The car had completed close to 58000Kms a month back. At that stage the car was clearly not in the best condition. There were rattles emanating from everywhere. Brakes from Brembo were squealing under hard braking. The brake feedback was very poor and I was getting a metallic sound on applying after cold start. The brake pressure seemed weak. I was no longer enjoying the drive like I used to. To add to my misery my existing headunit had connectivity issues for pairing with mobile phone and it was a big hindrance in the listening experience. So that was the point when I realised the car needed some work. The question was where to start considering I couldn't splurge more than a lac all of a sudden so I needed to go step by step and get the car into a good shape in 6 months time frame. And more importantly who was going to do the work
. I was not happy with my previous service @ Vijayachandra on Bannarghetta road.
I learnt the hard way that while owning the Cedia, its very important to anticipate the parts you may need for the upcoming service
. These parts can be procured from Amayama / Boodomo and they are quite dependable in terms of matching order with a specific part number. One needs to stock some parts as per the schedule of the service given in the owners manual. Never try for used parts unless you are sure from where its coming. I was fortunate enough to touch base with one Mr Prashant from Cedians united who gave me some useful tips on replacement parts.
SERVICE
I went to the service centre for a Suspension and the brake job. For Brakes it was found that my existing brakes from Brembo has caused some uneven wear on my discs and I was not at all happy with the brake feedback and the bite I was getting. On reaching the Brembo distributor he told me about their new brake pads which are made of Ceramic. As per his recommendation I decided to give it a try . Got them within 3 days of ordering. The brake discs were also machined to get an even surface.
On the suspension front, the lower arm bushes needed a change and I sourced an aftermarket brand RBI. They seemed fairly reliable from fellow Cedia owners experience. Its no match for the OE part which would take more time to source and I wasn't having that luxury.
Apart from the suspension and brake jobs, my previous install of Air Filter had gone bust as the who assembly was hanging. I was lucky. I can imagine what would have happened if any kind of solid matter entered the throttle body. Moreover with the Conical filter directly installed with no inlet pipe for direct cold air from the front, I felt car was loosing its power when revving hard. So got half of the OE air intake and did a jugad fixing so that the air to the intake manifold is not hot. Drive felt much better.
My struts also needed a change. Since the cost of OE replacement from KYB comes to approximately 30K for all the front and rear, I am toying around with the idea of Tein Street or Blistein B4. Am yet to get the suspension part. Its been ordered and will arrive in December.
FLUID CHANGE
Since I had done some basic work which got my car into a reasonable state, I decided to get all the fluids changed in my car ie.,
1) Engine Oil - Mobil 1 0W40*
2) Brake Fluids - STP
3) Power Steering Fluid - STP
4) Radiator Coolant - WURTH*
*Used LIQUIMOLY Radiator and Engine flush prior to refilling.
After completing the brake bleeding my braking action has improved significantly. Earlier the fluids were all full but somehow now its more re assuring. Engine note felt a tad crisper. Too hard to notice the difference from the earlier oil which was Shell Helix Ultra 5W40.
Did this job @ Bay6, Bangalore. Run by a Car Aficionado, its a great place to take your car. The promoter gives a very unbiased opinion. TYRE
After the completion of the service the car needed a better footwear as the existing front tyres were old and has developed a lil crack. When going over I replaced the front ones with the Continental UC6. Initial impressions are good.
Did this job @ Tyre Point,Adugodi, Bangalore. ICE
The JVC EXAD AVX2 was swapped with another JVC media player and I was blown with the quality of the sound for the buck. It was truly a great addition to my sound experience. Going forward I would need to damp the interior well and get the rear speakers replaced and the front components powered by an AMP. For the time being am saving for my mechanical mods. So this can wait another 6 months.
Did this job @ Autoplanet, Koramangala. ADDING SHORTLY....
Complete Exhaust including the header has been ordered Hope I complete all this before December when I will be getting my suspension :-).
NEXT MAINTAINENCE SERVICE
1) Head Gasket Seal change
2) Timing belt & tensioner pulley
NEXT MOD PLANNED
Remap to suit the new additions ie., Free flow header & Air Intake
Post the service, I was wanting to do a lil bit of detailing myself but due to lack of space I couldn’t do it. Luckily we had to plan a sudden visit to home town and I did get the space and time. As far as detailing is concerned, I have gone the simple way which one can easily do in around 2 Hrs. Note the detailing that can earn one a medal but something one can easily do every 3 months. Pidilite WD40 was used as an agent to get the aggressive dirt’s off. All the fluid caps have been detailed too. A simple soft Sensodyne toothbrush has been used for agitating the accumulated dirt.
I did add couple of cosmetic enhancers. The gearknob & Double layered leather wrap by Devraj @ JC Road Bangalore did do wonders to the driving experience. The drivers seat feels a lil more sportier than what it used to be.
That’s it from my end, Now I will do the pictures do the talking.