[puneetakhouri]

Originally Posted by amvj

Hope this fits this thread.
I need to express my anger in some form. Unlike some people, I don't feel ashamed to admit that I have made a silly decision of buying this crap. BTW this is my first car. GTO's words regarding i20 now makes sense. Almost everyone in the office questioned why I booked Baleno and now I understood

Hey congrats on your first car. I know you are pretty pissed off about it but it isn't that bad. It is your first vehicle, enjoy the good things that it brings along. Don't simply rely on what you read in magazines and websites. If you Google Baleno crashes, it will show you Baleno pics. If you google i20 crashes, it will show you i20 crash pics. We just tend to have a bias towards (or in your case, against) the vehicle we have.

Whenever you buy a vehicle, it is always a trade off, a compromise that you make. When you buy an i20 over a Baleno, you trade in cheaper repair costs, lower fuel costs, better resale value, peppy engine(petrol) of a Baleno for a better build quality, premium interiors, higher running costs, dull engine(petrol again) and a non responsive steering of an i20. I mean to say it is always a trade off and whatever you buy, you will always have some pain point about it.

I would suggest you to try and live with your decision. I also own a Baleno and it does have a very light build and that does piss me off, but never have I felt unsafe being in the car and it has made up for the light build in other ways it can.

I have a couple of BHPians also a part of the Baleno Owners Club who have done over 55k kms in just 2 years taking the car to the eastern most corners of India and planning a Ladakh trip soon. So I can safely say that it is a pretty reliable machine. I myself have done 37k kms in 2.5 years of ownership of this machine and it is a very reliable vehicle.

Ohh and for your rattles, I guess the toolkit does not have a holder which creates noise whenever you go over potholes. Also the rear parcel tray had some rattling issues but TBhp had a thread of someobody fixing it. For other issues, I am sure the Service Center guys would fix all of it if you just sit behind them and compel them to.

Looking forward to seeing your Long term ownership thread of Baleno here in some years time

[bullrun87]

I think you should sell your ride as soon as possible. A new car is supposed to make you happy and clearly you are not. It seems safety and bulletproof build quality in a car are extremely important parameters for you and hence buying a maruti is simply a wrong decision in your case. the baleno has a gem of an engine, great space, incredible mileage and resale value but unfortunately terrible build quality. Since you are clearly regretting your decision and unsure of the level of protection the baleno can offer to you in case of a crash, you should bite the bullet and buy an i20 or a freestyle both of which have better build quality. 1-1.5 lakh rs is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

[Mu009]

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

I think this thread is a testimony to the fact that safety in cars is a seriously misunderstood concept by not only the mango people but also the members of this esteemed forum.

Before the forum becomes another Facebook group, I believe it's time Team bhp leads the way and publishes technical but simple to understand articles on,

• The aspects that determine safety of cars in general,
• Crash tests - how they're performed and how they evolve every year.
• How each crash that happens in real world is different.
• What exactly contributes to build quality of a car.
• The impact of metal thickness on safety (How a car like etios scored 4* and Punto scored 0 in the crash tests)
• How even 5* safety rated cars don't make you invincible and you can still die on the road.

It's ironical that the OP feels a car that has isofix mounts is not safe for an infant and he's being suggested to go for a "safer" car that doesn't have adjustable head rests even in its top variants.

I agree wholeheartedly with your post. Excellent points.
But one thing I can't help but point out is that a lack of adjustable head restraints does not necessarily imply lower safety from said head restraints.
In fact, Volvo had stopped giving adjustable head restraints on their cars for a not insubstantial period in their recent past, since their intel indicated that people weren't setting head rests optimally wrt safety with their adjustments. They have now re-introduced the same, but with much more limited adjustment.

A little bit , but given the points being raised, I ventured to point the above out.

[nehaagg]

I'm glad that people notice the tin-canish nature of the Baleno.

However, as many have stated here before, you should have known what you exactly wanted in a car before spending your hard-earned cash on it. Most people buy like sheep, and this leads to the segment getting turgid with a single type and brand of car. From pictures and forums online, you can clearly see that MS has compromised on metal gauge and NVH to make their cars lighter.

Also, I must commend your straight-forward approach for disliking something so vehemently. Not many disgruntled customers will go up against a market-czar like MS and make their feelings known in such a brazen and defiant manner. In my opinion, it is your right--as a customer and citizen of a free country--to make your revulsion be known as satisfactorily as possible.

As always, I encourage anyone looking for a 'tank-like' build to try the Punto or the Linea--do look at the EcoSport and the Polo as well. Lastly, being a FIAT Abarth owner, I can tell from experience that these cars are drivers cars, and provide an immensely pleasurable and safe driving experience.

[StreetAddict]

I almost purchased an F1 car but gave up on that decision. The front wing was too flimsy & would break if a stray dog peed on it.

[skchettry]

One of those rarest of the rare threads! Usually people tend to start liking their assets although there could be initial hatred. Afterall, you must have done a lot of research yourself before shelling out that hefty sum. I can understand the frustration through your words.
And after posting your intense thoughts about the product that you possess, I believe some of the comments must have comforted you and forced you to think about the positives rather than get drowned in highly charged thoughts - letting those thoughts take control of your emotions.
Barring a few posts here, reading the rest, I don't think, has made you any wiser too.
We can't change the past, but certainly I should thank you sincerely for sharing your thoughts and asking each one of us here to do our home work sincerely,not listen to gossips, make use of the experiences and reviews shared on this forum to arrive at a particular product because we are not in those days of choosing one of the two - an Ambassador or a Padmini. And set clear for ourselves as to what we are looking for, in the product.

[anand.shankar]

Originally Posted by chaudh2s

I too own a Baleno Zeta (P) and am very happy with the car, and i see that a lot of your concerns are unfounded.
1.) Safety: Thin sheet metal can be prone to small dings, but it is in no way a contributor to strength of body shell. If you had studied strength of materials, you would know that Section Modulus (capacity to take flexural loads) of a sheet is negligible, it is purely provided for aesthetics, or to form a body shape. In fact, no engineering graduate on this forum would dare raise the issue of safety (or lack of it) due to sheet metal thickness.
2.) Rattles: First, change your car tires to Michelin P3ST with higher aspect ratio. Then, dampen your cars doors with quality damping sheets.
3.) The competitors of Baleno would be no better or worse in structural safety department. They might be having a thicker sheet metal, but in crash tests they would fare the same. All of them along with Baleno, conform to Indian crash test regulations. These car manufacturers cannot sell their cars without approval from ARAI, the body which certifies their conformance to Indian govt. specified norms.
4.) You would have a higher risk of personal injury in your false perception of safety in other cars. At least in Baleno you would be driving more carefully, in the perception that it is an unsafe car.
5.) Load your boot with around 40-50 Kg of dummy weight. This would make the car ride more absorbing & last but not the least, use the isofix mounting points on rear seats of your Baleno, to fix child seats, and use them without fail everytime your child travels in the car. Don't buy chinese car seats, buy quality seats from chicco or some other reputed brand.

Though your suggestions are definitely valid, I disagree with this stream of thought, we get dished out sub par piles of junk by almost every manufacturer only because we 'adjust' with what we get. The dimples may be only cosmetic, but are an absolute eyesore. Of course it wouldn't make any difference to someone who bought the car only as a commodity, a means to move around.

Is OP is supposed to pay 8~10L and then go around town trying to round off the car he bought. Considering top spec Baleno costs 10.xx in BLR, thats not cheap my any means.

[FrodoOfTheShire]

Question to fellow members who say that thin/light sheet metal has no impact on safety. Why are other manufacturers not opting for the same?

After all thin/light sheet metal makes the car weigh less which would improve fuel economy and make the engine feel more powerful (which I guess is Maruti Suzuki's thinking behind this move; to make the same old engines feel peppier and wow the "kitna deti hai" obsessed junta; killing 2 birds with 1 stone!).

Why are other car makers like Ford or VW or Tata still making heavier cars? Don't they have the technology to create this lighter "high tensile" steel?

[amvj]

Originally Posted by GTO

Sorry to hear about this, man. Didn't you check the light build quality of the Baleno before buying it? Yes, it is very light and one of the many reasons I prefer the Elite i20 to it . ..

I apologize if any of the Maruti owners were offended by my post.

I am currently attending a funeral and did not check Team-bhp for a while. I did not go through all the 5 pages, there are some interesting questions from Forum members on this. I will post a detailed response soon.

[drmohitg]

A lot of posts here are suggesting that cars from other carmakers don't get scratched or dented so easily. I beg to differ. I have owned cars from Maruti, Hyundai, Toyota, Ford, Mitsubishi and Bmw in the last 2 decades and almost each one has its fare share of scratches and dents. Atleast with Maruti I could afford to get it rectified at a relatively cheap cost from my local FNG.

Just to add to it, I have never got a broken windshield in any of the cars even though one regularly encounters small pebble hits on our roads. But the 320d has got its 3rd crack in 5 years by small pebble hits. Can we draw some logical inference from this? I doubt if Bmw has used inferior quality glass compared to the rest of the brands listed above.

Rattling is a known issue with all MSIL cars. Just like Tata is famous for bad QC, Skoda for expensive after sales, Maruti has always been famous for its rattles. But then it makes up for it by providing you a relatively higher FE, peaceful ownership and great resale.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by amvj

Hope this fits this thread.

I have made a very wrong decision of buying Baleno. It has shockingly light weight metal and I am not at all feel safe to drive with my toddler in that crap. Also countless crash photos in Team-bhp and speaking with people who crashed Maruti cars now justifies what really they are made of. It is just 6.5Kms done and rattles are already started.

My humble request is to please remove those stickers. It is pretty insulting to the car and the brand. I maybe able to understand if the car was a lemon or something. But here it was your decision to buy and stuff like 'light build' and rattles are something commonly discussed about the Baleno and Maruti in general. So in my view, I would say due diligence was not done before the purchase to see if this car matches your expectations.

If you are that unhappy, sell it, cut your losses and move on. As many have already said, it is a car with a good resale value.

If that is not possible, get the rattles fixed and try to appreciate the good points of the car. It is definitely one of the better cars from Maruti. In addition, take the steps that you can. Make sure your toddler has a car seat, and all passengers are always belted in. I don't think the Baleno is significantly worse than any other car in the segment.

Again, please remove those stickers.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by FrodoOfTheShire

Question to fellow members who say that thin/light sheet metal has no impact on safety. Why are other manufacturers not opting for the same? Why are other car makers like Ford or VW or Tata still making heavier cars? Don't they have the technology to create this lighter "high tensile" steel?

Is it so difficult to imagine that Suzuki can actually be an innovator? Swift/Baleno/Ignis does not weigh 900 kgs because it uses "high tensile" steel. It lost weight because of chassis/ frame design in the new platform.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzgt7p-pGns

1st and 2nd gen Swift weighs as much as current Figo/Polo/Tiago etc (around 1 ton). It's only the Baleno/Ignis/3rd gen Swift (900 kgs) that is lighter.

<Added> I'm pretty sure the Germans constantly work on weight reduction of chassis/frame/body. But the overall kerb weight does not go down much - probably because they then add hundreds of kilos of new revolutionary gadgets!

[Dr.Abhi]

Originally Posted by FrodoOfTheShire

Question to fellow members who say that thin/light sheet metal has no impact on safety. Why are other manufacturers not opting for the same?

After all thin/light sheet metal makes the car weigh less which would improve fuel economy and make the engine feel more powerful (which I guess is Maruti Suzuki's thinking behind this move; to make the same old engines feel peppier and wow the "kitna deti hai" obsessed junta; killing 2 birds with 1 stone!).

Why are other car makers like Ford or VW or Tata still making heavier cars? Don't they have the technology to create this lighter "high tensile" steel?

Exactly my thoughts
What is this special technology or high tensile steel which only maruti has access to??
No other car manufacturers even Mercedes or BMW are able to make cars this light while keeping crashworthiness intact.

[mug:mush]

Well my friend, I know exactly what you're going through. I used to drive sturdy Ford's and then a Skoda, but now drive in a 2yr old dzire amt, which belonged to my father. The only thing that that is stopping me from selling this is I'm not sure when I may have to shift base to another country.

The car used to squeak and rattle like there was no tomorrow. My wife and Mom however, didn't understand what the fuss was all about

Things have definitely turned uphill when I got the tyres changed to Yokohama Earth 1, which is miles ahead of the noisy MRF's that came with the car. I have also got all the doors, boot and roof damped with dampmat exceed, which have brought in a premium'ness (no joke!) to the interiors and makes the door "feel" bulky. I have further added two layers of rubber floor mats, which makes the floor feel plush. The bonus is that the ok'ish OEM stereo sound classy now.

Does a layman notice all this from outside? Of course not. I however know that I have the best "feeling" tin can in the town. Take it easy buddy

[Waspune]

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

[*]The impact of metal thickness on safety (How a car like etios scored 4* and Punto scored 0 in the crash tests)

Slightly off topic but I guess it's not prudent to compare the Euro Punto NCAP rating with the Etios global NCAP rating. Euro NCAP ratings are supposed to be the most stringent amongst all NCAPs. Etios was never tested by Euro NCAP.
Punto is a 12 year old car which was awarded 5 stars by them in 2005.

The Punto gained special attention from the NCAP's secretary general, Michiel van Ratingen, who said, "The fact that older cars cannot compete illustrates the pace at which the vehicle industry is innovating safety and the willingness and ability of competitive manufacturers to meet the highest standards. Those who do not keep their cars up to the latest standards get left behind &ndash; as these results clearly show."

Punto got 0 rating as it was still being offered in Europe as an entry level car. Had the Punto been pulled off from the European market (that happened recently) it wouldn't have been tested and have scored a zero.

It's like a Skoda Laura which if put to test today might even score a zero. The thing with euro NCAP is that older cars how much ever strong they were won't get great ratings today because they lack 6 air bags and the host of electronics like autonomous braking etc.

Even the Baleno that scored 4 stars in EURO NCAP came with 6 airbags and autonomous braking that the Indian baleno or even the humble Etios lacks