[ghodlur]

CD,

Couldn't agree less. This Holi bought me pain too. There were color marks on my Punto and it took me about an hour to clean the same. In my case I knew the culprits - they were kids in my society compound and one of them was my son. Luckily my son informed me of the stains and before they could do any damage, I got them cleaned.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

In your case, their happiness has caused you pain. People who do not care for other's properties and spoil them are as good as morons. No amount of education can get them to think sensibly. Upbringing matters a lot.

Spoke to the security guard at the building where I had parked the car. Seems the 'celebration' was performed by the employees of the building. The found happiness by throwing colours on each other, and on the cars parked outside. The security guard did try to wash it away with a running water hose, once the celebrations were over. I guess that helped prevent any permanent damage/ need for detailing.

'Upbringing' certainly isn't related to money.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Luckily my son informed me of the stains and before they could do any damage, I got them cleaned.

Lucky. Me too, for this time.

The two cars in my apartment that I put in the earlier pic weren't so lucky. The stains are still very much there after two washes.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

1,40,000 kms update

Crossed the 140k milestone yesterday. As usual, the customary pic and some boring statistics to follow -

Number of days: 1841 days (5 years, 15 days).

Average Usage: 76 kms /day.
Time taken for the last 10k kms: 155 days @ 64.5 kms/day.

Some pics taken during my drive from Bangalore to Trivandrum over the weekend -

Got time to do a proper vaccum cleaning of the interiors as well. The interiors should be back to feel-good condition with some Meguair's Natural Shine protectant now.

[nkrishnap]

Nice milestone. How is the new clutch behaving? Do you hear a mild humming sound around the 2000 rpm mark?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Nice milestone. How is the new clutch behaving? Do you hear a mild humming sound around the 2000 rpm mark?

There was some increase in noise levels, though I didn't particularly observe the rpm at which it occurred. Seems to have settled down now, or my ears have gotten used to it.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Issues faced + Service Experience Log#23 - Starter Motor Replacement + Tailgate Strut @ 140500 kms.
Service Satisfaction - ****-
Service Centre - True Sai Motors, Salem.


Was expecting this expense to come up soon since the vehicle was getting older, and required a second crank to start the engine most of the times. But the same condition had been there for over few months now, without much variations, and hence I had decided to try and skip the starter motor work till the 150k service.

Unfortunately, the situation got worse over the past 2-3 days - with the car requiring 5-6 cranks to start occasionally.

The tailgate strut also had lost all of its tension, mainly thanks to the security guards in the office campus and most malls, who make it a point to open and bang it shut everyday. Replaced that as well, since it fell on the better half's head few days back when she was taking some luggage out.

[sukrit7]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Nice milestone. How is the new clutch behaving? Do you hear a mild humming sound around the 2000 rpm mark?

I had this problem for a long long period but could never pin it down. No one else could hear it and most people thought I was mad!! Someone suggested it was an axle bush.

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by sukrit7

I had this problem for a long long period but could never pin it down. No one else could hear it and most people thought I was mad!! Someone suggested it was an axle bush.

This sound has disappeared post the change of flywheel. Have driven about 300 kms post the change and it has not reappeared. Axle sound you mention is different. The humming sound for now has disappeared.

People who are changing the clutch kit, please do change the master cylinder, slave cylinder and flywheel. Makes a massive difference to how the clutch behaves, it has become super smooth now.

Cost for the additional items are

1. Master Cylinder - 1700 odd
2. Slave Cylinder - 2700 odd
3. Flywheel assembly - 2700 odd

@Crazy_Driver: I believe you got the Master and Slave Cylinders changed during the clutch kit replacement.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

This sound has disappeared post the change of flywheel. Have driven about 300 kms post the change and it has not reappeared. Axle sound you mention is different. The humming sound for now has disappeared.

Initially I was able to hear this humming sound after the clutch replacement, but looks like it has disappeared now. However the engine note is sharp/loud at 2500-3000RPM. I have checked this sound both at True Sai and Vecto, they said its due to timing chain replacement and will die down slowly. Not sure, if this is something to do with this new type timing chain.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Proklear Rain Repellant Nano Glass Shield Coating -

This was already applied on the front windshield, but was starting to wear off over time. I wanted to apply it on the Xcent anyways and hence did a re-application on the front windshield on the Punto and the rear glass as well.

Here is a video of the difference it makes. (Rear glass shown here as example, since the coating was not there for the rear earlier).

Before applying Proklear Rain Repellant Nano Glass Shield Coating -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnXsYfjqcdc

After applying Proklear Rain Repellant Nano Glass Shield Coating -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tyEIcj80hk

Overall, I feel its a VFM product and definitely worth recommending as a small DIY.

http://www.proklear.in/blog/product/...in-windshield/

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

@Crazy_Driver: I believe you got the Master and Slave Cylinders changed during the clutch kit replacement.

Yes KP, they were changed.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

A/C on strike!

Had driven to Kerala last weekend, and was staying there for a week. The ~800 km drive to Kerala was uneventful, but upon starting the car on Tuesday morning, the a/c starting acting weird. Initially, it struggled to cool and the hot and humid weather at Trivandrum wasn't helping either. After 10 minutes, it totally refused to cool down the cabin!

a/c gas issue? May be. No work has been carried out for the climate control over the past 80k kms.

But then, it started working on its own after 30 mins and has been working faultless ever since. Infact, it was at its usual best during the 800km drive back to Bangalore yesterday and kept the cabin at a very effective 23.5 degrees when the outside temperature was burning hot at 41 degrees!

Electrical issue? Loose connection? Strike because of Kerala effect? No idea as of now! If all goes fine, will postpone the checks till the next scheduled service.

Posing for the mobile camera! 144k kms completed with this trip.



a/c refused to cool for a good 30 minutes last Tuesday, but then recovered on its own and kept the cabin very comfortable during the ~800km drive back to Bangalore yesterday, when the outside temperatures were constantly above 40 degrees.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

A/C on strike!

This can happen if there is ice formation, either because of clogged evaporator, or a malfunctioning thermostat(which cuts off the compressor). It'll stop to cool unless the ice melts down due to heat.

Regards,
Shashi

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

This can happen if there is ice formation, either because of clogged evaporator, or a malfunctioning thermostat(which cuts off the compressor). It'll stop to cool unless the ice melts down due to heat.

Regards,
Shashi

Thank you Shashi. Could it be caused due to the humidity of the place?

Trivandrum was so humid this time around, that my specs were fogged up completely every time I opened the window and let the air in. And needless to say, AC was working overtime due to the heat.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Thank you Shashi. Could it be caused due to the humidity of the place?

Trivandrum was so humid this time around, that my specs were fogged up completely every time I opened the window and let the air in. And needless to say, AC was working overtime due to the heat.

One question: Was the air coming out of the blower less cold, or was it the case of less air(with increased temperature) coming out of the blower??

Both can cause an increase in temperature of the cabin.

It happened once to us, in a Swift. Suddenly the volume of air coming out of the vents decreased significantly, but the blower noise was the same. It remained like that for quite some time(about 15-20 minutes), before the AC started cooling normally.

The culprit was slightly clogged evaporator, along with a damaged thermostat wire(which was never cutting off the compressor). This caused ice formation over the coil, significantly decreasing the airflow, and hence an increase in cabin temperature.

I'm not sure about the effect of humidity though.

Regards,
Shashi

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Recently I've been complaining about the NVH a lot, specially at highway cruising speeds. Few friends suggested trying diesel additives to help cleanup the deposits on the old engine, and based on some of their good experiences, narrowed down on the below product.

Using for the current tankful starting today. Hopefully will have a positive experience to share by the end of the week.