[Punzabi]

Originally Posted by arvi86

With severe ligament injuries to my right ankle, I was forced to be in bed for 10 days.

Hoping you're recovering well mate and will be fit as a fiddle real soon to crunch endless miles

Originally Posted by arvi86

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.

I've taken plunge in honda pool too and another preloved-n-licked honda civic will be delivered today . Mine has same colour as of yours but its in Australia instead. It has clocked about 43000 kms but still has that new car sheen with everything else as good as new. Taking delivery after work today and its gonna be a loooong day today hahaha. My civic is automatic with paddle shifters behind steering wheel (Oh boy am in love with those already), shod with 16 inch alloys will brand new Pirellies and has a 2 ltr engine as its a Sport (top of the line) variant. Did I tell you it has a factory fitted spoiler as well . Will post the photos once I got my baby home.

The only let down is its not equipped with aux input (wierd that the centre consol has aux button but the input jack) and dealer quoted me whopping $400 to get this added. I've searched the net and found step by step instructions on how to DIY this ($10 worth of equipment and some spare time needed), but that means ripping the dash apart and at this stage I don't have the gut to do this.

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by Punzabi

Hoping you're recovering well mate and will be fit as a fiddle real soon to crunch endless miles

Thanks a ton for your wishes pal!

Originally Posted by Punzabi

I've taken plunge in honda pool too and another preloved-n-licked honda civic will be delivered today

That's great! Welcome to the world of Hondas. I am sure you will be bowled over by the sheer beauty of Civic and the rev-happy nature of i-VTEC engine. Wishing you years and years of happy ownership.

Originally Posted by Punzabi

Mine has same colour as of yours but its in Australia instead. It has clocked about 43000 kms but still has that new car sheen with everything else as good as new. Taking delivery after work today and its gonna be a loooong day today hahaha.

When you say Australia, the immiediate thing that I remember is wide and smooth roads and beautiful landscape - the perfect backdrop for truly enjoying a Civic.

Originally Posted by Punzabi

My civic is automatic with paddle shifters behind steering wheel (Oh boy am in love with those already), shod with 16 inch alloys will brand new Pirellies and has a 2 ltr engine as its a Sport (top of the line) variant.

The paddle-shifters are addicitve, I swear. We in India only get to enjoy 1.8 liters of i-VTEC fun. You are lucky to get an extra dose of 0.2 liters.

Originally Posted by Punzabi

Did I tell you it has a factory fitted spoiler as well . Will post the photos once I got my baby home.

Oh come on, do not make me jealous! I think you know that I have been scouting for a good spoiler for my Civic for many months now. The stock Honda spoiler is too expensive and I ain't interested in spending so much on that.

Waiting to see the pictures of your car. Somehow, Civic isn't boring how much ever you see them.

Originally Posted by Punzabi

The only let down is its not equipped with aux input (wierd that the centre consol has aux button but the input jack) and dealer quoted me whopping $400 to get this added. I've searched the net and found step by step instructions on how to DIY this ($10 worth of equipment and some spare time needed), but that means ripping the dash apart and at this stage I don't have the gut to do this.

I thought Honda was stingy only in India. As you rightly said, do not end up rippping the dash for this one feature. Take a cue from me - I have learnt to live without an Aux-In / USB Port.

[Punzabi]

Thanks for the wishes matie. Well I'm not much of a traveller but for honda's sake I'm ready to be a nomad lol. Tell you what, I test drove this beauty on a hilly stretch and believe me at any point it didn't feel like I'm driving a 4 cylinder car. There was that notorious innitial lag for a moment & once RPM crossed 2K mark, man this car was rushing like a bullet even on an uphill drive.

Regrading aux-in, My civic is a 2006 model and aux in jack was available only in hybrid model then. It was only in 2008 when it became a standard feature for all models accross the line. looks like I'll be burning tonnes of CDs for my music as I'm not a fan of radio transmitter thingy that hooks on to cigarette lighter. There will be an ICE upgrade later in future though. You're spot on with the looks mate, I purchased the car about a week ago and had been looking at civic pictures here on the forum (esply your car ) as my civic was taken off the net the day it was sold.

[Ace F355]

Hey Arvi, sorry to hear about your accident. Wish you a very speedy recovery and I am sure you will be taking your Civic back to those beautiful highways again.

BTW, some nice clicks on last page.

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by Punzabi

There was that notorious innitial lag for a moment & once RPM crossed 2K mark, man this car was rushing like a bullet even on an uphill drive.

If I have to zero in on one negative aspect of this awesome engine, that would be it. The lazy throttle responses below 2000 rpm really tests your patience and skills, especially in bumper-to-bumper traffic conditions. Beyond that, all hells break loose.

Originally Posted by Punzabi

looks like I'll be burning tonnes of CDs for my music as I'm not a fan of radio transmitter thingy that hooks on to cigarette lighter.

You said it right, I have already burned loads of CDs for the car. To put things in perspective, I have even lost the 16 GB USB Drive that I used to listen music when I owned the Santro.

Originally Posted by Punzabi

You're spot on with the looks mate, I purchased the car about a week ago and had been looking at civic pictures here on the forum (esply your car ) as my civic was taken off the net the day it was sold.

A thing of beauty is a joy forever. Need I say more?

Originally Posted by Ace F355

Hey Arvi, sorry to hear about your accident. Wish you a very speedy recovery and I am sure you will be taking your Civic back to those beautiful highways again.

Waiting to get into the driver's seat pal. Thanks for the wishes.

Originally Posted by Ace F355

BTW, some nice clicks on last page.

[Punzabi]

Couldn't wait to share my joy with you lot. Ladies and Gents, lo and behold! my dream machine. Drove her home last night.





Took my baby for vahan puja at local temple (paid standard dakshina amount $10). Punditji doing what he is best at (sorry about the image quality). Believe me this puja was thorougher than those done in india, punditji put swastic on front bonnet, tilak on the boot, on the keys, on the steering wheel and on speedometer. I liked it and plus point was punditji wasn't greedy



@Arvi86: will try to capture some shots with some scenery behind over the long weekend next week if weather didn't go berserk

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by Punzabi

Couldn't wait to share my joy with you lot. Ladies and Gents, lo and behold! my dream machine. Drove her home last night.

Believe me this puja was thorougher than those done in india, punditji put swastic on front bonnet, tilak on the boot, on the keys, on the steering wheel and on speedometer. I liked it and plus point was punditji wasn't greedy

Thanks for posting those pics Punzabi. The car looks fabulous and spanking new. Now I know why you said 'pre-loved and licked'. The previous owner had really taken very good care of it and I am sure you are going to follow that tradition.

If I am right, the alloys look sportier than the ones we have here in India. When you said 'Sports' version, what else is different apart from the engine displacement and of course the spoiler? I could see a few buttons on the steering wheel, are those for cruise control? And, what is that little black square thing right below the A/C duct to the right side of the steering wheel?

Originally Posted by Punzabi

@Arvi86: will try to capture some shots with some scenery behind over the long weekend next week if weather didn't go berserk

. Over the years, I have collected some beautiful pictures of Civic across different landscapes and would love to add yours to my collection too.

Enjoy the beautiful car across the stunning landscapes that Australia has in abundance. Happy Motoring!

[Punzabi]

Thanks mate. The car belonged to an elderly gentleman for about five years before I took its ownership. He kept civic very clean and drove it sedately. He traded in this car for a honda Jazz as civic was too big for him. That black square thing under the a/c vent beeps when you go beyong certain speed limit (just to warn you to reduce the speed) and it was fitted by previous owner but I had it removed as for me it was an eyesore. There were a couple of very miniscule paint imperfections on the exterior paint as well which were taken care of before I signed paperwork (I put a condition to the dealer to fix any signs of car's age and remove that speedo beeper thingymajic if he seriously wants to sell the car to me and he gladly obliged.) In my possession, car will be kept the same way the previous owner kept it.

I don't have much information at hand on indian civic models but in auss, civic is available in three main flavours (I'm excluding hybrid from my equation).

Civic VTI: 1.8L engine, 15 inch non alloy wheels, cloth interior, no spoiler,no sunroof, 2 front airbags

Civiv VTI-L: 1.8L engine, 16 inch alloys, audio controls on steering wheel, cloth interior, no spoiler,no sunroof. no paddle shifter in AT version. 4 airbags (front head and curtain)

Civic Sports 2.0 L engine, 16 inch allos. leather trim, seats and steering, audio controls on steering wheel,fog lamps, sunroof, spoiler and paddleshifters in AT (not availabe in MT) are all standard for this variant plus six airbags (2 front + 2 curtain front + 2 curtain rear)

Head unit (mp3 + 6 disc stacker), cruise control and heat insulated windscreen & windows are standard accross the range. Hope this helps

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by Punzabi

Civic Sports 2.0 L engine, 16 inch allos. leather trim, seats and steering, audio controls on steering wheel,fog lamps, sunroof, spoiler and paddleshifters in AT (not availabe in MT) are all standard for this variant plus six airbags (2 front + 2 curtain front + 2 curtain rear)

Head unit (mp3 + 6 disc stacker), cruise control and heat insulated windscreen & windows are standard accross the range. Hope this helps

Now that is a fully-loaded car. I just don't understand why Honda was so stingy in India. Absence of USB/Aux-In and steering-mounted controls for the audio in a 13-Lakh car is shocking. Atleast now, manufacturers like Hyundai and Maruti-Suzuki are packing in so many features forcing companies like Honda to load their models.

The ankle support in my right leg is still not allowing me to walk properly but when the Dr. gave me permission for driving a car, could I waste 3 days of holidays at home? Nope, and so I decided to dedicate these 3 days to my car. Meanwhile, the feeling of getting into the driver's seat after 4 weeks was great and the car, still fresh from its 40K service, was as smooth as butter. The interiors look and feel much better now thanks to the re-painting of plastics in all the door handles and the gearshift knob. Even the base of the gear-shifter that had a few scratches were repainted by the dealer and I am happy that 1200 Rupees didn't go waste. I know people like dot had done this at a much cheaper cost, but I just don't have a local workshop who I can believe for these things. Here is a picture that shows the repainted surfaces - yes, it is more glossy than the stock paint but I like it.



I had always wanted to install sun-films ever since I bought the car but somehow it just didn't happen. So now when I finally had the time, that was the first thing that I did. I drove straight to Shri Balaji Agencies (in Alwarpet), who were the sole 3M distributor in Tamil Nadu until 3M Car Care opened recently. Though I had finalized RE35 when I called and fixed up an appointment, I had a change in mind suddenly on looking at this.



I thought darker shades would look better in my bluish silver Civic and zeroed in on SP35. On inquiry, this turned out to be cheaper and I was a happy person. I had asked the guys at their center to install the films without removing the glasses but they refused. It was really painful to see them ripping off the interiors. Here is how they worked on the car.



In spite of my apprehensions, they did a good installation job and till now I haven't noticed any bubbles or irregularities. I think the films are installed in time to cope up with Chennai's peak summer season. Here is how the car looks 'before' and 'after' the tints. After a discount, the total cost charged was Rs.3150.



Though it was well past noon and my leg started aching, I wasn't done yet.

[sumeethaldankar]

Film looks great. Isin't 3M kind of a premium brand. For 3.1 k seems like a good deal.I am too thinking of replacing my existing tints on my Civic as i find them a bit too dark while driving at night.

[arvi86]

Continuing from my earlier post, I drove straight to the 3M Car Care at Nungambakkam after getting the sunfilms installed. The reason for not installing sunfilms at 3M Car Care was that they were significantly expensive from the quotes that I received over phone. Reference to the 3M store was again taken from Team-BHP and I was overwhelmed by the positive feedback given by the forum members who had visited that place. Having fixed up an appointment earlier, Mr. Dushy immediately accommodated and gave me a slot. He patiently explained all the 3M processes but this time, I was only looking at giving my car an under-body anti-rust coating.

Then came the surprise - since mine is a pre-owned car and the previous owner hadn't done this coating, Dushy said there are chances of rusting in under-body and, in that case, the may not be able to give me a warranty. They first had the car's under-body inspected, took a few snaps and confirmed me there isn't any rust in the car. I was relieved after which I was explained the two types of coatings on offer.

1. Anti-rust Coating with 2 Year Warranty (INR 2295 + Taxes)
2. Anti-rust Coating with 5 Year Warranty (INR 3795 + Taxes)

In the latter, a much thicker layer of coating is applied (a different '3M Material') and I was told that it would be so thick that it could even insulate a significant amount of road and suspension noise from entering the cabin. I chose the former. Since they did not have facility to lift the car, I couldn't take any pictures of the under-body, what with my leg causing troubles now and then. Dushy had 'before' and 'after' pictures taken and showed me the layer of coat applied to the car's belly. He has also promised to send the snaps to me after which I will post them here.

The 3M Wall of Fame proudly hanging at the store:



My car being worked upon before the anti-rust treatment started:



Regarding the facility, I am completely impressed and I now know where to take my car if I have to get it detailed, be it exterior or interior or engine compartment or under-body. Dushy and his team are a bunch of professional and passionate people who know their job well. Despite their constantly increasing popularity, they aren't complacent and are willing to accommodate customer's requests. Now, I am one among so many fans who posted their feedback at their customer lounge.



At the store, I also happened to meet another BHPian who was having his Fiat Linea T-Jet detailed. Sathya refused to move away from his car and was constantly admiring it's beauty as the guys at the 3M store were on their job. He was like, well, any other Fiat fan and was all praises for this much-loved Italian brand. I am sure he is going to have a tough time when he finally decides to upgrade as Fiat doesn't have anything in its line-up above Linea. Fiat, are you listening? There are so many people like Sathya in India and your line-up shouldn't be empty. Just like me, he was 'floored' by these guys and their workmanship. Here is his ownership thread:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...km-update.html

And here is a collage that I made out of his spotless and beautiful Linea and the 'connection' that linked us, which is Team-BHP.



It was a long and tiring day, but at the end of it, it was really a 'good friday' for me and my Civic.

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Film looks great. Isin't 3M kind of a premium brand. For 3.1 k seems like a good deal.I am too thinking of replacing my existing tints on my Civic as i find them a bit too dark while driving at night.

Sumeet, 3M is certainly a premium brand and they have two series of films - 'Premium' and 'Executive'. RE (Reflective Series) and CS (Color Stable Series) belong to 'Premium' while the SP (ScotchTint Series) belong to the latter and is considerably cheaper. Shri Balaji Agencies quoted INR 6200 (without discount) for RE35/RE50/CS35/CS50 and INR 3500 (without discount) for SP35 which I really liked and have in my car now.

[sumeethaldankar]

I can notice that along with Civic (incuding mine and yours) many other cars too have the films in such a way that the rear is more darker than the front windows.Are the films sold that way or they are purposely like that.

Also are the reflective films street legal.My Civic has reflectives too and i always have this thought at the back of my mind that i may get pulled over by cops for the same.

[arvi86]

With sun-films and anti-rust coating done, the next items on my shopping list for my car were Seat Covers and a Spoiler. The whole of Saturday was spent scouting for seat covers as I tried everything from an individual leather shop who apparently hand-stitches some real good seat covers to Privilege Moto Mall, one of the premium car accessories shops in the city. Pure leather was ruled out as it is very expensive. Having zeroed in on Art-leather, the quotes for Autoform, G-Sport, Hi-tech and even the individual hand-stitched covers were all between INR 7000 to 10000 depending on the design and texture. Just when I was about to finalize Autoform, I happened to sit inside my friend's City VTEC which had Art-leather seat covers. It was blazing hot in Chennai yesterday and those seats were like an oven and we just couldn't tolerate. My Civic, parked right next to the City in the hot sun was comparatively much better even with films that are lighter than those in the City. I have decided to live with the stock fabric seats which seems to be the best for Chennai's weather.

While looking for seat covers, I was also inquiring about spoiler for my car. Those who have read my posts know that I was frantically looking for one and I finally found out a shop in G.P.Road which had it. It was after almost 10 to 12 shops in G.P.Road replied in negative and I was on the brink of exhaustion. I had a look at both the regular & lip spoiler. The design of the latter wasn't good-looking at all while the former is a replica of the stock Civic spoiler made of ABS. I wanted it immediately and negotiated it to a price of INR 4800. Here are some snaps of the spoiler waiting to be painted and installed.



While the local garage has quoted INR 1300 + 350 for painting and installation, Capital Honda asks INR 2500 + Taxes for the same job. Though I am inclined to go to the dealership itself, I am still brooding over the two options. Suggestions are welcome.

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

I can notice that along with Civic (incuding mine and yours) many other cars too have the films in such a way that the rear is more darker than the front windows.Are the films sold that way or they are purposely like that.

I have observed what you say in luxury cars (Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and upwards). They have their rear windows tinted in a much darker shade than the driver and front passenger windows. In other cars or atleast in the photo that I have uploaded in my earlier post, the difference is because of the light inside the cabin through the front windshield which doesn't have film installed in it.

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Also are the reflective films street legal.My Civic has reflectives too and i always have this thought at the back of my mind that i may get pulled over by cops for the same.

RE films are legal as long as it is RE70 or RE50. RE35 isn't legal but cops would be fine as long as the interiors aren't completely opaque. Apart from the flashy looks which wouldn't suit a light color car as mine, fearing the cops was one other reason I didn't opt for RE35.

[arvi86]

As promised, 3M Car Care had forwarded the pictures taken 'before' and 'after' the under-body anti-rust coating was applied. As the pictures might show, the under-body is in pretty good shape and there are no visible damages or dents in the surface. I may have bought this car less than a year back but this Civic actually left the Honda factory in Noida 5 years back.

Here are the pictures that shows the under-body before the 3M coating was applied.





And now, here are the pictures after the coat. With a 2 year warranty and 4 free inspections (once in 6 months) provided by 3M, I am sure this will hold up well.






By the way, the spoiler is still lying neatly packed inside the boot. For painting and installation, I am planning to give the car to Capital Honda itself. Yes, the local garage has quoted around 1000 Rupees less, but the dealership is more trust-able for this job as the drilling and installation has to be perfect. By the way, are there any precautions to be taken to ensure that rust do not form around the drilled spots in the boot?

[MutantX]

Hi Arvi, does balaji enterprise still operate off alwarpet? I was told that they have shifted to Ambathur. Request you to kindly provide me with a point of contact from balaji, alwarpet (opp. SIET college) as I need to get some 3M automotive wax and 3m finasseIT.