[spadix]

Originally Posted by rr_zen

I did not scrape any bumps on the Alipiri stretch but more on the Chennai - Tirupati stretch. Twice I scraped while at Tirumala and the bumps were real bad that even my Esteem would have scraped them.

Oh, sorry. I got confused and thought you reached TTD from Bengaluru. I have no idea about the Chennai - Tirupati stretch having travelled that route only once in my life, that too in a bus, way back in 1998 .

Originally Posted by rr_zen

I tried taking few of the bumps at an angle but couldnt as there was heavy traffic behind. But from what your experience has been with 6 adults and fully loaded luggage, mine has been bad with 4 adults and very little luggage. The thought now occurs if I should take my car to the A.S.S for a check up on the suspension.

Yes, please get it checked up. In Tirumala town itself, with 4 people in the car and negligible luggage, the only times I scraped were when I was flying over the bumps at 20+ kmph without driving at any angle. Even then they were more like mild glazes than hard scrapes or hits.

EDIT: Also please get the issue of power at load checked up. From your description it seems like it's a bit more than normal, whereas my observations tally with Ace's.

And yeah, I agree that taking humps at an angle is difficult with traffic all around, which is especially the case around busy railway crossins, where this tactic is needed the most .

Originally Posted by rr_zen

Mine's an MT as well and the figures are from the MID. Will get the know the actuals this weekend when I replenish the tank. I know for sure it will be at least a kmpl less. But I have managed more than 15 kmpl (manual calculation and not from MID) on my trip to Pondy and back.

Yeah I tend to be erratic with my speeds on the highway (pottering along at 70-80 one instant and doing 140+ some other instant), which explains my meagre highway returns.

Regards,
spadix

[dot]

Originally Posted by rr_zen

With an overdose of scraping bumps, I am actually wondering if there was a suspension upgrade at all in the facelift version. Koni FSDs seem to be top priority for me now in the long run.

Maybe new Civic customers should ask for Koni discount coupons from Honda during the negotiation period.

Originally Posted by rr_zen

The thought now occurs if I should take my car to the A.S.S for a check up on the suspension.

Perhaps nothing is wrong. It is difficult to compare run to run in different cars with different drivers and different load conditions. What is the tyre pressure setting in your car vs Spadix's. You can try a bounce test over all the four tyre positions.. A busted suspension will cause the car to bounce more than two times. Good suspensions will not bounce much, in fact hardly at all.

[rr_zen]

Originally Posted by Ace F355

Thats inevitable, but did the car feel underpowered in inclines and hill sections? I have driven my car with 5 adults + fully loaded boot and the car's performance was pretty much similar, it was easily getting into 170-180 kmph territory! Braking, however, wasn't that satisfactory with so much load at such speeds!

Originally Posted by spadix

EDIT: Also please get the issue of power at load checked up. From your description it seems like it's a bit more than normal, whereas my observations tally with Ace's.

The car did not feel underpowered as such but the point I wanted to drive home was that the loss in power with more people was pronounced. I did manage to go over 100 kmph without much effort. Nevertheless, will get that checked as well.

Originally Posted by spadix

Yes, please get it checked up. In Tirumala town itself, with 4 people in the car and negligible luggage, the only times I scraped were when I was flying over the bumps at 20+ kmph without driving at any angle. Even then they were more like mild glazes than hard scrapes or hits.

I thought you had 6 people on board, per your original post. Nevertheless, I intend to get it checked. As such even when the car is parked, I have a feeling it is a little low compared to the other Civics. Or maybe its my eyes playing the pranks.

Originally Posted by spadix

Yeah I tend to be erratic with my speeds on the highway (pottering along at 70-80 one instant and doing 140+ some other instant), which explains my meagre highway returns.

Well, I am a sedate driver (esp on the highways). Havent gone beyond 120 kmph thus far. The car is nearing 4k on the odo. While I have no doubts on the capabilities of this machine and would love to explore them, the limitations of our great Indian road conditions deter me from doing so.

Originally Posted by dot

Maybe new Civic customers should ask for Koni discount coupons from Honda during the negotiation period.

Good one.

Originally Posted by dot

Perhaps nothing is wrong. It is difficult to compare run to run in different cars with different drivers and different load conditions. What is the tyre pressure setting in your car vs Spadix's. You can try a bounce test over all the four tyre positions.. A busted suspension will cause the car to bounce more than two times. Good suspensions will not bounce much, in fact hardly at all.

Maybe you are right and its just got to do with my mind. Nonetheless, I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea to have it checked.

[spadix]

Originally Posted by rr_zen

I thought you had 6 people on board, per your original post. Nevertheless, I intend to get it checked. As such even when the car is parked, I have a feeling it is a little low compared to the other Civics. Or maybe its my eyes playing the pranks.

There were 6 people while going up the ghat.

Once inside the town (we stayed a couple of days) the car ran around with varying loads - anywhere between 2 and 4 people - and the luggage was all in the hotel room.

There are no speed-breakers while going up the ghat, if I remember correctly. I think while coming down, there are a couple near the point where devotees climbing by foot meet the descent road. In town, there is a fair number of speed-breakers, but *mostly* very gentle ones. There are one or two monsters, yes.

Originally Posted by rr_zen

Well, I am a sedate driver (esp on the highways). Havent gone beyond 120 kmph thus far. The car is nearing 4k on the odo. While I have no doubts on the capabilities of this machine and would love to explore them, the limitations of our great Indian road conditions deter me from doing so.

And that is a good thing. Of all the roads I've driven on, the only highway where I really feel comfortable with those kinds of speeds is the NH7 stretch between Kamareddi and Bengaluru. That's not just because it's a divided, well-marked 4-lane but also because traffic is sparse (relative to say NH4 or NH5 - on which also I've driven although not as extensively).

Regards,
spadix

[rr_zen]

3M Carpet !

One thing that was constantly irritating me in my car was the pathetic floor mat that the dealer had offered which slipped under my feet everytime and was a pain while driving. I did try to procure other mats and even sought some feedback from fellow-bhpians as well but nothing seemed to fit the bill. Universal mats do not fit the Civic and as the last resort, I chose to go my Esteem way and decided to go in for the 3M carpet which is a lifetime investment.

Got the 3M guy to come home on a weekend and got the job done in about 1.5 hrs flat. He did a professional job and am pleased with the way it has come out. The quality of workmanship is top notch and is better than what I had got for my Esteem about 7 years ago. I will let the pictures do the talking.

[spadix]

Originally Posted by rr_zen

3M Carpet !

It looks good in the pictures, Ravi. The quality of the material and work (mainly fitment) seems very good, as can be expected from 3M.

However, how is this any different from the standard carpet mats we get in our Civics? I can understand if you've gotten 3M plastic/rubber mats on top of the already existing carpets, but why carpet on top of carpet?

I use rubber monsoon mats on top of the carpets to keep them dry and dust-free (and throughout the year; not just in monsoons).

Regards,
spadix

[shuvc]

Nice finish !

Originally Posted by spadix

but why carpet on top of carpet?

Same Q I had. Also I presume these are not removable easily? So you'll need to vacuum them to clean?

[dot]

Originally Posted by rr_zen

3M Carpet !

Got the 3M guy to come home on a weekend and got the job done

Wow, what a unique mod. Looks very nice. So, did you procure the material from any 3M shop or some supplier.

Further, usage of this type of carpets also opens up the possibilty of using carpets of different colors if they are available.

[rr_zen]

Originally Posted by spadix

However, how is this any different from the standard carpet mats we get in our Civics? I can understand if you've gotten 3M plastic/rubber mats on top of the already existing carpets, but why carpet on top of carpet?

I use rubber monsoon mats on top of the carpets to keep them dry and dust-free (and throughout the year; not just in monsoons).

First of all, sorry for the confusion. I guess its been an issue with semantics when I used the word 'carpet'. This is just like the regular mats one would use over the factory fitted carpet. There are three individual pieces in there (one each for the driver and passenger sides and one for the rear). They are very much removable while they appear as if they dont, the reason being that they have been shoved in to give a neat finish and a snug fit. The mats have velcro strips attached at the back that help them hold on to the factory fitted carpet below.

Originally Posted by shuvc

Same Q I had. Also I presume these are not removable easily? So you'll need to vacuum them to clean?

As I said above, they are very much removable just like your regular rubber mats and can be washed/vaccumed for them to be cleaned.

Originally Posted by dot

Wow, what a unique mod. Looks very nice. So, did you procure the material from any 3M shop or some supplier.

Further, usage of this type of carpets also opens up the possibilty of using carpets of different colors if they are available.

The material was brought by the 3M guy who happens to work for the Chennai distributor. There are three colours available - grey, red, and black. I had asked for black but that is currently out of stock. The red one looks too garish for my taste and since I already have the grey one in my Esteem, went ahead with it for the Civic as well.

[spadix]

Originally Posted by rr_zen

First of all, sorry for the confusion. I guess its been an issue with semantics when I used the word 'carpet'. This is just like the regular mats one would use over the factory fitted carpet.

As I said above, they are very much removable just like your regular rubber mats and can be washed/vaccumed for them to be cleaned.

Ok. Do they also actually stop water from permeating down to the factory-fitted carpet mats below? If yes, then this is an ideal solution.

As you've noted, the rubber monsoon protection mats that the dealers give are loose, keep moving around (and fouling with feet and sometimes pedals) and don't have the proper cut-outs. In the attempt to be universal, they end up not fitting the driver's side footwell of any car.

Regards,
spadix

[rr_zen]

Originally Posted by spadix

Ok. Do they also actually stop water from permeating down to the factory-fitted carpet mats below? If yes, then this is an ideal solution.

Precisely. They are 100% water-proof. Have been using them in my Esteem for the last seven years and have no issues whatsoever.

Originally Posted by spadix

As you've noted, the rubber monsoon protection mats that the dealers give are loose, keep moving around (and fouling with feet and sometimes pedals) and don't have the proper cut-outs. In the attempt to be universal, they end up not fitting the driver's side footwell of any car.

Can't agree more with you. Which is why I went in for this lifetime solution.. In my case the after-market mat provided by the dealer did fit every corner of the driver's side footwell but never stayed in one place and used to slip under my feet invariably interfering with the brake and accelerator pedals.

[rr_zen]

I guess its been a while since I updated this ownership thread of mine. My dream machine completed 4 years of service last week. Time indeed flies and I can't imagine its been 4 years since I brought her home.

The car has clocked 15k as on date (the low mileage is attributed to the fact that my overall travel gets distributed between the Civic and my trusted workhorse, the Esteem)

Its been a wonderful journey with the dream machine and every time I crank the engine reminds me of the first time I did so 4 years back. Few scratches on the bumper have crept in thanks to those good Samaritans on the road who choose not to follow any traffic rules.

Have had three oil changes so far done for the car during the last 4 years. The first time it was the regular mineral oil supplied by Honda. The second time I chose to go with Mobil 1 0W40 at 9.5k kms. The latest one was done at 13k kms and I went with the Honda Genuine Oil (Idemitsu 0W30 Synthetic). Needless to say, the cost of the Honda Synthetic Oil was lesser than that of Mobil 1 and quite honestly I do not see any difference between the two synthetic oils. So far so good.

There was a minor thing that posed a major irritant to me for the last few months. Whenever the steering was turned while standstill to the left or right, I could hear a kat-kat-kat noise. While it was faint and was more prominent only when moving the steering on idling, I lost my sleep over it. A few visits to the H.A.S.S and I was told that since the car was not being used as much this could have cropped in. I was not willing to buy that theory since my car was not kept in cold storage as such and the lesser mileage is due to the fact I had stated earlier and that my home-office-home drive was only 15km a day. The H.A.S.S diagnosed the problem to be with that of the strut bearings on the front (posting pictures below for reference). Generous doses of WD40 were applied to arrest the noise but in vain. Finally, I opted to change them to get rid of the noise. The order was placed by the H.A.S.S with ready stock not being available and it finally arrived in a week's time. I am still not convinced with the reasoning given by the H.A.S.S as I have had my Esteem literally in cold storage for more than a year when I was away on a long term assignment at the US and till date nothing of this sort has happened. When this is what one experiences with a Maruti, the 'Honda' experience is expected to be better. I was told at the H.A.S.S. that this problem was more of a common issue with the City ZX models and not with the Civic. The damage came close to 3k including labor. The car now does not have that problem as before.

I had to change the OE battery exactly after 3 years and 4 months. Went in for Amaron by default, for the replacement. Have had a very positive experience with Amaron so far on all my vehicles including the bike.

Had to change the wiper blades(rubber) as they were making that squeaky noise and left streaks on the windshield. Damage - 1.6k (just for the pair of rubber blades plus labor)

The last two months have been really exciting with my office moving near Tidel Park and my one way commute is 23km everyday of which I get to fly on highways for a good portion of the journey. This has aided better fuel efficiency as well and the average I get is anywhere between 11.5 - 12.5 kmpl (tankfill to tankfill method). The MID is of course more optimistic as all of us know and shows 13.5 - 14 kmpl.

Planning to upgrade the headlamps with the plug and play options available in the market.

Would like to get both the front and rear bumpers repainted. Have not been happy with H.A.S.S on this one both on the cost and the quality fronts. I was given quote of 4k for one bumper which is way too high. Planning to get this done outside at a competent workshop. Last week when I was cleaning my car, representatives from Carnation had dropped by and handed over some brochures on offers available. I saw an offer of 2.2k for painting one panel (small and midsized cars only). Guessing it would be a little more for the Civic. Request anyone with experience of getting a paintjob done from Carnation can throw more light on their workmanship quality.

Want to go in for the OEM Modulo spoiler as well sometime once my wallet permits it.

I do not intend to part with this dream machine for the next few decades to come.

[sarathlal]

Originally Posted by rr_zen

I guess its been a while since I updated this ownership thread of mine. My dream machine completed 4 years of service last week. Time indeed flies and I can't imagine its been 4 years since I brought her home.

Wow, Congrats! Let this wonderful dream continue!

Originally Posted by rr_zen

Planning to upgrade the headlamps with the plug and play options available in the market.

You might know already, but just chipping in. In case you plan to do this, do not opt for anything more than 4k-4.3k, as it will be a pain to drive in the rain. Also, try changing either high or low first and see the benefit before changing both. Remember, the low beam bulbs will NOT fit into the high beam socket.

Originally Posted by rr_zen

Would like to get both the front and rear bumpers repainted.

If this is due to the minor chips and scratches, may I suggest getting a good wash and polish first, see the results and then only go for repaint? Reason being, a good exterior detailing, will anyway help away with the minor scratches and swirl marks, so repainting might not be required at all.

Originally Posted by rr_zen

Want to go in for the OEM Modulo spoiler as well sometime once my wallet permits it.

Yep, IMO spoiler (both small and the bigger one) goes well with the Civic. I love the one on mine, over the plain Civic rear

Originally Posted by rr_zen

I do not intend to part with this dream machine for the next few decades to come.

[rr_zen]

Originally Posted by sarathlal

You might know already, but just chipping in. In case you plan to do this, do not opt for anything more than 4k-4.3k, as it will be a pain to drive in the rain. Also, try changing either high or low first and see the benefit before changing both. Remember, the low beam bulbs will NOT fit into the high beam socket.

Are you suggesting that the upgraded headlamps may not be as good as the stock ones during rains ? Correct me if my understanding is incorrect. Also, which one in your experience is a better brand to buy ? I am just looking at plug and play options only.

Originally Posted by sarathlal

If this is due to the minor chips and scratches, may I suggest getting a good wash and polish first, see the results and then only go for repaint? Reason being, a good exterior detailing, will anyway help away with the minor scratches and swirl marks, so repainting might not be required at all.

There are minor scratches but there also one or two major ones which am sure will not pass the rubbing/polishing treatment. Need to try touching up with Com paint that I already have. Somehow I don't seem to have the skill to do a decent paint job with the Com kit.

Originally Posted by sarathlal

Yep, IMO spoiler (both small and the bigger one) goes well with the Civic. I love the one on mine, over the plain Civic rear

I prefer the modulo one than the bigger one. Attaching pic for reference. Incidentally, its the same colour as my car so tempting indeed.

[sarathlal]

Originally Posted by rr_zen

Are you suggesting that the upgraded headlamps may not be as good as the stock ones during rains ? Correct me if my understanding is incorrect. Also, which one in your experience is a better brand to buy ? I am just looking at plug and play options only.

I was also looking at plug and play options. I upgraded just the low beams. I am neither happy nor dissatisfied with the upgrade. Just that I didn't find any remarkable difference with the upgrade.

Couple of things that I noticed with the upgrade are
1. More whiter the beam color, harder it will be in rain, stock yellow light will be much more useful. I had put 4300k rating bulb, which is close to yellowish white.
Quoting from my ownership thread;
I replaced the low beam headlight with Philips Crystal Clear 4300 - Again, no major difference wrto the stock. One practical advantage is that it is illuminating the sign boards, pedestrians and side by roads a little bit more clearer.

2. I had put the 55W bulb. From other threads and forums, came to know that, if you put higher wattage bulb, we might have to go for ceramic bulb holders and also can result in the fading of headlight visors.

Originally Posted by rr_zen

I prefer the modulo one than the bigger one. Attaching pic for reference. Incidentally, its the same colour as my car so tempting indeed.

Great, these are the ones that I have (attached one below), and I love them. It actually lends a different character to the rear end of the car