I have bought this car in november 2003 when i had gone to buy the then new second generation honda city with cvt transmission. On questioning the sundaram motors sales manager as to how honda could manage such a humongous dicky space in the then new honda city, he told me that the fuel tank was shifted below the front seats. I did not like the idea of sitting on top of the fuel tank and as i was leaving the show room on mount road, chennai, they offered this car parked on the terrace (I learned later that it was parked there for 3 months for reasons i suspect that may be as to what transpired in december, 2003).
The car was beautiful barring the noise from the idling gear in the synchromesh gear box (Which has since become quite loud after 75000 km) and the entire family fell in love with it, esspecially my elder son from us who was to be married shortly. The entire family drove down to bangalore to visit our would be in-laws. On our drive back with me a the wheel, wife on the seat next to me with both my sons flanking my would-be daughter-in-law on the rear seat.
A couple of km after rajiv gandhi memorial, sriperambudur, approaching chennai (Then madras), 2 riders on a tvs 50 with a sack of paddy in front on the tank approached the highway from the right and were even looking in our direction and i expected them to stop after climbing up the steep gradient (The 4 lane highway was being constructed then). To my horror they popped right in front of our car which was doing about 100 kmph, i applied full brakes and the tyres screeched but car would not stop. So i steered the car to go between the moped and the left edge of the road which had a drop of 5 ft where the other 2 lanes were being laid. My wife who was fast asleep next to me, woke up with a start and screamed "mummy" and grabbed my left hand and the steering wheel rotated left an i had no choice but to jerk to the right and hit the moped in the rear just to the left of the right head light. The moped reared up like a bucking bronco as the car came a stop, when both riders and the sack slid on to the bonnet and rolled of to the right on to the road. We got down and told them to get into the car to go to the hospital. They insisted they were alright and asked us to carry on. We made sure they were ok and walked back about 60 ft and found only 2 tyre marks and not 4. However, we reported to the police after reaching besant nagar, chennai.
We claimed insurance and had the car repaired by sundaram honda and told the works manager to check the brakes thoroughly as only the front brakes had applied. When the car was delivered, i asked the works manager "what was wrong with the rear brakes?". He said that there was nothing wrong with it and that it needed an adjustment. I went to the marina beach and applied emergency brakes a few times and checked the tyre tracks on the sandy road with none made by the rear wheels. I went straight back to the work shop and told them to check again properly. The finally found that the rear brake pads were installed incorrectly and the brakes were barely touching the drums.
I then complained to your company then known as honda siel cars india ltd. And one mr agarwal flew down from delhi and personally apologized for having endangered the lives of my entire family twice and declared that for the life of this car the servicing will be hence forward free. However after my free services had finished the sundaram motors did not honour this commitment by g m mr agarwal as they said he had left the company. Shows the integrity of this company. They had not only endangered the lives of my entire family twice but did not keep the word of your g m nor did you follow up.
Now i am hitting the wall with my head to have the rear seat fixed on to the body. Last month i had spoken to your customer care and had explained that there is a plastic clip (1/4 in x 1 in) which goes into the body with an incert in which the gun metal hook attached to the bottom of the rear seat on both sides which is bent forward slides into this insert. These clips are shown in the diagrams of your rear seat assembly in your technical manuals on line. The sundaram motors personell are at sea with this and say that there are no clips and when i went to them as suggested by your technical experts, they just shoved the hooks into the rectangular holes (1/4 in x 1 in) after removing the bolt attachment at the back of the rear seat. The next day when my grandchildren sat on the rear seat, the hooks just slid off the rectangular holes in the body and my lovely car was back to square one : (!
The capital honda guys at omr, chennai are absolute cheats. The steering box was leaking a bit and they said it had to be changed. When i collected the car they did not give be the old part saying that the old parts buyer had just come and taken all old parts. 3 months later the new rubber bellows at the ends of the steering box perished and the same leak started. I was forced to give to a local mechanic who said the steering box is the original one and has never been changed. He just machined new bushes and put it about a year ago and there is not a drop of leak now.
I called customer care again yesterday and was told by them that within 24 hrs someone will call you, which did not happen. So i called after 24 hrs today and was again told the same but in a much nicer way. The communication id is 1-[protected] and my car registration number is tn 07 l 3028.
I need some assistance in solving these minor and not so minor problems with the car i adore. The idle gear noise which i am convinced was the reason this car was parked on the terrace of sundaram motors for 3 months before it was palmed off to me, is hanging heavily on my head. Please advice me as to how to go about it.
Thank you in anticipation.
Frank
Captain frank rajkumar elias
Honda Cars India customer support has been notified about the posted complaint.
