Well, its been a while since I posted about the beast and the reason for that is - I've been guilty of just driving it on & on - no peering under the bonnet, no running to the workshop about funny noises, nothing apart from "FILL IT, SHUT IT, FORGET IT!"; oh, and attending to a couple of punctures.
The USP of this beast is - if you've been lucky to get over the initial niggles, it just keeps going thereafter, doesn't complain at all apart from belching out smoke occasionally which is a sign that you need to get the air cleaner element & the catalytic converter checked out.
A service is due at 15,000 kms but I pushed it to almost 16,000 - I relented when I checked out the manual & realized there is a fair bit of activiity involved at this mark, some of which is done only at 15,000 kms intervals. So, shook myself out of my lethargy, spoke to my usual advisor & the Senior Works Manager & drove to the workshop on Saturday morning.
Got a sms at 4 pm saying the vehicle was ready; went there, had a long chat with my friend the Sr Works Manager (got updates on Testdrive's issues as well, Preet is it fixed?), went for a long post-service test drive on the highway and then drove home. Cost of this service was
- NIL, some of the work done -
Front left fog lamp was accumulating moisture - replaced under warranty
Front brake pads were showing uneven wear & tear - both sides replaced under warranty
Wheel rotation was done
Irritating noise had surfaced on the dashboard - noise was killed
Occasional smoke problem - catalytic convertor cleaned, air cleaner element was anyway to be cleaned as part of the service.
The beast came back spick & span and with the engine revving a little more freely post the "cleaning" and sounding a little happier than before. Just to keep the tradition of the "inexplicable" going, the "door open" warning on the instrument cluster came on & the rear left door red warning light also came on during the drive home though the door was securely shut! Coaxing, cajoling, switching on & off, opening & closing - nothing worked. I thought it was probably some moisture on some sensor (post the washing) & just let it be (though the red warning light on that door stayed on). Came down the next morning and peered in - lo & behold, the light had gone out & all was well
.
So, that's that and till the next time around, cheers guys and have a good day! As I said - another 5k kms of "keep going"!