[DDiSLover]

Hello fellow TBhpians!

Allow me to introduce myself and narrate my love story!

It was way back in February 2008 that I first lay me eyes on her. I was in the 12th standard and my father had just bought an SX4 in November, 2007. I was obsessed with that car! And in feb, my mother brought her home. In a few months, I got my learners license, after which my obsession with the SX4 was over shadowed by my obsession for her. The red hot hatch, Swift Vdi ABS!

We usually have two cars at home. One big car for the long hauls and a 'kochu vandi' (little car) for the short shunts. We use the cars for six to seven years and change them. When we decided to move on from our first gen Fiat Siena and Tata Indica V2. We decided to get an SX4. We hadn't yet decided what was going to be our second car.

The options we were looking at were the Indica Vista, the chevy Beat, smaller cars like Alto, etc. We basically wanted a small fuel efficient car for city driving, keeping the SX4 for the long highway journeys. One of my friends told me about the swift, and when mom went for a test drive, she was hooked. She loved the immense power. And the way the car handled was too sweet.

Although the swift costed quite a bit for a small city car, my mom liked driving the car a lot. To top it off, the dealer, Indus Motors, gave us a nice deal and even told us we could have the car in two weeks. It was settled.

Immediately I had plans for her. To treat her like a queen. To spoil her with accessories that would make any person jealous. Alloys, leather seat, spoiler, strips, kick ass audio, angel lights among the works. But alas, to everything that I had thought of, my folks said NO.

I joined college and I was separated from her. It was in my third year, that I finally convinced my parents to give her to me! Even then, my plans of spoiling her were met with the same response, “NO".
I graduated a year later, and by god’s grace, I got placed at a respectable company. My dreams and plans for her would finally materialize! I haven’t looked back since!

I started with a set of racing stripes! A childhood dream realized. Happy but not yet satisfied, I saved up as much as I could to adore her. The next item on my list was better seats. And I did just that! I installed some art. leather seat covers.

Soon after that, I was longing to get alloy wheels. And finally, as a new year gift to myself and her, I gifted her a set of alloys! (Thanks to Sachin’s Auto Zone in koramangala)

Every time I gave her something new, I kept thinking, “I’ll do a photo shoot after I add the alloys”. But alas, by the time I got the alloys, the stripes had almost completely faded. I decided to approach 3M and get a complete exterior detailing done, and replace the stripes. I went in to pick her up, and I felt the nervousness again. My knees started to shake, as I rediscovered the love I felt for her. I fell in love with her all over again!
This is the story so far of my beloved swift, the lil red devil!

What I like about the car:

1. The engine.
The DDiS engine is a beauty of an engine. It is perfectly balanced engine. Calm and composed all the time, yet has the grunt that is required for a quick overtake or a sudden burst of speed. I wouldn't say that the car is loaded with power, but it is by no means under powered. It is a perfect fit for my driving style. Revs smoothly all the way to 5500rpm! Many would complain about the turbo lag, but honestly, that is something I love! You start off from rest, slowly picking up speed and then when the rpm hits the sweet spot, wham! You are pushed back into your seat by the rapid acceleration! Addictive!

2. The handling.
The next aspect of the car that I loved is its cornering ability. Initially, the car came with 165mm wide tyres that are totally under equipped. Even then, the car used to handle like a charm! However, the faster you go, the less grip you get. Even at speeds of 60-70kmph, if you try to take a corner with a little bit of enthusiasm, the tyres would squeal for mercy. Upgraded the tyres to 185 mm wide and the difference was immediately felt! The handling became even more refined. You point in the direction, and the car will move in that direction. I am running on my third set of tyres now, Apollo Accellere.

3. Transmission
The gear shift is smooth and precise. I have never missed a shift and almost six years later, it feels as good as new. Ease and precision with which it slots into the right gear is astounding! I really cant describe it any better. It has to be felt to truly understand it. It compliments the engine and the chassis well.

4. Ownership experience - Maruthi
One of the best aspects of the car has certainly been the dealer network in India. Getting the car serviced and or resolving small issues was always a breeze. Bought the car from Indus motors in Kerala, and now service it at Bimal or Pratham motors in Bangalore. Never had any issues on that front. If dealer A starts acting tough, there is always dealers B, C, D .. ready to make you their customer.

5. Looks
The swift is one of those cars which had a love it or hate it looks. At first, I didn't like the looks at all. But as time went by, it kinda grew on me. Now, I love the old swift's looks more than the new one. Another plus point is that it is extremely mod friendly and you get to see a LOT of unique swifts in India. Wanting to stand out, I spent the better part of a year going through various designs and alloys wheels. Finally, I finalized on the design and got them done. The racing stripes and the alloys. The car now looked more beautiful than I had imagined it! But something was missing. Once I got the exterior package from 3M done, the car was complete. I fell in love all over again!

Although I love this car, there are a few things that I do not like.

1. The boot.
In the boot, I have installed a 1100 W JBL woofer tube. This leaves absolutely NO space for any luggage. Every time I have gone to pick up friends or family from the bus stop etc, I am greeted with them cursing my car for the lack of space. Even without the sub woofer inside, it is terribly small and the high loading lip just makes things worse.

2. The rear seats
The rear seats offer little leg room, especially when someone as tall as me (6 ft 1in ) is driving. Add to this the small rear windows which make it claustrophobic, and you are left with passengers fighting to sit in the front seat. Ideally, it is best suited for two adults in the front and kids in the back.

3. The stock tyres
As I mentioned earlier, the car came with 165 tyres that were really inadequate. I upgraded them as soon as I could, as my father refused to upgrade while I was still in college. Once I upgraded to 185mm tyres, driving has become a pleasure!

4. Build
The car is solid to drive. But there are some rattles here and there that keep annoying me. I keep hearing a squeaking sound from the rear left side and even after pointing out during the past three services, it still continues to annoy me.

5. Mileage
At present, I am getting pretty low figures of 11-12kmpl in Bangalore city driving. I have hit the highway in a while and so am unable to comment on that. I spend around 5.5k Rupees on fuel each month, which is by no means affordable. Hopefully, there is something that is causing this and I pray that I can get it fixed at the next service.

6. Visibility
Rear visibility is pretty poor and you are forced to use the OVRMs even if you never used them before. Once you get used to these big and helpful OVRMs, you really don't really feel any issues in rear visibility. Thank god that our family is against sun films. I cant even imagine how difficult it would be to reverse had I added sun films to the car!

7. Ground Clearance
This car is no SUV! Ground clearance is bearable but I have been forced to tackle a few mean speed breakers at angles. Once fully loaded, I HAVE to approach almost all speed breakers at an angle. However, most of the critical parts are pretty well protected and are out of the way. The running board too has been fortified with plastic scrape plates to protect them from small bumps and scrapes

Driving Experience
One word. Brilliant! Driving the car is pure joy. There is enough power for the quick bursts when you need it, while also being happy cruising at low speeds. You could be doing 60kmph in 5th gear or be doing 100kmph in 3rd! It is a mile muncher and i never get tired behind the wheel. The engine is smooth and gives you pretty good response to accelerator input. The driver's seat is supportive and doesn't tire you out on long drives.

The suspension is ideally set up for Indian roads. You can ease into a corner without too much fuss. Body roll has never been an issue. The car seems to hug the tarmac while cornering. Once I upgraded the tires, I have never lost confidence while cornering. That being said, the brakes are somewhat a let down. The ABS cuts in a tad bit to late, and under heavy braking, the wheels do lock up for an instant before the ABS kicks in. Over time, I have gotten used to the way she brakes and have adapted my driving style to it.


Ownership costs

Owning the car hasn't been too painful on the wallet. A normal service would cost me around 5-6k. That being said, the last service cost me 17k! They changed the steering wheel ball bearings and cleaned out the EGR valve. I havent faced many issues with the car. It was always serviced every 9000 off kms for the first 60k kms, and now, I get her serviced every 6-7k kms. The main issues that I have faced are as follows:

1. Spark plugs (65k kms) - The check engine kept coming on, and I had to replace the spark plugs. They cost me ar 4.8k for a set of four.

2. Mileage - Although most owners get decent mileage, I am getting only 10-12 km per liter in Bangalore city driving. But the minute I get her on the highway, she gives me an average mileage of 15-16 kmpl. I drive on average 900kms a month and I get pretty sad mileage figures. I usually have to top up every 400kms, majority of which is in Bangalore city traffic, with about 34L of diesel. This works out to around 12-13kmpl. After the last service, I tanked up and had to refuel after 400kms again. Surprisingly, It has been 450 kms since that and I still have about 2/5th of the tank left! I shall update once I have to fill up again.

3. Clutch - I had to overhaul the clutch at around 65k kms as well. That did set me back by a bit. Once I got that done, pressing the clutch was smooth as cutting through melting butter!

4. Rattles - This isnt a big issue, but sometimes I do hear rattling sounds coming out of the rear right side. The dealership says it is the seat that is making the sounds, but they haven't been able to fix it yet.

I got the car to myself in Feb 2012, and the car had done about 51,500 kms. And today, two year later, the odo reads 88,975 !

I enjoy driving her. No matter what the mood, a drive will only make me feel better. Come rain or shine, we drive!

I am very satisfied with the car. Six years with the car and its been smiles all the way. I plan on keeping her till she gives up on me. Honestly I haven't had as much driving pleasure driving any other car in the sub 6 lakh budget. A true drivers car for this price.

I am planning on upgrading the suspension and getting a K&N air filter put in.

What do you guys think I could do to make her better? I wanted to put in projector lights or angel headlights, but I have heard that they reduce the illumination. Any and all suggestions on how to pamper her more would always be welcome.

P.S I only got a chance to do a proper photo shoot today, and the last four pics are from today. The other pics were taken from my phone the day I got it back from 3M.

Thanks
DDiSLover

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Long-Term Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

Originally Posted by DDiSLover

Spark plugs (65k kms)

You mean glow plugs, buddy?

I am getting only 10-12 km per liter in Bangalore city driving

Unless you drive with a very heavy foot, that sounds unusually low for our national engine. Would suggest some basic checks to sort it out.

Congrats in advance on touching the 100,000 kms mark

[DDiSLover]

Originally Posted by GTO

You mean glow plugs, buddy?
Unless you drive with a very heavy foot, that sounds unusually low for our national engine. Would suggest some basic checks to sort it out.
Congrats in advance on touching the 100,000 kms mark

Hey GTO,

Yeah glow plugs, my mistake

Aiming for the 100,000 mark! With my average of close to 1000kms a month, plus some long distance trips I have planned, I should hit that mark by the end of this year!

I have being getting all the basic checks done for the past 4 services including an EGR valve cleaning last time, but the mileage hasn't improved one bit. I really don't know what to do. I usually don't drive with a heavy foot and shift when the rpm hits the 2000 mark, apart from the odd overtakes!
I tried mileage conscious driving but that didn't improve the efficiency by much. Probably ran 20kms more for 34L of fuel. Oddly enough, one time between fill ups, I drove slightly more enthusiastically, shifting only past the 3000 rpm mark, and the car ran for around 25-30 kms less on the same 34L of fuel. Confused on what to do next.

[dass]

Originally Posted by DDiSLover

.


1. Spark plugs (65k kms) - The check engine kept coming on, and I had to replace the spark plugs. They cost me ar 4.8k for a set of four.

A set of glow plugs (That is what a diesel has, petrols have spark plugs) of MICO brand cost me about Rs.1500 when I changed them in my Indica in 2013. The TASS quote was around 1k for each of them including fitting. I think once the car is out of warranty, before getting any work done in the A S S, it is always better to check outside.

By the way, the racing strips look awesome. I have always liked them and they look stunning on your red car.

[d3mon]

My swift ddis had started returning 12-13 in bangalore traffic a little while ago. I decided to switch to synthetic oil and it was an absolute revelation. The noise went down by at least 30%, engine braking reduced a lot (meaning much lesser friction) and mileage in city is back to 17-18
Suggest you to try Mobil Delvac 1 on your next change and enjoy a brand new engine.

[DDiSLover]

Originally Posted by d3mon

My swift ddis had started returning 12-13 in bangalore traffic a little while ago. I decided to switch to synthetic oil and it was an absolute revelation. The noise went down by at least 30%, engine braking reduced a lot (meaning much lesser friction) and mileage in city is back to 17-18
Suggest you to try Mobil Delvac 1 on your next change and enjoy a brand new engine.

They man, thanks for the heads up. Ill make the switch to synthetic oil and pray for the best

Also, dear BHPians, what are your thoughts on smoking the tail lamps? I have a hole in the right side and want to do some D-I-Y repair rather than replacing the whole set. I was thinking of smoking them so that the difference wont be noticed.

This is what it could look like :

[humyum]

Hey nice and honest review. Your mileage is VERY LOW considering that you shift near to 2000 rpm and drive with a light foot.

I have a 2008 Swift D too shod with 185's too like yours. What is the tyre pressure you care keeping ? and is this tyre pressure kept while it was in cold condition ?

Secondly, when was the last time you cleaned/changed your air filter ?

Is alignment done recently ?

Is there any black smoke from the exhaust ?

To give you a perspective. I have a 92 thousand km run Swift Diesel. I drive with a light foot too these days, but once in a day that 'sahansheel shakti' gets broken and then its 3500 rpm shifts for some kilometers after which it's 80 and 100 again with a light foot. I get consistent mileage in the 17's in the city and a full tank lasts for around 620 to 630 kilometers after which I end up filling the 34 and 35 liters that you fill. 400 to a tank is TOO LESS. Something is definitely not right.

Oh I fill 34 in the front and 32 behind as tyre pressure

[DDiSLover]

Originally Posted by humyum

Hey nice and honest review. Your mileage is VERY LOW considering that you shift near to 2000 rpm and drive with a light foot.
...
I drive with a light foot too these days, but once in a day that 'sahansheel shakti' gets broken and then its 3500 rpm shifts for some kilometers after which it's 80 and 100 again with a light foot. I get consistent mileage in the 17's in the city and a full tank lasts for around 620 to 630 kilometers after which I end up filling the 34 and 35 liters that you fill. 400 to a tank is TOO LESS. Something is definitely not right.

Hello!
Thank you! Its a pleasure to interact with fellow DDiS lovers!

I keep my tyres at 34psi on all four. I have got the air filter cleaned during each of the last four services but no let up in mileage. And yes, I have the had the wheel alignment done recently as well. I do not think there is excessive black smoke coming out of the engine either. This is really confusing. Hearing 620kms to a full tank makes me drool!

I too have the occasional breaks of the 'sahansheel shakti'

[humyum]

Originally Posted by DDiSLover

Hello!
Thank you! Its a pleasure to interact with fellow DDiS lovers!

I keep my tyres at 34psi on all four. I have got the air filter cleaned during each of the last four services but no let up in mileage. And yes, I have the had the wheel alignment done recently as well. I do not think there is excessive black smoke coming out of the engine either. This is really confusing. Hearing 620kms to a full tank makes me drool!

I too have the occasional breaks of the 'sahansheel shakti'

Hey, Yes I agree, its always a pleasure interacting with DDIS fans.

34 PSI all 4 would be in cold condition right ?

Well, since you have overhauled the clutch, how about checking the basics out ? Brake drag, wheel bearing shot ?

Your highway mileage of say 16 if driven with a supreme heavy foot seems just about okay, but city mileage of 10 and 12's is something to worry about.

I had clicked a picture of the the fuel gauge in my DDIS for you when it reached the half tank mark this time, I will post it in the night. At Half tank, the kilometers the car had run was 412, of course this had highway driving, but it was driven with 5 nd half people in the car and a boot full of overflowing luggage and gunned a lot of times.

[swiftnfurious]

Nice pics and a short crisp report. Your car with stripes very much remind me of mine (disposed at home town as of now).

Originally Posted by DDiSLover

....Also, dear BHPians, what are your thoughts on smoking the tail lamps? I have a hole in the right side and want to do some D-I-Y repair rather than replacing the whole set. I was thinking of smoking them so that the difference wont be noticed...

While washing / rains, there is a definite chance of water getting inside. Not to talk about dust. Take the plunge and try to source a brake lamp from aftermarket shops / some garages. Will work out cheap.

Originally Posted by DDiSLover

...I keep my tyres at 34psi on all four. I have got the air filter cleaned during each of the last four services but no let up in mileage. And yes, I have the had the wheel alignment done recently as well. I do not think there is excessive black smoke coming out of the engine either. This is really confusing...

Do you feel a less surge in power? I am NOT sure changing to synthetic oil is going to help. If you do NOT mind, please take the car to Surakshaa @ Bommanahalli and talk to Lokesh (Works Manager - top most guy there). Tell him that you are from team-bhp and he will help you out. They are a bunch of nice blokes. He might relate your car to mine quite quickly too.

Originally Posted by DDiSLover

...Hearing 620kms to a full tank makes me drool!

I used to do 580 kms on a 2/3rd tank, on highways regularly!

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

I used to do 580 kms on a 2/3rd tank, on highways regularly!

I guess the fuel tank size is the same in the newer generation Swift if I am not wrong.

If yes it was then 600 kms on full tank seems less. I am getting 710 kms minimum on a full tank continuously.

Anurag.

[zoombiee]

Just EGR valve cleaning may not be good enough. The intercooler and map sensor also need to be cleaned. Most MASS and FASS (same engine) seem to do a bad job of it.

[mac187]

Nice write-up, straight from the heart.

The mileage you have mentioned is too low as pointed out by others. If you can come to HSR, I will take you to my local mechanic who can help identify the problem, else as someone suggested Lokesh @ Surakshaa would be best option. My suggestion is without delay try to sort it out at the earliest. To get you motivated, I get a mileage of 16~17 in city, 20~21 on highway drives.

Lastly, keep the love affair going

[DDiSLover]

Originally Posted by humyum

Hey, Yes I agree, its always a pleasure interacting with DDIS fans.....
...lot of times.

Yes, 34 cold. I have to investigate what is happening with my car.

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Nice pics and a short crisp report. Your car with stripes very much remind me of mine ... on highways regularly!

Thanks man! Your profile picture was one of the sources of inspiration for the stripes
Yeah, during rains/washing water does seep in. I have put a small hole at the bottom to drain it! Its not the ideal fix, but it works for now. I need to find a better fix for it asap.

I do feel a drop in power as well. I drove to the airport yesterday and I tried the Italian fix, driving in 3rd and 4th at high revs. It did seem to improve the power on the way back. It feels like the car is towing a heavy load at all times, even when I am the only one in the car. I definitely need to investigate and get this sorted out.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

I guess the fuel tank size ... 710 kms minimum on a full tank continuously.

Wow, all these stories of such good mileage makes me want to cry!

Originally Posted by zoombiee

Just EGR valve cleaning may not be good enough. ...

Originally Posted by mac187

Nice write-up, straight from the heart.
...Lastly, keep the love affair going

Thanks Mac! I love my little red devil!
I stay in Marathahalli and can visit HSR. If you wouldn't mind, could you PM me you contact details (email or phone) so that I can contact you?
It doesn't seem that the MASS guys will ever diagnose what is wrong with it. I have given my car to a variety of MASS, at different cities (Kollam, calicut, Bangalore).Each time, I'm told this or that needs to be fixed and that I should get average mileage of 16+i in the city. And each time, they end up being wrong. You guys are my only hope.

[zoombiee]

Please PM me. I can guide you to 2 competent people who may be able to help you. I am unable to send a PM to @DDiSLover and hence posting this on the forum.