Jun 17, 2009 05:52 PM
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I am giving a brief review of the key things that are important in a long term
Tyres - all the original tyres which were GoodYear tubeless OE tyres. One tyre was damaged when the mechanic drove it for several km after it punctured - he then had a new tube fitted. Not the fault of the tyre. Still some tread left. Got the wheel alignment done from Courtesy Honda at 50K km and always got wheel balancing after a puncture repair.
Mileage - Initially I was getting 12-12.5 km/l in Delhi traffic with AC. This was when the driver was driving. Subsequently from 30K onwards was self driven. The fuel efficiency improved to 13 - 13.5 km/l. However, in the last year I have been getting 14 - 14.5 km/l. Quite surprised with the improvement and have no explanation! Mileage was not very consistent initially as after each service it varied. Seems to be steady now at 14-14.5.
Mechanical Wear/Tear - I had to have the front shockers mounts replaced at 55K km. The front suspension needs some replacements costing around Rs 12000/- but were not done owing to lack of spares. The front brake disk pads and disks had to replaced at 45K km. At 45K km I had a humming sound from the rear RHS which was a faulty wheel bearing.
Electrical - interior light bulb fused at 45 K km.
Body and Interior - the beautiful biege plastics in interior need quite a bit of effort to keep clean in the grimy atmosphere of Delhi. The beige upholstery also gets very grubby and I have had it steam cleaned twice in 4 years. The interior plastic was finally cleaned to the original colour with vim, a little water and a stiff bristle toothbrush. Lot of labour but looks good now.
All the maintenance was done on schedule as per the manual and I must say that all in all a very good user experience. Car engine is still silky smooth. I have driven upto 130-140 kmph and it is was effortless.
When I have more time I will work out the cost of all the repairs and servicing. I think I have all the invoices with me.
Cheers.
