(Maintainence schedule added at the end)
Hi guys..!!! I thought we should have a Fan club for honda city.Theres already a fourm for City but thats dedicated to city steermatic only.in this club,we shall hav steermatic,idsi,cvt nd all models of city and all their variants. Well the history of this car is somewhat like this...
First generation (1997-2000) On january 22nd 1997,the first Honda City was launched as a sedan.The city was always made for families and not for racing or sports.Thats why they were always equiped with the latest or sometimes firsts in the market.The interior was always very comforting and the seating position is also very comfortable.It had the options of power windows,and side view mirrors for the top model though they were not there in the base model.Power steeing,front seatbelts,digital clock,AC was available in the basic model too.One the outside,it was very elegantly designed.Beautiful,handsome and decent.Under the hood,it had a 1300cc 16valve SOHC engine ,and was the first car to have 16-valve in 1300cc category.
Second generation (2000-2003) On January 20th 2000, Honda replaced the original City of 1997 with an update.This model of city had the basic shape of its predecessor.but with new crystal head lamps at the front,power side view mirrors and a chrome lining around the rear numberplate garnish.It was the first car in pakistan to have rear crystal headlights.It had two varients. Exi and Exi-s.The Exi had manual windows and side view mirrors,body colored licence plate garnish(not chromed), semi-fabric seat covers, 165/13 tyres,black door mirrors and no high mount stop lamp.But the Exi-s had all these things in it.The outside looked more gracefull with crystal lights and some new lines on the exterior.The engine in both of them were same.But this one had Programed fuel injection(PGM-Fi).There was optional 4-speed automatic transmission available. The engine engine's maximum horse power=90/6400 and maximum torque =11.5/4700 This model was produced until 2003
Third generation (2003-2005) On 23rd August 2003, the third-generation Honda City was launched which had a totally new shape.It was a very stylish and aerodynamic shape introduced in pakistan for the first time.It also was the first car to introduce i-dsi (intelligence-dual and sequential ignation) and CVT (continuously variable transmission) in Pakistan.It had an engine which is higly fuel economic and was build specially for better fuel economy.This car was equipped with power windows(pinch free) , power side view mirrors, tilt adjustable steering column and yet another first,the EPS or electriconic power steering.it made the steering very very soft to turn and also it had no oil used in it so it had no maintanence required.Other featrure of this car is that its the first Euro 3 comliant car in pakistan,that means that its very low on harmful emmisions.The EURO 3 emission standard are applicable in Europe from the year 2000, they are considered to be amongst the most strict standards worldwide. The standard limits emissions to 2.1 g/kWh CO, 0.66 g/kWh HC, 5.0 g/kWh NOx, 0.1 g/kWh particles. Another striking feature is, the boot space(400ltrs).it was bigger then any local car availabe at that time.This car was basically meant for families.it had two glove compartments,a big boot,empty space under the rear seats, four glass holders,and also, a smal space provided in the two front doors.And guess what? All of these options were available in the basic version.This city was divided on just the basis of the drive-train.One was manual,and other was automatic. On the outside,this car was designed very sophisticatedly,it looked smaller than other cars in size from outside but is alot more spacious inside.the body design was an immediate hit among fans and poeple who knew somthing about this type of things.Even the side view mirrors are designed to cut through air.
Fourth generation (2005-present) In september 2005,the fourth generation City was released.It was basically a face-lifted version on the previous model.it is known as the City ZX in Thailand, India, the New City in Malaysia and City in Pakistan.The most significant changes are a new exterior (new front grille, new headlamps, new fog lights, newtaillights and bumpers). The front end has been extended forward by 65 mm (2.6 in) while the rear has been extended by 15 mm (0.6 in). The VTEC trim have 15 inch alloy wheels as standard equipment. Interior changes are minor but it does include an armrest for the driver.The rest remains almost same as in the previous model. The engine remains the same but the intake manifold has been modified, resulting a 10% temperature drop in the intake air temperature (IAT), the suspension has been upgraded as well. Honda City in Pakistan are using CVT gearbox for both i-DSI and VTEC variants. The CVT-VTEC 1.5L gearbox is equipped with a Simulated 7-Speed Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) using paddle shift buttons. This is very rare for a subcompact of its class.This VTEC variant was called City-steermatic.
Steermatic:- The steermatic is basicaly a name of a technology used in the city VTEC 1.5L model.this model had a different engine than the idsi.it had a 1.5L engine with an auto transmission.this was not any other auto transmission.its is steermatic,means that you can change gears just by push of a button on the steering wheel.this is basically used in F1 racing.It has 2 options,either you drive on fully automated CVT option,or you select a virtual manual transmission.For this,you would change the gears when you want with a push of a button.This model also have an opitiron meter and also stock imported 15" alloy rims with bridgestone Potenza tyres. This technology is very sophisticated and advanced,which,sadly was'nt accepted by the buyers in Pakistan because they simply could not understand it and hence,this particular model of city was discontined.
I-dsi:- I-dsi stands for Intelligence-dual and sequential ignation.In this type of engine,two spark plugs are employed for each cylinder.That makes 8 spark plugs instead of 4 plugs used by most cars.Adding of an additional plug assures complete burning and utilizing the last drop of fuel thrown into the cylinders which would provide you the best performace and better fuel consumption.Not all the times the 8 plugs are working,but when u push your car through high revs or speeds,all of them work simeltaneously and thats when ypu can feel the difference.But theres one drawback in it,this engine is equiped with 8 valves not 16.Hence it decreased the performance and city seems to be out of breath after 5000RPMs,but as this is basically a family car,performance is not the priority.The best thing about this was the fuel economy,about which,you can read the paragraph below.
Fifth generation (2009 onwards) On 31th january 2009,the fifth generation of the honda City was launched in Pakistan.Which was an immediate hit among the fans.The previous Honda City was criticised due to its shape,but this time the best thing was the shape,which is even more aerodynamic then the previous one and also resembles the big Honda brothers,Civic and Accord.The best thing about the exterior of this City is the front view of the car.The wide,sleek and elegently designed radiator grill gives a refreashing look to the car.The dimesions of the car are almost similar to those of the older model.The sharp lines on the hood gives the city some attitude on the road.The boot space is increased about 25%,from 400ltrs to 506ltrs.But the good news doesnt end there,under the hood,There is a fairly powerful 1.3L SOHC VTEC engine.which produces a healthy 100bhp,enough for a 1.3L car.But dont think that you would have to lose something on the fuel economy side to get this sort of power.The fuel economy is actually improved.Some indian car expert magzines gave the figures of 22km/ltr for the auto transmission,which is the best in its class.The emission standards are improved as well.Previous city was Euro 3 compliant,but the new city is Euro 4 compliant.which means that your car is enviornment friendly.The only thing which you need to be concered about is the interior,which feels abit cramped campared to the previous City,but there is a reason to it.In the pervious city.the hood and the trunk had only a small portion of the exterior length covered,and the cabin was much bigger,which gave nice interior space,but from outside,the car looked ugly to some eyes.To correct this ugliness,the car was redesigned with increased hood and trunk length from outside,this made it look much better but the drawback was the lesser interior space.The second thing was the missing silver portions on the interior bits and panels of the Pakistani City.The interior would have felt lively only if some spots of it would have been in silver color.But you have alot other advantages,like 15" rims,ABS as standard,vtec engine,details of fuel milage on a special screen in the speedometer,huge boot and many other small things. In a nutshel,the new Honda City is much more refined comparitively to the previous one.The basic things which matter alot have been improved like the engine and the exterior design.The ride of the car is also improved,thanks to the small changes in the suspension.All in all,its still a great package if you see it the value-for-money way in Pakistani market atleast.
Fuel Consumption:- The 2005 face-lifted Honda City i-DSI achieved an impressive 26.2km per liter of fuel consumption during a challenge in June 2007. The challenge requires the vehicle to be occupied by 4 persons (including the driver), air conditioning being switched on and a load of luggage. The whole route stretched more than 660km that consists of not only highway driving but also hill climbing. ==================================== Source:-My self mostly,wikipedia and Honda atlas.
In Short:- In short,according to me,all this proves that Honda City has been a great car for a family to have at all times for more than a decade now.It has proven its self to be a complete car one would need at a price tag it is available for.An im one of the thousands of satisfied owners of it for the past one year. Now all we need are your comments and thoughts upon this small wonder.And also do make sure you post some pix of your own city if you have,of any model.Please feel free to express your feelings about this car.
Maintainence schedule:-
There have been a lot of queries regarding the maintainence shedule of Honda City. To help find members and guests find this information easily and quickly, i am writing the complete maintainence shedule which i have been following for the past 5 years for my car (180,000kms).Cost of completing the job may/may not be stated. Some of it may not be the same as that in maintainence book provided by Honda people. In that case, i ll state the reason of the difference.Here goes.
Oils:-
Havoline formula 10W30 (3.7ltr) and oil filter change @ 3000kms. Cost 1900rs
Transmission oil (Manual transmission) 2 ltr @ 40,000kms.
Honda original oil 1980rs (2ltr)
Good quality Zic/ micking oil 800rs (2ltr)
Transmission oil ( Automatic transmission) 2lre @ 35,000kms
Honda CVT oil ONLY (3.2-3.4L.) 1980rs
Brake oil
Keep it topped up and change only if padel feels very soft n goes wayy down.
Honda original oil
Clutch operation oil
Keep it topped up and change only if you it shows signs of trouble
Parts change:-
Brake pads change:-
recommended @ 30,000kms
Can use any good quality pads. (labour 400rs for 4 wheels plus pads, from 500rs to 2500rs)
Fuel filter change @ 40,000kms (IF driven on petrol)
Air filter change @ 10,000kms Original Honda filter is best.Good quality guard filter is good too.
980rs for OEM, 350rs for Guard filter.
Spark plugs @ 20,000kms Original Honda plugs (8 plugs for idsi. 4 for steermatic, new city ivtec and before-2003 model City)
Timing belt. Not required. From 2003 onwards, all honda Citys have timing chains instead of belts.They usually last a life time.
Tune-ups :-
Throttle body service @ 20,000kms Cost around 500rs
Tappets adjustment / valve clearence @ 20,000kms Cost around 500rs
Brake adjustment front not required after pads change. rear @ 30,000kms (or when front pads changed)
Expected Life of Some parts:-
Brake pads 35,000kms if driven aggressively ( cost already mentioned)
Clutch plate 110,000kms if driven aggressively ( around 2000rs labour and 6000rs for clutch+pressure plate)
Clutch bearing 150,000kms (So change with clutch plate) (800rs)
Tuneups can be delayed to 30,000kms IF the car is run in clean enviornment like in Islamabad etc (less dust)
Engine oil change can be delays to 5,000kms but not good in long run.
Service Manual Honda City ids-i 2003-2008:-
http://hondafitjazz.com/manual.html
Tip for keeping automatic transmission (Vario and steermatic) healthy on CNG:-
Change engine oil at 3,000kms MAX.
Tranny oil at 30,000kms
Tune up (throttle and valve clearence) at 20,000kms
Do NOT ignore idleing problems. Rough idleing means jerks to transmission and thats what kills it on CNG.
Keep air filter clean and change at 10,000kms max.
Instrument cluster cleaning DIY
https://www.pakwheels.com/forums/d-i-y-projects/186201-diy-honda-city-04-08-instrument-cluster-opening-cleaning
Console box opening and spray painting DIY
https://www.pakwheels.com/forums/d-i-y-projects/183475-honda-city-06-center-console-respray-diy-1
A/c service, the easy way
https://www.pakwheels.com/forums/air-conditioning-heating-ventilation/163846-quick-c-service-1
Honda City GTG at kallar kahar
https://www.pakwheels.com/forums/get-togethers-motor-shows-motor-sports/189440-honda-city-owners-fans-gtg-kallar-kahar
2nd Honda City GTG at kallar kahar
https://www.pakwheels.com/forums/get-togethers-motor-shows-motor-sports/206290-honda-owners-gtg-kallar-kahar-23-dec-12-a
Thats all for now.
