[born_free]

My wagon R is just 5500 Km and 7 Months old.
Have decide to keep it as long as possible, hope it survives 10 years, and I can post about it 10 years later.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I have been using 100/90 Philips Rally eye's on my WagonR without any issues for a few years now. Lighting is a huge improvement over the stock lamps.

If you are not keen on putting a relay, and just need better bulbs - stick to 60/55 Osram Nightbreaker +.

If I go for 100/90, it looks like a relay is a must. Am I right? How much will the relay and bulbs cost? And do I need to go for ceramic holders?

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

If I go for 100/90, it looks like a relay is a must. Am I right? How much will the relay and bulbs cost? And do I need to go for ceramic holders?

You get complete HL upgrade kits from Hella and a few other companies these days that alleviate the cutting of wires and stuff. They comprise of 2 ceramic holders, 2 relays and their wiring harness.

At Bangalore, they costed around INR 650.00 last year.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

You get complete HL upgrade kits from Hella and a few other companies these days that alleviate the cutting of wires and stuff. They comprise of 2 ceramic holders, 2 relays and their wiring harness.

At Bangalore, they costed around INR 650.00 last year.

Thanks very much. So I guess apart from that, I'd need to spend on two bulbs. How much would they cost and do you think Phillips is better than Osram?

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Thanks very much. So I guess apart from that, I'd need to spend on two bulbs. How much would they cost and do you think Phillips is better than Osram?

Osram nightbreakers are good but are prone to failures faster than Philips. I d recommend you try the Philips.


I have another option for you. Why don't you install the standard 55/60W Osram nightbreakers on your car and try them for a few nights? They are said to be very good. If things do not please you, you could opt for the HL upgrade.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Osram nightbreakers are good but are prone to failures faster than Philips. I d recommend you try the Philips.


I have another option for you. Why don't you install the standard 55/60W Osram nightbreakers on your car and try them for a few nights? They are said to be very good. If things do not please you, you could opt for the HL upgrade.

Got to see this just now. Meantime, i've upgraded with relays to Philips 90/ 100 and the effect seems great. Need to try it out after dark to get the real effect.

It cost me Rs 1100 in total. Thanks for your suggestions.

[vnabhi]

Here are some pictures of the bulb upgrade:





The ceramic bulb holders and wiring harness, with two fuses and a cut-out/ relay are displayed above.

I'm quite pleased with the end result. Team-bhp was the only source of information for me on this subject,and I am very pleased.

[vnabhi]

And here are the pictures of the bulb cover:-

[Floating Axle]

Good to hear good about W'R. I own one (2006 - 1L+). I'm satisfied with its performance. Its VFM.Only thing is how you maintain it. I have service history till date and it is done at only one place.

Good machine.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by Floating Axle

Good to hear good about W'R. I own one (2006 - 1L+). I'm satisfied with its performance. Its VFM.Only thing is how you maintain it. I have service history till date and it is done at only one place.

Good machine.

I too have its service history for the past 11 years, though mine has touched only 61 K on the odometer now.

I am more than satisfied with the car, and it rightly deserves the title of 'Ol' Faithful'

[vnabhi]

Ol' Faithful has seen quite a bit of usage over the past 4 months, especially after my daughter started using it regularly for her auditing work concerning her CA Articleship. It is now competing with the Fiesta in monthly usage, and might even surpass it, as it is taken to work 6 days a week as against 4 with the Fiesta.

The car has been niggle free for the past 11.7 years. The only issue my daughter faced was a reluctant start a month ago, but on repeated starting, it did start. The battery was only a year old. I suspect the valet of her client had fiddled with it, as even the FE dropped to 10.6 in the last refill, the lowest in its history. I'm sure it will go back to 12 on this refill.

The odo now stands at 64500 kms---up by 3500 kms from 6 months ago. Only thing that bothers us is the rattles from the dash, but after all it is a Maruti.

When we bought a Figo in mid-October, I wanted to evaluate the Waggie's usage for the next 6 months to see if it was justified having 3 cars with us. But now I am more than convinced that we are going to keep it for some more time.

I stumbled across a pic taken of Ol' Faithful on the delivery day in July 2001. Now it is being used by the same kid on the picture. See how much the kid has grown in the next pic of the Figo delivery, while Ol' Faithful keeps chugging along faithfully, living up to its name with stupendous reliability.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Only thing that bothers us is the rattles from the dash, but after all it is a Maruti.

The Wagon R is such a versatile car, that it is very difficult to replace.

I used to get this rattling sound from the dash and then realized that the storage space under the glove box had gotten loose.
Its held in place by a small bolt on its right hand side.

If there are other rattles as well, I think you should take the car to a friendly neighborhood garage like New Mars and ask them to remove and refit the dash.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by bblost

If there are other rattles as well, I think you should take the car to a friendly neighborhood garage like New Mars and ask them to remove and refit the dash.

Sounds like a plan. Thanks for your suggestion, Imran!

[vnabhi]

With Ol' Faithful completing 6000 kms in the past 14 months (good enough reason for retaining it with us, despite owning 2 other cars), it was time for its annual service. More so due to persistent complaints from my kids and wife that the dashboard rattling is putting them off, and sometimes even making them feel that the car should be exchanged for a new one.

Knowing that dashboard rattles were a standard Maruti package, I was a little worried if there was any effective cure. Some members like bblost, ravveendra and Hyd Traveller suggested that I take the car for a thorough checkup at New Mars. But that was more than 9 kms away, and the thought of taking an auto or bus after dropping the car deterred me, especially due to the very hot weather this month. So I thought I'd give Maruti A.S.S. a try. After all, I had a discount coupon of Rs 300 from them for renewing my insurance.

After booking an appointment on Friday for Saturday, I gave the car for service at RK Saboo Motors on Raj Bhavan Road, which is a little over a km from my house. I specifically told the head of A.S.S that I was very concerned about dashboard rattles, and that my feedback would depend on how well they fixed it. He asked his assistant to take me for a TD to see how bad it was. At first that guy said it was due to the after-market ICE, but when I held on to it tightly, there were still rattles. So he was convinced that they could not wriggle away from the problem.

I went to collect my car in the evening, and they said they fixed it by removing the dash and fixing it back. They charged around 250 labour charges only for it, out of a total charge of Rs 4010. After taking a TD yesterday and today, it does look like they've fixed it, but I'd like to see how long it holds good. My daughter drove it today and came back smiling. So let us see how long it holds.

Meantime, I noticed some tricks being played by Maruti A.S.S, as mentioned below:

1. Having charged Rs 1005 as servicing charges, they also charged Rs 70 as miscelleneous labour charges, Rs 30 as battery checking charges, Rs 175 as front brake caliper greasing charges, Rs 150 for fixing 2 bulbs at the rear, Rs 50 for fixing new wipers, Rs 250 for dashboard fixing charges and Rs 609 for upholstery cleaning charges. The ones highlighted in bold seem to be sly, and perhaps a covert method of recovering their discount of Rs 300.
2. When I strongly protested as to why they changed 2 bulbs at the rear, when I had not noticed anything wrong, they said they found them to be weak. I said ok as I had not driven the car at night for a while and gave them the benefit of doubt, but why charge Rs 150 as labour for fixing 2 bulbs? Seeing my displeasure, they reversed those charges.

The above has left a lingering feeling that Maruti A.S.S is out to cheat customers on flimsy reasons. For the first time I've heard that battery check is not a part of service charges. Does anyone else have a similar grouse?

[Floating Axle]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

For the first time I've heard that battery check is not a part of service charges. Does anyone else have a similar grouse?

My observation is Maruti ASC charges increases as the vehicle age. ASC also tempt customers to upgrade their vehicle.