[Dr.Naren]

I drive only 2 kms per day now. I have noticed a metal rubbing kind of noise from engine while idling. Any idea what it is ? There is no issue with performance.

Somewhere near Manipal

[Dr.Naren]

Key Remote Assembly

The remote stopped working and I suspected a dead battery as usual. I had gone to Maruti service to renew insurance of S-Cross and remembered about my SX4 Key remote. SA opened up the remote and said the chip is broken.

They had the part in stock and it costs just Rs. 585. Battery is also included. The remote has to be matched with the car after new chip, hardly 1 minute job.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

Somewhere near Manipal

The noise could be just about anything, really.. catcon internals may have metal bits and bobs peeled loose, may be audible at idle, loose heat shield, belt tensioner loosening etc. A once over by a mechanic top down might point to the weak area, or even you can do it, keep at idle and poke around. Since you're on top of everything in terms of maintenance, I'd doubt its anything to do with the engine itself.

Btw is that a custom headlight assembly? Looks fantastic on the SX4, looks exactly like my stock Elantra lights.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

The noise could be just about anything, really.. catcon internals may have metal bits and bobs peeled loose, may be audible at idle, loose heat shield, belt tensioner loosening etc.

I really wish that's the reason , planning to get decat downpipe anyway .

Btw is that a custom headlight assembly? Looks fantastic on the SX4, looks exactly like my stock Elantra lights.

Yes, the OE headlights are painted black and after market HID projectors are installed.

[rakirank]

My SX4 ZDI has completed 95K km. During the recent service I asked them to check the suspension noise. As expected they came back with lower bush having cracked/worn out on both sides.

Cost of replacement is 7K a piece

Dr Naren, how is the swift lower arm working for you? Do you recommend that I replace the SX4 lower arms with that of the swift?

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by rakirank

Dr Naren, how is the swift lower arm working for you? Do you recommend that I replace the SX4 lower arms with that of the swift?

I have run more than 5000 Kms with lower arm of Swift. No issues faced. I have not noticed any difference while driving too.

[Dr.Naren]

The car has done 1.28 lakh Kms now. It's been 7k+ Kms with Kenda tires and I am very happy. Wet grip is decent too, really VFM tyres I got till date. Planned to get the service done soon, need to change all fluids and filters.

Clicked this pic today



Thanks to ongoing pandemic, I am using only SX4 since March as I couldn't go home and swap the cars. S-Cross is safe and secure in Kerala

[rakirank]

I enjoy driving my SX4 diesel, it's fine in the city and great on the highway.

Quite sure footed around curves (unless you really push it around corners).

The only hitch is when it has to climb inclines. This is when things are not as smooth.

Be it climbing out of a steep basement or trying to negotiate a steep climb, the car struggles and requires me to slip the clutch. Please note, that while I have driven many km, most of my driving is on flat roads, so this could well be something that I need to adapt too.

When I traveled to Kotagiri with my family, the upward climb to exit the stay in a fully loaded car was simply impossible. I had to get my family off and then was able to climb the incline. Now in comparison (though it may be apples to oranges), a few weeks before that I had been to the same place with my friends in a XUV. Now the XUV had no problem exiting the place with 5 grown-ups who are all well built. In-fact the car was stopped midway up the incline and was able to continue without any wheel spin or dramas. Please note that this was a 2WD.

So, is the SX4 diesel a little off when climbing steep inclines? Is there something that can be done to make this less stressful for the car and the driver?

PS: Completely overhauled the clutch, pressure plate, etc @ 65K km. Currently car is at 95K KM. This was done at a MASS.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by rakirank

So, is the SX4 diesel a little off when climbing steep inclines? Is there something that can be done to make this less stressful for the car and the driver?

Better low end and reduced turbo lag can help here. There is significant gain in low end after Wolf remap in my SX4.

But, I have not faced such issues even with stock map..Yes it's little off if you encounter stop go traffic on steep inclines, but I could manage. After the remap, it's much more easier..so do give it a try

[Sudhamshu]

Hello Dr Naren, very well written experiences with your sx4. Mine too is a diesel 2011 model, has clocked 1.2 lakh kms. Haven't encountered any major issues except for routine wear and tear replacements. Clutch and timing chain were replaced at 1 lakh, all 4 suspension setup, rear engine mount, rear wheel bearing done recently. Has been running well. Have noticed recently that gear shift is not very precise slotting and feels as if it's rubbing against something while shifting, planning to get liqui moly gear oil additive n try. A full repaint is due. Also I have put a fanless led headlight bulb from AliExpress 3 Years back from HLXG. brightness is very good, neat cut off line and it's 4300k so feels like regular halogen bulbs to look at.

[arvindtayal]

Hi Dr Naren. In 2016 Mar you did your first remap costing 27k. Later you did multiple remaps. They all costed around same eveytime?
I have 2009 SX4 VXI petrol running on CNG from day one. Done 1L50K km. Can remap be done on petrol/CNG also?
In mountains I can’t use AC while going up. Will remap help me with that situation?

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by arvindtayal

Hi Dr Naren. In 2016 Mar you did your first remap costing 27k. Later you did multiple remaps. They all costed around same eveytime?

I had tried remap from Petes, TOT, and Wolf Moto. The pricing was different. Currently the car is on Wolf map and I am satisfied .

I have 2009 SX4 VXI petrol running on CNG from day one. Done 1L50K km. Can remap be done on petrol/CNG also?
In mountains I can’t use AC while going up. Will remap help me with that situation?

Remap should be possible. You can expect better drivability and throttle response. The gains won't be as much as remapped turbo charged engines.

[Dr.Naren]

10+ years / 1.3 lakh km done!!

The car wasn't used much in last one year. I got the service done recently at Wagen Tunen, Mangalore.

What was done ?



1. Mobil 1 FS-X2 5W40 engine oil
2. Zip oil filter
3. Zip fuel filter
4. Engine RR mount (Technix)
5. EBC Ultimax2 brake pads
6. Caliper sliding pins
7. Rear drum brakes cleaning
8. Cabin air filter
9. Car wash

WIP



Engine Oil





EBC Brake Pads Installed



Engine RR Mount (Old)



This was badly worn / damaged. MGP cost is around 5.5k. I got it aftermarket (Technix make) for 1k. Part was ordered from Boodmo.

Wagen Tunen also installed cabin air filter. SX4 doesn't get it from factory, but there is a provision to install it.

Service done



Wagen Tunen did a good job and I am satisfied as always

Engine air filter:







I got it from Boodmo, Purolator brand and changed it myself.

New gear lever boot

It was worn. I got it from Boodmo and replaced it on my own. The gear knob has to be pulled out , remove the old boot , install the new boot and put the gear knob back.









Yes that's gear knob from Ciaz, had put this couple of years back.

The aftermarket projector headlights stopped working all of a sudden. I thought it was relay or ballasts and opened the bumper.



I had spare relay and ballasts. Both didn't work and it was the HID bulbs itself. I had old HID bulbs from Baleno and installed the same and it worked.



I took the car for a quick drive to Coorg. It doesn't even feel like 10+ year old car. I enjoyed the drive. We stayed at Club Mahindra Madikeri. It is a beautiful property.









Visited my grandpa's house on the way back



I feel confident enough to drive this car for another 50k km easily. I would like to repaint the car fully and also plan stage 3 upgrade. Buying a new sedan today is expensive and it is very logical to keep my SX4 for longer.

Cheers!!

[sagarpadaki]

Naren, the SX4 does not look like a 10 year old at all! Kudos to you for maintaining it so well.

BTW, where do you procure the EBC brake pads from? I need a set of Greenstuff for my i20

I noticed that old brake hardware is used with the new pads. This is not a good practice and can cause the new pads to get stuck. If the brake pad clips are available as child part kindly procure and change them. There is a reason why a new set of OEM brake pads always come with brake hardware bundled with the pads in the box. That is to ensure that the new pads are able to slide on the hardware easily.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

Naren, the SX4 does not look like a 10 year old at all! Kudos to you for maintaining it so well.

Thank you

BTW, where do you procure the EBC brake pads from? I need a set of Greenstuff for my i20

I had got this set from GT Motorwerks. You can also check with KS Motorsports Mumbai.

If the brake pad clips are available as child part kindly procure and change them. There is a reason why a new set of OEM brake pads always come with brake hardware bundled with the pads in the box.

Maruti OE pads also don't come with brake clips. It is available as child part, will get it