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Old 31st January 2007, 16:01   #46
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1 yr, ~13000 Km report

1 yr, ~13000 Km report - 3rd Service done
(Mods, pls update the thread topic accordingly)

Wanted to post this @10000kms, but laziness got to me. Completed a years' ownership on 18th Jan. The last formal report was after 1000kms - 1st post of this thread.

Be warned .. this will be a longish writeup.

Facts and Figures

# Kms run - 12800+
# Driven 94% within city (75% stop go, 25% fairly open) and 6% GQ national highways 120-160kmph
# Max speed till date - speedo indicated 180kmph in 4th
# Shifts generally around 2000-2500 in the city.
# Average speed - approximately 30kmph :(
# Mileage - 11.51kmpl overall
# Worst Figure - 10.2kmpl during May
# Best Figure - 13.74kmpl in Nov. Intentionally drove sedately that fortnight.
# AC usage - 45%-50% over the span of 1 yr (from 100% in summers to nil in winters)
# Tyre pressure - around 28psi for the 185/65 NCT5's; Since mid Jan '07, maintain 32psi for the Eagle F1s.

I maintain a fuel log and approximately track the AC usage too.


Fuel used
Started with XtraPremium and used it till September '06;
Then tried Power till December '06;
Since December I've been using normal HP unleaded with System G;
Haven't noticed any difference in either. Will stick to normal unleaded and System G for sometime.


Second Service - 16th June @4778kms
Expense - Rs. 3/-.
They charged this for a carpet fastener.

Third Service - 9th Dec @10625kms
Expense - Rs. 860/-.
This included 200/- labour for removing my seat covers (which I was unable to do on my own). Felt like a 'murga'. Rest was for oil change etc.
Wheel rotation and alignment was checked/done which they messed up. Had to go back twice - end Dec & early Jan. They did some wheel balancing too. Was still not satisfied. All of this was free of cost.
Didn't go anymore after that, since on Jan 19th switched to 195/60 R14 Eagle F1s at arguably one of the best tyre shops in Kolkata - Indo Radial Club. They did a ok job, although it could be still better. 2 of the 5 OEM NCT5's had tears - so instead of replacing them I went ahead and upgraded.

However, overall very happy with Maruti service by Mohan Motors. Very helpful and cordial. Whenever I visit they offer a free 'top-wash' for the car - in their auto-car-wash setup.

Some observations
# No perceptible mileage change after either of the 3 services.
# Headlights seem fine for city night driving - so no plans of changing
# Went to a free Maruti checkup camp in Jan. All tests went fine.
# Tried my best to get good FE on highways by sticking to a steady 100kmph - but 'control nahi hota' .. hats off to those who can. Given an open stretch it touches 140 so easily that it's difficult to hold back.

Accidents & Scratches
# Front bumper right corner area has some scratches - brushed the wall some more times in the garage I park.
# Skirting area below the left passenger door has a dent. Went into a low 1 ft 'wall' at wifeys office parking lot while reversing.
# Rear bumper has a barely visible undulation and the anchors on both sides have gone in a wee bit - resulting in the bumper being pushed in slightly. Noticeable on careful observation. Again a parking situation. The rear went into a bush which was giving shelter to a large rock.
# Rear bumper attacked again. Wagon R bumped into it. Elaborated in the 'Baleno Bumper Issue' thread. Bumper self-corrected


Gripes
# There's an occassional faint squeaking for which I haven't been able to identify the cause. It seems to come from the drivers side seat belt at the point where it goes into the red thingy (no pun) !! Doesn't happen always. But no resolution yet. Get to hear it at times if the stereo is off.
# Boot carpet tack had broken off resulting from usage - replacement spare not available.
# 5-10% times, the power antenna does not retract fully - about 2 inches sticks out. Switching on the HU/radio to extend it and switching off again normally takes care of it. Also, it retracts making some groaning noises. Oiling hasn't helped.
# Not sure about this. Service guy said clutch might need work. Pending second opinion. Don't have any problems driving.

Likes
Have mentioned quite a few in post 1 ... additionally
# Have got used to the gear shift now. Love it.
# Ride & NVH levels have improved considerably with the new tyres
# Floaty feel at the front @120kmph has been eliminated with these tyres.

My daily driving has increased. In the Indica I used to average 700kms a month and here I am doing 1000/month. Taking longer routes to destinations and going out for aimless drives are a norm. Just goes to show that I love driving it and am always looking for an excuse to do so. That, IMO, is what a drivers car should be like.
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Old 31st January 2007, 16:09   #47
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Nice review Shuvo. I don't think anyone can go wrong with a Baleno. Perfect balance between price, F.E., power and refinement. And that A/C is simply superb. If only Maruti had priced it right, right at the beginning there would have been a sure fire winner. My only gripe with this car is the ground clearance and the light weight feel. But yeah, the juice upfront is serious business. And I can understand the need for longer, more 'aimless' drives. Happens.
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Old 31st January 2007, 16:45   #48
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great review man.

The gear lever does seem a bit hard esp shifting from 4th to 5th.

The mileage you are gettig is pretty good consider the fact that your diving has been mostly in the city.
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Old 31st January 2007, 17:02   #49
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Excellent ownership writeup Shuvc. Undoubtedly you should be a proud owner of the beast .

Quote:
Second Service - 16th June @4778kms
Expense - Rs. 3/-.
They charged this for a carpet fastener.
Did you pay that??

Quote:
The gear lever does seem a bit hard esp shifting from 4th to 5th.
have noticed this in my car also.
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Old 31st January 2007, 17:13   #50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rjstyles69 View Post
Did you pay that??
:( Yes I did. They probably raised paperwork worth more than that !!
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Old 31st January 2007, 17:18   #51
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Nice detailed review, shuvc.

I also did not see any noticeable difference in FE from the time I bought the car, till today when it is close to 2 years old. Usually members report increase in FE after running-in period is over, but mine has been always the same.
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Old 31st January 2007, 18:09   #52
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hey folks let me also add what I have noticed in my baleno. Initially the FE was at abt 11-12kmph and since the 3rd service things have changed.
In city driving with the AC on,the car pulls off a gud 13 kmph easily.

On installing the K&N the FE was a little on the bad side for a couple of kms,same as quoted earlier. Now after a good run-in its back to the same numbers.
Currently am at the 15k mark and on my recent trip to Kerala,I got a FE of 14kmph with AC .
I read Himanshu's trip log and he quoted something on the lines of 18 if I aint wrong.
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Old 31st January 2007, 18:31   #53
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rjstyles69
Currently am at the 15k mark and on my recent trip to Kerala, I got a FE of 14kmph with AC .
I read Himanshu's trip log and he quoted something on the lines of 18 if I aint wrong.
@rjstyles69, 14kmpl on highways seems a little low for a Baleno. I get 16kmpl easily and that is without any controlled driving. With a little effort (read as staying below 100kmph, etc), 17-18 kmpl is not that tough, like in Himanshu's case.
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Old 31st January 2007, 18:46   #54
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@supremeBaleno, sorry forgot to mention that 14kmph was city driving in kochi. On the highway I really havent calculated this time around because the roads were 2oo inviting and at every possible instance I have floored the pedal.
During my previous trip to Udupi, I had checked the mileage and it was 15kmph(with AC) and this was before the 3rd service.
Am pretty sure , if I can keep a tab on the speed during the highway drives the figures should be good.

Am planning on long a drive soon after the 15k service and can testify on the highway figures.
This weekend am heading to Mysore , hopefully I can come back with the exact figures about the mileage on the highway.

cheers for now
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Old 31st January 2007, 18:59   #55
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Oh, OK. That's actually a great FE for city driving. I get only 12kmpl (with 100% AC) in Chennai city driving. Not bad actually, considering the traffic conditions and the fact that it is a 1600cc sedan weighing in at a ton.
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Old 31st January 2007, 19:03   #56
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14 KPL is great for city driving. i achieved my 18.5 KPL at speeds ,100 KPH and not exceeding 2500 rpm in any gear. keep in mind this ia a beand new engine which had 110 ks on the odo when I headed out on the highway.

I am pretty certain that after about 5K if I repeat this run under similar conditions, I may be able to crack 20 KPL!
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Old 31st January 2007, 19:15   #57
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Once again, I am sure its K&N doing magic of not having to shift to lower gears often.Also keeping the RPM below 2500 makes the difference.
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Old 31st January 2007, 19:17   #58
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Quote:
Originally Posted by himanshugoswami View Post
I am pretty certain that after about 5K if I repeat this run under similar conditions, I may be able to crack 20 KPL!
Very much possible. But then I am sure it would require immense self-control and patience to stick to sub-100kmph speeds and to avoid revving the gem of an engine that the Baleno has.
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Old 31st January 2007, 20:07   #59
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Very nice review and I echo all of the views expressed by all of the Baleno Owners.

My Baleno is 2500 kms old and I get a FE of 12 in city and 15 on Highway.

I have a issue. Want to know if anyone else experiences the same.

I experience a power latency around 1800 rpm. When I am accelerating slowly, there is a dip around 1800 rpm and picks when I pass that level. When the vehicle slowing, it seems to slow down faster when around 1800 rpm and then settles down below that level. Any one experiencing the same ?.
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Old 1st February 2007, 00:59   #60
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yeah me too get the same problem....the car feels underpowered in range of 1600 to 1800 rpm and after tht the car vroooooms.......its because tht the torque produced is lil less at lesser rpm and due to slightly taller gearing....

i also experience hard shifting from 4th to 5th gear....also the shift from 1st to 2nd has gone very smooth (not my liking)
one more thing...in my car the steering feels not much diff in tightness as speed increases...wat might be the trouble??

but the car rocks...actually i dont know y others don like its looks...i simply love it......
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