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-   -   Heart over head! My pre-owned Honda CR-V 2.4L AWD (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/229921-heart-over-head-my-pre-owned-honda-cr-v-2-4l-awd-5.html)

Here comes the sun ting ting ting ting...



Completed just over a year, and boy time cruises faster than a CR-V!
beyond the numerous weekend drives ranging between 200-400 kms, got a chance to drive to one of the best roads in India - Mumbai-Shamlaji-Udaipur.
The car didn't disappoint even one bit and indeed it's been a pleasure on a smoother tarmac!

"Kitna deti hai?" - Have learned to keep the 'eco' mode on for most of the city driving now, and have been getting ~8 in the city, and 10.5 on the highway without the Eco mode on.

"Kitna Leti hai?" - Didn't take much, beyond TLC. 2 things -

1. The very important (from a preventive maintenance perspective) 'Rear Differential Fluid' change, which was almost due @ 36K kms.

Some Honda dealerships quote atrocious pricing for this, however, there have been zero hiccups from Honda, post the tweet, touchwood!
Honda calls it DPDF-II, which comes in a 4 ltr. can, cost = 3730 for the can, zero labor charges. putting the screenshots for the part nos in case if it helps anyone.



2. Rear Boot Hydraulic shocks - the ones that open/closes the boot. The car at the time of purchase had this one part not working well because of which it needed replacement. after deliberating picking a Chinese one from the opera house at half the cost, eventually went for the genuine honda part from the ASS as this will be an important part from the longevity perspective and hence no shortcuts on this one.

Cost - 8178/-



oops, here comes the third one too, the Zero dep insurance!

Changed from Acko to digit as got overall better feedback for the latter over here and acko took it's sweet lil time to decide whether they want to give a zero dep car for my car or not.

just last week, caught something on the fuel tank lid, and realized this needs a fix sooner before this becomes a menace -

have sprayed it with WD40 as a first line of defence, eventually will have it scrapped and touchedup whenever will give it for detailing next. Still wondering what could be the culprit here as this one is just on the inside area after you open the fuel lid. Is it the rain water not sliding off due to the grim that gets deposited?

In the pipeline...

1. Roof Rails - Been missing this one as I intend to put by bicycle on the roof in the 'legally allowed' manner. No supply of genuine honda stuff as expected. the Chinese app 'wish' is quoting ~7.8K with 2 months delivery time...still haven't bought as yet, as something's still holding me back for this.

2. Rear Spoiler - Just for the looks. But haven't been able to get hold of a good one here too.

One more thing about owning a 'global' vehicle is the HUGE amount of groups/ownership experiences one gets to learn from. The sheer 'community' feel is just superb. I've been part of 3, though there are plenty on Facebook.

Tons of stuff to learn from, drool-worthy pics of the mods people do, and of course, a great sense of satisfaction to see you drive something celebrated much much more outside of India.
checkout this craziness (sorry for the bad pic, but this one has had amazing comments as this sure is going to become a rust magnet) -

Hi Ameet, good to see you enjoying one of the best cars for India.

I am also looking out for some roof rails for my CRV. Let me know if you have any luck finding them.

Have you had any issues with the CRV swerving or veering left ? I recently had this issue and after a lot of head scratching which included changing tyres we found the front suspension bushes needed change, even though they hadn’t cracked and it solved 90% of the issue, now will change the rear ones in the next service along with the plan to replace the boot gas struts which seem to be making some noise.

Any other mods planned ? I am also looking into 2 things :

1. TPMS
2. Changing stock non AVN unit to Touch based Apple car play compatible only if it allows me to change the clock and other functions otherwise I won’t change it.

Yes. when you had asked me, I was prepping up for a tiny holiday and only after you said it I could notice it while driving in the city...

But in my case, it's not just stopping at that... the front left tire seems to have bulged out and that is why it has started giving a big shudder, vibration on steering and the vehicle clearly moving to left, when things move beyond 110+ highway speeds.

Got it checked at an MRF shoppee which had a decent setup in Udaipur however I still want to get the same checked at my trusted Honda ASS (now that I'm back to Mumbai) to iron out any other issues.

The odo still hasn't touched 40K and hence I'm disappointed with Michielin's though I highly doubt that there's any other brand that comes close to it wrt (less) noise and overall efficiency.

Micheline seemingly has stopped supplying the 225/65R17s as only CRV has this configuration, and if that's true, then I have to opt for 235/60R17's (costlier than stock size) IF I need to stick to Michielins only, the other alternative being Bridgestone Ecopia that offers stock size but are no way a match for the Big M.

No other mods are planned definitely now that the tires are a priority.

Loved the journey despite the shudder though, and she performed as per expectations on the butter smooth track of Rajasthan...

Here's a glimpse, and a very happy new year!

So its a known issue with the CRV which I have found out. I suggest you go to Honda ASS and tell them to change the front suspension bushing which even though they dont crack, they harden up and then cause this behaviour. My problem got solved by changing these. The entire cost was 28000/-.

I am planning to change the rear ones too in the next service after 6 months along with the Boot gas struts.

Regarding the tyres, yes, Michelin has stopped importing these tyres.:Frustrati
I happened to score one set of 2019 2020 tyres but they were 15k per tyre. The only option you have for Michelin is to go for 235 tyre or going for another brand with 225 option. To be honest I have had a very good experience with Michelin therefore I would stick to the same brand and I was told about MRF but I didnt want to take that chance. I remember the cost of 225 and 235 Michelin to be almost the same.

Let me know if you happen to score the roof rails although I remember them to be very expensive at 50k when I had enquired when I bought the car.

You're absolutely correct, they've stopped importing it, as per one of the Michelin dealer too. He also is suggesting to upgrade to 235. Another dealer has just one tyre left but i would want to visit the ASS first. 235 is quoted about 20k a peice so it's coming at a huge premium, double of Bridgestone 225.
On the roof rails front, you can check 'wish' app, DNA motoring is one of the supplier offering it at ~8k plus 12-15k shipping.
Thanks for the insight on bushes, will surely get them checked.
Cheers!

DNA Motoring ? I have never heard of this. Is it the official part or a counterfeit Chinese knock off ? Because the original one I remember was 57000/- approx back in 2015 - 2017. Do you have any link ? or screenshot ?

I would recommend you get the Bridgestone 225 if you can manage those and if not then the 235 Michelin.

The good old Michelins, Bridgestone (except ecopia) and contis aren't providing the 225-65R17 size anymore.
The Geolanders were an option and despite some reports of its sidewall cracking and the usual hiccups in the warranty claims
eventually went for Yokos Geolander G93B, cus of limited options availability.
Got it from this website called tyres and more, was a first time for me but a super smooth experience.
Paid 20% advance as the tyres were sourced from Nagpur., was promised delivery and doorstep fitment within 7 days and they promptly sent the team on the 5th day.
The team comprised of one supervisor and two assistants, while their manager was in touch with me.
The van has the machine to replace the tyre and to do wheel balancing. No extra charges for weights, and was done manual toe alignment.
Pretty satisfied with the overall experience.
Here are some pics:

Did the CVT models make here to India, I guess all models here were sold with a 5 AT only.
How can we find out wether the car has a CVT or AT apart from the driving feel.