[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

I can understand Maruti not changing anything in the Gypsy due to Army requirements. But is it too much to ask for a LHS mirror, RHS Gypsy King Sticker, Power steering and some decent tyres. A friend recently picked up a Gypsy and had to spend over a lakh on upgrades.

What was the color he opted for / got?

[Doge]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Now you are scaring me Should I just settle for a white one, while I still can?

I was also looking to replace my Wagonr with a Gyspy as my new everyday car. I was super excited and called many Maruti dealers. A few dealers refused to take my order citing that its "only available for army use" others stated that only white is available. A white car is simply unacceptable in our family as nobody likes the way they look. I did find one dealer (Rohan motors Delhi I think) who agreed to accept my booking for either white, silver or blue with a promise of a white car in a month and a few more month for other colors in hard top version. So it is available in other colours!
Unfortunately for me, apart dad, no one seemed to like the bare bones gypsy and we had to drop it and go for an ecosport. This was around six or so months back so I'd say you stick with your blue(?) booking. A gyspy in blue looks amazing and is very rare, I think I've only seen one yet.

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

What was the color he opted for / got?

He could not / did not opt for any colour. He got the default white.

[petrolhead_neel]

Following this wonderful thread. Thanks a lot to all the contributors!

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

I can understand Maruti not changing anything in the Gypsy due to Army requirements. But is it too much to ask for a LHS mirror, RHS Gypsy King Sticker, Power steering and some decent tyres. A friend recently picked up a Gypsy and had to spend over a lakh on upgrades.

Can you please share the details about the modifications he made? Did he get a power steering setup?

Neel

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by Doge

...so I'd say you stick with your blue(?) booking. A gyspy in blue looks amazing and is very rare, I think I've only seen one yet.

Thanks Doge. I will hold my ground for as long as I can, unless Maruti raises their hands and tell me to go for a white or cancel the order I was wondering if I can go to the consumer court, if they do so. After all, they have "Dolphin Blue" as a color option on their official website and the dealer has accepted my booking in this color

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

He could not / did not opt for any colour. He got the default white.

Sorry, I did not get this. Did he want another color but did not get it or was he interested in white right from the beginning?

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Can you please share the details about the modifications he made? Did he get a power steering setup?

Nothing major. Just the following:
1. Power Steering from a Suzuki Jimmy
2. Brazilian Rims
3. Tyres
4. Shackle lift to accommodate the new tyres

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Sorry, I did not get this. Did he want another color but did not get it or was he interested in white right from the beginning?

He was not decided on what colour he wanted so he asked at the showroom. They told him only white was available and it was a case of take it or leave it.

[amrisharm]

Originally Posted by Vikram Arya

Greetings fellow Gypsy lovers!



Nevertheless I have already started the process & have ordered a few spares from Amazon (these were for the SJ-413 that was marketed here till 1995 but both are essentially the same vehicles barring the short wheelbase, electronic fuel injection and some other minor differences).

So far I have bought:
Oil filters: Bosch 3330 – 10
Spark plugs: NGK BKR6EGP – 8
Air filter: Wix 46235 – 2
Wiper blades: RainX 12” – 2 pairs

I’m also contemplating to procure the following:
Clutch plate assembly – 1
Sparkplug wires – NGK SE 76 – 1 set
Front & rear shocks – Bilstein – 1 complete set
Steering stabilizer – 1
Clutch, accelerator, hood release – 1 cable set each
Fab belt - 1


Let’s have a conversation fellas…

Hi there great effort. But I just have a query. I know spare parts that are made of rubber and plastic parts, or parts which have a mix of metal and plastic/rubber, they tend to have an expiry date. Usually about 3 years(according to manufacturers). So wont those parts expire? For example, the oil filter that you have bought probably has rubber seals in them. So over the years, say 4-6 years may get brittle and crack and not serve the purpose. Same may be the case with fan belts and wipers.

Can anyone provide expert advice on this?

[Ramon]

This is what the Gypsy Brochure on the Maruti Suzuki site has to say about the colour options.

[Vikram Arya]

Originally Posted by amrisharm

Hi there great effort. But I just have a query. I know spare parts that are made of rubber and plastic parts, or parts which have a mix of metal and plastic/rubber, they tend to have an expiry date. Usually about 3 years(according to manufacturers). So wont those parts expire? For example, the oil filter that you have bought probably has rubber seals in them. So over the years, say 4-6 years may get brittle and crack and not serve the purpose. Same may be the case with fan belts and wipers.

Can anyone provide expert advice on this?

Very good observation indeed.

I plan to keep the filters shrink wrapped so as to prevent ingress of dust, debris & moisture. I think they should last at least 5 years. I plan to change my filters every 5,000 kms so these should be good for 5 years if the annual usage is in the range of 10,000 kms. The paper element in the filter can be susceptible to mould/fungus if you live in an environment which is overtly humid so storage is the key. The gasket has some amount of natural rubber but if stored properly by keeping it away from moisture, elevated temperatures & dust I don’t see why they wouldn’t last at least 5 years. I actually spoke to a few enthusiasts out here & they confirmed 5 to 6 years is normal.

Wipers on the other hand have a much higher percentage of natural rubber that can break down relatively faster. I have a few pairs in my garage that I had bought 4 years ago and these are holding out well so I would say 2 to 3 years for wipers. In any case one should change wiper blades every six months, they are comparatively inexpensive and can get frayed edges in the harsh and dusty environment and thereby can scratch your windscreen. My two pairs should be good for a year.

My wife bought her truck in 2008 so it is 8 year old now with over 140,000 kms & the fan belt is still holding out. Please note that it is exposed to wide temperature fluctuations as the temperature dips to -35C in winter and goes up to 30C in summer. I would say that that fan belt should last at least 4 to 5 years if stored properly.

Now all this is based on my prior experience & people may have different experiences on account of varying environmental/storage conditions. Hope this helped.

[starter]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

Starter here got a red one around the same time though, I don't know how he pulled that off.

Originally Posted by cool_dube

I'd say. Here is the relevant post.

Starter - please share your experience, and any tips, if you can.

Dear Sawyer, cool_dube,
I was also told that White would be the easiest to get.
If you are ready to wait a while longer, you would be able to get it in a shade other than white.
In '09, i had to get in touch with a few people in Maruti who helped me in getting it in Red.
I had to sell mine due to some personal reasons and parking issues.
I tried to get one again in '14 and waited for 6 months and was OK to accept one in white, but i could not get it. Apparently, some bulk order from the army that Maruti had to deliver upon.
So, i wish you good luck
Cheers,
Deepak

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Vikram Arya

So far I have bought:
Oil filters: Bosch 3330 – 10
Spark plugs: NGK BKR6EGP – 8
Air filter: Wix 46235 – 2
Wiper blades: RainX 12” – 2 pairs

I’m also contemplating to procure the following:
Clutch plate assembly – 1
Sparkplug wires – NGK SE 76 – 1 set
Front & rear shocks – Bilstein – 1 complete set
Steering stabilizer – 1
Clutch, accelerator, hood release – 1 cable set each
Fab belt - 1

This is complete overkill and absolutely not required. Why are you wasting time & money stocking up on parts for a car still in production?

1. You are guaranteed of Gypsy spare parts for the next 10 years at least. Considering that the Gypsy is still going to be in production for another couple of years, I'd probably expect parts to be available for 15 years, if not 20.

2. Some parts (especially those made of rubber) will age with time. I'd rather buy a fresh fan belt than one stored for 7 years.

I drive a 4x4 that's been out of production for 16 years, and still have no problem with the parts. Take it easy, buddy .

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

Nothing major. Just the following:
1. Power Steering from a Suzuki Jimmy
2. Brazilian Rims
3. Tyres
4. Shackle lift to accommodate the new tyres

Could you please share some pics of the Gypsy post these changes, if possible?

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

He was not decided on what colour he wanted so he asked at the showroom. They told him only white was available and it was a case of take it or leave it.

The wide spectrum of dealer awareness (or rather lack of it) when it comes to Gypsy, is quite intriguing to say the least

Originally Posted by Ramon

This is what the Gypsy Brochure on the Maruti Suzuki site has to say about the colour options.

Right - and if you look at their website, you will not see Harvest Green at all. And my dealer started off with telling me that Airforce Blue is another available color

[Shubhendra]

For color debate, just to let every one know that there were half dozen green gypsies delivered in Rajasthan few days back.
But yes, only two colors (green & white), green (harvest green) is still being used by BSF which is different and is being used by guides in national parks.

And for parts, calm down mate i hope you are not preparing for apocalypse.......
Gypsy is still in production and parts can be ordered through any MGP shops.


Shubhendra

[Amrik Singh]

Why are we becoming so hyper about availability of spares in distant times ?

Remember the Cars that are Vintage today were Hand Crafted and manufactured in small quantity. Yet they are maintained and that is what adds to its Value.

Now-a-days, the Cars are manufactured in large numbers and even when a model is discontinued, most of the components remain unchanged and become a part of the next model. No Car manufacturer builds a newer model from scratch.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by Shubhendra

For color debate, just to let every one know that there were half dozen green gypsies delivered in Rajasthan few days back.
But yes, only two colors (green & white), green (harvest green) is still being used by BSF which is different and is being used by guides in national parks.

So Army orders (harvest) green, air force orders (Airforce) blue, government offices order white. Does anyone know which agency / organization orders (Dolphin) blue? Is it the Navy?

I am wondering what does it take to produce a vehicle in another color. I can understand that the number of Gypsy orders is very low and it makes perfect business sense to wait till a minimum number of orders is accumulated before the assembly lines are powered up! I am not asking them to produce my Gypsy as soon as my order is received. However, what beats me is that why so much hue and cry over the color?! Let's say the 'threshold' to start production is 100 (for the sake of argument) and of these 100, 98 are white/green and 2 are in other colors. If they are anyways prepping up paint booths for the whites and greens, can they not do so for these other colors as well. Is that so cost intensive?

Sorry about the rant here - hope you guys can understand my frustration! Maybe someone with better insight into the automobile production process can shed some light on this