[TheSandman]

My calculations show near identical running (EMI&Fuel) costs for both vehicles, what is up for debate is the maintenance costs.

Any one has any inputs on my questions about diesel maintenance?

[neofromcapone]

Originally Posted by neofromcapone

Please have a look at the grid. I have only factored in the fuel cost. please add your emi (if taking a car loan for it).
you may also add the expected maintenance cost, incase of the Chevy Beat, you pay 17,500 for 45,000 kms or 3 years, all inclusive maintenance plan.

I opted for the Figo TDCi for the space over the Beat,
If I were single or had a bigger car, I would have gone for the Beat.
Average is based on my expectation in Bombay City traffic.

The Chevy Beat All inclusive maintenance plan - Chevrolet Commitments & Promises on Different Car Models.
covers all everything for 3 years or 45,000 kms, even replacement of wipers, clutch, parts, everthing except for Tyres, battery and accidental damage.

Check with your dealer, I had a good experince with Ashtivinayak Andheri. and Nikhil Auto opp passport office worli.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by neofromcapone

10 is what I am getting on the Eeco, Carboy, sending you a PM for the details to change my cng average.

It's not just me, most other people on TBHP who have CNG are getting a far higher average on CNG than on petrol. This has been discussed on various threads on CNG in TBHP.

[Dhanu@DJ]

Also if I'm not mistaken, you cant switch off a diesel engine immediately, there's something to do with the turbo; so does this also equate to not being able to switch off the engine frequently at traffic lights?

It's both yes and no. Yes it is not recommended to turn of turbo diesels after spirited and highway runs but it is perfectly fine to turn them of if duration of Idle wait is more than 90 seconds or so. Also as you will be using 100% AC and diesel consumption at idle is relatively low inherently from the high kmpl figures.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post2609709


So based on some reading on the forum, parts that can need replacing are (higher probability than on a petrol car) turbo, injector, timing belts, water pump, fuel pump, crank seal, tensioner, idler pulleys etc.
Granted the repair bills of the Beat will be no where near some of the exorbitant bills folks with Hyundai’s and Skoda’s have incurred, it’s still a slightly unsettling feeling.

The multijet engine is known for it's reliability inherently from it's superior technology. I do not expect lot of engine related repairs with in 150k kms. As i also have a WagonR which as done 66K and have few Swift DDiS in family circle which with a similar technology engine that have done 100k kms without any engine work.

So your comprehension of diesel costing lot more to maintain is UN-warranted. It would be about 30% more because of more technology, weight and torque leading to faster tyre wear and break pad wear than their petrol siblings.

Now I might be completely wrong, but my assumption from experience my experience with my LPG Esteem is that a petrol car running on gas will not entail as much “risk”.

To some extent correct as we used couple of M 800 for 1 lac kms each on LPG but not entirely true.

The requirement being for a commuter car reliability and cost of ownership are high up there on my list of requirements.

Are my fears at all justified? The car will be a long term affair and not something I will dispose off in a few years.

If you wish to keep the car for a longer duration and if you want beat to share some of the highway run from your esteem where it will give you superior mileage throwing in some more saving then beat would be ideal choice. So the choice would be based on the break even time you need to recover the extra cost you put in on a deisel over and above WagonR CNG. if you are looking at keeping the car for more than 4 yrs with abot 1K to 1.5k run every month. Go for Beat diesel there is nothing much to look in service cost and maintenance cost. Now i have an Innova and a WagonR running cost and maintenace cost of Innova is about 25% less than that of WagonR. So one can not ignore that Rs. 25-30 difference in fuel price. Both cost me about 3K each for every 10K kms for 2 services.

I have driven beat diesel WagonR LPG( we do not have CNG down south here). Drive-ability and city runabouts in both cars are comparable with beat being bit better in the back seat comfort and a lot superior handling in twisty and highway handling compared WagonR. Only thing that you need factor in is are you

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by TheSandman

My calculations show near identical running (EMI&Fuel) costs for both vehicles, what is up for debate is the maintenance costs.

Any one has any inputs on my questions about diesel maintenance?

Practically speaking, the WagonR will have a lesser drop in FE; the 2/3 normalisation will work out to about 3/4 when running on CNG. And I don't understand why you need to run 150 km per mo. on petrol.

As to maintenance costs for the Beat diesel, well, factor in the need to change diesel filter, and preferably change engine oil a little earlier than one would in a petrol/CNG vehicle... it would prove maybe 30% more expensive to maintain. But as opposed to others' advice, I wouldn't take the buzzbox diesel out on the highway. At 3000 rpm/100 km, it does get quite tiresome.

[himanshusharma]

Hey i am also planning to get Sequential kit in my K Series Swift(2011).
Can someone suggest good installers of sequential kit as what i have learned from various posts that this kit require a good installer.
So please share the contact no. of a place from where i can get this job done in delhi.
Or if someone has already done sequential kit in swift (k series engine) please share your experience.

[anshul_babbar]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

My folks are located near the BRT in delhi (google up about it). My mom's alto's clutch packs up roughly in 10k km - of course, she's not the best of drivers, the alto is quite underpowered on CNG - but the fact is that if one drives in terrible traffic, clutches pack up quicker on CNG -the power loss is felt most in the lower revs/crawling traffic.

Hey phamilyman, I don't think that there is any significant relationship b/w clutch life and CNG. The clutch of my cng santro @40k feels good as new; but my brother's i20 crdi died at a mere 29k!

Clutch life is entirely a function of your driving style, not the fuel in your tank!

[anshul_babbar]

Originally Posted by himanshusharma

Hey i am also planning to get Sequential kit in my K Series Swift(2011).
Can someone suggest good installers of sequential kit as what i have learned from various posts that this kit require a good installer.
So please share the contact no. of a place from where i can get this job done in delhi.
Or if someone has already done sequential kit in swift (k series engine) please share your experience.

You can try Tara Dutt at Kotla; he is one of the best in the business and has installed a number of kits on Kappas and K series engines.

Also, I would recommend you to go for a regular closed loop kit. With a sequential injection kit you would be tied to the installer for servicing/repairs etc which can be very frustrating.

Originally Posted by TheSandman

My calculations show near identical running (EMI&Fuel) costs for both vehicles, what is up for debate is the maintenance costs.

Any one has any inputs on my questions about diesel maintenance?

Sandman, I haven't owned the Chevy diesel or any other diesel but I can offer you some advice on CNG cars -

1) A CNG car would have a more bumpy ride than its petrol sibling, back seat passengers may hurt you for the ride!!
I never take my CNG Xing when out with parents (though its a hell lot cheaper to run) - Buy CNG only if you are single/ drive alone 95% of the time/ a young couple.

2) If you fall in the above category, then consider your holding period. You would loose more than you save if you intend to hold the car for 3 years or less. A CNG car, be it a Maruti or a Toyota, would depreciate a lot more than a diesel, be it from Chevy or Ford.

3) Too many short trips?? If your daily commute includes short trips to the grocery or your children's school then CNG is a problem. If you frequently switch from petrol to CNG then your ECM may malfunction. This is documented on the CNG service book I got from Hyundai, though i'm yet to experience this :P

4) The maintenance is cheap for CNG/ petrol cars. Nothing extra is required for a cng vehicle.

5) CNG filling woes- I'm lucky to live at a place where we have 30 cng dispensers at the pump opposite the JLN stadium. Do check out the status at the pump near your house/office before buying CNG.

Lastly, i would highly recommend you to buy a Maruti diesel. The excellent resale value really pays off when you decide to move-on. Good luck!

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team : Please use "Multi Quote" option for quoting Multiple posts, instead of creating another back-to-back post.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by anshul_babbar

2) If you fall in the above category, then consider your holding period. You would loose more than you save if you intend to hold the car for 3 years or less. A CNG car, be it a Maruti or a Toyota, would depreciate a lot more than a diesel, be it from Chevy or Ford.

Can you not disconnect the CNG kit?

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by anshul_babbar

Clutch life is entirely a function of your driving style, not the fuel in your tank!

Please drive a 2006 vintage alto with CNG on the BRT first my friend.

The alto is terribly underpowered on CNG. As I've said elsewhere its not the fuel but the engine capacity/bhp - therefore i have noted how the wagonR CNG is a complete hit with cabbies because of its torque curve thats suitable for CNG!

[up-beat]

Originally Posted by TheSandman

Any one has any inputs on my questions about diesel maintenance?

Maintenance in the Chevy for the first 3 years can be a fixed amount. The last I checked for a petrol beat was INR 13500. If you have a Chevy service around your home or work place maintenance should not be an issue. Strongly recommend a Beat test drive. It is an excellent car in terms of dynamics and build quality. The perceived brand value is the only negative when you pit it against the WagonR.

I own petrol Beat. Just about finished 2 years of ownership. The maintenance so far is cheaper than a i10 a friend bought around the same time as I did.
The advantages and disadvantages are all listed in the thread already. +1 on GTO’s take in page 1.

I have voted for the Beat Diesel. I am sure you will be happy with it provided you have access to a service station.

[up-beat]

Maintenance in the Chevy for the first 3 years can be a fixed amount. The last I checked for a petrol beat was INR 13500. If you have a Chevy service around your home or work place maintenance should not be an issue. Strongly recommend a Beat test drive. It is an excellent car in terms of dynamics and build quality. The perceived brand value is the only negative when you pit it against the WagonR.

I own petrol Beat. Just about finished 2 years of ownership. The maintenance so far is cheaper than a i10 a friend bought around the same time as I did.
The advantages and disadvantages are all listed in the thread already. +1 on GTO’s take in page 1.

I have voted for the Beat Diesel. I am sure you will be happy with it provided you have access to a service station.

[DudeWithaFiat]

I have voted for Beat Diesel. If it was the old Wagon-R the vote would've definitely gone to W-R. The Beat beats the new W-R on all fronts, except for rear space. But one thing is, even though the leg-room is less in the back for Beat, the absence of the rear-hump makes it less claustrophobic and evens out the lack of leg-room. Go for the Beat for better build quality, better interiors, better looks, comparably FE and a better ride.

[pganapathy]

I have to say that this is one of those very difficult decisions. Let me help, or hurt, by listing the positives and negatives of both cars.

Beat (+ve)

Diesel so can be used for highway drives anytime, anywhere
Practicality of filling up anytime, anywhere, especially if you are low on fuel
More comfy than the Waggie
Safer than the Waggie
Better torque, so easier in bumper to bumper driving
Boot space so some practicality for highway driving for 4 people

Beat (-ve)

A.S.S not as impressive or widespread as Maruti
Spares and maintenace will be more expensive in the long run (based on Chevy history, though it may not be)
Visibility is not as good as Waggie
Diesel prices will rise and become more de-controlled over time. Only question is will it affect you or not (anything from one year to ten years for this to happen according to speculation)

Waggie (+ve)

A.S.S is wider spread and cheaper than Chevy
Better seating and visibility, so useful for a city car
CNG looks less likely to be de-controlled than diesel so expect prices to stay low

Waggie (-ve)

Torque is not as good so bit more of a pain in city driving (because of CNG)
IIRC, the petrol tank is either 5 or 10 litres. This means very limited range if you run out of CNG on the highway
Filling up on highway drives requires careful planning so harder to use for highway drives
No boot space because of CNG tank
Filling up CNG requires careful planning due to lesser availability and the need to fill up at odd hours to avoid long queues

I hope this helps. We look forward to your decision and photos of the beauty when it does arrive

[Ricci]

@pganapthy: AFAIK, WagonR duo ( LPG ) has the LPG tank in place of the spare wheel well, with the spare in the boot instead. The WagonR CNG has full 35 litre petrol tank while the CNG tank is in the boot , leaving no luggage room.