[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

The tyres do look bulged types, I hope you get what I mean

Yes, and hence that picture. But it doesn't appear too bulged from the OE tires actually. The pressure is 34 PSI on all the 4 tires as of now.

and if you don't mind can you post a picture from the side with the car fully loaded to see how the rear wheel arch distance from the tyre circumference, thanks.Anurag.

Will surely do when I hit the next drive. Can't expect my family to sit inside with luggage and take the photo now.
On the circumference part, I have explained it many times on the official review that it doesn't vary much at all.

Refer here:

In fact there is seldom any difference in the speedometer reading as well.

So when there is hardly any difference in the overall outer circumference when compared to OE, it also means the sidewall height is also not compromised (its taller only by 0.11 inches or 2.79mm). So there is no question of tires rubbing the wheel arches here.

Like I mentioned in my previous post, its only 10 days before when I drove with 4 adults and luggage to Goa and back. Those who drive on NH4 know how the undulations are on NH4 near Tumkur. At speeds in excess of 100kmph car bouncing over these surface didn't make the tires touch the wheel arches at all. alokgunhal was sitting right behind me during this drive.

Secondly, I was also apprehensive if the tires will rub the arches while taking turns on Hair Pin curves (as the vehicle is tilted to one direction) but after driving through 2 ghats, it never did, even once!

I hope this is enough proof to say that 205/60 tires on stock rims (5.5j) will never scrape the wheel arches.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Will surely do when I hit the next drive. Can't expect my family to sit inside with luggage and take the photo now.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

On the circumference part, I have explained it many times on the official review that it doesn't vary much at all.

I hope this is enough proof to say that 205/60 tires on stock rims (5.5j) will never scrape the wheel arches.

You seem have been offended with my question on the tyre bulging. Apologies for the same.

Coaxing my dad too get in the lines of this upgrade (tyre upgrade I mean), hence asked.

Thanks,
Anurag.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

You seem have been offended with my question on the tyre bulging. Apologies for the same.

Coaxing my dad too get in the lines of this upgrade (tyre upgrade I mean), hence asked.

Thanks,
Anurag.

No offence taken Anurag. Just that we did discuss this on the official thread and you too were contributing.

If not for that drive last weekend, I may have still taken time to confirm that it doesn't scrape. That drive was a good test as we were all friends, belted and in the absence of my daughter and wife, I could throw the Ertiga in some curves and it climbed Hairpin curves in Turbo band and managed to convince myself that its not bad for such roads at all.

[paragsachania]

With the Odometer on 20,593 kms, the Ertiga went for the 20k Routine service.

Didn't have any specific complaints and hence apart from the usual replacement of all fluids, nothing else was done.

• Engine Oil - 5w40 - Synthetic
• Coolant
• Brake Fluid
• Fuel Filter
• Air Filter

Tasks carried out:

• Caliper Greasing
• Brake and Clutch bleeding
• Blower Cleaning

Update on Transmission Fluid replacement Interval:
Not sure if someone has posted this in any of the other threads but MSIL has now confirmed Transmission Oil change interval from 20000 kms earlier to 40000 kms from now for all DDiS vehicles (Swift, Ritz, Dzire, SX4, Ertiga).

There was no circular that I can take a picture and post it here but from what I learnt, this is the latest communication to all the service centers.

A copy of the Bill below:

[extreme_torque]

Wondering why all fluids? I mean Honda recommends the life of coolant as 100000 kms. Why so low in case of Maruti?

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Wondering why all fluids? I mean Honda recommends the life of coolant as 100000 kms. Why so low in case of Maruti?

That is what Honda is been doing since ages which Maruti is not. Again, I am not sure what does Honda charge when these fluids are replaced after 1L kms.

Anyways, I am spending 410/- for a coolant change at every 20,000 kms and will end up spending around 2000/- (or a little more factoring Inflation and price rise over the years) at the end of 1L Kms.

Plus - I don't pay labor for coolant replacement as its all the part of Paid Service.

Should this really bother me? I personally haven't.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Wondering why all fluids? I mean Honda recommends the life of coolant as 100000 kms. Why so low in case of Maruti?

Honda recommends 1 lakh kms for coolant change, hope that doesn't mean Maruti is filing in cheaper quality in the system that requires changed so frequent as compared to Honda.

As Parag has mentioned changing the coolant at 20K or at the even intervals won't hurt and it is good for the system too that will be help in the long run and efficient working.

Can you point out the grade + replacement cost @ 1 lakh + manufacturer (brand)+ dilution ratio of the coolant that Honda recommends. If it worthwhile or better than what Maruti fills, why not shift to that coolant brand.

No offence buddy.

Anurag.

[Rajain]

This is interesting. Wonder what all factors is coolant change interval governed by.

Over the years I have routinely carried a small half a litre bottle of coolant and topped up if I ever found it low. Rarely those occasions have presented themselves.

Of course there are those taxi folks who even add water - not a practice ever recommended. We are past the age of Amby and Premier Padmini needing water updates into the radiator. In any case adding water dilutes and lowers the boiling temperature.

I have an old Opel and will read what its coolant change interval is.

The coolant change in my Ertiga was also at 20k and of course, it is per schedule.

Cheers

Rajain

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

That is what Honda is been doing since ages which Maruti is not. Again, I am not sure what does Honda charge when these fluids are replaced after 1L kms.

Anyways, I am spending 410/- for a coolant change at every 20,000 kms and will end up spending around 2000/- (or a little more factoring Inflation and price rise over the years) at the end of 1L Kms.

Plus - I don't pay labor for coolant replacement as its all the part of Paid Service.

Should this really bother me? I personally haven't.

May be it is just me but I was alarmed when I first read that they recommend changing all fluids at a mere 20,000 kms. Cost is a secondary concern here.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Honda recommends 1 lakh kms for coolant change, hope that doesn't mean Maruti is filing in cheaper quality in the system that requires changed so frequent as compared to Honda.

As Parag has mentioned changing the coolant at 20K or at the even intervals won't hurt and it is good for the system too that will be help in the long run and efficient working.

Can you point out the grade + replacement cost @ 1 lakh + manufacturer (brand)+ dilution ratio of the coolant that Honda recommends. If it worthwhile or better than what Maruti fills, why not shift to that coolant brand.

No offence buddy.

Anurag.

Why don't you visit a Honda dealer and ask yourselves if you are so concerned? The coolant info was on the publicity material when they launched the d-tech diesel engine.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Why don't you visit a Honda dealer and ask yourselves if you are so concerned? The coolant info was on the publicity material when they launched the d-tech diesel engine.

I am sorry but you seem to have taken my post too personally. I didn't mean to hurt you but my question was genuine and NOT sarcastic.

I'll try and ask Honda guys on the coolant details and see if I get any output. Will share it share for the benefit of all.

Note: No offence to you once again.

Anurag.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

May be it is just me but I was alarmed when I first read that they recommend changing all fluids at a mere 20,000 kms. Cost is a secondary concern here.

While I do recall that Toyota and Honda heavily advertised these long fluid change intervals (limited to coolant and Transmission oil only), I have always been replacing Engine oil at 10k, Coolant and Transmission oil at 20k for my WagonR which has clocked 218,000 kms. Maruti recommended this way back in 2006 and its still the same except for the fact that for K-Series engines the first oil change is at 10,000 kms instead of the earlier mere 1,000 kms.

For me too cost has been the secondary factor like you here. If cost was higher, I am sure I would bother about that and try to ascertain the reasons behind the 20k Interval.

We have owned the Honda City iVTEC from 2010 in our extended family which was sold only few months before after clocking a mere 40k kms. However, since the car was under company lease, I seldom got a chance to even look at the bill.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

I am sorry but you see to have taken my post too personally. I didn't mean to hurt you buy my question was genuine and NOT sarcastic. I'll try and ask Honda guys on the coolant details and see if I get any output. Will share it share for the benefit of all.

Note: No offence to you once again.

Anurag.

Hey Anurag, We know you never meant the way it was perceived. Even I will be interested to know what is this coolant that Honda uses and lasts as much as 1L kms.

We all will be benefited with whatever information you can help us with.

EDIT: Just got this information from few external sites and here is what they talk about Honda's Coolant here:

"Most other coolants contain borates and/or silicates which can act as abrasives in your Honda's cooling system. Honda Genuine Antifreeze/Coolant Type 2 features extended protection for up to 5 years or 60,000 miles - making it the only recommended coolant for your Honda"

What would be interesting to know if the cost of this coolant and do the manufacturers aim to advertise only the long internal period Or the Properties of the Coolant or the similar cost of replacing this coolant at that 1L kms interval.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

We all will be benefited with whatever information you can help us with

To add to the data given by you on the coolant used by Honda, here are two links found by me. Hope they are of any help:


http://www.reddit.com/r/Cartalk/comm...pecs_state_it/

http://hondakarma.com/threads/honda-...coolants.6247/

PS: Lets get back to Ertiga else we'll be getting PM's in our inbox.

Thanks,

Anurag.

[Herbie98]

Hi Parag,

I have been reading both your WagonR and Ertiga's ownership reviews. I keep visiting your thread every week to read your detailed infor on Ertiga.

I have been thinking of the Ertiga for a while now and have few questions to ask. Earlier I used a Swift Diesel, loved the car but had to give it away since I ended up getting sever lower-back pains. From there I moved on to a Bolero, 5 years back and have done 150K kms. We use the car for city commute and highway long distance drives. The Bolero took us to Ladakh last year and MP couple of year back. It has been a very comfortable ride in the long runs covering 1200+ kms in a single day.

1) I need to know if Ertiga is comfortable to drive for 1000+ kms in day (driver's seat position, considering I am 6'2" tall).
2) How does the car perform on steep inclines when loaded with 5 people and luggage for a week. I am keen to know how does it pull on steep uphill if you have to stop in middle and again start climbing up.
3) Anything else you can point me in comparison to a Bolero.
4) What would be highway fuel economy while cruising at 120 kmph.
5) How the ground-clearance in real world situations on bad roads.


Thanks in advance. Hope to catch up with you some time, i keep looking for your Ertiga on the Airport road, no luck as of date.

[KedarB]

Hey Parag! This is a great thread, very detailed and informative and I enjoyed going through it today. I was really surprised I didn't find it earlier as I believe it would have made my decision a lot more easier.

BTW, I have recently become a proud owner of a Granite Gray Ertiga VDi, which I received on 27th June. I am surprised at the number of things that are common between us. I too picked a VDi Gray, and installed the stock ZDi alloys from the accessory shop. I had finalized a 205 60 15 tyre upgrade and even negotiated with the SE to give me an Ertiga shod with MRF tyres since they fetched higher value when returned. I did receive the MRF shod Ertiga but didn't go for the upgrade as it was pushing my budget a bit. This has now been pushed to the 40K milestone.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

So after a lot of deliberation, I finally managed to install an aftermarket armrest.

And I also planned on getting a similar hand rest installed on mine. My father's Vento has a very similar one and i found it very comfortable. I do have a couple of queries, and I would really appreciate it if you can share your experience around these -

• When I try to shake the cover on top of the handbrake, I observed that its easy to shake it. If the hand rest is installed on top of it, does the handrest also shake (sideways) when you rest your hand on it and put some pressure?
• Have you faced any rattling issues because of this installation (from the armrest, or the plastic cover around the handbrake)?
• How is the quality of the handrest?
• Do you have to raise it every time you need to engage or disengage the handbrake?

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Herbie98

1) I need to know if Ertiga is comfortable to drive for 1000+ kms in day (driver's seat position, considering I am 6'2" tall).

Apologies for having missed this post of yours and I am only seeing it today. To answer your question, I am 6'3" myself and proper seating position was the primary concern for me for the next car I picked. The Ertiga more or less gets better from the WagonR as it offers a bigger seat with similar height. Additionally, the underthigh support is much better compared to the WagonR. So far, I have taken up very long trips (1100 kms in a day included) and haven't complained of back/shoulder pain at all. I prefer adjusting the backrest in any car to a much upright position than slanted (Almost like a dining chair).

2) How does the car perform on steep inclines when loaded with 5 people and luggage for a week. I am keen to know how does it pull on steep uphill if you have to stop in middle and again start climbing up.

We have managed Chorla, Charmadi and Joida Ghats very recently under full load and mind you, its all about remaining in the right rev bands (1800-2500) whenever you are negotiating a climb. It pulls without any hesitation. The sore point is that you cannot really be too confident to up-shift thinking the car will move on and rather remain the same gear and keep revving till the end of that incline. With this, there is absolutely no issues when it comes to climbs whatsoever.

Another tactic as many would have already experienced is to upshift quickly (that interval between Releasing Throttle, Clutching, Shifting, De-Clutching, applying throttle) whenever you are in the process of climbing up. A drop in your revs means you are below the Turbo and then it begs for downshift.

Hence, It is a matter of one drive and you know how to remain in league.

3) Anything else you can point me in comparison to a Bolero.

Not sure as I have driven the Bolero on very rare occasions in my hometown for the fun part. I am not even sure if you can compare these 2 as the Bolero is Body on frame and will exhibit typical characteristics on highway handling while the Ertiga being a monocoque will be much better when it comes to driving dynamics. Drive it and experience this yourself.

4) What would be highway fuel economy while cruising at 120 kmph.

I had mentioned in my review a few pages back. With Full load, on dual carriageway highways and AC used all throughout, the Average FE settled between 18-18.5kmpl.

5) How the ground-clearance in real world situations on bad roads.

Recent experience was at a waterfalls we visited only last weekend. It was a perfect test for the GC with super bad roads and stones on that 2 kms road. I had a Linea tailing me driven by my friend who told me that it badly touched in many places (Including a GC upgrade Kit) while I never experienced any scrapping at all. Apart from this, I don't recall a single incident when the underbelly (or even the front bumper) has scrapped anywhere till now.

Originally Posted by KedarB

And I also planned on getting a similar hand rest installed on mine. My father's Vento has a very similar one and i found it very comfortable. I do have a couple of queries, and I would really appreciate it if you can share your experience around these - [list][*]When I try to shake the cover on top of the handbrake, I observed that its easy to shake it. If the hand rest is installed on top of it, does the handrest also shake (sideways) when you rest your hand on it and put some pressure?

Yes it does. This is primarily because the second half of the center console (where you mount the handrest) Is fixed to the floor by 2 plastic clips in the front and plastic studs on the rear. The "Play" that you experience is very normal and when you mount the handrest it gets all the more visible. For this, I have given a packing (Yoga Mat) on the Aluminium frame (Below the plastic housing) that arrests this play while the plastic studs secure it in a much rigid manner. It is a very simple workaround that you need to bother about. May be I will try posting pics of the packing I have done and you will know it better.

[*]Have you faced any rattling issues because of this installation (from the armrest, or the plastic cover around the handbrake)?

I was apprehensive about this. Hence, during installation I ensured that every fixture is clean. For instance, the bottom most part of the armrest mounted on the center console can be fixed using normal screws. But I used good quality Bolt-Nut system with washers (Inside and outside) to secure it firmly. Screw over a period of time tend to become loose since they are on plastics. Bolt-Nut system will always remain more secure.

[*]How is the quality of the handrest?

I Picked one form ebay (jazzmyride shop) and would recommend that surely. It is of good quality.

[*]Do you have to raise it every time you need to engage or disengage the handbrake?

Expected question but my answer is negative. May be it takes a while to adjust but you will begin to access the Handbrake from the sides and pull it up. This is what I have been doing in my WagonR as well ever since I Installed my handrest.

May be if someone else is driving your car, first thing you do it fold up the armrest and never give a hint that there exists one.