Swift - The Upgrade Dilemma!!

[gaganharsh]

Hello Folks,
Here's my First Thread/Post!!

Acquired a Silky Silver Swift VXi (without ABS –) in Mar’07 for 4.47 lacs (OTR, Chennai). Till date have managed to hit 30k on ODO in the past 30 months which translates to about 1k/month on an average. The running has been quite low because of frequent trips abroad that I had to undertake totaling to about 10 months since this prized acquisition of mine. This is my second car, the first being a Santro Xing XL (used by Parents in Delhi). The car has served like a faithful buddy barring couple of scary experiences (read really close saves) courtesy some very careless truckers on the highways. The first such instance made me realize the importance of ABS.

The ownership experience has been quite satisfying so far with my Swifty; primary use being the daily commute to office (a run of about 15 kms daily) and weekends trip to Mahabalipuram/PondyCherry on the much travelled and talked about East Coast Road (ECR) and once in two months dash between Chennai and Bangalore.

The FE that I have been experiencing for the past one year is 11.8-12.4 kmpl (city use with 100% AC on) with Shell Super Fuel 100% of the times and tank full to tank full method (using auto-cut).

No major issues till date. The minor issues (apart from a fused indicator bulb) that I have experienced are:

1. Rattling from Doors/windows and the Dashboards
2. Reverse does not engage well as compared to the forward ones
3. The AC cooling being in-effective off late. Consulted MASS and was told that its usual to have a AC service (chargeable to customer) @ around 30k/3 years for the AC which will cost me abt 3k. Any help on this one would be appreciated!!

Needles to say that #1 & #2 have remained un-resolved even after multiple visits to MASS (CARS India, Adyar) and I see that these issues are common to almost all the swift on TBHP.

So, overall a pretty satisfying experiencing with the Swift.

[emkay456]

reg a/c my suggestion would be get it inspected from a third party a/c specialist shops. You cannot rule out compressor becoming weak.

[GTO]

You want my honest suggestion? KEEP THE SWIFT! The hatch has so obviously served you well, the single current issue seems to be the air-con cooling effectiveness. Well, that's the easiest to fix.

Somehow, I'm getting the feeling that you are bored with the car. Whenever your car is going through a mid-life crisis, a couple of mods can bring the smile back on your face. A performance exhaust, nice alloys + wheels, hey you could even get a race dynamics piggy back for more power! If budget permits, throw in some nice ICE too. I got my Vtec souped up a little time back (Related thread (REPORT with PICS: Refurbishing my OHC Vtec. And some mild performance mods!)); 7 year running and she doesn't fail to get me excited on every drive out.

Let us know what you think of this suggestion. If at all you do upgrade, go lateral (as in lateral upgrade). Sell new car early = buy used. Whatever you lose in depreciation on a 2.5 year old car, you can make up with a another pre-owned deal.

[gaganharsh]

Thanks GTO, as always you seem to have a pretty sensible (read wise) advice/suggestion. However, there are a few other factors which I drafted in this initial post but somehow, that has ended up as a new thread altogether .

Is there a way to merge these to keep the complete initial post. I think yes, I am bored with the hatch and something like alloys with new set of wheels may make it a bit more exiciting. You have got me thinking for sure

[gaganharsh]

Originally Posted by emkay456

reg a/c my suggestion would be get it inspected from a third party a/c specialist shops. You cannot rule out compressor becoming weak.

Thanks emkay!! I think I generally stick to MASS for anything and everything for this hatch but I guess should explore some good car AC repair/service shop.

In the meanwhile, here are some more details, hoping to elaborate on the issue: The blower speed has become slow (I mean out of the 1,2,3,4 fan speed options) I used to use 1 or 2 most of the time but nowadays anything lower than 4 makes me perspire!! Also, at times, there is some water coming inside the car cabin from underside of the front passenger side of the dashboard. Does it mean something is kind of "Clogged"?

[d_himan]

I have a '06 Oct Swift Vxi and am in a similar situation! Almost 35K done, and except for door/dash rattling, tail lamp conking, its been a faithful puppy. Everytime I get a bit bored, I mod it - babystep by babystep! Two major ones here:

Mod 1: Michelin XM1 Energy + tyres on stock rims. I was terrified of the skinny OEM JKs after I did a 180 degree turn on a public road unintentionally! Much improved ride quality and much lower tyre roar.

After a while, I tried searching for used Skoda RSs/Elantra CRDis but could never get hold of good examples. It was extremely time consuming too so I gave up.

Mod 2: ICEing in stages. Component speakers first. Followed by a 4 Channel Amp and a Sub. Solved all rattling issues and is a worthwhile investment if you commute regularly and like music. Plus, I can plonk it in my next car if required.

Also, I keep changing Engine Oil/Air Filter whenever I feel like! Its wonderful what such little things can do - the engine becomes so much smoother.

Now, planning to put in do a Headers + FFE job. Why? Just for kicks...was initially planning to sell the Swift and upgrade to a D-Segment sedan. Then realized if I'm happy with this mod for a year more, I'll save a lot of dough!

All the best for cracking your AC problem! I'd prefer a good independent AC specialist to a MASS anyday.

[Epic]

Hi guys,

I own a Dec 2005 Swift Vxi and it will complete 04 years this Dec but I must say, I have never ever got bored of this car. To tell you the truth, this is without a shadow of doubt; the BEST hatch available in India and definitely has the BEST handling compared to anyother hatch so far! The only mods I have done are the wheels (15" OZ Racing rims with 205/55/R15 S-Drives) and the ICE.

We are planning to buy a new and bigger car and my Dad is coaxing me to sell the Swift for the same but Ive told him just one thing; "Buy a new car or not, I ain't gonna sell this baby".

@gagan - With regards to your A/C issue. The MASS guys are right as at 40k kms (they may have suggested yours to be earlier as your usage is more. I have done 47k kms in almost 04 yrs), a major service has to be done which includes full A/C service, changing of spark plugs, injector cleaning, de-cabonizing the engine, etc. Please do not ignore this service as it can void warranty incase of A/C or A/C compressor faliure.
The squeaks & rattles are a very common issue with Swifts but have always been solved by MASS in my case.

[diwa]

Originally Posted by gaganharsh

3. The AC cooling being in-effective off late. Consulted MASS and was told that its usual to have a AC service (chargeable to customer) @ around 30k/3 years for the AC which will cost me abt 3k. Any help on this one would be appreciated!!

Needles to say that #1 & #2 have remained un-resolved even after multiple visits to MASS (CARS India, Adyar) and I see that these issues are common to almost all the swift on TBHP.

Go meet Mr.Raghu CARS, India Kotivakkam. I just did my Swift AC service (55 Kms) and its working perfectly. PM if you require any help.

[StreetAddict]

Originally Posted by gaganharsh

1. Rattling from Doors/windows and the Dashboards

Swift's panels are notoriously known for their build quality. I believe a bit of damping should be helpful to get rid of those

[gaganharsh]

Originally Posted by StreetAddict

Swift's panels are notoriously known for their build quality. I believe a bit of damping should be helpful to get rid of those

Well, in my case I have a Santro as well this Swift and in camparison to the Santro the rattles and similar issues have been pretty low, which I guess justifies its premium hatch segmentation.

Originally Posted by diwa

Go meet Mr.Raghu CARS, India Kotivakkam. I just did my Swift AC service (55 Kms) and its working perfectly. PM if you require any help.

Thanks Buddy, so far I have been getting the hatch sevriced @ CARS India Adyar. But I will definitely check this one out probably coming Sat.

Originally Posted by Epic

Hi guys,

We are planning to buy a new and bigger car and my Dad is coaxing me to sell the Swift for the same but Ive told him just one thing; "Buy a new car or not, I ain't gonna sell this baby".

@gagan - With regards to your A/C issue. The MASS guys are right as at 40k kms (they may have suggested yours to be earlier as your usage is more. I have done 47k kms in almost 04 yrs), a major service has to be done which includes full A/C service, changing of spark plugs, injector cleaning, de-cabonizing the engine, etc. Please do not ignore this service as it can void warranty incase of A/C or A/C compressor faliure.
The squeaks & rattles are a very common issue with Swifts but have always been solved by MASS in my case.

Originally Posted by d_himan

I have a '06 Oct Swift Vxi and am in a similar situation! Almost 35K done, and except for door/dash rattling, tail lamp conking, its been a faithful puppy. Everytime I get a bit bored, I mod it - babystep by babystep!

All the best for cracking your AC problem! I'd prefer a good independent AC specialist to a MASS anyday.

Thanks Epic and D-himan, guys like you inspire me to continue with this hatch for longer. But, another variable in my case is that I have taken the car with the "Company Lease" option which saves me some tax (as the EMI is deducted pre tax) and then I save tax on the fuel, maintenance and insurance bills as well.

Hence, once these EMIs are over I will have to shell out additional tax to the tune of about approx 6k per month. And this is one big factor that is kind of pushing me towards upgrading to a sedan or may be going for another Swift (probably ZXI this time but the car has become a bit dated now)