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Old 16th September 2012, 17:09   #1
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Frankmehta's Practical Workhorse: Honda Civic AT CNG. EDIT: Sold!

Buying a used car is a relatively easy task.

Buying a GOOD used car. Easy. WOT? No way. It's one of the toughest, most calculated decisions you can ever make, considering the sheer volume of cars one encounters in the currently ripe, decently matured Indian used car market. What HASN'T improved is the attitude of dealers who use cars as their media to fill their family's stomachs, much akin to how the roadside hobo uses a Monkey to earn money. ANY monkey will do if he can play dead or flip over, even if he has Syphilis. In the SAME way, most of our Indian used car dealers (who are encountered at every nookad and cranny of our streets) or brokers as we popularly call them, sell just about ANY car. Ask them to sell a monsoon stricken car. They will sell. Ask them to sell a potentially dangerous accidental car, they will put their fingers on their lips as if they mean to imply that it never happened. You get quite a few scumbags here.
I have been on the lookout to replace my Fiesta S with a smooth driving Petrol (which can be converted to CNG) automatic sedan with ABS and Airbags as my primary priority. Second priority was that it should be Japanese (and NOT Korean or European) because I was going to run it like a workhorse after converting it to CNG. Third and last priority was that it CANNOT be an old man's favourite. Case in point: Corolla Automatic. Runs like a tank for years on end, rides well, but drives like a boat. The lousy auto gear shift feels like it has Alzheimer's disease and remembers to shift gears down on time only once out of 5 times.
I drove Chevrolet Optra Magnum Diesel (highly over rated car), Optra Petrol (sluggish, similar engine as the Aveo, and I don't like the way she drives on CNG), Verna Diesels (Drove and handled like a steamboat), i20 Auto (sluggish and overpriced, space at a premium), Accord v6 (was the best out of all, but issues with the consumption of fuel meant that my CNG tank would also proportionally drive less distance on a tankfull of CNG) and Accord AT cars. I also happened to test drive a Premier Rio just to see if it has ANYTHING to lust about. Turns out, it's a dud.
I quote myself from my Fiesta Test drive thread. LOVE AT FIRST DRIVE. Yes, she wooed me even before I had decided to buy her and every car I drove felt like a compromise after driving her.
3 years down the line and I was in the SAME situation. The car in question was a Civic Auto. I fell in love with the refinement of the engine, the smooth shifting gears, the near silent cabin, the chiller airconditioning and more so, the impressive cockpit like interiors that hold their age MUCH better than most cars of it's class. The Corolla, for instance ages very fast and interiors start looking old. I was amazed at how well the interiors hold up even on 6 year old cars. Coming back to the stuff I like, the sweet steering wheel, the almost menacing looks and the highly spacious interiors all gave a thumbs up to the 'gujju' inside of me since it ticks the right boxes and gives you a feeling of getting more than what you pay for (in this case, MUCH more)
Coming to the bad dealers part, I did see bad Civics. One had a shot AC, one leaked from the roof, one was badly accidental and the other smelt like dogs drive the car and human beings only sit in it occasionally. A few Civics shown to me were good to drive, but individuals on Carwale would pose as individuals, and drive the car to a decided point, after which they would show me the papers and it would turn out to be someone else's car. One person (his name was XXXX Pal) showed me a very very nice example but he gave me a cock and bull story of how the car was bought by his son and his friend (xxx Jabbar Hussain) and he wanted the cheque in the name of XXXX Singh . Full gadbad party. We backed out of the deal immediately.

Anyway, great stories have happy endings and this one turned out to be a great one. I managed to notice a well maintained 2007 Civic, sold by a dealer on Carwale and owned by an NRI. A little wary of how dealers sell cars, I drove down to Andheri to see the car. The car was in FANTASTIC shape, save for slightly lousy Bridgestone OE tyres and a small leak in the boot seal leading to a leaky corner which would drip water and dampen the boot. The engine and transmission alongwith the (slightly stiff originally) suspension were in immaculate condition and reeked of how much the owner had cared for the car. The seats were adorned with GENUINE Stanley leather and that showed how much the car was loved. The interiors were clean and smelt like new. The mechanicals felt genuinely healthy and the car had a complete service history from day one. Now find SUCH a car with a dealer!

The buying experience was sweet and the dealer managed to arrange for insurance at 10 minute's notice. Fantastic. My car had a lapsed insurance since a week and this guy organized it within minutes. The agent came, inspected the car and gave me a covering letter. ALL ON A SUNDAY!
There are some small issues with the car, I detail them here.

1. Power windows are slightly slow. Will get them lubricated and change the channels of any if necessary.

2. One dim light bulb is out.

3. All Honda Civics have worn out power window plastic shrouds. I am going to replace the shrouds with original ones from Honda.

4. The boot was damp, hence the cardboard spare wheel cover needs replacement. Will get a new one and carpet to cover it.

5. Fluid levels are ok, but I don't trust the earlier buyer with the type of oil used. Will be going semi-synthetic Castrol GTX Magnatec or Shell Semi Synth soon.

The car is in sweet shape mechanically and there is no work on the engine or the suspension or the transmission. The interiors are immaculately maintained and a little bit of TLC with Kamyo or my local detailer will go a long way in making the car look like new from the inside (it already does, but even better)

I am glad I bought a Honda Civic and shall be posting my experiences here soon.

Mods planned:
1. EMER Sequential CNG Kit (this car has been bought to munch miles)
2. Full blown ICE Upgrade (carried over from the Fiesta, except for an all-new head unit)
3. Xenon Headlamps (like the Fiesta but 4300 K this time)
4. New Mats (generic ones. I don't know what the hoopla about Kagu is)
5. Replace sun film with Garware Classic and front windshield will get Garware Cool-vision.
6. Parking sensors with camera with rear view mirror LCD screen
7. A Mugen badge on the steering wheel as well as the front grille.

This car has been bought to use as a workhorse so no other mods planned as of now. A Cold Air intake is in the works, but not so soon.

Pics here, guys.
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Frankmehta's Practical Workhorse: Honda Civic AT CNG. EDIT: Sold!-dsc_0156-hdtv-1080.jpg  

Frankmehta's Practical Workhorse: Honda Civic AT CNG. EDIT: Sold!-dsc_0157-hdtv-1080.jpg  

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Frankmehta's Practical Workhorse: Honda Civic AT CNG. EDIT: Sold!-dsc_0178-hdtv-1080.jpg  

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Frankmehta's Practical Workhorse: Honda Civic AT CNG. EDIT: Sold!-dsc_0188-hdtv-1080.jpg  

Frankmehta's Practical Workhorse: Honda Civic AT CNG. EDIT: Sold!-dsc_0189-hdtv-1080.jpg  


Last edited by frankmehta : 16th September 2012 at 17:10.
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Old 17th September 2012, 00:37   #2
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The Civic S Compared To The Fiesta S!

The Car itself:
I know the Civic has stuck around for a long time and there are lots and lots of reviews here but let me tell you what I feel about our Civic.

THE ENGINE:
She's 5 years old and has completed 41000 km but the engine still feels and sounds like it would, if I were to go to a showroom and start a brand new Civic today.
Silk smooth, free revving, quick response and a big heart. These are the words I would use to describe the engine. It is always eager to rev freely to 6000 RPM and then rubberband to 3k and then back to 5k RPM and still maintains enough composure without really ruffling any feathers or being perturbed by this. Performance doesn't shatter the earth or rock your world here, but just one word comes to mind while running through the gears, SWEET. The engine sounds sweet and when the vtec kicks in, the typical muted Japanese thrum gets converted to a full fledged growl from the engine. Would love to keep repeating that again, and again.
In comparison to my Fiesta 1.6S, this one feels more eager to jump to the upper rev range where most of the power lies. I can't compare the two much but the 1.6S was as free revving as this one, but had more torque lower down, which means I didn't need to rev the 1.6 as much (unless I wanted to have some fun )

THE TRANSMISSION:
The transmission is worth a special mention here. Guys, I always thought Honda makes the best auto trannies for their cars and this car cements this fact and HOW!!! I haven't owned an Auto and technically these are my first few hours driving an Auto but after test driving several Korean and European automatic tranned cars, this one comes as a breath of fresh air. Smooth, seamless shifts, always staying within (decent) reach of power and DOESN'T have a mind of it's own. If you are in the mood to hyper mile, you may pussy foot her around and she will shift up at the slightest instance. BUT, pin your foot down to the ground and go pedal to the metal, and you feel the car revving all the way to the redline, then shifting up and then revving to the redline again. It's all very smooth and transitions to and from higher gears are all achieved in a very refined manner without any drama. No jerks at all. The civic is known to have a slightly weak lower end and this shows a few times when you blip the throttle and have to wait for a few milliseconds before power builds up. It strikes you when you drive this car for the first few times, but when you get hang off how the tranny communicates with the engine, you start learning and eventually you know EXACTLY what is going to happen next. Overtaking is a breeze and shifting up in lower revs means the economy might not take a very big hit.

THE SUSPENSION: RIDE and HANDLING:
The Civic does not come up trumps in either the ride or the handling stakes. The ride is slightly on the stiffer side and doesn't cushion you from large craters. The smaller pocks and pimples on the road are dismissed decently and the cabin is not a bad place to be in, if you are on slightly uneven roads. The Fiesta fares abysmally in this regard. Ride quality and road crater noise made the car a particularly poor candidate for just pottering around town at lower speeds.
Handling is neutral. Neither scary like the new Verna nor is she a crafty tap dancer like my earlier 1.6S. The car handles like a big sedan is supposed to handle. She does NOT grip the road menacingly like the Fiesta nor does it hug the corners as well. The steering doesn't have the feel of European cars (forget the 1.6S) and doesn't communicate much with the driver. This has to be attributed, in part to the poor tyres on the car. I think they are the same Bridgestones that came stock on the car. I want to change to better tyres as soon as I get the first chance.


BRAKES:
The brakes bite well and since we have rear discs (my first car with rear discs) she stops well without much drama and bleeds speed quite commendably. Pedal feel is great and the brakes inspire more confidence as compared to my Fiesta S.

EQUIPMENT LEVELS:
I am happy with the overall equipment levels of this car, though I do miss Fog lights as standard. I don't particularly like the windshield Wiper arm configuration and I ABHOR the fact that there is NO programmable interval duration for the Intermittent wiper setting. I am shocked. Even an Accent has it!!
I love the fact that there is an audible beep if you drive off with the handbrake on. Dad and I loved the feature and nodded in approval in unison.
The airconditioning is a chiller and climate control is very easy to use, due to it's big, well labelled backlit buttons and chunky knobs for temperature and blower speed. I can't figure out how to get the rear underseat vents to come on. Someone please tell me how.
The interiors of this car are one of the PRIMARY reasons why I went in for this car. They are possibly the BEST interiors I have ever seen in a car, this side of 15 lacs. Decent plastics, very cockpit like design and very very good legibility and visibility of the controls and dials. I like!
Frankmehta's Practical Workhorse: Honda Civic AT CNG. EDIT: Sold!-img_20120916_192041-hdtv-1080.jpg
The rear seats are very very comfortable and three in a row is not too much of a problem. The floor is flat and the there is a lot of legroom for tall people to sit in reasonable comfort. The squab compound is slightly on the stiffer side, but it's not too bad. The Stanley leather seats add to the charm of the cabin in this car.
I miss having parking sensors and door sill scuff plates, and I hope to install those soon.
The audio system looks a million bucks and sounds like a few paise. I always thought it sounded bad and owning the car doesn't change that. It has a 6 CD changer in the dash and it's a keeper, though it's achieved antique status already. I shall fix it back when I am selling the car.

I am about to rock off to sleep.... I shall continue with my review on the car soon. In the meantime, please don't hesitate to ask me questions. This is turning out to be the MOST value and fun one can get in the used car market and I am very excited to have a great life with her. CNG conversion is on the cards and the car will be fitted with a sequential gas kit in the next week. I am sure there will be many people (including me) waiting with bated breath to read about how the car functions on CNG. Trust me, I am very anxious to find out. Will post more on that soon

Last edited by frankmehta : 17th September 2012 at 00:40.
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Old 17th September 2012, 22:47   #3
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Re: The Makings of a Practical Workhorse: An Automatic Civic with the frankmehta® tou

I must also dedicate one paragraph to BrokerDalal. Had a super experience dealing with them. Very professional outfit, most transparent about their cars. They have 50 cars in stock at any given point of time and can cater to people looking for cars from all segments. They don't deal in 'bad' cars and have a fixed set of clients who they deal for. I was impressed with their style of work and their honesty about the cars they sold. Kudos to a great outlet for used cars. Never buying from any other dealer. One can buy a car from them and rest assured that it will be clean and as promised and not 'clocked' or accidental!
They even had my insurance sorted within minutes. The new insurance was sorted by their agent ASAP and I drove out with a covering note.
The icing on the cake was how well they cleaned up the car and polished it before delivery, and that 'new car' touch by putting a ribbon on the car. Even makes buying a used car an experience to look forward to.
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Old 18th September 2012, 14:03   #4
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re: Frankmehta's Practical Workhorse: Honda Civic AT CNG. EDIT: Sold!

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 18th September 2012, 14:26   #5
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re: Frankmehta's Practical Workhorse: Honda Civic AT CNG. EDIT: Sold!

Congratulations! The car looks lovely. Would love to know how the pick up is post CNG conversion. BTW, mind telling the price you paid for this beauty?
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Old 18th September 2012, 14:46   #6
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re: Frankmehta's Practical Workhorse: Honda Civic AT CNG. EDIT: Sold!

Frank Mehta - I wish you the best with your civic - it is a rare car - the interiors are no less than a space shuttle. I totally agree with your comment on finding a good used car can be an uphill task, especially the process of elimination.

Few Questions - Now i don't speak the language of CNG very well -

1. If you were to alter the Fuel system - I am guessing you will have some level of difference in the driving experience. Say loss of power and performance. Since you are planning on extensive usage, did you not contemplate diesel. Is CNG less expensive than Diesel ?

2. Do you need to alter any paper work related to the conversion ?

3. Safety attributes - I really would like some members perspective here, you tend to hear a lot of negative attributes of CNG cars not being safe - How much really is true ? Comment from existing users will be great.

My motivation for the questions - well i am in need of small car - have loved petrol ever since i learnt to drive - may be can consider CNG

Best - ML
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Old 18th September 2012, 15:19   #7
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re: Frankmehta's Practical Workhorse: Honda Civic AT CNG. EDIT: Sold!

Frank many congrats on going the pre-worshipped route. I absolutely agree with you when it comes to used car dealers, they are there in every nook and corner of the street but it takes two eyes to find a good dealer and then the most obvious - a clean car. And now that you've got yourself the best petrol hatch from the D1 segment (in my eyes), you're going to find excuses to head for long drives.

Somebody I know if looking for a used Civic as well. Mind if you drop me a pm with the dealers contact.

I can't figure out how to get the rear underseat vents to come on

AFAIK, there the rear aircon vent is placed below the front seat. There isn';t any button to open / shut the vent. Speaking from my experience with the Honda City.

Wish you good luck and trouble free experience for many years.
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Old 18th September 2012, 15:30   #8
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re: Frankmehta's Practical Workhorse: Honda Civic AT CNG. EDIT: Sold!

Congratulations on your new ride.

Your experiment of converting a Honda AT to CNG is going to be watched by many with interest including me. Reason for that is the popular perception that in the lower power band Honda's are not so proficient and an AT with CNG is only going to worsen this - I hope I am phrasing it correctly. I think you also mentioned this perception when you started a thread stating your intention of going for an AT CNG. Let us hope your conversion results works as you hope it should. That should open another option for people wanting economical running in a non-diesel AT sedan.

All the best.
Cheers
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Old 18th September 2012, 17:32   #9
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re: Frankmehta's Practical Workhorse: Honda Civic AT CNG. EDIT: Sold!

Congrats on buying one of the best petrol sedans in India today! Looking forward to your report on CNG installation and performance. Please share how the suspension behaves with the CNG tank? Pre facelift civics have a soft rear suspension.

What's the dealer's name?
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Old 18th September 2012, 17:54   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Motoringlover
My motivation for the questions - well i am in need of small car - have loved petrol ever since i learnt to drive - may be can consider CNG
ML-bhai, life is really difficult for a CNG car owner in Hyderabad. There are very very few pumps that dispense CNG and none within atleast 5kms of where you live.

To fill up you have to wait in an endless queue with autos and other CNG cars. Moreover I heard CNG is not available anytime you want. You might have to give your number at the pump and have them call you when its available which would usually be early in the morning or late at night.

In contrast, LPG is easily available so you may look at this option.
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Old 18th September 2012, 18:12   #11
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Re: The Civic S Compared To The Fiesta S!

Quote:
Originally Posted by frankmehta View Post
I can't figure out how to get the rear underseat vents to come on. Someone please tell me how.
Try running the A/c in the foot well mode or whatever that mode is called. It just may work.

Edit: Looks like my hunch is right. It's called the ground blow mode and that should make the rear vents to work. Please try it and update us if it indeed does work.

Source: http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question...7051034AAqFUey

Last edited by vikram_d : 18th September 2012 at 18:14.
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Old 18th September 2012, 19:19   #12
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re: Frankmehta's Practical Workhorse: Honda Civic AT CNG. EDIT: Sold!

Congratulations on the ownership, Frank, wishing you many a Happy Miles with her, had a few questions though -

1) Was CNG not an option on the Fiesta ?
2) A full top up on the CNG cylinder would take you 140-160 Kms, if your daily running each day is more than this, you would be standing at the CNG filling station every single day. On the other hand a decent diesel car has a range of close to 600-700 Kms and would save you with the effort of topping up each day, did you consider the diesel option ?
3) No clue on the CNG pricing in Mumbai, but here in the Delhi, CNG costs about Rs 40/Kg and now with the recent Diesel hike, diesel costs Rs 46.32/L, with a Rs 6 gap, going for a CNG makes no logical sense to me, again the difference in Mumbai would be about the same, so CNG does not make logical sense to me.
4) The performance once CNG is installed is gonna be a lot blunted when compared to the way the Civic runs on the petrol, did you consider this factor?
5) Why do you consider the Optra Magnum Diesel to be "Over Rated"? Have you had any bad experience in the past or is it just something that you might have heard over the discussions and stuff? Logically and financially it defies the logic here, the price point at which it is available today and looking at the specs, it by no stretch of the imagination is a over rated car.

Once again wishing you all the luck with your new ownership, enjoy the drive.

Happy Motoring !!
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Old 18th September 2012, 21:12   #13
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re: Frankmehta's Practical Workhorse: Honda Civic AT CNG. EDIT: Sold!

Congrats on the car. Am sure she will give miles and miles of worthy service. One thing I have learnt new from your experience is the audible beep when driven with the handbrake on. I own a Civic for 2.5 years now but was not aware of this. Maybe, I didnt have the opportunity to experience this given that I am very particular with the way I handle the car.
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Old 19th September 2012, 12:04   #14
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re: Frankmehta's Practical Workhorse: Honda Civic AT CNG. EDIT: Sold!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lalvaz View Post
Congratulations! The car looks lovely. Would love to know how the pick up is post CNG conversion. BTW, mind telling the price you paid for this beauty?
I am waiting for the RTO covering letter (transferring the car in my name) to convert to CNG. Before that, I can't possibly get the conversion done legally. I paid 4.75 lacs for the car with insurance.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Motoringlover View Post
Frank Mehta - I wish you the best with your civic - it is a rare car - the interiors are no less than a space shuttle. I totally agree with your comment on finding a good used car can be an uphill task, especially the process of elimination.

Few Questions - Now i don't speak the language of CNG very well -

1. If you were to alter the Fuel system - I am guessing you will have some level of difference in the driving experience. Say loss of power and performance. Since you are planning on extensive usage, did you not contemplate diesel. Is CNG less expensive than Diesel ?

2. Do you need to alter any paper work related to the conversion ?

3. Safety attributes - I really would like some members perspective here, you tend to hear a lot of negative attributes of CNG cars not being safe - How much really is true ? Comment from existing users will be great.

My motivation for the questions - well i am in need of small car - have loved petrol ever since i learnt to drive - may be can consider CNG

Best - ML
1. Yes, there will be a loss of power but I am mentally equipped to accept that. After all, the car is meant to be a daily runner and some loss of power is imminent. It's going to be a sequential CNG kit (akin to fuel injection) so power loss will be slightly lesser than a conventional kit. Also, it's MUCH cheaper to run than diesel.

2. Yes it has to be entered in the RC book or RC smartcard since it counts as a modification to the car. RTO rules say you need to mention any mods to the car and they must be approved first.
3. Not true. CNG kits are not any more unsafe than having a full tank of petrol in the car when being rear ended by another car.

Quote:
Originally Posted by arup.misra View Post
Frank many congrats on going the pre-worshipped route. I absolutely agree with you when it comes to used car dealers, they are there in every nook and corner of the street but it takes two eyes to find a good dealer and then the most obvious - a clean car. And now that you've got yourself the best petrol hatch from the D1 segment (in my eyes), you're going to find excuses to head for long drives.

Somebody I know if looking for a used Civic as well. Mind if you drop me a pm with the dealers contact.

I can't figure out how to get the rear underseat vents to come on

AFAIK, there the rear aircon vent is placed below the front seat. There isn';t any button to open / shut the vent. Speaking from my experience with the Honda City.

Wish you good luck and trouble free experience for many years.
Thanks a lot. As per my knowledge, this is the MOST value for money you can get in the used car market as of now.


Quote:
Originally Posted by RS_DEL View Post
Congratulations on your new ride.

Your experiment of converting a Honda AT to CNG is going to be watched by many with interest including me. Reason for that is the popular perception that in the lower power band Honda's are not so proficient and an AT with CNG is only going to worsen this - I hope I am phrasing it correctly. I think you also mentioned this perception when you started a thread stating your intention of going for an AT CNG. Let us hope your conversion results works as you hope it should. That should open another option for people wanting economical running in a non-diesel AT sedan.

All the best.
Cheers
I haven't really ripped the car as of now, and I don't intend to either. This car is a transition from me being the 'frivolous pimply college student' to the 'staid, fun loving but responsible Pedodontist'
The Fiesta S was awesome at what it did, and this car is great at what it does. Ripping the car and throwing it in the corners doesn't ruffle the car's composure but she doesn't love it either!
Low end response with CNG will be slightly better than the most driveable turbo-diesel. I am willing to live with that. Consider 2 rupees to a km (on CNG) as compared to 9 rupees a km (on Petrol) and all starts making sense


Quote:
Originally Posted by abeerbagul View Post
Congrats on buying one of the best petrol sedans in India today! Looking forward to your report on CNG installation and performance. Please share how the suspension behaves with the CNG tank? Pre facelift civics have a soft rear suspension.

What's the dealer's name?
Thanks Abeer. I did what you wanted to do!!! I am going to be updating this thread on a regular basis. CNG installation will be done at a place called Green Globe. They are known to do decent CNG conversions.
About the soft suspension and all that, we shall sort out that barrier when we hit it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by CtrlAltDel View Post
ML-bhai, life is really difficult for a CNG car owner in Hyderabad. There are very very few pumps that dispense CNG and none within atleast 5kms of where you live.

To fill up you have to wait in an endless queue with autos and other CNG cars. Moreover I heard CNG is not available anytime you want. You might have to give your number at the pump and have them call you when its available which would usually be early in the morning or late at night.

In contrast, LPG is easily available so you may look at this option.
Hmm, in such situations, not recommended. As for us, we have 5-6 pumps within a radius of 5 km from where we live. LPG is NOT even an option anymore. Running costs trump diesel and are pointless now.

Quote:
Originally Posted by vikram_d View Post
Try running the A/c in the foot well mode or whatever that mode is called. It just may work.

Edit: Looks like my hunch is right. It's called the ground blow mode and that should make the rear vents to work. Please try it and update us if it indeed does work.

Source: http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question...7051034AAqFUey
Thanks. I shall do this in my free time and report back.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Torquedo View Post
Congratulations on the ownership, Frank, wishing you many a Happy Miles with her, had a few questions though -

1) Was CNG not an option on the Fiesta ?
2) A full top up on the CNG cylinder would take you 140-160 Kms, if your daily running each day is more than this, you would be standing at the CNG filling station every single day. On the other hand a decent diesel car has a range of close to 600-700 Kms and would save you with the effort of topping up each day, did you consider the diesel option ?
3) No clue on the CNG pricing in Mumbai, but here in the Delhi, CNG costs about Rs 40/Kg and now with the recent Diesel hike, diesel costs Rs 46.32/L, with a Rs 6 gap, going for a CNG makes no logical sense to me, again the difference in Mumbai would be about the same, so CNG does not make logical sense to me.
4) The performance once CNG is installed is gonna be a lot blunted when compared to the way the Civic runs on the petrol, did you consider this factor?
5) Why do you consider the Optra Magnum Diesel to be "Over Rated"? Have you had any bad experience in the past or is it just something that you might have heard over the discussions and stuff? Logically and financially it defies the logic here, the price point at which it is available today and looking at the specs, it by no stretch of the imagination is a over rated car.

Once again wishing you all the luck with your new ownership, enjoy the drive.

Happy Motoring !!
1. Ford India engines are not amenable to CNG. If they are converted, they run poorly and also misfire at all times.
2. As I said, we have stations near home and the max we do a day is 80 km. I just need to drive down to a pump at 10 or 11 PM daily and fuel up. It will become a ritual soon.
For my budget, I was only getting a diesel Figo. Compare the snob value and comfort of this car, add the benefit of an automatic and suddenly it becomes a no brainer.
3. CNG costs Rs. 36 a kg here. Diesel costs 52 and premium diesel costs 74. I ONLY put premium fuels in my cars, so diesel is out of question.
4. I am willing to live with blunted performance.
5. I don't know if you own one, and I wouldn't want to make this a Diesel vs CNG thread, nor take a potshot at an Optra diesel but let me tell you that I have driven used examples and I was not at all impressed. Maybe I expected too much but I was sorely disappointed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rr_zen View Post
Congrats on the car. Am sure she will give miles and miles of worthy service. One thing I have learnt new from your experience is the audible beep when driven with the handbrake on. I own a Civic for 2.5 years now but was not aware of this. Maybe, I didnt have the opportunity to experience this given that I am very particular with the way I handle the car.
Yeah, Dad drove off with it. He's learning to deal with an auto and very well at that. Just forgot to release the handbrake once. But yes, nifty feature nonetheless!
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Old 19th September 2012, 12:16   #15
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re: Frankmehta's Practical Workhorse: Honda Civic AT CNG. EDIT: Sold!

Hey Frank congrats on the car!
She looks beautiful - hardly a couple of months old. Who needs brand new cars when such cars are available!

Where do you plan to get her serviced everytime? Honda A.S.S or found some independent garage?

Hope you enjoy her to the fullest.
Cheers.

Last edited by StrangeWizard : 19th September 2012 at 12:23.
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