My New Honda City in White - The Albus

[koushh]

@koushh
- 195/60R15 tyres on 15"x5.5J OEM stock rims falls at lowest end of permisable wheel widths (5.5J, 6J, 6.5J and 7J). I have 195/60R15 Pirelli P1 on 15"x6.5J HRS alloys, which according to wheel experts is the best suited rim width to keep the tyres' side walls near vertical as possible to the ground without fouling the wheel arch well, and the component parts for a 3Gen Honda City. You may want to think about wheel upgrade sometime in the near future, especially if the side wall flex on the Energy XR is on the softer side. If you are a sedate driver, who doesn't corner aggressively hard or try drifting, you should be fine with 5.5J wheels.

Although I don't drift but corning is something that I simply can't resist and I completely agree with your statement... The alloy upgrade is on the cards.. just waiting for some buyer to buy my stock Alloy..

Lets see when the alloy upgrade happens...

 

[TAIDhana]

I wanted to share my views and experience on the 'touring tyres' - Michelin PLC & BS Turanza.

1. Michelin PLC / 55,000 KMS on Verna CRDI: I exchanged OEM tires for Yokohama S drive (primarily chosen for sport performance and looks, which ran for 45,000kms. But changed the tires little pre-maturely because of the loud humming noise.. to Michelin PLC. My first reaction was OMG !!! It was altogether a different car - not just because it was silent, the ride quality was much softer. Though, I was also worried if tire would give up in poor roads - to my surprise the set of 4 tires ran for 55000 kms without a flat tire. When I changed it still had juice left for another 5 - 10k kms - but I normally do not do that.

I switched to Bridgestone Turanza this time, since it had very similar reviews and wanted to try it out. My first impression was the tire was little more stiffer than PLC, but offered a very silent ride and handling was also equally good. I only used the car for another 10000kms before I sold the car. But the experience with Turanza was also good.

2. Michelin PLC / 37,000kms and still going strong on my Ertiga ZDI. Similar to the previous car, I replaced 4 OEM tires within first week of taking delivery & spare tire is stock Good Year Assurance. Believe the tires haven't shown any signs of wear till now and should be good for another 20,000kms at least. Again, no flat tyre till date and spare tire has never seen the road. If I had used 5th tire as well, with proper rotation I would managed 75000kms.. So by no means you can rule this tire out on ability to serve long tenure.

My driving is mostly on good roads: 60% good roads & highways; 20% uneven; 20% broken roads & hence found Michelin PLC to be perfect fit. I hear 3ST is slightly tougher than PLC - but without a doubt, I would go for it when it is time for replacement.

 

[koushh]

Originally Posted by SUNREX
Hi Dr.Mudhan....got few installations.Pioneer AVH-X8690BT . my auto electrician advised me to not change any speakers as the OEM ones sound good.

Mr.Swamy, if you can kindly share a few photos of the dashboard after this installation it would be really very helpful.

I am also planning to get the Pioneer AVH-X8690BT installed. Does it need the OEM panel to be changed or it just fits in ?

 

[CRACING]

Hello,

1) The car volt meter is connected to the charging socket, right? Have you guys analyzed the complete circuitry before putting the volt meter into it? The voltmeter is supposed to be plugged parallel to the alternator - battery circuit. is it actually so? If not, then you guys are playing with wrong numbers.

Yes, the voltmeter is connected parallel (Just like any other equipment's that use power from battery. i.e headlight, horn, music system and etc.) and afaik, it is the proper way to test voltage of battery.

There can be an another reason for these changes in voltages; presence of electronics which are connected in series with the charging circuit, auto cut off or some other battery management trickery. Alternator produces at around 14.5 volts and that makes your observations near faultless. BUT, if there are no electronics in the circuit then this voltage is not supposed to drop to 12 even if the battery isn't charging. That's how electricals are; load decides the current it will draw and the source decides the potential difference.

Indeed, you right.

BTW what's the voltage drop through the charger(the one that charges the battery)?

Its the same battery voltage when engine is off. i.e 12.4v +/-0.2 Meaning the alternator has stopped charging the battery.

Other possibility is that the BMS in City is designed in a way that it switches to battery once it is charged; but so quick switching as mentioned by Cracing also raises doubts. Although I couldn't find it out, but if anyone can bring a circuit diagram of a Honda City(this specific model with M/T), then all the doubts can be cleared; I guess Honda A.S.S. may provide it.

For me it took long time to switch from non charging state to charging (Unless I don't turn the engine Off and ON). approx for 3-4km

I just found this article and there is a info about sensor or sense wire in alternator. Here you go:

The 'Sense' wire checks the voltage output level of the alternator. This is the reference voltage that the alternator uses to determine how much power to put out. If the sensed voltage gets higher than the regulator is adjusted for, the regulator causes the alternator to momentarily stop charging until the sensed voltage drops down to a specified amount, then the alternator resumes charging. The regulator basically turns the alternator on and off fast enough to keep the output voltage within a specified voltage range.

I'm confused whether its made to limit alternator output voltage or battery output voltage. If its for alternator only, then there is something else for battery.

I now understand what you meant by 'burnt smell' - it is just 'new-car-smell'.!! Nevertheless, it may be worthwhile finding out from the seat-cover manufacturer if the material is treated for UV protection. If they say "no" or "don't no", then you could try an aftermarket UV protection. The 3M Dashboard Dresser should work - vinyl, pvc and engineered plastics fall into the same group, with different properties though.

Yeah something like new-car-smell. Today I asked to the seller whether the material is UV protected or do I need apply some protectants. He said no treatment is required and our material won't wear and tear from sun light rays.

However, if there is benefit of using UV protection products then I would really use it. Meanwhile I will ask Proklear if their TTD product protects from UV rays.

 

[koushh]

Friends, I recently got the Sill Plate and ambient lights installed in my car. Turns on when the door is opened and goes off as soon as the door is closed.
I just love it and thought of sharing with you all. Hope you find this interesting.





In case I am violating any TOU of this forum or if this type of post is not allowed, kindly excuse me.

 

[anu87]

Dr.Mudhan, I was a avid reader of your thread and checks it often. I should thank you for helping me in maintaining without much swirl marks in my 10 months of ownership, though there is numerous information on waxing, cleaning, polishing, there is no information on correcting small paint chipping which do occur in signals, parkings without our mistakes. For a user query whatcar magazine has recommended chipex.co.uk for small paint chippings, and chipex promising 100% color match gaurantee but there is no much review on that.
I thought it would be ideal to post the query in your thread as I feel no one has researched or answered like you have done. Iam posting a picture of my car with a paint chipping and looking for your guidance to correct it.
One more problem with paint chipping is it could cause rusting on the exposed metal area. The conventional method is going for professional paint job which is a costly affair.

 

[Dr MUDHAN]

@anu87
​

Thanks for your nice words.

1. I have not tried chipex.co.uk/kit, though it is promising, I have my own doubt about color matching. Paint colors tend to get oxidized over a period of time and the new paint shade may not suit to local areas. The price of around Rs. 3000/- for using in a small area and such touch up spray having a shell life of one year whether worth buying / trying … we have to think.

2. Hope, you have gone through my article here:
MY ALBUS TOUCHED UP! How I managed to hide bumper scratches?

​

3. Minor scratches can’t be ignored as we feel will focus for early rusting. We can also get it touched by the dealer @ free of cost during servicing.

4. If you want perfection, only way to do preparation and painting by a skilled painter.

 

[prasanth11]

Hi
I am planning to buy iDtec SVMT model ANHC next month
Paid booking amount.Waiting for confirmation from dealer about car allotment. Tentative time is 4week.
My plans for upgrades
Head unit
Tyres
Reverse Camera

If I take any Third party Headunit from JVC or Pioneer, how to gel to make look nice with Dashboard. will there be any dashboard fillers to make dashboard clean??
or shall I have to go for expensive Caska unit,it would fire my pocket upto 54000rs.
Reverse camera to be bought extra i think. Does we need reverse parking sensors too??

My plans for Tyres are michelin xm2 195/60

Please advice and thanks in advance

Hope I have smooth transformation from Maruti to Honda

 

[Essarr]

Hi
I am planning to buy iDtec SVMT model ANHC next month
Head unit
Tyres
Reverse Camera
My plans for Tyres are michelin xm2 195/60

With Head Unit, you have a factory option for their 5" Advanced integrated Audio with (12.7 cm) Screen. You should go for that as it would be better integrated than any after-market head unit.

With Tyres, if you are going for 195/60R15, you may need to upgrade to 6.5J width rims, steel or alloys (I don't know what is the factory fitted rim width for the 175 tyres). Consider Michelin Primacy 3ST or Pirelli P1 if you want quieter rides.

Reverse Camera, Dr. Mudhan is your best bet.

 

[mikki123]

Friends, I recently got the Sill Plate and ambient lights installed in my car. Turns on when the door is opened and goes off as soon as the door is closed.
I just love it and thought of sharing with you all. Hope you find this interesting.

View attachment 168083

View attachment 168084

In case I am violating any TOU of this forum or if this type of post is not allowed, kindly excuse me.

That blue light adds to the elegance of the car. BTW how much did you shell out for that?

 

[prasanth11]

With Head Unit, you have a factory option for their 5" Advanced integrated Audio with (12.7 cm) Screen. You should go for that as it would be better integrated than any after-market head unit.

With Tyres, if you are going for 195/60R15, you may need to upgrade to 6.5J width rims, steel or alloys (I don't know what is the factory fitted rim width for the 175 tyres). Consider Michelin Primacy 3ST or Pirelli P1 if you want quieter rides.

Reverse Camera, Dr. Mudhan is your best bet.

thanks for reply
i wanted to have Headunit with dvd play or navigation and mirror link

so factory 5" headunit is not my option. I was looking for Caska HU or anyother head unit which would merge with dashboard

and tyres i am thinking of Michelin XM2 tyres

 

[Essarr]

thanks for reply
i wanted to have Headunit with dvd play or navigation and mirror link
so factory 5" headunit is not my option. I was looking for Caska HU

This is the Caska unit you are looking for:
Caska Infotainment for City 2014
Model No: CO-AT 382 KQ7
Screen: 8" touch screen 800 x 480 res.
OS: Win CE 6.0
CPU: CSR A9 800MHz
DDR: 256M
Flash: 256M

Regards...SR

 

[Essarr]

I was looking for Caska HU

Though I have given you a Caska HU model number, I have no experience with them. Having read a few reviews, BE-WARNED, they do have problems - high on features, low on performance.
Main areas: UI not working, steering wheel controls don't work (just after Caska's own installation), viewing angles poor, sharpness not up to mark, GPS not working (just after installation), screen brightness not good in daylight, bluetooth not working, etc. Some Honda owners have reverted back to OEM HU.

 

[sasha007]

Can Anyone with a caska unit in Honda city 2012 version help me with the below ?

I purchased a map update plan from mapmyindia. But they are asking the Device ID & Storage ID for my caska unit.
The thing is my navigation is not working so I'm not able to access my navigation menu for getting this.
Can you please check and let me know if you find any device and storage ID?

Device ID & Storage ID you can get device id Goto----> Navigation----> Menu----> About----> Map Sources & Copy Rights

Kindly reply :)

 

[prasanth11]

Thanks for replies
I have enquired about headunit and integration into dashboard of city iDtec.
I have got some positive response from shop vendor and showed a central console replacement panel for city 2014 model and told we can fit any 2DIN music system into it. The replacement panel look good in shape and quality. But dont know how well it gels with remaining dashboard
Almost I opted out Caska Head unit for the bad reviews and very high cost,i haven't spoken to Honda Accessories guy,but i got a price quote around Rs. 55000 which is just insane, Had it been around 35-40k i could have tought about it despite bad software. But anyday trusted brands like Pioneer,JVC or Sony are preferred

So I am planning to get one of the following units
Pioneer AVH X8690 BT
Sony XAV-712BT
or JVC KW V50BT

shop owner showed some Mega Audio Set which is specifically designed to fit with New Honda City,but its doesnt have a MirrorLink facility,it says Navigation Ready ,but he is claiming that its just plug and play type for Honda City 2014 . It runs on Android,the model he was showing couldnt be searched upon by me over internet.
But price is on higher side costing 38000 rs
BTW my vehicle yet to be alloted to me.,
Yet I wanted to get all accessories one go as soon as vehicle delivered ,so I started research on internet.
expecting vehicle before may end.