[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Rajain

Would you go back to 205/60 R-15 or would you go with 195/60 R-15?

Confused and I think I will take time to decide on that. I have no complaints with 205/60. However, 195/60 also should do full justice.

You must be closing in to 50 k with your present set of tires (since you had replaced the stock ones at 16k) - how much more life remaining in the Michellin's? Would you go back to the same or try any other?

Indeed, the ODO currently is 66,XXX and hence the tires have run 50,000 kms already but the tread is for sure good for at least another 10,000 kms without doubts.

Also, what's the battery life?

My Ertiga will complete 2 years on Oct 16th. So I guess I will have to wait at least couple of years before buying a new Battery. Even on its 9th Year, the WagonR is running on the 2nd Battery today.

Earlier today my LUV crossed 50k and last month it completed 3 years. I agree with you this has been total value for money.

Agree completely. Last week I was in my hometown for a family wedding and the Community hall was 7 kms away from main town. With loads of guests settled at home, the Ertiga did a fantastic job to ferry 7 (at times 8) adults to the Hall and back, at least 6 to 7 times. So the flexi 5+2 option did come in handy again .

[paragsachania]

Except for a drive to Goa a fortnight before, I drove the Ertiga to Belur/Chikmagalur few times in the last 1 month and chugged around Bangalore accompanying a friend who was running in his new Car.

16 October is when the Ertiga completed 2 Years of ownership and the current Odometer reading as of today is 68,200 Kms.

The ownership has been niggle free so far like I expected and the workhorse continues to keep the owner happy by doing what It is supposed to, without asking for much.

Here are the latest pictures taken today on the way to work when I stopped at the ATM:

Current Issue faced:

The caliper noise has cropped in over the past few weeks and knowing that its a typical issue with many cars (and mostly Maruti), I will get the pins greased during the next service coming up in a fortnight.

I would have preferred a DIY for this but due to the length of the Ertiga, I find it too difficult to carry this out in the compound of my house as the car would rest in an inclined angle and not flat unlike the WagonR that I could easily manage to park and carry out this job.

Otherwise, this is something that I can live with as its not an issue to bother much at all and regular greasing the pins (and perhaps replacement of pins) will keep tab on this.

Incidents:
Well, there were 2 actually - First where a Tata Ace decided to move right in order to make way for an Omni cutting him while the signal had just turned green and we had barely moved one foot. That left a scar on the lower part of the bumper on the left hand side as you can notice. Thankfully, for this shade of the Ertiga, it doesn't look that bad that It calls for an immediate attention.

Second was when I was driving back to work and traffic was crawling at this lane in Adugodi when suddenly a warning post (With Black and Yellow Stripes) on the Median placed to warn motorists from opposite side about the presence of the median hits my right hand side ORVM. All this when I had a gap of around 1 foot from the median but the post had bent towards my lane causing this. Because of this, the plastic casing of the indicator on the ORVM cracked and the mirror folded inside as I passed it. Plan to buy this part from MGP Store and replace this soon.

Drives planned -

Aurangabad-Mumbai-Pune next month
Himachal Pradesh in the month of December

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Well, there were 2 actually - First where a Tata Ace decided to move right in order to make way for an Omni cutting him while the signal had just turned green and we had barely moved one foot. That left a scar on the lower part of the bumper on the left hand side as you can notice. Thankfully, for this shade of the Ertiga, it doesn't look that bad that It calls for an immediate attention.

Sad to know about the damage, thankfully it is limited to very less damage. I would strongly suggest this product- http://www.amazon.in/Com-Paint-Scrat...5353852&sr=1-4

Firstly your damage is more on bumper, so finishing will be easier. Secondly, yours being a darker colour, respray won't be apparent at all.
I have used this product numerous times on darker shades, and I swear by it.

Regards,
Shashi

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

16 October is when the Ertiga completed 2 Years of ownership and the current Odometer reading as of today is 68,200 Kms.

Congratulations and wish you many more happy miles with your Ertiga

Himachal Pradesh in the month of December

I will miss this drive big time

[paragsachania]

About 15 days since the last update and the Ertiga crossed the 70,000 kms mark today on the way to work which is 2000 in the fortnight. Got a chance to pull over and capture the same this morning:

70,000 Service update:

I am heading for a 2500 drive to Pune & Aurangabad this weekend and the service was done around 150 kms short to the 70k mark due to time constraints.

Following was done as part of the service:

• Engine Oil & Oil Filter - Replace
• AC and Air Filter - Replace
• Brakes (F&R) - Clean (Brake pads at 70K are still stock)
• Caliper Pins - Greased

The total bill cost me 6700/-

All set for one more marathon drive of 1100kms on Saturday.

Thanks for reading.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

About 15 days since the last update and the Ertiga crossed the 70,000 kms mark today on the way to work which is 2000 in the fortnight.

Congratulations on reaching the 70K milestone Parag and best wishes and happy journey for your upcoming long trip.

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

About 15 days since the last update and the Ertiga crossed the 70,000 kms mark today on the way to work which is 2000 in the fortnight. Got a chance to pull over and capture the same this morning:

Attachment 1435226

70,000 Service update:

I am heading for a 2500 drive to Pune & Aurangabad this weekend and the service was done around 150 kms short to the 70k mark due to time constraints.

Following was done as part of the service:

• Engine Oil & Oil Filter - Replace
• AC and Air Filter - Replace
• Brakes (F&R) - Clean (Brake pads at 70K are still stock)
• Caliper Pins - Greased

The total bill cost me 6700/-

All set for one more marathon drive of 1100kms on Saturday.

Thanks for reading.

I really envy the way you are piling up kilometers .Congratulations,the magical six figure is not far away .

[dass]

congratulations Parag bhai on your mile crunching.

When are the next set of DYI? You seemed to have almost stopped doing any upgrades. Your DYI's give a lot of us confidence on trying stuff that we may otherwise never try.

[paragsachania]

Been a while since a detailed update on the ownership was logged here. Right time when the Odometer clocked 77777 Kms on yesterday as the Ertiga nears the extended Warranty Barrier.

Less running in Dec 2015:
The month of December 2015 perhaps witnessed least running over the 2+ years of the ownership. I mostly did not drive to work for the entire month as I worked from home or had mandatory shut down in the organization.
However, to compensate this, there was a quick dash to Belgaum and back (1000 kms) one of the nights and a drive to Mumbai (& Imagica) during the last week that added another 2300 kms.

Interiors Cleaning:
Visited the 3M Car Care set-up near to my house and got the interiors thoroughly cleaned by opting for the Antibacterial treatment. The results were satisfactory to say the least.

Here are a few pictures taken while the job was being executed:











How is the Ertiga aging after 2 years and 77777 Kms?

Here are a few pictures to do the talking















And how is it to maintain all beige interiors for more than 77777 kms?







The steering cover hasn't given up yet for the color opted. Full marks to the workmanship of Devraj who is a famous name in Bangalore on Team Bhp now. Mind you, this cover is easily around 30k kms.



The Gear Knob hasn't really got "Old" or dull except for a small mark due to my shoes as I get down from the left hand side since I park my car inches from the compound wall on the right hand side:



The aftermarket Head-Unit, remains as it is, thanks to driving with windows rolled up all the times:

[paragsachania]

Few more pictures to show the current state of most of the interiors:

The Dashboard:



The Instrument Cluster:



Door Pads and the Fabric after constant usage:




Power Window and ORVM control Buttons:



A special mention for the 3D floor mats:
These are not one of those famed brands. I picked them from Starmatsindia merely by looks and instincts and look at them today, they are holding up really well after using them for 77777 Kms.





The driver side Mat hasn't even got an impression due to constant resting of foot while driving, that too with formal shoes which is my daily footwear to work which have hard soles unlike sports shoes:



The roof lining has remained stainless that even the 3M folks saw that and made a mention of it:



These seats were an aftermarket installation at my doorstep by a good old fella who has served many of my references:





Alloys and Tires:

The Alloys are as Old (or new) as the car - 2Y2M or 77777 kms while these tires are exactly 61000 kms till now after I upgraded to Michelin XM2 205/60/15 when the odometer was 16000 kms.





The usual pressure for my daily office commute has been 32 (Front) and 29 (Rear) while I ensure to keep it at 33 all around during my long drives with family and Luggage.

[paragsachania]

Few significant updates in terms of how the vehicle is faring in terms of reliability & longevity:

• At 77777 Kms it is still running on Stock Disc Brake Pads and for sure will serve easily for another 10k kms at least
• Except for the LHS side Fog Lamp Bulb which fused when the Odo was around 45k, none of the Bulbs have fused and this includes the higher wattage set-up of 100/90w with the Wiring relay Kit
• The Clutch is stock and has shown no signs of wear as there is zero hint on juddering or vibrations at the slowest of speeds while moving from standstill
• The tires which were upgraded to 205/60/15 have run 61,000 kms till now and serving pretty well (Michelin XM2) and has life of at least 8-10k kms before I replace them
• There hasn't been a single breakdown/failure whatsoever till date

Issues that I am currently facing:

• Caliper Pin Noise - Its a Maruti and this is exactly how one proudly identifies. The noise keeps cropping after almost every 4-5k kms and I get the pins greased. So far, I haven't replaced the caliper pins that I intend to do only after assessing the caliper assembly myself during the 80,000 kms service
  
  
• Low speed wobble from left hand side - This has been something that most of the SAs or friends failed to identify but as an owner I identified this light wobble soon after the steering rack was replaced under warranty around 20k kms before.

The wobble is very light that it is felt exactly between 20-35kmph while accelerating or decelerating from 40kmph to zeroand never felt in the steering but can be experienced with the foot lightly resting on one of the pedals or the floor.


Troubleshooting done so far -

• Swapped all 4 tires (and rim) from another Ertiga and the issue could be reproduced
• Replaced the suspension strut from another Ertiga (with new Bushes) and the issue remained
• Replaced the Disc and Caliper Assembly from another Ertiga and the issue remained
• Replaced the LHS Drive shaft from another Ertiga and the wobble persisted
• Replaced Stabilizer Bar Bush and the issue remained
• Bearings have been checked and they appear alright

So the only culprit that remains is the Steering Rack. An entry is made into the DMS system of the ASC regarding this issue and I plan to get this rectified under warranty in days to come.

DIY's Planned:

• Installation of a better armrest (wait till its done )
• Steering Audio Controls (Pretty soon)

[h14]

Congrats Parag! Waiting to see 1L on the odo pretty soon

For the caliper noise, see if you can get the brass welding done. My mech did for my S10 and its been holding good for over 2 yrs now. To be frank I don't know the exact process of what was done, but the process was that he removed the pins and gave it to a lathe where the brass welding was done, then grinded to shape and fitted back. He has done this for numerous palio's in Coimbatore and have been effective!

Mentioned the same here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post3132291

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by h14

Congrats Parag! Waiting to see 1L on the odo pretty soon

For the caliper noise, see if you can get the brass welding done. My mech did for my S10 and its been holding good for over 2 yrs now. To be frank I don't know the exact process of what was done, but the process was that he removed the pins and gave it to a lathe where the brass welding was done, then grinded to shape and fitted back. He has done this for numerous palio's in Coimbatore and have been effective!

Mentioned the same here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post3132291

Thank you H14. In fact my SA also has advised the same during last service where he mentioned the same process but I was skeptical of its outcome. Also, during the same time they were trying to get the caliper assemblies replaced under warranty but learnt that it was not covered under extended warranty for this reason(noise).

I would certainly get this done when I visit them for the 80K service soon. Thanks again for your inputs on this.

[arjithin]

Great going Parag!!
Any luck with eBay on photo copy right?
I am eagerly waiting for your steering control DIY. My Sony 2 Din touchscreen started showing its age; touch inputs are recognized much slower. Best solution is to control the unit via steering wheel controls.

[mukeshgoel]

Congratulations Parag.

Temperature display on MID not in your upcoming DIYs list ?