[neel911]

Originally Posted by sarathlal

Slightly OT.
I would suggest not to move the gear lever between 'N' and 'D' for short stops like B2B traffic, signals etc. There is no harm in doing that, but there is no specific advantage as well.

Enjoy the convenience of AT, by completely forgetting about gear changes as much as possible

Very true. However, I'm not sure which mode to keep in then when waiting for signal as I don't want to keep my feet pressed on brakes while waiting for my signal. I have 3 options:
- Keep in D mode with Hand Brake Engaged (I'm not sure if this is fine as the engine is constantly trying to work to move car forward)
- Move to N mode and engage Hand brake if surface is inclined
- Move to P mode (I'm not to keen on this one)

If 2nd option is the only recommended option, I will have to move between N<->D.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by neel911

Very true. However, I'm not sure which mode to keep in then when waiting for signal as I don't want to keep my feet pressed on brakes while waiting for my signal. I have 3 options:
- Keep in D mode with Hand Brake Engaged (I'm not sure if this is fine as the engine is constantly trying to work to move car forward)
- Move to N mode and engage Hand brake if surface is inclined
- Move to P mode (I'm not to keen on this one)

If 2nd option is the only recommended option, I will have to move between N<->D.

I always do option 2. 1 is definitely not recommended. I suppose 3 should also be OK considering the length of some of the signals in Bangalore. It is almost as if you are parked

[sarathlal]

Originally Posted by neel911

Very true. However, I'm not sure which mode to keep in then when waiting for signal as I don't want to keep my feet pressed on brakes while waiting for my signal. I have 3 options:
- Keep in D mode with Hand Brake Engaged (I'm not sure if this is fine as the engine is constantly trying to work to move car forward)
- Move to N mode and engage Hand brake if surface is inclined
- Move to P mode (I'm not to keen on this one)

If 2nd option is the only recommended option, I will have to move between N<->D.

The better option would be to still keep it in D mode and press the brakes, while waiting for the signal.
Over period of time, I find this much more comfortable compared to meddling with the gear modes.

1. This avoids unnecessary lock-unlock for gears. For eg, we can feel the slight gear engagement effort, while we slot to 'D' 'R' etc. This indicates that physical movement is happening in the system, if we change the gear modes.

2. The ECU is very intelligent. It can detect the car state by using throttle response, brake pressure etc to determine on what mode the car is in. For eg; this is exactly the reason why people say that running down the slope in gears with zero throttle also benefits from efficiency compared to coast down in neutral.

So, if keeping the brakes depressed can be ok, that would be the best option.

Again, this is more of individual convenience perspective as the positives and negatives for each type is almost identical.

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by neel911

3 options:
- Keep in D mode with Hand Brake Engaged (I'm not sure if this is fine as the engine is constantly trying to work to move car forward)
- Move to N mode and engage Hand brake if surface is inclined
- Move to P mode (I'm not to keen on this one)

If 2nd option is the only recommended option, I will have to move between N<->D.

Option 2 is the one you want to go for. Keeping it in D with the handbrake engaged is not recommended at all, nor keeping it in P.

Here's a general rule of thumb I follow: For short stops, 10-15 seconds or less, I just stand on the brakes and wait. If the stop is 10-15 seconds or more, I put into N, never P. P is purely for parking, simple as.

[vista_qjd]

Originally Posted by neel911

- Bluetooth Phone system is not great. Folks at the other end cannot hear me clearly unless I speak at high pitch and they also complain of hearing some echo. I believe the MIC is on the 3.5" console which is a bit far from the driver's face so may be expected. I have moved back to my Jabra Bluetooth Hands Free system for my phone calls

Sounds like a defect. Shouldn't you be able to talk from the drivers seat with ease for a car with built-in hands-free system? Did you try pairing a different phone?

[Rocketscience]

Originally Posted by vista_qjd

Sounds like a defect. Shouldn't you be able to talk from the drivers seat with ease for a car with built-in hands-free system? Did you try pairing a different phone?

Not really a defect , happens with me too and i tried with 2 phones (iphone 5 & Note 2) , I've hardly used the bluetooth function but the echo did come in a couple of times , people on the other side also complained about the sound being low , something like speaking about a couple of feets distance from your phone with the speakerphone on.

The reason i suspect is the mic which is placed on the H.U and not next to sun visor like in some cars , i think its more effective that way and the mic is closer in that position.

[Rocketscience]

Originally Posted by neel911

- Speakers are totally average on SV variant. I've somehow managed to live with it for now by playing with the Bass/Treble levels.


- Visibility was an issue on front and rear but with sensors on rear and a little bit of experience with Unicorn, I can successfully maneuver it through traffic.

Please share the settings , the sound quality is depressing and kills the mood everytime i enter the car! Savings are not enough to upgrade and would probably do this next month , will try fiddling as of now.

Originally Posted by neel911

- Visibility was an issue on front and rear but with sensors on rear and a little bit of experience with Unicorn, I can successfully maneuver it through traffic.

The rear visibility is a big issue , will be getting parking sensors installed soon , but i find the visibility on the front to be good , the driving position although takes time to set but once done its really good and better than many sedans , dad finds the driving position better than his Cruze and because of excellent driveability and ample low end torque in the city he is in the mood to exchange his car with me.

Mods please merge this post with the previous one as my 30 minute limit to edit the post has expired.

[neel911]

Originally Posted by vista_qjd

Sounds like a defect. Shouldn't you be able to talk from the drivers seat with ease for a car with built-in hands-free system? Did you try pairing a different phone?

This is how it works. It's a poorly designed system. The mic should have been on sun visor. I've already tried with 2 different phones and the other end can easily make out as if I'm on some speaker system. I have been using Jabra Journey handsfree bluetooth system since 2 years and the sound quality cannot come even close to the OEM systems. Also, I use my phone as GPS as well so I prefer to have 2 different systems. This way the audio does not keep on getting interrupted.

Originally Posted by Rocketscience

Please share the settings , the sound quality is depressing and kills the mood everytime i enter the car! Savings are not enough to upgrade and would probably do this next month , will try fiddling as of now.

I just keep bass at midpoint and increase treble all the way up. The sound is no where close to my JBL speakers installed on my i10 (were around 7K 6 years back) but it's still ok and I can live with for a while. Also, please note that the bass/treble settings are saved for each source separately. So let's say you shift from usb to FM radio, you would again have to make changes and save it (one time thing for each source).

I inquired at my car accessory shop and they have given me 2 options and budget required is between 10-15K for a set of 4 speakers. This shall happen after 1-2 months.

[TheBigH]

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

Option 2 is the one you want to go for. Keeping it in D with the handbrake engaged is not recommended at all, nor keeping it in P.

I agree with what has been quoted by our member above. Also, in automatics, the most common wear and tear is with the brakes since these are the most used and hence minimizing usage is typically recommended for automatics. My SA in Hyundai also advised me to do this when I was TD'ing the Verna AT. Hope this helps.

[vsrivatsa]

Saw a White City SV parked in Forum Mall at 9-30 pm today.
Was it your Unicorn by any chance?

I must add, the number of new City models on Bangalore roads has gone up quite a bit over the last 2 weeks!

[Rocketscience]

Originally Posted by neel911

I just keep bass at midpoint and increase treble all the way up. The sound is no where close to my JBL speakers installed on my i10 (were around 7K 6 years back) but it's still ok and I can live with for a while. Also, please note that the bass/treble settings are saved for each source separately. So let's say you shift from usb to FM radio, you would again have to make changes and save it (one time thing for each source).

I inquired at my car accessory shop and they have given me 2 options and budget required is between 10-15K for a set of 4 speakers. This shall happen after 1-2 months.

Thanks , i did'nt knew about different settings for different source bit , as for speakers i recommend getting Rainbow components in the front (~10k) and JBL GTO components in the rear (~5k) (doing a little research on all this these days), or if you loved your JBL's sound signature chances are you'll love infinity kappa components too , they are in the 7k range and i recommend getting 2 pairs and you should be more than satisfied with their sound (They have pretty good mid bass and are very sensitive so they will be able to extract the max from the H.U's amp), add a 4 channel amp later if you please to.

[neel911]

Originally Posted by vsrivatsa

Saw a White City SV parked in Forum Mall at 9-30 pm today.
Was it your Unicorn by any chance?

I must add, the number of new City models on Bangalore roads has gone up quite a bit over the last 2 weeks!

My Unicorn was parked in garage at home . I agree, suddenly I'm seeing lot of Honda City on the road. I believe for the base version, I do not see any badging such as 'SV', 'VX'.

Originally Posted by Rocketscience

Thanks , i did'nt knew about different settings for different source bit , as for speakers i recommend getting Rainbow components in the front (~10k) and JBL GTO components in the rear (~5k) (doing a little research on all this these days), or if you loved your JBL's sound signature chances are you'll love infinity kappa components too , they are in the 7k range and i recommend getting 2 pairs and you should be more than satisfied with their sound (They have pretty good mid bass and are very sensitive so they will be able to extract the max from the H.U's amp), add a 4 channel amp later if you please to.

Thanks for the information. I will share the details of the options that the accessory shop gave me as well.

[neel911]

So after protecting the 3.5" screen, I just completed my next project of protecting the AC panel.

I somehow thought that AC panel was scratch resistant but when I looked closely under light, I noticed fine scratches.

I ordered a scratch guard from Gadget Shieldz for Samsung Note 10.1" Tablet. The front will be used to protect the AC panel. The rear protector will be used for DIY of the piano black panel around the ORVM button. I still have to find a large screen protector similar to this material for main piano black panel in center.

Now focusing on the AC panel. Please note that this will end up giving a gloss finish to AC panel which is matte but to be honest, it looks more premium now.


The huge screen protector for the Samsung Tablet


Piece cut for the AC panel. Notice the markings on the side for curve and the middle line


The piece is all ready. I've made a cut on middle as there is a recess for the LED lights for functions such as 'Auto', On/Off


So I applied the piece the same way I did for the 3.5" screen so please refer to my post earlier for application instructions.

I applied the same in the night and its all in place by morning. There was one small bubble in morning which went away in few hours as is always the case with this screen protector


Few things:
- From matte, the finish of AC panel has become gloss now
- No impact to sensitivity of touch panel
- The panel is very smooth to touch
- Though it's a bit glossy, I hardly see any impact to the readability of the screen.
- My family feels this finish looks more premium even when the panel is off.

Pictures of the panel about 18 hours post application. The finish is just awesome and gives a premium finish.

[Amarendranath]

Originally Posted by neel911

So after protecting the 3.5" screen, I just completed my next project of protecting the AC panel.

I somehow thought that AC panel was scratch resistant but when I looked closely under light, I noticed fine scratches.

I ordered a scratch guard from Gadget Shieldz for Samsung Note 10.1" Tablet. The front will be used to protect the AC panel. The rear protector will be used for DIY of the piano black panel around the ORVM button. I still have to find a large screen protector similar to this material for main piano black panel in center.

Now focusing on the AC panel. Please note that this will end up giving a gloss finish to AC panel which is matte but to be honest, it looks more premium now.


The huge screen protector for the Samsung Tablet
Attachment 1227711

Piece cut for the AC panel. Notice the markings on the side for curve and the middle line
Attachment 1227712

The piece is all ready. I've made a cut on middle as there is a recess for the LED lights for functions such as 'Auto', On/Off
Attachment 1227713

So I applied the piece the same way I did for the 3.5" screen so please refer to my post earlier for application instructions.

I applied the same in the night and its all in place by morning. There was one small bubble in morning which went away in few hours as is always the case with this screen protector


Few things:
- From matte, the finish of AC panel has become gloss now
- No impact to sensitivity of touch panel
- The panel is very smooth to touch
- Though it's a bit glossy, I hardly see any impact to the readability of the screen.
- My family feels this finish looks more premium even when the panel is off.

Pictures of the panel about 18 hours post application. The finish is just awesome and gives a premium finish.

Attachment 1227714

Attachment 1227715

Attachment 1227716

Attachment 1227717

Attachment 1227718

Neel,

Excellent job with the screen protectors! Looks as if it has come with the car as a stock fit. I'm amazed how well you have managed to install the screen protector. Looks like many cars will stop at your door step for same precision cut

[loving_alaap]

Dear Neel.

Can you please let me know the GC on Bangalore's famous speedbreakers especially with 4-5 person on board. GC on normal road appears to be ok but the firm suspension (intentionally put to increase GC) really makes ride quality poor. I can feel even the smallest of pothole during TD.

I am staying in north Bangalore and there are very bad and broken roads. I am considering SV CVT and your feedback is very important regarding GC, suspension and FE of your car for my decision.

Inspite of loving AT cars, I may have to think Duster only because of such bad roads and tall speedbreakers. The same road felt much better in Duster than City.