[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Glad you are enjoying the experience. She is in protective hands indeed.

City is not cheap as you have noted, but cars are priced on market demands, and 9k people thought it worth the money last month. So it's not an expensive product either. Not the case with Mobilio though! They have clearly overpriced that one.

Is this service truck for places where a regular service center is not available? What all facilities are available with this truck? Also- what if an accident repair or repaint is required?

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by raj_k

Thanks dear. Your detail reviews are really praise worthy.
There was a last minute change and I have now taken U-Flap seat covers of Autoform. The door trims would also be provided by Autoform next week. I would post the photos shortly.

Great to hear. Do post some snaps of the Autoform door trims as well. I didn't know they made those! It would serve as a good guide for others who are looking for replacements to their door trims too.

Originally Posted by speedgun

Hey Raven.
Great write up ,in one of the snaps you shared technician is spraying water to engine bay. I believe modern diesel engines should not be treated that way. Compressed air old gentle wipe is OK ,but pressurised water in engine bay is a strict no in my opinion.

The water didn't have much force, plus they had the engine covered. No worries.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Glad you are enjoying the experience. She is in protective hands indeed.

City is not cheap as you have noted, but cars are priced on market demands, and 9k people thought it worth the money last month. So it's not an expensive product either. Not the case with Mobilio though! They have clearly overpriced that one.

Is this service truck for places where a regular service center is not available? What all facilities are available with this truck? Also- what if an accident repair or repaint is required?

At least the City justifies it's price with it's high-class interiors, class-leading interior space, good engines and it's positioning as an uber-premium product. Not so with the Mobilio - the pricing makes one's eyes roll (and water too, if I might add)!

Yes. You can get all service-related stuff done (even washing), except for alignment. For accident repairs and paint-related stuff, they call up the cars to their dealership by providing a driver for your car.

[raj_k]

[quote=RavenAvi;3683756]Great to hear. Do post some snaps of the Autoform door trims as well. I didn't know they made those! It would serve as a good guide for others who are looking for replacements to their door trims too.



I have posted pictures in my original post.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post3687416

[RavenAvi]

A Tale of Two Citys (no, not related to Dickens at all!)


We had a surprise (yet pleasant) visit on Sunday, 26th April, by Silver Pegasus and his owner. I was so glad to see my lovely silver steed after a gap of almost a year, and he looked as impeccable as ever, despite a few mini dents on his proud bonnet.

Us City owners shared our mutual experiences over a couple of soft drinks, and it seemed like he was more than satisfied with Silver Pegasus so far. His mileage inside the city was at ~12 kmpl, and touched 19+ kmpl on the highways, in the 7000-odd kms he had done with his new owner till now. His ability to mask triple digit speeds was a highlight, as was his stability at 100+ speeds on the highway. The ownership of the past year or so was completely fuss-free, according to him.

I was glad to know that Silver Pegasus was leaving a deep impression on his new owner, and also felt a pinch deep inside when I gazed lovingly at him when I bid them farewell. You can't blame me - Silver Pegasus was the first car of my life which I had bought from my own savings. Come what may, you are always attached emotionally to your first car.

Empress must have been mildly curious about my older steed making an appearance, and did her best to outshine Silver Pegasus (as is evident in the pics that follow). Being a Sunday, some neighbors also came out to marvel at both cars - two generations of an iconic brand which has defined "luxury" and "premium" in the C-segment. Proud moments!

Empress has crossed the 11,000-km mark, and her overall FE is stable at 19.9 kmpl. The engine clatter has gone down a bit after the last service, and I sense a lot more smoothness in operating the clutch and shifting gears as well.

It's starting to be a hot summer, and despite having no sunfilm or sun-blinds on Empress's windows, the ACC is keeping things tolerable (at set temperature of 25°C). I make it a point to keep the window glasses lowered by about an inch when she is parked under the sun, and that helps to keep the interiors from heating up excessively in the afternoons.

Ciao!

[pdma]

It is always a great feeling to see your old car and the happiness doubles when you know that its been taken care the same way you did. The pictures look very nice and Honda is standing by that FE numbers that it promised to us.

Keep driving and keep updating . From my side I too am having a good time with my ride and trying to keep up with the high standards you guys have set on ownership threads.

[Mahareddy]

Hi I hope you are enjoying your ride.
I bought mine around the same time as you back in May of 2014.
I bought the VX CVT.
My friends liked the City so much that two of my close buddies bought one each (a VX CVT & VX i-Dtec respectively).

[outdoorlover]

Originally Posted by Mahareddy

Hi I hope you are enjoying your ride.
I bought mine around the same time as you back in May of 2014.
I bought the VX CVT.
My friends liked the City so much that two of my close buddies bought one each (a VX CVT & VX i-Dtec respectively).

Mahareddy, I see that you've fixed DRLs on your City. Do let us know if it was dealer fitted or from outside, what was the cost and could they do it without voiding warranty.

[Mahareddy]

Originally Posted by outdoorlover

Mahareddy, I see that you've fixed DRLs on your City. Do let us know if it was dealer fitted or from outside, what was the cost and could they do it without voiding warranty.

Yes mate I got a pair of DRL's fixed.These are not the regular LED DRL's,they call them Bull LEDs.



These are much better and attractive and focus brighter light (perfect for even sunny days) and I would suggest these over the rest.The ones offered by the dealer here in Hyderabad (Pride Honda) weren't what I was looking for so I found these at a Car Accessory Store for ₹4,000.

I also changed the Parking lights to Phillip LED's which were quite expensive and cheaper white LED's for the rear number plate illumination.




And now about the warranty I am not sure if I have violated their terms or not.As far as the wiring is concerned these LED's are connected to the parking lights,I did have an option of getting an exclusive switch but didn't want that kind of elaborate wiring done through the battery and then the dashboard.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Mahareddy

The ones offered by the dealer here in Hyderabad (Pride Honda) weren't what I was looking for so I found these at a Car Accessory Store for ₹4,000.

I also changed the Parking lights to Phillip LED's which were quite expensive and cheaper white LED's for the rear number plate illumination.

Hello, can I know where did you buy the LED bulbs from Hyderabad?

I am looking for the same for my car. Thanks.

[RavenAvi]

Gremlin Alert! *AGAIN*


So, the "Check Engine" gremlin reared it's head up again.

After a short tour to a nearby town and back recently, I took Empress out to the city earlier in the morning. At one place where the traffic was stuck, my roaming eyes came down into the speedometer where I saw the bright yellow (and dreaded) "Engine" icon glowing on the top-left of the speedo. I waited till the traffic was clear, then ran my errand and brought her back to be parked again. Debated if I should check around the engine myself, but then decided not to.

Best thing to do was to call Deepak, my SA.

Deepak patiently listened to all what I had to say (including filling the tank 2 days back at a pump in another town), and then suggested that he would send over a tech with the laptop, and a scan should reveal anything problematic in the car's system. I had to bear the expenses of the tech travelling to and fro, and if he detected any major problem, I was to contact the RSA team who would then take Empress to the workshop at Raipur.

All possible reasons had come to my mind till then:

1. Maybe one of the sensors had gotten loose again, like earlier. Easiest case scenario.
2. Maybe one of the sensors had gone kaput, specially the ones related to the diesel filter or the catalytic converter. Normal case scenario.
3. Maybe it was a case of adulterated diesel. Water or moisture might have seeped into Empress's system, and that triggered it. Would need cleansing of the entire fuel system. Worst case scenario.
4. Maybe I had driven through water without realising it, and water had seeped into the engine from somewhere below. Double worst case scenario.

I told Deepak to get in touch with the Service Manager and prepare for someone to come here with the laptop, and I was ready to pay for his trip. Meanwhile, I started up Empress yet again and she started up real fine, but the "Check Engine" icon wouldn't go. She seemed absolutely normal, and I revved her once to ensure that.

I called up one of my local trustworthy mechanics, Dinesh, and explained the situation to him. He suggested to me to disconnect the battery and leave it for a minute, then reconnect the battery terminals again. If that doesn't solve the problem, he would come over and check Empress thoroughly.

I opened the engine bay and disconnected the battery terminals, and let them be for about two minutes. Reconnecting followed, and I went back into the driver's seat, turned the key and voila! The glowing "Engine" icon was gone!

It was a moment of huge relief! I had my heart in my mouth till then, fearing the worst of the worst. Called Dinesh and thanked him immensely. He warned me not to be hasty, and to update him by night-time if it pops up again. I promised to call him back. Then called up Deepak and told him to put the tech visit on standby.

I was wary of Dinesh's warning that it might pop up again. Decided to drive around for a few and see if it came up, but until I returned home at night, the icon has stayed silent. Empress drove around smoothly, with no problems related to pick-up, in-gear acceleration, ACC functioning, or jerkiness/stalling.

Right now, I am thanking the Lord silently in my mind that all should be well and this gremlin doesn't rear it's ugly head again first thing tomorrow morning.

This is something which is really annoying, and is not expected in Honda's most premium offering. I am not expected to pop the hood and disconnect/reconnect the battery terminals every time this happens. Honda Quality Control, are you reading this?

ODO stands at 11,944 kms right now. FE is steady at 19.1 kmpl.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

This is something which is really annoying, and is not expected in Honda's most premium offering. I am not expected to pop the hood and disconnect/reconnect the battery terminals every time this happens. Honda Quality Control, are you reading this?

ODO stands at 11,944 kms right now. FE is steady at 19.1 kmpl.

By disconnecting the battery, you basically reset the check engine warning. Not the best option as you deleted the error code that would have been stored.

The best option would be to have the light and read the error through the scanner. This would tell you where the problem was.

You could get the error again but by disconnecting the battery, chances of diagnosis are gone and you need to see if it comes again.

Errors can get fixed by battery disconnecting. This could be a loose sensor, some error in code or some sensor malfunction.

[a4anurag]

Good point Viddy.

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

He suggested to me to disconnect the battery and leave it for a minute, then reconnect the battery terminals again. If that doesn't solve the problem, he would come over and check Empress thoroughly.

This is the last method one must take when there is a CEL lit up.

The CEL is trying to communicate something to you in the form of DTC which gets stored in the ECU. This can be used by Honda to narrow down and solve the problem permanently.

You only have hidden the issue under your car and not solved it. The next time you encounter any warning lamp please do NOT disconnect the battery.

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

The glowing "Engine" icon was gone!

The DTC code is gone too!

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

I was wary of Dinesh's warning that it might pop up again.

It will pop up again if there is a problem.

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

By disconnecting the battery, you basically reset the check engine warning. Not the best option as you deleted the error code that would have been stored.

The best option would be to have the light and read the error through the scanner. This would tell you where the problem was.

You could get the error again but by disconnecting the battery, chances of diagnosis are gone and you need to see if it comes again.

Errors can get fixed by battery disconnecting. This could be a loose sensor, some error in code or some sensor malfunction.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

This is the last method one must take when there is a CEL lit up.

The CEL is trying to communicate something to you in the form of DTC which gets stored in the ECU. This can be used by Honda to narrow down and solve the problem permanently.

You only have hidden the issue under your car and not solved it. The next time you encounter any warning lamp please do NOT disconnect the battery.

Thanks, guys.

It's been 2 days and the "Check Engine" light has stayed unlit, so I am guessing it was some sort of code error, else it would have come up again.

The first time this problem popped up (LINK), the Honda tech on visit had proceeded to do the disconnecting-battery procedure first thing as soon as he reached my home. Even after reconnecting the battery, the "Check Engine" light had not gone off. Of course, the problem was a loosely-fitted coupler from the factory which he had subsequently tightened, according to him.

But, to be doubly sure, I'll get Empress scanned upon my visit to the service center next weekend. They told me that if there was any sort of error in sensor functioning or coding, it stays in the car's ECU even if the battery terminals are removed. So they should trace this gremlin through their software during their full-car scan, and report to me about it's exact nature.

Right now she's performing flawlessly so I have a feeling that the problem isn't too serious. But with Honda's Quality Control team taking a vacation, one can never be too sure about such things.

[avdhesh15]

I totally agree with the Honda quality going a number of rungs down. As I have mentioned on a couple of other posts, my Dzire feels much higher in quality than my new City (I have a V-petrol purchased in March 2014 run only 8000km till date). Obviously the driving can't be compared but some niggling issues on my City are:

1. Driver's seat automatically comes down from previous setting over a few days - ASS mentions that they checked it thoroughly and found nothing wrong... ignored thereon.

2. Gear shift, especially into 2nd gear: I can actually appreciate Honda for building my left forearm over the past 1 year! ASS says to flush the clutch and it will go away but obviously nothing changes... ignored thereon.

3. Reverse camera fell off and was dangling at a mall one day: I shoved it back into position and it happened a number of times. ASS says this normally happens in external fittings! I was like DUDE - this is a factory installed component! Get your variants correct. Apparently they put some latch in there to solve the issue.

4. Dicky not opening with internal lever: Apparently some bolts had broken and they replaced it by charging my some Rs 300.

5. Noises, creaks, squeaks: ASS says "saar Mumbai mein itna aawaaz toh theek hai"! Jugaad - my audio volume is now 3 levels higher than usual.

Many more small issues here and there not faced in my Dzire which feels rock-solid. Quality has come down for sure from earlier generations of Honda. I hope they rectify this over next 2-3 years when it would be time for me to upgrade.

[RavenAvi]

Gremlins Update:


So I had the chance to visit the Service Center last weekend. Since it was not a service schedule and was more of an emergency visit, I listed down all niggles which are plaguing me and Empress right now:

- The "Check Engine" gremlin which had reared it's head last month.

- The relentless squeaking of the front seats section.

- Two small rattles from the dashboard section - one from the steering column and the other from under the glovebox somewhere - which became very pronounced if the road surface became rough or uneven.

- Front passenger door has started rattling. The door never used to close fully upon the first try from the delivery day itself, and it shut tight only the second/third time with a firm push. I suspected the door rubber beading to have lost it's strength, or the locking mechanism to have gotten misaligned.

- Driver-side internal door lever had broken loose in the second week of August and I could no longer open the driver door from the inside.

(Apologies for the lack of pictures - it was very hot and I was too short on time to get the work done and dash back home on the same day)


Check Engine gremlin: Got Empress hooked to the service laptop first, to check the Malfunction history. Sure enough, an entry for 12th June was saved in the memory bank, which said "Engine Control Module (ECM) malfunction". The tech again got busy with the wirings and couplers inside the engine bay, and pointed out to a couple of wires behind the turbocharger unit which had slipped out of their place. They were tucked back in.
What kind of shoddy work do the people at Honda Quality Control do when the Citys roll out from the assembly lines, I wonder.

Seats squeaking: They removed the art leather Autoform seat covers first, just to confirm if the squeaking didn't happen due to the seat cover surfaces rubbing against each other. The front seats were subsequently removed and the black metal panels underneath (which have 2 nuts which bolt the seat to the car floor) were checked thoroughly. Some greasing was applied and the seats were fixed back in place.
Didn't hear any squeaking on my return journey but as of day before yesterday, faint squeaking has returned, although not as pronounced as before.

Dash & Steering Rattling: The glovebox was taken out and all the parts under that section (including wires which extended all around, possibly for the speakers and HU) were checked. Then they put in around 3-4 cardboard cutout packings inside.
Don't know exactly what they did but the glovebox rattling has stopped from then on.
Then they checked the steering column's underside, and the section between the steering and the speedometer. 3 techs were working on this simultaneously so I didn't get to see exactly what was going on. After about 45 minutes of fiddling around, they reported that they didn't see anything wrong or suspicious anywhere. They put in some fresh lubrication and re-fitted the section.
As of now, the gentle rattling persists.

Front Passenger door: They removed the lock gear (inside the door) and checked it, and although it looked okay, they replaced the gear with another one and checked again. The door didn't close in the first try. A new lock gear was brought (under warranty) and that replaced the existing gear, and then they pushed the door shut. The door didn't shut completely yet again. They told me to keep the new lock gear, while they wrote to the company about this issue and would get back to me soon. The door beading rubber looked okay, so it was not replaced. After getting assurance that any/all guilty parts would be replaced, I had to relent.
As of now, the front passenger door still doesn't shut fully upon the first try, and still rattles slightly during rides even when fully shut.

Driver-side internal door handle: The door panel was opened and it was surprising to see that the internal door handle's spring section had broken into two cleanly. One small part was still dangling inside, and thankfully the door lock hadn't been damaged, or it could have been further trouble. The entire inner door handle was replaced (under warranty) and I was told that the damaged lever would be sent back to Honda under classification of "damaged parts under warranty".
I thought back to the day when the techs had visited my city with the Mobile van and had "fixed" the window glass problem, and how many times they were jerking the door lever, pulling it out and putting it back into the door panel. Maybe the spring inside couldn't handle all that pressure and eventually broke, wearing down further with subsequent continued use.
As of now, the new internal door handle is working perfectly.


Billing Details:

Front Passenger door lock gear = Replaced under warranty,
Driver door internal handle unit = Replaced under warranty,
Labour Charges (including VAT) = Rs. 1500/-

Final Bill Paid = Rs. 1500/-


And, as if to compound the problems, the driver side window glass has started it's "kat-kat" problem again when it is powered down or up, from today morning. (same as last year)

Seems like the jugaad which the techs had done last year (of inserting an aluminium piece into the door checker section) has moved out of it's place when the door lever work was carried out, and now it needs to be re-inserted back into place.

The new techs apparently didn't know about this problem, and in my haste of getting the new niggles rectified, I had completely forgot to tell about this to them.

Already Lazarus (my Creta SX+) has replaced Empress for most of my daily runs, and nowadays she finds herself parked inside the compound and gathering dust for 4-5 days at a time, unless when wifey takes her out for a shopping run, or to my 3-year-old Princess's school occasionally.

Dad was quite sick in-between and prefers driving Silver Queen (his Swift ZXI) more, because his running has come down drastically and he sticks to in-city runs only these days.

Will see what the report from the dealership comes, and if it isn't to my satisfaction, I might have to sell Empress off. These persistent niggles annoy and frustrate a lot, and I simply can't live with a car which will start to fall apart anytime soon.

ODO stands at 13,157 kms as of today, while FE is at 18.7 kmpl.