[swamyzen]

Originally Posted by saket77

My car was once rear ended by a tractor while it was stationary! The rear hatch was changed by MASS. One of the door (driver's side) was again due to terrible bad luck! A car coming from opposite direction hit a metal barricade which flew and hit my car! Thankfully, the door was repaired to perfection by MASS.
About your question on half engine, then yes, there is a half engine kit available for Zen which comes at a cost of about 30-40K. It replaces most of the items inside the engine block like the pistons/valves/ crankshaft etc. Means your engine is as good as new once given the treatment.

Thanks for the reply!
Woah! Metal barricade flying and hitting your car - that would be scary. Asked about the half engine as one of my cousins who owns a 1994 Maruti Omni went in for a half engine as his engine was drinking oil. So thought of asking if it is available for the Zen. Considering the engine in my Zen will last upto 2 lakh km's, it will be a long time to get to that odo reading because currently Zen is running only 5K kilometers a year! Just hope and pray the half engine kit will be available 6-7 years down the line. 30-40 K I guess be the resale value of the car 6-7 years down the line . But then I also have apprehensions as to if the engine will give up at 2 lakh kilometers, as initially me and my driver Mr.Mariappa thought we might have to go for an engine overhaul after 1,00,000 kilometers. Guess a compression test in the next service should reveal the health of the engine.

Regards,
swamyzen

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by swamyzen

Have you heard of getting a half engine for the Zen?

First of all, congratulations on owning India's first hot hatch, that too in such an immaculate condition.

Here is the detailed information about the half engine you asked for-
For Carb models-
Part Number-10100M70F00
Description-HALF ENGINE ASSY(ZEN)
Cost-32492.29
For 4V-MPFi models-
Part Number-10100M72A00
Description-HALF ENGINE ASSY(ZEN, 4 VALVE,MPFI)
Cost- 32492.29

In addition to this, you will need small seals and few miscellaneous components. Include labour at MASS and you can easily expect total cost of approximately 45k.

But my advice would be to get the compression test done first. An engine which has been driven sedately and has received periodic oil changes should easily last beyond 2 lac kilometers mark. Our Parag Sir's Waggy is a testament to that. Even I own a 5-Speed 800 with about 2.7lac kms on ODO still surviving without a rebuild.

Here is how a typical " half engine kit" looks. This one is for F8B cars.

Originally Posted by saket77

Did MSIL shared a word on how long they plan to keep manufacturing the spares of the good ol' Zen?

Maruti says they keep spares for cars for next 8 to 10 years after discontinuing it. However in my experience, parts are discontinued after atleast 15 years. That too, they will first start discontinuing the cosmetic parts first like steering wheel, gear knob etc. For example, type1 M800 was discontinued in 1997. Still the dash and few other "type1 specfic" components are in production. But components like steering wheel, headrests etc are not available in MGP now.

Regards,
Shashi

[swamyzen]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

First of all, congratulations on owning India's first hot hatch, that too in such an immaculate condition.

Here is the detailed information about the half engine you asked for-
For Carb models-
Part Number-10100M70F00
Description-HALF ENGINE ASSY(ZEN)
Cost-32492.29
For 4V-MPFi models-
Part Number-10100M72A00
Description-HALF ENGINE ASSY(ZEN, 4 VALVE,MPFI)
Cost- 32492.29

Thanks a lot for the compliments Shashi! Thanks again for sharing the part numbers of the half engine assembly for the Zen . Yes Maruti has this policy of keeping spare parts coming for at least 15 years after stopping production of a particular model. For the Zen though cosmetic parts like the door pads (about which I mentioned a few post ago) are no longer made. Surprised to see parts like the dashboard still being made for the legendary 800.

Wow! Your 800 has clocked some serious miles. 2.7 lakh kilometers without an engine rebuild shows how well you have taken care of the car . Hope you car clocks many more miles without a rebuild. All these days I thought Parag sir's WagonR was the legend for running 2.2 lakh but you sir just blew those figures away with yours.

Regards,
swamyzen

PS: Well Mr.Mariappa dropped by our home today and gave a good look at Zen which he left behind couple of years ago. He was extremely happy to know how Zen was doing. The second he started Zen he had a smile. He says the engine sounds like it will last for a lakh at least.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by swamyzen

For the Zen though cosmetic parts like the door pads (about which I mentioned a few post ago) are no longer made.

Since even the Type 2 Zen shared the same door pads, and that it was discontinued in 2006, I am sure that MGP dealer has given you some wrong information. In most of the cases they are too lazy to check or even search for the part numbers, and they very conveniently say -"part is closed"

To overcome such difficulties, I have bought parts manual for all my cars. I just go to their shop and ask them to check for the availability of the part, and order them. It takes maximum 15 days to get the part, if it is still open. Trust me, Zen is too young to have its parts discontinued. Its just the laziness of the MGP guys who give us such BS.

The MGP dealer of my city is very close to me, and I have asked him about the availability of Zen's doorpads. Will let you know when his reply comes.

Wow! Your 800 has clocked some serious miles. 2.7 lakh kilometers without an engine rebuild shows how well you have taken care of the car . Hope you car clocks many more miles without a rebuild. All these days I thought Parag sir's WagonR was the legend for running 2.2 lakh but you sir just blew those figures away with yours.

Regards,
swamyzen

Thanks a lot for the compliment !! We have always believed in preventive maintenance and being gentle on the car. Just for the record, we have always changed our engine oil before the 4k kms mark, and that has helped a lot in maintaining its health.

Regards,
Shashi

[swamyzen]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Since even the Type 2 Zen shared the same door pads, and that it was discontinued in 2006, I am sure that MGP dealer has given you some wrong information. In most of the cases they are too lazy to check or even search for the part numbers, and they very conveniently say -"part is closed"

To overcome such difficulties, I have bought parts manual for all my cars. I just go to their shop and ask them to check for the availability of the part, and order them. It takes maximum 15 days to get the part, if it is still open. Trust me, Zen is too young to have its parts discontinued. Its just the laziness of the MGP guys who give us such BS.

Regards,
Shashi

Hey thanks Shashi! Thanks for taking the pain to ask the guys if the door pads are still available. They are becoming an eye sore in another wise clean and tight cabin .

The oil changes before 4K has certainly helped your 800. With my Zen though I have let it cross 5K more than 4-5 times before oil change ( due to high running in the mid life). Hope this has not done much bad to the engine. Will hopefully be taking the car for a 160 km round trip this Saturday. Will update how Zen performed if I do go for the run.

Regards,
swamyzen

[swamyzen]

Today Zen and Arrowhead(my 2011 Honda City) were thanked for not letting us down at any point of time in the year.

Picture after washing Zen


Arrowhead's first appearance on Team BHP. Sorry for the angle of the picture.


Zen's picture after Pooja with half the cover still on.


Update on Zen
Zen will be resting for 4 days - Tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday and Monday as I am going to Mysore with Arrowhead. I could not make the 160 km trip with Zen because of her health. Yes Zen needs a suspension overhaul now. The other day I had gone to Anjanapura in Zen and when I went over the horrible potholes and roads I could clearly feel the suspension being weak with noise coming from the left side. I had not a clue of idea that the suspension had become so very weak. Zen would just crash over most of the potholes which was not the case earlier. I immediately made up my mind that after the Dussehra break I would drop Zen of at Mandovi. So hopefully by 2nd November Zen should be visiting Mandovi for the suspension overhaul. Also realized the battery is on its way out. The starter cranks longer and slower. Also since it is 5 years since the Bridgestones have been put to use, time to change them too. So all in all looking at about 40-50K rupees expense (20K on tires - will be Bridgestones this time too as they have been excellent. So far not a single puncture. Suspension overhaul - 20K).

Regards,
Swamyzen

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by swamyzen

Today Zen and Arrowhead(my 2011 Honda City) were thanked for not letting us down at any point of time in the year.

Picture after washing Zen
Attachment 1430038

Arrowhead's first appearance on Team BHP. Sorry for the angle of the picture.
Attachment 1430039

Zen's picture after Pooja with half the cover still on.
Attachment 1430040

Both cars look quite nicely maintained.

Update on Zen

Also realized the battery is on its way out. The starter cranks longer and slower.

For the best health of the starter, it is always advisable to change the battery if the cranks become longer and sluggish. I recently changed my Exide and went for Amaron Flo for Rs.3350 from Batterywale.com. They are the official distributor for Amaron, and the only reason for going the online way is to get the latest manufacturing date.

Also since it is 5 years since the Bridgestones have been put to use, time to change them too. So all in all looking at about 40-50K rupees expense (20K on tires - will be Bridgestones this time too as they have been excellent. So far not a single puncture.

20k for Zen's tyres are way too expensive, Sir. Bridgestone tubeless cost approx 2550 rupees for Zen's Size. Even if you change all 5 tyres, it will not cost you more than 14k including balancing and alignment. However a word of caution- Do make sure that the tyres are fresh enough. I had bridgestones and I had a horrible experience with them. That was mainly due to the unethical dealer and my lack of knowledge.

My experience with BS is documented here- http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...ml#post3802207
The tires were just 8k kms run and were less than 3 years old, but they had become so bad that I had to ditch them and incur loss.

Regards,
Shashi

[swamyzen]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Both cars look quite nicely maintained.

For the best health of the starter, it is always advisable to change the battery if the cranks become longer and sluggish.
20k for Zen's tyres are way too expensive, Sir. Bridgestone tubeless cost approx 2550 rupees for Zen's Size. Even if you change all 5 tyres, it will not cost you more than 14k including balancing and alignment. However a word of caution- Do make sure that the tyres are fresh enough. I had bridgestones and I had a horrible experience with them. That was mainly due to the unethical dealer and my lack of knowledge.

Regards,
Shashi

Thanks for the compliments Shashi! I have my doubts on changing the battery right now because I just think they have not been charged off late mainly because Zen runs maximum 1 or 2 kilometer(s) before the engine is switched off which does not allow the battery to get charged. I will try and drive Zen for about 50-60 kilometers at once and see if it will make a change. Else will replace the battery.

Tires . Last time for the Bridgestone's I had paid 10K for 5 tires (with tubes and alignment and balancing). Don't know what made me type down 20K for tires ! I am sticking to Bridgestone as I am mighty impressed with them. Not a single puncture till date and the spare which was chucked into the boot when the tires were changed has not been used till date! In fact I have had an horrible experience with Michelin which is what Arrowhead wears. In the first month of ownership the front right tire got punctured. I did not mind about it first as a puncture can happen with just about any tire. But when I went to Madhu's at Mysore they showed that there was a hole in the sidewall and it did not look like one which could be made by a nail or any sharp object and it should be a manufacturing defect. Upon approaching Magnum Honda they said people from Michelin would come over and "examine" the tire. After their "examination" they said that it was indeed a nail that had caused the puncture and refused replacement under warranty. Needless to say I had to buy a new tire using cash from my pocket for what was a manufacturing defect. There was absolutely no way I was going to get the tire repaired as it was the sidewall which was affected and the tire was tubeless. Upon contacting Madhu's they said it was a norm for tire companies to not accept manufacturing defects and instead simply blame it on customers and Michelin and Bridgestone were famous at this .

Regards,
swamyzen

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by swamyzen

For the Zen though cosmetic parts like the door pads (about which I mentioned a few post ago) are no longer made.

Sorry for the delay Swamyzen Sir in procuring the part numbers for the door pads.

Original part numbers for Zen VX(your model)
LEFT
1. 83702M53E23-FY1--------TRIM COMP,FRONT DOOR,LH(VX)
2. 83706M53E12-FY1--------TRIM COMP,REAR DOOR,LH(VX)
RIGHT
3. 83707M53E12-FY1--------TRIM COMP,REAR DOOR,RH(VX)
4. 83701M53E23-FY1--------TRIM COMP,FRONT DOOR,RH(VX)

Just in case you are unable to order the above mentioned(or the part is closed), try the following spares. They are for Zen LXI

1. 83708M53E73-T01----------TRIM FRT DOOR RH, ZEN LXI
2. 83709M53E73-T01----------TRIM FRT DOOR LH, ZEN LXI

Each trim costs around Rs.2,000.

Hope it helps. Do let me know if you need any other information.

Regards,
Shashi

[swamyzen]

So after an awfully long gap of more than 1.5 years I am back with an update on Zen.

The past 1.5 years have certainly been very interesting with various kinds of changes being done to the extent, I am unable to remember the various changes done! In this period of 1.5 years Zen almost had an engine seizure which was luckily averted in the last minute and Zen also got reversed into a tree. Without further a due, I will get into all the details.


1. Part replacements

i)RHS tail lamp cluster
ii)Gear-box oil seal
iii)Front suspension bushes
iv)Brake pads and discs
v)Radiator shroud
vi)Accelerator cable * 2
vii) 4 tires- to Bridgestone Ecopia EP150
viii)Battery replaced - The Exide battery randomly showed signs of giving up and was duly replaced by an Amaron FLO battery.
ix)Wheel caps
x)Windscreen washer pump
xi)Parking light bulb
xii)Front LHS door lock motor
xiii)A horn in the setup (padmini horn) gave up and was duly replaced with a cheap chinese one.
xiv)Steering rack
xv)Pipe connecting radiator to head.
xvi)Front RHS mud flap
xvii)Lower arms-both sides
xviii)Both wiper blades replaced.
xviv)Air filter

Along with this oil and oil filter have been changed twice. Both times, oil changes have been done at Shell petrol bunk on Bannerghatta road. Shell Helix HX-7 10W40 has been used both the times. Shell Helix HX-7 from what I have experienced is a pretty good oil. The first oil change was not satisfactory because I did not feel the engine being as smooth as it would be when Magnatec was used. Even after the second oil change, although smoothness did improve, I was not fully satisfied. However, after a major oil leak I again topped up about 1 litre of HX-7 and after about 200 kilometres the enigne has become very smooth and even there is significant improvement in smoothness of engine at cold start. So,overall I am happy with HX-7 and will continue to use it for further oil changes.

Fuel efficiency is hovering around 11 kmpl mainly because of the way Zen is used. Zen is mostly used in bumper to bumper traffic which is the contributing figure for the low efficiency.

The reversing into a tree incident

One Saturday afternoon in May 2016, I had to pick my younger kid from his cricket academy in St.Johns grounds. After a terrible drive of an hour to cover a distance of 3 kilometers, we finally made it into the grounds parking lot. This one hour drive took a complete toll on my energy. Exhausted, I got to my usual parking place. While I reversed into what I thought was my usual parking place, I reversed into a tree. I had gone to the parking slot next to my usual one and failed to check my mirrors due to carelessness. Result was a dented boot door, broken tail lamp cluster and a bumper with paint cracked and chipped. Dropped Zen to Mandovi's body shop on the same day evening at around 4PM.

I decided to opt for insurance this time. This was the first time in 17 years that Zen's insurance was used. The insurance provider for Zen is the Oriental Insurance Company. It took them almost a week to visit the workshop, inspect the damage and pass the claim. Mandovi took another 4 days to bring Zen back to shape. It was initially decided to replace the dickey door but the denter said that he could get the dickey door back to it's shape. He did a fantastic job in getting the dent out. The painting was however, done badly. There is a lot of orange peel and dried drops of paint at the bottom edges of the door. Insurance covered 90% of the bill and I had to put one thousand rupees from my pocket. Overall, I would rate Mandovi body shop in NS Palya a 2.5/5.

Attachment 1661162

The mega oil leak case.

This took place a couple of months ago. The oil filter developed a major leak all of a sudden which I had failed to notice as in the weekend when I usually check the vitals, oil level was fine. The leak used to happen only when the engine was running. Starting from Thursday I noticed the pick up was greatly reduced and thought that it could be due to a blocked air filter or the engine needing some tuning done. On Sunday i.e. the day I got to know the engine oil had leaked, I noticed the pick up had come back to normal while returning from a relatives house. After reaching home, I went ahead with the Sunday routine of checking vitals. I pulled out the dipstick to find absolutely nothing on it! Not a drop of oil was there on the dipstick. Frantically I jumped down to check if oil was leaking and there were 2-3 drops of oil on the floor. Immediately went and got a 3.5l can of oil and the engine took in about a litre of oil, before oil came back to the max level on the dipstick. With trembling hands, I crancked the engine and the engine started as usual without any funny noises. I asked my elder son to check if there was any leak going on and he reported back that oil was leaking drop by drop from the oil filter. Immediatley, I switched off the engine and next day I took Zen to Mandovi for a filter change and service which was due. This time both my regular SA's Mr.Divakaran and Mr.Arasu were on leave. So another SA Mr.Govindraju took in my car for service and confirmed that the leak was from oil filter.He changed the filter and kept the car on idle for a couple of hours to check for any other oil leaks. Luckily, there was no other leak and he returned Zen on the same day at the promised 4 PM.

Lesson - Check oil level daily before first start. I am now following this relegiously everyday.

I was really lucky and by the blessings of the almighty, I did not end up with an engine in the form of scrap metal! Most of the times there has been leaks from the oil filter. From the advice of bhpian Leoshashi, I will get the screw on which the oil filter rests, checked in my next visit to Mandovi by my SA. The engine pick up has thankfully not changed and neither has the sound. In fact, after the last top up of 1 litre of new engine oil and a highway trip, the engine has become much more smoother and pick up too has increased to levels which existed one lakh kilometres ago! This was also confirmed by my elder brother who was taken aback when he drove Zen recently. His exact words after taking Zen for a 60 kilometre spin was- " Did you get any engine work done?? The pick up is very good now and was not this much even 6 months before."

At the end of this episode I am left with these questions and would love to hear what bhpians have to say about them!

1. How come the pick up suddenly got better on the day of detection of the leak?
2. How come the engine survived in spite of oil forget being at min, was not even present on the dipstick? Yes, some 2l of oil was there but that's still lower than the minimum quantity required.
3. How has the smoothness increased after this episode?

Compression appears to be fine as even now, water comes out of the exhaust on a cold start.

I really pray that such an incident never happens with any car owner ever! It is extremely scary and gave me and my elder son a couple of sleepless nights!

Parts which need replacement.

1. Seat railings for front driver seat. The seat adjustment rod's spring has lost its elasticity and the rod needs to be pushed back to its place. I have searched for this everywhere in Bangalore but, I unfortunately have not been able to source it.
2. Water pump belt needs replacement as noted from the previous service. Will mostly get this done in the next service as I was told it does not require immediate attention.

Clutch plate - the present clutch plate has run about 88,000 kilometers. Currently, there is no clutch slipping but slight juddering is present. Initially, thought I will replace them after my elder kid learns to drive but his clutch control is good and so I feel the clutch is good for another 3,000 kilometers.

Highway trips

In these 2 years, Zen saw two highway trips.Both of the trips were to Tumkur. The first one was before the suspension work and tire change. Putting it mildly, the drive was scary. The steering had a bit of play, every small undulation was being sent to the cabin in a dramatic way. So, most of the trip was done while keeping the speed between 60-70kmph. The engine was and still is very capable but the suspension was the limiting factor in letting Zen cruise at 90-100 kmph. Fuel efficiency was around 17kmpl due to my driving style in the first 3 gears, which was enthusiastic to say the least. On this trip, I somehow felt something was not usual with the engine. I felt the engine response to be dull. The reason was the accelerator cable which was old and made the accelerator pedal hard.

The second trip was after the mini suspension overhaul and tire change. This trip was a good reminisince of the good old times. The butter smooth gearshifts, quick acceleration and willingness to revv was just amazing. Please do remember, I got a new accelerator cable installed recently and the difference it makes in throtlle responses is immense. This time out of the 208 kilometres Zen ran on the day of the trip, 50 kilometres was in city limits with moderate to heavy traffic. This time, my driving style was neither performance oriented nor was it fuel efficiency oriented. It was a fine balance between the both, with performance driving put into action only on nice road while coming back to Bangalore. The fuel efficiency was stunning this time and Zen returned a whopping 20kmpl. If I had driven mileage oriented, I am dead sure I could achieve 22kmpl. The engine continues to be relaxed at 100kmph in 5th gear and hardly any engine noise is heard. Also, have to appreciate the Bridgestone Ecopia EP150s' here because they did give excellent grip under dry circumstances and also the wet grip was decent enough. I felt comfortable to throw Zen into corners at good speeds and not once did I feel I was loosing grip or going too fast round the corner.

A couple of pics from the second trip

Attachment 1661164

A pic taken when I was stopped by cops because I was over speeding. Speed limit was 50 kmph and I was at 60 kmph.

Attachment 1661165

Notice the rear hatch door with the chrome badges.



A note on the engine - After running 1,77,000 kilometres I do see a dip of about 10% in performance. I feel it is possible to regain it to some extent by changing spark plugs and some fine tuning. I am sure the engine will last another lakh if, the upkeep continues to be regular.

With each passing day, my respect for Zen is only increasing. Yes, every now and then some attention is required but that's the least I can do for my Zen after all these years of faithful service.


One more change has been done to Zen and it is to do with the speakers. Previously the speakers were mounted on the dickey door. Since, the speakers are heavy, it made the dickey door heavy and exerted more strain on the gas struts of the dickey door. Hence, I got boxes done for them and the boxes are attatched to the floor of the boot. This way, the boot space is further reduced but, since Zen does not do highway trips with family and luggage, the boot space is no more a concern for me.

Attachment 1661166

Speakers now on the floor of the boot.

Now for some pics

The radiator shroud- replaced due to a minor leak.

Attachment 1661163

The speedometer was repaired. The speedometer needle used to shake a lot. This was corrected in a small roadside shop dealing only with speedometer repairs. Now, the speedometer is accurate and does not shake at all. There were a few parts replaced inside the speedometer assembly. Will post some pics of them when I find the parts.


23/09/1998 seems to be the actual DOB of Zen ! 3rd October is when Zen came home.


The part number and model number sticker.



The bulbs inside the speedometer assembly were replaced. The internal parts of the speedometer was cleaned. Here is the end result.



The new Bridgestone Ecopia EP 150



The old Bridgestone S322



The old brake pads. TVS-Girling make.



An old oil filter. Notice only Suzuki markings. No Maruti marking anywhere on it.



The various suspension bushes changed.



The lower arms.






Also, I would like to express my sincere thanks to bhpian Leoshashi for all the support he has given to me and Zen!

Ciao, till the next update!

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by swamyzen

Parts which need replacement.

1. Seat railings for front driver seat. The seat adjustment rod's spring has lost its elasticity and the rod needs to be pushed back to its place. I have searched for this everywhere in Bangalore but, I unfortunately have not been able to source it.

Have made arrangements. If all goes well, you'll have the parts in your city within the next week.

Regards,
Shashi

[swamyzen]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Have made arrangements. If all goes well, you'll have the parts in your city within the next week.

Regards,
Shashi

Thanks a lot, Shashi! Really means a lot to me and Zen !

Looks like in the previous post some pics have not been uploaded properly and I forgot to upload a few like the steering rack. So, here they are.


In Tumkur - 2nd highway trip.






Broken tail lamp




Radiator shroud




Steering rack + front indicator lamp glass replaced because they had faded.




The parts inside the speedometer which were replaced.


The white colour gear has a lot of play which is apparently the reason for shake in the speedometer needle.




This belonged to the trip meter. Replaced since the gears were worn out.




Speakers now attached to the boot's floor.




A picture clicked today while it was raining. Haphazard parking because Zen's regular spot has been dug up by BBMP.




The odometer reading as of today. 1,77,643 kilometres.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by swamyzen

Broken tail lamp

I see they have applied newer emblems on the boot lid. The old decals looked a lot more classy IMHO. Also the speedo needle should lie over the zero mark. In the last pic, its resting below the zero mark. Or is it because of the parallax error?

Regards,
Shashi

[swamyzen]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

I see they have applied newer emblems on the boot lid. The old decals looked a lot more classy IMHO. Also the speedo needle should lie over the zero mark. In the last pic, its resting below the zero mark. Or is it because of the parallax error?

Regards,
Shashi

Yes, the older decals were classier. The body shop guys were not able to get the chrome Zen-VXi emblem as a MGP. They sourced it from JC road. Will be getting rid of the chrome emblems very soon . But, in this process Zen did get upgraded from VX to VXi .

Regarding the speedometer needle, nice observation! In the image there is slight parallax. I checked it today and the needle does not lie on the zero mark, it lies a tad lower than the zero mark but not as low as shown in the picture. Appears to be a new a development. It was not the case initially as it can be seen from the picture in post #55.

Regards,
Swamy

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by swamyzen

In the image there is slight parallax. I checked it today and the needle does not lie on the zero mark, it lies a tad lower than the zero mark but not as low as shown in the picture. Appears to be a new a development. It was not the case initially as it can be seen from the picture in post #55.

Happened with me too when I tried to repair the speedo myself. I didn't take it to the speedo repair guy as I was wary of getting dust and scratches on the speedo since no one would handle the speedo as carefully as the owner himself.

One tip: Even if the speedo guy fixes it, don't just leave the place immediately. Do a couple of 0-100 and 100-0 relaxed runs and see if the needle settles at its usual place. The hairspring below the needle is a funny thing.

Regards,
Shashi