[puchoo]

Many many congratulations and wishes. My first car was the Wagon R , and i had it for almost 5.5 years . Could not have asked for a better car during that time , lots of storage and absolutely hassle free to maintain , did many road trips on that and i dont have 1 single bad memory with it!

Hope the new owner is taking care of her!

[PVS]

Originally Posted by puchoo

Many many congratulations and wishes. My first car was the Wagon R , and i had it for almost 5.5 years . Could not have asked for a better car during that time , lots of storage and absolutely hassle free to maintain , did many road trips on that and i dont have 1 single bad memory with it!

Hope the new owner is taking care of her!

Hi Puchoo - thanks for your compliments and wishes. Yes, the WR is proving to be quite a practical car, with its ease of maneuverability in the city environs.
Yep, its being taken care of, quite well. As of now, I am chauffeuring my parents around, and occasionally, use it myself.

Thanks

[PranavDesai]

Greetings PVS for bringing home the tall boy. It is definitely a good option as a family car, especially considering your height requirements. I learned driving in a Wagon-R which had about 95K on the meter and it drove superbly. I consulted with lot of relatives/friends/neighbours and the clear reply was: if you are buying a first car, it should be either maruti or hyundai, preferably Wagon-R or Santro. Both are simple, efficient, trouble-free, and give a good resale value, but then the Honda bug bit me and I got a Brio. Did you have a look at Ritz? One thing is confusing me, how come your car was 6 months old (by VIN). Is the Vxi selling so less?

[PVS]

Originally Posted by PranavDesai

One thing is confusing me, how come your car was 6 months old (by VIN). Is the Vxi selling so less?

Thanks for your greetings Pranav.
Yep, looks like the VXi is a bit slow off the shelves compared to its lower priced counterpart, the LXi. I have seen quite a lot of LXi's on the road, compared to the few VXi's and absolutely no VXi with ABS, for quite some time now.

[PVS]

The Ownership Report Continues - 7090 Kms on the ODO

Its been close to 4 months now on in the WR. THe second servicing has been completed slightly ahead of schedule, and I have had no problems whatsoever with this car. A majority of the driving has been within city limits with the occassional drive out of town. About 3 weeks back, we did a 877 Kms round trip in the Rayalaseema region --> Hyderabad - Guntakal - Gooty - Yadiki - Dhone - Hyderabad.

HIGHWAY BEHAVIOUR/CRUISING CAPABILITY
Drove on the NH7 with 3 pax on board, and minimal luggage, and the car behaved pretty decently for its class. Had no problems crusing around in the 130 to 140 Kmph range, though with the absense of ABS and AirBags, one has to be a bit cautious though. Tried to push beyond 140 on a straight desolate stretch of the NH7, but could achieve a max of 144 Kmph.

REAR SEATS
Guess the back seat of the Wagon R is not that comfortable a place to be in. I was on the back seat, and the wife was at the wheels, when we were heading back home after a vist to Deccan Trails near Vikarabad. On the undulating Chevella Road, with patches of broken tarmac, and at speeds in the vicinity of 75 Kmph, the rear felt pretty bouncy, and I was feeling pretty uncomfortable sitting there, holding my 18 month old child.

A/C
The Air conditioning continues to be effective, and even with all that sun film off my windows, the A/C knob remains at position 2.

MILEAGE
I usually tank up Rs 2000/- at one go and that comes to around 27.17 litres. In actual city driving conditions with 100% A/C, I am beginning to see figures in the 14 to 14.5 Kmpl range.

SERVICE EXPERIENCE
Unlike the first service, where I experienced a couple of issues, the second servicing at close to 5000 Kms on the ODO, was a hassle free experience. There were no niggles this time. What is peculiar though, is a call from the service centre, asking me to inform them, when a service feedback email came in from MSIL. In return I would be getting a gift voucher for Rs 750/-. Very interesting!

CAR WASH/ACCESSORIES
Drove down to Reliance AutoZone in Moosarambagh recently and picked up wash & wax, tyre polish and other stuff for Rs 1400/- . Also have a Black & Decker portable vaccum cleaner in the boot, which has turned out to be pretty effective and usefull too.
Need to consider K & Ns and alloy wheels next, and probably swap those jarring dual horns!!

So far, a decent ownership experience with a trouble free car!

[carzone]

Don't know how did I miss this thread!
Have been driving the K10 for 2+years now. 3rd December 2010 to be precise, and I am yet to write a ownership review here!
Need to get some time out.

Nice review, and most of the points are the same as what I feel.
Just that, I feel a need to upgrade my Headlights, it seems inadequate sometimes when you have High beams blazing on you from the opposite side. Might consider it soon.

I am getting an F.E. of around 12 KMPL in the city with AC. Less comparatively, need for a checkup? Got my 5th service around where this issue needs to be checked!

Absolute practical car and I have been in live with it!
Looking forward for some more pics.

Happy mile munching!

[PVS]

Originally Posted by carzone

Nice review, and most of the points are the same as what I feel.
Just that, I feel a need to upgrade my Headlights, it seems inadequate sometimes when you have High beams blazing on you from the opposite side. Might consider it soon.

Thanks for the comments carzone. During the first servicing I had an antiglare film fixed on the front windscreen. High beams don't bother me that much now; and I guess the headlights seem OK.

Originally Posted by carzone

I am getting an F.E. of around 12 KMPL in the city with AC. Less comparatively, need for a checkup? Got my 5th service around where this issue needs to be checked!

Yes, a check up is needed - you should be getting around 15 KMPL with 100% AC on in the city.

Originally Posted by carzone

Absolute practical car and I have been in live with it!
Looking forward for some more pics.

Yes, as a daily use city car, the WR is very practical - good ride height, airy cabin and easy of menauvreability are its USPs. Will post more pics along the way.

Happy mile munching![/quote]

[PVS]

UPDATE - OWNERSHIP REPORT - 9198 Kms

Third Free Servicing

Just completed the 3rd free servicing from Mithra Agencies today. Though the 3rd free servicing needs to be done at 10,000 Kms or 12 months (whichever is earlier), I have an outstation trip coming up later, and since I am heading out with family, decided to get the servicing done up front.

The only thing free in the 3rd servicing is labour. All the others are charged. I opted for Wheel alignment and balancing too as the vehicle had crossed 9000 Kms, and a 1000 Kms + trip was in the offing.
The servicing costed Rs 1756/- and here is the break-up:

Front Left MudGuard Clip: Rs 13
Filter Assembly Oil: Rs 78
Balance Weight 15 Gms: Rs 8/- * 2 Units = Rs 16
Balance Weight 25 Grams: Rs 11.35 * 2 Units = Rs 22.70/-
Balance Weight 20 Grams Rs 9.61 * 2 Units = Rs 19.22/-
Balance Weight 30 Grams: Rs 12.23 * 2 Units = Rs 24.46/-
Screen Wash Concentrate: Rs 13.10
Engine oil: Rs 928
Wheel Alignment: Rs 235/-
Wheel Balancing - 4 Wheels: Rs 180/-
Service Tax: Rs 50/-

Added 46 points from this service onto My Maruti Suzuki Loyalty Program - You would need to have a minimum of 500 points to start redemption. I currently stand at 146 points.

Niggles So Far:
The switch that locks all the other three power windows was not functioning. I pointed it out at the 3rd servicing, and when I came to take back the car, it was still not working. The SA, took the car back inside the workshop, rectified it and got it back. I had also complained about a missing nut on the front left mudguard, and the service advisor missed that as well. He had to take the car back and get it fixed.

Rear Wiper
Last month, one morning before heading to work, I found that someone had fiddled around with the rear wiper, and as a result it, was broken. I got a replacement at the nearby Maruti Authorized Spare Parts Store for Rs 195/- and got it fixed.

Musty Smell from the Blower
When I turn on the blower, without switching on the A/C, there is a damp, and musty smell that comes from the blowers - not sure what to do about it. Probably would get an ionizer installed.

To sum it up - the ownership experience so far has been hassle free - I am getting an average of around 15+ Kmpl, with 100% AC, and my daily office to home commute is around 40 Kms. My average fuel bill per month is around Rs 6,000/-.

Will keep updating this thread!

[PVS]

1-Year Ownership Report – Wagon R
It has been over a year since we purchased a new Wagon R Vxi for my parents, on the 5th August 2012, from Mithra agencies, Himayathnagar. The initial ownership report can be seen here.

Though initially the idea was to get this car for my parents, and for me to purchase a sedan later, I ended up using this car, on a daily basis for my work commute, which works out to be around 40 kms per day. Dad stopped driving, given the crazy traffic conditions in & around the place where I live, and is quite happy using his Honda Activa.

During the first year, I clocked up about 16225 Kms on the ODO, with a majority of driving being in the city, and 4 outstation trips, 2 to the Rayalaseema region (Kurnool & Guntakal), 1 to Dindi, and another one to Laknavaram, in Warangal district.

Let me sum up my ownership experience so far, by highlighting the key points:

1. City Driving
Very easy to handle in the city – I am able to accurately squeeze it into gaps, thanks to its effective steering, large ORVMs and sharp brakes. The visibility from the driver’s seat is excellent, and I get an all-round view of everything that’s happening around me with no problem at all. Pick up at low speeds continues to be a problem thanks to the pronounced turbo lag till 1500 RPM, and after that, the engine becomes very responsive and is fun to drive. So, in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I continuously toggle between the 1st and 2nd gears. Ground clearance is adequate, and I am able to negotiate craters and potholes, at median speeds without any problem.
Engaging the reverse gear continues to be a bother. – hope Maruti does something about it, in future upgrades.
Air conditioning is adequate. I drive with AC on all the time, and never felt the need to go beyond position 2 when I am alone, and when there is a full load in the car, during peak summer time, we maintained the blower at position 3.

2. Highway Driving
This car has no problems on the highway, and can effortlessly do 3-digit speeds for a sustained amount of time, the road and traffic conditions permitting. The maximum speed I could achieve was 145 Kmph, on a desolate and straight stretch of the Bangalore Hyderabad Highway.
Braking, though effective, is not confidence inspiring and you would always need to keep in mind that this vehicle does not have ABS. We were doing 100 + on the NH – 5 heading to Vijayawada, when a 7-seater Auto, who was a few yards ahead of me decided to stop dead on the lane, no indicators , no brake lights nothing. I had to brake hard, and swerve just in time to avoid the idiot. The brakes did their job in keeping things under control.
The back seat inside a Wagon-R is not the best place to be in, given the bumpiness you tend to face, especially at high speeds. So, on undulating roads, and near culverts and bridges, the rear tends to jump around a bit, throwing the back benchers into a bother. Of course no complaints about the leg room, even a 6’ 3” guy like me had no problems with the leg space.
Luggage for long trips needs to be planned with care, as the boot cannot take more than 2 medium sized suitcases. Nevertheless, for a family of 4, we did manage to squeeze in our luggage at the rear, without blocking the view from the inner RVM. I am planning to get a roof-top carrier for long journeys going forward. The under-seat storage space under the front passenger seat is very welcome, and lots of snacks and knick-knacks can be stowed in there.
I felt that the stock lights do their job, but an upgrade will always be better. On our night drive to Vijayawada, on the NH-9, the headlights did their job to satisfaction, especially when in high beam. The twin horns, though adequate in the city, do tend to get jarring when used continuously. A horn upgrade is definitely required.

3. Running Costs
Petrol costs work out to approximately Rs 5000/- per month, with my home to work commute being 40 Kms daily. I get an average of 15 Kmpl with 100% AC running. Highway driving gets me some more Kms per litre of petrol, probably around 17 to 18 Kmpl, I guess. Apart from this I had to replace a rear wiper for Rs 190/-. In Feb of this year, past 10,000 kms, I got it serviced at Mithra, and the bill came to Rs 1754/.

The rear wiper went Kaput in January of this year, and thanks to RKS motors nearby, I could get it replaced for Rs 195/-. No such luck though with a front mudguard, that needs to be replaced at the next servicing.

I also renewed my Insurance with Maruti Insurance (New India Assurance) for Rs 9950/-. This includes NILL Depreciation cover.

4. Internal/External Accessories
During my recent trip to the US, I picked up a Motorola TX 500 Bluetooth receiver, and a Whistler 200 Watts car inverter. The Bluetooth receiver is good, and I can utilize my car’s speakers, if my phone is paired to the music system via an auxiliary cable.



And a small pillow strapped to the headrest is very comfortable during the hectic commute hours and long drives as well:


I also have a car vacuum cleaner from Black & Decker that I picked up from Reliance AutoZone. It has been doing its job adequately, and is a boon on long journeys with kids on board. And yes, I have a tire inflator as well, that I purchased from Reliance AutoZone.

5. External Care

I got the 3-M Car Underbody treatment done (took the 5-year package) at the 3-M Car care center at Aiyyappa Society main road, at Madhapur. This costs close to Rs 3500/- for a small car, and I am satisfied with the work and customer service offered by 3M. I would need to get the Paint Sealant treatment done next.
I wash the car every weekend, with Formula 1 Super Concentrate Wash & Wax. It takes close to an hour, and the kids join in too, occasionally! The car looks neat after the wash.


6. Dings/Scratches/Rattles

Thanks to a good amount of luck and defensive driving, I have been able to avoid my car getting scratched all around. I did scrape against the pillars in the parking lot, at my apartment and have got a couple of minor scratches near the left wheel well. Of late, the clutch pedal has started making a tiny squeak, whenever pressed – hope to get it rectified at the 2nd servicing that is due at 20,000 Kms on the ODO.

To sum it up, it has been a hassle free ownership experience with the WR so far. This is a no-nonsense city car that does its job perfectly.
Here are some pics of the WR, as it stands today with 16300 Kms approx., on the ODO.

[PVS]

Originally Posted by PVS

Pick up at low speeds continues to be a problem thanks to the pronounced turbo lag till 1500 RPM,

Ok, I will have to rephrase this statement, since this is not a turbocharged engine we are talking about.What I meant, was that till 1500 RPM, the engine appears very sluggish, and after that, it comes into life.

Regards

[00nuts001]

nicely written, pal! I had dreamt of a WagonR at one time, and came close to buying a Duo (Petrol+CNG) in 2007. the cash crunch made me buy an alto. later, when i upgraded, i had gone much beyond a WagonR.

Do post some pics of the scratches you spoke about.

Also, please elaborate on the inverter thingy you bought. how does it work and its advantages.

Thanks.!

[PVS]

Originally Posted by 00nuts001

nicely written, pal!

Do post some pics of the scratches you spoke about.

Also, please elaborate on the inverter thingy you bought. how does it work and its advantages.

Thanks.!

Thanks Buddy! Haven't taken snaps of the scratched yet, will post them in a subsequent thread.

The Whistler Inverter is a useful device to charge your laptop/tablet etc on long drives. This has a socket that connects to the 12V socket in the car. The other end has a regular 3-pin board to which you can plug in your laptop charging cable.
I realized the need for this, when the laptop we were carrying on one of our recent drives to Dindi, ran out of soup, and one of the kids couldn't get to watch her favourite movie, and drove us nuts!

More information about the inverter here:

[saket77]

Nice review PVS. Looks like a well maintained car.

Completely agree with what you have to say about the back seat. Last year I was on a trip to Bhutan and I hired a Wagon-R for 4 days. The erect seating in the rear and the body roll in those swirling hill roads made mu puke .

But later I used to be on the front seats where I was pretty comfortable. However, I felt that it was a little erect seating too. Else, the car never felt short of power even on the hills, decent braking ability and good handling as far as tall boys go.

More happy miles with your waggy!

Regards.

[PVS]

Just completed 20,000 Kilometers on the ODO, and it was time for the first scheduled paid servicing for the Wagon R. I got the tire rotation and wheel alignment done at an MRF centre near my place at Vidyanagar, and it costed Rs 550/-.

The paid servicing was about Rs 4,300/- and here is the break-up.

Filter Assembly Oil: Rs 79
Fastness?? (Guess its Fasteners): Rs 31 (5 total)
Coolant (SG) Non Amine: 205
Brake Fluid GC 1500AA (500 ML): Rs 262
GREASE, CALIPER ASSY: 56(2 Units)
SCREEN WASH(50 ml): Rs 39(3 packets)
AC FILTER: Rs 309
MGO(5W30) - IOCL : Rs 872(3 Units)
MGGO(75W90) - SHELL: Rs 856(2.6 Units at Rs 329/- Per Unit)
PAID SERVICE: Rs 1005
AIR CLEANER ASSEMBLY R&R: Rs 100/-
TOTAL: Rs 2705.14
VAT @12.5%: Rs 392
Service Tax @12% on Service/Repair Charges: Rs 133/-

Total Bill: Rs 4339/-
----------------------------------------------------------
Service experience was hassle free - there was no waiting period, and the vehicle was promptly attended to and returned by around 15:00 hours

The only grouse that I have is that the alarm sounds to be muted now. I plan to get this rectified soon, on my next visit.
I was given a feed back to record my feedback and post it back. As a complimentary offer, either a PUC check or a water wash has been provided free of cost.

------------------------------------------------------------------

I have had no problems with the vehicle so far, save for the reverse gear problem, that is known. Not many highway trips of late, its been mostly intra-city driving, till now.

[Safedriver76]

Hi PVS,
I too am wagon r owner (2008 LXi model).Wagon r is indeed a fascinating car with great city and highway dynamics. My wife is so fond of its big windows and airy feel that she feels claustrophobic in my father in laws Volkwagen vento.. Just imagine .Its a no nonsense point A to point B commute and does its job fairly well. The question i have for you is about the Blue tooth device you got from the US, can you further elaborate on its use and secondly is it available in India and attachable with all cars?