[R2D2]

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

I am an ardent user of Petronas Tutela Technyx. I have used it in both my palios, my current cedia and it has made a day and night difference in the operation of gearbox.

Thanks for the tip. I will certainly consider it seriously for my Palio 1.6, this car is due for a lot of TLC.

Avoid anything that says GL5 on the label since GL5 fluids will cause rapid wear of synchros on GL4 gearboxes. The liqui moly gearbox oil you linked says GL5 on the label, I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole

Actually the planned tranny oil change is for my Corolla Altis and the manual specifies either GL4 or GL5 in 75W-90, 80 and 80W-90 viscosities. So I thought either M1 or LM tranny lube will do. I am not sure what spec the OEM/factory filled tranny lube is. But on reading the fine print and the reviews the M1 seems to be for limited slip differentials. May opt for LM or enquire about Shell Spirax Spirax S6 AXRME 75W-90 synthetic oil.

[SunnyBoi]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Actually the planned tranny oil change is for my Corolla Altis and the manual specifies either GL4 or GL5 in 75W-90, 80 and 80W-90 viscosities. So I thought either M1 or LM tranny lube will do. I am not sure what spec the OEM/factory filled tranny lube is. But on reading the fine print and the reviews the M1 seems to be for limited slip differentials. May opt for LM or enquire about Shell Spirax Spirax S6 AXRME 75W-90 synthetic oil.

If you're looking for a GL5 oil, look no further than Motul Motylgear Technosynthese 75W-90. Should be ~800 per liter

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

If you're looking for a GL5 oil, look no further than Motul Motylgear Technosynthese 75W-90. Should be ~800 per liter

+1 to that. I wasn't much aware about the GL4 vs GL5 difference, but for GL5, Motul is one of the best in the business. I have heard that their synthetic motor oil is also better than Liqui Moly/Mobil1 or Shell Helix Ultra.

Regards,
Shashi

[SunnyBoi]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Motul is one of the best in the business. I have heard that their synthetic motor oil is also better than Liqui Moly/Mobil1 or Shell Helix Ultra.

Absolutely. Motul uses Group V Ester base oils which are superior than the rest. AFAIK Redline is the only other oil manufacturer who uses Group V base oils, all the rest use Group IV.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

15. Simple 2-Spoke Steering wheel shoddily clad in MGA's Genuine leather.

Fixed another shortcoming in my car. I hated the finish of the MGA steering cover, but there was little I could do, as no one does a proper wrap in my city.

Thanks to my friend, Mr KrishnaRao from Bangalore, for purchasing a new steering, getting it properly wrapped and shipping it to me. Thanks a lot.







Have also scattered around 80 sachets of Silica gel desiccant inside, which helps in removing any traces of moisture in the cabin during rainy season, which might trigger rusting.

Regards,
Shashi

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Thanks to my friend, Mr KrishnaRao from Bangalore, for purchasing a new steering, getting it properly wrapped and shipping it to me.

Wow

Brilliant finish and total quality work done on the wheel.

Can you share the place where it was done so others can benefit too.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Wow

Brilliant finish and total quality work done on the wheel.

Can you share the place where it was done so others can benefit too.

It was done at Devraj's place in Bangalore.

More details here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/bangal...ml#post4230920

Regards,
Shashi

[baby_antu]

Did you get the air vents and gearknob painted?? They look awesome while contrasting with the black dashboard.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by baby_antu

Did you get the air vents and gearknob painted?? They look awesome while contrasting with the black dashboard.

Thanks Anant. None of the vents or the gear knob is painted.

1.Vents: In 2002, Maruti launched a special edition series of 800, which got body colored bumpers, doorpads, vents, seats, speedometer, steering wheel etc. It was launched in 3 colors: Riviera Red, Laguna Blue and Cool Silver. The vents you see in my 800 are from Cool silver.

Posting some pics of the limited edition 800.











2. Gearknob: The current gearknob which I have is from Zen 2 Door variant. While other cars like WagonR, Esteem etc got a similar design, the ones on the Zen 2 door had metal finish and were heavy when compared to the ones on Waggy.



Regards,
Shashi

[Sheel]

The center fascia appears as a straight lift from Zen, is it not? Got alloys?

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Got alloys?

No sir, unfortunately not. My requirements are simple:

1. MGA/MGP or from a known manufacturer
2. No Multi PCD alloys(hate multiple hole designs).

Most of the OEM offerings including that on the Zen carbon/steel were from Aura wheels, which doesn't make alloy wheels anymore. I got some alloys from manufacturers like Plati & Neo, but either they had discontinued offerings for Zen/800 with 114.3 PCD, or offered multi-PCD designs.

I saw some nice designs from some chinese supplier, but again, it violates my 1st requirement. M800 also has a very boxy design compared to the curvy Zen, so not all flashy alloys look good on it. It needs something sober and OEM looking.

If I ever will, I'll probably go with black wheels and OEM wheelcaps from Zen facelift. They appear nice on M800s.



Regards,
Shashi

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

However things turned for the worse when both the the replacement discs were found defective. They had huge deflection, and produced heavy juddering. My MASS had discs in stock, but we decided to avoid the existing batch and get from the latest batch possible. They ordered fresh new discs from the distributor, and while this meant I had to wait for a day, what I got in return was perfectly working car in every sense. They again checked the new discs for deflection before handing over the car to me.

Updates regarding the discs and wheel rims.

I had mentioned that my discs had some issue in this post, which was solved to some extent but wasn't perfect. There was still some juddering when braking at high speeds.

In 2015, I had changed all 4 rims, because the old one's stud holes had become a bit too wide. However, Maruti had shipped a batch of defective rims, and I too suffered because of that. The rims had some degree of eccentricity. So I decided to change them again in 2017, bearing the entire cost. However to my shock, even the new rims at MASS had some eccentricity. I promptly mailed to MSIL customer care regarding the quality of new MGP spares.

I never knew this would trigger such widespread action. To keep the long story small, my car was called in for checks. The RSM(Regional Service Manager), RPM(Regional Parts Manager), MGP distributor and the MASS were closely monitoring my case, and I was assured full co-operation. They also had some sort of pressure to solve the issue to my satisfaction within a day!! I was ready to pay for any spare, provided it solves the issue. I never pushed them, nor expected them to provide me free treatment.

*I was offered 5 brand new checked rims, free of cost. However, ethically, I opted for just 3, as two of the older rims were in perfect shape. They offered me this replacement after checking my old rims that it was indeed manufacturing defect, and not normal wear and tear.

*In their diagnosis, they found out that one of the hubs had some issue(LHS) because of which neither the rim nor the discs were sitting properly. So they changed it.

*They also checked my 17 year old discs with new hubs, and since even the old issue of squealing didn't remain, they took back the discs which I had changed about 2 weeks back and refunded me the amount!! They were like, why change when your old discs are perfect?? They took back both the new discs with them for R&D purposes.

All this was done in less than 4 hours, and I was stunned at their response. Happily filled the Customer Satisfaction report at the end, and full marks to Maruti for handling the case so brilliantly. I'd have been happy even if they had charged me for all the spares. Thanks MSIL.

Bill: Notice the (W) in front of the rims; ever seen a warranty replacement for a 17 year old car?? Also note the handwritten remark at the bottom.


Replaced LHS hub: I happily paid for this.





Used MGP valves too. Firstly they are awesome in quality, and secondly are cheap too. In my city, they charge around 100 rupees per valve for unbranded stuff.





Updates regarding Heavy downpour: Ranchi witnessed non-stop rainfall for straight 9 days. That flooded the streets, and caused some serious waterlogging. In any standard 800, it was sufficient to cause water getting in through floorcaps. But since I had applied windshield sealant around the caps, it perfectly kept water out of the cabin. I'm happy to report that even under such heavy rains and drive, not even a drop of water came inside. Also since the sealant isn't as strong as say the body sealant, it can be easily cut when the need arises to open the caps. I'd happily recommend this to all 800 owners.

Windshield sealant around floor caps



Water logging on streets



Had to drive on these muddy roads for many kilometers.



The once shiny 5641 became like this:



Updates regarding some changed parts: Replaced some radiator hoses, as they were anyways 18 years old, and were showing some very minor cracks. Glad to see that they are still SGP. Awesome in quality, but expensive.



Replaced the HT wires too. They were also 18 years old. Notice the Sumitomo 1999 branding.





Sumitomo 2016 Japan Made SGP wires. Costs Rs. 4,140 for the whole set. Had the option of MGP too, which were priced at around Rs. 1,100, but were inferior in quality.



That's all for now. Thanks for reading.

Regards,
Shashi

[im_srini]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

[i]Bill: Notice the (W) in front of the rims; ever seen a warranty replacement for a 17 year old car ?

It's quite nice to see someone take good care of their automobile, especially a 17-year old M800. Despite being universally panned by the "enthusiasts" as "Tin Cans", these things keep on ticking on just routine maintenance

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Glad to see that they are still SGP. Awesome in quality, but expensive. Sumitomo 2016 Japan Made SGP wires. Costs Rs. 4,140 for the whole set. Had the option of MGP too, which were priced at around Rs. 1,100, but were inferior in quality.

Are the SGP parts really of higher quality ? Or rather, I should ask, are the MGP parts of inferior quality ? Asking because I ran into a similar issue a few years back when I used the Parts-Catalog ( for my Alto ) & ordered a Fuel Hose. At that time, I wasn't aware that the part numbers without the "M" in them are SGP & are priced significantly higher. A meter length of the fuel hose came to 6K & change ! When writing up the bill, the MGP store guy was looking at me like I was insane

[V.Narayan]

Question for Leoshashi and other experts - was there a difference in the driving feel between the original M800 that was introduced around 1985 versus the newer version that came around 1990 or so and remained the nation's car till dis-continued very recently? I ask as I drove both cars but 25 years apart and could not judge. My late father bought the first model in 1985 and it was so so superior to the Premier Padmini & Standard Herald that it seemed like a fighter jet to me. The second model I first drove as recently as 2010 when I had to settle my uncle's estate. By then having got spoilt by Laura, Astra and Corsa the car seemed very different when in reality it might have been the same.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by im_srini

It's quite nice to see someone take good care of their automobile, especially a 17-year old M800. Despite being universally panned by the "enthusiasts" as "Tin Cans", these things keep on ticking on just routine maintenance.

Thanks Sir.

Are the SGP parts really of higher quality ? Or rather, I should ask, are the MGP parts of inferior quality ? Asking because I ran into a similar issue a few years back when I used the Parts-Catalog ( for my Alto ) & ordered a Fuel Hose. At that time, I wasn't aware that the part numbers without the "M" in them are SGP & are priced significantly higher. A meter length of the fuel hose came to 6K & change ! When writing up the bill, the MGP store guy was looking at me like I was insane

From whatever I have experienced till date, the SGP components are way superior than the built to cost MGPs. This is specially true for cars like the 800, which saw massive cost cutting in later generations. If you compare the MRPs of the Type 2 and Type 3 spares, the latter mostly cost 2/3rd of the price of the former. It also reflects in the quality levels.

I ordered SGP radiator hoses, because they last a long time. My 18 year old SGP hoses are still in good shape, but the MGP ones start cracking in less than 3 years. So its SGP for me, as long as its available.

Of course one needs to plan the financials properly before ordering them, as they do have the ability to make us bankrupt.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Question for Leoshashi and other experts - was there a difference in the driving feel between the original M800 that was introduced around 1985 versus the newer version that came around 1990 or so and remained the nation's car till dis-continued very recently? I ask as I drove both cars but 25 years apart and could not judge. My late father bought the first model in 1985 and it was so so superior to the Premier Padmini & Standard Herald that it seemed like a fighter jet to me. The second model I first drove as recently as 2010 when I had to settle my uncle's estate. By then having got spoilt by Laura, Astra and Corsa the car seemed very different when in reality it might have been the same.

The 800 can be widely classified into 7 categories considering the major changes. I am not counting the facelifts, but the changes in drivetrain and/or its origin:

1. SS80 with all Suzuki Parts[1983 to 1985]: This one was a hoot to drive. With the punchy Suzuki F8B engine and 610kg kerb weight, it was one of the quicker 800s. It had 39.5BHP on tap.
2. SB308 with all Suzuki parts[1986-1988]: This had the same Suzuki F8B engine and gearbox but with a new body which weighed 630kgs. This version also got the automatic for specially abled people. The automatic came till 1995.
3. SB308 with Maruti Engine Carburetted[1988 to 2004]: Includes both Type 1 and Type2: While the engine was the same F8B, it was localised and read Maruti on the tappet cover. Power figure was the same 39.5bhp, but was decidedly less punchy than its Suzuki counterpart. It's life was also lesser than the Suzuki unit(highly debatable). This unit also became Euro1 compliant in 1999.
4. SB308 with 5 Speed Gearbox and F8D Engine, all imported from Japan[Feb 2000 to March 2001]: This was basically Alto's engine and gearbox in 800's body shell. It's engine and gearbox was imported, and made 47BHP. It was the most fun to drive version of the 800.
5. SB308 with 5 Speed Gearbox and F8D Engine, with most of the components localised[March 2001 to April 2003]: Engine and gearbox were localised, and power figure dropped to 45BHP.
6. SB308 MPFI with 4 Speed Gearbox[2000 to 2005]: Widely known as the Type 2 MPFI: This had the good old F8B, but with MPFI and 4 Speed gearbox. Power figure dropped to 37BHP.
7. SB308 MPFI with 4 Speed Gearbox[2005 to 2014]: Widely known as the Type 3 MPFI. While power figure remained same at 37BHP, it was a bit slower, as it was BS3 compliant. Also the perceived quality felt to the lowest levels in this version.

F8B Carb vs F8B MPFi vs F8D MPFi: Major differences

*39.5BHP@ 5000 RPM vs 37BHP@ 5000RPM vs 47BHP@6000RPM
*59.5Nm@2500RPM vs 59Nm@2500RPM vs 62Nm@3000RPM
*6Valves(2V/cylinder)vs 6 Valves(2V/Cylinder) vs 12Valves(4V/Cylinder)
*4 Speed Gearbox vs 4 Speed Gearbox vs 5 Speed Gearbox

This video re-visits all the versions of the 800:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP005piss-Y

Regards,
Shashi