[W.A.G.7]

Hey, another new car addition to the Pune chapter. Congrats on getting one of the most addictive cars! The more you drive the car, the more you get addicted to driving it One of my office colleagues also had similar delivery hiccups while getting her Honda City from Crystal Honda, (something about an unclean car, minuscule scratches on the bumper etc. etc) but is now overall satisfied with their service.

EDIT: Happy Diwali to you!

[breezydrive]

Welcome to Honda city club; enjoy the car. My car has completed 18000 km in one year with an average of 13.5- 14.5 in NCR roads.

[frequentflyer]

The car is looking good! I keep it covered with the body cover when not in use; wonder how long this tender loving care will last :-)

The next item on the agenda is to look for a good road trip of 8-9 days. Multiple choices and google maps are burning on my laptop!

[mm403]

If planning for a long trip, try Gujarat. Just back from a trip to Ahmedabad during Diwali. Excellent roads, enjoyed the drive to hilt, inspite of not hitting above 100 anywhere.(Will try to post a travelogue over next couple of days)

[frequentflyer]

There is already a plan in place for the entire Gujarat for next year with some friends so cannot do that now! The choice is Rajasthan/Srisailam/Varanasi (a bit long but covers places like Khajuraho en route too). Will have to look at the time available and decide. There is a fourth option of Jabalpur-Bhimbetka- one of the wild life sanctuaries circuit.

[Sommos]

Congratulation for the fantastic car.
The City is the best petrol sedan in the market under 10L.
Wishing you many happy miles and drive safe.

Originally Posted by frequentflyer

The second point I noted was that the car does not physically go to the RTO for the Road worthiness certificate. The odo was at 3 km when I saw it pre registration and it was at 4 km when I took delivery. It is plain the rule is only in the books and never followed by the RTO or the dealers.

This is because the dealers pay a hefty sum to the RTO to avoid all the hassles. Try doing the registration yourself and you will have to take the car to the RTO for inspection.

[frequentflyer]

Originally Posted by Sommos

This is because the dealers pay a hefty sum to the RTO to avoid all the hassles. Try doing the registration yourself and you will have to take the car to the RTO for inspection.

Even if 50% of the 'Handling charges' are bribes to RTO, can you imagine the phenomenal amount of money that is being made under the nose of the Government all over the country? In an age such as ours where payments for almost eveything can and should be made online, car buyers are being forced to pay this amount because dealers are simply passing the expense as an easy way out. Not taking the car to RTO means less inconvenience to the dealers and less expense too as no drivers are needed to drive them there and bring them back. This is therefore a win-win situation for dealers as well as RTO. Both benefit!

I explored the possibility of self registration. The Motor Transport rules say the car cannot be handed over to the owner unless it is registered -and therefore passed.

[Sommos]

Though the RTO formality is a State subject and may differ from state to state, however there are provisions for the owner doing the Insurance and Registration on his own. Most people leave it to the dealer to avoid the hassles associated with it. A recent post where the owner has taken the pain to do the registration on his own.

Link : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...amshedpur.html

Originally Posted by debuda

I initiated the Registration procedure at the local RTO the next day after delivery. I paid Rs 48,846 for one-time tax, registration, fitness fee and smart card. Here in Jharkhand the One-time tax is 4% of the ex-showroom price. Now I have to present my car for ‘inspection’ by the Motor Vehicle Inspector next week who will verify the chassis and engine numbers and whether the car is road-worthy! Everyone knows that new cars are never inspected by the MVI when the dealer does the registration because dealers bribe the RTO / MVI handsomely. Since I have chosen the non-bribe route (anyone who gets registration done through the dealer must remember that he is indirectly helping corruption) I have to present my brand new car for inspection! Anyway, since I have already paid the registration fees / tax and have the receipt from RTO in my car, I am supposedly free to drive my car anywhere even without a number plate.

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by 00nuts001

On the stock ICE, the speakers will continue their job till the next 4-5 yrs or so. Will need an upgrade subsequently.

Congratulations on your purchase frequentflyer. Despite all the criticism Honda has got recently (for good reason!) they make very reliable and trouble-free cars. I have a 2005 City that's going strong at 140,000 kms with no breakdown, no rattles and no drop in FE. The engine still feels great and its the first car I've actually owned for this long because its given me no reason to change. Also I like petrol and I can't get a petrol car today that gives me equal or higher FE than this one.

On the speakers, I would actually recommend an immediate upgrade. The OE ones at first listen seem impressive because they are loud and boomy. But on extended listening they start to jar and tire your ears. The reason is that they are extremely cheap with thin cone material, plastic cradles and tiny magnets. I changed mine a year after getting my car to JBL coaxials and the listening improvement was tremendous. It made no difference to the warranty, extended or regular. In my car, I could see the OE speakers and their build because they were visible from the boot (the rear speakers fit on the tray behind the back seat.) In yours, all four are in the doors but I can assure you they are crappy.

[Heavy Horse]

Originally Posted by frequentflyer

There is already a plan in place for the entire Gujarat for next year with some friends so cannot do that now! The choice is Rajasthan/Srisailam/Varanasi (a bit long but covers places like Khajuraho en route too). Will have to look at the time available and decide. There is a fourth option of Jabalpur-Bhimbetka- one of the wild life sanctuaries circuit.

Hi FF congratulations on a great purchase. Honda City is one of the very best. I've been driving one for almost five years now, and it's so reliable, the old ad line "fill it, shut it, forget it" applies ! Just do each servicing regularly from the dealer. I'm so attached to my vehicle, that I will not sell this one; let it die on me.
The GC is an issue though. On good highways, no probs. So I suggest you pick a route that has good roads. Gujarat from that perspective is great. Recently I do a lot of highway driving on the Western coast, and had a hit on the sump and the engine oil leaked out. Be very careful on bad roads.
Otherwise, it's such a breeze. Just enjoy!!

[frequentflyer]

The 1000 km first free service got done and the car is purring along. The service is courteous (even when compared to Ford) and one did not have to hang around waiting for the car to be taken in. The job was done at the appointed time. The cost for the first service was zero. However I understand there are minor, medium and major Honda services and the costs are like that too. So it varies from 3000 to 6000 per service at three monthly intervals meaning one is set back by roughly 18000 an year on mandatory service costs - the most frequent servicing done by any car manufacturer perhaps? There was the usual push for underbody rust proof and paint coating which I resisted.

I did 300 km from Pune to Kolad-Khopoli and back by Expressway in one day. The roads were of all types. The 165 mm GC has held up. No touching the underbody so far.

I have used the car cover whenever I park my car (unless on the road - which I have avoided as far as possible - I then take my Spark if there is no protected parking where I am going - may sound extreme and I wonder how long I will keep it up). The car looks as good as new. There were no scratches in the first month of any kind and I therefore continue to wait for my first dent and scratch in the mad two wheeler traffic of Pune. I would recommend the 1500 bucks car cover as a useful accessory to anybody buying the car. Protection from bird droppings is a big positive as my car colour is rather high maintenance.

Come January 25 or 26 I plan to go on my north Indian trip and will finish my second service before I go since it is due around 3rd Feb when I will be on the road.

Just one final thought - If one takes the cost of a Honda City (9.6 incl accessories), plus insurance and zero dep, plus cost of servicing, bank interest and so on - a car is an expensive accessory. I wonder if hiring a cab five days a week would not be cheaper with radio taxi services having taken off in most cities!!

[anujgarg1]

Hello Team Bhpians,

I got the New City diesel - V - Silver few days back. Below is my experience.

This is my second Honda City ( previous was the Gxi with the stooped nose). The car is improved in all areas. The diesel engine is very quiet ( compared to my Innova and Figo ). Suspension is soft and bumps are easily absorbed. steering is a tad too light. I prefer a slightly heavier steering. Space and comfort is fantastic. The Dash is good. All 4 doors have added rubber insulation in the sides to reduce cabin noise. Haven't driven it much but the ground clearance seems adequate. Headlights are far better than my previous one. Separate high and low beam bulbs. The trunk feels a little smaller though. Tires are thin and I would have changed them right away had my dealer not ripped open my wallet. 185 or 195 mm tires are better for this car.

Buying Experience: I booked my can on Dec 31st and it was door delivered on Feb 2nd. Only saw it on the net before buying.

I bought the car from Heritage Honda ( MSGR Automobiles), Bareilly. The dealer forced me to buy insurance from them which cost me 7000 extra plus 16000 for road side assistance and extended warranty. And 2500 for the mats. Total extras came to 25500.

I felt blackmailed by the dealer. If I paid, I would get the car or it would be passed on to the next guy in the line. Since I needed the car before the wedding anniversary, I ended up paying for all this crap.

Guess what, the car is never going back to this dealer again for service. I am also contemplating about informing Honda about this practice by their dealers. What do you guys suggest.

Below are a few shots of the new city.