[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by tharian

Any reason for the hoods to be left open ?

This is another method we follow to prevent rat entry in engine bay. We open the hood and make sure there is adequate lighting. Rats prefer dark environment. Also this practice can be done only when you have very secure garage.

[Dr.Naren]

Unplanned drive : Met my S-Cross!!

[Dr.Naren]

I had filled 1000 Rs worth diesel from Reliance Bunk. As usual the performance was really good with this fuel. I got to drive around 225 KM (Kasaragod to Mysore). The acceleration was mind blowing and it was pulling relentlessly on ghats. There was not much rain today and I literally enjoyed driving on Coorg ghats in 3rd gear . I took less than 4 hours to reach Mysore and FE was only 14 kmpl .

https://youtu.be/zwEXrNHMA98

https://youtu.be/qwwzLMP4JRY

Note : This was on uphill (still very FAST)

[Dr.Naren]

I have run around 5000 KM after changing tyres with Continental MC5. I am very happy with these tyres. Grip and comfort are much much better than stock Elanzos. There was one minor issue which I had not posted before. I had steering wheel vibrations at very high speeds after tyre change. Road force Balancing was done at Madhus and still I had this vibration. I was out of Bangalore and had tried wheel Balancing again at 2 local tyre shops. The vibrations were still there. Remember this used to happen at very high speeds and I don't get to test there much haha.

I had discussed the same with Nikil couple of times. He had advised me to do road force wheel balance again at Madhus. But I did not get time to do it. All these days we were suspecting wheel balance / tyres. The real culprit was something else. I had got the front strut replaced under warranty few weeks back. I am happy to report that there is no vibration now . I got chance to test the car again at those speeds couple of times today. I was wondering how there was no vibration with stock Elanzo at those speeds. Nikil told me that my previous tyres were already bald and it would mask the vibrations due to suspension defects. Anyways there is zero vibration now even when speedo is maxed out .

[Dr.Naren]

Cetane X : Detailed Analysis!!

I had tried various fuel additives and Shell V power diesel before. But I had not noticed any big difference when I timed the car. Recently I read about Cetane X and many owners ranging from Ritz to Volvo had given positive feedback. Dr Naren and his 1.6 are always ready to try anything when it is about performance .

I contacted the seller and ordered 4 bottles. You are supposed to use 2 bottles (100 ml each) with one tank of diesel. I got the package in 3 days.



I always try to document performance related things with facts. Comparison is the key word : Before and After. I filled almost 25 litres of Shell regular diesel . I searched for a good stretch and fixed on one. Mission was to log 30-110 KMPH acceleration in 3rd gear.

I did couple of runs with Shell regular diesel and timing was consistent.

Testing Conditions :
Outside Air Temperature : 32 degrees
IAT : 49 degrees




I poured one bottle (100 ml) of Cetane X into the fuel tank. I drove for around 10 KM.

Initial Observations :

1. NVH was lesser
2. Throttle response was more crisp
3. I did not feel any significant difference in performance (Butt Dyno)

Now it was the time to log the car on same stretch.

Outside Air Temperature : 32 degrees
IAT : 54 degree ( It was higher due to the previous runs)

I am IMPRESSED!! Results were consistent.



The timing should be slightly better when done at same IAT as before. 0.5 seconds gain was consistent on every run and this is total paisa vasool haha. If I remember properly, I had gained around 2.5 seconds here with remap and downpipe. But with Cetane X there is 0.5 seconds gain and my pocket is lighter by only 150 Rs.

Note : I did not time 0-100 as it's very difficult to get perfect launch on each run. In gear acceleration comparison is easy and consistent.

Do check these links for more details :
https://www.facebook.com/proctane.cetanex/
https://www.instagram.com/proctanefuel/

[Dr.Naren]

I am very happy with Cetane-X. The performance has further improved. Engine noise at idling is much lesser now. I also find that the cold start is faster. I have not noticed any improvement in FE yet but there is no drop for sure. I would be taking the car on long drive next week

Notice the improvement in timing


Random pic clicked few minutes back

[Dr.Naren]

A day well spent!!

I drove around 200 km today. Drive was to some scenic places : Barachukki & Gaganachukii falls. I used to drive alone most of the times. Today there were 4 guys and I observed that the ride quality was much better with load. Passengers were very comfortable and enjoyed the drive. I am always excited when I drive my S-Cross which has more than 400 NM torque .

Some pics :

[Dr.Naren]

I was doing little higher speeds and had to brake all of a sudden. The car stopped without any drama thanks to Continental MC5 tyres and Roullunds brake pads. I was driving with phone mounted on steering mobile holder (was capturing the speedo video). I have edited the video and posting 100-0 kmph braking time. It was less than 3 seconds

https://youtu.be/bjq0H__ZLFY

[Dr.Naren]

I had done minor modification to the intake pipe to suck in cooler air. It was just the initial part of intake before air box. The new position of intake opening was closer to the ground and not a good idea in rainy season. Also I did not want Maruti service guys to mention anything on the system like after market mod . I decided to get spare part so that I can revert to stock anytime. The part was not available in any Maruti dealership. I ordered it at MGP store and it took almost one month to receive the part. It is SGP, imported from Hungary. The label says it was imported way back in August 2016 itself. I don't understand why it took one month.

[Dr.Naren]

I used to do 3M UV protect all these days which is just foam wash, interior cleaning and wax application by hand. It used to cost around 1300 Rs.

I saw a good offer by Wheeler Cleaner Mysore in their FB page. It looked super VFM. I do not have much knowledge on detailing and just wish to see my car clean, shiny and no scratches .

Offer Details :


You just have to buy the coupon for 499 Rs and it is valid for 18 months. You will get that money back in 2 free car washes itself. All the treatments are offered at discounted price after you buy the coupon. You can use them whenever you want (within 18 months for the same car).

The store was located just 1km away from my place. I bought the coupon and got the following done.

1. Synthetic Coat : 1200 Rs
This includes foam wash, interior cleaning, tyre dressing, glass cleaning, paint correction (removal of swirl marks) and sealant application. I was being told that the usual price was around 3000 Rs. 3M charges around 5.5K for the same.

They did a good job. All the minor scratches were gone and swirl marks are also reduced. I will post the pics at end.

2. Windshield Coat : 800 Rs
They hand polished the glass and applied the coat. We also did a demo after the treatment. I am happy with the outcome. I hope it lasts 3 months.

https://youtu.be/i3tlF8aonY0

AC Vents cleaning : 300 Rs
They cleaned the AC vents and then applied steam inside the vents to clean them thoroughly.

Let the pictures talk






I am happy with the results and I have paid only 2800 Rs including the price of coupon which is valid for 18 months.

FB page : https://www.facebook.com/wheelercleaner/

[Dr.Naren]

I used to do wheel alignment and balancing only if there are any symptoms. Many owners do it religiously at every 5K KM. The stock JK tyres had worn out in just 19K km and I did not want to take any risk with MC5. I consulted our in house tyre guru Nikhil and he explained why to do alignment and balancing every 5K KM. The car might not show any symptoms when balancing / Alignment is off by small margin. The suspension would absorb the vibrations and the driver would not realise. It was almost 6000 KM since I got the wheel balancing and alignment done. I live in Mysore now and took my car to Madhus Mysore (Hunsur Road). They have got the Road force balancing machine few days back. I am happy with the service and it was nice meeting Mr.Amogh who runs Madhus Mysore.

[Dr.Naren]

Juddering and Steering Vibration while Braking at High speeds:
I have noticed that there is lot of juddering and steering vibration when I brake at speeds above 120 kmph. But this is not present if I slam the brake pedals fully. I suspect the front rotors. The surface is not even and I can feel the ridges (not very deep though).


Another point to note is very less life of front brake pads :
1. First set lasted 14.5k KM
2. Second set lasted 7k KM
3. Third set is almost gone and it's just 4.5k KM (This is not OE pads, Roullunds)

The front rotors in SX4 and S-Cross are same. I had got the old rotors of SX4 skimmed long time back. I will use the same in S-Cross.. Parts sharing ki jai

Front Suspension :
I had got the front right strut replaced under warranty few weeks back as there was oil leak. But the dealer has not changed the left strut. I am planning to escalate and check if Maruti would replace the other strut also under warranty. If not, I will replace it by paying from pocket.

[Shreyans_Jain]

It seems that an otherwise fabulous car has been compromised by using quite a few low quality cut price components from other Maruti cars. Shame on Maruti, for this car with the 1.6 could have gone on to be quite something despite it's looks and price. And huge respect to you sir for the way you are taking care of her.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Shame on Maruti, for this car with the 1.6 could have gone on to be quite something despite it's looks and price

Maruti could have provided at least better brakes for 1.6 S-Cross. SX4 1.3, S-Cross 1.3 and S-Cross 1.6 all have same front rotors. They have provided bigger rotors for Baleno RS when compared to 1.2 NA Baleno, but step motherly treatment for 1.6 S-Cross!!

[Dr.Naren]

I removed the carbon fibre wrap on the strip above rear number plate and also the minor wrapping on the sides of rear bumper (did to mask few scratches ). I believe that car looks better now.. What say??