[Amrit@wheels]

What a well kept Creta! It is sad to see how Hyundai went from such a classy design to the chrome-vomit version of the upcoming facelift. Sigh...

[naveen.raju]

AC Issue - Fixed:

Have been experiencing occasional issues with the AC for quite sometime. This was reported earlier and also by few BHPians as well. BHPian Blacknwyte had the same issue as mine and he got it fixed.

Here are the scenarios that I faced:

1. Couple of years back, on one hot afternoon when I took the car after parking outside, I noticed that the AC wasn’t cooling. I had to drive around 30 kms and the AC failed to work. Suspected that the gas leaked. On the way back, I took it to a nearby garage and got the AC gas filled. It worked fine for a year.
2. I had a drive to Kuttikanam on Dec 2022. This time the scenario was different. After driving for around 50 kms, noticed that the AC cooling gradually kept decreasing and the fan speed reduced. The blower sound was there but the air output kept decreasing. Eventually, on full blast the air was very less and cooling was almost nil. Stopped the car and noticed an ice buildup on the AC discharge hose. Drove to a nearby restaurant for a break and waited for the ice buildup to melt. After 10 mins, the ice disappeared and the AC was back to normal.
3. For short commutes to office, the AC worked fine but there’s this hissing sound whenever the AC is switched on for the first time. BHPian Blakcnwyte and Yajaman had this issue. Also, for any long drives (more than 50 kms), the cooling gradually reduced. I normally keep the temp at 22 or 24 but in this case, I had bring it down to 20 or even lower.

Knew it was time to get this rectified and almost confirmed on replacing the evaporator coil. Since it involved removing the dashboard, I didnt want to try any 3rd party garages so took it straight to HASS. They needed 24 hours to get the AC leakage test done and the next day they confirmed that it was AC discharge pipe that needs to be replaced (there was a leakage). Got the car the next day.

Cost Split:
Discharge hose - 1014
Compressor oil - 47
Refrigerant - 614
Labor and AC leak test - 2145
Total - 4616 including tax

It’s been 4 days now and it’s been working fine with no hissing sound and AC cools relatively well. I keep the temperature at 23 and it’s cool enough. Waiting for a long drive to check on its performance. Will keep it posted.

The damaged hose



New hose

[RJKottayam]

Hello Naveen, how’s the Saint-Gobain UV films? I enquired a couple of places but couldn’t find. Can you DM/PM the place address in Cochin? I’m from Kottayam.

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by RJKottayam

Hello Naveen, how’s the Saint-Gobain UV films? I enquired a couple of places but couldn’t find. Can you DM/PM the place address in Cochin? I’m from Kottayam.

It's good. Couple of interstate drives during the summer and didn't feel the usual heat.

Will PM the address.

[naveen.raju]

Service Update

Car completed its annual service few months back with no new issues except for the hard clutch and rear power windows not working.

Opted for PPS Service centre with whom I had quite a good experience couple of times. Only when I reached there I realised that my usual service advisor moved to the body shop. This would totally change my experience with them.

The new advisor was in super hurry. He was complaining that since couple of authorised dealers closed down, they had a huge inflow of vehicles. These guys repeatedly called me and reminded me of the booking (Was sort of wanting me to bring my car there). Anyhow, I asked him to get only the required service items done and no optional service items including wheel alignment and balancing. I also tried to explain about the hard clutch and asked about the estimate. He blindly quoted 25k and would take min 4 days to complete the work. Since the dude was in a super hurry, I decide to leave.

Bill comes to around 10k with optional AC disinfectant and engine bay dressing done for which I didn’t confirm.

Anyways, this was anyway better than what happened next when I went to replace the clutch - Read the entire ordeal here:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...ml#post5829857 (Popular Hyundai, Vyttila - Pathetic service continues for 3 years!)

Changed the clutch set, cleaned the EGR which came to 22k. The clutch now feels really light (not as light as the Grand i10) and the engine breathes really well now.

Got the alignment done as well.



Accessory Update:
Have been eyeing couple of small yet useful accessories for the car. Posting it here since at times reviews of such small accessories are hard to find.

Trunk Organizer:
The truck is mostly cluttered with couple of empty bottles, duster, umbrella and what not. Yet, some of the useful accessories are at home. Bought this for around 650 from Amazon. Although quality could have better, it provides ample storage with many small pouches which I wanted.







GFX floor mats:
Although I wanted a 3D/4D mat, I wasn’t keen on spending a bomb. Also, I had purchased mats from Ford and loved the mats as it hid most of the muck/dirt. Since it didn’t cover the entire floor area, I was on a look for mats.

Came across GFX many months back but was in two minds since it was kind of PVC material which meant it would be hard (maybe uncomfortable?) and would highlight the dirt/muck etc.

Seeing good reviews and a reasonable cost, I decided to go for it. Amazon didn’t have stock but many individual stores had listed it for sale. “Car Hatke” listed it for 3,300 and they responded to many queries immediately. Got the mats delivered in a week.









After using it for a month:
1. It does feel like a plastic tray but not uncomfortable.
2. Premium lookPerfect fit.
3. Keep any loose objects on the mats and it can cause a bit of noise.
4. The polished look will disappear in a week.
5. Easy to clean.

Drive:

Since we had a long weekend, we thought of escaping the hot and humid climate of Cochin to some offbeat high range to avoid the crowd. Luckily, someone close to my friend had a small stay inside his cardamon estate.

Thanks to the holiday season, the initial route was packed but Google suggested some inner roads that had zero traffic and the roads were pretty good. Had many steep inclines but thanks to the recent work on the engine, it was effortless and a joy to drive.

Nothing fancy - just a basic room but the highlight was the location and the ambience especially at night.

Total distance (round trip) - 270kms

Lazed around this place for 3 days.













Parting shot





Odo stands at little over 97k kms

[Chhanda Das]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

Trunk Organizer:
Although quality could have better, it provides ample storage with many small pouches which I wanted.

Very nice and thank you for sharing this with us. I need to get my hands on those plastic mats. Do the rear ones have any holes in the middle ? I am worried about water going into the carpet flooring underneath. Also, I would be very grateful if you could kindly share some details about those aftermarket roof rails. I am thinking about installing solar panels on the roof and bonnet.

Fun fact : That ProKlear wiper fluid bottle fits perfectly in the armrest storage compartment for the front occupants in your Creta

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by Chhanda Das

Very nice and thank you for sharing this with us. I need to get my hands on those plastic mats. Do the rear ones have any holes in the middle ? I am worried about water going into the carpet flooring underneath. Also, I would be very grateful if you could kindly share some details about those aftermarket roof rails. I am thinking about installing solar panels on the roof and bonnet.

Fun fact : That ProKlear wiper fluid bottle fits perfectly in the armrest storage compartment for the front occupants in your Creta

The mats got no holes except for the driver mat - well, that's for securing the mat on to the floor and not for water drain. The rear mat is a tight fit and wouldnt say it's 100% perfect. The box says Creta '20 (might be for the facelift model). Nevertheless, it's a welcome addition.

Roof bars - The rails came as standard and got the aftermarket roof rails and cycle rack from Hyundai (Came as an accessory for i20 Active). Not sure how solid it would be under heavy load as I have carried only couple of plywoods and heavy duty ladder). More details here - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-...ml#post3776606 (It came, I saw, We conquered - Our Hyundai Creta 1.6 Diesel SX(O))

My armrest had all sorts of junk which I moved to this organizer now .

Planning to replace the gear knob next week as it's a bit worn out. Updates coming soon.

[Pequod]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

Accessory Update - Sunfilms
Fast forward to August 2023 - I could really feel the cabin to be hot since I have an open parking at office. It tends to get so hot that the phone holder gets dislodged due to the heat. That’s when I decided to get films for the windshield. The obvious choice was 3M but have heard some issues with Fastag not being detected and to be frank, I didn’t research on it a lot. Couple of my friends got Saint Gobain SolarGard installed and they were happy with it. I saw the cars and it was almost transparent.

I had two options:

70% visibility, 85% IR heat rejection, TSER - 40%
70% visibility, 92% IR heat rejection, TSER - 45%

Decided to go with the second option which was the “Ultra Performance Plus 80”. Confirmed with the shop owner and decided to remove my old films, get the new films installed on all windows (Side, rear and front).

Hi Naveen

Mulling on Saint Gobain UP80 for my Virtus, M/s Cartec Specialties in Cochin quoted Rs.15500/- for rear and sides.

3M CR70 is quoted at Rs.27k - a bit too much I feel.

Would appreciate your feedback on the Saint Gobain, so that I can make up my mind

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by Pequod

Hi Naveen

Mulling on Saint Gobain UP80 for my Virtus, M/s Cartec Specialties in Cochin quoted Rs.15500/- for rear and sides.

3M CR70 is quoted at Rs.27k - a bit too much I feel.

Would appreciate your feedback on the Saint Gobain, so that I can make up my mind

I think mine was similarly priced as well. Came around 24k including the front.

I have been using budget (entry model) films all this time and feel this to be pretty good. U can feel the heat inside when u park out for a day but it's bearable. Also, no complaints from my wife during those long drives to Bangalore which wasnt the case earlier. So I guess it works well .

[adithya.kp]

Couldn't agree more. Also, In my opinion the 1st gen pre facelift model is the best among the 4 iterations. Such a looker, particularly with that grill.

I have similar thoughts on the upgrade. ( 8 yr old 1.6 petrol sx+). Everyone around changing cars. The problem is, there are hardly any options for a 5 seater. ( I want to avoid getting into the luxury segment). We only have Tucson and Tiguan. I don't quite like the interior and exterior of Tucson, although its a great car. Tiguan looks good. But dismal overall sales number and india portfolio of VW is worrying.

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

8 years update:

Next month will mark the 8th year of the Creta ownership and it’s been a good one. While my family and friends are upgrading the cars, I never felt the itch to upgrade (it wasn’t the case before I had the Creta). The main reason is that the budget doesn’t permit me for an upgrade, else I should downgrade or stick to the same segment. But I was kind of surprised to see the lack of quality in some cars while my Creta looked rock solid especially when compared with our Alcazar on which they have some cheap parts on the inside. So you can expect this thread to be active for couple of more years .

[naveen.raju]

Yearly Update

Replaced the brake pads as they had advised me to replace it on clocking 1L kms. It occasionally had that squeaking noise when the brake was applied.

The disc had to be skimmed as well (Guess this is the second time I skimmed the discs). Got everything done for around 7500 which I think is pretty steep.

Before Skimming:



After Skimming:



At the service station:



Accessory Update - Car Air Purifier

Got a car air purifier as well. No idea if this works, but just went for the sake of it. The model I got has “auto” fan mode (which I think is necessary) and a light indication which its lower model didnt have. It’s definitely bulky and finding a suitable place was a challenge. The default place was behind the front head rest which I didnt like so I placed it on the rear arm rest. Since it blocks more than half of the arm rest, installed it behind the head rest. Sits well here but the top lid where the filter is placed rattles (a common problem that many reviews pointed out).





Had been using standard wipers for quite sometime and was due for a replacement. And since monsoon was fast approaching, got Bosch Clear Advantage this time. Got Turtle rain repellent as well. Both combined, it was a pleasure to use. I felt RainX Rain Repellent offered better longevity.





Something unfortunate happened after few months. Details here - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...ml#post5968630 (Accidents in India | Pics & Videos)

Went to the FNG where I had repaired our Grand i10 last year and they had done a decent job. Since the paint had faded a bit, I knew the new paint job would stand out and look odd. So decided to get all dents and scratches repaired and painted. Had few minor spread around the car like the front bumper, left rear door (had scratches and a long dent), both rear wheel arches, front fender etc.













This was a long dent which extended till the door handle:



Got the car back in 2 days. They had done a decent job with the work and bill came around 24k. Got the number plates replaced as well since that looked beaten up and old.

Car at the garage:





Had a rust here. (I think bhpian Blacknwyte posted his car’s pictures):



The leather on the gear knob was sort of worn out and I had been eyeing to get a gear knob as some of the accessories shops weren’t confident on a neat (OE) finish. Bought it from Car Hatke for around 2200.



Annual Service:

The annual service was due in July but thought I would service it early. Since various new players are coming onto the HASS scene, I was constantly bombarded with messages and calls reminding me of the service. Some had various offers with free pickup/drop from HASS even 20-25 kms away.
I chose the one closer to my place (of course there’s one very near but no way am going back there. More details in “Indian Dealership thread).

Have had a decent experience here few months back when I replaced the brake pads. Was assigned a service adviser in couple of minutes and handed the car.

Interesting incident - He asked me couple of times whether I had previously raised a complaint on any HASS? I confirmed that and he asked me the details. I gave a brief and questioned him - thats when he showed me the tab. A popup stating that “You are dealing with a high risk customer”. He receives a WhatsApp and an email too. On asking what this implies, he says special care should be given to such customers. Meaning he needs to make sure that they don’t screw up and receive a complaint.

Like many other HASS, he did try to push me to certain jobs like silencer coating, rear drum brake coating (went for this as it had minor rust) and I rejected few before him put those forward.



Rust on rear drum:





After coating:



Got the car at 8pm. Did a quick exterior inspection and left.

Since I had mixed experiences throughout my ownership period and was using this dealership for the first time for service, I quickly decided to check.

1. The coolant reservoir was empty. They did a radiator flush but I expected a little more coolant. The manual states around 5.5L capacity but they added only 3L (premix coolant).
2. The windshield fluid container was empty. Yes, they do charge for this but this is expected especially when monsoons are on full swing and he kept pushing me for new wipers even when the wipers were just 10 days old.
3. Small yet significant - Think they forgot to apply grease on the door hinges, boot and bonnet. Looked like it was the same thing that I had applied few months back. Also, they never reset the service reminder. Luckily I had mentioned this and they did it.
4. This was what pissed me off. The silencer coating started to peel off.







This was taken in the morning before starting the car:



This was taken in the evening after the coolant was topped. Car wasn’t started during this period:



5. I also noticed that there was this small rattle coming from the rear. Since these guys had overhauled the suspension, I expected it to be the parcel tray or the boot lock which the first generation Creta caused issues. Padded the tray and stuck a tape on the boot lock, but this rattle continued at times. Then came the surprise when I checked the rear suspension.

The rear suspension rubber mount was completely worn out. Wonder what the guys at HASS were doing:

[naveen.raju]

Continued from above

Decided to go to the FNG and get the entire kit replaced:





The next day, when I was about to contact them, the customer executive dude dropped a message give a 10/10 rating and shared contact details of the HASS’s higher ups. I shared the pictures and asked him to have the manager to contact me. After repeated messages, I got no reply.
I dropped the pictures to the manager and soon enough got a call from her. Since she wasn’t technical enough to answer, connected me to the service advisor who added my car. Admitted to his mistakes and asked me to bring the car. Since our time was invaluable to these guys, I asked them to come home. Few hours later, their RSA dude came and filled the coolant (Around 1L was filled). As for the silencer coating, since they said there’s 1 year warranty, I can get it reapplied anytime. In case, they reject this claim, I shall be taking this up with Hyundai.

What I have learned from dealing with multiple Hyundai service stations in Kerala.

1. A lot of reputed dealers who had an established base suddenly decides to stop. Few “other state” dealerships are now coming here while some have shut shop. Atleast some 5-6 Hyundai dealers have shut. Things getting difficult for dealers to deal with Hyundai?
2. These new dealers are all show and no substance. I was greeted like I was some celebrity but the same can’t be said about the service quality. Pushing me for unnecessary things and the “10/10 rating” which is what matters the most.
3. Since these so called new guys are trying to make a mark here, they take in too many cars which directly affects the quality. Hyundai should seriously take this into account, talk to their dealers and “hear from the customers directly” instead of going with “default 10/10 rating” that all customers will give. Also, never to go with the Google ratings.
4. These guys don’t do any road tests before/after the service. How will they even diagnose certain issues related to suspension, bushes etc?

No follow-up calls/messages received from the HASS after the incident. Got a call from the CRM few days later and confirmed that the silencer coating can be done within a year. They were eager to close the issue that I had raised. Surprisingly, no calls/emails from Hyundai to check whether it’s been resolved.

Parting pictures:





Odometer stands at 1,01,3XX kms

[Joli]

Aren't you supposed to replace the timing kit at this mark on the odometer? Please check.

[aNANOnymous]

The Gen 1 model was the last good-looking Creta from Hyundai. After that it got uglier by the year. I cannot stand those quirky headlights and DRLs in the newer versions. Same goes for Tata cars.

[Kulkarni2411]

Originally Posted by aNANOnymous

After that it got uglier by the year. I cannot stand those quirky headlights and DRLs in the newer versions. Same goes for Tata cars.

I absolutely agree. Now, normal headlights are seen as "cheap" while the "premium" cars (18-30ish lakhs) all come with DRLs above and split headlamps below. Case in point: XUV5OO -> XUV7OO, Tata Safari DiCor/Storme -> BS6 Safari, Gen 1,2 Nexon -> Gen 3 Nexon, Gen 1 Creta -> Other Cretas etc.
To me, at least, the Headlamps used to give the car some character! For example, the front 3/4ths view of the Nexon EV XZ+ (pre-facelift) is much better than the one post-facelift, mostly owing to the curves and the headlamps, which looked good.

P.S. Even the Curvv lacks curves in its design