[Dr.Naren]

New Shoes: Kenda KR10 205/60 R16



Details here:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-...ml#post4676970 (Kenda Komet tyres - Discussion Thread)

[RshE19]

Originally Posted by scorpian

Steering Rack Rebuild

Steering rack assembly of sx4 costs a whopping 38000.00 plus labour, near to almost 40k.
I was in no mood to shell that much moolah and explored other options as the noise on rough roads and minor bumps was irritating me.
MASS did try to convince me replace and not go for repairs, as per them if the sensors are disturbed then there is a possibility of steering pulling on either side on high speed. To be frank this did scare me, i pursued repair options and spoke to a couple of people in mumbai/pune etc. All of them mentioned that they do not touch the sensors or the motor assembly and repair all high end cars like BMW etc.
Luckily i found a guy in goa itself who has done such repairs, so i took the car to FNG, removed the steering rack assembly and gave this guy in the morning at 10.00 am and had it back in my hands by 15.00hrs. Post fitting we found steering absolutely perfect with no sound.

Cost of Bush at lathe =800/-
Labour at FNG = 1600/-
Total Cost incurred = 2400/-

Went back to MASS and had a drive with the same service adviser,he asked me if i replaced the assembly as it feels perfect.
Drove at various speed including some triple digits found steering behaving normal, no pulls etc.

Hey Scorpion, I take care of my dad's sx4 zxi 2010 and it too had the same problem of the noise when driving on uneven surfaces.
I got the steering rack replaced by MASS yesterday. The total cost including labor was just a little shy of 30k as the cost of the part has been reduced a bit. I live in gurgaon currently and found one mass just outside gurgaon whose cost was the lowest among all the mass throughout gurgaon. Almost everyone was quoting me 40k for the part itself.
As per the service advisor, a rod present inside the main rod loses its dampeners and hits the main rod on uneven surfaces which causes the noise.
Anyways, I think they haven't done the alignment well cause the steering slightly pulls on the left side if left untouched.
My suggestion for such repairs, if you want to go with mass only, is to check a few other centers as the price fluctuates drastically.

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

Thanks







1. Find a good installer (very important)

2. Retrofit good quality HID projector / Led Projector, say from Morimoto

This will improve the looks and also give very good light output.



Remap, Cold air intake and Free flow exhaust

Hello Dr.Naren, I too am looking for replacing the stock headlights of my dad's sx4 zxi 2010 as I am very dissatisfied with the high beam of the stock headlights. But being a complete newbie, could you guide me about whether to go with projectors or HIDs or LEDs. And what would be a reasonable price for getting these so that I am not ripped off, because it's very easy to get ripped off in gurgaon if you don't know much.

P.S. I saw your photos of marvanthe beach and manipal. I finished my bachelor's from MIT last year and it felt nostalgic looking at those pics.

[scorpian]

Originally Posted by RshE19

My suggestion for such repairs, if you want to go with mass only, is to check a few other centers as the price fluctuates drastically.

I avoid MASS primarily because of high bills and I have had some or the other new problem coming up post service with them.
I now service at a FNG and just do the basic stuff every 7k kms. I procure all consumable and pay them purely for labour which works out economical for both. I would go to MASS only if I need some critical repairs or else avoid them. In the money that I save I usually end up buying better quality oil and can do a full service at quarter of price.
If I had a choice and space I would do it myself at home as I have all the tools but no work space .

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by RshE19

But being a complete newbie, could you guide me about whether to go with projectors or HIDs or LEDs. And what would be a reasonable price for getting these so that I am not ripped off, because it's very easy to get ripped off in gurgaon if you don't know much.

Do not use HID or LED bulbs with stock halogen reflectors which will just blind everyone.

Try 100/90 halogen bulbs with relay, would cost around 1.5k. If you are not happy..go for LED or HID projector setup, approx cost 20-25k.

One more option is Fog projector with both high and low beam. Get this from Blaze India, Delhi who has the best price and customer support. It will cost you around 7k and totally worth it.

P.S. I saw your photos of marvanthe beach and manipal. I finished my bachelor's from MIT last year and it felt nostalgic looking at those pics.

[Dr.Naren]

The gear lever became suddenly loose and I could shift only to 3rd and 4th. I somehow managed to drive the car till Mahindra First Choice service center. The culprit was gear lever bush worth 45 bucks.

I also got new front strut mounts & bearings and stabilizer link rods installed, had bought these parts from Boodmo.

1. Front strut mounts : 680
2. Front strut bearings: 330
3. Stabilizer link rods: 950
4. Gear lever bush: 45
5. Labour: 1200
Total: Rs. 3205

MFC also pointed few parts which are in bad condition:

1. Left lower arm
2. Rear wheel bearings
3. Engine RR mount

All these parts are imported and cost a lot for SX4. I am planning to check cheaper after market options.

[RshE19]

Temperature gauze going berserk.
I took the car out for a drive last night and everything was working normal. The acceleration was great and responsive. However, on my way back I was horrified to see the temperature gauze climbing above the operational temperature like the seconds hand on a clock. On removing any input on the throttle, it started to climb down at the same rate. Apart from this duration of rapid fluctuation, it didn't move much after coming down. On checking the coolant level in the overflow tank, there was some liquid visible but since it was late I can't be sure of the level.
I had gotten the coolant replaced a few months back. Replaced because there was no coolant or any liquid in the radiator. The car had been standing for about a year until I came back from college. I suspect there could a coolant leak which caused the loss of coolant earlier and the same could be causing a leak now.
I plan to visit MASS this weekend and get it thoroughly checked. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas I would be much grateful.

[scorpian]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

1. Left lower arm
2. Rear wheel bearings
3. Engine RR mount
All these parts are imported and cost a lot for SX4. I am planning to check cheaper after market options.

Sir, for lower arms go for the swift lower arm its well within budget and good quality too, for rear bearings go for scross bearings like I did on mine cost some 3214. Engine mount I would always go for MGP.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by scorpian

Sir, for lower arms go for the swift lower arm its well within budget and good quality too

I have already ordered the same from Boodmo , should get it in 2-3 days

rear bearings go for scross bearings like I did on mine cost some 3214. Engine mount I would always go for MGP.

Thanks

[Dr.Naren]

Lower arm of first gen Swift (left side)



Got it from Boodmo. MRP: Rs.1530

It was direct fit. Installation was done at Mahindra First Choice. Paid around Rs. 600.



Drove to a tyre shop in Manipal who has Hunter alignment machine. Happy to report that alignment values are good even with lower arm of Swift. I saved almost 5k too .





Current ODO



8.5 years and still looks hawt!


What Next?

1. Order rear wheel bearings of S-Cross and Engine rear mount from Boodmo during their next sale, they give good 10 percent off

2. Decat Downpipe

3. Turbo upgrade ( Not sure if it will work, but I will try using OE turbo of S-Cross 1.6 )

4. Full car repaint ( how about matte black ? )

[scorpian]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

2. Decat Downpipe

Just a humble request, i too need to make the decat down pipe but its not feasible for me to drive from goa all the way to banglore for the same.In case and as and when you do make this for your car please do let me know so that i can also ask venkat to make a copy for me.I hope you wouldn't mind the same.

Regards,
Manoj

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by scorpian

Just a humble request, i too need to make the decat down pipe but its not feasible for me to drive from goa all the way to banglore for the same.In case and as and when you do make this for your car please do let me know so that i can also ask venkat to make a copy for me.I hope you wouldn't mind the same.

Sure buddy

I am planning to do after few months though.

[Dr.Naren]

Check Engine Light:



There was CEL all of a sudden, but there was no power loss. My OBD reader couldn't pick up the error code. I drove directly to Maruti and a faulty glow plug was diagnosed in cylinder 1. They were not able to remove the glow plug, it's a common issue in high run 1.3 MJD's. I left it as it is, will change the glow plug if the engine head is opened for any work in future.

Good news from Wolf Moto:

They are doing beta testing of Stage 3 1.3 MJD. It's been done on 75 HP version as of now. Rajiv has told me that it should be possible for even 90 hp version. I will definitely go for it, 140 HP from 1.3 MJD sounds very tempting

[scorpian]

140 does sound very tempting.
I would be more then happy to contribute to the beta testing mode in-case if they want to try the same on my sx4, as it is i do over 100 kms running every day and could definitely provide good inputs.

[scorpian]

A big shout out to Rahul and Rajiv from Team wolf.These guys just surprise me with the exemplary service and patience which is so rare in today's world.

I had some noise at certain rpm's which was being linked to injectors so we flashed a new map and then even back to stock to rule out the noise, thankfully it was present even in stock map.

Again thanks to both rahul and rajiv for providing all out support.

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

What Next?

Cobra Lowering Springs

Full car repaint ( how about matte black ? )

It's a personal choice what you decide. But IMO Matte does not look too good and it's become common specially with wraps.
My suggestion is to go with a glossy metallic shade from the Maruti standard shades itself but something that was never offered on the SX4.

I went with the Emerald Green of the Omni when repainting by Fiero.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/vinta...t-colours.html (Original (Vintage) Car Paint Colours)

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...mni-1980s.html (Colours of the 800 & Omni in the 1980s?)
There are pics of my Fiero here.