[sandeepskarobar]

From Spinny bought 2016 S-Cross 1.6 Alpha last week with 63k on odo.

All though they said for 1 year i need not worry as they have done servicing before delivery in there local workshop, i still want to have a quick check up with authorized center.

Please let me know which service center is good for 1.6 model in Bangalore and also any leads on whom to contact there will be added bonus.

Thanks in advance.

[Dr.Naren]

1 lakh km done



Stock: 5k km
TOT Stage 1: 10k km
Wolf Stage 2: 30k km
Wolf Stage 3: 55k km

I will post the updates on service and new mods soon

[Dr.Naren]

I was running a low power stage 3 tune. This map was very refined and linear. I put the car on dyno at Harmonnix. The peak figures were not great, there was huge drop in peak torque. However the graph was beautiful which reflected excellent driveability and linear power delivery.





I did get another tune later from Wolf. We are expecting 200 HP / 420 NM with this tune, will dyno it too soon.

Front left mud flap and cladding was damaged, thanks to an autorickshaw in Bangalore city.



I ordered the mud flap kit from Boodmo and replaced only the front left one. I also replaced all the fender cladding.



Lower arm bushes had slight cracks. This is very common in all new Maruti cars, decided to go aftermarket this time. Link rods were also changed.





OE vs Monroe link rods: do note Monroe is thicker



TVS Elite brake pads were installed at front. This is a new launch and replaces the Hiper pads. Elite pads have brake in coating similar to EBC pads. This helps in faster bedding in and good initial bite even when pads are new.



The initial bite was very good. I believe it is due to the coating. It did decrease after few hundred km. I am happy with these pads. The only negative is brake dust level is on higher side.

I got the 1 lakh km service done at Engineering exponents. Timing kit was also replaced.

What was done ?

1. Engine oil: 5W40 (77 Holland)
2. Oil filter and Fuel filter: Purolator
3. Coolant change
4. Timing kit (Belt, tensioner, idler, and water pump)
5. Glow plug





Timing kit was not available easily. Many owners in our 1.6 group had to wait for months. I believe it's better now as Maruti has recently imported 1.6 related parts. We also have after market option from Continental. This is a good kit at lesser price than Maruti. I had sourced MGP parts through Boodmo over last 1 year .

Engineering exponents are too good when it comes to serving S-Cross 1.6. Maruti service centres take 1-2 days to replace timing kit. They even remove the engine out for this job. Oh yes, even the service manual says to do so. EE did the entire job in just 2 hours. I believe mine was the 7th S-Cross 1.6 where they changed timing kit.



Maruti had replaced one glow plug under warranty 3 years back. I got glow plug warning few weeks back and it was cylinder 2 this time. EE sourced the glow plug within a day.





Overall they did an excellent job as usual. Initial impressions were very good post service. I am loving the 77 Holland engine oil. Engine is refined and also revv happy. This is the first time I noticed difference in performance post engine oil change.

I am very happy and proud that the car has been super reliable to date, not to forget Dr. S-Cross is the heavily modded S-Cross 1.6 in India .

[Dr.Naren]

1 lakh km with S-Cross 1.6: Quick review on modifications, Brief summary on replacement of parts / reliability!!

I have driven 1 lakh+ km. The car was purchased in May 2016. The only reason this car found its way to my garage was because of the 1.6 diesel engine . Frankly I didn't have any plan to mod this car to what it is today.

Modifications

Performance

1. Tune O Tronics Stage 1 remap

This was the first performance mod in my car. Tuning S-Cross 1.6 was a challenge then. TOT too faced issues, but they did manage to give me a decent stage 1 map. I drove around 10k km with this map and there were no issues. But, they couldn't offer me support when I wanted to go high on power.

2. Blackworks decat downpipe

I have run more than 85k km with this downpipe now. No issues at all. It is a well designed solid downpipe. There is decent improvement in mid and top end.

3. Wolf Moto Stage 2 remap

My journey with Wolf moto started after I got the decat downpipe. I found TOT not very supportive in offering me a stage 2 remap. Back then only a few ECU tools could support the S-Cross ECU properly. Wolf had a tool which could easily read and write my ECU. I learnt a lot too, thanks to Rajiv. He would answer all my questions and even explain the process of tuning. We tried a lot of tunes, it was a fun experience. I drove around 30k km with Wolf stage 2 map, no issues whatsoever.

4. Wolf Stage 3 remap with Garrett turbo and intercooler upgrade

I have driven 55k+ km on stage 3 now. This has really exploited the potential of 1.6 MJD. Garrett turbo and intercooler upgrade are also nice and reliable. I had tried different iterations of stage 3 tunes from Wolf. Overall, very impressed with the support from Wolf. They take the feedback positively.

5. Engineering exponents performance muffler

This is a nice mod. The exhaust doesn't sound very loud inside the cabin, you would hardly make out. But the sound is prominent outside, but it is not too loud to attract cops haha. I could notice mild improvement across the revv band.

6. HPI open air filter

No big gains as such. I like the induction sound. Throttle response did improve.

Suspension

1. Eibach lowering springs

I drove around 25k km on these springs. I was surprised to observe that the ride quality wasn't bad at all. It was in fact better than OE when you go fast on bad roads. Good handling, improved braking and high speed stability. I reverted to stock a few months back, thanks to the rains and Bangalore city roads. It was difficult to judge the depth of potholes filled with water. GC was hardly 130 mm with these springs. I will install these springs back soon.

2. KYB Excel-G dampers

These are OE replacement dampers from KYB. Good improvement compared to OE. I am still running KYB in front. I replaced the rear KYBs with Monroe. Thanks to the lowering springs, there was an oil leak from the rear KYB. Yes, lowering springs can affect the life of dampers.

Braking

1. Dixcel slotted front rotors

There was a good improvement in braking. Too expensive though, cost more than 30k. Not sure if it's normal, the rotors were fully plain in 30k km. I do a lot of high speed braking, so will give these rotors the benefit of doubt here.

2. Dixcel brake pads

I had tried ES and M type pads at the front. EC type was installed at the rear. Overall mixed experience with Dixcel pads. M type was the worst, not at all meant for high speed braking. The pads were destroyed in 3k km. ES type was decent. EC had a low life.

3. EBC brake pads

I had tried YellowStuff and Greenstuff in front. Ultimax-2 was installed at the rear. Overall good experience with EBC. I would say YellowStuff was the best and perfectly meets my requirements. However it's too expensive at 12k, but I do not find it worth it for fast street usage. GreenStuff and Ultimax-2 are decent, works as claimed.

4. Cheaper brake pads

No matter what brand it is , I get 6-7k km brake pads in front. Hence I started to explore cheaper options. I tried various brands like TVS, KBX, Roullunds, Ferodo, Rane, Supercircle, ASK, Gomechanic, Hella, etc etc . All these pads cost less than 1.5k . Out of these I would recommend Ferodo, TVS Elite, and KBX.

Light Upgrades

1. Xenon planet / IPHCAR Bi-xenon fog projector

They were basically IPHCAR projectors with XP stickers. Not sure what they use now. Fog projectors were good, huge improvement. I had used them for almost 5 years. Do note that HID projectors won't last a lifetime. The reflector bowl will get burn marks due to heat and output will reduce. I replaced them with another pair of IPHCAR HID fog projectors.

IPHCAR Bi-xenon headlight projectors

I got this done at Xenon_It Mumbai. They are working well. Massive improvement in light output. I hope they last long.

Tyres

I have tried Continental MC5 , MRF Perfinza, Michelin P4ST, And Kenda Komet SPT-1.

Life: P4ST > MC5 > Perfinza
Comfort: P4ST> MC5 = Perfinza = Kenda SPT-1
Grip: Perfinza > MC5 > P4ST = Kenda SPT-1
Steering: MC5 > Perfinza > P4ST = Kenda SPT-1
Noise: P4ST> Kenda > MC5 = Perfinza

I would be installing Continental UC6 soon.

Wheels

I was running with machine finished MGA wheels of Brezza, switched to Lenso Jager Dyna after 4 years. The car looked hot with lowering springs and Lenso wheels. Currently running on SX4 OE alloys. I will switch back to Lenso soon.

Audio

Good experience with Muneem (Galaxy Kochi). All the details are documented in a separate thread. I need to update on the new 3 way active setup consisting of Mosconi amplifier and Helix DSP. I couldn't believe that I had spent most of the money on audio mods haha.

Replacement of parts

Warranty

1. Steering column (sticky steering issue)
2. Front right strut (oil leak)
3. Rear dampers (bouncy ride)
4. Rear suspension beam (rear alignment: toe was bad)
5. Brake switch (CEL)
6. Glow plug x 1 (CEL)

Out of warranty

1. Glow plug x 1 (CEL)
2. Timing kit at 1 lakh km (Preventive maintenance)
3. Aux belt and supporting parts (Preventive maintenance)
4. Clutch, slave cylinder, and flywheel at 90k km (mild sound on half clutch / preventive maintenance)
5. Engine torque rod (wear and tear)
6. Lower arms x 2 (wear and tear)
7. Stabiliser link rods x 3 (wear and tear)
8. Brake caliper sliding pins: front and rear (caliper sticking issue)
9. Tailgate balancers
10. Minor parts like fog lamp covers, cladding, mud flap , AC vent knobs, and gear knob.

Body repair

I had a minor accident, Alto had rear ended. Rear bumpers and rear panel were replaced. The tailgate dent was removed and painted.

The car never let me down anytime, not even a single breakdown to date. S-Cross 1.6 is the fastest and most reliable machine in my garage.

[mura]

Hello Doctor, Can I know when was the steering column replaced? @ what kms?

My 1.6 has done 1l kms and I am just starting to notice this sticking issue. So I think I would have to pay to have it replaced.

Also, I have replaced the Front brake pads only once @approx 70k

Also how much did the Gear knob cost you and if possible can you share the part number?

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by mura

Hello Doctor, Can I know when was the steering column replaced? @ what kms?

I changed it 4 years ago under warranty.

Details here:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-...ml#post4526846

My 1.6 has done 1l kms and I am just starting to notice this sticking issue. So I think I would have to pay to have it replaced.

You can email Nexa TSM of you area and request for free replacement or discounts. Maruti has introduced child parts now, so no need to change the entire column like I did.

Also how much did the Gear knob cost you and if possible can you share the part number?

OE gear knob is too expensive, priced more than 6k. I got gear knob of Ciaz 1.5 DDIS and just swapped the shift pattern badge at 1/10 th cost .

Details here:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-...ml#post5087732

[mura]

Thanks, Doctor, Noted. Should have read your thread fully.

Will try contacting Nexa for the steering.

[AulusGabinius]

Hi, thanks for your review. Our own beast is still running strong after 1.6 lakh km. We haven't changed much, just that the gearbox and engine oils are fully synthetic, and the tyres are a Pirelli sister brand called Energy, fitted from N Mehta Tyres in Pune. Still in love with that kick-in-the-back acceleration!

[CannedShroud]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

1 lakh km with S-Cross 1.6: Quick review on modifications, Brief summary on replacement of parts / reliability!!

Hi doctor,

Amazing build! Really inspires me.

I just had a few queries.. about the mods like the decat downpipe. (As we know it's illegal in India) Have you faced legal issues of any kinds? Maybe on road trips etc.

PS. I've just recently switched to UC6 myself and so far I am amazed by the response. Not sure about longevity but the grip and steering response has gone up for me quite a bit. And it's quite a lot more comfy as well. (But my only reference is MRF ZVTV ecotreds as they came stock with my car).

Thanks for the reply, and thanks again for sharing your amazing build/journey.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by CannedShroud

Hi doctor,

Amazing build! Really inspires me.

Thanks

I just had a few queries.. about the mods like the decat downpipe. (As we know it's illegal in India) Have you faced legal issues of any kinds? Maybe on road trips etc.

No issues faced. Emission tests are passed too

[Sreesh1009]

Absolutely amazing modifications, however, I saw this car on The Driver's Hub classifieds!?

Any particular reason for the sale and what would you be upgrading to?

[gururajrv]

Originally Posted by Sreesh1009

Absolutely amazing modifications, however, I saw this car on The Driver's Hub classifieds!?

Any particular reason for the sale and what would you be upgrading to?

Reason seems to have been quoted as there are plans for a turbo petrol to replace this turbo diesel Dr Naren can confirm.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by gururajrv

Reason seems to have been quoted as there are plans for a turbo petrol to replace this turbo diesel Dr Naren can confirm.

Yup 1.5 Turbo petrol. Naren needs to break the good news. Eagerly awaiting for the new ownership review.

[gururajrv]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Yup 1.5 Turbo petrol. Naren needs to break the good news. Eagerly awaiting for the new ownership review.

1.5 Turbo should be a Skoda / VW Virtus / Slavia! One of these 2, I assume.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by Sreesh1009

Absolutely amazing modifications, however, I saw this car on The Driver's Hub classifieds!?

Any particular reason for the sale and what would you be upgrading to?

Originally Posted by gururajrv

Reason seems to have been quoted as there are plans for a turbo petrol to replace this turbo diesel Dr Naren can confirm.

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Yup 1.5 Turbo petrol. Naren needs to break the good news. Eagerly awaiting for the new ownership review.

Originally Posted by gururajrv

1.5 Turbo should be a Skoda / VW Virtus / Slavia! One of these 2, I assume.

It is Verna 1.5 turbo MT



PS: S-Cross is not sold yet, if not sold right now the car will be retained for ever