[Chetan_Rao]

A lesson to be learnt, for all of us, is to 'experience' the car before we buy it.

A comprehensive review - the kind this forum produces regularly - should act as a benchmark for all things to consider, but the decision to purchase should never be made based solely on someone else's judgement. People like and want different things in a car.

One can use astute observations from an in-depth review in their decision-making process, but one may not necessarily like the same car(s) a reviewer does. Research all your options, but don't let someone else choose your car for you.

[reihem]

Originally Posted by smartcat

On a lighter note, that comfy bendy sheet metal is probably responsible for Baleno getting excellent pedestrian safety ratings. Pedestrians are likely to get away with just a mild headache.

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Although you gave an acceptable opinion on Maruti cars (based on your Ciaz experience), it was accompanied by dramatization ("fell apart in 6 months") and not proper substantiation. That's probably why your opinion did not carry much weight.

Because "fell apart in 6 months" gives an impression that it comically shed all body panels while you were driving around.

Haha I just pictured that .. point taken sir !

I had far too many manufacturing issues in the 7 month period than should be permissible.

I was one of the lucky winners of the suspension noise issue that is widely written about in both Tbhp and the general media. My rear left won that particular lucky draw.

I identified poor welding in the right running board which was fixed for free since even Maruti just accepted that it was poor manufacturing.

I avoided the spongy clutch recall which affected some 3000 users... I guess I should be grateful !

Apart from that - a door handle came of and the locking mechanism of the boot had to be replaced (frankly that was crappy from delivery and I should have complained on the spot).

All this was a bit much for the first 6 months.

Yes, I have high expectations from my cars. The same driver that used the Ciaz also drives a 3 series GT, a Scala and a Jazz. I used it occasionally and my primary cars are both Volvo’s. If either of us were the culprits here it would surely show on the other cars we drive. Or atleast on the Jazz / Scala if one is to argue that the others can take a beating.

The point is I’m sure I and all the others complaining can defend every statement and still have someone come back with a “my Maruti has done a lakh KM and is better than new” come back. We can both have experiences and both be correct ! And my shitty experience with Maruti doesn’t mean your excellent experience wasn’t real ! And it’s true the other way as well ... so let’s all learn to accept the opinions and experiences of others without considering it some sort of personal indictment ?

[Palaver]

The way general opinions work is just that. It is the majority opinion that is held by the public in general. And although, some manufacturers have over the years earned an excellent reputation by providing good/great products at very competitive prices; does not mean that we let them rest on their past glory.

In today's ever changing world, where the consumer is far more informed about the latest developments in the automotive world and the fact that they have access to portals like our very own team-bhp to discuss their point of views - the auto manufacturers can't take us for a ride. We are not the same gullible lot that we used to be. We demand more value for our very hard earned money. And again I might remind you, this is not an unreasonable expectation because we know for a fact that this is being done in other parts of the world. So, why not here?

Therefore, even though you have had a fair share of good luck with your cars so far, does not mean that everyone has been on the same lucky boat as you. We all have had horror stories in the past but when it's just a with a few customers - you could probably write that off as some glitch in the production line or a bad batch but when it's a consistent and persistent issue as narrated by the buyers on this forum then it becomes too big a problem to ignore. It's no longer a freak occurrence but more like a problem by design.

A case in point - have you noticed how car manufacturers have also realised this and started addressing the issue by advertising their car with AHSS - Advanced high strength steel (Verna) to generate confidence in their potential buyer. It may not be much but atleast it's a start. Change always follows demand. You have to first create the demand for more reliable and safe products and for that need to spread awareness only then can you expect a positive change.

Just my 2 cents.

[motorworks]

I think this thread is moving to a different tangent! This cannot be a place for Maruti vs the others and subjective comparisons.

In fact the person who started this thread has a much easier way out of his problem! You have one of the best selling cars in India, meaning the resale is pretty good, exit, cut your losses to the minimum, make a lateral shift to another B+ Hatch like a i20 or the Jazz and move on.

Fortunately you are not stuck with a low selling car like say a Captur or something like that since selling such cars would mean taking a big hit in the money one paid!



Else, just make peace with it for another 2-3 years and try and make a segment shift when you can.

What I am surprised is that how you did not see thru the obvious aspects when you made the purchase! Baleno and the Ignis are some of the lightest cars in their class and it is nothing new! All this metal sheet flexing and thin quality of sheet metal have been reported and discussed in t-bhp a lot actually!

When you make a car purchase and if you are part of Team BHP then it is an automatic expectation that you test drive all cars in that segment, do it over and over again until you are convinced that the car meets your expectations! And read every single report out there on that car so that you would not have any surprises later! That I think is the different between an enthusiast and a regular buyer! No offence, but I just think this post purchase rant is not going to help you and neither anyone here.

[sridhu]

The amount of vitriol in this thread surprises me.

The OP is not getting into why the Baleno is crap. Nor is he looking for validation on his using stickers to vent his frustration. His money; his car; your opinion - none need intersect.

His question was very simple "I have screwed up - I hate the car I bought. Don't have the money to fix the screw up. Is there any option I have not thought of to fix it or do I have to live with it"?

It is not an invitation to comment about his lack of due diligence or the perceived advantages of the various models. Or laugh at his perceived stupidity.

To answer the OP on the question he has asked, I would answer "If you can't get out of the car, you have no real option other than to fix what you can and live with it"

I suspect you cant sell the car as you don't have the money to pay up the loan before you sell. And you can't trade in as you want to take your time and do the research before you commit to the next car. Presumably, the higher interest rates on used cars and therefore the higher EMI is a factor too.

Suggest you spend the money to dampen it & upgrade the tires - will improve confidence. Upgrade the ICE setup - will increase the 'bearability' of the time you spend in the car.

Sell it once you can afford to or if the EMI is done. Maybe talk to the bank and see if you can reduce the loan period to make that time happen faster. If you are a privilege customer you can do it for cheap- talk to your relationship manager.

The left field option is to rent out or lease the car out to somebody else and cover the EMI & maintenance until the loan is completed. Don't know if it is easy or even possible but worth checking out. That will enable you buying another car.

Basically you are selling the car already without transferring ownership.

[vinayrathore]

This has been one of the most popular topic not just here but thousands of other forums/Whatsapp groups etc too and has been beaten to death many times over.

We have had opinions that came both from the head and the heart, from armchair opinionists to highly qualified structural engineers. From various sources of truth to just the street jargons.

However, would you buy a car whose MD/Chairperson (Mr. Bhargava) tells you on the face that we Indians do not qualify for safe cars and that Airbags and ABS will do no good here and their focus is on economy instead?

If a company does not think I deserve a safer car, then that company does not deserve my money. Period.

[ashis89]

I share the OP's thoughts.

I own a Maruti which is 7 years old. This replaced another Maruti which was with us for 11 years. Maruti (we relate to Maruti and not Suzuki most of the times) has been the default choice for most of us in the past and present. Good designs, very good features, even better performance/reliability and excellent FE, coupled with a decent price - this becomes too hard to ignore.

The more I drove my car, the more faults I could find in it - light weight, thin sheet metal, poor rattly (but durable) interior plastics. Good part was very good reliability, low maintenance, decent FE and decent performance. I continue to use it everywhere and have adapted my driving, being well aware of its shortcomings. Most of these pros and cons are valid for any Maruti model available today. Whenever someone asks my advice for a car, I share all these observations, ask for their requirements and then suggest models, including Maruti.

When I think about my next car, I am quite clear that the shortcomings of my present car have to be addressed. In return, I am ready to forgo some advantages of my current car. So I won't buy a Maruti under any circumstance (except a Scross maybe). Also I want my car to be resilient to minor shunts so that I don't have to repair it often. This is just my opinion based on my requirements of what I need from a car.

I need to add that my experience with new Maruti cars in the recent years is not very low.

1. Baleno Alpha (petrol) - 2016, 32k kms. Belongs to a close friend who maintains it very well. I have driven 1000s of kms in this car.
2. Swift VXi - 2016, 19k kms. Belongs to a friend who maintains it well.
3. Ciaz ZXi+ - 2015, 31k kms. Belongs to a friend who is extremely particular in maintaining this car.
4. Swift Dzire VDi - 2017, 10k kms. Belongs to a family friend who is a very sedate driver.
5. WagonR VXi- 2017, 21k kms. Belongs to a friend who have multiple cars and maintain them well.

None of the above cars have been in any accident. All the above cars have rattles in them. Except the Baleno, other 3 have been driven in city most of the times. The 4 petrol cars listed above have more pronounced engine vibrations (weakened engine mounts?) when compared to when they were new. There are 2 other Baleno Alpha petrols of similar vintage but much lesser run, even they have minor rattles here and there.

There have been lot of discussions regarding crash tests and crumple zones. I have a few doubts.
What happens when the car (any brand) crashes in the front with partial overlap or from front three-quarters? What if the car is T-boned? Or crashed from behind or rear three quarters? What happens when the car turns turtle or flips multiple times? These are my concerns as I have seen quite a few cases of the rear caving in or the roof collapsing completely in such scenarios and they are fatal.

Are all these items covered while crash testing a car? If not, will thicker metal help in such scenarios? Will thicker metal body help in any of the scenarios - slow speed crash, high speed crash, minor bump?

[TDCIfever]

When I way out in the market to buy a new car, I went to the see the Baleno and cancelled the plan to buy it as soon as I saw it. The car was flimsy and poorly built. I don't know why people are buying it blindly. I think everyone is following the heard and regret their decision after a few months of ownership. I know Maruti cars are reliable, provide great FE (because of the lighter built) and the spares are easily accessible, but nowhere do I find it cheap to maintain. Maruti is not cheap anymore. We too had an Alto bought around 13 years back but according to my dad (i was too young at that time) the service costs were cheaper compared to now and the quality was better. We enquired many Maruti owners and everyone said Maruti is no more cheap. People have a mentality that Maruti offers cheap service amd spares. I remember seeing a YouTube automotive video where the person said " Chalta hai chalta hai, yehi toh bikta hai!" I think people believe that if a product is selling in high numbers, it muat be good but this is not true.
In your case, the only advantage you have is the high resale value of Baleno. A car is of no use if it does not bring confidence in you when you sit inside it. Even in a case of lack of Vitamin M, I will recommend you to sell this car and buy a new car, maybe from a segment lower. Cars like Aspire, Ameo and others have huge discounts and you can consider them as a replacement of your car.
If a car does not give you happiness, it is not worth driving!

[heydj]

Originally Posted by amvj

We Indians are okay to stay with rubbish and we are not at all willing to change. That is why we have things like Trains that still throws shit in the rail road. There are still garbage thrown in the road. Still we have frequent power cuts. I have seen these 30 years ago and still the same now. Nothing changed so far because we are happy with whatever we have or if somebody raise their voice against it like me here, people tend to discourage and comment against it.

The sticker is not as bad as the car itself.

+1 Agreed we look the other way, say nothing is going to change and move on.

I have a Swift, bought it years back, at that time within a month I could hear rattles. Then had no experience with cars so thought it is normal, after all its Maruti so it has to be normal since Maruti is such a solid brand.

Now I know better, own a Rapid and after almost 3 years of ownership and thousands of KMs not a single rattle.

Why can't we have VW type of build quality and Maruti type of reliability in one package? I want to own that type of car.

I think I am going to paste your kind of stickers on my Swift too. Unless many people put it how will awareness creep in. People around me will see these stickers day after day and hopefully one day ask themselves why am I calling Swift TinCan!

[narayans80]

The only I thing I fail to understand here, is why the stickers? What purpose is it serving? There are enough irritants on road that can make your blood boil, why invite more?

If you are expecting, these stickers are going to affect Maruti Suzuki. You are wrong, remember in 2014 when some of their cars spectacularly failed Global NCAP and subsequent public statements from their chairman like more safety features mean less road safety ? What happened to MS since then? They've just moved from strength to strength, neither the zero stars nor the rubbish statements on its wake had any effect even on the zero star models.

In today's driving scenario in India, its all about how much you can keep yourself in a sane state of mind while driving. So please remove the stickers in interest of your own self preservation and move on.

Thank you!

[Jaggu]

Car's are going to become lighter and lighter, sheets thinner and thinner. That is the fact of life! With regards to safety, the sheet metal thickness is just one of the factor and not the only deciding factor. MSIL and Honda top the chart with this obsession of might i say "weight efficiency". And boy both of them do sell quiet a lot of cars in India, and it is not going to change anytime soon lol

To the thread owner, this is something only you can resolve. Two choices 1) sell the car and move on 2) do some damping and stuff to give it a slightly better panel feel. Would cost you another 25-30k i guess, but it would be really worth the effort. Next time ensure you do a proper due diligence and thinking through before yous sign that cheque for the automobile purchase.

Happy motoring!

[agbenny]

Most of the Indian car owners settle with Fuel Efficiency (which depends on the driving style), Service after Sales (not sure of more # of A.S.S means better service) and Peer influence (what value we get is in question.
For the above said, Driving dynamics, Quality of the product and ownership pleasure is something forgotten, or not considered.

Also, Many people use a Maruthi for a decade, use very less on roads, sell it for a low price, forgetting resale was something promised to them when they bought it.

[NTO]

Originally Posted by amvj

The Tin-can sticker was custom made online.

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Sorry to hear that mate. Everyone here on Team-BHP at least, buys a car with lots of love and this experience of yours is definitely will create a heart burn. This is why manufacturers should come up with extended test drives where a customer can pay up for the additional duration/ Kms of usage of the car. With extended test drive, all the positives and negatives of a car can come to light. In India, majority of the population buys a car to have it for 3 - 5 years and such a mistake becomes too expensive for many. Extended test drives would definitely help the buyers and would provide a significantly better ownership experience.

Off the topic, rental companies like Zoomcar, myles etc, cater for this extended test drive experience significantly. I once used to love scorpio but, when I took it to Shimla from Delhi and back, I ended up hating the car absolutely for the kind of bouncy crap it was and almost zero focus to ergonomics and creature comfort.

I have a tin can in my house too, the Honda Jazz. I strictly use it only within city limits and Vento and Punto are the preferred Highway partners. If you cannot afford another car, as GTO said, renting out one for ocassional highway trips would make lots of economic sense. Restrict your usage to city limits and I am sure, you will be safe with your family.

To end my post on a lighter note, Maruti reveals that the car isn't made of "Metal". The say, it is made of "Mettle"

[petrolhead_chn]

Dear OP,

Please request the mods to mark this thread as resolved and move on.

With all due respect, you are either trying to gather attention from MS or dealer. Who on earth would plonk such immature stickers on his own car? Very weird.

Yes, I fully get your frustration and mental agony. I understand. But your observations aren't the benchmark with which the sales are happening or the buyers will buy it. Please realise it. Apart from cost cutting there could be other reasons to it.

Remove the stickers, take the car for a long long long drive and you will eventually fall in love. In this state of mind, no matter what car you get, you will eventually start comparing and begin disliking that too.

As a fellow BHP-ian I suggest you start enjoying the car you bought and let your family enjoy it too. I am terribly sorry about how you feel and wish you snap out of it very very soon.

Happy motoring!!!

[GTO]

Guess everyone has put in their 2 paisa on this thread. Discussion is now running around in circles. Closing thread. @ amvj: If you have an update, please 'report this post' and share it. We'll post the same here. Thanks!