[iamsai_iyer]

Hi Ashis ji,

Just wanted to check with you, I have started hearing a knocking kind of noise from the right side of the engine. It sounds like machine gun fire, rat-tat-tat, type, it’s faint but audible. It’s noticible at low revs only. It’s there for brief period and then disappears on its own. There is no loss in power or any such issue, during this period. A colleague of mine who was in the passenger seat also heard this. Could u tell me if u too have experienced this?

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by iamsai_iyer

Just wanted to check with you, I have started hearing a knocking kind of noise from the right side of the engine. It sounds like machine gun fire, rat-tat-tat, type, it’s faint but audible. It’s noticible at low revs only. It’s there for brief period and then disappears on its own.

I don't get any such sound.

Does it happen when the engine is cold only or at random times without a set pattern? After the sound is gone, does it reappear? I would check the serpentine belt and the idler pulley first. Checking under the bonnet when the sound is coming, will help pinpoint the source. Get it checked at the service centre soon.

[iamsai_iyer]

Originally Posted by ashis89

I don't get any such sound.

Does it happen when the engine is cold only or at random times without a set pattern? After the sound is gone, does it reappear? I would check the serpentine belt and the idler pulley first. Checking under the bonnet when the sound is coming, will help pinpoint the source. Get it checked at the service centre soon.

It’s random & reoccurs at times. I think this happens mostly after the engine has reached operational temperature. It’s there for sometime & disappers after some hard acceleration. Noticeable during low revs, but does not hamper performance or responsiveness in any way.

[ashis89]

Took couple of days off and drove down to Varkala this weekend. Car had been cleaned, air topped up to 33 psi and refueled the previous night. The plan was to start early and we were rolling by 4:40AM. In 2 hours, we were at A2B Dharmapuri, the usual breakfast point.











I took the advice (All Roads to Kerala)that Bibendum90949 gave and took the Google route via Rajapalayam. Reached Hotel Amil by 12:30PM and headed to Saffron restaurant for lunch. Very well maintained property and it's the ideal place to break for lunch, especially when traveling with family. It has enough space in the shade to park the cars inside their campus.



Found a similar numbered Vento


The road from Madurai to Rajapalayam is in decent shape, save for some potholes and broken patches. Being a 2 lane road with several villages and towns along the way, one has to keep speeds low and an eye out for folks crossing over. But the good part is the Meghamalai range seen on the right side of the road. Post Tenkasi, we also got some ghat roads, although nothing compared to the western ghats of KA.









We had resumed by 1:30PM and then stopped at couple of places to click pictures or grab a cup of hot tea (for wife, as I carry my coffee without fail!). Finally reached our homestay by 5:30PM to enjoy a sunset. A 13 hour trip for 684 kms, including 2 major breaks and a few minor ones.

Crossed the 62k mark




Parked for the day


And went on to enjoy this view for the next 3 days


Next day, stepped out for lunch near the Varkala helipad, then headed to Kollam to check out the light house and have some falooda. Also saw some beautiful beaches while driving to Kollam. The tank was almost dry and hence, refueled Coyote after 700 kms. The following day was spent at the beach and explored some cafes. And we were to return on Sunday.












I had read arunjosie's posts Nagercoil to Bangalore is a smooth drive. A quick search on Google showed that to cover 95 kms extra, I would need to drive for 10-20 mins extra - definitely a much faster route. On top of it, I get to drive down the beautiful NH66 and along the coast at the lot of spots. I had also read/experienced first hand, the traffic at Thoppur - Bangalore stretch and wanted to enter the city late at night. So we started at 11AM, with the target to reach home by 1AM.









The route plan worked wonders. Varkala - Trivandrum is indeed very beautiful. Kovalam - Nagercoil had a lot of traffic and we also faced the first rains in all of 4 days during this monsoon drive. Nearing Nagercoil, I noticed from mile markers that Kanyakumari, the southern most tip of India, is just 20 kms away. That 30+30 minute detour should be well worth and hence, we marched further south. Reached the spot by 2:30PM and after struggling to find some parking, we walked up to the beach to see the Vivekananda Rock Memorial from the sea shore.

3.5 hrs to reach the southern most tip of India


Some rains again, after Nagercoil


It was 3PM when we started the final ascend towards Bangalore, 665 kms to go. Then on, it was just 2 breaks - one tea break after crossing Tirunelvelli. The next was dinner at The Residency - Karur, again one of my favorites. Reached here by 7:30PM. Spotless roads meant the next 370kms took a little over 4 hrs of driving time, even while I was driving below 110 all throughout.



Started from Karur at 9PM and were home by 1:15AM. Kanyakumari to home was a shade less than 9 hours.



I could have stretched it home on a single tank of fuel but refueled after Krishnagiri. This tankful had been filled till auto-cut only and yet, lasted 800 kms. Overall FE was 16.5kmpl for the whole trip.

The route finally turned out to be this. One of the longest that I have driven solo in a day in the recent couple of years


Odo stands below 63k.

This was the first long trip post the new brake discs/pads and clutch overhaul. The new brakes have bed in and do their job without a fuss. The clutch feels slightly lighter than the outgoing one. I felt the car was "peppier" with the older clutch, more eager to rev up and felt subdued after the change. After yesterday's drive, I felt it is opening up. I drove very sedately throughout but used burst of acceleration for overtakes. I have not heard of clutch "bedding in" and wasn't sure if it was a phenomenon.

[iamsai_iyer]

Hi Ashish Ji,

Lovely travelogue, as usual. However, on the mileage front, 16.5 KMPL seems to be slightly on the lower side. I too am averaging around 17 for a round trip. Just did one to Yercaud & back. Somehow, I feel my erstwhile Ecosport TDCI average was better than this on similar routes. What could be the reason? Mind you, with no major change in driving style. Having said that, I do feel that the torque & the power output in the Seltos is marginally higher. Could this be the reason ?

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by iamsai_iyer

Hi Ashish Ji,

Lovely travelogue, as usual.

Thank you for the kind words. Please do call me Ashis only

Were you able to figure out the noise in your engine bay?

However, on the mileage front, 16.5 KMPL seems to be slightly on the lower side. I too am averaging around 17 for a round trip. Just did one to Yercaud & back. Somehow, I feel my erstwhile Ecosport TDCI average was better than this on similar routes. What could be the reason? Mind you, with no major change in driving style. Having said that, I do feel that the torque & the power output in the Seltos is marginally higher. Could this be the reason ?

I am averaging 15.83 kmpl for the past 63k kms, measured tankful to tankful. For a 1.5L diesel manual, I wouldn't call it frugal ever and there can few possible reasons.

This is a BS6 where some diesel is used to clean up the DPF at regular intervals and will eat into the FE. Good low end torque and free revving engine means one feels tempted to floor at times. But the A pedal is also very sensitive to input - flooring the pedal for a couple of seconds is enough to reduce the trip average FE by 0.5-1 kmpl.

Based on my experience on long drives, driving in the 60-100 kmph range gives FE in the range of 18-20 kmpl. But I usually drive at 100-120 range where the FE is 16-18. If one goes 140+ then the FE falls below 15. All these are tankful numbers, MID is optimistic by 1-1.5kmpl. Others could be getting better numbers at similar speeds but I haven't. I even got it checked at the service center but they drove very sedately, upshifting at 1500 rpm throughout, ended up getting 22 kmpl and labeled it perfectly normal. So I stopped losing my sleep and just enjoy the drive.

Accelerate quickly and then maintaining steady speeds is the key most of the times for optimum FE. And maintaining steady speeds manually is better than using the cruise control if one wants to improve the FE. But I can't say I know the trick to getting good on a Seltos diesel!

[iamsai_iyer]

Originally Posted by ashis89

Thank you for the kind words. Please do call me Ashis only

Were you able to figure out the noise in your engine bay?

As in most cases, when I had taken the car to service centre, I was not able to replicate the noise. Fortunately I had a recording of it which I played to the senior tech, who on closely hearing it, attributed it to the injectors.

Apparently this noise would be noticeable just as the engine & injectors are warming up. On sufficiently warmingup, the noise would disappear. According to him, during this stage when there is no load or on a light throttle input the sound would be noticeable & would disappear as soon as the engine & injectors have warmed up. As per him many seltos owners seem to have experienced it. This also has to do with fuel quality. He kept mentioning Delphi injectors to the supervisor during this conversation, from which I inferred that it may be unique to this make of injectors.

What the tech said seemed to tally. Upon asking if this was an issue, he dismissed it & suggested to wait it out. Since I do not notice any change in performance or troublesome, choosing to wait for now.

On the economy front I guess what u said on the BS6 tech makes sense. I guess we’ll need to find the sweet spot for efficiency.

[ashis89]

Past 4 weeks had little travel except for a couple of errands. But one Friday morning, I realized that I had to prepone a trip to Hyderabad by a week and would have to start early the next day. So how do I prepare for a 1200+ km trip?

I engaged Tusa to top-up the tyres and did a short waterless wipe of the car's glasses. And then, had a most unusual trip start. After finishing work on Friday evening, I slept for ~4 hours. Woke up half past midnight to have my dinner, then took bath, got ready and started for Hyderabad by 2:45AM with a groggy wife in tow. While I had enough fuel for 500+ kms, I tanked up at the Reliance bunk near Chikkaballapur to take advantage of cheaper fuel.


Wife demanded a tea break after her brief nap, after crossing Anantapur. She's not a fan of the black coffee I carry




Weather was gloomy until Anantapur, followed by intermittent rains thereafter. Had breakfast at Food Pyramid and then reached Serilingampally by 11:15AM. Tried to maintain steady 100-110 throughout and saw 18 kmpl on the MID.




At Hyderabad, my friend had recently sold off his mk1 Octavia. He was scouting for a replacement and got a good deal on a Kicks XV 1.5 petrol MT. Just 6 months old and 3k run, he got it home couple of weeks ago. I didn't have time to drive it for long but the few days I spent with it, I was very impressed. Apart from a weak top end, I couldn't find anything wrong with it.




Unlike Bangalore, Hyderabad has been witnessing good rains.



But also witnesses evenings like these




While waiting for road to clear up, I saw and captured myself!


Return was on a Sunday. Started around 10:45AM and reached Bellandur by 8:30PM. Wife wanted to try Hyderabad Chefs, Kurnool for lunch but the place was overflowing with several folks waiting outside for a seat. Crossed over to our usual Kritunga which was crowded too but we got a table for 2 after waiting for 5 mins. The only other break was at Hotel Pranav for tea. This time I used the cruise control extensively to maintain speeds between 95-105 and saw 19.3kmpl on the MID. It was mostly dry throughout the return leg.

Crossed 64k


and odo is at 64.5k


One thing that keeps bothering me, brief jerks noticed momentarily when driven at ~1500 rpm. It comes and goes of its own and mostly occurs at similar RPM. Difficult to replicate and hence, the service centre didn't acknowledge it the last time I had reported it. Carens and Alcazar D AT owners have reported their GB hunting for gears at similar speeds. I wonder if both are similar issues.

The next service is due and should get it done next weekend.

[Sreesh1009]

Hi Ashis,
It is always interesting to read your updates on this thread.

How long do you plan on keeping the Seltos and if you do eventually sell it, what would you be upgrading to?

The ownership experience seems to have been no-nonsense so far and hope it continues to stay so!

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by Sreesh1009

Hi Ashis,
It is always interesting to read your updates on this thread.

Thank you!

How long do you plan on keeping the Seltos and if you do eventually sell it, what would you be upgrading to?

Another 3-4 years before I can think of selling it unless it gives me a reason to prepone it.

Upgrade is a difficult topic as this car is just the right size for us and almost perfect for my long drives. Any bigger and it will be tough to use it in the city (even this feels cumbersome). I have started using the scooter more frequently for local errands whenever possible. It's replacement would be pre-owned and should be a similar 5 seater although I dream of getting a 4wd Fortuner some day if I can afford it....

The ownership experience seems to have been no-nonsense so far and hope it continues to stay so!

Once again, thank you for your wishes.

[ashis89]

80k service update

Odo stands at 64.5k but as I have been getting all the services done a little ahead of schedule, the 80k service was due as per my books. I had booked an appointment for Sunday(today) 9:30am at Epitome Kia. Before going, I had washed the car myself as I am not a fan of their waterless wash routine with dollops of polish.

7660 kms since the last service


Coyote went in cleaner into the service centre than when it came out



Sunday is a partial holiday for them where the staff strength is reduced and the service centre starts a little late at 9:30AM. I was there by 9:20 and while my usual advisor Prashanth was on leave, Tahaseen took up my car.

We went for a test drive to check my complaint of jerk at 1500 rpm and the technician was able to reproduce the issue as well. His reason was either bad fuel or choked diesel filter. I told him the issue exists for the past 35k kms at least and I fill fuel at various pumps across states but this issue is common. He suggested we try the diesel filter replacement first (which was anyhow due in this service) and see. When I pointed out the injector issues reported by Alcazar and Carens owners as possible cause, he mentioned that they have replaced injectors only on Seltos automatic till date and that too due to knocking. Mine doesn't knock.

I opted for the 3 yr/30k Flexi prepaid maintenance program which covers all the PMS consumables and labour charges for 3 services. It doesn't cover parts replacement, drain nut, washer or balancing weights. Price was 22.7k which comes about 7.6k per service. Also got the wiper blades replaced as they had started streaking.

Since the bay had sparse crowd, I could spend some time near the car. There was only one other owner waiting but he preferred the lounge throughout























The front air deflector has seen numerous scrapes but holds on tight. There a couple of scratches on the engine guard too which shows its importance


Saw this limo with beautiful Vossen wheels. Looked wicked!



Got the battery checked as it is close to 4 years old. Results says good battery, I will keep this in the list of upcoming replacement. The service centre quoted 8.4k for the battery post exchange but other members have shared prices of 6-6.5k at shops outside



While I had asked them to not do any washing/polishing, I requested them to vacuum the car thoroughly which they did a good job. This microfibre is rubbed on multiple cars day in and out!


Car was ready by 2:30pm (1 to 2pm was their lunch break and hence some delay). Paid Rs.24,335 including the wipers but the effective cost for this service was 9100. Overall this Sunday visit was very pleasant due to less crowd and diligence by Tahaseen.

Odo stands at 64,563 kms and the last two tankfuls gave 18 kmpl. While returning, I observed the jerk at 1500 rpm still persists. I have informed the service centre about it. The car continues to run fine and hence, I have always ignored this occassional hiccup


Fun fact: During the first walkthrough with the car, Tahaseen thought I had come in for the 1st year free service. Both the technician and the advisor were surprised to know it had run 64k kms.

[ashis89]

This long weekend was an excellent opportunity for a trip. So we five friends decided that a meeting at Goa was the way to go, along with our better halfs. Bookings were done in advance and routes were finalized. Given the state of roads and the additional distance, it was decided that Hyderabad team would start earlier while Bangalore team's start would depend on when I could close my day the previous night and get some sleep.

Three couples and two cars started from Hyderabad on 10th evening, driving overnight. Three of us started from Bangalore pre-dawn on 11th, in my car. Both the groups reached south Goa before lunch time.



Over the next 3 days, we went hiking into jungles, bathed under waterfalls, visited some rare beaches and witnessed sunsets from cliffs. Given the off-beat locations, all 3 cars also experienced varied terrains, went mild-offroading, carved some corners, cruised on plains and flew over broken roads.

5 people can be comfortable on either of the cars for short trips but I would call them 4 or 4.5 seater for long trips (Seltos is wider than Kicks). Ground clearance of the Kicks is excellent. On the Seltos, the front air deflector is prone to scrape at times (mine was lucky this time to go without any scrape) where the Kicks sails through. The other Seltos also has a side step installed and that was even more prone to scrape. Kicks has more head room while Seltos has more shoulder room. Kicks has a really deep boot and can swallow taller trolleys than than Seltos. Seltos has a perfectly flat boot and we always sat in the boot/loading lip while watching the sunset or during our coffee breaks enroute. Kicks' boot floor are ~3 inches below the loading lip.

Body roll is higher on the Kicks while the Seltos feels more planted but the former has a lighter steering. Both the Seltos turbo diesel MTs returned 16-17 kmpl and needed a refuel towards the end of our stay in Goa (I reached home in the 2nd tankful and will refuel over the weekend). Kicks NA petrol returned 12.5 kmpl in the first 2 tankfuls.


With the early morning start (3:40AM), I got empty roads to make some good progress. While me and my buddy are coffee guys, missus needs a fresh cup of tea post a nap


I reached Ganesh hotel (before Hubbali) in 5 hours (took 7 hrs on the return leg)


Friend took over the wheels so I enjoyed the greenery with the coffee





It drizzled at will and so we sat under the hatch on the boot during the coffee breaks


Also saw sunsets....


Different day, different cliff, different boot, same group watching sunsets


The boys pack...P.C: the girls pack













A visit to Salaulim dam has been a must do for me on each visit









The two BHPians twinning


Yesterday we made a convoy till Hubbali where we had lunch before the HYD and BLR teams took separate ways








End of the trip

[Turbohead]

If you still have the jerks coming in at 1500 RPM, I'd suggest you to try Liqui Moly diesel purge.Just fill a bottle into a full tank of fuel before a long trip and ensure you vary the RPMs with hard acceleration in between. It should ideally resolve the issue if it's a dirty injector.

[skywalker18]

ashis89- I briefly went through your comprehensive ownership review of your Seltos HTK+ diesel manual.

I recently purchased Seltos HTX petrol manual. This car will be sparingly used. I expect around 2500 KM per year.

1. What is your opinion on the extended warranty(4-5th year/unlimited KM) on Seltos? The extended warranty for petrol Seltos now costs 23,877 INR.

2. Although you have a diesel Seltos, it is worthwhile to get my convenience plus(extended warranty and free service for 5 years) pack for 46,995 INR for Seltos petrol manual?
(I am reluctant because of the low expected usage of the car. )

3. Do you have any idea how much can services cost for Seltos petrol manual (Service 2- 10K KM/1 year, service 3- 20K/2 year and so on)?

[Sufficient_shop]

Originally Posted by ashis89

Attachment 2491766

Hi Ashis,

Excellent thread overall. I've rarely seen anyone with a silver Seltos on TBHP, so wanted to know if you are happy with your decision after all these years for going with Silver Seltos. Any tips/suggestions you have for someone who has booked a silver model?