[gopa99]

Originally Posted by tejas08

The only problem with the Auto-Form Seat Covers are the Front Seat Head-Rests. The fitting is good but the locking mechanism of the Head-Rest Covers are pathetic. 4

I admire you for one fact, you are very generous when it came to accepting those seat covers with the shabby fitting! It it was me, I would have refused to pay him for that snap.
But my gut feeling is, it can be stitched round without inflicting any damage to the original seats, by a seasoned upholstery mistry.
Also, was the noisy belt in question the timing belt or the alternator belt?

[tejas08]

Originally Posted by gopa99

I admire you for one fact, you are very generous when it came to accepting those seat covers with the shabby fitting! It it was me, I would have refused to pay him for that snap.
But my gut feeling is, it can be stitched round without inflicting any damage to the original seats, by a seasoned upholstery mistry.
Also, was the noisy belt in question the timing belt or the alternator belt?

The problem with the Head-Rest Seat covers was not from the beginning, else I too would not have accepted that. During the installation and for a fair amount of time after that the Head-Rest Seat Covers were perfect. The problem started about 6-7 months after the installation of the Seat Covers.

It's the Alternator Belt where the grinding noise is coming from.

[nda992]

Congrats on your 'new' ride.

New, because your enthusiasm tells me that you will continue to treat your car like a baby for a long, long time.

Honda City would have been my ride too had it not been for the long waiting period.
Anyways, my loss musta been someone else's gain.

Happy and safe driving.

[Seran Manian]

Originally Posted by tejas08

I do not showcase that I am a Team-BHP member by putting on a sticker..

Very Good Idea Tejas, I mean using the wall paper to show Team BHP monogram. I just wanted to ask you one question.

How do you manage eliminating the mild odour (or should I say stink similar to that of a room if you open it after a year or two). I face this problem now and using Meguiars odour eliminator has not served much. I am asking you because you have used it for a year by now (I have used it for just 6 months)

[tejas08]

Originally Posted by Seran Manian

How do you manage eliminating the mild odour (or should I say stink similar to that of a room if you open it after a year or two). I face this problem now and using Meguiars odour eliminator has not served much. I am asking you because you have used it for a year by now (I have used it for just 6 months)

I haven't faced this issue yet. My regular way of entering the car is turning on the engine, opening all windows and turning on the AC on the lowest temperature. Had I had any foul odour in the car, my wife would have picked it up immediately.

I know a lot of owners have complained about foul smell in the car. But I have been one of lucky ones of not having this issue. I guess this could be due to climatic and surrounding conditions.

I did mention in my Ownership Report that I have tried using 3 different brands of Car perfumes but none provided any satisfactory output. But that really is from the fragrance point of view and not to Eliminate any bad odour.

One of my office colleagues has come up with a unique way of Car Fragrance. I would like to share that here. He buys 'Attar or Ittar' from small time shops (Not being a racist here in any means, specially the Muslim community owned, they have some of the best and long lasting fragrances) and uses a cupboard / Wardrobe hanging type odour eliminator in the car. Pours some 'Attar / Ittar' on a piece of cotton and hang it somewhere in the car (Probably the IRVM). This gives a much much better fragrance than any of those car fragrances that we get in the market. I have bought a bottle of Ittar and its just Rs. 200 and the amounts used at a time would mean that this bottle will surely last for 8-10 months easily.

Originally Posted by Turbo_asd

An enthusiast's desire completely surpasses all reasonably logic while shopping for a car. The way your decision swayed from the WagonR to the City is a testament you being one amongst us wonderfully eccentric petrolheads. Keep it up

Another reasonable logic defied or should I say a myth busted regarding buying the first car, as heard from so many expert opinions given to me by so many people while deciding on the purchase of a car: "Go for a used car as this is your first car and you don't have any experience of driving. Even if you wish to go for a new car, go for a Maruti Suzuki only. So even if you end up damaging the car in any means the cost of maintaining it won't be high."

[Starfire]

Great Review Tejas! Sorry for the late reply, thought I'll relax and read your review peacefully on a lazy Sunday

Yes I have seen your car in flesh and also taken a quick glimpse at your wallpaper, looks pretty neat if you ask me!
Wishing you many more safe miles ahead with your beauty!
Do take care of her, she's precious! Hehe


Cheers!
Starfire (Mikail)

[Carpainter]

Originally Posted by tejas08

My Previous Driving experience includes

• Driving School Training (21 Days, 20 mins. each) & Exam Test at RTO office about 2 years before the car delviery
• A couple of 10 minutes practice runs with my friend’s vehicle about 6 months before delivery
• Three 10 minute Test Drives (Etios, Rapid & 4th Gen Honda City)

Finally towards the end of the first month of ownership, I was starting to understand the driving dynamics & stuff.

First of all congratulations on your City's first birthday ceremony. Wish you many more years of happy motoring.

Reading your post reminds me of my initial driving experiences. I learnt driving in my dad's old Indica. Back that time it was so much fun to me. But frankly speaking, with your kind of previous driving experience, if I were you, I would have been really afraid to take that many test drives in new cars. Even after driving cars for ten years now, I still get cautious while taking test drives in our indisciplined city roads. Let alone test drives, driving your own brand new car out of the showroom should be a courageous stuff. Since this is your first car (I guess), it will be very special to you.

Originally Posted by tejas08

There is a noticeable body roll when doing corners at speeds above 40 kmph. I am not sure if this happens with other cars too as I have not tried the same in any other car.

It's definitely a case for City. I took few turns at moderate speeds (around 40-50kmph) and was surprised to see the kind of body roll it has. This was not there in my previous car (VW Polo). Since then, I refrain myself from taking turns at speed above normal mark.

Originally Posted by tejas08

The Dual-Barrel headlamps blend well with the whole design but the Reflectors in both High Beam and Low Beam aren’t anything special. The high-beams are next to negligible.

Couldn't agree with you more. Low beam is okay for city driving but high beam is useless. Any suggestion here?

Originally Posted by tejas08

To counter the stiffer suspension, I have been trying out some different combinations of Tyre Pressures. My trials included (Front / Rear) 30/30, 32/30, 32/31 & 32/32 psi. I found the 32/30 psi as the best option as majorly I drive solo or have a maximum of 3 people on board.

I've also experimented somewhat with tyre pressure. 33/31 is doing duty right now and it seems a good balance between ride and handling for me.

[tejas08]

Originally Posted by Carpainter

Couldn't agree with you more. Low beam is okay for city driving but high beam is useless. Any suggestion here?

Thanks for the wishes Carpainter.

I am planning on getting Projector Headlamps for Low beam first. Try on some highway driving at night where you need high beams at times. If the Projector Headlamps suffice, then all is set. Else HID for high beam. I know some people would be raising their eyebrows already on 'HID in high beams', but the fact is that we are well-informed drivers as BHPians. And we drive not keeping ourselves in mind but keeping the surrounding areas / people in mind. So the high beam will be for a very rare occasional use (generally on pitch dark roads).

Originally Posted by Carpainter

I've also experimented somewhat with tyre pressure. 33/31 is doing duty right now and it seems a good balance between ride and handling for me.

What profile tyres are you using, stock or upgraded ones?

[Carpainter]

Originally Posted by tejas08

What profile tyres are you using, stock or upgraded ones?

Michelin 195/60 R15. At first I was using 32 all around but due to engine load those front tyres used to look deflated specially after parking for a long time. Also the rear used to jump around quite a bit since it's a solo drive 80% of time. 33/31 gives me optimum comfort. Any suggestion is welcome.

[JohnyBoy]

Tejas, good write-up.
You have to thank your uncle (to 'inspire' you to get a bigger car in less than a year) and your company which gives good increments twice a year (which company is it man, is there any openings?)

A friend of mine booked a City and is expecting delivery in 2nd week of May. This is his first car. I shared the link with him and he found it very useful and informative. You have clearly mentioned the price (split prices for all different items), the extra things you did - anti-rust protection, change of tires etc. This gives a good idea to a first time car buyer.

[sharktale]

• Art-Leather Seat Covers (Auto-Form) - Rs. 7,000
• Car Charger - Rs. 300
• Car Perfume - Rs. 1500 Approx. (3 different types tried, haven't found a good one yet)

Have you tried "Crespi Milano" for the car perfume. They are pretty nice brand with lasting effect. Had personally tried the "Spring Vanilla", which I found really nice. You should be able to get your hands on one in any car merch. store.

[SDP]

Tejas,

First upon all, hearty (belated) congratulations for the City! It's a brilliant car.

The review is amazingly detailed and straight from the heart. The head v/s heart dilemma (budget v/s dreams) has been articulated really well. Its been quite a few months since I read a new ownership thread and yours is a really nice one.

With no real driving experience, getting a C2 segment sedan .. I admire your courage. You seem to be one more guy who believes in "What the heck! You live just once!!"

Looking at references to Ganesh temple and EEH, looks like you stay in East. Me too. Would keep an eye on White Citys while driving in Mulund.

Once again, congratulations! And thanks for sharing a brilliant ownership report.

[TrailBlazer007]

Tejas belated congratulations and a very well written piece!
Reading your posts felt like deja vu .I am in the same boat as you were,with close to nil driving experience and an XUV 500 as my first car, 3.5 weeks old now with 1.4K odd KMS on the ODO though i am nowhere near 6.3.
Would definitely keep this thread as a reference when i am ready to pen down my ownership report.
wishing you a happy and exhilarating ownership experience.

[sreeharipv]

I'm pleasantly surprised at how much detail you have gone in to on your first car like changing the tyres on the day 1 et al with almost nil driving experience. Come on, how can someone decide to have wider rubber without getting a feeling of the stock ones?

I've been an enthusiast all my life and have driving record of more than a decade on dozens of variety of cars. But never ever cared as much about all the detailing and accessories. It's beyond me to pay attention to so many different things at once I suppose.

Way to go!

[tejas08]

Originally Posted by sreeharipv

I'm pleasantly surprised at how much detail you have gone in to on your first car like changing the tyres on the day 1 et al with almost nil driving experience. Come on, how can someone decide to have wider rubber without getting a feeling of the stock ones?

You are actually right on that. As a person with almost nil driving experience wouldn't understand the difference between a 175/65 & a 195/60 rubber. But we live in an internet age today.

Before finalizing on Honda City, I went through numerous Reviews for over 6-8 weeks on the Internet. (not just Team-BHP, but almost every review written on the Internet). One point I found common was the Tyre upgrade Recommendation. Had this not been a common point everywhere, I would have kept the stock tyres (In fact my stock tyres were Michelin XM1).

Probably when I look back I feel I should have tried those tyres on for sometime, to understand how it feels and then upgrade. But then again, in that case I would not have got a buy-back as I got in my case.