you can reach 10 km/l. The speeds might sound crazy like 1->2 at 20-25 km/hr, but somehow they seemed to work since I did no other change. The commute was on the same route and same time. I used to do the Mandaveli - Guindy Ind. Estate run to my office.

However this is from 2 years ago and traffic conditions in Chennai have changed considerably since then and...

the Civic is no longer with me...

gives me a heartache every time I see one on the road.

As Ace mentioned, put the iVTEC to good use, dont care about the fossil fuel, we only live once.

[sumeethaldankar]

One of my fav civic on t-bhp, gald to know it's back in action on the highways.Sorry to read about your friend's accident, glad to read you have decided to move on with life.I am yet to explore the highways even after 6 months of ownership of my Civic.It's more of a work related issue for me
:-).
Happy motoring.

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by indivic

If you try to stick to the speeds indicated in the manual for the upshifts, you can reach 10 km/l. The speeds might sound crazy like 1->2 at 20-25 km/hr, but somehow they seemed to work since I did no other change. The commute was on the same route and same time. I used to do the Mandaveli - Guindy Ind. Estate run to my office.

Thanks indivic for your tips. I think I have at last figured out the reason for my Civic's low fuel efficiency figures. It's got to do more with my driving style rather than the car itself.

In slow-moving peak hour city traffic and in bumper-to-bumper traffic conditions, I used to drive with clutch half-pressed as I don't like to shift gears often (read it as one after one immediately). Now, I have changed my driving style. Whatever may be the traffic conditions, I just don't drive with clutch half-pressed. This holds good even if the conditions warrant me to drive at 3000 rpm in first gear continuously. I have done this change recently and I think it works. I have only calculated the figures once after that and I got 10.32 km/l in 100% city driving. I need to observe over a longer term to understand whether this is really working out.

Originally Posted by indivic

the Civic is no longer with me...

Would you mind sharing the reason for parting with this wonderful car?

Originally Posted by indivic

gives me a heartache every time I see one on the road.

As Ace mentioned, put the iVTEC to good use, dont care about the fossil fuel, we only live once.

Well, your second statement in the above quote is the answer for the first statement. If your financials permit, go get a brand-new Civic right now and enjoy life. Or, better still, go for a pre-owned one. There are so many of them available right now, at unbelievably good prices.

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

One of my fav civic on t-bhp, gald to know it's back in action on the highways.

Thanks sumeet, glad that you like my car. The forum has become a common place for sharing our mutual love for each other's set of wheels. I was floored too, as I drove the car on highways after a gap of many months. If I remember correctly, the last time I drove it in highways was during the 'Coorg' drive in August last year.

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Sorry to read about your friend's accident, glad to read you have decided to move on with life.

We don't have any other option, do we?

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

I am yet to explore the highways even after 6 months of ownership of my Civic.

6 months of owning a Civic and still not ventured out in the highways? That's a sin sumeet. Take a break from work and head out at the earliest. It's in the highways where the Civic comes on its own, cossetting the occupants big-time and plastering a huge smile on our faces. I swear you will love it too and city drives in Civic will no longer satisfy your hunger.

[indivic]

Originally Posted by arvi86

Would you mind sharing the reason for parting with this wonderful car?
Well, your second statement in the above quote is the answer for the first statement. If your financials permit, go get a brand-new Civic right now and enjoy life. Or, better still, go for a pre-owned one. There are so many of them available right now, at unbelievably good prices.

As one wise man said, good things come in small packages.
The car was on company lease for 3 years at the end of which I would get it by paying a residual amount. Fast forward 2 years and 7 months, company's business strategy meant I had to move over to a new one to do the same work !!

The options I had in front of me with respect to owning the car were more in favour of the leasing company, so I simply borrowed the money needed to close off the lease, sold it off, gave the money back to the lender and put the remaining amount as a saving for my bundle of joy's future.

I will never regret this last part of my decision making, however the reason for my heartache is like what they say about first love, you would never forget it, it was almost the perfect car for me...the soft rear notwithstanding.

A new Civic now is too expensive, when I bought it was just about 12L onroad. I dont have a good experience with buying used/pre-worshipped and in my current company, I don't qualify to lease a Civic...so there we are for the moment.

P.S Your blog is also something I visit on a regular basis, keep it going

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by indivic

The options I had in front of me with respect to owning the car were more in favour of the leasing company, so I simply borrowed the money needed to close off the lease, sold it off, gave the money back to the lender and put the remaining amount as a saving for my bundle of joy's future.

Company lease options are almost always in favour of the leasing company and hardly in our favour. You did a good job of closing it off and selling the car.

Originally Posted by indivic

the reason for my heartache is like what they say about first love, you would never forget it, it was almost the perfect car for me...the soft rear notwithstanding.

. I still remember the feelings that I went through when I saw the pictures of Civic in Autocar India for the first time. It was, as you said, 'first love' that refused to go off ever since.

Originally Posted by indivic

P.S Your blog is also something I visit on a regular basis, keep it going

Ah well, here is one more reader for my blog. Do keep reading my posts and give your feedback/suggestions.

[skdking]

Originally Posted by arvi86

Ah well, here is one more reader for my blog. Do keep reading my posts and give your feedback/suggestions.

Hey,

What is your blog address?

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by skdking

Hey,

What is your blog address?

Apologies for such a delayed response. I write ANYTHING ON WHEELS, just a way to express my personal views on what I like the most.

With the financial year end looming large, life is really getting hectic with each passing day. And incidentally, all is not well for my ride too.

I was actually reversing the car in a very narrow by-lane with all sorts of disturbances on an already small area. Throw in a bit of carelessness on my part and it became a recipe for disaster. A 'clank' and a 'screech' and I knew there was something wrong. When I got down and inspected, I saw that the front bumper had come off in the left side with the end-hook broken. A gentle push yielded nothing as the bumper just couldn't hold onto its slots. A slightly heavier push partially solved the problem but still the bumper wasn't in perfect alignment with the fender.

Though this incident happened in early-February, I just kept driving the car as such, also ignoring the numerous 'long-overdue for service' reminders from the dealership. Finally, with almost 6 months since the last service, I have given the car for its 40,000 km service. Apart from all the regulars to be done, I have also asked the SA to do the following:

* To inspect the front suspension as I hear a mild thud over potholes
* Remove and repaint the silver-grey plastic casing in the door hand-rests to remove the scratches
* To fix the misaligned front bumper

Being a major service (like all Honda cars at 40,000 km), I am expecting a fat service bill tomorrow. The details of the cost incurred along with the break-up will be shared tomorrow once I take delivery of the car. Keeping my fingers crossed !

[arvi86]

The car is back from its 40,000 km service and I am really impressed with the quality of work done at the dealership. To be honest, I have never found the car to be so comfortable and enthralling to drive since the day it was bought some 9 months ago. It feels as good as new and I am just loving it.

Every single problem that I said had been worked into, the most important of them all being the vibrations in first gear when releasing the clutch. The vibes are now gone and the car pulls ahead cleanly and swiftly. The repainting work done in all the hand-rests, gear-knob and base of gear-lever is satisfactory and spotless in most parts except for a few odd patches which has minute black spots. The SA was open enough to admit it though. To his credit though, those places had horrible scratches before which are now gone resulting in much better-looking interiors.

Total cost paid was INR 10,215, the break-up of which is given below:

PARTS COST:
* Engine Oil - 1145
* Oil Filter Cartridge - 200
* Fuel Filter - 3956
* Air Filter - 939
* Washer Plug Drain - 20

LABOR COST:
* 40000 km Paid Service - 1720
* Brakes Cleaning - 365
* Clutch Bleeding - 150
* Blower Cleaning - 150
* Interior Plastic Painting - 1200

As I had asked the SA to inspect the front suspension, he had done it and said that the suspension is intact and there are no problems at all. The thud that I hear might be due to the engine mount, I guess. Though the SA said that there is still some gap between the rubber and the metal part, it might need replacement soon like many other Civics in the forum.

The bumper has just been nudged into place as I refused to accept their claim of replacing the complete front bumper for a small misalignment in a corner. Though I had asked for replacement of wiper blades as they have started to make that irritating noise of scratching against the windshield, the parts were not available in stock and I need to go once more to get them replaced.

Overall, I am happy with the service experience and very happy with the way in which the car feels to drive now.

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by arvi86

The bumper has just been nudged into place as I refused to accept their claim of replacing the complete front bumper for a small misalignment in a corner.

Hi,
I had a similar incident while reversing.I managed to dislodge and crack the rear bumper slightly.I got it fixed it for 150 bucks from a independant garage.A.S.S is best avoided such issues as their menality is not to repair but simply to replace the broken part.

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Hi,
I had a similar incident while reversing.I managed to dislodge and crack the rear bumper slightly.I got it fixed it for 150 bucks from a independant garage.A.S.S is best avoided such issues as their menality is not to repair but simply to replace the broken part.

Rightly said sumeet. The A.S.S always have this mentality of replacing instead of repairing minor irregularities. Honda can't be blamed either because I have seen this happening across many manufacturers. I have directly experienced it in Hyundai and Ford before. Except Maruti-Suzuki, I haven't seen any other A.S.S trying to repair faulty parts. Their motto is always "Replace".

[arvi86]

A casual glance into the Ownership Threads section of Team-BHP is enough to convince people that India is a 'Honda' country. I have lost count of the numerous Honda ownership threads that I am following with a new one springing up every week. How has Honda (and to an extent Fiat) accomplished this is beyond me. There is no offence meant to the owners of all other brands here. The love and passion exhibited by all the owners here is mind-blowing and there is so much stuff to learn about in every thread. But I have to admit that it gives me a guilt feeling of not having done enough with this ownership thread.

Yes, I love Civics and I love my Civic even more. It may sound cliched but that is what it is, and it is quite apparent too. Just when I thought that I am going to experience the love, the passion and the emotions yet again with my car, having felt it so good to drive after the 40K service, luck (or should I call it fate) had something else in store for me.

A totally stupid Indicab driver changed what should have been a normal 15 minute commute to my workplace. I was in my bike when this dumb guy came from nowhere and hit me in the right side. Luckily (and I thank all Heavens for that), I didn't fall down and escaped from more serious injuries. With severe ligament injuries to my right ankle, I was forced to be in bed for 10 days. Now that I am back limping around with an ankle support, I am advised not to drive for atleast 2 or 3 more weeks.

The Civic stands in the garage gathering dust with its master out of order. As it has been always, this is just another thing that has put a pause on this thread. Phew!

[sumeethaldankar]

Sorry to hear about your mishap. Hope you recover soon completely.And yes even i am surpirsed to see Honda ownership thread especially of the City.A new one almost every week.

take care.

[dot]

Originally Posted by arvi86

The Civic stands in the garage gathering dust with its master out of order. As it has been always, this is just another thing that has put a pause on this thread. Phew!

I am sure that "master" will be soon running fit. Get well soon buddy and red-line your R18A.

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

And yes even i am surpirsed to see Honda ownership thread especially of the City.A new one almost every week.

You said it sumeet. Every week and a new ownership thread of Honda City springs up. It just goes to show how much enthusiasts (assuming most BHPians are one) love Hondas.

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Sorry to hear about your mishap. Hope you recover soon completely. take care.

Originally Posted by dot

I am sure that "master" will be soon running fit. Get well soon buddy and red-line your R18A.

Thanks pals. Hoping for a speedy recovery. I can't wait to drive the car you see.