Team-BHP > Team-BHP Reviews > Long-Term Ownership Reviews


Reply
  Search this Thread
133,657 views
Old 15th April 2011, 14:05   #61
Senior - BHPian
 
supremeBaleno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Chennai / Kochi
Posts: 5,545
Thanked: 2,693 Times
re: My Maruti Baleno LXi. So what's new, right? EDIT: 80K update on Page 9

The brake-light remaining on even when engine is running was sorted out with topping up brake-fluid. A week later, I checked the brake-fluid again and there was no decrease in level. Problem solved.

Since wifey and son are in Chennai, I needed the car and so could not yet give the car to the garage to check the other issue - Engine Malfunction Light always on, which looks to be an issue with the O2 sensor. Feels wierd to be running around with the EML on always, but looks like this will have to wait for now - maybe get it done during the 50K service which is almost due.

Waxed to a shine (a little too much it seems) :
Meanwhile spent a few hours last weekend cleaning the car (interiors, engine bay and exteriors). Main motivation being wifey, who felt I was no longer bothering about the car like I used to do earlier and that it was looking diiirrrttty !!!

Gave the car a good wash and after wiping the car dry went about polishing the car. It is amazing how a car (esp. in black) shines when you polish it. Ofcourse the wax coating attracts dust and so to retain the shiny look, I have been dusting the car every morning.

The extent of shine became obvious yesterday when I was tanking up at the HPCL bunk at Teynampet. I was standing near the car when fuel was being pumped and the attendant hands me a complimentary copy of Deccan Chronicle. Since my attention was on the fuel-meter, I place the paper on the boot only to find a second later that it has landed on my foot. Without thinking much, I pick it up and put it on the boot only to see it sliding like a skater on ice. Proof of a job (wax) done well.

Last edited by supremeBaleno : 15th April 2011 at 14:07.
supremeBaleno is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 1st June 2011, 11:34   #62
Senior - BHPian
 
supremeBaleno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Chennai / Kochi
Posts: 5,545
Thanked: 2,693 Times
6-year itch ?

The car is now 6-years & couple months old and is inching to the 50000 km mark. While 50K in 6 years is nothing worth crowing about given the mileage clocked by many of you here, in our case, this is the 1st car to reach this milestone in so short a time.

To give an example, our 1985 M800 had just 52000kms when we sold it in 2004 after 19 years. The Swift now has 20K kms in 4 years, while the '99 M800 has 45K odd in 12 years.

6-year itch :
A few niggles have started popping up here and there after 6 years :

1) Tried to lower the rear-right window, but it was not working - either from the driver PW button or passenger PW button. A couple of days later, magically this works again, without any action from my side.

2) Both the rear doors make this groaning sound when opened. Possible because the rear doors are used very rarely - since most of the time I am alone in the car. Applied some grease to the hinges and the sound is gone.

3) Last but not the least, the infamous rattle. All these years I have had no rattles in the car and now I "hear' a rattle coming from somewhere near the rightmost end of the dashboard (or is it the electric ORVM??). This comes only at certain RPMs and is bothering me. Not sure where to start the investigation.

Plan to get the 50K service done in the coming weeks at Ignite, ECR.
supremeBaleno is offline  
Old 1st June 2011, 12:57   #63
BHPian
 
neofromcapone's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Bombay
Posts: 411
Thanked: 417 Times
re: My Maruti Baleno LXi. So what's new, right? EDIT: 80K update on Page 9

@supremeBaleno, I was facing a similar problem with my PW on my santro, and I believe the coast.?
Got my local mechanic to clean up the contact points on the electrical side of the PW, problem solved.

Hope this helps.
neofromcapone is offline  
Old 8th July 2011, 19:03   #64
Senior - BHPian
 
supremeBaleno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Chennai / Kochi
Posts: 5,545
Thanked: 2,693 Times
The 50K km service - when the odometer rolled to 50000

The 50K service :
I had already decided to get the 50K service done at Ignite on EastCoast Road, run by Raghav. There were good reviews about his service on tbhp by those who had got there car serviced with him. Also, I had recommended 3 of my colleagues to his garage and they were happy with his work.

Called him up yesterday evening to check if I could drop the car today morning. He said they open at 10AM and after the routine service I could get the car back same evening, which suited me well. So, as is my usual practice, I clear all stuff from the car, leaving only the bare necessities like spare-tyre and jack.

Arrived before 10AM at his garage today morning and he is there. After intros, he takes the car out for a drive to understand any issues that need attention. Ofcourse, I have no issues with the car as such, other than the EML (Engine Malfunction Light) being on - possibly due to a kaput O2 sensor. Unfortunately, he does not have a Maruti scanner, so no way of reading the error code. He tells he will try to clean the O2 sensor & check the catalytic-converter assembly - hopefully that would take care of the EML.

After the drive, since he finds nothing requiring special attention, I ask him to do the routine 50K service with oil&filter change. For the Baleno, the services at 20K intervals are more extensive, requiring change of gear-oil, coolant, spark-plugs etc. All these having been done at 40K kms, the only change required at 50K kms is oil & filter.

He calls around 4PM to say that the car has been serviced, the O2 sensor looks good and so does the cat-con, but the EML still stays on. He says that another possibility is the throttle body assembly - the sensor there could also lead to EML. So should he go ahead & clean the assembly ? While there is no guarantee that cleaning this will erase the EML and this costs 800bucks, I still decide to go ahead with this job due to 2 reasons :
1) I don't remember the last time this was cleaned - good to clean the muck
2) Occasionally I used to get some resistance with the A-pedal, which while not serious was irritating. I reckoned that would get fixed.

I am at Ignite around 6PM and the car is almost ready - final wiping of windows etc. There is no power and so he shows me the bill on his laptop and says he will email it across later.

50K Service (all inclusive) : 3000
Throttle body/assy cleaning : 800
----
Total : 3800


A quick-look of the maint. expenses for my Baleno since it was bought in Mar-2005 :

Routine services :
1st Free Service @ 1020kms - Rs.604
2nd Free Service @ 4218kms - Rs.0
3rd free Service @ 9705kms - Rs.634
4th Paid Service @ 20224kms - Rs.2919
5th Paid Service @ 30767kms - Rs.2385
6th Paid Service @ 38357kms - Rs.4337
7th Paid Service @ 50100kms - Rs.3800

Other maintenance expenses :
2 tyre punctures : Rs.80 // in 6+ years - I love Bridgestone
Battery charging: Rs.119 // twice drained due to boot-light being on.
Breakdown repair: Rs.10155 // RHS drive-shaft, inter. shaft, bearing etc
Battery replaced in 3rd year : 3500

Grand total : Rs.28533.

That comes to like Rs.4755 per year and Rs 0.56 per km.

Some people don't include battery/tyres in maintenance calculations, in which case, the maintenance expense for me comes to Rs4172 / year and Rs0.49 / km.

Last edited by supremeBaleno : 8th July 2011 at 19:07.
supremeBaleno is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 8th July 2011, 22:46   #65
Senior - BHPian
 
gemithomas's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Trivandrum
Posts: 2,366
Thanked: 143 Times
re: My Maruti Baleno LXi. So what's new, right? EDIT: 80K update on Page 9

Wow! I guess thats why Maruti Sells. I have always felt sad for this car. Its one of the best ones from Maruti and deserved to have sold much more numbers. Thanks for the update.

Whats the change after throttle body cleaning.
gemithomas is offline  
Old 9th July 2011, 16:26   #66
Senior - BHPian
 
supremeBaleno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Chennai / Kochi
Posts: 5,545
Thanked: 2,693 Times
re: My Maruti Baleno LXi. So what's new, right? EDIT: 80K update on Page 9

Quote:
Originally Posted by gemithomas
Whats the change after throttle body cleaning.
Thanks for reminding. Well, the EML still stays on inspite of cleaning the Throttle Assembly, which as per Raghav had quite some muck accumulated - he had taken a snap of it on his mobile. It sure is irritating to see this light stay on all the time.

So looks like my only option is to take it to a MASS to know the error code and get it rectified - but I am not too keen on going to them. I discussed this with Raghav and as per him, since there is no visible issue due to the EML (car has been running fine for the last few months since EML came on), this does not merit too much worrying. So for now, will leave it at that.
supremeBaleno is offline  
Old 10th July 2011, 11:46   #67
Senior - BHPian
 
supremeBaleno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Chennai / Kochi
Posts: 5,545
Thanked: 2,693 Times
When the counter rolled ...

When the counter rolled to 50000kms on the odometer.

Just before the momentous event
My Maruti Baleno LXi. So what's new, right? EDIT: 1,00,000km milestone-dsc03089.jpg

The odo moving on to 50001
My Maruti Baleno LXi. So what's new, right? EDIT: 1,00,000km milestone-dsc03090.jpg

BTW, one thing that I missed mentioning in the 50K post and which never ceases to amaze me, is the fact that the tyres on the car still look like new - as if they have done only some 10K kms or so. As they look now, I won't be surprised if they last for another 50K kms. I will post a snap to make this clear.

I don't do donuts or drifting or last-minute braking, but I still do drive as fast as the road/traffic would allow and like taking sharp turns. And if still the tyres look so new (my colleagues find it tough to believe that the tyres have done 50K), does it mean I am a good driver (I would like to think so) or does this have to do with the tyre-rotation I do religiously every 5K kms - I do it myself. BTW, I don't do alignment on a regular basis - infact IIRC the 1st and only time I got alignment done was when I switched over to alloy-wheels.

And since I do a 4-tyre rotation (since stepney is steel-rim), it goes without saying that the stepney tyre is in showroom condition, having been used only for a few kms on the only 2 occasions when I had punctures.

Last edited by supremeBaleno : 10th July 2011 at 11:49.
supremeBaleno is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 27th July 2011, 17:51   #68
Senior - BHPian
 
supremeBaleno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Chennai / Kochi
Posts: 5,545
Thanked: 2,693 Times
Re: The 50K km service - when the odometer rolled to 50000

Quote:
Originally Posted by supremeBaleno
There is no power and so he shows me the bill on his laptop and says he will email it across later.
Got the bill via email only yesterday.
My Maruti Baleno LXi. So what's new, right? EDIT: 1,00,000km milestone-baleno50kservicebillignite.jpg
supremeBaleno is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 27th July 2011, 19:36   #69
BHPian
 
VCheng's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: New York
Posts: 186
Thanked: 270 Times
re: My Maruti Baleno LXi. So what's new, right? EDIT: 80K update on Page 9

Thank you for a very informative and well documented thread that I enjoy following.
VCheng is offline  
Old 28th July 2011, 08:54   #70
Senior - BHPian
 
supremeBaleno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Chennai / Kochi
Posts: 5,545
Thanked: 2,693 Times
re: My Maruti Baleno LXi. So what's new, right? EDIT: 80K update on Page 9

Thanks, VCheng. It also serves as a ready-reckoner for me, which is accessible from anywhere. There is a log-book in the car which has all these details (a habit from pre-computer days which still continues) + lot more including the details of all fuel that has gone into the car, ~mileage for every fuelling etc. But this comes in handy when you want to refer some detail.
supremeBaleno is offline  
Old 1st August 2011, 16:56   #71
BHPian
 
VCheng's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: New York
Posts: 186
Thanked: 270 Times
re: My Maruti Baleno LXi. So what's new, right? EDIT: 80K update on Page 9

Quote:
Originally Posted by supremeBaleno View Post
Thanks, VCheng. It also serves as a ready-reckoner for me, which is accessible from anywhere. There is a log-book in the car which has all these details (a habit from pre-computer days which still continues) + lot more including the details of all fuel that has gone into the car, ~mileage for every fuelling etc. But this comes in handy when you want to refer some detail.
Finally somebody with more OCD than me! I have every receipt of everything for every car since day one.
VCheng is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 3rd August 2011, 17:16   #72
Senior - BHPian
 
supremeBaleno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Chennai / Kochi
Posts: 5,545
Thanked: 2,693 Times
re: My Maruti Baleno LXi. So what's new, right? EDIT: 80K update on Page 9

Have done 2 fuel-ups post the 50K service and noticed a 1kmpl increase in FE. For my usual fuel-up of Rs2K (~30litres of normal unleaded), I got 390-395kms before it hit the red-indicator on fuel-guage, which is when I normally tank up. Pre-service, I used to refuel when tripmeter is in the whereabouts of 360kms ie. 12kmpl. 1kmpl increase might not sound like much, but it is an 8% increase and in these times of increasing fuel prices, every extra km extracted is money saved & a precious resource well used.

Quote:
Originally Posted by VCheng
Finally somebody with more OCD than me! I have every receipt of everything for every car since day one.
LOL !!! For a layman, OCD would be too mild a term to use when referring to most tbhp-ians.

The other day a colleague was mentioning about how the guys from Hyundai service would come to his place and pick up his car for service and then drop it back in the evening. I told him that I can't even imagine handing over my car to a service-guy - so much that for routine services at the MASS, I insist they don't TD the car after service - have "No test drive" written in the job-card. Ofcourse valet parking is a no-no. Colleagues said I was being paranoid. Maybe yes, but having read enough horror stories about cars smashed during TDs by service personnel and scrapes/thefts by valet-drivers, I don't mind being called paranoid.

Last edited by supremeBaleno : 3rd August 2011 at 17:23.
supremeBaleno is offline  
Old 20th October 2011, 11:43   #73
Senior - BHPian
 
supremeBaleno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Chennai / Kochi
Posts: 5,545
Thanked: 2,693 Times
Battery issues again ???

13-Oct-2011 : I am driving to work much earlier in the morning than usual and looking forward to a nice drive due to less traffic on roads. At the Kotturpuram signal, the timer indicates 65secs to turn green and so I switch off the engine and enjoy the rare nice Chennai weather - it is nippy with a hint of rain in the air.

When the timer shows 3 seconds to green, I crank the engine, but it sounds like it won't. The Amaron is just about 3-years old and since I never had cranking issue, I think it is a false scare and try again. But no, the battery seems to have failed me and there is traffic all around me. I try a few more times and give up. A cop walks over and helps me push the car to the side of the road. More than the effort in pushing the car, I am sweating in that nice weather due to the embarassment of my car getting stranded.

The radio works, the lights work, power-windows work. So, it is not like the battery is out of juice. But it just doesn't seem to have the power to crank the engine. I decide to wait for 10mins and try again - no success. I have jumper-cable in the car, bought for such an eventuality from the US. But at a time when everyone is rushing to work, how to get someone to stop to help jump-start my car ?

Finally I enlist the help of 2 kind souls to push the car and the car starts. Yeah, I know push-start is a no-no for ECU cars, but no other option. Anyway I drive to work without issues. In the evening, the car starts at 1st crank as always. And that has been the case after that too.

So, why the resistance to start just that one time ? Any explanation ? Will it help to have the battery charged ? Or an inspection at Amaron Pitstop ?
I nowadays do not switch off at traffic. BTW, this was the same drama that preceded the changing of the OE Exide battery that came with the car - car won't start at TIDEL signal, auto-guy helps start car, etc.

I looked up the Amaron warranty and I am at 39 months since purchase. The replacement warranty was over at 24 months, after which it is a pro-rata discount on new battery - I will get 20% off given the 9months that remain in their 48month total warranty.

Last edited by supremeBaleno : 20th October 2011 at 11:45.
supremeBaleno is offline  
Old 20th October 2011, 17:40   #74
Senior - BHPian
 
planet_rocker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Bong-land
Posts: 2,323
Thanked: 426 Times
re: My Maruti Baleno LXi. So what's new, right? EDIT: 80K update on Page 9

Get the starter motor checked - also the condition of the battery.
planet_rocker is offline  
Old 22nd October 2011, 12:59   #75
Senior - BHPian
 
supremeBaleno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Chennai / Kochi
Posts: 5,545
Thanked: 2,693 Times
re: My Maruti Baleno LXi. So what's new, right? EDIT: 80K update on Page 9

^^^Thanks, planet_rocker.
Starter motor ? Now that worries me. I would not mind a battery-change, but to think that something is wrong with the car-mechanicals worries me.

BTW, in the days since the incident, I never had any starting issues. But I still don't have the courage to switch off at traffic signals. For starters, plan to check out the battery - distilled water level etc and maybe have the battery charged.
supremeBaleno is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks