I felt that the decreased fuel wfficiency, power loss and flat spots may be due to the failing clutch and since it was six months from the last service
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Sixteenth Service Update:
So in the last week of June 2023, unexpectedly, Blu was throwing some tantrums. There was sudden power loss during acceleration, flat spots while cruising and overall reduction in power delivery to the back wheel. And worst of all, the FE had dropped to 40kmpl avg for the past few months. So I was considering buying an EV for my daily commute of 30 kms. Since I am not willing to sell Blu, and impracticality of keeping two scooter for one person made me decide against getting an EV. Even though, people close to me were advising on selling Blu and getting an EV, I did some calculations and found that for my commute, it will take me more than 75 months to break even. Hence decided against it and worte it off as a knee jerk reaction to the low FE.
During the second to last service the HASS had mentioned about clutch shoe being cracked and needing replacement. Since Blu was functioning smoothly I had kept the clutch replacement pending and during the last service the HASS didn’t mention it at all.
I felt that the decreased FE, power loss and flat spots may be due to the failing clutch and since it was six months from the last service, I decided to get Blu serviced properly. So, have him to EVM HASS, Neeramankara, Trivandrum this time on 1st of July 2023.
So I tell them about the power loss and higher idling speed but nothing about the clutch issue. Then I asked for the usual service engine and gear oil change, air filter cleaning, brake cleaning and tightening and general tightening of all the nuts and bolts.
They said they will check the issues and if any additional work is there they will call me. I have Blu in the morning and by 12 PM I get a call from HASS and surely it is about the clutch assembly. I asked the SA whether repair was possible and he said in the negative. So gave the go ahead for replacement.
In the evening I get a call from HASS and they informed Blu was ready after all works. And asked me whether I would like to take an AMC for the service. Now many of us know that Honda AMC is not that great unless you have a whole lot of labour involved. However, since this was a part and labour intensive service I took the AMC and I guess, overall, it’s not that bad for me.
The total bill of the service came to Rs. 5098/- and AMC Charges came to Rs. 1020/-.
The total bill was Rs.6018/- which would have been Rs. 5750/- without AMC. Now with the AMC, I’ll get 2 free washes and discount on parts and labour for the next 3 services. Which I guess will only cover the AMC costs. Hence the overall savings could be zero.
Anyhow, after the clutch assembly replacement and service, Blu is as good as new. The pick up has improved and the sound also have become better. The best part is that for the past 3-4 fill up since the service Blu is returning an impressive FE of 50 kmpl. That is 10kmpl better than the previous few months.
So, Blu is back to his regular duties, renewed and improved and hopefully will continue so for a long time to come.
The Odo stands at 55400 kms.
Keyword: Did the 16th service on my Honda Activa 125: Tasks performed & costs