[vigsom]

Congratulations, Harjeev Pau on your best acquisition.

I have been driving a pre-pre-owned 2007 AT for over 15 months now and completely agree with your experiences.

My guy has completed 76000kms but still rides like new. I swear by Castrol Magnatec 10w40 and the engine is butter smooth.

I have inspected the car from underneath every 3 months and see no damage , no corrosion. This one is built leagues ahead of Maruti quality.

I wouldn't recommend a K&N filter for you since you are an off-roader.

Here are a few suggestions in line:

Originally Posted by harjeev

[*]New Battery in Jan'15 Saving 4K - the battery looks like a SF Jumbo 700 ; please run the car at least twice a week else this battery will act up.

[*]The vehicle might not be as fuel efficient as one might want it to be. But even if it returns 8+KMpL, I'll be more than happy with it. You should get anywhere between 9 and 10kmpl in normal city traffic.

[*]The vehicle is simply a pleasure to drive in the city and on the highway. The pickup is great and so is the breaking efficiency. -I agree with you on the braking - this one has better brakes than my earlier all-disc Toyota Corollas

[*]The noise cancellation when the windows are shut is very good - the rubber beading between the front and rear doors(B Pillar) is one of the reasons

[*]The Music system leaves something to be desired - in fact this is one of the better sounding music systems - the most cost effective option for AUX in is to use a hi quality FM modulator

[*]Cornering is very nice - completely agree. Once,in the heat of the moment to beat a traffic light , I took a sharp U-turn at maybe 35kmph -no squealing tyres, no nervous movements , nothing.

[*]The boot space is very decent. I reckon that it can easily take 2 or even 3 full sized bags with ease -

Except a 315L fridge and my cots , I have transported all my household stuff ,neatly packed in boxes , in the GV in multiple trips , late at night , to ease the pressure on ourselves on shifting day .Yes, the stuff transported includes two wooden cabinets , my washing machine and two spilt ACs too.

The outdoor and indoor units of two 1.5Ton ACs took up all the space with the rear seats double folded
[*]I like that the information display -
you could keep the instantaneous option of km/l on as it makes you smile especially when you're cruising in 5th gear

[harjeev]

Headed to the workshop today to sort out the balance of the remaining jobs. Will update later today on the details. Main items on the list are Gear Oil, Transfer Case & Differential Oils, Brake Pads and Both Engine Mounting along with the Air & Aircon Filter.


Drove the vehicle for approx 400-450 Kms during the week, tanked up. The first Fuel Efficiency I got was 7.80 KmpL. Not too happy but anything above 8-8.5 would have been nice. Still even if it does give that much, it just make a very slight difference in the running costs. Once the Airfilter is replaced, it should improve a little bit. But as I said, anything above 8, I'm happy with that.

Originally Posted by caged_nomad

Hi Harjeev,

Congratulations on the Vitara, just one quick question about the gypsy. Did you have any trouble in transferring the ownership given the ban on 15 year old vehicles in delhi and NCR?

My Gypsy is stuck because RTO refuses to process the papers.

Thanks caged_nomad.
At the moment the ownership of the gypsy hasn't been transferred. The new owner a friend whom I've known for the past 5-6 years isn't getting it transferred. What last I heard that they're started issuing NOC's for only those vehicle which are being sold out of state (No confirmation on it though) and once done, the vehicle can be registered in other states.

Originally Posted by Twinn

Congratulation on the Grand Vitara Harjeev.

Your Gypsy was an inspiration when I started building my own. I would say the owner did get a bang for money with your Gypsy.

Thanks Amrth
Yes, I agree the restoration of the Gypsy was quite a tedious and time consuming task. Am glad its gone to a home where the new owner will take good care of it.

Does the Vitara come with the under-body armor? particularly asking because of the amount of dust in both the bay pictures.

I'm loving the interiors, also that way you have detailed and captured them.
Guessing that you used 10 MM wide angle for the shot!

Happy wheeling!

No underbody armor or protection for the vehicle at the moment. I plan to keep the vehicle absolutely stock. No upgrades, No Headers and Free Flow Exhaust. For the underbody protection, no plans for now as I have the Landcruiser which I'll surely and definitely take to places where I might think I need the protection

Yes, used the 10-20mm from Sigma for the interior shots. Not my favorite lens, but gets the job done.

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

That's a lovely vehicle there Harjeev! Am sure you have got a near virgin vehicle, if I go by the Vitara ownerships on the forum. Enjoy the tough beast. This is another off-the-beat vehicle which amuses me on the forum. The first one was a Palio 1.6 which I managed to grab recently. If God is gracious enough, one day I'll pen down an ownership on GV too.

Thanks swiftnfurious. It surely is a lovely vehicle and from the looks of it, never been abused, taken off-road (though if its done correctly, no issues with that too), I might not be very wrong to say this as well, the 4x4 would also might never been engaged.

The beauty of lateral upgrades, isn't it?!

Absolutely

Originally Posted by mayank0782

Congratulations Harjeev!!! This is drool worthy stuff. GV is a timeless beauty ! A looker ! And the fact that it did not sell well means you can get a very good deal if you buy it pre owned and thats exactly what you got !!

Wish you lots of happy miles with the Grand Vitara!!

Thanks Mayank, I think that one of the reasons it didn't sell, one low FE and second, for some reason, Maruti doesn't seem to sell vehicles which are higher than 10-11 lacs. Good for guys like us.

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

Change the position of your air freshner. In the current position it will be flung towards the passenger if the airbag deploys.

Already removed sir. That was also what came to my mind, though I thought that it might hamper and prevent the air bags deploying like they're supposed to.

Originally Posted by GoSlow

Congrats Harjeev!!

Thanks Ankit

I was very sad to see the Gypsy go, but now it all makes sense. Wonder what your son said about selling the Gypsy

The elder one was ok, but the younger one was showing all sorts of tantrums till the time he saw the Grand Vitara.

I see a good few GVs in the group in the last year or so, What made you choose the GV over a Outlander?

Very nice GV BTW and it seems the paper-work also worked out in your favor.

The paperwork sure did. I always fancied the Grand Vitara more than the Outlander, Plus I ain't sure but I believe that the Vitara is more easily serviceable than the Outlander, the GV has a Low Ratio which I'm not sure the Outlander has and in my heart, I always like the GV more.

Originally Posted by ads1485

Besides being an interesting read, this was quite an eye-opening post - I knew that Maruti-Suzuki built tough vehicles, but I had no idea they were that bulletproof!

Kudos to the previous owners also, for maintaining the vehicle as well as they did. Hope you get many more happy miles out of your latest acquisition

Thanks

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Hi Harjeev Sir,

Congrats on your new acquisition. The Vitara is one of my favourite vehicles to hit the Indian tarmac and it is very refreshing to see an ownership review of the same. Wishing you thousands of happy, safe and trouble free miles with the Vitara in the years to come.

The versatility of the Vitara is unmatched. Hope she serves you well on and off the road. Do keep the thread updated.

It was sad to see the Gypsy go, but I am glad that you retained your Land Cruiser.

Neel

Thanks Neel. The Landcruiser is staying where it is. Thought of selling it once last year, but couldn't go for it. And the GV is not as a replacement for the Landcruiser.

Originally Posted by vigsom

Congratulations, Harjeev Pau on your best acquisition.

I have been driving a pre-pre-owned 2007 AT for over 15 months now and completely agree with your experiences.

My guy has completed 76000kms but still rides like new. I swear by Castrol Magnatec 10w40 and the engine is butter smooth.

I have inspected the car from underneath every 3 months and see no damage , no corrosion. This one is built leagues ahead of Maruti quality.

I wouldn't recommend a K&N filter for you since you are an off-roader.

Here are a few suggestions in line:

Thanks Vigsom and thanks for the suggestions/ comments.

I added 10W50 on the recommendation of my friend who's the GM at Motorcraft.

Also regarding the underbody, theres no apparent rust anywhere, but I plan to get Anti Rust treatment done soon.

I've too decided to stick with the paper filter at the moment.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by harjeev

Drove the vehicle for approx 400-450 Kms during the week, tanked up. The first Fuel Efficiency I got was 7.80 KmpL
.

Add 2% to that as you are running on 235/70R16 tyres ; that makes it almost 8kmpl.

My AT returns 7kmpl in bad stop go traffic .

In moving traffic where I can do 50kmph most of the time,the max I have seen is 9.2kmpl .

These numbers are with the K&N in place .

When I was on a brand new stock air filter the average was a mere 0.3-0.4kmpl more.

Once again , requesting you to have the rolling fuel efficiency reading on and take a glance when you are cruising at 60kmph.You will love it.

[joshiviv]

Originally Posted by harjeev

Anytime Joshiviv. I'm absolutely game for it. Even if we're just 3-4 owners lets meet up. Once we share pics on teambhp, I'm sure many more would join in.

Hi Folks, The NCR GV WhatsApp group has been setup. Please PM me or Harjeev to join this group

[sridhar-v]

I did a Full-tank to Full-tank check of fuel consumption vis a vis the dash display. Found that actual fuel average consumption is 10% better than what the dash displays. Do a similar test to calibrate your unit.

[joshiviv]

I have a 2.4 L one. I get 7-8 within city (Gurgaon). 10+ on the highway (Del-Chd). Need to take it in for a service to make sure everything is clean and good i.e. spark plugs etc. They by themselves can make a 10% difference. Addition of a cruise control unit would also make a positive difference on the highway and make this car a great tourer. There's a guy who has done it with his car. http://www.suzuki-forums.com/2g-2006...trol-ebay.html but I have not been able to find the CC kit anywhere.

[harjeev]

Major Work Done @ 46362 Kms

As I'd mentioned in yesterday's post that I was off to the workshop for getting some work done.

Reached the wokshop at 10AM sharp and work was started immediately and by 1140AM the vehicle was ready. I was myself surprised that so much work was done and such a little span of time. No complaints here.

Again the Gear/ Differential Oils were not changed as they've still haven't received the oil from the supplier. This isn't some normal oil, as per what I was told by the SA. No issues, I'm happy to wait as the existing oil is in quite a decent condition.

Jobs which were attended too yesterday were as follows

• Engine Mounting (BOTH)
• Airconditioner Filter
• Air Filter
• Idler Pulley
• Tensioner Assy
• Front Stabilizer (Jumping Rod) Both (LH & RH)
• Brake Pads
• Link Rod LH & RH
• Handbrake adjustment (was very loose and didn't feel proper)

Observations

• Both the filters were in a very pathetic condition. Look at the pictures enclosed below.
• The Link Rods were also almost nearing the end of their life.
• So were the condition of the Idler Pulley and the Tensioner Bearing Assy.
• Brake Pads were also changed. One surprising thing was the brake pads had an uneven wear. Out of the four pad, two had much more life than the other two. Now I don't know whether in the past only two were changes or there is any issue with the brakes. Anyways, will check after 10K kms and take a call. At the moment, the breaking is perfect and there's no pulling either side while breaking.
• Both the Engine mounts were broken into 2 pieces. Glad I replaced them and these were the most expensive of the lot. 10K inclusive of taxes and labor.

So as of now as per the advise and discussion with the Service Advisor, just the front suspension arms is the thing remaining. The existing ones can be delayed till the next 10-12K Kms and as I don't plan to do any serious off-road with this vehicle, I've postponed the replacement for now.
After changing the above parts the vehicle is running a lot smoother, especially over uneven and bad roads.

I'm extremely happy with the kind of work done at this workshop and would advise all GV owners in Delhi/ NCR to visit Motorcraft Sahibabad for any work to be done on their vehicles. I would be taking my vehicle there only, though Maruti Service Master (Company Owned and Company Operated) is in Nariana and just 5 Kms from my house.

Enclosing pictures from yesterday with remarks.


Link Rod Replacement


Link Rods OLD


New Brake Pads Mounted


Brake Pads OLD (Look at the uneven wear)


Idler Pulley being replaced along with the tensioner assy


Changing the Engine Mounts




Old and New Engine Mount Pics









Changing The Jumping Rod Bushes



Old Tensioner Assy, Idler Puley and Jumping Rod Bushes





Air Filter


Air Conditioner Filter


Working on the Handbrake Adjustment


Some Underbody Pictures and of the workshop










Total Bill at the workshop yesterday was 29.7K.
Copy of the Bill

Originally Posted by vigsom

Add 2% to that as you are running on 235/70R16 tyres ; that makes it almost 8kmpl.

My AT returns 7kmpl in bad stop go traffic .

In moving traffic where I can do 50kmph most of the time,the max I have seen is 9.2kmpl .

These numbers are with the K&N in place .

When I was on a brand new stock air filter the average was a mere 0.3-0.4kmpl more.

Once again , requesting you to have the rolling fuel efficiency reading on and take a glance when you are cruising at 60kmph.You will love it.

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

I did a Full-tank to Full-tank check of fuel consumption vis a vis the dash display. Found that actual fuel average consumption is 10% better than what the dash displays. Do a similar test to calibrate your unit.

Originally Posted by joshiviv

I have a 2.4 L one. I get 7-8 within city (Gurgaon). 10+ on the highway (Del-Chd). Need to take it in for a service to make sure everything is clean and good i.e. spark plugs etc. They by themselves can make a 10% difference. Addition of a cruise control unit would also make a positive difference on the highway and make this car a great tourer. There's a guy who has done it with his car. http://www.suzuki-forums.com/2g-2006...trol-ebay.html but I have not been able to find the CC kit anywhere.

Changed it to rolling display of the FE. Again I'm not too concerned about the FE but still would like to get what everyone else is getting. Atleast this way I know that the vehicle is in top shape. Now I believe that the FE would slightly go up as I've replaced the Stock Air Filter yesterday only, they didn't have it in stock earlier.

The day I bought the vehicle, I drove from Gurgaon to Patel Nagar (Home), and I had reset the FE display. Surprisingly it showed a FE of 12.5 KMpL for that 25-30 Km run.
Here's a Picture



This was clicked by the passenger and no me.

Originally Posted by joshiviv

Hi Folks, The NCR GV WhatsApp group has been setup. Please PM me or Harjeev to join this group

Great. Proud to be a member of the group. Lets have a couple of more GV owners join in and then we can have a short GV drive and photo shoot in Delhi, maybe some lite off-road as well.