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-   -   An "adopted" blue eyed boy | Pre-owned Maruti WagonR | EDIT: 13 years, 96000 km and SOLD! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/150062-adopted-blue-eyed-boy-pre-owned-maruti-wagonr-edit-13-years-96000-km-sold-2.html)

Sad to see the ding :(

Didnt the rear wiper help dispense the water from the rear windshield?

Ditto here with respect to Problem 2. I am learning to drive and was pretty annoyed when it happened. I hope there is some solution to this apart from using the wipers.

One of the best solutions one the rain stops is to lower the windows, and allow the air to get regulated inside and outside the cabin. That takes care of the the fogging. In case you are unable to roll down the windows, try putting the AC towards the hotter temperature and let the blowers blow to the wipers - that will clear off any internal/external fog pretty fast.

I indeed prefer to roll down the windows once the rain stops but that is exactly when the fogging occurs. Usually during rains, there is condensation inside the car. But when the rain stops, I face condensation on the outside. That is when I have to keep using the wipers to clear out the glass even after the rain stops. The only other alternative that I have found till now is the heater focused towards the windshield and windows rolled down. But makes the cabin hot and stuffy in crawling city traffic mostly.

Where can I get the B pillars blackened? There is no 3M outlet in my city. I was also planning to add black vinyl in the recessed area around the rear number plate. Any ideas?

For blackening the B pillars of my wagonR should I try the local numberplate shops? And what would be the cost involved?

Any local accessory shop should be able to help you. No idea about the cost, but should not be more than 500 bucks. If you are a little D-I-Y oriented, you can order a 3M CF wrap off ebay and get going yourself.

A string updates on the car which are long pending due to my laziness. Nothing serious to report as such.


The car had touched 18k kms was due for the annual servicing. So we took an appointment from Jyote Motors for a service at home (a couple of pics attached) on 6th Nov ‘14. On the agreed day, the Jyote guys arrived in an old Versa which was fitted with all the bare minimum necessary equipments to service a car. Apart from parts like oil etc for replacements, the car had a mini compressor to operate the pneumatic bolt openers and a small tank of water for a short top wash of the car. Moving on to the service, the following things were done right at our doorstep (we have a very spacious compound):
1.Five tyre rotation.
2.Brake pads/shoes were rubbed; the drums were cleaned and greased.
3.Brakes were bled and brake oil was topped up.
4.Engine oil was replaced.
5.Transmission oil was replaced.
6.Air filter was cleaned.
7.Coolant was drained and replaced.
8.Battery was inspected and was found ok.
9.Two sachets of windscreen wash fluid were added and water was topped up.
10.Since the driver side power window was acting up sometimes, Wurth lubrication spray was applied to all the windows.
11.A top wash was given to the car and interior polish after vacuuming.






I was also given a complimentary full car wash coupon which was to be used within 3 months.
Total bill: Rs 4720.
Total time: 1.5 hrs.
FE: 14.3 kmpl (100 % city use and 95% AC)


26th Dec ‘14
I had come back from a ~200 kms trip of BBSR-Puri-Konark and back. As usual, the car was totally soiled due to the beach trips. Also the power window hadn’t been resolved. After working fine for 15-20 days of applying the spray, it refused to close one fine day. After a few attempts and slight tugging, it closed. So I decided to pay a visit to Jyote Motors to exhaust the wash coupon and also to find a permanent solution to the driver side power window.
Reached at 1030 hrs and found a pile of almost 30-40 cars waiting to be serviced or to be picked up after service. A service advisor was quick to spot me and attend to me. After looking at the coupon and listening to my power window problem (he hadn’t seen the car yet), he casually asked whether the car in question was a WagonR. Looking at my surprise, he said it was a known issue and mostly the window lining would have to be changed. I also asked him to change the rubber mud flaps as the front right one was missing.
Estimate given: Rs 1000 (Rs 500 for the lining, Rs 300 for the flaps and Rs 200 as labour charge).
Estimated delivery time: 1630 hrs.
Got a call at 1730 hrs that my car was ready for pick up. The bill was Rs 970 (Rs 480 for lining, Rs 300 for flaps and Rs 190 as labour). The car cleaned neatly and the interiors were polished. The problem was that the car was again top washed, the underbody was mostly untouched.
Distance covered: 510 kms (25 % highway, 75% city)
Fuel consumed: 33.55 L
FE: 15.2 kmpl (100% AC)

10th Jan ‘15
I am back from a 770 kms round trip of BBSR-Phulbani-Daringbadi-Berhampur-BBSR with 3 of my friends. The car performed flawlessly despite being abused like step-child and jam-packed with luggage (and vegetables too while returning from Daringbadi). The torture on it was due to several phases of horrible roads during the whole trip. The car was mostly driven by me, save for a 50 km patch where my friend manned the wheel.
Road condition:
First refuel:
• 280 kms of good 2 lane roads
• 100 kms of normal and steep ghat sections with broken roads as well
• 100 kms of broken roads
• 50 kms of severely broken roads in a ghat (progress of <20 km in an hr)
FE: 17.4 kmpl (100% AC)


Second Refuel:
• 200 kms of very good 4 lane roads
• 20 kms of bad roads
• 100 kms of city use ( I refilled after a week of city use)
FE: 17.09 kmpl (100% AC)

Trip information and road experience
About 40% of the road from BBSR to Phulbani (230 kms) is in bad condition or under construction. There are quite a few scenic places around Phulbani but again the approach roads are deadly. To give you a perspective, a particular waterfall is about 27 kms from the city. The first 20 kms took us 20 mins. The last 7 kms took us 30 mins. We got to experience morning temperatures of about 4-5 degrees.
About 70% of the road from Phulbani to Daringbadi (110 kms) is in pathetic condition. But again, during 60% of the trip time, you wouldn’t get any sunlight on the road on a bright sunny afternoon, so tall and dense is the forest surrounding the road. You will also encounter about 20 kms of steep ghats. Except for a park which gives hill-top view of the sunset, the roads and the very small town, there is hardly anything else to see in Daringbadi. It experiences snowfall but to our bad luck, a low pressure and some rains had increased the temperatures. Instead of staying in Daringbadi (as was our plan), we decided to move on to Berhampur as there wasn’t anything left to see in the town. We left the town at 1800 hrs, night had fallen.
It is about 130 kms from Daringbadi but the first 50 kms are in pathetic condition. So bad that it took us 1 hr 20 mins to descend the first 30-35 kms of the ghats (quite steep). It is a single lane road in this patch and totally broken (could hardly use the 3rd gear, stayed mostly in 2nd gear as the road was quite a steep descent). The first 25 kms is one continuous downhill, devoid of any human habitation and it gave us a real fear, for the hills are known to be Maoist infested. There came a moment where we saw at some distance, two Boleros with their lights on and few people sitting on the ground in front of them wearing red dresses. Steep downhill single lane road, so there is no going back. “Cross alive or be intercepted dead!!!” I proclaimed and moved on. Upon moving closer, we saw they were workers probably engaged in some road repair work. They were having their food in the small clearing after a hard day. Or may be they were indeed Maoists? We don’t know but we crossed alive without being intercepted. Last 70 kms, the roads being good we could steadily maintain 80-85 kmph and save some time. We finally touched Berhampur by 2130 hrs with a couple of 5 mins break. A late start the next day and we visited Tara Tarini, an old shrine atop a hill on the outskirts of Berhampur. The road again is steep but cars can go. The tourist buses stop at the foot of the hill and the pilgrims climb 922 steps to reach the temple. On return trip to Bhubaneswar, the car saw some impeccable four lane roads during the whole distance of 170 kms.


Some quick observations over the past year:
• The 3rd gear is helpful in pottering around the city with much gear change. It picks around 20-kmph. The 4th can go as low as 30 kmph and then slowly and comfortably regain speed.
• 2nd & 3rd gears were sufficient to negotiate the steep ghat sections. I did switch-off the AC in some sections as a precautionary measure. 1st gear was used in a couple of no-road steep inclines (my estimate would be around 40-50 degrees incline) which had sharp protruding rocks and we had to crawl to the top.
• Turbo charged engine like power curve is disconcerting in the traffic some times. Right on reaching 2k rpm, one can experience a strong pull all of a sudden and it becomes even more prominent on reaching 3k rpm. This stays till around 4.5k and more rpm (haven’t really felt the need to rev beyond this).
• The 2nd gear pulls easily till 60 kmph, 3rd till 90 kmph (again I upshifted at those speed but I felt the engine was game for more). This helps in quick traffic getaways and over-takes. The engine just loves to be revved.
• The 1st gear is too short and is used only to make the first move. Even here, the 2nd gear can be used on a flat surface especially without the AC.
• Brakes are linear but inadequate. They lack the necessary bite and have a greater pedal travel. I say this even after the recent servicing where the front brake pads, the rear drums were properly cleaned and the brakes were bled. I have driven the i10, the Spark and the Micra (cars of this segment) and I feel they have much better brakes. Over the past 1 year, I have managed to lock the brakes twice, both within the city and both resulting in zero damage. The first time, I was driving on a rainy evening and suddenly a man jumped onto the road from the divider. Panic braking meant the brakes locked but I was hardly doing 30-40 kmph and hence the car stopped in time. The second time about a month back when in a slow moving traffic (20-30 kmph), a Tavera (with non-functional tail lights) in front of me braked all of a sudden. Even though I was maintaining quite some distance, I was slightly unmindful and braked quite late and hard. The wheels locked but luckily my car stopped just within the distance.
• There is a huge difference in pedal travel before and after vacuum loss (i.e. when I switch off the engine). After complete vacuum loss, when I fire the engine, the pedal sinks by almost 3-4 inches. Is it normal?


I haven't calculated the FE in the few months (summer) but it seems to be in the range of 13.5-14.5 kmpl (city, 100% AC).
The ODO stands at ~217xx kms as of today.

Recently, I moved to Hyderabad for my next job and have now found a parking space for myself and my car. I will be driving it down to Hyderabad from Bhubaneswar (~1100 kms) on 5th Oct. Now come the queries:

1. The car has run 221xx kms and is sitting idle for the past 1.5 months. The annual service is due in November 1st week but the car has run 41xx kms since the last service. Should I complete the service before the journey or do it after reaching Hyderabad? The car was running absolutely fine until last month.

2. Any information about the roads conditions from Bbsr to Hyd? I intend to make the night stop at Rajahmundry/Vijaywada depending on my coverage. I could have gone the whole distance but don't want to drive at night. But if the road from Vijaywada to Hyd was pitch perfect, I might stretch myself and prefer to sleep happily at home. Any suggestions?

3. I want to retain my Odisha registration number as I might be travelling back to my state once or twice every year. Can I do so by paying the TS road tax but not taking new registration?

So finally brought my RoadRunner to Hyderabad. Took an early morning flight to BBSR, stayed a couple of days to get the annual service done (details on that later), loaded the car to the brim with luggage and drove him back (Bhpian sonubbsr was the co-driver) in a single day.

We covered 1178 kms in a single day (17.5 hrs). The three tankfuls returned 14.xx kmpl (100% AC) each time. I was expecting at least 16+ kmpl on the highway. But then again, we maintained speeds of 100 kmph+ (depending on the road conditions and traffic). Peak Vizag and Vijaywada city traffic didn't help either.

Now comes the funny part. In the last month in Hyderabad, I have covered a little more than 1000 kms in the city and my Runner has returned me 14.8-15.2 kmpl in the last 3 tankfuls (100% AC and peak office traffic). Some trips planned ahead but waiting for leaves from office. Currently, the odo stands at 246xx kms.

A detailed update on the BBSR-HYD journey and the last service will follow soon.

Ashish, if the car has not even been strarted in these 5 weeks, then pls be prepared for the battery getting weak. In case the car shows some hesitancy in starting at anytime, you could get it replaced


Btw., did you blacken the b-pillars ? I suggest do it yourself. I did it at a cost of 80/-. And a much better job than the shop guys. ( the shop guys mostly do not wrap it around the edge. Such a sticker will come out easily

This was the situation a month back, i.e. on 3rd Oct '15, when the car was started after a period of 48 days. There was a mild hesitation but the car started on the first crank. But after around BBSR the whole day, the Runner was back in form. Since that day, the car is yet to find rest for a day. My daily commute here in HYD is 21 kms. Weekends add another 100-200 kms. As of now, it is starts easily at the very first crank.

Now comes the observation part. I see that the light goes dim every time the compressor kicks in. I think it is normal as I remember seeing in a few other cars too. Is it so? Or is the battery nearing its end? There is no other abnormal behavior. The battery is an OE Exide one and is almost 4.5 years old. I don't expect it to last much longer but given my daily running, it might just run a few more months.


And yes, last year, I did blacken my B-pillar and used the leftover sheet under the door grab handles too. It was a crude DIY and hence, I had planned to remove and get it done properly. But then I was lazy enough to make do with the existing sticker job (cost me Rs. 1xx for the black sheets from eBay) and it has withstood the daily abuse till date.

The last couple of tankfuls returned ~16.2kmpl with the drive split as city:highway::70:30. The increase in FE might be due to the fact that AC use has come down from 100% to 70% due to onset of winter. The Road Runner runs as usual with the odo a few kms away from 26k mark. The list of issues follow:

1. Hyderabad roads have taken a toll on the car and a few rattles have cropped up in the last 2 months.

2. The power window joystick has gone bad. Only the UP mode is not working, rest 3 directions are good. I suspect it could be a loose connection during one of the famous road jerks. As of now, I manually adjust the mirrors upward when I need it. I will get it checked some time.

3. The crappy tyres make a lot of noise on concrete and uneven roads. Even the grip levels are pathetic. Though I want to change them, they are just 26k kms old and have decent thread too. I am in a dilemma whether to chuck them now or wait till the next monsoon.

These issues not withstanding, the Runner is always ready for a run. I got new seat covers installed (custom stitched art-leather for 4.5k INR).

The odo is nearing 26.5k km mark and I did another tankful today morning. The runner ran 16.5 kms to a litre (449.8km/27.26L) of petrol. This was 80% city and 20% ORR runs. Of course, off-late, my AC usage has trickled down to almost 20-25%. Also I drove it sedately most of the times.

An impromptu trip to Bangalore and back meant that the odo went past 28k kms just before 2015 ended. The distance of ~600 kms each way (point-to-point) took me 8hrs. I maintained a steady cruising speed of 100-110kmph throughout the highway and the Road Runner never complained. The FE during the trip was:

1) 100% highway with 100% AC: 18.5 kmpl
2) 90% highway, 10% Bangalore city with 100% AC: 17.5 kmpl
3) 100% Hyderabad city/ORR runs with 30% AC: 17 kmpl

All the above were measured on tankful basis and after covering about 420-480 kms each time between tankfuls.

Problems observed

1) A slight squeaking sound while braking, for the first km run everyday. Do the brake pads need replacement?

2) Though the OE SF Sonic battery is 4.5 years old, it starts the car at the very first crank. Also my Runner runs every single day of the week. Should I go in for a proactive battery replacement?

3) I observed an uneven wear of the rear left tyre. The outer edge of the tyre is almost bald while the rest of the width seems fine. I had never checked the tyre minutely and hence can't comment if it has happened recently. The last tyre rotation (all 5) was done exactly 10k kms ago. Can the rear tyre have an alignment problem, that too on the outer edge? Or should it have happened when the tyre was fitted on the front wheels? Rest 3 tyres look fine.