[gm_arun]

Once something is a passion, the motivation is there. - Michael Schumacher

Hi all,
This is my first ownership thread on Team-BHP. Kindly excuse any flaws and thanks in advance for reading. I am writing this when the car is around 26000 kms and just after the 4th service. I have tried my best to cover almost everything.

Ask me to drive anytime anywhere, without any hesitation I would love to drive. Such is my passion for driving in my life. My driving journey began with Ambassador. Driving an Ambassador is really a wonderful feel and it makes me feel proud of it. The manual steering, comfortable seating position, moving slowly in 2nd gear without pressing accelerator, without worrying about two wheeler and other vehicles. A dream ride isn’t it. I felt like an untouchable on road.

My Amby.


It had only one single constraint – PARKING at work place. Also I felt driving solo for work in a huge sedan is not worth. Our family’s first vehicle needs a well-deserved rest from this crawling traffic after 15 years non-stop running. Hence the hunt began for new vehicle in July 2014.

The Search Began!!!

July 2014

Since the new car will be driven mostly for work and occasional long drives with 2 to 3 people, we narrowed down to a city hatchback. We already had a Maruti 800, Tata Indigo and Ambassador in our garage. My checklist was not so big, also I didn’t want to invest a lot on gadgets or anything. Budget was 4 lakh only. The candidates were Alto, Eon, Celerio, and Spark. I never liked i10 for some reason.

Maruti – Alto & Celerio

Alto was similar to Maruti 800 in most of its features. There was nothing exciting in Alto after owning a Maruti 800. The sales manager of Maruti showroom visited us for a discussion. He was keen on pushing us for an Alto K10. In my opinion, other than its engine everything else was not appealing. Alto was not chosen. Thats when Celerio made its entry. It was launched few months back and there was always an urge to drive an automatic for me. The sales person informed me the waiting period for it was 3 months at that point in time. We rejected it considering its waiting period.

Chevy Spark

This was a nice small car. But just one thing made me reject it. My cousin had bought it when I was planning. Wanted to drive some other car that is not in the family. So I told good bye to Spark.

Hyundai Eon

Then I came across Hyundai Eon. Read each and every line from the “Hyundai Eon : Test Drive & Review” thread in Team-BHP. That helped me a lot with more useful information. It was beautifully designed from the outside as well as inside. Everyone at home liked the car after repeatedly showing images from the review thread.

Test Drive and Buying Experience

I decided to drop in to Express Hyundai located at sholinganallur and check out the car. My uncle, wife and myself were there. The showroom person greeted us with a big smile requesting us to take our seats before one of the sales representative could attend to us. Hospitality was good. Meanwhile we were glancing at the car, it was looking like a stylish sport. We liked both of its interiors and exteriors. The sales representative arrived and explained us the differences between variants, engine type and the discounts we could get. I decided to stick with 0.8L just because sportz variant comes only in that engine.

The next day, accompanied my family for a test drive. Express Hyundai Showroom team greeted us well. They had kept the vehicle ready for a test drive and we went testing it for about 2 kms. Since the test-drive vehicle was low on fuel, we were not allowed to take for a longer drive. I was checking for the gear vibrations, steering feedback, breaking ability and some of the the cons listed out in the "Test-drive & Review" thread during that short test drive. We were satisfied with almost everything. Hence made an advance payment for booking and given our choice of colour - pristine blue.

Loan and PDI

Loan was processed. Meanwhile sales representative informed us about the discounts and other details related to purchase. Elders wanted to install reverse horn and floor mat. I agreed for floor mat which can be installed during first service. Vehicle VIN number was given and did a small PDI. Then papers for registration were signed. Freebies given were mud flaps, floor mats, Car Perfume, Lord Vinayaga's Idol and a chocolate box.

Delivery

29th September 2014
The scheduled delivery date just arrived. I started early around 4.30 PM from work so that I could get my keys before 6 PM. Thanks to Chennai traffic I ended up at 7 PM at the showroom. The Sales representative suggested to get it delivered the next day morning if we preferred. My Parents did not opt for a change in date, as it was a good one and even I didn't want to get it postponed.

Finally keys were handed over to us after few formalities, sales representative explained its essentials. Sweets were distributed. Photo was clicked with the new car and we left the showroom. The petrol was at the minimum point and started blinking once I started. I decided to fill it at BP bunk near my area and we rushed to do a pooja at the temple near my house. After doing the customary pooja at the temple, we went to BP bunk for filling the tank with fuel. Once We reached home, went through the manual to cover the guidelines. Felt excited to drive the car the next day.

Blue-Bee waiting at showroom


Pooja at Temple.


Initial Driving Experience

The initial drive was so tensed due to low riding height and had to struggle with the 2nd gear initially. After the first day I removed the ribbon from the car. All my family members were really impressed during the drive especially the interiors and AC effect. I immediately came to know that this Pristine Blue color will be a dust magnet.

Blue-Bee after reaching its new house. Both photos below are from mobile hence the low quality.




Blue-Bee became my daily commuter to work. The AC worked brilliantly within 20 minutes so I had to turn it off. I kept the blower at its minimum level. Only struggle was the 2nd gear in traffic as I stalled the vehicle few times. The seats were comfortable as the steering had tilt adjustment so that I could set it to a comfortable height. I felt good to hold the steering along with its nice three spoke wheels. I knew that the vehicle would hit speed bumps when passed over them without care, so cautious over speed breakers.

The audio system is a basic setup with just 2 speakers in the front door, a USB and a AUX slot which supports my basic need of listening to songs and radio. The sound quality is good.

Breaking is good, but without ABS we have to make sure we do not slam the brake and lock up the wheels. Butter smooth gear shift. After driving Hyundai and going back to Maruti I felt very tough slotting the gear. I felt the suspension is on the softer side. With 4 people inside we need to be careful while driving. People at the rear seat will request you to slow down. The road undulation is very much felt in the rear seat.

The company provided horn was terrible, so decided to change it. Along with which got a new seat cover, steering cover at GP road, Chennai. It took almost 1.5 hrs to finish. New horn was installed with a relay without cutting any wires. The job well done. Total cost was around 4.5k including some perfume, duster etc. The person who worked on all this was very co operative.

Small list of Pros & Cons

Pros:
Easy to drive in city.
Powerful AC for a hatchback.
Stylish interior and exterior also looks cool.
Boot space is good.
Range of front seats.

Cons:
2nd Gear is bad.
Low Ground clearance and soft suspension
Steering too light in highway drive and also have to manual correct it slightly after a U turn.
Shoulders brush when two well-built person sit in the front.
Rear leg room.

After taking delivery I noticed a transparent plastic sheet stuck to the left door near the glass. Didn't know what it is for, but removed it. After removing i could see a patch of unpolished door pad which looked bad till the first service. Photo is attached below.

Mark left by Plastic sheet



First Service

October 2014:

Within a month first free service was due. I asked the showroom people to take the car from home and people at home coordinated the whole process. As mentioned earlier the floor mat was in check list. The showroom person came for pickup and formalities were done. The car was serviced and dropped back at home. When I went back I was shocked to see “Engine Lacquering”. Look at the engine bay, it was very clean with no dirt and I was satisfied. Then came to know what it is all about and decided to do only when the engine bay is really really dirty.

After the service I filled nitrogen for tyres in the nearby service center. All tyres were deflated fully using machine and nitrogen was filled. Didn't find much difference in the ride quality or fuel efficiency. One thing to point out was the frequency of checking tyre pressure reduced. The shop charged Rs.40 each time I fill nitrogen. But spending that much for a perfect tyre pressure didn't bother me.

First Service Expense.


A 2000 km running-in period was kept as my benchmark. Followed all things required like a rule for that period. Just after 2000 km I got an opportunity to take Blue-Bee on high way.

Long awaited High way drive

November 2014 :
A friend’s wedding at Meivazhi Salai near Pudukottai.Google Map Location.

My Wife and I were the occupants of the car. The car was really good in highway minus the steering feedback. Maintained speed around 3 digits for some time and it was really good. Brakes were adequate. I had to break hard when cruising at 70 kmph and it responded well. AC was super chill. Kept the blower at speed one and ac was turned on/off at regular intervals. The noise inside the cabin increases as you near 100 kmph. While returning the horn didn't work. I thought the fuse was gone. So tried to check fuse but found it hard. somehow found out the relay to horn was damaged by water from rain and replaced it. Fuel efficiency was 20.55 kmpl tank full to tank full method for a total of 650 kms approximately. Finally was extremely happy with the drive in highway.

February 2015:
Blue-Bee was driven for a minimum of 1000 kms each month within city itself. By then had minor issues with car. They are listed below

• Air ventilation Knob doesn't move to extreme right.
• Minor sound coming from Left front door.
• When driving in 3rd gear vehicle gives grinding sound at around 30 kmph.
• Air filter cover and intake starts shaking even after tightening it.

So decided to give it for 2nd service when the odo read 8090 km.

Second Service

February 2015:
Spoke to the service center person and they gave appointment and the points above were clearly mentioned. This time the AC disinfectant trick was played. We wanted to see the difference even after reading the warning in forum, but there was nothing to be felt. except for clean AC vent grill. I wanted to do engine lacquering as the bay was very dirty from the drives in random rain.

Only 50% of the issue was fixed. 1st point is still unresolved. For the 3rd point in list, service adviser explained something which I forgot now. 2nd and 4th fixed. Overall no major issues and it was smooth experience. They always want us to give above 8 rating. The service person keeps following us till we give the rating they want us to give.

Second Service Expense.


Normal Run

After the second service Blue-Bee was giving an average of around 16 kmpl in city drive full time on AC during the summer. During this time blue-Bee was given a two week rest in May as I was out of country enjoying a Holy Trip visit. After returning Wheel Balancing, Alignment and rotation was done at 10,000 kms. No tyre degradation or anything of that sort. All is well at that point of time. Got a neck rest and a mobile holder. Neck rest was good and is still in use. Mobile holder was good but didn't suit my mobile Samsung Note 2. The phone along with the case weighed 253 grams and it was too much for that holder.

Another long drive

June 2015:

I made another trip to Coimbatore for a friend wedding. Total number of occupants were 3 while going to wedding. Car was on full AC. Took Vandalor-Chengalpattu-Maduranthakam-Tindivanam-Villupuram-Ulundurpet-Kallakurichi-Chinnasalem-Salem-Bhavani-Avinashi-Coimbatore. Google Route Map Started at 6.30 am and reached Coimbatore around 4 PM in the evening. Was a casual drive with lots of pit stops. I had planned to have lunch at “Selvi Mess” at salem in the newly opened building next to highway. Google Map Location

Then had a stop at my friends grandfather's granite shop. The sun was at it full force but thanks to the absolute brilliant AC of Blue-Bee. Wedding was done and we started next day. Solo ride from Coimbatore, started around 10.45 am. Got some bananas and water bottles for lunch. It was nonstop drive from there. Except some pit stops for nature calls and stretching. Reached home at 5.30 PM. Average speed was around 80 to 90 kmph. Car was super smooth to drive. Loved every minute of that solo drive. Mileage was around 19.33 kmpl this time around.

Back to Routine with Minor Issues

Till august there was nothing much other than daily office trips and weekend mall/relative places. One fine day there was heavy rain in Chennai and I just turned on the wiper. It was not working as it used to be. The blades were good as I used to keep the blades extended while in open parking during office hours. The wiper was struggling to work in Lo and Mist mode. It worked in the Hi mode but with reduced speed.

In addition the boot door was not opening properly when the lever inside was lifted up. So went to show room to fix these two issues. The service person told that the wiper motor was not working as dust was present along with some dry leaves. The same was cleaned and he showed the demo of it. The boot door lever got lose and it was also fixed. Job nicely done. Renewed my insurance with the same Liberty Videocon company for a sum of ₹ 7,263.

One day while the vehicle was parked near Thiruvanmiyur temple, some one had their strength checked on the bonnet. A big big scratch right on top of the bonnet running from right to left. Wish that person who did that was served justice by the Almighty. Got really pissed off with that. Scratches on bumpers are acceptable in current scenario but this was some useless person who was so jobless. when enquired in showroom and also in the nearby shop they told its a deep scratch and whole thing has to be painted. I didn't do much for it. Kept the scratch as a souvenir.

Minor Issue Expense:


Another long drive

We went to Meivazhi Salai near Pudukottai. My Wife like Salai, so surprised her with a drive to that place during our anniversary. The drive was good nothing major to write about. No issues at all. The mileage was around 19 kmpl figure.


Third Service

After the check up during the month of August, the car was running smoothly. But there was a huge drop in fuel efficiency. Checked oil and it was super low. No oil spray or leak in the engine bay or in the parking spot. Not much smoke from exhaust pipes. So decided to call the roadside assistance so that they can come and check the vehicle as the engine oil was too low. Oil just brushed the dip stick. I didn't want to top up as they would say "We can’t inspect now as you have topped up the oil". But the assistance person told we take cars only when its stranded on roads and also service people in OMR showroom was not available as it was Sunday. So I topped up with a litre of oil and gave for an early 3rd service around 18,000 kms.

The issue was registered in the machine as “oil leak” due to their prefixed list in the system. But when my uncle saw that he asked them to make entry as “Engine oil missing” using the custom settings. He kept arguing whether did they see any leak or oil coming from engine? The explanation he told was that in future if something happens with the engine due to oil, the company may say it was leak as per record that customer didn't look into and hence it was customer fault. So finally a custom message was saved in the history book in the system.

After the service the adviser told me he will follow up the oil missing case with me in a weeks time, which he did. Everything was done except the Air ventilation knob issue. They don't have an answer to that. Anyway it was working as intended so decided to do it during next service. Other than that everything was good.

Repeated Issue

• Air ventilation Knob doesn't move to extreme right.
• Minor sound coming from Left front door again came.

Air ventilation Knob Issue.


Second Service Expense.



First Major update

I always felt the light throw was not sufficient while doing night travel. So decided to change. Got Philips rally 100/90 bulb along with Philips wiring kit. Our family mechanic whom we know for more than 15 year servicing our cars came with the electrician and fixed the same. Was happy with the effect of light throw. Thanks to Team-BHP “Auto Lighting thread” which was very helpful in choosing a good head light.

Light Change Expense.


Bulb and Wiring Parts.




First Get Away in EON

October 2015

Somewhere in NH45



We wanted to get away from the routine mechanical life. So wife and myself planned to take a trip to kodaikannal during the first week of October. We have relatives in Palani and Kodaikannal. So we planned accordingly. Start from Chennai reach Palani visit Lord Muruga Temple. Night stay at relatives place. First time Blue-Bee climbing hills. So was thrilled to know the performance. Start early morning reached kodaikannal, check-in to the resort and start sightseeing and after two days return to Chennai. This was an awesome trip to say. Visited Kuzhanthai Vellappar Kovil - Location.

We went to Mannavanur and took a ride in Coracle in the lake over there (Parisal in Tamil). The place was amazing with meadow, had a nice calm and chilly effect. Started drizzling as we decided to return. It was a different experience to drive in those twisty well laid mountain roads. In kodaikannal we had the chance to roam around in Bolero. 2500cc was pure fun and the way that person drove around was exciting. Difference between a city driver and a person who drives in hilly area can be seen clearly.

Finally Blue-Bee's passed with flying colors. We went around without any issues. Average fuel efficiency for the whole trip was around 18 kmpl with 60% AC on plains and 0% on hill. After the trip I wanted to leave it for service but didn't do as Chennai was expecting a heavy downpour in the upcoming months. So just washed wheels and cleaned interiors for Ayudha pooja and drove around happily for 2 to 3 weeks.

We stayed at Lilly's Valley Resort in kodikannal. It was a good budget resort. Nice cozy rooms with helpful resort people. Food was good. We need to order for dinner around 5 PM itself. Breakfast was buffet and its a complimentary one. Overall the stay and food in the resort was super and light on pocket.

Route taken : Google Map

Drive to Palani:

After crossing Trichy we missed to take a right turn towards NH45 and that was a blessing. After some 10 mins map was showing different route. So asked local people on how to connect NH45 from NH45B. Route was told, we took a U turn went into a village Poungudi. We wanted to explore. It was great to see people farming, green paddy fields, birds flying, farmer ploughing. Took around 2 hrs, spent time and had a break then connected NH45 again.

Well deserved rest in Kodai.

[gm_arun]

Rain Rain Go away!!!

So as most of you people know the rain started during the month of November in Chennai.

Round -1
9 November 2015

I went to office, it was pouring like anything. Water level was around 2 feet. Somehow managed to reach office and made sure I didn't stall the car anywhere in the middle. After reaching office, it was declared a holiday. Anyway I stayed back as it was pouring without any break. Decided to return home around 4 pm in the evening and successfully made it, after crossing a lot of pond in the middle of road. Blue-Bee behaved brilliantly in water. I was sure that I don't cross the limits and challenge Nature.

Drove cautiously keeping in mind the low ground clearance and the 2nd gear capability of Blue-Bee. The whole of that week we saw intermittent rain and the car was super dirty. Decided not to wash the car as few fellow bloggers from Kea-weather Chennai predicted even more rain. Good thing I was part of that group who kept everyone informed about the future.

9th Morning.


Chitlapakkam - My daily route to office.



Round – 2
13 November 2016

"Friday the 13th"
I had a wedding to attend near Sankarapuram near kallakurichi. The drive was about 250 kms from my place. My friend and I started the drive. There was a nonstop rain from 12th evening in Chennai. I haven’t seen sunshine for the last 24 hrs but still wanted to drive to the wedding which we did.

Wiper worked nonstop for about 4 hours and once we were near villupuram sky started clearing up. It was sunny and bright as we reached Sankarapuram. We followed Google maps. It showed two routes and I asked my friend for his choice. He chose the short-cut. The route was scenic; it was inside some beautiful village with farms on sides, sound of river water in the distant and road getting narrower. At last we ended at a place where the bridge was broken with no way to reverse. Had to come in reverse gear for about a km and asked a villager, he showed us a way where the bridge was still intact. Finally we attended the wedding and had superb mutton biryani to fullest.

We started back to Chennai, filled petrol, had a small tea break twice and once we touched villupuram it started drizzling. As we were nearing Chennai the drizzle became heavy. I called up home and asked the situation. Was shocked to hear that the rain had not stopped for even a minute and it was pouring from yesterday continuously. Anyway I made up my mind to reach home. Dropped my friend at his place and began my journey to my home.

The road which was visible in the morning has been flooded. Couldn’t identify which was road. But thank fully a mini bus went through and I could identify the road and followed the trail in water. No potholes or cuts on the road. Finally reached home around 6 pm and gave a pat on Blue-Bee for bringing me home without any hiccups. Rain lashed till next day and the following Monday office was declared holiday. Only bad thing was the Wiper problem came again when I was nearing home, which was fixed earlier. Also the wiping capability of the blades were so bad.

Scenes at Chennai.


Scenes at Ulunderpet. Had to turn on AC for a while.


Scenes at Chennai while returning.


Round – 3
December 2015

Still I didn't leave the car for water wash as the worst was yet to come based on predictions. December 1st 2015 a day that can’t be forgot so easily by any Chennailite. By now almost all the ponds, lakes, reservoirs, marsh land, rivers and few localities have all been filled up by water to the maximum. The weather bloggers just warned that the next rain will destroy the city, if the forecast turns true.

For me it become a normal routine to wade through water in most of the street. Went to work like any other day but was driving half the distance in water logged roads. Sat in my desk and logged on to weather blog, radars and news sites. Not encouraging. Finally mail came declaring leave and we can leave around 2 pm. By that time the 50% road which I drove early have also become small streams. Take diversion everywhere.

Blue-Bee was happy to wade through water but I was not. With no choice left I decided to go ahead. Picked up my wife on the way while she was in her office bus. All vehicles were using just one route to reach Rajakilpakkam. The roads were super bad. One half of the center median was flooded. Water can be seen flowing like a Suez canal on the opposite lane. Blue-Bee was wading through more than 2 feet of water. At one point smoke started coming from blue-Bee's bonnet. I thought that was it, but still didn't lose hope. In all this drama a lorry from opposite lane was sailing in the Suez canal and water just came till the front windshield. Thank God we made out of it somehow. Came home directly after making few more diversions. Parked the car without engaging hand brake, opened bonnet and kept it running for few minutes till water dried off. A 20 kms, a 50 minutes ride back home became 28 kms and took 3 hrs and 45 minutes.

Rajakilpakkam Lake Overflowing.




This is the road that leads to my home.


Suez Canal in Chennai road.


This was taken on November 15th.




"All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. Does this path have a road?" ― Modified version of Carlos Castaneda quote






For the lost souls during this flood - May your heart and soul find peace and comfort.

Lesson Learnt from the flood

• Driving through water is not as easy as we think.
• Never challenge Nature.
• If we are not 100% sure just do not take the risk. It's not worth it.
• Drive with caution during rainy season, help others if they are in danger. without putting yourself in danger.
• Never go next near traffic crawling in water logged roads for taking video or photos. Too risky.
• Be a Eco-friendly person.
• Before investing in a piece of land know the history of that place.

During November first week, I felt the tyre pressure was low. So refilled nitrogen but the next day itself the same thing happened. Went to tyre shop and checked. Result was a puncture on the side wall of tyre. Didn't know how that could have happened. Had to put a tube in that tyre and kept that as spare wheel and spare was used as main. Spent around Rs.500 for this.

Another stupid thing which I did was to park the car in handbrake after going out in water. Next day rear right wheel got jammed. Managed to remove the wheel and hit with a spanner, nothing happened. So got a mechanic fellow, he too did the same, but he hit it hard with a hammer. Problem solved. Have to give him Rs.200 for this hammering thing and fitting of tyre.

After all the rain, gave Blue-Bee for a water wash in December 3rd week after 3 months. Last water wash was in September during 3rd Service. Not to forget the Blue-Bee bathed nicely in rain for almost a month.

[gm_arun]

Some Interior and Exterior shots of Blue-Bee

The ABC pedals. Comfortable for me. The Floor mat is given a hook (not visible in photo) to keep it fixed. Nice thought.


The next few photos were taken after the First Service.

Front view.


In this view the car looks longer.


Scratches due to my misjudgment while taking U turn.


The Storage can hold 1L water bottle tightly and some papers and cloth for cleaning. Also see the two power windows switches. Placement is comfortable.


View of driver and co-passenger seat with new seat cover.


Interiors when viewed from rear seat.


Rear seats. The front seats are pushed all the way back.


Co-Passenger seat cover.


Rear seat.


Engine Bay.


Top Frontal Look.


Rear view with Smiley pillows and Team-BHP sticker.


GoodYear 155 / 70 R13 tyre


Ground Clearance


New Horn.


3-Spoke Steering Wheel

[gm_arun]

Few more pictures.

Driver's view of all the mirrors.(Day & Night IRVM missed badly)


The metal areas of wheel arch. Once I go over some wet stuffs on road or newly laid roads, the splashing sound of those particles from the tyres is so loud.


Good operational power window buttons on front doors. Driver side has both switches for front left and right.


Close up of Rear Light Assembly.
1. Reverse Light
2. Brake Light
3. Indicator Light
4. Parking red Light
5. LED light on spoiler


Storage areas for people inside the car
1. 12V Socket can be seen. This is useful for placing your mobiles and charging and putting coins and other small stuffs.
2. Bottle Holder can hold one litre Tupperware bottle comfortably.
3. The only storage area for rear passengers. Useful for putting empty chocolate wrappers/waste tissues and placing mobiles during long drives. (The parcel tray can be accessed from inside too)
4. Front door pad which can hold one litre water bottle and few news papers and stuffs.
5. The glove box is good. can hold a DSLR along with the items shown below.
6. This is the space for passenger side air bag which is not provided. This can hold a big tissue box perfectly.


Parcel tray from Boot area, luggage space and spare wheel with jack.
1. Parcel tray is not flat. Hence small items wont fall off when placed over it. This tray can be lifted easily to access the boot or if needed can be removed.
2. The boot is large. enough to carry 4 peoples luggage for a couple of days. The vehicle danger triangle is places inside a pouch perfectly and that has a velcro which will easily attach to the mat.
3. The Jack and wheel spanners are nicely placed along with the spare wheel. Note the brake wires running all around. Few more clips would have made it look great.


Doors can be opened by remote key or only from the driver side. The remote is a basic one. Lock/unlock. Nothing much. Got one remote key and a normal key for the car.


Dead Pedal can be easily placed. A size 10 foot can easily go between storage area and clutch pedal without any trouble.


Finally the rain stopped after 1st week of December. So now the roads were super bad. Day by day it kept deteriorating. Blue-Bee is back to its routine work and weekend roaming schedule.

January 2016

Wanted to break the routine so decided for a Pondichery trip with my colleagues. Total of 4 people. Started at 7 am filled just 15 litres of fuel. Didn't want to miss the cheaper fuel cost in pondichery. Had to take diversion before kalpakkam due to a damaged bridge. Stopped for breakfast at Ammavin Adupankarai. Pretty nice little hotel with one guy for taking orders so we ordered everything in one go. Didn't have much options though. So reached pondichery around 10.45AM, visited Manakula Vinayagar Temple. Then Sri Aurobindo Ashram, spent some time in pondichery beach in hot sun. Started looking out for lunch options with drinks but it was a dry day which the guys forgot totally. But somehow got the stuffs in black and they all enjoyed. Then ended up in Food Paradise. Not the best place but food was okay. Started at around 3.30 PM to Chennai and we had a super photo shoot for the guys inbetween. If anyone travelling by ECR do take some time to get down at this PLACE during sunset and take as many photos you want. Nice place for sunset and silhouette photography.

Reached home safely around 7 PM and Blue-Bee hit few potholes in OMR. Road was bad at few places.

Few noises started creeping in.

• Earlier noise from left side appeared again
• Noise from rear left door.
• Screeching sound when steering is turned fully towards right.
• Sound while idling the car. Seems like silencer got lose of something.
• Front bumper got lose.

Such was the overall condition of the road in and around Chennai.

February 2016

Routine work continued for Blue-Bee. Wanted to leave it for 4th Paid Service. So left the vehicle for service on 25th of February. Blue-Bee was personally taken to service center and all the points were explained in detail.

Estimate was given around 6000/- and in the evening got a call saying the brake pads are worn out. Told them to replace. Also mentioned all the parts replaced should be shown and then can be done whatever they wanted.

Fourth Service

Check List:

• Engine oil & filter change
• Air filter change
• Clutch pedal check-up and adjustment
• Break check-up
• AC filter replacement
• Front bumper is lose below number plate. Tighten both bumpers.
• Left front power window is slower compared to right side.
• Noise while idling (looks like silencer)
• Noise while switching on AC and turning the steering right after starting (keech keech!!! sound)
• Sound coming from left hand side and right back side while driving.
• Check for all lose screws and tighten them all.
• Interior & exterior cleaning.
• check all doors and door pads for noise.
• Fuel efficiency check - Clean petrol filter, Do engine tuning.
  
  Repeated Issues - Must Fix
  
• Wiper not working in lo mode and mist mode (must change the full Motor Assy - Windshield wiper under warranty) last time fixed and same issue raised again. No compromise.
• Air circulation knob not moving to right side fully - need a complete fix this time.
  
  Note
  
• No need of A/C Disinfectant and Engine Lacquering
• Do not Fill tyre with Air. its nitrogen filled.
• No balancing and alignment or rotating the wheels.
• Provide quotation for extended warranty.

The service was done perfectly. All the noises were gone. Test drive was like driving a new car minus interior cleanliness. I didn't notice this while taking delivery. They are just polishing the interiors without any cleaning of existing dust is what I feel. There were around 30 to 40 cars lined up for service on Saturday afternoon. Wonder how good they clean each one of them. Other than this all other aspects were addressed.

Things changed

• Front Brake Pads
• Full Muffler Assembly
• A small rod inside wiper motor was replaced (which was not mentioned in bill)

Total cost was about Rs.6036.


During feedback call I mentioned about the interior cleaning, they apologized and told they could give me a coupon for washing and cleaning which would be valid for 1 week. I declined it. Validity was again increased to a month. I decline again and told them just to do it properly in the first time. Don't know how much my feedback was worth. But the next day got a call from them saying if I am free please come and get your car washed and clean. They were literally pleading. I told I wont be available and you can consider this as a feedback instead of a complaint. Later they told that my comments has to be closed. So they told to accept a small gift(A Milton kind of Lunch box) and provide a letter to close that point. Well the feedback is taken seriously at least in Express Hyundai. Good work by them.

Have a look at the Labour charges at Express Hyundai - Sholinganallur

Sorry about the bad picture quality. As it was crowded took two photos and merged it using paint.


Extended Warranty Charges for Hyundai Cars.


Changed Muffler Assembly.




Dirty Interiors - Glove Box and Near the window




A collage on the ODO meter of Blue-Bee


Average Fuel per month.


Graph of Fuel price and monthly consumption.


Got this Key chain from E-Bay.


Scratch on the bonnet.



Driving Experience After 26,000 kms and 4th Paid Service

After 26,000 kms the car is smooth like a new one except for some add sound at 2 places when driven over bad roads.Few observations over the last 1.5 years is listed below.

Gear Shift and Quality:
Mostly driven in moderate city traffic with intermediate AC. Moving the vehicle from stand still in 1st gear has become a habit. I don't want to talk about 2nd gear. Its so pathetic when AC is on. Below 10 kmph after going over a speed breaker in 2nd gear the engine take few seconds to realize the input from accelerator. Have to press the clutch and release it to keep it moving. 3rd gear is absolute beauty which is ideal for moderate city traffic drive. 4th gear is long and it pulls the vehicle nicely. 5th is just for peaceful, calm and relaxed drive on highway. The clutch is super soft and gear shift is butter smooth. Can shift gear in 2 fingers, such is the shift quality.

Gears and Respective Speed in KMPH
1 --> 0 to 15
2 --> 15 to 25
3 --> 25 to 40
4 --> 40 to 70
5 --> 70 & above

While Downshifting an approximate speed which each gear can handle.
5th gear can be driven down till ≈ 50 kmph
4th gear can be driven down till ≈ 35 kmph
3rd gear can be driven down till ≈ 25 kmph
2nd & 1st gear can be driven below 25 kmph

Did a test on an open empty road. The car just flies when (driver is) in drag racing mode. Could touch 80 kmph in around 11 seconds (Manual counting) or so. Took 1st gear till 35 kmph, 2nd till 70. (Never tried it again). I felt this is good enough for a engine of this size and capacity. Managed to do the hills mostly in 3rd and 2nd gear occasionally engaging 1st.

Engine:
Engine is so silent all the time except when it maxes out in each gear. Engine sound can be heard only when accelerated hardly or when the AC is turned on when the car is standing. A mild sound from AC compressor can be heard when idling or driving the car. But not a deal breaker for such a small car with its super AC. Compact engine that could cruise around 80-100 Kmph on highways without any fuss. Around 100 Kmph the engine noise tends to increase a bit. AC tends to decrease the engine power a lot in 2nd gear alone. The car literally dies when you shift to 2nd gear with AC turned on.

Steering:
Steering is feather light. Very good in city traffic and it’s good to hold. But don't except a lot of feedback from the steering. It has got tilt option so comfortable for driving long distances and for all heights. On highways its not great but okay. Have to keep your hands firmly on the steering.

Visibility:
The front visibility is good except for the A pillar. When turning you got to be careful. From the image above you can see how much visibility is there. The OVRM's have good range and they are made for Indian roads, flips in reverse direction also. The rear view mirror placed inside is little small to my liking and the glare during night time is so bad. Parking and reversing can be easily done with the provided mirrors.

Suspension:
Not to my liking. Driving over a small pothole or undulation in highway, the bumpiness is transferred effortlessly inside the cabin especially to the rear seat. Personally I haven’t been on rear seat, but my better half and other person have told me about it. When 4 people are inside the car I just keep the car under 80 Kmph and brake at even a slightest bump in road. Front seats are more comfortable than the rear ones. 170 mm of ground clearance is not enough for such a soft suspension setup. Changing lane in a quick manner above 60 kmph is not advisable.

Tyre:
Company fitted Good year tyre 155 / 70 R13. Like other aspects the tyre is suited for only city drive. On highway the noise increases alot. I keep 34 psi for highway trips and 33 psi for city drive. This 1 psi makes a lot of difference in car handling. Bumpiness on bad roads are minimal at 33 psi. Had one single cut on the Tyre's side wall which couldn’t be repaired so put a tube and kept it as spare one. No major puncture except one so far. Tyre's are doing good. No degradation seen. So far so good I would say.

Brake:
Absolutely good for a car of this size. Missing ABS badly. Front disc and rear drum makes the car stop in a good distance. I felt the handbrake is not effective as the ones in Maruti 800. or is something wrong with it? Please let me know.

Driving with passengers:
Comfortable for 4 people including the driver. AC no issue at all. Space is okay. Getting in & out of rear seat alone is bit tough. Leg room is okay if the front seats are adjusted. Luggage's for 4 people for a 2-day trip can be easily accommodated. Should be careful while driving over bumpy roads and speed bumps. 5 people inside Blue-Bee is a bit of fight. Especially the one who sits in the middle of the rear seat will be upset. Small hump in the middle of car and less leg room makes it so bad. But the car pulls nicely with 4 people when proper gears and shifts are used. The rear window glass rolls down only 90%. With 3 or less passengers the car is great. Maximum of 300 kms with 5 people on board was the longest highway trip which was taken in Blue-Bee.

On Various road conditions:
Blue-Bee handles well in normal road condition. On gravel/sandy roads, missing ABS feels like missing something bigger. I never drive above 30 Kmph over gravel roads nowadays. Had a nightmare once when driving at 50 kmph in scrapped tar road. Had to apply brakes along with handbrake in a proper manner to bring the car under control. On Wet roads the tyre grip is good. Never did more than 40 kmph inside city under wet conditions. Brakes were good even after driving under 2 feet of water for more than 20 mins.

Hilly Roads:
Blue-Bee was good on hills. With adequate power for 2 people and their luggage's it went smooth. Climbed most of the places in 3rd and 2nd except for hair-pin bends which was done in 1st gear. Its all 2nd gear downhill. 3rd gear goes upto 100 kmph(as far my knowledge) hence avoided it during downhill. Most of the hill drive is without AC as I wanted to feel the wind and the smell of nature.

Things I wish that were present/different:

• ABS
• Drive-ability in 2nd gear
• Passenger Airbag
• Day & Night IRVM
• Tachometer
• Separate Head-rest for front seats. Being 180 cm height the headrest is a pain.
• Downshift indicator - When up-shift indicator is present why not a downshift??
• Lid for closing USB-Aux holes.
• Rear wiper at least for Sportz and Magna (1L) version.

Conclusion
To me this is the best car for city drive, occasional highway drives and weekend trips to malls. Happily driving the Blue-Bee without any worries. Started using Shell Normal Petrol for the last few months, found a subtle change in engine performance and completed 28,000 kms recently. Right now I know the pros and cons of the car and that helps in driving it accordingly. A nice smart city car which can surprise you on highway.Thank you all for reading this ownership thread and I will continue to update/reply everyone to the best of my knowledge.

[Rudra Sen]

Mod note: Thread moved from Assembly Line to Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports. Thanks for sharing.

[Rajeevraj]

Hi gm_arun. That is an excellent ownership report of the Eon. Don't see too many reports of the entry segment cars. Thanks for sharing.

Liked the way you have documented the ownership history by including details of the long trips, service details and cost of maintenance numbers. Glad that the Blue-Bee made it through the Chennai Rains unscathed.

Wish you all the best and many more happy miles of ownership.

[vsrivatsa]

Awesome write up. Congrats on your ride.
What is the mileage you are observing while driving within city limits?

[gm_arun]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Hi gm_arun. That is an excellent ownership report of the Eon. Don't see too many reports of the entry segment cars. Thanks for sharing.

Liked the way you have documented the ownership history by including details of the long trips, service details and cost of maintenance numbers. Glad that the Blue-Bee made it through the Chennai Rains unscathed.

Wish you all the best and many more happy miles of ownership.

Hi Rajeevraj, Thank you. Yes I could see only few ownership threads of EON. Inspired by many people in this forum, so trying to keep a log of all things. Will keep updating all the miles munched in this thread.

Originally Posted by vsrivatsa

Awesome write up. Congrats on your ride.
What is the mileage you are observing while driving within city limits?

Hi vsrivatsa. The average is around 16 kmpl on full AC. Soft on A pedal results more than 16 and if you are in sports mode [Not the vehicle, its manual] it can give as low as 14 kmpl.

[Sebring]

My parents' vehicle returns an absurdly low 9-11 KMPL - give two kmpl extra on highway. Got it checked during service but the re-tune takes away the fun driving aspect, which prompted us to go back to original setting. Petrol Hyundais are not known for mileage.

The most disappointing area has been the low ground clearance as clearing speed breakers is a chore - this is D-lite version with 12 inchers. Plan a 13 inch upgrade.

But overall the car is a delight, and we are really content as it ticks all the boxes. Always felt one segment higher in the interiors department and AC chills well. Moreover service is great in North Bengaluru.



The average is around 16 kmpl on full AC. Soft on A pedal results more than 16 and if you are in sports mode [Not the vehicle, its manual] it can give as low as 14 kmpl. [/quote]

[gm_arun]

Originally Posted by Sebring

My parents' vehicle returns an absurdly low 9-11 KMPL - give two kmpl extra on highway. Got it checked during service but the re-tune takes away the fun driving aspect, which prompted us to go back to original setting. Petrol Hyundais are not known for mileage.

The most disappointing area has been the low ground clearance as clearing speed breakers is a chore - this is D-lite version with 12 inchers. Plan a 13 inch upgrade.

But overall the car is a delight, and we are really content as it ticks all the boxes. Always felt one segment higher in the interiors department and AC chills well. Moreover service is great in North Bengaluru.

My lowest mileage was 13.7 Kmpl. That was due to some low engine oil which evaporated mysteriously leaving no signs. I am quite satisfied with the mileage I am currently getting. I agree with you on the ground clearance. Since mine is sportz its already with 13 inch so have been facing minimal issues with that. Interiors are far better than alto or other competitors in that segment for sure.

[BODHI25]

Wonderful ownership report of your Eon gm_arun and congratulations for completing 28,000 kilometres.

The mileage which you are getting within the city is really good, I used to get 12-13 kmpl in bumper to bumper traffic but now the car has been sold. It's a lovely car and I still love it.

[gm_arun]

Originally Posted by BODHI25

Wonderful ownership report of your Eon gm_arun and congratulations for completing 28,000 kilometres.

The mileage which you are getting within the city is really good, I used to get 12-13 kmpl in bumper to bumper traffic but now the car has been sold. It's a lovely car and I still love it.

Thank you BODHI25.

Good to know that I am getting a higher mileage.

[vsrivatsa]

Originally Posted by Sebring

My parents' vehicle returns an absurdly low 9-11 KMPL - give two kmpl extra on highway. Got it checked during service but the re-tune takes away the fun driving aspect, which prompted us to go back to original setting. Petrol Hyundais are not known for mileage.

The most disappointing area has been the low ground clearance as clearing speed breakers is a chore - this is D-lite version with 12 inchers. Plan a 13 inch upgrade.

But overall the car is a delight, and we are really content as it ticks all the boxes. Always felt one segment higher in the interiors department and AC chills well. Moreover service is great in North Bengaluru.



The average is around 16 kmpl on full AC. Soft on A pedal results more than 16 and if you are in sports mode [Not the vehicle, its manual] it can give as low as 14 kmpl.

We bought a pre-owned Eon Magna+ (2012 Model) for my wife and its been giving 12-13 kmpl in city driving. Need to see if the Hyundai SA can do something to increase it.

[gm_arun]

Hi just an update on proceedings.

Completed 29000 kms. 28k to 29k was fully driven inside city in a hot humid condition other than 2 rainy days in Chennai. Hence AC was on full blast working overtime but it does it job brilliantly. I did try out a small R & D with driving style and tyre pressure this time.

• Tyre pressure @ 33psi & Driving style - Normal - The vehicle returned a below average of 14.79 kmpl. Had alot of wheel spin when starting the signal from the front, which didn't happen at when I set 34psi. This could be one reason for drop in mileage.
  
  
• Tyre pressure @ 34psi & Driving style - Normal - The vehicle returned a normal average of 16.56 kmpl. No major difference or finding. No major wheel spins.
  
  
• Tyre pressure @ 33psi & Driving style - Sedate - The vehicle returned an above average of 17.35 kmpl. Anticipating signals from a distant and light on accelerator pedal and importantly being 'calm as a monk' behind steering I was able to get this mileage.

Fluid levels are all normal. No wear and tear of anything anywhere in the vehicle. Just the irritating noise from the left side which was mentioned earlier has come up again. Currently not in mood to add any accessories to the vehicle other than the basic fluids as and when required.

Average Fuel Consumption - Updated


28,000 and 29,000 kms



Celebrating 16 years of Ambassador Mania

Hope .N.G.T. doesn't look here and the above photo was taken few years back.

Originally Posted by vsrivatsa

We bought a pre-owned Eon Magna+ (2012 Model) for my wife and its been giving 12-13 kmpl in city driving. Need to see if the Hyundai SA can do something to increase it.

vsrivatsa. You can ask your Hyundai service adviser to do cleaning. He will clean fuel injector, air filter and also will adjust idling speed. After that you can check for the mileage.

[gm_arun]

Update - ODO: 31900 kms

June 2016
Got a Super Mini Elm 327 bluetooth On-board diagnostics (OBD) for Rs.394/- in Amazon. Connected to the car and the result was good. Used Torque app in android which came with the adapter in a small CD. Configured the app and it was too easy. No major problems. Installed few plugins like ShiftNow, Fuel Economy. The screenshot for all the above are attached below. Its quite useful.

OBD Port is located below the steering and under the dash. Just bending down we can find the position of port in EON.


Torque App home screen with the extra plugins


ShiftNow plugin indicated the RPM and produces a mild chime asking user to shift up. Its basically same as the builtin shift indicator but it shows the RPM figure and a chime.


The Fuel Economy Plugin is nice to use. Provides instant fuel efficiency and other details such as fuel wasted, consumed and CO2 produced etc.


This screen explains the various figures and what it corresponds to along with a graph.


This graph provides the RPM figure for the whole drive. This is embedded with map. I have removed the map and have shown just the data alone.


Same as above but shows the GPS speed of the car for that trip.


The below screenshot shows the mini widgets inside Torque app which can be set up. There are various sizes and display methods that can be customized based on user preferences.


The maximum throttle response was recorded around 86% only. Wondering why its not set to 90% or above. Tested this when the engine was off by pressing just the A pedal to its fullest. The minimum figure was around 6.5%.

July 2016

Tried to clean the car's AC filter. It was a simple procedure. Will show in images along with description. Found a bit of dust and a dead fly in the filter. Cleaned, washed and dried the filter then put it back. Hardly 10 mins job if you just dusting the filter.

1. Clear things from your glove compartment


2. You can see two knobs on both side of Glove compartment.


3. Pull the plastic towards inside of the compartment and it should come out. Do the same to the other side to remove the glove compartment and access the filter.


4. The filter area is clearly visible and you can see a knob to pull it out. But before that remove the lock.


5. There are two locks. Press them on both sides to loosen the filter.


6. Pull the filter out using the knob.


7. Clean and wash if required and put it back together.



Small Hiccup
Gave the Blue-Bee for a water wash and interior wash. The washing and cleaning was satisfactory. But after taking the car home I went to fetch the pen drive as I was supposed to travel that evening to a get together. Surprisingly before unlocking the key I found the ODO and other lights in dash glowing. This happens only when the key is inserted. I was shocked to see this. Opened the bonnet and checked battery terminals it was good. Was getting a constant "Tok-Tok" "Tok-Tok-Tok" sound and found out the relay which was installed for headlight has got wet somehow and it made everything go crazy. Removed one of the battery terminal to be on safer side and kept the car open under sun. Then took to the same service center and they blew compressed air and got it fixed. It was crazy to see the lights on in dash board when the car in unlocked. Thanks to "Chennai - TeamBhp" whatsapp group. They suggested some ideas on what could have gone wrong.

Fuel Efficiency
Method - Tank full to Tank Full
Tyre Pressure - Nitrogen @ 34 psi
Average Mileage - 16.97 Kmpl or ≈ 17 Kmpl
AC - 95% Switched on.
Daily office commute in moderate traffic and weekend drive to in-law's place near Tiruvanmiyur.

Pending Activities
Insurance renewal and Extended warranty are about to expire next month. Planning to go for Bumper to Bumper insurance and one year of extended warranty. Quotes are analysed as of now. Last service was done around 25642 kms. So planning for fifth service around 36000 kms.

Driving Experience after 31,000 kms
The car is absolute pleasure to drive in city. Super compact and easy to manoeuvre in traffic. The only problem is the low end torque which can be avoided if gears are shifted properly. Happen to travel with more than 5 people for few kms. The car behaved really good. Initially I was scared that it will scrap the under body while crossing speed bumpers but it went smoothly. Must thanks the corporation for those perfectly laid speed breakers. In highway its good but not the best. Speed has to be maintained as discussed earlier. I am keeping the speed ±10 kmph to 3 digits helps alot in fuel efficiency and control of the car.