[amalji]

Originally Posted by mroptimist

185/60/ R15 is not available in ER60. I think you meant ER300 which comes as OEM on Etios & Liva.

Here is the link.

http://www.bridgestone.co.in/SelectT...atio=60&dia=15

Thanks.

Yes, it's ER300
Thanks for the heads up. I was googling ER series and reached the wrong URL.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by amalji

[*]Bonnet Replacement and Paint Quality - Good. All I had to pay - Rs. 1,000/- ( the minimum charge for Bumper to Bumper claim )

So what is the final bill if expenses not covered under insurance?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Just a question- On the Honda niggles thread, you have mentioned service bills till 1.2L kms. However, here the car has done 56k.

Am I missing something? Are we discussing two cars that you own?

Was really interested in the low service costs you posted and hence came here to read the ownership report, but a bit confused.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Just a question- On the Honda niggles thread, you have mentioned service bills till 1.2L kms. However, here the car has done 56k.
Am I missing something? Are we discussing two cars that you own?

That's the car that has covered the most number of kms in Kochi. I have been following the service record of that car closely. Current odo reading - 2,40,000 kms. I have photographs of all the bills till 1,20,000 kms.

If you are curious about why the bills are so low, here is the reason.

Replacement intervals of parts in a Toyota Etios

Fuel Filters - Life time ( The filter of the car that I mentioned was replaced at 1,70,000 kms )
Air Filter - 40,000 kms
Coolant - 1,60,000 kms
AC Filter - 30,000 kms
Brake Fluid - 40,000 kms
Gear Oil - Life time
Engine Oil, gasket and Oil filter - 10,000 kms

PS: I was given permission to post details of the bill ( after removing personal details ). So, if you need it, PM me your email address, and I can send that.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Was really interested in the low service costs you posted and hence came here to read the ownership report, but a bit confused.

In my case, I specifically ask for synthetic oil. So, my bills would be dearer by around 2,000 INR for every service. But, I do take SMILES pack every time. So, I save around 10% on that. The bills that I posted on the Amaze thread is with mineral oil ( recommended stock option by Toyota ) and without SMILES pack. He could have easily brought that service cost down by another 10% had he opted for SMILES pack in every service.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by amalji

[/b][/u]Fuel Filters - Life time ( The filter of the car that I mentioned was replaced at 1,70,000 kms )
Air Filter - 40,000 kms
Coolant - 1,60,000 kms
AC Filter - 30,000 kms
Brake Fluid - 40,000 kms
Gear Oil - Life time
Engine Oil, gasket and Oil filter - 10,000 kms

Woah! Those are long indeed. I thought the 15,000 kms interval for my Punto air filter was not suitable for Indian conditions, but this is remarkable indeed if no issues exists. Have you see the air filter condition when it gets changed at the 40k mark?

Originally Posted by amalji

PS: I was given permission to post details of the bill ( after removing personal details ). So, if you need it, PM me your email address, and I can send that.

No need at all. Its not that I dont trust your word for it - just was confused seeing a different figure here. .

I have a friend who relocated to another country for a year, leaving his Fortuner with his parents. I take that car for occasional runs, service etc. For a vehicle of that segment and size, it is an understatement to say that the service bills are cheap indeed!

[amalji]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Woah! Those are long indeed. I thought the 15,000 kms interval for my Punto air filter was not suitable for Indian conditions, but this is remarkable indeed if no issues exists. Have you see the air filter condition when it gets changed at the 40k mark?

Yes, I've seen it. Since, they service it every 10,000 kms by passing high pressure air from the opposite side, it gets back to clean state every 10,000 kms. The whole point is that it's designed to take that abuse and is not a flimsy disposable filter.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I have a friend who relocated to another country for a year, leaving his Fortuner with his parents. I take that car for occasional runs, service etc. For a vehicle of that segment and size, it is an understatement to say that the service bills are cheap indeed!

Most Toyotas are cheap to maintain. My father used to work in the middle east and he has seen Toyotas which has completed 6 to 7 lakhs kms and he has seen the service bills of Toyotas and vehicles of other brands. He told me that there is a huge difference and that there is no other brand which is so focused on durability. That's one of the main reasons why I seriously considered Etios when it was first released. I'm experiencing this quality thing in real. The normal bangs on Kerala's famous pot holes which used to damage something or the other on the cars that I've used extensively till now ( 800, Zen, Esteem, Swift ) stays put even after 59,000 kms of aggressive driving. No mechanical parts replaced till now! Plan to keep this gem for atleast 10 to 15 years. Else, it's a loss whichever way I look at it.

And not all Toyotas are cheap to maintain though. for example, while Etios, Innova, Prius, old Corolla, Fortuner are all cheap to maintain, the same cannot be said about Corolla Altis ( thanks mainly to that brake pads and conventional fuel filters )

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

So what is the final bill if expenses not covered under insurance?

Bonnet - 4244
Painting - 3750
Body Repair Labour - 195
Taxes - 1188.66

So Total = 9,377.66
Total, I had to pay = 1,000 ( minimum charge for any claim )

[amalji]

For the first time, I had a chance to use Toyota Road side assistance. Even though they got my issue fixed within 2 hours after my call, I'm not too impressed with the process that I had to go through.

Here is what happened.

The Issue

I was about to travel from Kochi to Bangalore in my Etios at 9 pm Sunday and realized that my left side head lamp's dim filament is gone. So, only the bright mode works for left head lamp.

Stage 1 - Call to Toyota Road side assistance toll free

As with most call center people, started giving template replies. As per him, head lamp issue is not considered as an issue which needs road side assistance and hence I need to contact the dealer direct ( on Sunday 9pm ! )

I told him that I'm a team-bhp member and I'll be quoting your statement in team-bhp. So, ensure that what you are saying is correct.

Stage 2 - Call got escalated after he put me on call ( and probably after discussing with his supervisor )

Same reply from the escalated guy, but in a more polished fashion!
I asked -
"So, you are saying that if my head lamp doesn't work on a Sunday night, and I am midway a long journey, and if I use a Toyota car, Toyota road side assistance is helpless. Is that right ? "
He started explaining unrelated things, to which I had to interfere in between and asked him to answer just YES or NO.
Then he put me and hold and then told me that there is a dealer roadside assistance number ( Nippon ) who would be able to help.

Stage 3 - Call with the dealer roadside assistance

Finally, call center guys are out and instead I got someone with some sense. He promptly addressed the matter and told that they are at Nettoor and would take around 30 minutes to reach Kalamassery ( where I was located ). I told, I need to visit a relative in Aluva. So, requested them to come to Aluva instead. Even though,the distance was more, they agreed readily to come to Aluva.

Road side assistance charge - 450
Bulb cost - 750

My concern is that had I not pushed so hard, I would have been left stranded for such a silly issue. The call center guys handling road side assistance were pretty useless. Once, it got into Nippon dealership's hands, everything was smooth flowing again.

PS: Toyota do provide spare bulbs in the dash. It's just that I forgot to keep it back in the dash after cleaning the car.

Other points to note

Both my Philips Xtreme vision bulbs has given up within 3 years and 60,000 kms ( The first one gave up at around 40,000 kms and 2 years ). Will try stock bulbs ( Osram ) provided by Toyota and see how long it lasts.

[isiv]

Originally Posted by amalji

Road side assistance charge - 450
Bulb cost - 750

Not sure about 450 for roadside assistance, but 750 for a single bulb is way too high - I assume that's a regular H4 halogen and they replaced only the faulty bulb.

PS: It's advisable to replace bulbs in pairs

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Lesson learnt? Always keep that spare bulb inside the car.

By the way- even my Osram night breakers gave up - one around the 60k, 2 years mark and the other around the 70k, 2.5 years mark. Not sure if that's the life expected out of these bulbs, but seems to be on the lower side to me. May be all these 'same power but more brightness' bulbs (Xtreme Vision, NB+) comes with reduced lifetime as a compromise?

Was not too satisfied with the bulbs either. Although the brightness was more- the spread from the NB+ was not as effective as the stock bulbs, for my Punto.

[saadat1992]

Amalji!
Thank god the issue came up right before the travel!
I faced a similar issue in august!
I was traveling from Chennai to Coimbatore & it was around 8pm, I was on the NH45 dual carriageway where we'll have to use highbeams for most of the time. When I was near some remote village area, I noticed my right headlamp's highbeam filament was gone! Had to drive with low beams in heavy rains & to make matter things worse, there were heavy cross winds and the roads were twisty single lane at a point. Had to drive cautiously & got it replaced once I reached Coimbatore. The Phillips Xtreme vision gave up within 1 and half years. Replaced it with Osram 100/90w. The dealer there also told that the Phillips xtreme vision we get here are mostly duplicates and dont last long! So he suggested I get my other bulb replaced with Osram when it gives up.
And coming to the road side assistance, they charged you 450? But isn't it free for cars under smiles package? In fact, my friend's liva was taken in a flatbed from his place for free! The issue he had was AC gas leak due to rodents! Surprised how they charged you the price of two bulbs for one!

[amalji]

Originally Posted by isiv

Not sure about 450 for roadside assistance, but 750 for a single bulb is way too high - I assume that's a regular H4 halogen and they replaced only the faulty bulb.

PS: It's advisable to replace bulbs in pairs

Thanks for the heads up. I was in the halo of replacing with xtreme visions always ( and it used to cost in that range )

Called up Toyota and asked for the bulb's price. They said, it's 186!
Raised a complaint with them regarding the loot their 24x7 roadside assistance did on me ( by charging me 750 odd! ). They are trying to find out why it happened and assured me that they will be calling back once they get to the root of it.

What's the advantage of replacing it in pairs ? Both of them seem to be giving the same brightness. Moreover, we will be having a spare bulb in the dash for any eventuality as well.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Lesson learnt? Always keep that spare bulb inside the car.

True!

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

By the way- even my Osram night breakers gave up - one around the 60k, 2 years mark and the other around the 70k, 2.5 years mark. Not sure if that's the life expected out of these bulbs, but seems to be on the lower side to me. May be all these 'same power but more brightness' bulbs (Xtreme Vision, NB+) comes with reduced lifetime as a compromise?

Yes, that's right. The high brightness bulbs will never last as long as the stock bulbs. Remember reading an article in philips website on that.

Originally Posted by saadat1992

Amalji!
Thank god the issue came up right before the travel!
I faced a similar issue in august!
I was traveling from Chennai to Coimbatore & it was around 8pm, I was on the NH45 dual carriageway where we'll have to use highbeams for most of the time. When I was near some remote village area, I noticed my right headlamp's highbeam filament was gone! Had to drive with low beams in heavy rains & to make matter things worse, there were heavy cross winds and the roads were twisty single lane at a point. Had to drive cautiously & got it replaced once I reached Coimbatore. The Phillips Xtreme vision gave up within 1 and half years. Replaced it with Osram 100/90w. The dealer there also told that the Phillips xtreme vision we get here are mostly duplicates and dont last long! So he suggested I get my other bulb replaced with Osram when it gives up.
And coming to the road side assistance, they charged you 450? But isn't it free for cars under smiles package? In fact, my friend's liva was taken in a flatbed from his place for free! The issue he had was AC gas leak due to rodents! Surprised how they charged you the price of two bulbs for one!

Didn't you have a spare bulb with you that Toyota provides when you buy the car? Replacing it is very easy.
Xtreme Visions don't last as long as the normal bulbs. Look for Made in Germany tag in the bulb. They are known to last more than the ones manufactured from other countries.
And, I was out of SMILES pack since I normally take it for 2 services and renew it only for the next 2 services. So, it's like

40,000 kms to 50,000 kms I'll be in SMILES
50,000 kms to 60,000 kms I'll be out of it.
And 60,000 kms to 70,000 kms I'll be in SMILES

So, in effect all services are done under SMILES. But, certain intervals between services, I'll be out of SMILES. But, seems to be a good idea to keep it under SMILES always ( especially since, my 3 year warranty is over )

[isiv]

Originally Posted by amalji

Called up Toyota and asked for the bulb's price. They said, it's 186!

Are you getting a refund?

Originally Posted by amalji

What's the advantage of replacing it in pairs ? Both of them seem to be giving the same brightness. Moreover, we will be having a spare bulb in the dash for any eventuality as well.

Just a precaution. Assuming you started with a fresh pair of bulbs at some point, when one burns out, it's very likely the other is at EOL as well. Replacing in pairs reduces the probability of the second bulb burning out soon after the first. No doubt we carry spares, but it's a non-trivial task to replace bulbs in the middle of nowhere, especially if it's dark/raining/both.

[saadat1992]

Originally Posted by amalji

Didn't you have a spare bulb with you that Toyota provides when you buy the car? Replacing it is very easy.
Xtreme Visions don't last as long as the normal bulbs. Look for Made in Germany tag in the bulb. They are known to last more than the ones manufactured from other countries.

I did have spare bulbs! The 60/55 ones! But, it was very dark! And raining at places.
So, decided not to experiment with them.
The Osram is Germany made!
Phillips was India made I guess.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by amalji

For the first time, I had a chance to use Toyota Road side assistance. Even though they got my issue fixed within 2 hours after my call, I'm not too impressed with the process that I had to go through.

Do you have an idea where the fuse box for mobile charger is. The in engine bay box does not have any fuse for the mobile charging point.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Do you have an idea where the fuse box for mobile charger is. The in engine bay box does not have any fuse for the mobile charging point.

Its located behind the speedometer. You have to open the cover above the speedometer console then unscrew the speedometer console. Behind it the fuse box is located. Its a 15 amp fuse and its difficult to get the fuse of Etios/Liva out side. Its of a smaller size than the regular fuse.

2011 Etios petrol, owners manual has a detailed information on this, in page number 261,262 & 263. Hope it has not changed now.

You can check here for details. I have changed it once. I have put the pictures as well. Please check out post number 30.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/136990-toyota-etios-1-5l-petrol-owners-point-view-2.html