A Swift Shift: Hydra's Hatch II

[vkochar]

That is one problem with the Swift's huge Bumpers & wide body, Scratches come easily.

But this is not as bad as it looks, a good rub off job should erase 80% of those marks.

Now the run in period is over ( I always leave a scratch & dent on my car, I feel its Luck )

[hydrashok]

UPDATE: 1st Service completed!

I got the 1st service done yesterday. The car had done 930kms (in 20 days). I'm planning a trip to Trivandrum this sunday (about 500kms round-trip from Kochi), so I thought I'd better get the 1st service done before I go.

I called the MASS (EVM Maruti) and fixed an appointment 3 days back. They called me back the day-before-yesterday and conformed the appointment. I gave the car for service at 9.30AM. There are no issues as such, except for the scratch in the bumper (and fender) and a persistent rattle in the rear-seat (gets worse of somebody is travelling in the rear-seat). They promised delivery at 2.30PM.

I went over to collect the car at 2.00PM and the car was already ready, washed and all. They had done a pretty good job on the front bumper. The scratches are evident only when we look closely. A very small part (about 0.5cm long) of the fender had a deep scratch and that part was touched-up. But they'd rubbed it well, so it can't be seen at all. The rattle was fixed. I paid Rs.698.00 for the oil change and the oil filter. Drove out by 2.15PM.

I wasn't charged any surprise figures/items and I got delivery on time. That's all I ask. Thank you! Please do the same next time (and every other time), EVM!

Over three full-tank to full-tank refills (since I took delivery of the car) at the same pump and same dispenser, I'm getting an average of just under 12.5kmpl. Not bad.

Some Mini-Mods
1) Headlight-bulb upgrade: I upgraded the stock headlights to Osram Nightbreakers (H4, 60/55). I had 100/80 Philips RALLYEs on the Palio, and the Osrams are almost as good. They claim 90% more light and 10% whiter light than ordinary 60/55s. I must say their claim holds up. I could test them with about an hour of night driving (mostly city, just a bit of highway).

The light is much brighter and better defined in dim-mode. Objects on the road are illuminated very well. The area of light is also very well-defined, with the borders of the light very evident, and cut-off almost surgically. The light is almost as bright as the 100/80s I was used to, and the light is indeed a bit whiter than the stock H/Ls. All this at the same wattage as stock.

In high-mode, the throw is longer (than stock), and the illumination of far-off objects is excellent. However, illumination of the area right in front of the car is poorer than stock. But then, the driving-lights/puddle-lights do a great job of lighting up this area, so I have no issues there. I did not upgrade the bulbs in the driving lights.

I took a while to decide on these, as they are actually a bit more expensive than a pair of 100/80s with a relay. But because these are of stock wattage, they are plug-n-play: No relay needed. One issue here is that if one bulb blows, I'll need to buy a pair as replacement - these are available only in pairs. But then, the risk of these blowing is much lesser than 100/80s. And, these (supposedly) generate lesser heat than the 100/80s, so the life of the headlight dome (blackening issues) is much less, as against 100/80s.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with the light-upgrade.

2) Horn upgrade: I had Hella Redgrills in my Palio, and I was missing their sound, and the way they would magically create a path in front of me, when confronted with a wall of slow-moving 2-wheelers and 3-wheelers. I gat a pair of Redgrills installed yesterday. Got them installed with a BOSCH relay. I thought the sound would intrude a lot into the cabin (as the sound from the stock horns does), but the sound inside the cabin is just as much as the stock horns.

3) Armrest between front seats: I didn't really need this item, and I was debating in my mind about them, when I got to sit in a Swift with these installed, at my installers'. I liked the fact that I could rest my elbow on it, and the additional bit of storage space inside. I'd seen an MGA Armrest at the MASS, and the armrest I got from my car accessories shop is of the same quality. Installation is a snap. This thing slots right into the rear-cupholder, and is secured there with a couple of screws.

As usual, all this was done at Emperor, Palarivattom. And as usual, they did a great job installing all this.

[vkochar]

Nice update there Ashok. Can we see a pic of the car after the Touch up job.

And yes the Armrest is considered unimportant, but once you get used to it, there is nothing better than this on long trips. Should be made standard on all cars.

[Technocrat]

3) Armrest between front seats: I didn't really need this item, and I was debating in my mind about them, when I got to sit in a Swift with these installed, at my installers'. I liked the fact that I could rest my elbow on it, and the additional bit of storage space inside. I'd seen an MGA Armrest at the MASS, and the armrest I got from my car accessories shop is of the same quality. Installation is a snap. This thing slots right into the rear-cupholder, and is secured there with a couple of screws.

Can you pleas posta pic of this, thanks

[Mushroomz]

Nice thread.. Hydra, congratulations on your new car. It seems like you are really enjoying everyday with her. Make sure equal time is given to your car and your fiance. lol.

Bad with the front bumper brushes but glad to know that they are off now and it all looks neat and clean again.

Seems like everyone is waiting for you to get your car ICE'd. Its made me more excited and I too am waiting for the same.

Hope to hear about it soon. And yes, please keep throwing updates at us.

Cheers !!

[menonrajesh]

Anoop, please post the pic of the armrest.
It sounds a good option, especially on long drives.
Do you feel a bit congested in your seat due to this, by any chance?

[hydrashok]

Thanks, guys!

Here's a pic of the bumper after the rubbing-job.


Here are some pics of the armrest:

...

...

...

...
Sorry about the shake on the last one. As you can see, it does intrude quite a bit into (the already tight) rear seat space. I don't think anybody can sit in the middle (of the rear seat) with this thing installed. That slot you see in the back of the arm-rest is for a pop-out cup-holder. I forgot to take pics of that, sorry!

The armrest did intrude a sight bit with gearshifts yesterday and today. But not by much. And it is just a matter of getting used to it. Feels like a welcome addition. I have a bit of driving to do on sunday, so I'll really know how much difference it will make in comfort.

[Technocrat]

Thanks for sharing the pics.

The rubbing has been done nicely.

The arm rest looks nice, can it store something inside it besides the rear cup holder?

How much does this cost?

[speedzak]

Nice accessories you've got. Well done.
I installed Osram offroaders in place of Philips rally last week and I'm also impressed with those.
And Emperor is still the best in town for any accessory job. I pray they live long.

[hydrashok]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

The arm rest looks nice, can it store something inside it besides the rear cup holder?

Yep.


It now stores a mobile-charger, a pair of RayBans in their pouch, the HU's remote and a couple of folded-up thin cloth bags (for supermarket visits). There's space for some more stuff. There's also a wide coin slot (which needs a bit of velvet to be stuck on the plastic, to prevent the coins from rattling).

I've PMd you

[vkochar]

That's a nice touch up job there Ashok. Guys did a good job at the service centre.

And that Arm rest looks really neat, looks like stock from the front angle. How much did this cost you ?

[SumitB]

Could you not make the price of the armrest public for us poor souls?

[PatienceWins]

The arm rest looks great and the storage inside is an added bonus. But it looks like the extension is not much to rest the arm comfortably.

If you do not mind, share the price of the bulb. I am impressed with the bulb.

The rubbing job by Maruthi is great. I am not happy with the touch up done at Hyundai A.S.S. They should learn from Maruthi.

Great going Ashok!!

[JayD]

Hey!Nice work. The armrest looks good. need one for my NHC.

Originally Posted by speedzak

And Emperor is still the best in town for any accessory job. I pray they live long.

Yeah! And stop behaving like cave men!!!

[speedzak]

Originally Posted by JayD

Yeah! And stop behaving like cave men!!!

Amen!
It's a matter of little quality time spent to understand each other. Ask our very own ASHOK about that.