[coolmel]

Originally Posted by amalji

1) It will be the same 10,000 kms service interval.
2) If you want to use synthetic oil, switch to it sooner than later. Having said that, Toyotas the world over has run on mineral oil for lakhs of kms without any issues. If you ask me, if it makes economic sense to switch to synthetics, I'm not too sure about it.
3) With synthetics, the friction should be lower and hence there should be a marginal better mileage. But, that's not too much noticeable. Another factor would be that, in the long run, mileage drop should be minimal on cars that use synthetic oil.

PS: I use synthetic because I want the engine to remain as good as new even after many years. I plan to use this vehicle for 10+ years.

Thanks amalji! What oil options does Toyota give us when we give the car for service? Mineral, semi-synthetic & synthetic? Or just mineral and synthetic? And more importantly, what is recommended by them till the last free service?

[saadat1992]

It's monsoon and the problems are back!
Thanks to the recent showers, roads in Chennai have been washed away! The highways too aren't spared! During my recent run on the Chennai - Bangalore NH4/46, i was in for a surprise! The 4 lane NH was pathetic! The roads had nothing but potholes! Generally, we find potholes on the roads but here, i found roads among potholes! Had to drive in a zig zag manner to avoid potholes. After sriperumbudur, the road became smooth and hoping that it'll be smooth, picked up speed and was overtaking a truck when I saw a huge pothole! Panic braked and swerved but, right side hit the pothole! From then on, i have been hearing strange rattles.
The alignment is fine but, that impact resulted in some loose nuts inside the cabin i believe!
Also, mileage has dropped drastically(God knows why). Full tank gave me 583kms which comes close to 14kmpl in the city!

[saadat1992]

Update:
The white knight touched the 15000 km mark yesterday!
There's a slight drop in mileage.
Haven't done any long distance highway runs lately! The upcoming Dussera Holidays might be the time for it!

[amalji]

Originally Posted by coolmel

Thanks amalji! What oil options does Toyota give us when we give the car for service? Mineral, semi-synthetic & synthetic? Or just mineral and synthetic? And more importantly, what is recommended by them till the last free service?

Sorry, missed this update.

1) By default, they will just fill mineral oil. The other option they have is fully synthetic. That too, only if we ask specifically.
2) Synthetic oil can be used from the 2nd service on. No issues with it. Toyota doesn't recommend synthetic specifically for the Etios. But, in general they just advertise that as a better option and that's true regardless of whether it's 2nd or 3rd service.

Originally Posted by saadat1992

It's monsoon and the problems are back!
when I saw a huge pothole! Panic braked and swerved but, right side hit the pothole! From then on, i have been hearing strange rattles.
The alignment is fine but, that impact resulted in some loose nuts inside the cabin i believe!

Take it to the service center and get it corrected.

[coolmel]

Originally Posted by amalji

Sorry, missed this update.

1) By default, they will just fill mineral oil. The other option they have is fully synthetic. That too, only if we ask specifically.
2) Synthetic oil can be used from the 2nd service on. No issues with it. Toyota doesn't recommend synthetic specifically for the Etios. But, in general they just advertise that as a better option and that's true regardless of whether it's 2nd or 3rd service.

Thanks amalji! Much appreciated.

[saadat1992]

Got a call from Toyota regarding the recall for Gear Box drain plug replacement ( Thanks to Amalji for throwing some light on it ). Fixed it the appointment the very next day and it hardly took an hour to replace the plug and the fluid!
Any others got a call from your respective Dealers?

[saadat1992]

Update:
The white knight hit the 16000 mark today! Odo stands at 16023!

Cheers

[Nagesh]

Originally Posted by saadat1992

Got a call from Toyota regarding the recall for Gear Box drain plug replacement ( Thanks to Amalji for throwing some light on it ). Fixed it the appointment the very next day and it hardly took an hour to replace the plug and the fluid!
Any others got a call from your respective Dealers?

Hi Saadat,

Thanks for this info!! Got my liva in dec 2012 and got the following done in warranty:

- Changed front shock absorbers which was causing that loud "thud" you mentioned earlier. This was done in Feb 2013
- Fixed "lower arm" which was creating some nice over certain speedbreakers. This was done in Sep 2013

And now saw your post regarding Gear Box drain plug replacement!! I haven't received any call yet.. maybe will go ask.

Can't believe a Japanese car, supposedly know for quality has so many issues!! The only good thing is the mileage and space. Isn't it?

[saadat1992]

Originally Posted by Nagesh

Can't believe a Japanese car, supposedly know for quality has so many issues!! The only good thing is the mileage and space. Isn't it?

Hi Mr.Nagesh,
They aren't exactly issues. Those parts didn't fall off ,did they?
They just had minor glitches , even if you hadn't replaced them they would have lasted for at least another 50-60k kms(Toyota gives 1,00,000km vehicle warranty).
Quality has been quite an issue with the Etios brand, But reliability wasn't! After using the Swift for quite sometime, i feel the NVH levels in Liva is a bit of a let down!
But it's a great car nevertheless!

[pdma]

Originally Posted by saadat1992

Hi Mr.Nagesh,
They aren't exactly issues. Those parts didn't fall off ,did they?
They just had minor glitches , even if you hadn't replaced them they would have lasted for at least another 50-60k kms(Toyota gives 1,00,000km vehicle warranty).
Quality has been quite an issue with the Etios brand, But reliability wasn't! After using the Swift for quite sometime, i feel the NVH levels in Liva is a bit of a let down!
But it's a great car nevertheless!

I agree with you saadat1992 , both the ETIOS siblings have proved to be reliable and Thanks to people like you & amalji who have shown us the actual cost of ownership as well , which is a big plus. If we can digest the placement of the center console & the plastics (again certainly better than Maruthi & Tatas) in my opinion the car checks all the required boxes of the mindset of most of us.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by Nagesh

Hi Saadat,

Thanks for this info!! Got my liva in dec 2012 and got the following done in warranty:

- Changed front shock absorbers which was causing that loud "thud" you mentioned earlier. This was done in Feb 2013
- Fixed "lower arm" which was creating some nice over certain speedbreakers. This was done in Sep 2013

And now saw your post regarding Gear Box drain plug replacement!! I haven't received any call yet.. maybe will go ask.

Can't believe a Japanese car, supposedly know for quality has so many issues!! The only good thing is the mileage and space. Isn't it?

You get these changes ( proactive replacement of suspension, drain plug and the likes ) because it's brand - Toyota. Proactiveness is the word that needs to be highlighted here. Had it been a product from Maruti, it would have got the same treatment as the "Braking issues" on the Swift.

I would appreciate a brand that does such replacements proactively rather than a brand who doesn't really care till the car breaks down completely!

Having used 2 Marutis ( Zen and Esteem ) myself and having closely seen one ( Swift ) on the pot holed roads in Kerala, I can say with confidence that the reliability of the Etios mechanicals is much higher than a Maruti. I've banged it hard on many pot holes. The car's suspension, steering and related parts stays intact. I'm enjoying this practical design and low cost of ownership. If I ever buy a car again, it will surely be another Toyota.

[Hamlet]

Etios Liva GD - Touched 31k today in 17 months... Whoa, lotsa driving!

[saadat1992]

Originally Posted by Hamlet

Etios Liva GD - Touched 31k today in 17 months... Whoa, lotsa driving!

Whoa. That's a lot in 17 months.
And one of my friend who got his Liva in Dec 2011 has completed 52000kms this month. That's 52k in 24 months

Mine is at 16935. Not been running much lately. No time for out station trips , thanks to the tight schedule.
There's an issue with the right front tyre. The air pressure drops easily. It came down to as low as 15PSi when i checked air after almost 2 weeks!! Not sure if it's a puncture.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by saadat1992

There's an issue with the right front tyre. The air pressure drops easily. It came down to as low as 15PSi when i checked air after almost 2 weeks!! Not sure if it's a puncture.

It has to be a puncture. Since it's tubeless, it can take weeks for the air pressure to go down. Show it in a Tyre shop and get it fixed.

[saadat1992]

Originally Posted by amalji

It has to be a puncture. Since it's tubeless, it can take weeks for the air pressure to go down. Show it in a Tyre shop and get it fixed.

Yes , it was a puncture. Not one but two punctures. Both the right side tyres had 2 nails in them.
Got them removed and the tyres repaired right away. The steering now feels a lot smoother.



Update:
The car crossed the 17000kms mark and is at 17090 as of yesterday.
There's a drastic drop in the FE and I'm thinking of taking it to the service center for a quick service.