[supremeBaleno]

Last week, I noticed that the a/c is not cooling as it should and given prior issues with the fan, assumed it to be the cause. But the AC fan was working fine. As per my mechanic, the AC gas was low - so took it to the AC repair shop, who after some checks confirmed that the AC gas was low. Got the gas topped up after which a/c is back to its normal cooling. This was the first time in 13 years that AC gas was topped up.
Topup + labour : Rs800

Call it coincidence or fate, it has been raining AC issues with our cars. First the Swift wouldn't cool, which was traced to no AC gas - filled it up in early-Jan 2018 after checking for leaks in the bonnet area of the AC tubing. Two months later, again no cooling - all the gas was gone.

Since no leak in bonnet tubing area, the possibility is of the aluminium evaporator behind the dashboard springing a leak due to corrosion from water condensation. While the evaporator costs only 3K odd, reaching it means dismantling the whole dashboard, steering etc - labour intensive. But since AC is a must-have, went through the ordeal, got it changed. Cost 8K.

Then the AC in the AStar_AT won't cool - since it isn't used much, I haven't taken it for repair yet and we are driving it without AC. And then the Baleno now.

[supremeBaleno]

Total running costs incurred in 13 years & 94,500kms of ownership :

In brief :
Total fuel bought till date ------------: Rs.4,45,669.14
Service & maintenance till date -----: Rs.1,12,915.00
--------------
Total running cost ------:Rs.5,58,584.14 (just 22K short of what I paid for the car new)

In detail :
Total maintenance expenses for the Baleno since it was bought in Mar-2005 :
Scheduled Services :
1st Free Service at MASS @ 1020kms - Rs.604
2nd Free Service at MASS @ 4218kms - Rs.0
3rd free Service at MASS @ 9705kms - Rs.634
4th Paid Service at MASS @ 20224kms - Rs.2919
5th Paid Service at MASS @ 30767kms - Rs.2385
6th Paid Service at Elektra @ 38357kms - Rs.4337
7th Paid Service at Ignite @ 50100kms - Rs.3800
8th Paid Service at Ignite @ 60100kms - Rs.4183
9th Paid Service at Ignite @ 70331kms - Rs.4814
10th Paid Service at Ignite @ 77715kms - Rs31880
11th Paid Service at GulfAuto @ 87760kms - Rs2330
-------
Sub-Total-1 : Rs.57,886

Unscheduled repairs :
3 tyre punctures : Rs.160 ------> in 13 years
Battery charging: Rs.119 ------> twice drained due to boot-light being on.
Breakdown repair: Rs.10155 ---> RHS drive-shaft, inter. shaft, bearing etc
Brake shoes (rear-right) replacement + labour - 1550
Disc-brake pads -> 1600 ----> not fitted as existing pads are good (kept as future spare)
Front-left Wheel-stud gas-cutting and replacement ; 400
K&N filter cleaning - 100
Rim-swap between alloy & steel wheel : 150
O2 sensor change - 2700
Timing-belt change - 4200
AC fan issue, windshield washer pump - 500
Rear brake shoes (L&R) change - 1300
AC fan issue, radiator fan relay connection, waterHose leak fix, RL PW - 900
AC gas topup : 800
-------
Sub-Total-2 : Rs.24,634

Other part replacement expenses :
2nd Battery (replaced in 3rd year) : 3500
3rd Battery (replaced in 7th year) : 3345
4th Battery (replaced in 10th year): 3500
4# Tyres (replaced in 10th year) : 18,400
Fitting 100/90 lights with Philips relay : 1650
-------
Sub-Total-3 : Rs.30,395

Grand total : Rs.112,915
Rs.8685 per year (13yrs old)
Rs 1.19 per km (odo @ 94500kms).

At 10years and 80000kms, the corresponding figures were :
Grand total : Rs.95,035
Rs. 9500 per year (10yrs old)
Rs 1.18 per km (odo 80000kms).

At 8years and 70000kms, the corresponding figures were :
Grand total : Rs.44755
Rs. 5425 per year (8.25yrs old)
Rs 0.63 per km (odo 70331kms).

[supremeBaleno]

Couple updates from last few weeks :

1) Water drip in front passenger floor area :
Some 3 weeks ago, after the a/c gas was topped-up, we were returning from Cochin. The a/c was working fine, but wifey mentioned about drops of water falling on her feet. By the time we reached home, the carpet was fully wet.

Traced to the a/c waste water outlet pipe being blocked with muck. The mechanic at GulfAutomobiles removed some 2 pans of water that was stuck there. Issue fixed.

2) When the engine almost overheated :
On 19th May, had gone to Kollam for attending a wedding. Just couple kms into our return journey, I noticed that the a/c is not cooling and its warm & muggy inside. Since the a/c gas had been topped up recently, I suspected the a/c fan or the radiator fan.

By some coincidence, my eyes went to the tempGauge and saw the needle close to H.

While I knew that on overheating, the ECU drops load on the engine by switching off the a/c, given all the issues with the a/c over the past months, I did not make that connection. It was pure luck that I happened to notice the temp gauge, else would have continued driving.

Pulled over to the service lane & open the bonnet to see both fans working fine. The coolant reservoir was empty, so knew where the problem lay. Opened the radiator cap to see no coolant inside. After a little time to cool off, poured tap water into the radiator & filled the reservoir too - took in close to 2 litres of water.

After reaching home, I took the car to Gulf motors, where the leak was traced to the water pump hose - the patch work we did below didn't stay for long.

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

3) There was a very minute leak in the water-pump hose, from which coolant seepage could be seen. Tried to source a fresh hose, but could not get one. For now, the mechanic has patched it up with glue and a piece of hose.

Since the exact hose for the Baleno wasnt available, the mechanic bought the power-steering hose of the Indica, cut some of it off and used it here. Flushed the radiator, added coolant & distilled water and the car is back in action.

Total cost : Hose (270) + Coolant (230) + DistilledWater (100) + Labour (200) = Rs800

[supremeBaleno]

The car is currently doing duty at Kerala and for the past few weeks it has been just rains and more rains here. I like rains, but having spent around 3 decades in sunny Chennai where rains are a rarity, it can be too much when the sun is not seen for days together.

Today I was vaccumming the car insides and drying out the floor mats - hate the damp smell due to folks stepping in / out with wet footwear, umbrellas etc. After doing the passenger cabin, I open the boot to see 3-4 inches of water sloshing in the sparetyre well.

While earlier I have noticed slight dampness in the sparetyre well, this much of water was a first. There are two rubber stoppers at the bottom to drain out water, which were in place - so possibly not the cause. So maybe water leached in from the boot-lid beading ? Have no idea. Any pointers on the possible cause ? Am yet to show it to my mechanic.

Removed the stoppers to drain out the water & dried out the insides fully. Need to check again after few days.

[supremeBaleno]

Before going to the mechanic, I did some investigation. First I emptied all the items in the boot & lined dry newspaper on the boot floor. At the next rain, I could see where the leak was - the right side of the boot.

There are two places there where the panels join & looked like the leak should be there. But no hole visible to the naked eye.

The mechanic at my FNG Gulf Automobiles used a small wire brush to pry apart accumulated dust at the two joints. He then poured water, but still no seepage. Then he pumped air from below and we could see water bubbling on top.

Sealed both the joints with MSeal. For precautionary reasons, sealed the joints on the other left side too.


Also removed the beading & cleaned it & the place where it is seated.

Rained yesterday night, and no seepage inside. 👍

The fix cost Ra100.

[supremeBaleno]

Ah well, I guess I spoke too early. Today morning when I did a cursory check of the boot, I was expecting bone-dry interiors, but guess what ? There has been water dripping at that point itself from last night's rain.

Need to start debugging all over again.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Sealed both the joints with MSeal. For precautionary reasons, sealed the joints on the other left side too.

Seam sealant should be a better option than Mseal. Also, check if the rubber beading is fine. It deteriorates with age and can cause water to seep in.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Seam sealant should be a better option than Mseal.

The issue here seems to be identifying all the leaks more than the sealant. The places I fixed with Mseal are holding fine. Just that there were more places from where its leaking. Since it has been raining non-stop for many days now, could not get some sun to fix the leaks and let them dry.

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Also, check if the rubber beading is fine. It deteriorates with age and can cause water to seep in.

I had removed the beading & checked it - looks good. And also the leak isn't from there. Will post photos/details once the sun is up - seems like a sunny day today.

[supremeBaleno]

Got the 1-lakh km service done on 14-Jul-2018 at Gulf Automobiles, Mavelikara (KL) at 97160kms (few hundred kms short of 10K).
The previous 90K km service was done at 87760 kms on 17-Jun-2017.

Main tasks :
-> Oil & filter change
-> Front passenger internal door opener handle replaced (WagonR part)
-> Braking system service (for the spongy brakes at stationary issue) :
- Removed & serviced the Brake Master Cylinder (BMC)
- Emptied brake fluid reservoir & cleaned it
- All brakes bleeding.
-> Water leak in cabin - couldn't be diagnosed
-> Water leak in boot - couldn't be fixed.

At stationary, when I press the brake pedal, it would go down slowly in stages, till it is almost totally down, with very minimal braking available. At the same time, no braking issues at all while driving. Was diagnosed by mechanic to needing the Brake Master Cylinder to be changed.

At this service, he noticed that the brake fluid in the reservoir seemed not like it should be (dirty) and suggested it be cleaned and also the BMC removed & serviced. All brakes were also bled. After this was done, I did not get the brake-going-down-in-stages issue. Need to observe if this holds & for how long.

Expense details :
Engine Oil 3.3L : Rs830
Oil filter : Rs100
Brake Oil : Rs240
ThreeBond super sealer (One 25gm tube) : Rs50
Labour :
- BMC service & brake bleeding : Rs600
- Oil/filter change, boot leak fix etc - Rs300
------------------
Total : Rs.2120

Other pending tasks :
-> Four tyre rotation
-> Front foot well & boot leak issue (details in next post)
->Front bumper painting + address some nicks/scratches/dents on the body.

[prsnck]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

No, it's the stock tubed tyres. Initially thought I would change to wider Vxi tyres when the stock set wore out, but they seem to be wear resistant. The tread is still great on 4 running tyres - only 1 tyre wore out which has been made the stepney. Previous page has snaps of the tread of each tyre and not much has changed since then - looks like they will last another 20K kms or more. I rotate the tyres myself every 5K kms, check/top-up air atleast once a month (+2psi than MSIL recommended) and drive without late-braking etc. Maybe that's why they lasted so long or maybe just chance.


FISIFI borrowed from the tagline of my HH-CD100. I plan to keep it atleast for the Govt mandated 15year life or till it stays reliable, whichever is earlier. It is FTD, FE and reliable - so see no reason to change it.

SupremeBaleno - We had crossed paths earlier regarding my Baleno of same model 05 LXi in the used car price thread. I just happened to wade through the 12 pages of your ownership. But will keep as my bible for future !!

You mentioned here -" Initially thought I would change to wider Vxi tyres" - are the tyres in Vxi of a different profile than Lxi ?

My stock tyres are just run 25k km and I'm planning to get hold of Baleno Alloys. I hope it is 13 inch profile and fits the stock Baleno Lxi tyres.

Listening from you that ran 65k km with stock tyres I'm really not planning to change tyres unless it becomes hard and impacts suspension. Reason being the hard rubber knowledge is I use a Honda city zx run 45k km and off late I doubt the thuds and impact on potholes and bad roads is felt more on car and the drive. That soft cushion effect kind of is missing I believe.

regards
prsn

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by prsnck

SupremeBaleno - We had crossed paths earlier regarding my Baleno of same model 05 LXi in the used car price thread. You mentioned here -" Initially thought I would change to wider Vxi tyres" - are the tyres in Vxi of a different profile than Lxi ?

Yeah, I remember the posts on the used-car-price thread. Yes, the VXi came with 185/65/R14, while the LXi was 165/80/R13. So rim size and tyre size were different between the two trims.

Originally Posted by prsnck

My stock tyres are just run 25k km and I'm planning to get hold of Baleno Alloys. I hope it is 13 inch profile and fits the stock Baleno Lxi tyres.

Baleno stock alloys came only in VXi model and were 14". But IIRC they were Aura make alloys, and I guess you can get Aura in 13" too.

Originally Posted by prsnck

Listening from you that ran 65k km with stock tyres I'm really not planning to change tyres unless it becomes hard and impacts suspension.

I actually did 80K kms on the stock tyres when I changed them after 10years - I then moved to 185/70/R13, to be able to retain my 13" off-market alloys. The stepney is still one of the stock tyres & looks brand new.

Just a note of caution : Since your tyres are 13 years old, do a detailed inspection of each tyre after removing them from the car.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Last week, I noticed that the a/c is not cooling as it should and given prior issues with the fan, assumed it to be the cause. But the AC fan was working fine. As per my mechanic, the AC gas was low - so took it to the AC repair shop, who after some checks confirmed that the AC gas was low. Got the gas topped up after which a/c is back to its normal cooling. This was the first time in 13 years that AC gas was topped up.
Topup + labour : Rs800

After the topup, AC was back to it's freezer-like cooling for 4 months or so. And then, 3 weeks ago, the a/c wouldn't cool anymore. I noticed that the condenser fan wasn't working - so assumed it to be an issue with the fan (given prior history).

29-Sep-2018 :
However, the AC mechanic @ Devi Auto-Electricals (a very friendly guy who was not only good at his job, but was open to clarifying doubts I had) found that the gas was almost empty, pointing to a leak in the system. This was finally traced to around the glass viewing port above the filter (will post a pic later). The part was unbolted and the leak welded over using aluminium welding - the glass view-port was removed and the top sealed off.

Then air was filled in the system to check for leaks. After that using a portable compressor, he evacuated the lines/system and then filled with AC gas. AC is back to its normal operation and I hope it stays this way.

Total cost : Rs.1700 (Rs1100 for AC gas filling, Rs300 for labour & Rs300 for welding)

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

This was finally traced to around the glass viewing port above the filter (will post a pic later).

The part marked with the red-arrow was what used to be a glass viewing port, from around which the leak was happening and which was later fully welded off.


BTW, after working for exactly a month, the a/c conked off again.
Took it back to the Devi Electricals guy, who checked the whole tubing system under the bonnet for any leaks, but none whatsoever. Which means, the only other possibility is the cooling element (forgot its name) which is under the dashboard, whose fins could have corroded.

We had the same series of events with the a/c in our Swift and finally it was that cooling element that was the culprit. While it costs only 3-4K, the replacement is labour and time intensive, since the whole dashboard has to be dismantled.

With the Swift, there was the complications due to airbags being present, but no such issue for the Baleno. Anyway, have ordered the element and plan to get it replaced tomorrow at Gulf Automobiles. Hopefully this will put an end to my a/c troubles. Will post updates and pics after the job is done.

BTW, after the a/c stopped working, I have not had the issue of front driver&passenger footwells getting wet, when parked in rains or driving in rains. Not sure what is the connection.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Anyway, have ordered the element and plan to get it replaced tomorrow at Gulf Automobiles. Hopefully this will put an end to my a/c troubles. Will post updates and pics after the job is done.

So, last Saturday (8-Dec-2018), I am at Gulf Automobiles at 9AM when they open for the day. The car is taken in and then starts the labour&time intensive process of dismantling the dashboard. Its around noon when the cooling-coil element (or evaporator) could be removed - wet patches on it's fins indicate leakage.

The new cooling-coil element is put in and before the dashboard is fixed back, the A/c guy is called in to pump the system with air to check for any leaks. He pumps up the air pressure and things seem ok, till we hear the very audible sound of air leaking out from inside the cabin. The new element has a leak. The odds of this happening are really low, but it had to happen to me.

Now, I am stuck - the car is disassembled, a new part will come in only on Monday. Anyway, I leave the car there. On Monday, the new part comes in, is fitted, checked for leaks - thankfully this is good.

Total cost was Rs8300. I will get the breakup when I am home for the weekend & which is when I will get to drive the car and see the a/c performance.

Pictures :
1) The car before the dashboard is dismantled.


2) And the process starts - look Ma, no steering.


3) The steering


4) The dashboard.


5) Dashboard ke peeche kya hai ?


6) The old cooling coil inside its housing.


7) Where the assembly sits under the dashboard


8) The cooling coil housing removed from dashboard


9) The a/c blower assembly


10) The old cooling coil element - all grimy & leaky.

[low_rider]

The AC issues are really frustrating. They result in dismantling of entire dashboard and more often than not, nothing can be conclusively found regarding the issue.

In our Bolero few years back, we went from AC blower cleaning to checking the gas leakage, refilling the gas etc. But what did the trick was a roadside mechanic washing the condenser with some "chemical" and then pressure washing it.

Earlier we had issues with the AC of Zen also, which never resolved. I firmly believe in the power of luck when it comes to AC issues.