ramishkad

Not exactly a gadget per se, but one of the dust caps in car tires fell off and 2-3 of the shops I checked didnt have any spares. I ended up getting a set from ebay. Something like this : http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-X-Aluminum-Tire-Wheel-Rims-Stem-Air-Valve-Caps-Tyre-Cover-Car-Truck-Bike-Black-/311089617307?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item486e62d99b&vxp=mtr (there are lots of other designs available)

Does Stafford officially sell the Civic hybrid here? I thought they were selling only the Insight as a hybrid here. Not the Civic, Fit or Accord hybrids. I saw ads for the 9th generation civic hybrid from other sellers around 5.2 million.

I've pm'd you the details.

Can't tell authenticity from the photo mate. But did you check the price of this in SL? I've seen the paste wax at shops here. The car wash I go to in Kandy actively uses them. May be cheaper to get from SL.

Thanks guys. I already talked to him and got it diagnosed. Thanks.

Well I cant believe how many people here have their testicles on fire when it comes to app usage. Personally speaking, I'd use an app to keep track of things i tend to forget if it's convenient. By your logic, if you skip a meal or forget to poop, you will get a signal from the body either by means of hunger or an urge to cr@p. Since i dont get such native reminders about vehicle maintenance I find it convenient to store the last gearbox oil change mileage recorded somewhere (in this case in an app) so I dont forget it. What is wrong with that?

Actually I do this too. I use something called Car Expenses. it helps me keep track of all costs including fuel costs with the car and helps manage my finances. And if you are doing this solely for calculating fuel efficiency, it would still be more convenient than writing it on a paper and keeping records.

Another option is 3M Quick Wax. Can be sprayed while the surface is wet or dry.

Hi, My 2011 Civic (Hybrid) has what seems to be a faulty CVT (shudder on accelerating from a dead stop) and i've been recommended by several friends to go for Malabe guy to get it repaired. Please tell me your opinion if I should go there? What should I be on the lookout for? Thanks.

Thanks for the info. But how did you isolate that the fuel efficiency boost was due to the fuel type change? It probably was difference in driving conditions, traffic status, type of driving etc during the period that contributed to this?

Were these improvements when you switched from 92 Octane to Euro 3 or 95 Octane to Euro 3?

Nope mate. Regular Civic and the Civic hybrid no longer produced for Japanese home market. But it is produced in Japan for export markets. From Wikipedia: "In Japan, production of non-hybrid Civic for domestic market ended in August 2010 and production of Civic hybrid for home market ended in December 2010 when it no longer complied with Japanese Governmentdimension regulations in the width category. In recent years, customers shifted to minivans and compact cars like Honda Fit. Honda launched Fit hybrid in October in Japan. However, production of Civic and Civic hybrid for export markets will continue."

Mobil 5w-30 full synthetic. I change it every 7500km.

But you cannot underestimate the 1.85 million price tag just like that. For all we know the car may be lady driven, engineer used or better yet, company maintained in showroom condition.

You can do it at Polgolla Automobile Service Station. I am also from Kandy and that's the place I go to. Detailed info about the place : http://forum.autolanka.com/topic/15974-good-mechanics-technicians-workshops/?p=263590

http://translate.google.lk/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-archive/civic/hybrid/2010/webcatalogue/type/&prev=search There are no badges. It would be mentioned on a sticker inside driver or passenger side door.

You cannot check anything by reading the S.O.C. value. S.O.C. indicates the current state of charge of the battery. It would always be relative to the current usable capacity. Even a bad hybrid battery could have a 100% S.O.C. If you want even more thorough testing, you can do the process below: In test drive, floor the accelerator constantly until the battery charge drops. Notice how the charge drops. A healthy battery should move between S.O.C gauges (bars) one by one. If you notice at one point the charge dropping rapidly from 6-7 bars to 1 or 2, there is something wrong. And notice how it charges back up (it will charge when you break on the move). If the S.O.C. indicator suddenly jumps from 2 bars to full (8 bars), then the battery's usable capacity is extremely low. See this video: 0.30 - Sudden drop from 5 to 2 bars 0.40 - Sudden rise from 3 to 8 bars Both are signs of a bad battery and happens when the usable capacity falls below ~20%. Ive seen many complaints here about FD3 battery problems. But here are main causes for this: 1. The car has sat around too long idle. If the car is unused for 1 month straight, the battery cells can get damaged. 2. It runs older software (prior 2009 models) which uses the electronic assist more aggressively than battery can handle. 3. Undercharging. The car runs mostly on stop and go traffic and when it's parked overnight/weekends has no charge in battery left. If you reach home with 2 bars, put the car in P and rev the engine to 2500rpm till the S.O.C. reaches at least halfway. Anyways i myself have hardly ever had to do this. I reach home usually with 75% charge left, even on times i visit my house which is on a hill. It's not a good car to have parked around idle for days. I use the 2011 model and run about 1500 km per month. It's a good high mile runner.

1. MX, MXB, MXST (highest grade). There is one grade with Navi i'm not sure which that is. Google would surely have this info. 2. Worth if the hybrid battery is in good condition. 3. It won't accelerate as fast as FD1 (1.8cc) or FD4 (1.6CC). But it's got decent acceleration for a hybrid esp when the electric motor kicks in. Definitely better than Prius for me. 4. Yes. Go to Stafford motors and get the IMA/Powertrain check done. There will be a parameter called 'IMA battery usable capacity' in the report. Ensure this is at least above 30-35%. The check costs around Rs. 4000 at Stafford. There may be other technicians who do it for cheaper.

Hi, I meant roughly the same figures for both FD1 and FD4.

Using the same Dash cam for about 8 months now. Works fine so far. I record about 16-20 hours driving time a week on this. I had couple of minor gripes about it i mentioned on the other thread Magnum quoted.

I too have contemplated this idea numerous times while in traffic looking and three wheelers and motorcycles. What type of gun are you planning to use? If it is something like an air rifle, the seller provides a document which acts as the license. I have no experience with guns that use actual gunpowder, hopefully someone else here knows.

Yes the 8th generation Civic hybrids are equipped with a 1330cc engine which only gives 93hp or something. But it's paired with an electric motor run by the hybrid battery so altogether it has 110hp available. When the electric motor is assisting, it wont feel under-powered (but still it wont be as powerful as an 1800cc FD1). One scenario it can feel underpowered is when the hybrid battery is bad and does not hold enough charge to give frequent assists using the electric motor. Even then the car would run, but you'd notice a drag. When the charge level re calibrates and goes up, it will start assisting again.But when the battery is bad, the charge/recharge cycles will be more frequent. If the battery is good, you dont have to worry about it being underpowered. As for maintenance, there is nothing special to be done. But oil changes need to be timely (especially the CVT oil, best practice is to change it at least every 15000km). And you have to use genuine Hondai oils. Stafford knows enough to do the maintenance. I personally go to a technician in Kandy who seem to have better knowledge than Stafford (esp about battery/engine/motor software updates and stuff).

Civic fuel consumption if you are interested: FD1/FD4 - 7-9kmpl average FD3 (hybrid) - 16kmpl average (mixed city driving, incl. Colombo traffic), 22-24kmpl highway. I personally use one. if you are running less than 1500km per month, i'd suggest you go for FD1 or FD4. If you are running high miles, FD3 would come in handy. You can actually buy a Fd3 with a bad hybrid battery for as low as 2.7 million. Then spend 0.5 million to install a brand new hybrid battery and it should run pretty good for 4-5 years minimum. Either way, if you are not running high miles or mostly driving in city traffic, FD1/FD4 is the best choice. As for the Axio, my dad owns a 2007 X grade. According to him it only does 11-12kmpl for his driving style. I dont know if its something wrong with the vehicle but we've done pretty much everything including tuneups. No experience on the Allion.

Congratulations on your purchase. In addition to the excellent advice Davy has already given, I'd suggest you do a check on all engine hoses and replace any that have worn out or has burn marks. I'm pretty sure someone has tampered with the odometer. When I sold mine it had 260000 kilometers (registered in 1999). But as you said this is not something you should lose sleep over. And I'd start using coolant instead of water if you are continuing to use water. I used to own the same car and I loved it. It's a great vehicle. Good luck!

Seems to be not true mate http://www.snopes.com/photos/automobiles/barnfind.asp