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My car's ac has conked off.
I have given it to Correa car cool. The guy says the cooling coil needs to be replaced and that will cost 6800 bucks. Plus another 2300 for ac servicing and gas filling.
Can there be any other cheaper fix?

How did the mechanic arrive at this solution, were all the electricals checked for any wire cuts by rats, was blower, ac duct checked/cleaned.

I don't know what all has he checked. The AC would cool the car only at nights and early mornings and since the last week even that was not happening.

I thought only the gas would need to be refilled bit they opened the entire unit and said the coil needs replacement.

I'm going to pick up the car and get it checked at some other place before taking a call.

The AC was last checked and serviced in Dec '11

You can check with Unicool Car AC in Ghatkopar where I got the ac compressor overhaul done for my spark. You will find the details in the classified section in Mumbai.

coil replacement? have you seen the coil? if too much dirt accumulates on the coil it looses it cooling capacity. it happens sooner in spark as it does not have pollen filter. I think cleaning the coil will fix the issue. however it means you'll have to go for a gas refill.

Okay so I did get the cooling coil replaced. The new one comes with a 6 month warranty and it cost me Rs. 6,800. Also paid Rs. 2,300 for the AC gas refill and service.

Got the entire work done from Correa Car Cool, Malad and I found them pretty honest though slightly expensive because at a couple of other places I enquired, I got the same price quote for the cooling coil but others were doing the AC gas refill and service for around Rs. 1,200-1,800.

Anyways I got it done here because of their quality. There were even BMWs and other similar cars getting their work done here.

Total bill - Rs. 9,100 with a 6 month warranty on the new cooling coil. Got the old coil back. Wondering what to do with the old part?

Now the AC has really become a chiller and even at blower speed 1 with the temperature control knob at a low setting, the cabin gets cooled to my liking.

Will post a new thread in the Mumbai directory soon.

My car suffered a breakdown yesterday night.

Here's what happened -
The alternator belt was making the screeching noise yet again but I continued driving. Then all of a sudden the noise stopped and I heard a sound of something snapping in the engine bay.

Then after a while the music stopped playing, all lights dimmed and eventually went off. The check engine light came on and the car stalled. I managed to push it to the side of the road and parked it safely. The incident happened just 1 km from my home and my friendly neighbourhood garage is again half a km from this place so I gave them a call but it was closed.

Will call the mechanic to the spot where I've kept my car and tell him to check. Actually I tried starting my car and it is starting properly but I'm not sure whether I should drive it half a km to the garage or not.

Hi StrangeWizard,

Sorry to hear about (what seems to be) the alternator belt getting cut on your Spark. If it's just half a km, you can indeed drive the car to the garage, as long as there is enough juice left in the battery (it would have regained some juice when you left it overnight). But you need to be cautious about the non-working things if any, depending on how they are wired on the Chevy, such as the lights, horn etc.

Do keep us updated on the issue.

Got the alternator belt changed because it had snapped. Also changed the engine oil and oil filter since these were changed a year back and i've driven 9000kms since the last oil change.

The car is working perfectly now. Smoothness also has improved a bit with the new oil.

Hoping no other issues crop up in the near future.

Sparky has almost touched 50,000 kms now. Out of this around 8000 have been covered on CNG.

Few days back I was driving at a completely empty straight road and since it was too dark I couldn't spot a speed-breaker (It didn't have the white lines painted on it).

Anyway the speed breaker was too big (with a weird shape) and it was too late when I actually saw it. Drove over it at approx 65-70 km/hr.

Result - My knee banged hard against the centre console. Car went towards the left but I managed to get it under control.

Also heard few loud thuds when the car drove (or flew) over the speed breaker. Got down and checked and couldn't notice any damages except a couple of wires that came off and they are visible beneath the front bumper now.

Next day too everything worked fine and then the day after that my Spark started sounding like a muscle car. Seems I damaged the exhaust muffler when I drove over the speed breaker. Showed it to my FNG and he says it would be difficult to get it repaired and suggested a replacement which would cost approx 4-5k.

So here's a list of expenses that the car currently needs -

Exhaust muffler - Rs. 4000-5000
AC Condenser and Gas - Rs. 6500 (thanks to Mumbai traffic police for that)
New tyres - Rs. 15000-16000.
Front bumper - Repair - Rs. 1000 or Replace - Rs. 1700
Repaint front bumper - Rs. 1500-2000 I guess.

Expenses occurred in the last few months -

CNG kit - Rs. 34000
AC Cooling Coil and Gas - Rs 9100
Misc Servicing, oil change, alternator belt, brake service, etc - Rs. 5-6k

Now does it make sense to spend any more money on this car? Its been almost 3 years with it and now I'm really looking forward to upgrade to a pre-worshipped premium hatch or even a sedan like SX4 or City or something like that.

Dealers are hardly offering 1 lakh and that's really turning me off.

Should I spend some money on the car, get it detailed, use it for a couple of years more or just sell it off and get something else.

The exteriors are also in a bad shape with scratches and small dents everywhere. Mechanicals like clutch, brakes, steering, suspension are in great condition though.

After a couple of years I don't think I'll get anything for this car.

Thanks

Can empathize with you there. I spent close to a lac of rupee trying to save this car, but I guess you can only do so much. I loved this car.. alas, was forced to sell it due to the unreasonable maintainence.:(

If I was in your place, I would just sell it off now, and scramble whatever I can get. If you are patient enough, you may find a private buyer and get some more dough.

If you are looking for a pre-owned upgrade, I would suggest you to strongly consider the Ritz. Don't go for the sedans, since the ones which you are considering are expensive to maintain (considering that you will get old models only). The ritz is overall not really a hot seller, and you may just find an excellent deal if you hunt hard. You won't regret it.

Thanks,
Simple_car

Hey,

I actually like the Ritz but they are not as easily available in the used car market as compared to the Swift. Even the ones that are available are mostly Lxi or Vxi trims and I would prefer Zxi (airbags and ABS).

Same story with Swift. Mostly Vxi are available and few Zxi too but dealers quote ridiculous prices for nice-selling cars like Swift, City, Innova, etc.

Swifts I'm avoiding because they are known to rattle a lot.

Another car I like is the Grande Punto but again reliability might not be as good as Ritz/Swift.


Okay what would you prefer out of these - a 2007 SX4 with around 40-50k on the odo or a 2009/10 Ritz with a slightly similar odo reading of around 40k? Both are available for the same price. I'm aware that the SX4 will surely have more maintenance since its from a higher segment.

I like the SX4 too but while driving it I felt as if I was driving a van or a mini-tempo :p This is because of the high seating position plus the angle at which the front windshield is installed.

My close friend has a SX4 and I have 2 ritz's in my family. All Vxi's only.

Personally, I am a sucker for hatches, so I am going to say Ritz. I would say no to SX4 primarily for 2 reasons (and maintainence isn't one of them):

1. Sedan. No matter what the society thinks, it's a pain to drive a sedan in bombay. Take it from a guy who prefers driving the figo (even though I have the fiesta at home). Plus the headache of parking in bombay is too much for me to bear.
2. Efficiency. Worst case scenario situations in bombay, you'll extract around 12 kmpl in bombay, with the SX4 giving you b/w 8-10 kmpl in similar situations. I think this matters when you are a student (this is coming from one too:))

You are right when you say that the market is flooded with VXi's only, and I would say, if you are really worried about the safety, one thing you can do is go for a tyre upgrade to 195 sections (not 185's) with alloys. I have done this on my family member's car, and it has transformed the looks of the car completely, AND has improved the handling and braking to some extent. Do note that in fully loaded conditions, you will definitely want better brakes, but the one's fitted to the car will do fine in maximum scenarios you can think of. If you can find a Zxi, nothing better, but don't ignore the Vxi's either if you find one at a good price.

Coming to the SX4; it really is a nice sedan, but you'll not enjoy it as much as the Ritz. Drive the Ritz petrol hard, and you'll know what I am talking about. Even on skinny tyres, it's a hoot to drive.

Both car's are however (and sadly), prone to rattles, so, be prepared mentally.

I might be looking to sell one of the ritz's in my family soon, and if you are interested, let me know. Please note; I haven't yet decided whether to sell the car or not. So please do give me a month to consider before saying the final answer.

Thanks,
Simple_car

Forgot to mention here, I got the damn AC condenser replaced and now the cooling is perfectly fine.
The condenser cost me Rs. 3650 with 6 months warranty and paid 1500 for gas and labour.

Got it done at Hans Car Cool, Malad since Correa Car Cool was closed that day and I needed the car urgently in 3-4 hours. The guy really did a great job.

We were planning to buy a Hyundai Grand i10 petrol but now the buying decision is postponed for a while. Maybe something better will come out of this wait ;)

Test drove the Micra, Micra Active, i10, Grand i10, i20, WagonR CNG, etc and loved the Grand.

My mom is not keen to get a used car again and hence this time will go for a new one only. Let's see when!

Didnt you forget something,about what we discussed?