[nkapoor777]

What a masterpiece you've got there Vipul! Sigh, I read the last bit on your post and feel sad that I can't lay my hands on this beauty, EVER!! Enjoy the beast! Great job done by Arush and his team as well.

[ravikn]

Congratulations Vipul,

One of the very well maintained car gets a gift before completing 100K on the odo.

My car too has done 95K kms in last 9 years and am evaluating options for getting the car repainted fully.

How much did it cost you to get the complete work done. A detailed break-up would help people like me

@Autopsyche,

Great job done sir, wish you were here in Bangalore.

[JVH]

Beautifully done there! My GTX has clocked similar kms (although older) and I also had the same plan at around 1L kms. Your thread will now be an inspiration

Appreciate if you could share the pocket damage...

[Rahulkool]

brilliant !!! i like the way you have keep everything as stock as possible .... Car looks as good as new

[funkykar]

Wow! Your car was never in bad shape at all. You still considered to do this, just shows how much you love the car. Hope you enjoy the car for at-least a couple more decades

[akhilesh]

Who can say that this is a decade old design.... the overall design can give the newer car a jolly good run for their money. Lovely! Have always adored Palio's especially the one's which are well maintained.

[v.anand]

Excellent work there. Yours is the cleanest looking Palio in this forum Vipul! Trust me, its one tremendous achievement since this car is generally owned by the enthusiasts only. Congratulations.

@akhilesh, have to completely agree with you on Palio design. One thing is outdated though and that is the interiors. Exteriors, 1.6 engine, suspension, steering, space and comfort, everything is still better than any other car available in its segment, which is upto Rs.8 lakhs. Can't really decide on another car to replace my Palio. Pity, this car didn't click with the masses in India.

[gthang]

@Vipul,

Like the way you keep your car. A true enthusiast.
The pictures surely do not show the amount of sweat involved in keeping it that way.

Live Long and Prosper.

[architect]

I never thought your car had any issues. Believe me, after three years I have many more dents and dings and scratches on my car, including a cracked bonnet. This after one round of denting and repainting of fenders / doors and bumpers. I think it was a good idea to collect all imperfections and go for one entire makeover, whatever it cost. (Incidentally, what did it cost?)

I am glad Elegant Cars (Samyak) was able to help you with the parts. I might be looking at a similar makeover another 2-3 years down the line, since I have done 70,000 km in three years already. I also cannot imagine Elegant Cars doing a work like this, so a place like Autopsyche was a forgone conclusion I guess.

What is heartbreaking is that many of these dings / scratches actually happen at the Service Centres.

[praful]

Kudos to you for maintaining the car so well. Even prior to the work being done it was in a very good state!

The post work phase makes its look brand new. Absolutely love the work and more importantly admire your passion towards the Palio.

I too have a Palio in the same colour and alloys but only with a smaller heart!

[desideep]

Beauty! amamzing FIAT you have, nice to see it all stock and good to see that you are still able to cope up with the Increasing fuel prices. but they say that the GTX is fun to drive though i have never been able to drive one

[bottle]

Excellent job, maintaining it to the exact original spec is what you call true passion for a vehicle! Now I'm tempted to drive up to Noida since my car needs a complete repaint too from a lot of abuse

[condor]

Vipul, I can only echo what every one else has said - the car was a beauty before she went to Arush, and is now even more a head-turner. I think it deserves better after pics, than just the 2-3 shots that show her in full.

Guess you must have fallen in love with her all over again

Drive Safe !

[musicmanaman]

That has to be the most well maintained Palio on the Forum, and after seeing these pictures, I wonder should I pickup my neighbours 1.6, which he may want to sell and do it up the same way, wonder what the cost of such restoration would be? Can you please throw some light on the cost Vipul.

[vipul_singh]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Wow the car looks brand spanking new

I must admit that you are very particular about the condition of your car because frankly even the before pics of the car are not bad for a 9 year old Car. Kudos to your enthusiasm, specially the efforts to keep it in stock looking condition

Thanks Technocrat! For the past few years, I have been pretty determined to keep the car stock. Not everyone may agree with me, but with clean Palios becoming rarer and rarer (the car sold only about 55000 units in the first place), I have a sense of responsibility in maintaining one in 'as new' condition. In fact, that was the reason I dropped the whole idea of going for a sub + amps install, choosing instead for high quality speakers in stock locations instead. To this date, the car has had no modifications at all, except for a remote locking system (running faultlessly since 2002) - a decision I regret now, simply because it takes away from the purity of a stock car.

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Awesome job. As mentioned by Technocrat, the car looked very good for a 9 year old vehicle. It is looking like a brand new car now. For me, this model of the Palio is the best looking hatch ever... till date.

I have learnt that it pays to buy a beautiful car. Can't help looking back at the car after parking, even to this day.

Originally Posted by vigsom

The few items that you sourced seem to be very reasonably priced.

Which brand of automotive finish(paint) was used and how much lighter has your wallet become?

Yes, Palio parts are quite reasonably priced, except for the parts specific to the 1.6 / GTX
We used the OE brand to repaint the car (ICI Autocolor). Arush advised that the results would be as good as Standox, since the shade was stock.

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

BTW which car was that, the one in blue color & covered?

The blue car in the background is a Toyota Corolla with skirts and alloys. Did not check out the mods it was running, though

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Why didn't you get the engine bay repainted? And the interior panels - are those repainted?

PS : You have to get mud-flaps man, monsoon is here; you don't want mud splashed all over the fresh bumpers!

PPS : Very very good decision to have covered parking. 5 years in Gurgaon (dust, sun, rain) and 1 year in B'lore (dust, sun, rain and pigeon ****) and my Corsa has started looking dull on a few panels :( I finally have covered parking!

I didn't want too many parts to be stiripped off the car, since it can cause problems later. The interior panels did not need re-painting at all, since they were as good a new (maintained with frequent coats of wax).
On the covered parking front, I am shifting to a new house tomorrow. The parking is even better there (Yay!). I rejected 10 houses just because I did not like the parking.

Originally Posted by planet_rocker

Boy I am jealous! This detailed work is so perfect that it is impossible for me to tell if this car has come out of the Showroom. Congrats to You, Vipul.

Congrats to Autopsyche for carrying out such a lovely detailing job. Keep up the good work.

Before i get myself bitten by the bug, i will take another look at the pictures and again take a look at the pictures and, well, Drool at the pictures - Enjoy the car and thanks for helping me out with the Badges from Samyak.

Take care & drive safe. Keep in touch.

Rated 5 Stars

Thanks Planet, especially for rating the thread! Trust me, the car looks better in the metal!

Originally Posted by funkykar

Wow! Your car was never in bad shape at all. You still considered to do this, just shows how much you love the car. Hope you enjoy the car for at-least a couple more decades

Yes, I plan to keep this is as a runner for very long. I am already collecting information on people who can import parts from Brazil, if needed (for the long run)

Originally Posted by akhilesh

Who can say that this is a decade old design.... the overall design can give the newer car a jolly good run for their money. Lovely! Have always adored Palio's especially the one's which are well maintained.

I agree with your observation. There are many more modern looking cars on the market but IMO, but not many are necessarily better looking (writing with a bucketful of humility here... )

Originally Posted by v.anand

Excellent work there. Yours is the cleanest looking Palio in this forum Vipul! Trust me, its one tremendous achievement since this car is generally owned by the enthusiasts only. Congratulations.
.
.
.
Pity, this car didn't click with the masses in India.

Thanks Anand! That is great encouragement. But the car not clicking with the masses has both pluses and minuses. I am not entirely sure if it would have been able to love a volume seller as much.

Originally Posted by gthang

@Vipul,
Like the way you keep your car. A true enthusiast.
The pictures surely do not show the amount of sweat involved in keeping it that way.
Live Long and Prosper.

Absolutely true! One has to sacrifice convenience at every step to maintain a car in India. Consider:
1) Parking well away from the shops, just because the cars are parked densely there. Sometimes I park in one mall to visit another, for the same reason
2) I cannot give my car to anyone else to clean - I do it myself. I addition, the claying, glazing, waxing etc. take a toll on my body.
3) For getting the underbody pressure washed, I reach the washing station at 8 AM on a Sunday, just to ensure he is not in a hurry (with other customers waiting).

You caught the reference to Star Trek, eh? I am a maaaajjjjorrr fan (especially TNG)

Originally Posted by architect

I never thought your car had any issues.
I am glad Elegant Cars (Samyak) was able to help you with the parts. I might be looking at a similar makeover another 2-3 years down the line, since I have done 70,000 km in three years already. I also cannot imagine Elegant Cars doing a work like this, so a place like Autopsyche was a forgone conclusion I guess.

What is heartbreaking is that many of these dings / scratches actually happen at the Service Centres.

Sharma Ji at Elegant / Samyak is immensely helpful. Pity that his bodyshop staff does not have the skills to execute a job even approaching this one.

All those who have asked for a cost breakup, please wait for a PM from me. Also hearfelt thanks to everyone who replied!