[audioholic]

Been late to join the club. Havent written about our SX4 which has been with us from five years though it has run just 28k kms in the five years. Apart from a flat battery replaced a year back, there have been no issues apart from that. It has been through the best and worst roads, off the road into a lake bed, some road less stretches of the western ghats. Not a single place did we face any hesitation from the car. Build quality ain't that bad too. I just expect a little more equipment. But at the time we brought the car, it had the most gizmos loaded.

Do you guys face brake pedal vibrations once the brakes are hot? If driven hard on the highway, the brakes start vibrating on application. I was wondering if this is a heat issue or my rotors have become warped. Since the car is not driven regularly, there is some issue with the rotors rusting so if the issue is specific to my car I will consider getting it faced. However the brakes are smooth if driven sedately.

[abirnale]

Thank you audioholic for your contribution and appreciation to the steed.

Originally Posted by audioholic

...
Do you guys face brake pedal vibrations once the brakes are hot? If driven hard on the highway, the brakes start vibrating on application. I was wondering if this is a heat issue or my rotors have become warped. Since the car is not driven regularly, there is some issue with the rotors rusting so if the issue is specific to my car I will consider getting it faced. However the brakes are smooth if driven sedately.

I never had any such break issues with my car but thinking - is this ABS that makes you feel the vibration? I have felt that only during hard breaking couple of times but that is observed even when in city on short commute. Nevertheless I hope others who own SX4 may have more to add on this topic.

[audioholic]

I have tested the ABS but that kind of a vibration is under very hard braking. Since the car has no issues with grip, I found that the ABS kicks in only under hard braking, which I never do. Once the brakes get heated up, even the slightest braking will give a slight vibration as if the ABS is kicking in at a low frequency. If someone could try this, after an hour or so into a highway drive, at around 100kmph, try slowing down. If there are no vibrations under normal braking force, then the problem lies only with my car. Haven't tested ABS at high speeds till date so I am not really sure if its the ABS or my discs need facing. I just want to rule out possibilities. Even a new disc isnt that expensive so I might consider replacing both side discs as well as pads.

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by audioholic

...
If someone could try this, after an hour or so into a highway drive, at around 100kmph, try slowing down. If there are no vibrations under normal braking force, then the problem lies only with my car.
...

On saturday I drove to Kamath Lokaruchi on Mysore road for lunch - around 80 Kms from my home. On entire NICE road and some stretches of Mysore road I was on 100-120 speed. While returning, just before existing the NICE expressway, I tried gentle braking (without ABS need) on a safe stretch and did not notice any vibrations. My car is at 39K Kms mark and has new brake pads since last 10K or so. During last service at 35K mark, the brakes were cleaned as well. So I might not have faced any issues as you explained.

Whats your odometer reading? May be time to change brake-pads? Rotors should be good but no harm in personally checking it while on the lift @ MASS.

[audioholic]

Pads were changed once at 16k kms though they had a lot of life left in them. A nearby MASS tricked my dad into replacing them telling that they had worn out. However they were still having more than half the original thickness.

Now car is at 28k. Rotors are shiny clean with no irregular marks. Visual inspection doesnt lead to any causes. Think the thickness must be measured by a gauge. The only doubt I had was if the surface was uneven, be it hot or cold it would vibrate. The problem is since the car isnt used daily, there is some amount of rust formed when the car is washed and left to stand. That had even led to the calipers being jammed. I got the brakes cleaned last month. I think the rusting may have caused some problem. Now I have made it a point to take the car out after every wash.

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Pads were changed once at 16k kms...
Now car is at 28k. Rotors are shiny clean with no irregular marks.
...
The problem is since the car isn't used daily, there is some amount of rust formed when the car is washed and left to stand.

Thats helpful information. I think with a little more use after cleaning the pads, the rust deposit on pads/ rotors, if any, should fly away. Maybe its time to take a long drive and let the rust completely dusted

By the way, I too keep car unused for almost a month or so whenever I am on business visit outside India. That happens 3-4 times a year. My routine is to get a general checkup done, clean car exteriors, disconnect battery and leave it in parking lot. It gathers a lot of dust but I insist not to be cleaned when I am not using it (no other drivers in family to use car). When I return, take it to washing center and give her a full body wash. The following weekend, I compensate for time being away from family (and car) by taking my little ones and spouse on outskirts restaurant that will need me to take NICE or ORR or NH4 for 50-60 odd Kms at least. This routine isn't made considering the car health but family preferences purely. I don't know for sure but probably such routines help me keep the car in orderly manner

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Thats helpful information. I think with a little more use after cleaning the pads, the rust deposit on pads/ rotors, if any, should fly away. Maybe its time to take a long drive and let the rust completely dusted

The car does a highway drive at least once in two weeks. Last week we went to Nanjangud, after mysore and three weeks back we went to a place called madhugiri which has a beautiful fort. In the end of December, my dad went for a 1200km drive covering coastal karnataka. Guess its time I got the rotors faced in a lathe. Since I maintain sedate speeds on the highway and dont brake hard, I dont face this issue. But due to the annoying speed breakers on Mysore road, we cant avoid hard braking. Hence I felt the vibrations. Since now its confirmed that its only faced by me, I will look into some work in the FNG. If that fails then I will get the rotors replaced. They arent so expensive at 1.6k a piece.

[abirnale]

Last weekend was dry run for bangalore marathon and I needed to hit 40km trail. Had to take the bike for servicing and need to go to work on time as well. So I decided to pull the bike carrier out of house and load the bike on it.

This time I figured out the right way of fitting carrier on my car as well loading my RR MTB cycle I should have thought about this earlier - how can product like Thule would not have been made considering MTBs? And so there must be a way to fit it well and safe!

Here are pics of correct loading - And I must say with this combination, now i can go anywhere with my cycle and car on any day!





The ride is smooth too. I should soon check long drive on highway now! This entire month is spent more with cycle hence no major updates on the car.

[abirnale]

A quick service update - Yesterday, I had taken the car for 40K Kms paid service to Mandovi. The vehicle needed to be prepared for upcoming Kannur overnighter/ meetup drive.

Seventh Paid Service - 40K Kms
Why - On maintenance schedule.
When - 11 Feb 2014, 39609 Kms
What - Paid Service (WA, WB, Engine Oil Change, Brakes overhaul, Brake Oil, Coolant Replacement, Fuel Injector Assembly, Fuel and Oil Filters, Overall checkup)
Where - Mandovi Motors, JP Nagar
Spent - Rs 7,064.00

Maruti is now selling two new things in lights accessories - a LED parking bulb hat sits in the headlamps assembly and refined 55-60W headlights from philips which claims to have 35ft of additional light throw! It costs around 600 Rs each bulb and does not need any relay/ wiring changes. Just the better bulb. Since i already have relay with 90-100W bulbs, I did not opt for it. But then I asked them to replace my existing parking lights in the headlight assembly with LED for a cost of 150Rs each. The result, not at all noteworthy. All you see is white light from those LEDs, longer life. That's all. For the price they charged, may be its ok. Also, I should have done the WA/WB from FNG as the cost at MASS is almost double. But since I needed this to be done before 40K on odometer and weekend is long drive, I let MASS do that.

We reviewed the tyre conditions and it seems like they are still good for at least another 5K Kms

And then the general checkup revealed that front left side shock absorber has alignment issue. The problem is due to broken link rod which was replaced at 33.3 K Kms. It seems like at that time, car had also taken the hit on the FL shock so as it has started showing up on WA/WB report. Since there is no drag or issue in ride that can be felt and nothing seems to be serious, we postponed this repair until the tyre change expenses. The cost is paltry Rs. 2500 hence for now I will wait and watch.

Next is actually I am looking for two things -
- Returning from Kannur Beach drive should warrant a thorough washing/ cleaning/ detailing including interiors at 3M and
- Headlights Update

I am thinking about removing the relay and use MASS provided 55-60W new bulbs. In addition to this, use external lights like Hella or similar. Other option is to fit projector headlamps. Inspired by Varun's city DRLs , I looked at the possibility of sourcing similar setup from Concept Studios Mumbai. It seems like Viraj @ Concept Studio can do this setup on SX4. Since we can't meet, option to buy new headlights and fix the setup is explored. Seems like the total cost will be around 25K (10K for new headlights, 12-13K for DRL + Lights + 2-3K for safe transport!). Not sure if its really worth spending that much! So i am holding on this cravings for now! There is annual insurance renewal expenses along with new tyres on the horizon.

[Meer]

Originally Posted by suzuki san

Meer,
Would be much obliged if you share the contact details of the Tune Up Plus garage in Pune. Is your FFE MS or stainless? Have you removed the catalytic convertor or is it a cat back system? I was quite surprised to hear that you had a Cosworth CAI. I thought they had shut shop in India?

Kind Regards,
SS

Dear SS, my sincere apologies for a very late response. I could not regularly access the forum for the past few weeks due to work pressure. Though I remain logged in on my slate, but hardly got much time to respond. I will PM the Tune Up Plus details to you. To answer you other questions:
1. FFE is MS
2. Catcon is removed
3. I got my Mod done in Jan 2012 and Cosworth was fitted in both my SX4 and I also got a Cosworth Air filter for my wife's Ritz

[abirnale]

It had been long time since I posted an update here. So here it goes -

Currently Odometer reads 43500Kms. Steed just completed 3 years on March 1, 2014 For the anniversary occasion I "realized" that something must be done to spice up things with my steed and should treat it for it's loyal, uninterrupted service. So a long awaited project of its eye surgery was undertaken. Here is the report of that operation - Link.

On March 23-27, I took a Bangalore - Goa - Bangalore trip and thought of using bosch fun2drive app with OBD reader for a small stretch from Chitradurg to Bangalore. On this stretch the steed was always on AC as well as being driven aggressively. Here is quick snap of it:



Later on April 12, I visited Shravanbelgola. And did a similar exercise. here is the snapshot of Shravanbelgola - Nelmangala stretch:



This was 4 people on board, 90-120kmph range drive, AC ON. And the mileage figures are greatest ever I have seen. My manual measurements of mileage (full tank to full tank distance) has always given pretty much same results as the OBD reader app snap.

Last weekend, I also changed the wipers. Not that older were not working but while visiting Reliance @ HSR layout, I liked the hella dynaedge blades. For rs 1100, it was a great buy. Got it fitted and using them. They are way better than the stock wipers fitted by MASS!

Looking forward to another trip in two week's time to Goa and then comes the tyre change!

Stay tuned

[rajneeesh]

Avinash, great to know that you are enjoying your ownership experience. 13 KPL with four people , Ac and such speeds is extremely good. My car has completed 6 years and has 59.2 K on the clock. I will be taking her to Ladakh later in June and updating the ownership thread. The relaible nature of the car, its strong build and good GC inspire a lot of confidence while taking such decisions .

[abirnale]

The journey with my silver steed has been extremely satisfying so far! As i wrote here, it has never let me down even in the worst situations. Never even once stranded on the roads or places where there are no roads!

While I was on a recent trip to Goa, on my way back in belgaum, I reached this milestone - 44444 Kms.



I have been filling all the fuel topups in the app and my tankful method of measurement of fuel economy and the app numbers are pretty close.

Here are snapshots of overall FE and expenses so far!
Look at the overall fuel I have smoked so far in the car's lifetime



And the FE with such a varying conditions - 7KMPL to 16KMPL!


When I arrived at home in Bangalore, the odo has completed 45K Mark. So i took it for regular servicing.

Paid Service - 45K Kms
Why - On maintenance schedule.
When - 09 May 2014, 45019 Kms
What - Paid Service (Engine Oil Change, Oil Filters, Brakes Cleaning, Blower Vent Cleaning, Front Stabilizer Bar replacement - left and right, Worn out gear shift Lever leather wrap replaced, Overall checkup and washing)
Where - Mandovi Motors, JP Nagar
Spent - Rs 5,749.00

With these expenses, the overall service and accessory fitment expense graph shows up like this -



The tyres seems to be still doing good although not worth high speed. In just a few weeks - June end or July first week, I plan to give the car mid-life detailing treatment and then use it for pure highway drives with new tyres starting from Sept. No more long trips till then (thats the plan) because a new 500cc companion for city commute is to share the parking spot soon with my silver steed! More on that little later

[abirnale]

It took almost 7 months to post an update - what a workaholic I am :dead horse Better late than never! So here is update as of now - The silver steed completed 50000 Kms mark on 28th Of Nov - when I achieved another milestone in personal life. Yeah, a decade with other soulmate

The 50K Kms mark crossed!


Just before I hit the overnighter to Waynad with TBhp team, I took the steed to Mandovi to replace the broken plastic guard below engine. And noticed that there was small green coolant line on the underbody - indication of something is not right. (Sorry, forgot to take pic.) The coolant level, Radiator coolant content was all fine. But then why this green residue on the underbody? I insisted the mechanic to check thoroughly but he couldn't find anything wrong. Upon another careful inspection by myself, I thought that there must be something wrong on the AC coolant pipe/ heating coil joints somewhere inside that may be the reason. Having not found any firm reasons to see this "potential leakage", i took the chance of taking the car on road. All through out the trip, drove it without much AC usage and as sedately as possible! Everything was just perfect, thank god!

Paid Service and Checkup @ 49761 Kms
Why - General Checkup before overnighter.
When - 11 Nov 2014, 49761 Kms
What - Paid Service (Coolant top up, Body Wash, Inspection, Oil Change)
Where - Mandovi Motors, JP Nagar
Spent - Rs 4,507.00

And the underbody plastic cover of right hand side not in stock made me come back next day again! But since the visit was already paid to service station, performed the paid service too. And on next day, I ended up replacing the bumper too. It had too much scratches on it!

Paid Service - Prior to 50K Kms
Why - On maintenance schedule.
When - 12 Nov 2014, 49765 Kms
What - Paid Service (Front Bumper replaced, Engine under cover changed)
Where - Mandovi Motors, JP Nagar
Spent - Rs 7,748.00

And then the vehicle is back to its usual glory!

A group car pic from the trip below -


Upon return, the steed was services at Mandovi throughly and still we did not find any issues with coolant or AC stuff. So things are going fine with the unsolved green underbody residue mystery!

Nowadays, I don't do the WA/ WB at MASS. Instead prefer to take to Madhu's where Nikhil lays out the red carpet for my silver steed and me! So right after the overnighter trip the visit to sadhu's was done - Here are some vitals from that session -

WA/WB - 49,917 Kms
Why - On maintenance schedule.
When - 20 Nov 2014, 45019 Kms
What - Tyre Care (WA/ WB, Rotation)
Where - Madhu's and Langford Road
Spent - Rs 870.00

Madhu's did the hunter road force balancing. Noticed that two of the rims have bent on inside edge! They would need replacing soon. Although we can take the bend out and use it, I prefer to replace them in another 5K Kms when i plan to replace the tyres as well.



And thus ends the quick summary for the past year!

[abirnale]

Coolant level dropped drastically

Ever since I got a companion to park beside my silver steed in RE Thunderbird, it is limited to weekend runs only! Last weekend had some free time so glanced under the bonnet to do usual general checks after almost a gap of a month! While everything seemed to be fine, the coolant level in the reservoir tank had gone to closest to low mark

I checked for all signs of leakages and residue I could from the car. I did not find even a trace of drop! Not sure what had happened. So then I simply filled in the reservoir tank with RO purified water and used it for the day - almost 100 Kms. I monitored the engine temperature using the OBD dongle too and there was no problem with any of that whatsoever.

So yesterday I took the car to Mandovi MASS. I reported all my observations about my drives, temp monitoring etc. They did not find anything wrong either! Suspecting to the warranty repair from Oct 2013, they even kept the car running on AC for two hours to serif the coolant comes in contact with something and evaporates to go below the current level. The level did not drop.

The SA told me to take the car and go on long drive for around 100 Kms with full ACC and come back next week again to check.

I am confused as to what could be the problem? I am sure there is some leakage somewhere that is not easy to spot otherwise how could you justify the drops in coolant level? A few TBHp friends suggested using detergent to detect the leak and flush afterwards etc. But I am thinking to give one more chance to MASS to see if they can find and fix. Else I will need to go to some other more competent garage to get this resolved. And its scary that my car warranty expires in exactly another 7 weeks!

Anyone with any different suggestions/ alternate solutions to resolve this problem here?