Sparky

[Sankar]

Jorge, go for the high security number plates. Those look very good and adheres to the standards. It would cost you 800 bucks in blr for both front & back. Car accessory shops in Koramangala should be able to get you a pair.

Imho all new cars should come fitted with these plates from the showroom. Helps a lot in standardising things in Indian traffic scene.

[BomBatt]

First of all congrats Jorge on your new Sparky !

I too am a proud owner of stunning black Sparky for 3 months now and have done around 2750 kms. I have driven in bumper2bumper traffic in B'lore, on highways, as well as on worst possible roads. I am extremely happy with my Sparky.

I advise you not to go on a long drive so early. There is something called break-in period. Since you don't have owner's manual, here are some points from my owner's manual:

BREAKING-IN
Use the following precautions for the first few hundred kilometers to improve the performance and economy of your vehicle and add to its long life:

Avoid full-throttle starts.

Allow the engine to warm up before driving.

Do not race the engine.

Avoid hard stops except in emergencies. This will allow your brakes to break-in properly.

Avoid quick starts, sudden accelerations, and prolonged high-speed driving in order to avoid damage to the engine and to conserve fuel.

Avoid full-throttle acceleration in low gear.

Do not tow any other vehicle.

Congrats once again and driving.

[Jorge]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Jorge, go for the high security number plates. Those look very good and adheres to the standards. It would cost you 800 bucks in blr for both front & back. Car accessory shops in Koramangala should be able to get you a pair.

I am not sure if it is a good idea to get the high security number plates right now. The government will make it mandatory not too far off into the future. If I jump the gun now, and the plates that I get now somehow does not adhere to rules that the government makes in the future, I will have to get a new pair made again. Since one of the holograms will be stuck onto the windshield, this could result in two holograms on the windshield.

Soon after my previous post, I got the courier from the insurance company: Royal Sundaram Alliance. There are a lot of mistakes in it. The mistake was made because of poor handwriting using a pen with thick writing, like a sketch pen. It did occur to me that the cover note was not legible and would result in mistakes in the couriered package. My mobile number is incorrect, the model is shown as LS instead of a PS, several digits of the engine number as well as the chassis number is wrong, body type is indicated to be a sedan when it should be a hatchback. Anybody know how long it takes to fix these problems?

There is no way that I am taking sparky out on the streets with improper documents . . . Sparky is still sitting at 50km on the odo I don't think that sparky will make it to 100km by the time it is time for the reassurance checkup.

Just saw your advice bombatt. Thanks. I don't think that I will be going on the long drive just yet.

[Jorge]

Sparky has done 80km now. And I have scratched both the front doors. Feels so bad . . . I knew this would happen. But it still happened despite my best efforts.

Sad part is that I do not even know when and how it happened. I took it for a drive last night, only that it happened while I was driving.

I don't think that there any frequent scratchers here, but if there are, please let me know the regularity with which one must get the scratches touched up? My dad says that if the paint goes, then that area is susceptible to getting rusted. But if I am scratching the car every week, it is unacceptable and unaffordable to get it touched up every week. So how long can I keep the scratch without touching up but at the same time avoid getting rusted?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Jorge

Sparky has done 80km now. And I have scratched both the front doors. Feels so bad . . . I knew this would happen. But it still happened despite my best efforts.

Sad part is that I do not even know when and how it happened. I took it for a drive last night, only that it happened while I was driving.

Both doors scratched in 80 kms? is it minor scratches?

[speed_devil]

Originally Posted by Jorge

But if I am scratching the car every week, it is unacceptable and unaffordable to get it touched up every week. So how long can I keep the scratch without touching up but at the same time avoid getting rusted?

Wait for the first service at 1000kms. Then get all the scratches fixed.
By that time you would have got comfortable with drving the car and wont be getting many scratches.

[govigov]

@jorge,

how many years experience do you have driving a car?

[Jorge]

@crazydriver - left door is very minor. a single scratch. The right door scratch is less minor, there are several of them. Something scraped sparky. Have reached 100km as of today. Fuel efficiency is much better than my zen I feel. Parked it in my employer's parking lot where there is security. I suspect some kid of vandalizing cars, no proof though.

@speeddevil - first service is simply a reassurance checkup, and it is going to happen well before the odo reaches 200km because of the 1 month clause. Wife and kid are at native. Bought that car mainly to drive them around. I will get the car touched up soon after they return.

@govigov - I have been driving around a maruti zen for more than 2 years now. I have scratched it aplenty. But that is a 12 year old car. I knew that in bangalore one cannot avoid getting the car scratched or even dented. If I check my flat parking lot, every car has some scratch/dent on it. And these cars are in regular use and are regularly touched up. Getz, Baleno, wagon r, esteem the whole lot. What saddens me is the fact that the scratch occurred on my second/third day of use. I wanted to be and was SO careful. I was determined to enjoy a scratch free car for just a couple of months, despite the overwhelming statistics of scratched cars all around me. But that wasn't to be so . . .

Latest update is that I have finally got the owner's manual. So all the documents (included the corrected insurance policy, which took 1 week for Royal Sundaram Alliance to make) are with me, except for the RC book.

Another thing is that Sparky has some kind of "accelerator pedal spasm". Sort of like the twitching that happens with the muscles during a muscle spasm, but this is with accelerator pedal. Not sure if this is a problem worth reporting to the mechanics at Sundaram when I go for the reassurance checkup. The customer satisfaction reports of Sundaram service in this forum is pretty bad. I am considering whether I should do the first oil change (5000km/6months) with Trident/Geeyem/German motors on my way to Kerala.

[Lord Lucan]

Originally Posted by Jorge

first service is simply a reassurance checkup, and it is going to happen well before the odo reaches 200km because of the 1 month clause. .

Dude, book the service well in advance. Due to the closure of Garuda, it is getting difficult to get service slots. My 1st service was due on 14th Jan, called Sundaram on 11th and got a slot on 31st Jan .


The good news is couple of new GM dealers will be coming up in Bangalore within two months. Vijay auto is one and the other I think is advaith.