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Old 5th July 2011, 10:23   #241
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Re: The march of the Black Queen (my new Honda Civic 1.8V in Black)

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Originally Posted by dot View Post
I have probably missed this, but may I ask what is your plan?
No you haven't missed it. The casual mention I made in my earlier post was the first I've made on the forum. Here's the plan -

Aug. 15: Hyderabad to Mumbai. I'll probably spend a couple of hours in Pune as my wife has to meet a good friend of hers there.
Aug. 16: Mumbai to Udaipur
Aug. 17: Udaipur to Gurgaon (or Jaipur)
Aug. 18 (if required): Jaipur to Gurgaon

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Originally Posted by vid6639 View Post
Are those white spots paint chips due to highway driving? I had a lot of them on the Lancer. If you ended up trailing a sand lorry or going behind a car on dusty roads you will pick them up in no time. They don't go with detailing as they are chips i.e. paint chipped off.
Initially that's what I thought too. They wouldn't go away when I lightly scratched them with my fingernail. They wouldn't go away on regular washing with soap. At the same time I couldn't really make out a "dip" when I drew a fingernail across them (painted surface -> spot -> painted surface).

Then I took it to the detailing shop nearby to fix some mild scratches on the front left fender and door from some dried-out hard scrub. The couple of spots on the fender vanished.

So I'm hoping for the best, but you could say I'm prepared for the worst.

I don't know exactly when I picked them up. It was definitely not after the drive to Blr and back in Oct. '10. It could've been after the Hyd -> TTD -> Tenali -> Bhimavaram -> VJA > Hyd drive in Dec. (fair share of bad roads).

They do look f-ugly!

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Originally Posted by charthom View Post
Nice pictures Spadix.Thanks for the offer to post more. Your car looks great always.And your enthusiasm is really stimulating.
Thanks a lot for your kind words, charthom! BQ brings out the best in me.

Regards,
spadix

Last edited by spadix : 5th July 2011 at 10:42.
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Old 5th July 2011, 11:33   #242
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Re: The march of the Black Queen (my new Honda Civic 1.8V in Black)

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Originally Posted by spadix View Post
And yeah, the loss of those exhaust tips still rankles. I can't justify spending 4.9k on a fresh pair, and I'm unable to find aftermarket parts that look as good (classy, good finish etc.).
Just like me not being able to convince myself on buying the OE boot spoiler that costs 20k.. I can fully relate to you on this.
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Old 5th July 2011, 16:53   #243
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Re: The march of the Black Queen (my new Honda Civic 1.8V in Black)

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Originally Posted by spadix View Post
Aug. 15: Hyderabad to Mumbai. I'll probably spend a couple of hours in Pune as my wife has to meet a good friend of hers there.
Aug. 16: Mumbai to Udaipur
Aug. 17: Udaipur to Gurgaon (or Jaipur)
Aug. 18 (if required): Jaipur to Gurgaon
What is your plan regarding the return trip.

This is a tricky question. Once I had asked iTNerd about his return trip from Bangalore to Delhi and he said that maybe two or three years later.
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Old 5th July 2011, 17:15   #244
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Re: The march of the Black Queen (my new Honda Civic 1.8V in Black)

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Originally Posted by dot View Post
What is your plan regarding the return trip.
Don't know. As of now, it looks like it'll be 5 years later. :P

The lesser the better. I don't fancy living in the NCR for more than is absolutely necessary.

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Old 5th July 2011, 21:04   #245
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Re: The march of the Black Queen (my new Honda Civic 1.8V in Black)

OMG, you too are shifting base?

I have resolved that I will not ask this question to any one again on this forum.
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Old 12th July 2011, 20:13   #246
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Thumbs-down to Tata-AIG

In the process of negotiating with insurance providers for insurance renewals I was getting pretty keen on Tata-AIG for what I felt was a reasonably competitive 1st offer. That has changed today and they will not get even one paisa out of me. I'll go with another provider even if I have to pay a couple of grand extra.

Here's what happened.

Around 4 weeks back, Tata-AIG called me in response to a request I left on apnapaisa.com for some quotes. They quoted 21-odd thousand for an IDV of 1023200, with a promise of some discount when I'm actually online making the payment. I ask the dude to call me back after a week or so while I do some more research.

Around 2 weeks back, the same guy called and started explaining the same set of features all over again (fail #1, but OK). This time, the quoted premium was 18-odd k for the same IDV. This did not ring an alarm bell because this time he said this is the final figure I could expect while paying online. Once again, I ask the guy to call back later.

Today, he calls me up and I was actually thinking of more or less finalizing the deal. First of all, I asked him to get me an IDV of 1071040 (exactly 80% of the ex-showroom price). He obliged and gave me a quote of around 19600 for an IDV of 1070000. I asked him to be exact with the IDV but he wouldn't listen. The difference is minor but this is a clear case of them not really appeasing the customer (fail #2). By the way, he started explaining the features all over again (fail #3).

I then played the card of quoting premium figures from other players, and badgered him for additional discounts. At this stage, he requested me to hold on because for a Civic, any discount approvals have to come from the top. I oblige. After some time, he apologizes that it'll take more time and requests me to wait for a call-back. No problem.

I pick up the call and on the other end is the extremely rude-sounding boss of the guy with whom I'd been interacting over the past few weeks. He ran the numbers again and I said I want a more competitive quote. He started getting really arrogant and loud and was cutting me off (fail #4).

What's the point of getting on the phone if you weren't willing to give the discount in the first place? The junior employee could've said the same thing! (fail #5)

Anyway, he (the boss) tells me that even this "special" quote is a pre-pay offer which lasts only for two days. I tell him that there's still 2 weeks for the policy to lapse and it's up to me when I want to pay. Once again he cuts me off and starts saying that the policy will remain effective only after the expiry of the current one irrespective of when I pay (something I know) and that the offer is only valid for 2 more days. At this stage I ask him laughingly to tone down his anger. No response, no apology. And then I ask for some more time because competing companies are offering lower quotes.

He positively blew his top arguing that it's impossible for someone to offer such a low quote. I retort by telling him that he's offering me 19.6k to Honda Assure's 24.5k, and if they can undercut Honda Assure by 5k I'm pretty sure someone could undercut them by 2-3k if not 5k. After a short, heated round of argument I asked to be called a week later.

Very curtly, very abruptly, he just snapped back, "Sorry Sir, the offer isn't valid for more than 2 days. Bye.", and disconnected.

Big #FAIL overall. Tata-AIG can go take a hike. Is it fair to blame the company for #fail on part of one or two individuals? Maybe not, but this experience kind of shows what one can expect during claims/settlement.

I'm not exactly enamoured with Honda Assure. While they are very courteous and all, their premium is obviously way too high even with all of the special features one gets under Honda Assure (no survey for damages up to 20k, instant survey and TAT, bumpers and ORVMs classified as metals, better terms of depreciation on some other parts, engine oil/fluids and fasteners and nuts and bolts also insured in case of a crash etc.). On top of that, Pride Honda as usual tries to sell me everything *but* what I want.

So, the search continues. I'll try getting independent quotes from Bajaj Allianz and Royal Sundaram now.

Regards,
spadix
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Old 13th July 2011, 15:42   #247
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The trouble BQ has to be put through twice a day



The auto door lock didn't come on up until the end of the stretch, which means I was doing < 16 kmph all through. In summer when the stretch is dry (but still bouncy/bumpy) one can go upto around 25 kmph. I should've taken a video of this stretch after last year's monsoons. It was just a series of craters with two thin tyre lines on either side on which one had to gingerly navigate one's tyres and avoid falling into the craters.

The stretch in question is this.

And that's because the stretch we should be taking instead - this - has been under repair for a year now! Yes - a small 250 m stretch can't be fixed by the great GHMC in 12 months. It went under waist-deep water last-August and since then has been dug up thrice. The relaying was supposed to have been completed before the 2011 monsoons hit but we all know how that works.

Regards,
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Old 31st July 2011, 19:49   #248
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Happy first birthday to BQ!

It was exactly this day last year she arrived into our lives and it's been a year (and a day) and 17216.1 kilometres of absolute thrills as well as serene bliss since then. It's not a joke just how much of my mindshare BQ occupies, and gratefully enough for all the right and/or dreamy reasons.

I'm having trouble with the internet connection at home and so am posting this from my phone. There is lots to say and a few new pictures to share (yes!). I will do all of that tomorrow when I find some free time at work.

Regards,
spadix
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Old 31st July 2011, 21:26   #249
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Re: The march of the Black Queen (my new Honda Civic 1.8V in Black)

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Originally Posted by spadix View Post
Happy first birthday to BQ!

It was exactly this day last year she arrived into our lives and it's been a year (and a day) and 17216.1 kilometres of absolute thrills as well as serene bliss since then.
Congratulations. BQ has also touched our lives thanks to your efforts on this forum. Hope that you get to have many many more years of bliss and pleasure on BQ. Will look forward to see the new pictures and hope to see BQ in person soon.
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Old 5th August 2011, 01:19   #250
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BQ at 1

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Originally Posted by dot View Post
Congratulations. BQ has also touched our lives thanks to your efforts on this forum. Hope that you get to have many many more years of bliss and pleasure on BQ. Will look forward to see the new pictures and hope to see BQ in person soon.
Thanks a lot, dot! I humbly submit that my efforts pale in comparison to many others', including yours. By the way, my travel plan may get postponed by 3 days. So Scorpo and BQ could yet meet on the Pune bypass stretch. I'll keep you posted.

The last set of pictures was in a college campus environment. Now we move to more serious stuff. These are just casual grab-shots though. What I really need to do is take Need For Speed Most Wanted-style grunge-y pictures in an industrial/warehouse kind of setting. Some day, some day.

With that said, on to the pictures now.

The march of the Black Queen (my new Honda Civic 1.8V in Black)-dsc_1140.jpg
The Queen of all She surveys

The march of the Black Queen (my new Honda Civic 1.8V in Black)-dsc_1142.jpg

The march of the Black Queen (my new Honda Civic 1.8V in Black)-dsc_1143.jpg

The march of the Black Queen (my new Honda Civic 1.8V in Black)-dsc_1145.jpg
This is supposedly illegal. We're not supposed to take pictures of the office building where the company name/logo is clearly visible. So I edited out those bits.

I apologize for the delay. I've been travelling and with the impending shift + office work it's difficult to regularly post here.

Also, I had promised to take pictures every weekend in July but Murphy struck. I was unwell one weekend, was hospitalized the next and on another weekend we were busy with other commitments and were roaming around town. I plan to take a few more pictures in the office campus. There are some nice locations. All I need is a cloudy sky.

Regards,
spadix

Last edited by spadix : 5th August 2011 at 01:20.
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Old 5th August 2011, 09:41   #251
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Re: The march of the Black Queen (my new Honda Civic 1.8V in Black)

Hi Spadix,
Great thread! I am seriously shocked at the road video (or lack of road video!) that you have uploaded. I used to think that roads in Gurgaon are bad and dreaded taking my Civic out during the rainy season! That video is really an eye opener and you should share with the authorities / media to show the kind of neglect that the authorities are doing to the roads and infrastructure.

Drive safe!
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Old 5th August 2011, 10:59   #252
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Re: The march of the Black Queen (my new Honda Civic 1.8V in Black)

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Hi Spadix,
Great thread! I am seriously shocked at the road video (or lack of road video!) that you have uploaded. I used to think that roads in Gurgaon are bad and dreaded taking my Civic out during the rainy season! That video is really an eye opener and you should share with the authorities / media to show the kind of neglect that the authorities are doing to the roads and infrastructure.
Thanks, Behemoth!

Haha, there's both good news and bad news for BQ on the roads front.

The good news first. The 400m default approach road that I mentioned earlier is now ready. There are bad patches on it but they're not a patch (pun unintended) on the stretch whose video I shot. So BQ's commute is now quite a bit easier.

The bad news? I'm moving to Gurgaon this month. I'm actually here right now house-hunting and boy, some of the interior and sector roads are just inducing. So there's going to be no long-term respite for BQ. But I guess that's the case with any of our roads.

Regards,
spadix
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Old 5th August 2011, 11:45   #253
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Re: The march of the Black Queen (my new Honda Civic 1.8V in Black)

BQ looks absolutely splendid parked on the outside of the MLCP. Only thing I am upset about is how can you allow the tyres to get so dirty. Keep a tyre shiner in the car, spray it before "clicking"

Do you normally park there? I never park the WA out there in the sun. I dont mind going up an additional floor to find shelter.

So when is the last day? Let's meet up for lunch in Building 3 or 1 or whichever is convenient sometime next week. What say?

Btw, I dont beileve i saw an update on the final insurance figure you closed on?

And, Did you drive down to Gurgaon?
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Old 5th August 2011, 12:53   #254
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Re: BQ at 1

@Spadix,
Super pics. Lone CIVIC(Black queen) in a parking lot with a huge building as background . She certainly feels like a queen.
By the way which insurance did you go for ? How much was the IDV & Amount quoted

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Originally Posted by spadix View Post
This is supposedly illegal. We're not supposed to take pictures of the office building where the company name/logo is clearly visible. So I edited out those bits.
If that's the case then check your first pic buddy...
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Old 5th August 2011, 14:21   #255
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Re: The march of the Black Queen (my new Honda Civic 1.8V in Black)

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Originally Posted by spadix View Post
Thanks, Behemoth!

Haha, there's both good news and bad news for BQ on the roads front.

The good news first. The 400m default approach road that I mentioned earlier is now ready. There are bad patches on it but they're not a patch (pun unintended) on the stretch whose video I shot. So BQ's commute is now quite a bit easier.

The bad news? I'm moving to Gurgaon this month. I'm actually here right now house-hunting and boy, some of the interior and sector roads are just inducing. So there's going to be no long-term respite for BQ. But I guess that's the case with any of our roads.

Regards,
spadix
Hi Spadix,
Welcome to Gurgaon! If you need any help, you can PM me. I have been living here since the past 7 years and know it almost inside out.
Regards,
Behemoth (Sameer)
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