[amalji]

The first thing I'm going to do after getting my etios diesel is to test water pressure on all doors. I'll surely post pictures and videos on it. In case it does leak, we'll take on toyota in every method possible.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by amalji

The first thing I'm going to do after getting my etios diesel is to test water pressure on all doors. I'll surely post pictures and videos on it. In case it does leak, we'll take on toyota in every method possible.

When are you getting your Etios? I am pretty sure it will come out a winner from your water pressure test . This has become such a huge misunderstanding. Are you getting the under body coating done in your car? Apparently it does help lower those NVH levels.

[RadiantKarma]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

When are you getting your Etios? I am pretty sure it will come out a winner from your water pressure test . This has become such a huge misunderstanding.

You bet! I'm sure even amalji is confident of it, and hence he is planning to the test on his own car after buying it!

Are you getting the under body coating done in your car? Apparently it does help lower those NVH levels.

I think diesel Etios comes with underbody coating. Am I right?

It's funny that some of the problems reported in this thread, have never been verified. I again request that the members who reported the problems please come up and give the further developments for the benefit of the community. At leaset the thread starter tried on his part to get in touch with the guy who purportedly put up the advertisement. This great community deserves full information in respect of other "problems" reported too.

Just want to know the full facts - either way the truth maybe!

[amalji]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

When are you getting your Etios? I am pretty sure it will come out a winner from your water pressure test . This has become such a huge misunderstanding. Are you getting the under body coating done in your car? Apparently it does help lower those NVH levels.

Billing has been done. It's in transit. So, hopefully will get it in a week.
I too hope, that there's no leak.
@Vid had mentioned that the underbody coating is already done by Toyota on Etios Diesel. Will the 3m under body rubber coating still be of help ?

[Vid6639]

I had mentioned there is now a layer of insulation compared to initial batches. This is not underbody coating.

Under body coating is done over the paint to protect from rust. The added benefit of underbody coating is enhanced sound insulation.

If you go for 3M even on the newer batches of Etios there is no harm. The engine is still not a quiet one.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by RadiantKarma

You bet! I'm sure even amalji is confident of it, and hence he is planning to the test on his own car after buying it!

It's not just about my confidence whether it leaks or not. There are several other factors, which made me stick with the booking.

• The reputation of the manufacturer. They cannot be no:1 car manufacturer in the world for no reason. So, if there is indeed an issue with water leak, I'm trusting Toyota to take care of this.
• The criticality of the 'bug'. Even though, it ( if the issue really exists which we are not sure of ) hints on poor quality control and design, I'm confident that I can get this corrected somehow. If it was an issue with engine/gearbox or any other critical elements, I would never have taken this risk.
• The "Made in Japan" engine/gearbox combination, the excellent braking, and driveability ( without turbolag ), and the space and interior ergonomics is enough positives for me to be patient on the "leak" glitch, even if it so exists.

Originally Posted by RadiantKarma

It's funny that some of the problems reported in this thread, have never been verified. I again request that the members who reported the problems please come up and give the further developments for the benefit of the community. At leaset the thread starter tried on his part to get in touch with the guy who purportedly put up the advertisement. This great community deserves full information in respect of other "problems" reported too.

Just want to know the full facts - either way the truth maybe!

Yeah, everything is vague. No specifics or authentic details on many of the complaints mentioned on this thread. Anyway, I'll be using my car to check each and every issue reported over here and will surely share it on the forum.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

I had mentioned there is now a layer of insulation compared to initial batches. This is not underbody coating.

Under body coating is done over the paint to protect from rust. The added benefit of underbody coating is enhanced sound insulation.

If you go for 3M even on the newer batches of Etios there is no harm. The engine is still not a quiet one.

Thanks for that info, @vid6639. So, I'll go ahead with the under body coating. Please let me know, if there are any other cost-effective tips to reduce NVH on the Etios.

[amalji]

Got a feedback from an Etios owner in facebook - Sajju Pillai. Asking more details on it from him since we all need to fit rear speakers.
And it really seems, I'll miss Maruti's excellent Service. In Kerala especially, Toyota Service Centers are like monopoly business, since there is only one franchise by the name of Nippon. With Maruti, since there are a lot of service centers from different franchise's, they all try to please you somehow.

@Amal: There is no water leakage in my car so far. Since we have an inner layer rubber beeding water wont come inside.

But you should think twice if you are planning to fix rear speaker. they will remove this rubber beeding to pass the wire to back and after that they are not fixing it properly there are chances of water getting inside. Most of the case water getting inside are such cases.

Dont worry, etios is a good car. But dont expect the kind of customer after service from Toyota like Maruti.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by amalji

Got a feedback from an Etios owner in facebook - Sajju Pillai. Asking more details on it from him since we all need to fit rear speakers.
And it really seems, I'll miss Maruti's excellent Service. In Kerala especially, Toyota Service Centers are like monopoly business, since there is only one franchise by the name of Nippon. With Maruti, since there are a lot of service centers from different franchise's, they all try to please you somehow.

Dear amalji,
For me the first reason I recommend Etios/Liva or anyother car from Toyota's stable is the excellent after sales support that comes along with it. I don't think that nippon toyota will give you any problems due to there monopoly. In delhi the main big dealer is Galaxy toyota and its one of the most powerful car dealership across the country. I have always got my Innova serviced from there ( and now the Altis) and they have always done a top notch job without any signs of them being such a huge business house. So feel secure about the quality of after sales from Toyota. You will always be returning with a smile. Its as good as maruti if not better, although a tad bit more costly perhaps.

Mohit

[amalji]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Welcome to TBHP. Now I just visited your site and honestly and sincerely I failed to see the so called problems. Most of them are about high NVH levels and poor mileage, someone was complaining about just one reverse light and so on. I will really appreciate if you post your car's issue in detail here so that we can all judge for ourselves.
Regards,
Mohit

Very true, I find the website contents very defamatory rather than constructive criticism. Every cars has its pros and cons. The author seems to have concentrated only on the cons which in itself creates doubts on the authenticity and/or intention.

With regards to NVH, every review of Etios mentioned that Etios' NVH was not great. As a buyer, we are expected to atleast try a test drive before buying a car. If you cannot do that, read reviews. Almost all reviews mentioned the pros and cons of this car and NVH was not certainly one of the pros of this car. If it was from a person who doesn't even understand what NVH is, I would have understood. But, this person seems to be knowledgable enough to understand the technical aspects of his car.

And NVH is not what decides whether a car is good. If that was the case, Baleno would never have been a good car. Because its engine was noisier than the Esteem's. But, it's a gem of a vehicle. The torque delivery and dynamics are excellent. Etios offers very similar driving character.

When you say about the value for 7.5 lakhs, you have spent it for comfort ( well tuned suspensions ), stability on the road, lots and lots of space, excellent braking, airbags, ABS with EBD and a great performing engine. Ofcourse, when all of this comes to you, there should be some cost cutting somewhere, and NVH was where it compromised on. And with regards to weather gasket design, I guess even Fiat ( Punto ) and Ford ( Ikon ) have similar designs.

I might start a myetios.*** myself and will update it with what to expect and what not to expect from this car. Will continually update my ownership review on team-bhp and will link it to the website.

Originally Posted by sachinayak

Not sure if I agree with this. Personal preference probably, but unless the single wiper is a controlled-single-arm (am guessing the merc had one), considering the seating position of a driver, a standard single wiper definitely seems to offer lower visibility than a tandem arrangement. Probably the butterfly wipers (Opposed system) offer best visibility.

Please refer this image


Source: http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/wiper-coverage.gif

Etios' wiper is dual arm wiper and changes radius of rotation as it goes from one end to the other. It gives a clean wipe for both the driver side and passenger side. Please refer my posts on this -

Reason why the mono wiper on Etios gives a very good wipe
Possible reasons why mono wipers are not commonly used

And I guess, Etios' mono wipers comes under the "single arm(controlled)" wipers category even though it's not as good as the Merc's

[sachinayak]

Originally Posted by amalji

With regards to NVH, every review of Etios mentioned that Etios' NVH was not great. As a buyer, we are expected to atleast try a test drive before buying a car. If you cannot do that, read reviews. Almost all reviews mentioned the pros and cons of this car and NVH was not certainly one of the pros of this car.

I do not quite agree with this. Knowing the weak-point of a specific product/brand and reiterating it is very common (and not specific to this weakness of Etios). Else every time a Tata car owner complains of niggles or a Fiat car owner complains about poor A-S-S, people would jump on them and say - hey you should have expected that, didn't you read reviews? Every product/brand has problems (some few, some more) but if it ticks the right boxes for you (if not all), you go for it.

Originally Posted by amalji

Etios' wiper is dual arm wiper and changes radius of rotation as it goes from one end to the other. It gives a clean wipe for both the driver side and passenger side.

I agree. Indeed the Etios has a dual arm wiper which is much better than a single sweep motion. Sharing an image from Team-BHP Offical Review

[nkg77]

Never expected such badly put up cars from Toyota, if you try cranking a Petrol Etios it sounds/vibrates like a diesel car . That was the end of my TD of Etios, I said sorry to the sales executive and walked out. I am not sure why Toyota went to this extend of cost cutting.

Now if there are lot of other issues like low mileage and burning of clutch then it is better to stay away from this car.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by nkg77

Now if there are lot of other issues like low mileage and burning of clutch then it is better to stay away from this car.

Where is the issue of premature burning of the clutch? Did any of your friends who may have a Etios had it? Did any member from this forum had it? Or is it just mere speculation. It would be great if you can please quote your source?

Why is everyone hell bent on not trying to understand that the original list of issues reported have turned out to be very much a case of false implication. The only 2 issues which have been reported now are:
1. NVH
2. FE

Even on this many members disagree who own the car but still these can be considered issues. Other then that plastic quality etc cannot be discussed in a thread whose title is Etios problems and niggles.

This thread has served its purpose I feel and its better to shut it down unless some real issues crop up in the Etios.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by sachinayak

I do not quite agree with this. Knowing the weak-point of a specific product/brand and reiterating it is very common (and not specific to this weakness of Etios). Else every time a Tata car owner complains of niggles or a Fiat car owner complains about poor A-S-S, people would jump on them and say - hey you should have expected that, didn't you read reviews? Every product/brand has problems (some few, some more) but if it ticks the right boxes for you (if not all), you go for it.

@Sachin, I agree with you completely. What I meant was that this is not a glitch that came up after he bought the car. Everyone who had test driven the car would have known that the car is not class best in terms of NVH. Nor does Toyota claim that it has class best NVH. It provides spirited drive, comfort and lots of space, and ofcourse the Toyota after sales service. Here, I will blame the buyer for not prioritizing his requirements properly, instead of buying a car without doing proper research. If refinement and NVH was of utmost importance, he should have gone for Honda, Maruti K-Series or even Hyundai.

It's like buying a Maruti Swift and then hosting a page saying "my Swift doesn't have any space in rear, feels like a cargo @ the rear and hence it's the worst car in the world" which is not right. The buyer had every opportunity to check and compare the features before buying it. The owner of the website seems to be acting with an agenda or ego rather than doing constructive criticism. In such style of criticism, the problem is you just try to find ways to prove that 1 + 1 = 4. Nothing else matters once you get into that mode.

Originally Posted by nkg77

Never expected such badly put up cars from Toyota, if you try cranking a Petrol Etios it sounds/vibrates like a diesel car . That was the end of my TD of Etios, I said sorry to the sales executive and walked out. I am not sure why Toyota went to this extend of cost cutting.

Now if there are lot of other issues like low mileage and burning of clutch then it is better to stay away from this car.

It depends on what the company decides is most important to retain. From Toyota's side, they have given us

space
comfort
performance
Good After Sales support

They compromised on NVH and interior look and feel. Different people will have different priorities. There are people who care for how the car vibrates when the engine starts which is maybe 0.001% of the total time spend on the car. There are people who give more importance to practicality than such over engineered "feel good" factors. Etios is for people who look for practicality and functionality over look and feel.

[Klub Class]

Please excuse me for the post

Originally Posted by amalji

In Kerala especially, Toyota Service Centers are like monopoly business, since there is only one franchise by the name of Nippon

Incorrect!

I know of another franchise by the name Amana Toyota, which sells and services Toyota cars in Kerala. They have dealerships in Calicut and Kannur, for the record.

Many congratulations on your case Amalji. I'm looking forward for your ownership log, especially the water pressure test.

Originally Posted by amalji

And with regards to weather gasket design, I guess even Fiat ( Punto ) and Ford ( Ikon ) have similar designs.

Err...Pardon my ignorance, what exactly is weather gasket thing?

[kadanaJ]

Originally Posted by nkg77

Never expected such badly put up cars from Toyota, if you try cranking a Petrol Etios it sounds/vibrates like a diesel car . That was the end of my TD of Etios, I said sorry to the sales executive and walked out. I am not sure why Toyota went to this extend of cost cutting.

Now if there are lot of other issues like low mileage and burning of clutch then it is better to stay away from this car.

It's better to compromise on things like NVH than cut costs and compromise on reliability (VW Group) or Safety (reports of brakes being insufficient in the new Swift).

Toyota has ticked all the boxes, except for NVH levels, for a basic, no-nonsense family sedan.