Long term review of Maruti 800/DX

chanu · 15th August 2009, 23:56

Hi folks I am a new bee for this forum 10 days old. Brought a maruti 800 Ac, I had a 87 maruti which was my first car and I learnt driving on it (best car for the starters) the good thing about this car is its perfect for the city driving, maneuverability, parking and maintenance. Now the negatives are lack of power brake & safety features.

I wish maruti takes competition seriously as the chevy spark proving to give a tough battle as it is empowered with power brake, power steering and claims to be as fuel efficient as marutis, having said that nothing can beat maruti in regards to its easy maintenance, availability of spares, techinicans. So I feel its the best car for urban forests as of now.

IQBAL VEERJI · 28th September 2009, 20:55

In my Maruti 800 5 Speed I can hear noise when AC is switched on and goes off when switched off. The AC was servised a month back and at that time also I was not satisfied with the cooling, it is very less and over and above the irritating compressor noise. I had brought this car second hand and when the AC was serviced by me it had about 1 kgs of dry leaves in the cooling coil ,the plastic box was full of leaves, What I feel is thecompressor might have got damaged due to obstructin in flow of cool air,Kindly suggest me a remedy.

cpyder · 29th September 2009, 00:09

My '99 model M800 is still less than 50,000 on odo. With that kind of run, its almost as good as new. Still gives me 17kmpl in city. No hiccups till date. The usual servicing etc and thats it. Got a paint job done recently for 16,000 bucks. It was driven down from Allahabad to Chennai (2000km+) in March and performed well. She would be going back the same route soon.

It still has all the original factory fitted parts except for the tyres and tail lamps.

dr.faramroze · 29th September 2009, 12:57

@Iqbal, the AC compressor bearing may have to be replaced. get the AC belt tension checked if havent.

@Chanu, the new model maruti 800 from 2004 is way different in ride quailty, stability and safety compared to its former models. Vaccuum assisted braking, MPFI makes a good change.

Maverick79 · 30th September 2009, 17:42

I too am a proud owner of this Lil Darling!!
Though it was used as a second car by my uncle who bought it in 98, the milage was around 48k when I bought it from him for 65K, in 2006, from then, I clocked till 95K and still not tiring..
Gave me a whooping 22kmpl (30% A/c) when I drove from Pune to Alwar( 150 Kms from Jaipur).
After an year, I again drove back the same route and found only a .5 Kmpl vairence but this time with 80% A/c. In between, I replaced the tyres and clutch plate.. Worn out only because my friend and my boss learned driving in this.
Replacement of clutch with service charges for this dame were charged at 1300 + 300/- from a MASS in Alwar, Rajasthan.
Only hard experiences were,
First with a 'Blue line driver

in Delhi, where he chipped off my LH tail lamp cluster and made a big dent which made a hole of 3k in my pocket -- all in just a minute..

And a second one when the Pointer failed and the vehicle stopped all of a sudden in the night on the way from Pune to Shirdi with my friends. Was forced to sleep in side till morning and took it to a nearest MASS at 10kms next morning.

Other than regular Oil changes and servecing, I incured nothing on this Dame..Will calculate the Avg cost of maintenance (as I only go to a MASS) and post again.

kannan666 · 30th September 2009, 21:47

I own a 1984 Maruti SS80 which has logged close to 1.55L kms to date ! Absolutely no problems with the engine or gearbox to date ! Not much in terms of maintenance has been spent on this gem apart from the regular servicing, regular suspension and brakes overhaul. It has been repainted once in 2001 only becuase I personally wanted a change of colour ! Still returns a mileage of around 17 to 18kms per litre in city w/o A/C and around 15 to 17kms per litre with A/C on. This car is still real fun to drive in the city and it does pretty well on the highways too !

fergus · 6th October 2009, 22:18

I have a Maruti 800 non ac 2003 model.It is my first car.Done 35,000 kms without any problems at all.Just the regular servicing after every 6000 kms.Have traveled with family on many long trips and through ghat sections as well.Longest trip done was 740 kms in a day.Low cost maintenance and good FE highway 20kpl city 18 kpl makes it great to have .Even when i upgrade do plan to keep this car.

sumeethaldankar · 7th October 2009, 09:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by kannan666

I own a 1984 Maruti SS80 which has logged close to 1.55L kms to date ! Absolutely no problems with the engine or gearbox to date ! Not much in terms of maintenance has been spent on this gem apart from the regular servicing, regular suspension and brakes overhaul. It has been repainted once in 2001 only becuase I personally wanted a change of colour ! Still returns a mileage of around 17 to 18kms per litre in city w/o A/C and around 15 to 17kms per litre with A/C on. This car is still real fun to drive in the city and it does pretty well on the highways too !

Hi
How often did you had to overhaul your brakes.I have to overhaul mine every 3-4 years.Is this issue with brakes needing overhaul common to all 800's or is it applicable to other models as well.

GTO · 7th October 2009, 16:14

Quote:

How often did you had to overhaul your brakes.I have to overhaul mine every 3-4 years.Is this issue with brakes needing overhaul common to all 800's or is it applicable to other models as well.

More important than the time is the number of kms you drive. A person who drives 50,000 kms in a year will need a brake overhaul job in the 1st year itself, while the dude who takes 3 years to complete 10,000 kms will still have good brakes. Manual transmission cars typically go through pads anywhere between the 30,000 - 40,000 mark, while most automatics require new pads every 20,000 (no engine braking).

kannan666 · 7th October 2009, 17:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Hi
How often did you had to overhaul your brakes.I have to overhaul mine every 3-4 years.Is this issue with brakes needing overhaul common to all 800's or is it applicable to other models as well.

The original ones ran for around 60K before it required an overhaul. After that, it's been done twice, once at 100K and the next time at 135K. And like GTO mentioned above, cannot go by the number of years for this one. Just for the record, the car had run only 99K from 1984 to 2000, around 40K in the next four years and only around 16K in the last five.

sumeethaldankar · 7th October 2009, 22:22

GTO,kannan666
buddy's my car has done just ~30,500 kms in 12 years ('may 97 model) and i have had overhauled the brakes for 4 times with the last one being just last week.

I have had total brake failure the 1st time i had to overhaul the brakes and am running on my 3rd set of brakes pads (again replaced just last week along with new liners).

I really fail to understand how come i have to get the brakes done so many times without the car doing too many km's.

vinu_pm · 19th November 2009, 15:57

M800 1997 May Old Model has become a garage freak now a days and the seat inclination adjusting knob broken 4-5 times and finally i spot welded it by fixing a convenient position . Even the seat railing is also become weak couple of time and the entire seat shakes now . Need to fix it, by the way my chap has done 1.16 lakh so probably all these are because of the age and usage.

This was our first new car in the family so given lot of attention and most of the time was given to MASS for servicing and other repairs . I just posted an excel in some other thread regarding the maintainance cost for last 2-3 year . I spend almost 70 K for damages :(

madmanscam · 7th July 2014, 02:36

i thought I could revive this thread. I own a 2002 Model 5 Speec MPFI AC 800 ! Absolutely love it. I havent given it for any major works other than a yearly maintenance and coolant and engine oil topups once in a way.

I want to know if I can use a K & N filter for this car and what are all the mods that can be done to this vehicle! ANy other threads that can lead me to this ?

I thought the moderation of the first 20 posts was unnecessary but now I totally second it! What can be better than having someone help you/ mentor you through the first twenty posts and direct you to already available threads. This is a great initiative...Kudos to the Moderators!!

sumeethaldankar · 8th July 2014, 05:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by madmanscam

i thought I could revive this thread. I own a 2002 Model 5 Speec MPFI AC 800 ! Absolutely love it. I havent given it for any major works other than a yearly maintenance and coolant and engine oil topups once in a way.

I want to know if I can use a K & N filter for this car and what are all the mods that can be done to this vehicle! ANy other threads that can lead me to this ?

I thought the moderation of the first 20 posts was unnecessary but now I totally second it! What can be better than having someone help you/ mentor you through the first twenty posts and direct you to already available threads. This is a great initiative...Kudos to the Moderators!!

You can put a conical k&n on the 800 as i have found it to better than the stock replacement filter.I have used both types and the conical gave a better growl but mind you i had a carb engine.

madmanscam · 27th July 2014, 10:14

I have an MPFI engine and am wondering how I can do this? Am sure we have so many experts on this topic here at TBHP. Would love to hear from them too. WIll be gifting this car to my wife and plan to pick up a GV soon. Just not able to find one in my budget.

15th August 2009, 23:56	#16
chanu Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: APX to AP 29 Posts: 1,483 Thanked: 150 Times View My Garage	Hi folks I am a new bee for this forum 10 days old. Brought a maruti 800 Ac, I had a 87 maruti which was my first car and I learnt driving on it (best car for the starters) the good thing about this car is its perfect for the city driving, maneuverability, parking and maintenance. Now the negatives are lack of power brake & safety features. I wish maruti takes competition seriously as the chevy spark proving to give a tough battle as it is empowered with power brake, power steering and claims to be as fuel efficient as marutis, having said that nothing can beat maruti in regards to its easy maintenance, availability of spares, techinicans. So I feel its the best car for urban forests as of now.
	() Thanks

28th September 2009, 20:55	#17
IQBAL VEERJI Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: SAAT BUNGLA, BAMBAI. Posts: 1,055 Thanked: 343 Times	AC Compressor noise in Maruti 800 5 Speed In my Maruti 800 5 Speed I can hear noise when AC is switched on and goes off when switched off. The AC was servised a month back and at that time also I was not satisfied with the cooling, it is very less and over and above the irritating compressor noise. I had brought this car second hand and when the AC was serviced by me it had about 1 kgs of dry leaves in the cooling coil ,the plastic box was full of leaves, What I feel is thecompressor might have got damaged due to obstructin in flow of cool air,Kindly suggest me a remedy.
	() Thanks

29th September 2009, 00:09	#18
cpyder BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 86 Thanked: 10 Times	My '99 model M800 is still less than 50,000 on odo. With that kind of run, its almost as good as new. Still gives me 17kmpl in city. No hiccups till date. The usual servicing etc and thats it. Got a paint job done recently for 16,000 bucks. It was driven down from Allahabad to Chennai (2000km+) in March and performed well. She would be going back the same route soon. It still has all the original factory fitted parts except for the tyres and tail lamps.
	() Thanks

29th September 2009, 12:57	#19
dr.faramroze BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Valsad/Mumbai Posts: 158 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	@Iqbal, the AC compressor bearing may have to be replaced. get the AC belt tension checked if havent. @Chanu, the new model maruti 800 from 2004 is way different in ride quailty, stability and safety compared to its former models. Vaccuum assisted braking, MPFI makes a good change.
	(1) Thanks

30th September 2009, 17:42	#20
Maverick79 BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Chennai Posts: 598 Thanked: 610 Times View My Garage	Another proud exp with the M800 I too am a proud owner of this Lil Darling!! Though it was used as a second car by my uncle who bought it in 98, the milage was around 48k when I bought it from him for 65K, in 2006, from then, I clocked till 95K and still not tiring.. Gave me a whooping 22kmpl (30% A/c) when I drove from Pune to Alwar( 150 Kms from Jaipur). After an year, I again drove back the same route and found only a .5 Kmpl vairence but this time with 80% A/c. In between, I replaced the tyres and clutch plate.. Worn out only because my friend and my boss learned driving in this. Replacement of clutch with service charges for this dame were charged at 1300 + 300/- from a MASS in Alwar, Rajasthan. Only hard experiences were, First with a 'Blue line driver in Delhi, where he chipped off my LH tail lamp cluster and made a big dent which made a hole of 3k in my pocket -- all in just a minute.. And a second one when the Pointer failed and the vehicle stopped all of a sudden in the night on the way from Pune to Shirdi with my friends. Was forced to sleep in side till morning and took it to a nearest MASS at 10kms next morning. Other than regular Oil changes and servecing, I incured nothing on this Dame..Will calculate the Avg cost of maintenance (as I only go to a MASS) and post again.
	() Thanks

30th September 2009, 21:47	#21
kannan666 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: KA-02 Posts: 1,003 Thanked: 131 Times View My Garage	I own a 1984 Maruti SS80 which has logged close to 1.55L kms to date ! Absolutely no problems with the engine or gearbox to date ! Not much in terms of maintenance has been spent on this gem apart from the regular servicing, regular suspension and brakes overhaul. It has been repainted once in 2001 only becuase I personally wanted a change of colour ! Still returns a mileage of around 17 to 18kms per litre in city w/o A/C and around 15 to 17kms per litre with A/C on. This car is still real fun to drive in the city and it does pretty well on the highways too !
	() Thanks

6th October 2009, 22:18	#22
fergus BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Goa Posts: 95 Thanked: 8 Times	Maruti 800 experiences I have a Maruti 800 non ac 2003 model.It is my first car.Done 35,000 kms without any problems at all.Just the regular servicing after every 6000 kms.Have traveled with family on many long trips and through ghat sections as well.Longest trip done was 740 kms in a day.Low cost maintenance and good FE highway 20kpl city 18 kpl makes it great to have .Even when i upgrade do plan to keep this car.
	() Thanks

7th October 2009, 22:22	#26
sumeethaldankar Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 3,990 Thanked: 3,445 Times View My Garage	GTO,kannan666 buddy's my car has done just ~30,500 kms in 12 years ('may 97 model) and i have had overhauled the brakes for 4 times with the last one being just last week. I have had total brake failure the 1st time i had to overhaul the brakes and am running on my 3rd set of brakes pads (again replaced just last week along with new liners). I really fail to understand how come i have to get the brakes done so many times without the car doing too many km's.
	() Thanks

19th November 2009, 15:57	#27
vinu_pm BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 139 Thanked: 10 Times View My Garage	M800 1997 May Old Model has become a garage freak now a days and the seat inclination adjusting knob broken 4-5 times and finally i spot welded it by fixing a convenient position . Even the seat railing is also become weak couple of time and the entire seat shakes now . Need to fix it, by the way my chap has done 1.16 lakh so probably all these are because of the age and usage. This was our first new car in the family so given lot of attention and most of the time was given to MASS for servicing and other repairs . I just posted an excel in some other thread regarding the maintainance cost for last 2-3 year . I spend almost 70 K for damages :( Last edited by Eddy : 19th November 2009 at 16:12.
	() Thanks

7th July 2014, 02:36	#28
madmanscam BHPian Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Bangalore Posts: 27 Thanked: 11 Times	Re: Long term review of Maruti 800/DX i thought I could revive this thread. I own a 2002 Model 5 Speec MPFI AC 800 ! Absolutely love it. I havent given it for any major works other than a yearly maintenance and coolant and engine oil topups once in a way. I want to know if I can use a K & N filter for this car and what are all the mods that can be done to this vehicle! ANy other threads that can lead me to this ? I thought the moderation of the first 20 posts was unnecessary but now I totally second it! What can be better than having someone help you/ mentor you through the first twenty posts and direct you to already available threads. This is a great initiative...Kudos to the Moderators!!
	() Thanks

27th July 2014, 10:14	#30
madmanscam BHPian Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Bangalore Posts: 27 Thanked: 11 Times	Re: Long term review of Maruti 800/DX I have an MPFI engine and am wondering how I can do this? Am sure we have so many experts on this topic here at TBHP. Would love to hear from them too. WIll be gifting this car to my wife and plan to pick up a GV soon. Just not able to find one in my budget.
	() Thanks