It's been awhile since my last such posting. Just because I don't write about it doesn't mean I don't do my preventive maintenance service at regular intervals (in the case of my Honda Civic FD2A, it's every 5000km).
Covid-19 was relegated to the history books and "has been" memory (though there are micro-cluster outbreaks from time to time, so too early to completely let down your guard). Thus, since the beginning of the year, I've been busy on business travel quite frequently, now that international borders are all opened up. Thus, haven't had much time to drive around, so interval between preventive maintenance services have become even longer.
I usually called up and made an appointment in advance, as opposed to just turning up and trying my luck. Given that it took me around 1 hour to drive from my home to the service center, confirming the slot is very important to avoid 2 hours of lost time (remember, the journey back also takes 1 hour).
Recently, GS Tay Honda Muar started using WhatsApp to send reminders, as well as take service appointments. Thus, for this service, let's give this new system a try. As I arrived in the morning at 9.00am (give or take a few minutes), it was a lucky thing that I did make an appointment. It was quite packed today, as there was already a queue of cars lined up to the reception area at the entrance / exit of the maintenance building. In previous times, I parked along the road nearby and walked over to register, but then they always asked me to drive in, so this time I just went directly there. After a quick check on the checklist to confirm my car was registered for an appointment, the staff on duty checked out my car and I proceeded to the waiting area after signing off the "Walkaround and Diagnosis Sheet".
Besides the regular preventive maintenance, need to take care of a rather peculiar issue with my exhaust. When coming to a complete stop in D, the exhaust may start to give off a continuous rasping note, like a loose floorboard. Also happens when completely stopped in R, as when parking. It's not just noise - sometimes, the engine seems to vibrate as well, as though the exhaust is blocked. As soon as I shift into N, the vibration stops, and idling is smooth once more. Driving long-distance or hard (as in Italian tune-up) does not remedy this. My guess is could be related to the ignition system (plugs, coil) or sensor, hopefully nothing major.
The waiting area was, unsurprisingly, full, as out of the 11 seats, there were only 4 empty spaces. Truth be told, there were more unoccupied seats, but with bags and belongings of the adjacent person. And there were usually more at the showroom area, though those are normally used for discussions between the staff and prospective buyers. I found myself a seat and waited patiently, started to key in some note for this blog post to pass the time.
A quick glance at my surroundings. Majority of the folks were reading (good habit) on their personal electronic devices (handphone). One gentleman to my left was "old school" and was reading the newspaper (printed on paper). Just some annoying guys who were watching some video with audio on the speakerphone. But only for a short while, then back to the usual ambient background noise. I was the only one typing away on a laptop, so I'm also somewhat of "old school" myself. There was one other lady, which I guess was a teacher, who was busy marking a stack of papers. While waiting, I did witness 2 new owners collecting their new car, taking photos with the Honda Sales advisor and their new ride. One was a CRV, the other one not so sure (too many SUV's these days, all start to look the same to me).
After around 45mins, the staff called me up and ran through the cost estimate - always a good practice to avoid any nasty surprises. Besides the usual oil / filter change, today they would be doing some engine flush / aircon condenser cleaning / tire check. I normally don't skimp on preventive maintenance, which I consider as vital to avoid unexpected and even more expensive repairs in future, so I agreed with their proposal. Only concern for me is how long it would take....
Halfway through, the Honda staff called me up and advised to change the front brake pads (which were quite worn out), battery (which I can confirm is getting old as having some problem to start in the mornings) as well as aircon filter (close to the point of disintegration). I knew of all the above so they were not just pulling my leg. From experience, I know that the price of parts here were comparable to outside, just the labour cost will be higher than the generic workshop outside.
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At the end of the day, they did put the balance of 0W-30 Honda Fully Synthetic oil and the old aircon filter in the front passenger seat. I did ask them if they managed to resolve my exhaust issue - the good news is that they figured out it was related to the positioning of the pipe / resonators (if I understand the explanation correctly), but due to lack of time, they could not take care of it today. So, I guess I will have to get it done during my next preventive maintenance service at 155,000km. Which, from experience, could be 1 year later.... 😅
On the way back, to my pleasant surprise, seems to be some form of reverse-Schrodinger's Cat phenomenon - after checking the exhaust, seems there is much less sound / vibration when stopped in D / R. Didn't completely go away, but very much tuned down the noise level. Well, hope it stays this way until the permanent remedy! 🤞
All in all, another good experience sending my car here for service. Not sure if the staff are the same, but here the courtesy and pleasant nature of the staff has been consistent through the many years. This is what basically keeps me coming back here, even though it's roughly 1 hour (one way) from where I live. Well, until the next service then...!
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