[Blow Horn Ok]

Got to see GG yesterday once again and I am pretty sure this is the best 800 in India. The car couldn't be perfect than this. I forgot to ask Shashi to hang a nibu mirchi to protect it from evil eyes .

The fresh paint on the bonnet has been done very well Shashi. The gloss and the shade is just perfect. As usual, minute details, the thought process and resources behind those details are just mind boggling. Just for example, the sound insulation, the steering, controls and switches for the rear wash and wipe, rear fog lamps, rubber between the windshield and the dashboard, the gear console, the headlamp on chime, alloys, bits and pieces on the doors, above all the way it drives. Just amazing.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by tacho9000

And YES!!! they transformed the look of GG entirely.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Blow Horn Ok

Got to see GG yesterday once again and I am pretty sure this is the best 800 in India.

Thanks. To be honest, the pleasure was entirely mine and I always look forward to meet you whenever I am in Bokaro. Your Aspire is immaculately maintained with very strict maintenance regime.

A pic with your immaculately maintained Aspire:



Also thanks a lot for a much needed wash:

The car couldn't be perfect than this. I forgot to ask Shashi to hang a nibu mirchi to protect it from evil eyes.

The fresh paint on the bonnet has been done very well Shashi. The gloss and the shade is just perfect.

Infact I felt the need of those Nimbu Mirchi barely few days after the alloys installation. There was a dent on the hood which looked like a fist mark or some object. I was not much disturbed since the hood is the only re-painted panel on my car, hence I don't care much about it.



Getting this shade(Metallic California Gold) perfect is an art in its own. I was shocked to see some 20 different shades and tints which were being added to make the final shade. From what I could recall, it uses different shades of yellow, red, black, silver etc to form the final shade.

A pic of the different tints which were mixed to get the final shade:



Thankfully, the end result was perfect.

the sound insulation

Some more R&D is undergoing to better the current level with 3M's Noise sealing rubber tapes.

, the steering

This was infact a child's love, I fell in love with the awesome 3 Spoke steering wheel which came with some iterations of the Zen. I first experienced it on a 2003 Zen VXi. The lust was so strong that I knew I wanted that steering wheel, even if I don't use it on GG. I was ready to keep it as a decorative item in my room, but I had to own it. The steering wheel is now out of production, but thankfully I managed to reserve a piece from a MASS which had it in stock.



As of now, I have installed it on GG and am loving every single moment with it. It's like finally fulfilling your 16 year old desire. I am not sure about it's future with GG, but it will be with me even if I remove it.

and switches for the rear wash and wipe

Thanks to DBHPian Blackperl, that switch is about to get even better. He got me the switch of a 1996 Suzuki Vitara from UK. The same was shared with SB308 Export models, hence it will appear more in tune with the dashboard compared to the Zen's wash/wipe switch I have currently.

The new Switch from 1996 Vitara:

rubber between the windshield

This was one of the sore points in M800, Omni and Gypsy. There used to be an ungainly and uneven gap between the windshield rubber and dashboard. Thanks to Aliexpress, the gap is now cleanly filled:

How the gap is like in other 800s:



Neatly covered in mine:

the gear console

This is a practicality upgrade. The 800 lacks any proper place around the gear console area. Even charging your phone is a huge task. Taking inspiration from MSIL's part sharing, I got the console with matching brackets from Old Alto. It was a 10 minute swap with highly rewarding outcome.

Old vs New Bracket:



I have also installed gear-knob which spells FUN!



A pic showing the 3 Spoke steering wheel and the newly installed centre console

the headlamp on chime

The latest upgrade, this thing works as any other modern Maruti. A video of the same:

https://youtu.be/V-DR8TetIEM

And the best part? It came as MGA for M800, Zen and Esteem, and hence has all needed connectors. Absolute Plug and play.

It warns if the door is open with key in ignition, or headlamp is left on by mistake.

Signing off with two recent clicks:





Regards,
Shashi

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

A pic showing the 3 Spoke steering wheel and the newly installed centre console

Love that steering wheel!

When I was young and not so appreciative of such things - I used to hate the twin spoke wheel of the M800. Not sure why - but it just didn't appeal to me! Seeing these pictures - suddenly all those memories come rushing back, and boy-o-boy, do I love the new look of your car!

[Blow Horn Ok]

I must also mention the way those doors close. They neither close with that European thud nor with tinny clank. The doors close with moderate thud and effort and give that precision mechanical kind of sound that explains the perfect alignment of doors and Hinges. Just the way it could have been in the showroom. My staff is so impressed that they say the showroom guys will exchange it for a new car without any cost .

[Leoshashi]

Happy Birthday to GG

The actual DOB is 25th March, but since I have an early morning flight tomorrow, celebrated it just now. Enjoy the pics:

GG had a nice bath today:



Before attempting any such stunt, protect the electricals and also disconnect the circuit:



Awesome suds by Chemical Guys Mr. Pink Shampoo, took some 10 minutes to drip down completely:







Last of her teenage years:







Happy Birthday!!



Thanks everyone for showering your love on GG and this thread.

Regards,
Shashi

[BeemerBug_06]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Thanks everyone for showering your love on GG and this thread.

Regards,
Shashi

I am a big admirer of your 5 Speed, have to admit that it's surely the Best 5 Speed 800 I've ever seen! Kudos to you Shashi, for maintaining her so well and a belated Happy Birthday to her! Wish you many more Happy miles with her.
Cheers!
BeemerBug_06

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by BeemerBug_06

I am a big admirer of your 5 Speed, have to admit that it's surely the Best 5 Speed 800 I've ever seen! Kudos to you Shashi, for maintaining her so well and a belated Happy Birthday to her! Wish you many more Happy miles with her.
Cheers!
BeemerBug_06

Thanks buddy. Your wishes are definitely not late, the actual DOD is 25th March 2000, but since I had to be outside Ranchi today, hence I celebrated it last night.

Regards,
Shashi

[chiranjitp]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Happy Birthday to GG

The actual DOB is 25th March, but since I have an early morning flight tomorrow, celebrated it just now.

Happy Birthday to GG from my side, hope she continuous to serve you for many more years. Congratulations to you as well for keeping her in such an immaculate condition, she simply doesn't look like a 19 year old car.

Come this October, our 99 Omni will turn 20 (& I will turn 25, Omni came home on my 5th birthday ). Mechanically she is fit as ever, though cosmetically she looks a bit tired. Hopefully before she turns 20, I will be able to do something about it. Will be needing your expert advice during this mini-restoration.

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

This was infact a child's love, I fell in love with the awesome 3 Spoke steering wheel which came with some iterations of the Zen. I first experienced it on a 2003 Zen VXi.

Congratulations on getting this rare 3 spoke steering wheel, it looks really good on your M800. The other thing about this steering wheel is that, it's very soft to touch & hence feels premium. My ex car (a 01 Zen VXi deluxe) was equipped with this 3 spoke steering wheel & I really loved it, looked so much better than the 2 spoke steering wheel (which came in most Zens).

Here is a photo of the steering wheel:

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by chiranjitp

Happy Birthday to GG from my side, hope she continuous to serve you for many more years. Congratulations to you as well for keeping her in such an immaculate condition, she simply doesn't look like a 19 year old car.

Thanks!

Will be needing your expert advice during this mini-restoration.

Anytime bro, I'm always ready

Congratulations on getting this rare 3 spoke steering wheel, it looks really good on your M800. The other thing about this steering wheel is that, it's very soft to touch & hence feels premium. My ex car (a 01 Zen VXi deluxe) was equipped with this 3 spoke steering wheel & I really loved it, looked so much better than the 2 spoke steering wheel (which came in most Zens).

I agree. The steering feels so good even without a leather wrap. I'll be getting it wrapped soon, will trouble BHPian Captain Slow again

The car feels so nice to steer, even those who didn't like the looks earlier, now appreciate how nice it feels.

Regards,
Shashi

[Leoshashi]

Due to the worsening situation of road rage and other related incidents, decided to invest in a good dashcam. Being capacitor based, Aukey DR02 was on my top priority. The day I decided to get it, Amazon US was running a nice deal on the cam. Compared to the 9k price on Amazon India, I got the dashcam for $52.19(~3700 INR). Thankfully a friend was coming to India and I got this delivered at his address.



The User Manual recommends against using Sandisk or Samsung EVO cards. So ordered a Strontium 64GB MicroSD.



Received the dashcam yesterday. Some pics and videos:



Its tiny: Size comparison with M800's Key





Video Samples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy-NtXg-HaM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIby59ix-Us

Regards,
Shashi

[McLaren Rulez]

Could you share details on how you power the dashcam in the 800?

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Could you share details on how you power the dashcam in the 800?

Using the 12V socket. The cable goes under the roofliner and goes inside the frame, A pillar and comes near the fuse box. Using zip ties, I have then secured the cable behind the dashboard and it makes appearance just under the 12V socket and plugs into the MI car charger I have(has dual USBs).

Will share a pic of the arrangement soon. This is how it looks from outside:



Regards,
Shashi

PS: Ignore the heap of microfibers.

[Leoshashi]

Update: I was noticing some vibrations during braking. This had started recently and from my previous experience, steering tie rod ends can also be a culprit. While the RHS end was fine, the LHS had become a bit free and had quite a bit of play. Replaced both of them as a pair for best results.

Didn't want to take GG to MASS for such a trivial issue. Purchased a pair of ends from MGP store, jacked up the car and changed it myself. Did an approximate alignment by marking the threads. After replacement, drove her to my preferred Alignment store. The issue was with the ends, and the vibration issue was solved.









Also had a longish trip lined up, and GG performed flawlessly. While returning back, also met BHPian BlowHornOk at Bokaro. Some pics:











Next to the grand daddy of Indian Auto scene:



With a fellow BHPian's Aspire:



Regards,
Shashi

[Leoshashi]

Update: OEM Dual Tone Horn Kit: The 800 gets a very meek horn. Couple that with the smallest footprint on road, even cycle guys don't take you seriously.

I was actively looking for a dual tone horn, but hated any aftermarket jugaad which involved any wiring tamper. I always knew there were two options from Maruti, one for Omni and the other for WagonR. These came as accessories and needed no wire tampering. The connection was as plug and play as it could get. Issue was, both of them were discontinued. Luckily I found them in an outlet in Chennai and got it shipped.

This is the condition in which it reached me. Almost 7 year old packing. Thankfully, the contents were all fine.



Consists of a horn, a relay, a wiring harness, some zip ties and a mounting bolt:





The issue I faced was that there was absolutely no space in my engine bay to mount it. 5 Speed had the most cramped engine bay of all 800s. I was willing to mount it on the top member which holds the bonnet lock. But my ex-SA Dhiraj warned me that the member is weak and may get damaged as the horn was heavy. I didn't doubt his experience, and asked him if I can mount it where the top member and the mid crash member meets. He permitted. The next issue was, the stock horn bracket was designed as per WagonR, and it was touching the AC pipeline when mounted. I needed some more brackets, which my mechanic Arjun provided me with. After putting the 2nd bracket, the horn moved sufficiently away from the AC pipe, but the mounting wasn't stable. The horn was vibrating and could easily touch the extremes(AC Pipe and Tappet cover) if it ever moved. I then used a 2nd bracket to give it some additional support and now its rock solid.

How I have mounted the horn, notice the two additional brackets:



The Horn and the relay:



I'm happy to report that the sound now feels adequately loud, while perfectly suiting the personality of the car. Feels as OEM as it can get.

Regards,
Shashi

[blackwasp]

Hi Shashi,

I'm planning to install Neolite rectangular yellow fogs in the front. However, I wanted a clean looking button for them on the inside. I came across your car's fog lamp button. Can you let me know where did you source it from? If its MGA, I can look up at my local dealer.

Thanks.



PS - This is how I want the look to be - this is just a photoshop work: