LONGTERMER 2: 125th month report: Honda Civic FD2 2.0iS

LONGTERMER 2: 10th year and 5 months report: Honda Civic FD2 (Season 2, vol 4)

In this blog entry, I'm posting my Family's ride.  The Honda Civic FD
2 2.0 IVTEC.  I called it Season 2 volume 4 because I haven't been updating it for
 1 year and 5 months.  This is the 125th month we owned the Honda Civic FD2 2.0I-S.  

Update: 29 December 2018.  The Engine mounting, Compressor and Rear Double wishbones still factory fitted.  Though the Compressor showing signs of failure, intermittently blowing hot air.  How to take care of compressor (dad's tips):

1) Change your cabin filter every 20,000km
2) don't full blast the air cond, don't use Auto air-cond.  Dad's fave temperature 25 deg. Celsius at 1/3 fan speed.
3) Don't on the aircond for 1st 2km (Also off air-cond before ignition off)
4) When driving to Genting (uphill) off the air cond.  Blower only.

The reason why it hasn't been updated for 17 months is because there's very little things to write about.  Apparently, this is a Very Reliable car.  

My Colleague was surprised to learned that the Engine mountings and Rear Double Wishbones Suspensions are still Factory Fitted.  

His 5 years Old Elantra 1.6 already changed 1 set Engine Mountings and 1 set absorbers.  We stopped servicing with Honda on the 6th year owning the Civic.  Anyway for your reference, maintenance cost of the Civic FD2 without Hidden wear and tear stuff like Rear Wheel bearing, Absorbers, Brake pads.

Nothing much to update.  Firstly, The Good news.   Last year, I walked to Kah Motor CSL's just across the road to submit quotation.  Lo and behold, No LOADING.  Also, NO Betterment, use ORIGINAL parts, No Excess, 200km radius towing.  Agreed Value clause...  This package by MSIG is called HONDA INSURANCE PACKAGE.  

Click the link below for more information:

honda_insurance_package

Basically last year was the FINAL YEAR I get to enjoy HIP (Honda Insurance Package).  Thank God!  This year,  I decided to go 1 Up.  Bypass Kah Motor and renew Direct from MSIG Insurance.  I still don't get loading.  And I got 10% Discount!  

 The Civic FD have 1 oil change using Castrol magnatec and Original Honda Oil filter, 1 Brake fluid Change apart from Annual Road tax and Insurance renewal.  Very reliable and low maintenance car.   

Above: 450 litres boot space with 60:40 split folding rear seats (Below).

 

 This is the Only Generation Civic in Malaysia with 60:40 split fold rear seats.  The latest Civic FC have 60:40 split rear seats BUT in USA, Indonesia and Australia only.

Over the past 17 months, the Civic Clocked 9,858 only or 580km per month only.  It's rarely used as My dad, was working Oversea 1/2 of the year.  And I've been driving my Hyundai i10 daily.  RECENTLY, past 6 months, dad came back more often, hence using the Civic More frequent. 1 Penang drive, 2-3 outstation drive and Occasional Genting run.  

Minor trim wear and tear as below:

My opinion on this Honda Civic FD2 2.0S IVTEC:

The 8th generation Civic FD's the last Civic With Double wishbones suspension, only Civic with 60:40 split fold rear seat back and the Most stylish Civic inside out. This is the Best Civic.  Apparently, Malaysians agree with me as reflected by it's Strong Resale Value. First batch 2006 Civic FD are still selling at RM36,000 to RM42,000 depending on conditions. That's Mind boggling for a 12 years old Car.  An astounding 52% retained value in 8 years and 40% retained value in 10 years.   This is the reason why my dad's Keeping the Civic for another few years.

SHOULD YOU BUY A USED CIVIC FD?

Why not?

Honda Civic in General are Extremely tough cars.  The 1st 3-generations are victim to Rust only. Many Civic from the 4th generation EF onwards (1987 to 1991) are still running on Malaysian roads.  The 4th-Generation's where Rust-proofing extensively applied by Kah Motor.  There are Still many 5th and 6th generation on the road which are between 16 to 24 years old yet the EG (Dolphin) and EK (Taai Ngan Chai) still Desired by Ah Bengs.  Average lifespan of a Civic unless Total-loss or stolen are 20 years!!!  So say you bought a used 2008 model, on average the Civic FD can last you another 10-12 years.

Above: Note still Stock Standard 6-disc In-dash CD/MP3/WMA CD-Changer Head unit with Aux and Volume adjust according to Speed or Noise.  Eg. The higher the speed or engine noise, the higher the volume.  Also, Steering wheel Audio control. 

Without further ado, let's proceed to Logbook.

Purchase price: RM126,000 (less NCB)

Current value: RM51,000.

- 10 years depreciation: 40% retained value

Interest rate: PBB 2.35% (back in July 2008) for 6 years loan.

LAST INSTALLMENT: July 2014.  

Mileage last update: 145,300km. July 28 2017.

Mileage Today: 154,858km

Km used last 17 months:9,558km

Mileage per month: 563km  (12 month Average)

Average Mileage per month past 125 months: 1238km only.

FUEL CONSUMPTION (July 29, 2017 to December 29 2018):

Best: 14.7km/L  80% highway/20% city, driven by my dad Petronas RON95. 

WORST: 9km/L (Shell RON95) 80% City/20% Highway driving driven by ME.

Average FC: 11.3km/l

ALL TIME:

Best: 15.35km/l (RM0.12/km) (90% highway driving) (20 August 2010)

Worst: 7.1km/l (80% City driving, 20% HARD DRIVING) (October 27, 2012)

PERFORMANCE:

0-100km/h: 9.2 seconds normal acceleration (8.9 seconds with paddle-shift)

Top speed: Max I driven is 190km/h but I know it can go up to 227km/h. Someone from Youtube tried it.

EXPENSES Last 12 months:

1) Roadtax And Insurance Renewal: RM689.40 + 381.00 = RM1,070.40
2) 1 oil change.  Castrol magnatac (average 150 per oil change incl. Oil filter and Washer drain plug.

4) Petrol and Toll...

5) Other expenses... 

Before I go, here's my parting shot:

That's all folks, thanks for having the time and patience to read this blog entry.  An Original Jefferson Lim's production.  Copy like a man, don't plagiarize.

Cash Back: Not what it seems...

Many people asking about “cash back”.

Actually not really cash back. you paid thru your monthly installment. Eg. Car 103k, your original full loan installment RM1146.

If you Loan 120k to get the cash back, your monthly installment become RM1376 with total interest paid RM28,620 vs 24,565.50. You paid extra RM4,054.50 interest for the cash back.  Or 23.5% interest for RM17,000 cash back.

You paid extra RM230 monthly for the cash back 😰. Ask yourself, Is it worth it?

KEY Differences between Hyundai Santa Fe DM variants

In this blog entry, I'm going to Digest the key differences between Hyundai Santa Fe 2.4 Petrol and 2.2CRDI Diesel.  This covers Pictorial differences and a guide to which Santa Fe Should you buy.

Among the mystical questions posed by my Santa Fe Customers:

1) What is the difference between Santa Fe Elegance and Executive Plus?

2) How to tell the Petrol from the Diesel?

3) How's the maintenance and running costs of Petrol and Diesel?  

(to be covered later)

Let's get the ball rolling...  

Question 1: I let the photos do the talking...  

Photos left = Santa Fe Elegance   /  Photos right = Santa Fe Executive Plus.

 Photo 1, Elegance comes with Black Nappa Leather and Manual single zone air conditioning with 3 row blowers. while Executive plus comes with Terracotta Brown nappa leather and Dual Zone Auto Air conditioner with 3 row blowers.

 Photo 2 below:  Elegance can be upgrade to Executive Plus Audio Visual Navigator player with reverse camera for RM3,000 extra.

Photo 3: TOP ROW: Elegance comes with Projector Headlights while Executive plus Comes with BI-XENON HID with Cornering lights.
BELOW: RIM Size difference.  Elegance has 18" rims and tyres and Executive Plus comes with 19" rims and tyres.

 Photo 4: Line 1, grille difference, line 2, Bulb rear lights VS LED Rear lights.

Photo 5: Elegance comes with normal roof while Executive Plus comes with Full length Electric tilt/slide Panoramic glass roof with Automatic roller cover/blind.

COMMON FEATURES between the two:  Self explanatory.

Question 2: How to tell the Petrol from the Diesel?

Badge behind "4WD" for Petrol.  and "CRDI 4WD" for Diesel.  That's the only visual difference.

Your Ear can also tell the differences.  Petrol is Whisper quiet on idling and cruising while diesel "Clatter" on idling and cruising.

That's all the Sight and sound differences.

Technical wise:

Petrol: Max power 176ps@6000rpm and 227Nm@3750rpm torque while Diesel Peaked at 197ps@3800rpm and 436Nm torque at 1800-2500rpm.

IN LAYMAN'S TERM: Petrol is like Pulling something Heavy while DIESEL is like being PUSHED. Diesel comes standard with G-force upon PRESSING PEDAL TO THE METAL.

Fuel consumption: Petrol 8.5l/100km while diesel 7l/100km average mixed driving both identical 60 litres fuel tank.

Performance: 0-100km/h: 10.9secs for petrol and 9.0 seconds for Diesel.  Top speed both identical at 190km/h but Petrol is TRUE Max speed while Diesel "ECU electronically limited to 190km/h".

QUESTION 3:

As for the Maintenance and running costs.  

Petrol is Cheaper to service as you have the Option to go Fully Synthetic and service every 10,000km interval, skipping 15k,25k,35k,45k and so on.  Just Add RM100 extra on 10k,20k and so on for Fully Synthetic.  Also, no Diesel Filter to worry about. Major service peaked at RM1,000 only. BUT Fuel Consumption is MUCH Higher than Diesel at 11.5l/100km.  My customer's feedback, full tank averaged 430km only.  ANNUAL ROADTAX:  RM727.50

DIESEL:  Strictly 5k service intervals.  Every 20,000km need to pay RM140 to change Diesel Filter.  Average RM100 higher than Petrol on Normal service at RM350+/-.  And up to RM1,300 on 100,000km MAJOR Service.  BUT Fuel consumption SAVED a Lot at 7l/100km mixed Driving.  Full tank can go AT LEAST 700km city driving. ANNUAL ROADTAX: RM599.20

NOTE THE DIFFERENCE in Maintaining and running the 2 Santa Fe?

CONCLUSION: (which to buy?)  

BUY Petrol cause it's Cheap to maintain and service but Expensive when renewing road tax (RM727.50) and prepare for more frequent visit to the Fuel Station.  But it rewards you with "WHISPER QUIET", smooth operating Relaxing Engine.  It's a Comfortable Long distance, laid back cruiser.

while:

BUY Diesel though it's 25% more costly to maintain and more frequent to service, and you have to bear with the Diesel Clatter, smell and a bit of smoke.  BUT you GAINED in MUCH BETTER POWER (G-force standard), Acceleration, MUCH LOWER Fuel costs and lastly, lower ANNUAL ROADTAX at RM599.20.  It's POWER ON DEMAND.  YOUR Right foot decides whether it's Mr.Jekyll OR Mr.Hyde.   Very powerful! Please TEST DRIVE to AGREE WITH ME!

TO EACH IT'S OWN!  

Colour Choices (in order of popularity): Crystal White, Titanium Silver, Sleek Silver, Phantom Black, Red Merlot and Ocean View (Dark Blue).

RATING: 8/10 for Petrol and 9/10 for DIESEL.

If you want to buy this car, call Yours truly, Jefferson LIM at 012-6852-718. Location: Setia Alam OR Sri Kembangan.

That's all folks, thanks for having the time and patience to read this blog entry.  An Original Jefferson Lim's Production.  If you want to copy, please quote or create a link to this website.  Copy like a man, don't plagiarise.


Tags: Santa Fe Elegance vs Executive Plus, Differences between Santa Fe Elegance and Executive, Santa Fe DM, Santa Fe Variants Malaysia

Guide to what car to bring from UK (AP)!

I, Jeff Lim shall today blog about "What car to bring from UK if you have Student or Private AP?".  Here's my Suggestion in no particular Order...  Before that, I'd say that if possible, try to bring in ICONS (Eg. Audi Avant RS2, Lotus Carlton, Peugeot 306 GTI-6, Renault Clio Williams), Common car but rare body style (Eg. BMW E39 Touring Wagon, photo below)

or MODERN CLASSIC (Eg. Mercedes A124 Cabriolet, photo below).

This is one of my personal favourite from the UK apart from BMW E39, E61 Wagon and Honda Accord EURO ES.

Without further ado, here's my list of suggestions in no particular order.  Please Google for photos...

1) BMW 3 series E90 Coupe/Cabriolet/Touring/M3.  Sedan?  Please No, Too common.

2) BMW 5 series Touring (From E39 onwards), E61 will be ideal.  (Sedan? Only M-sport please).

3) BMW X series.  X3/X5/X6...

4) Audi A4 or A5 2.0TFSI Quattro OR S4/S5 OR RS4

5) Audi Q5 OR Q7

6) Any Audi Avant OR Cabriolet.

7) Ford Mondeo 

8) Ford Focus RS OR ST (MK II or MK III)

9) Honda Civic (EP onwards)

10) Honda Accord (EURO) 2.0ES/ 2.4 ES (2003 onwards), Wagon 2.4. 

11) Honda Prelude (BB8)

12) Honda Stream

13) Mercedes C-class W204 (Coupe and CLC too)

14) Mercedes E200CGI/ E250CGI (E-class Coupe and Cabriolet)

15) Mercedes M-class 

16) ANY AMG Mercedes.  Eg. C36 AMG

17) Any >25 years Mercedes.  Especially Coupe and Cabriolet/Roadster).

18) Mazda 6 (2003 onwards)/ Wagon will be awesome.

19) Mazda RX8

20) Peugeot 306 GTI-6 / 306 Ralleye

21) Peugeot 205GTI

22) Proton Impian 1.6X.  (UK spec got 4 Airbags, ABS+Traction Control, Climate Control, Cruise Control and costs Below 2,000 pounds OR RM10k can get a good one.  Since it's a Proton, you might be exempted from Duties and taxes)
Example: Autotrader.co.uk, ad.  Looks stunning in Red.  Why Malaysia don't have this colour...

23) Any Porsche (Especially 911).

24) Renault Clio Williams

25) Toyota Avensis (2003 onwards) / Avensis Wagon

26) Toyota Previa 

27) Toyota Auris / Corolla / Corolla Verso (Wagon)
28) Toyota GT86
29) Toyota Prius
30) Toyota Landcruiser

31) Vauxhall Astra VXR

32) Vauxhall Zafira

33) VW Golf GTI / R

34) VW Scirocco

35) VW Passat

36) VW Jetta

37) VW BEETLE

Others:

38) Skoda Octavia VRS

39) Hummer H3

40) Cadillac CLS (about 20 units in Malaysia now).

41) Dodge Nitro (MOFAZ Successfully brought some in)

42) Nissan Primera
43) Bentley Flying Spur

44) MINI Cooper 1.3 Auto (Mid 90s, due to Fuel Injected and Airbag + Burberry seats.)
45) Any Mitsubishi EVO series (Especially FQ Series)
46) Subaru Impreza WRX STI
47) Lotus Carlton (Fastest Sedan in the world from 1988 to 1999)

Saving the Best for last...

48) ANY FERRARI will do...  (As long as low mileage)

49) ANY ASTON MARTIN WILL DO...

and Lastly:

50) McLaren F1 (My ULTIMATE DREAM CAR...)

Don't just sell car/s - sell the total experience

MY (Jeff Lim's version) CLICK ME! as posted on 5/3/2010.  In my humble opinion this one is quite similar except this one more "attention to detail".

This version by kenso source: CLICK ME!


START of source:

Many sales persons feel their sole purpose is to sell the product they're hired to promote. Nothing wrong with that. The only problem is, so is everyone else. So in the light of increased competition, many go-getters constantly think of new ways to reach out to their customers and to see what value added services/offers they can do to entice the discerning customer.

The whole customer experience starts from the moment he/she walks through the front door (it is arguable that with the current internet savvy Gen X/GenY customers, it starts online). The cycle of customer service excellence:

1) Encountering the enthusiastic reception
2) Being served by an emphatic and knowledgeable sales person
3) Being given a test drive with key features relevant to the customer's needs addressed
4) Unreserved and easy explanation on payment
5) Follow up
6) Close

Sadly, a lot of sales person don't pay attention to the finer details in their encounter with the customer. How nice it would be if the following happens:-

1) Customer receives an SMS/email from the sales person thanking him/her for his/her time in coming over for a test drive and remind the customer the offer of assistance should he/she requires it
2) The sales person calls the customer 3-5 days later asking him/her how is everything and if another test drive is preferred.
3) Keeping the customer abreast with the latest car launches and invites for test drives
4) Take note of the average period of how long a customer keeps a car before changing models
5) Notes the purpose of the purchase (ie anniversary present for the wife, ferrying kids to school, etc)
6) Notes the age of kids (if any) and is always note the opportunity that may present itself years later when the kid grows up/a new addition to the family (a bigger car is required) or the kid goes to college and needs a car of his/her own (selling another model)
7) Sends an SMS every festive season to keep in touch and renew the network the salesperson has

8) Upon delivery of the new car, buy an appropriate gift to go with the car (ie for anniversaries/ladies, buy a bouquet of flowers/teddy bear for the wife, a little booklet of all emergency numbers to call, a baby car seat if the cost is not too high, an extra pair of torch light for the boot, etc. They don't cost much)

All those above aims for customer satisfaction. It does not take a genius to think of those little actions and yet it does not happen (or very rarely). I've yet to come across 1 sales person who does all above. And the main reason why I suspect is lack of information. The sales person does not keep a book of all the information he/she has of every customer he/she comes across. It does not matter of you're selling a Proton or a Mercedes, there are always customers who have specific needs for a specific vehicle. Whether it's a upgrade to a more luxury brand or a small car for the odd Sunday market run, an information book's value is immeasurable, especially when it's updated every once a while. And that book belongs to the sales person .... it's his/her initiative and would follow him/her wherever he/she goes. If he/she is serious in planning a career in the automotive sales line, this is a must have.

At the end of the day, happy customers means:-
- more new customers
- better retention of customers (instead of the customer changing marques)
- less cost of doing business (no need to advertise, maximize productive time)
- greater profits
- more competitiveness and profit
- better compensation for sales team, particularly in areas where there is a group sales target
- more motivation and job satisfaction
- building corporate culture
- happy and prosperity

So the next time when you enter your own showroom, take a moment and imagine you're the customer. What is the overall feeling the moment you see your showroom? What are the finer details that's missing that can be done to improve the whole experience? You don't have to be selling Rolls Royce to provide a 5 star sales experience .... and definitely do not have to spend as much.

Reference:
http://www.kensomuse.com/2012/03/dont-sell-cars-sell-total-experience.html

END of SOURCE.

1(00): Simplified guide to engine-oils

Came across this useful article.  Well worth checking it out.

http://www.zerotohundred.com/newforums/features/384644-simplified-guide-to-engine-oils.html

posted a DIY guide sometime back on how to change your engine oil and it raised some questions:






"Whats a good oil to use in my old junk?"

"Can I use this oil in my car?"

"My car drinks oil for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Have to top up all the time!"





In some cases the knowledge was based on hearsay and recommendations from their friendly neighborhood mechanic. That's actually not a problem however your regular bawak-pokok mechanic will tell you it works one lah and if it ain't broken, why change/fix it? And there lies the problem.
How does engine oil work?

Engine oil is the life blood of the engine. Blood in the human body will be replaced by biochemical reactions in the body but engines are stagnant and highly dependent on you maintaining it properly. What happens if you don’t? Sludge and varnish starts to build up, engine bits start to wear faster (piston rings, valves, tappets, etc) and in some extreme cases, you might get a complete engine seizure.

So how do you choose engine oil? First you must understand the different viscosities and how it affects your car. Let's take 5W30 as an example. The "5" number indicates how the oil reacts when the engine is cold. the "W30" is how viscous the oil is when heated to 100 degrees celsius. What does that mean?
Simple.


75% (according to the Castrol advert) of all engine damage is at cold engine startup. That's because all the oil is at the bottom of the engine and anything at the top would be somewhat dry. So technically speaking the easier the oil flows to the 'drier' parts of the engine, the lesser the wear on startup. In cold countries such as Japan and anyplace that has winter, it's recommended to use "0" or "5" weighted oils because this oil weight is resistant to freezing at those temperatures. Try using a "10" weight oil in a -5 degrees temperature and you'll have major problems starting up. In Malaysia however, it's not really necessary to use anything less than 10 but there's no harm is wanting to give your precious engine the best your money can afford.
"W30" indicates how the oil flows at 100 degrees celsius. Meaning if you're running a really hot engine (like Turbos or track cars) then you'd very likely exceed the 100 degrees and the oil will either get burnt off due to the heat or breakdown and become useless. This is why you rarely ever see low viscosity racing oils in the market. It's usually 0W50 or single grade oils (like those used in F1 where it has to be heated and intravenously fed into the car).

So generally speaking, if you're burning so much oil you have to top up 2L of oil every month, you're probably using the wrong viscosity for your car. If you want better fuel consumption use a lower viscosity oil like 0W20 but don't expect it to work wonders if you're revving redline all the time. So choose your requirements wisely.

TO CONTINUE READING.  Please Click the above link for FULL ARTICLE.  Credits to Izso, ZTH STAFF.

That's all folks, thanks for having the time and patience to read this blog entry.  NOT MY WORK!