[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by sharma_sanjeevi

The Alloys look Good!!.
And, are exactly similar to MGA ones which Shashi attached.

Thanks.

Santro Size must be 13" right ?

Yes

Did you face any issues with upsizing in terms of tyres touching wheel well & any other suspension related premature wear & tear ?

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Altos take 13 inches very easily, unlike M800s.

So far no issues.

[sgiitk]

I think this 5-speed was the zenith of the M800. Then reversion to a 4 speed diluted it. I hear they were worried that it was impacting the Zen. So they engineered a gap in the prices.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I think this 5-speed was the zenith of the M800. Then reversion to a 4 speed diluted it. I hear they were worried that it was impacting the Zen. So they engineered a gap in the prices.

AFAIK, it was badly impacting the Alto 800cc. Same engine in a lighter bodyshell with slightly better front space( I struggle to fit in an Alto but no such issues in the 800) at a cheaper price(2.8L vs 3.2L for Alto LX) meant many people were preferring the 800 over the Alto. Also Alto wasn't an established brand back then, and it had to compete with India's best seller.

Hence they launched the Alto STD without ac and many features to position against 800, killed the 5 Speed version and also priced the Alto more competitively. Alto was a sales dud till 2004 when these changes happened, and only then the sales picked up.

Another thing which many people dont realise is that Maruti used to suffer a loss of approximately 1lac per 5 Speed 800. This is a fact which was shared with me by an MSIL official. Back in 2000, Maruti wasn't ready for the Euro 2 norms. This meant that their 800 wasn't eligible for sales in Metro. MPFI in 5 speed was available as they used to export in other countries. Hence they launched this for domestic sales to escape the wrath of Euro 2 norms. Ambassador AFAIK was stopped for sales for some time in Metros. Thus this 5S version was just a stop gap measure and it had to die once 4S MPFI came.

This figure of 1lac loss per car is true IMO. Spares of 5S are sometimes priced 2x to 5x more expensive than the equivalent 4S spares. Many parts are still SGP and are imported from Japan like the air filter hose, radiator pipes, oxygen sensor etc and are very expensive. Imagine, Oxygen sensor of Grand Vitara costs Rs. 6k,but its 9k for this small little car.

Regards,
Shashi.

[chetan5678]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

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.

Hi Shashi Sir,
Wanted to know if i can use this Sumitomo wires in my 2008 Alto,if so can you please provide me with the part no.thanks.
Regards,chetan

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by chetan5678

Hi Shashi Sir,
Wanted to know if i can use this Sumitomo wires in my 2008 Alto,if so can you please provide me with the part no.thanks.
Regards,chetan

Length of wire may vary, as distributor location is different in Alto. Also I am not sure if your car has distributor or not. Because IIRC, distributorless ignition was introduced around that time.

Regards,
Shashi

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Will try to source it from my local MGP outlet this weekend.

Did you manage to get it?

Regards,
Shashi

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Manoj2268

Looks like the GG is back to its former glory

Originally Posted by AMG Power

You have a car towards which you have put in a lot of effort to preserve its originality. Putting in wheels that don't belong with the car and with those awful looking wheel covers will spoil the efforts you have been putting in till now.

Wheels are a major part of the personality of a car and tells you within seconds whether a car is an original or not.

Once you have tampered with the originality your car is just like every other 800 on the road and would lose its uniqueness.

Please throw those wheels away and stick to the original.

@R2D2 - this is sacrilege! How could you??

Originally Posted by Viju

Dear Shashi,

In my humble opinion, the original wheels suited the car much better. If at all you want a change in the looks, please see if you can source a set of MGA alloy wheels for the 800.

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Thanks again for your replies. The silver look will come back soon.

Once again, thanks a lot for everyone who came up with their suggestions regarding the rims. Honestly I wasn't too sure, and just wanted to have some change in look, hence the slightly altered grill and wheelcaps with black rims.

After seeing both the looks, I agree, my car looks better with stock shiny silver rims.

Presenting some last set of pics with the wheelcaps, which were taken during a solo trip to Patratu.

































Also bought a 2T Hydraulic Jack stand worth Rs. 5000 and four Jack stands worth Rs. 1800. While they don't look fancy, they are heavily built and are very robust. I have seen my MASS' mechanics using them since years, and they are very happy with its performance.












Now finally, presenting some pics with the good old silver rims, stock grill which came with the 2000 model car and slightly altered fonts on the number plates.


Brand new vs 18.5 years old:









I have retained the black rims and wheelcaps with old set of tyres, for those moments when I go crazy and have the urge to change the look.

As of now, Golden Goose is undergoing some minor refurbishment by yours truly. More details will be out soon.

Regards,
Shashi

[Leoshashi]

Some more shopping for GG :

1. Bosch AQT 130: Replacement for the AQT 37-13+ and AQT 40-13, this is the latest gen AQT. This is much more silent and refined than the earlier AQT series. I was eyeing AQT 40-13 or 42-13, but there was no option available, either offline or online. The local stores were happy selling the base AQT 33-11 model with 110 Bar pressure.

Got this from Amazon for Rs. 14,000 all inclusive. Also bought an extension pipe worth Rs. 900. Also made a 10m 15Amps extension board(its peak power is 1700W). In addition to these, got the MJJC Foam Lance and Chemical Guys Mr. Pink shampoo(for dense suds). Time for pics:





The extension pipe





As fresh as it can get













This one came with almost all the accessories I needed.









Assembling it was a breeze, checked the pump in priming mode.



MJJC Foam Lance. Superfast shipping, ordered on 16th July, got it on 28th.



Good build quality



Chemical Guys Mr. Pink





15Amps Extension board for the Bosch











A video of the MJJC foam lance in action with Mr. Pink:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo1lXjegEJA

2. Tools organiser: One headache with ever increasing tools was how to manage them properly. Although I am still new to this tools and DIY world, this one was a nice investment. Taparia made, cost me Rs. 1500 locally.



Regards,
Shashi

[samaspire]

Will the Bosch work with water off the "bucket"? I thought it needed flowing tap water!!

Can you share links of the Foam Lance and Mr.Pink? The video shows the lance connected to the pressure washer; so is the output only from the lance or does pressurised water get mixed with it while spraying? I assume it does, but then it means that it gets diluted even more, right?

PS: can you share more pictures of the tool box - open and closed. And the dimensions.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by samaspire

Will the Bosch work with water off the "bucket"? I thought it needed flowing tap water!!

You need to buy this accessory Bosch Self Priming Suction Hose The enables the washer to pull water from a bucket or a pool.

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Some more shopping for GG :
I was eyeing AQT 40-13 or 42-13, but there was no option available, either offline or online. The local stores were happy selling the base AQT 33-11 model with 110 Bar pressure.

Congrats on the new gadget! BTW the 42-13 is still available and has not yet been superseded by a newer model.

I can't use my Bosch 42-13, purchased last year, to wash my cars. There is no power outlet in the stilt garage. I am trying to work out a solution with a local electrician. Till then the washer will be restricted to cleaning the terrace and other household uses.

[Blow Horn Ok]

Originally Posted by samaspire

Will the Bosch work with water off the "bucket"? I thought it needed flowing tap water!!

Can you share links of the Foam Lance and Mr.Pink? The video shows the lance connected to the pressure washer; so is the output only from the lance or does pressurised water get mixed with it while spraying? I assume it does, but then it means that it gets diluted even more, right?

The washer can suck water from any source like a tub or a bucket. No need to buy a separate hose from Bosch. Just buy a thick walled pipe (like the air compressor pipe which has threads inside) and connect it to the filter attachment of the machine. One end dipped to the water source. Make sure that the bucket wall height is not more than 1-1.5 feet. If the bucket is too high, you can make hole at the bottom and attach the pipe through some jugaad.

The soap solution is mixed with water. Even though, it will make good foam. 50-60 ml of soap concentrate is sufficient in one litre of water. If more soap, it would be difficult to rinse.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Blow Horn Ok

The washer can suck water from any source like a tub or a bucket. No need to buy a separate hose from Bosch. Just buy a thick walled pipe (like the air compressor pipe which has threads inside) and connect it to the filter attachment of the machine. One end dipped to the water source. Make sure that the bucket wall height is not more than 1-1.5 feet. If the bucket is too high, you can make hole at the bottom and attach the pipe through some jugaad

for this thread but here goes.

What you also need is a one way valve which is included with the Bosch accessory. You can get this valve at any good hardware store. BTW that pipe with 'threads' is called a "braided" hose pipe when you ask for it at the store. Do not forget to attach the water filter otherwise any dirt in the water can clog the outlet nozzles and damage the motor.

I was think of creating a DIY solution but changed my mind and went in for the Bosch accessory. How does one use this thing? Well, it need to be submerged in water, using a tub or bucket, so it fills up completely and then attached to the washer inlet, the valve prevents the water from draining out from the other end.

[Blow Horn Ok]

One way valve isn't needed practically. What it can do is prevent air into the intake pipe if the pipe is removed accidentally. In general use, water won't go back in the bucket. Also if there is a system that you need to dismantle the setup after work and reinstall again, the intake pipe will be removed anyway and cause air in the system and again the machine would need priming.

What needs to be cared is the hose. It's too fragile and it tends to get ruptured every now and then. Also after some use, the motor gets real loud and the automatic stop start function starts behaving weired.

[Leoshashi]

Around 4 years ago, Nat Geo had teased us with a couple of videos, which had stories about Maruti. Always wanted to see the video, but couldn't find anywhere. Well, here it is:

The teasers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W09Rtrv0CjY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOFkScGFGww

The video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPtrwHs0ol0

I have trimmed the Maruti part from the complete video. Since this is the sole active thread on Maruti and the 800, I am posting it here.

Regards,
Shashi

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by samaspire

Will the Bosch work with water off the "bucket"? I thought it needed flowing tap water!!

Yes, it is self priming, which means it can pull water from a source.

Can you share links of the Foam Lance and Mr.Pink?

Foam lance:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/MJJC...701b4c4dE7MH6f

I bought it from Aliexpress only because of the quicker shipping. Received the package in flat 12 days.

Mr. Pink: I bought it from Amazon India, M/s Petes Automotive was the seller.

PS: can you share more pictures of the tool box - open and closed. And the dimensions.

Sorry for the poor quality pics, clicked them just now. Do let me know if you need day time pics as well.











Dimensions(in mm) when closed: 450(L)x200(W)x205(H)(excluding handle)

Regards,
Shashi