[vnabhi]

My wife complained that the indicator lights were not working on the Waggie. I remember she had had a similar issue a few months back, and when I'd checked, it was true. Even the green arrow lights on the dashboard were not working, nor was there any repetitive clicking sounds. But when I had taken it to an FNG nearby, they had magically started working!

But that was in early January. So I got that deja vu feeling this morning when I inspected the car. I took it to the same FNG, but alas he was closed for the whole day!

So I took it to Saboo Motors across the road. The SA inserted the key and put on the hazard lights. And lo behold, they were working! He then used each indicator, and everything was working fine! Felt kinda spooky.

He advised me to take the car to them again for a wiring check if the issue pops up again. So for the present, I've asked my wife to try the ingenious method of using the hazard lights if the indicators ever failed. And soon after that she could use the indicators!

Any suggestions for experienced folks?

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Any suggestions for experienced folks?

Loose contact on the indicator stalk? Opening and cleaning it might be probable solution. Similarly, the indicator wires getting a love-bite by a rat where in they are not completely chewed. This might lead to loose contacts and these symptoms might occur at will. Do have a look at the fuse too (if indicators have a separate one).

I had a couple of similar experiences with my WR. My power mirror switch was working fine for both the mirrors and three directions, except for moving the mirror up. I tried it multiples times and failed. Then when I wanted to show the SA at MASS during the service last week, it worked just fined and has been working over the past week.

In another case, one of the horns of the dual horn was acting at will, going off on a couple of instances but working flawlessly on most occasions. A DIY look around in the engine bay and I could locate a loose contact between the wire and the clip connecting to the horn. The wire was on the verge of tearing off. I mended it with some cellotape (as I didn't have electrical tape in stock) and had planned to get the clip replaced. It hasn't recurred since the past 1.5 years.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Yesterday, a strange thing happened. My daughter returned in the evening saying that the Waggie's indicator lights were not working, and that she'd had a tough time driving home. .....

The guy from the shop first switched on the emergency lights soon as I stepped out, and lo behold, they were working fine. He then used the indicators and they too were blinking from the outside. I told him that the green arrows inside were not glowing, but he told me to take a look, and they too were blinking.

I felt he had some kind of magic touch, so I thanked him and drove back home. All signals were working fine even today, per my daughter. I find this kind of strange. Any clues from fellow members will be of great help.

.

Originally Posted by vnabhi

My wife complained that the indicator lights were not working on the Waggie. I remember she had had a similar issue a few months back, and when I'd checked, it was true. Even the green arrow lights on the dashboard were not working, nor was there any repetitive clicking sounds. But when I had taken it to an FNG nearby, they had magically started working!

------

So I took it to Saboo Motors across the road. The SA inserted the key and put on the hazard lights. And lo behold, they were working! He then used each indicator, and everything was working fine! Felt kinda spooky.

He advised me to take the car to them again for a wiring check if the issue pops up again. So for the present, I've asked my wife to try the ingenious method of using the hazard lights if the indicators ever failed. And soon after that she could use the indicators!

Any suggestions for experienced folks?

Originally Posted by ashis89

Loose contact on the indicator stalk? Opening and cleaning it might be probable solution. Similarly, the indicator wires getting a love-bite by a rat where in they are not completely chewed. This might lead to loose contacts and these symptoms might occur at will. Do have a look at the fuse too (if indicators have a separate one).

.

Many thanks for your helpful advice. I was mistaken about the mysterious symptoms in my car happening in January. Actually they had happened in August 2013, going by the first post quoted above.

And it recurred after 2.5 years! Looks like I'll hold on to the current wiring till the problem exacerbates. I will certainly have the wiring checked by the FNG soon, to the extent it is visible to the naked eye.

[vnabhi]

Old Faithful turned 15 on July 31st. With around 79500 kms on the odo, it continues to drive as good as it did when it was new! No issues so far, except squeaking rear brakes on a cold start. I'll get it fixed in the next service that is due in a couple of months.

As all cars in India need a renewal of registration on completion of 15 years, I had no plans to drive to Vizag to get the car inspected. Instead, I did my spade work from June to get an NOC from Vizag RTO, and register the car here in Hyderabad. What impressed me was that the system was very clean in both RTOs.

I had to first apply for a police clearance in Vizag stating there are no pending cases against the vehicle. A fee of Rs 130 had to be deposited in eSeva for this. The clearance was given within 10 working days. After that I had to visit the Vizag RTO and apply for an NOC for registering the car in Hyderabad Central Zone. The clerk at the counter advised me that it was not necessary to do so, as there was a court ruling that cars registered in the erstwhile AP state need not be registered again in Telangana. However, when I told him the reason, he quickly collected the fee and issued the NOC on the same afternoon.

I then had to apply at Hyderabad Central Zone for registering the car in my Hyderabad address, where I have been staying for more than a decade. It took nearly half a dozen visits as their website did not give a full list of documents needed. I had to submit a notarized affidavit that there were no police cases against the car in Telangana, and also a photo of me standing beside the car. These were in addition to normal documents like NOC, PUC, Insurance, Address proof, etc.

The car was inspected by an inspector and the RTO had to counter-sign the report. All this was completed on July 18th, and the only step left was to pay the fees on July 19th. My plan was to visit again after 30th, when the car turned 15, to get the registration renewed. But as fate would have it, the clerk fell ill for around 10 days, and I had to out of town for a week. When I returned, it was August 2nd, by when the car had already turned 15. The system was not allowing registration fee payment and was seeking a renewal first, by payment of green tax. I took advantage of the situation and applied for renewal too, using the form I'd already filled up. The car was again inspected and found fit. After paying green tax of Rs 500, i finally got the green signal to go home and await the new RC card.

The card finally arrived yesterday and it was for the first time I had an RC card for the WagonR. The earlier RC was in the old-fashioned paper form. It feels good that all my efforts paid off, and I can relax for another 5 years!

Below is a break up of fees paid:

1. Police NOC at Vizag: Rs 130
2. RTO fee at Vizag for NOC, hypothecation removal, etc: Rs 635
3. Notarized affidavit at Hyderabad: Rs 70
4. Photo for self with the car: Rs 40
5. Green tax: Rs 500
6. New RC at Hyderabad with change of address: Rs 705.

So overall I paid around 2000 INR, apart from travel cost of same amount. This is still cheaper than driving to and fro to Vizag and renewing the RC there.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Old Faithful turned 15 on July 31st. With around 79500 kms on the odo, it continues to drive as good as it did when it was new!

First of all congratulations. And trust me, I totally forgot to update my ownership thread about the fact that my Tallboy turned exactly 10 in the month of March. It wasn't really about me forgetting to update but I missed recollecting that it was March 2016 and its 10 years but only realised over the next few months that its a decade and 230,000 kms that it continues to serve me without a single niggle so far! The F10D is a gem of an engine if not the most refined you will love it for the low end torque.

No issues so far, except squeaking rear brakes on a cold start. I'll get it fixed in the next service that is due in a couple of months.

I had faced this only once but don't recall when. However the ODO surely would be more than 2L when this occurred.

First get the brake drums cleaned and use it for few days and see if noise is arrested. If not, its got to be the Rear Brake Pads that would have become harder even with good life and you just get them replaced before it eats into your drums too.

Happy driving the Tallboy & your thread reminds me I need to wake up my ownership thread

[vnabhi]

Ol' Faithful went in for its regular annual service today, with the odo at 82042. It had covered 6253 kms since the last service in August, 2015. There were no complaints, except the earlier screeching sounds from the rear wheels when moving the car during an early morning start. The sound would vanish, never to recur during the day. This apart, the space below the spare wheel needed to be cleaned due to lot of dirt that had accumulated.

The car was delivered on time at 5 pm, and everything looked good. The SA said the screeching sound could be from the handbrake and asked me to observe again. As I rarely use it, I've asked my wife to focus on it.

The total bill came to Rs 5613, including Rs 2200 for synthetic engine oil and Rs 600 for interior cleaning. They charged Rs 200 for some doors checking (wonder why it is not a part of their normal service) and a small sum for two parking bulbs (never knew they were not working).

Everything is good with the car except the legendary rattles from the dashboard. The SA said the suspension might need to be overhauled in future, but ok as of now.

While on this, a friend of mine recently drove the car after dropping my wife. He was all praise for the pick up of the car even on top gear and said there is no need to think of a replacement for it. Feels good to hear such comments!

[vnabhi]

Here's a complaint I got yesterday from my wife, and ascertained by me today. The car is jerking at low revvs in second gear after the service. I'm not sure what they've done to cause this. It aggravates with the AC on.

I too recall feeling a trace of this soon after taking delivery on Monday night, but the distance home was only 1 km.

I called the SA this evening and gave him this feedback. He advised me to bring the car for a check up on Monday, on the plea that there were many vehicles booked for service this week. I said no way and insisted that he fix it tomorrow, even if it takes a whole day, as the car will not be needed by my wife tomorrow.

Will update you after that. I recall the clutch plates, etc were changed a year ago, when the odo was around 5000 kms less than now.

Did anyone else face this issue?

[vnabhi]

Update for today: drove the car to the MASS Saboo Motors, but didn't feel the jerking in second gear while leaving home. So I drove it for a couple of kilometres before visiting the center. It looked like the car was back to normal!
So I spoke to the SA and he suggested that I drive around for a couple of days and confirm that things were fine. He felt the jerking could be due to the cleaning of spark plugs. Once carbon got deposited, the jerking would have stopped.
Let's see how it goes.

[vnabhi]

Update for today: drove the car for a good 15 kms today on Necklace Road at varying speeds, and never did those jerking symptoms recur. It looks like all is well.

Ol' Faithful chugs along quietly on Hyderabad roads, despite its second life. Only expenditure I foresee over the next year are new shoes, as the current set has done more than 37000 kms.

[vnabhi]

My wife was driving towards Infosys in Gachibowli on Thursday, and while she was taking the left turn at IIIT Jn, a lady on a scooter suddenly crossed her path, causing her to jam the brakes. A second later she heard a thud behind and saw 4 or 5 bikes trying to wriggle past the car. There were also lots of pedestrians and vehicles
behind her, so she did not feel like stopping the car. That apart, she could not identify which bike had rear-ended the car.

So she inspected the rear of the car after reaching her workspot and found a deep dent on the right tip of the bumper. Fortunately, the car has black bumpers and I've always resisted the urge to paint those to body-coloured ones. Luckiy there was no visible damage to any metal part.

She returned home a bit disturbed and asked me to inspect the car. After all, there wasn't a single insurance claim since the car was bought! I'd got a few nicks on the fender and running board fixed at my own cost a few years ago.

On inspecting the car, I found the below dent:



So I took it to my trusted car accessories shop nearby (Sai Bajrang) and sought his guidance on where I should go. He said he'd do it himself and started getting on the job. He placed an electrical plug point using a long wire and some kind of a heating gun, as shown below.
Another pic:



After heating the dented part with the gun, he started pushing the dented part outwards with his other hand. Overall it took about 10 minutes and the bumper was brought back to shape!



He later applied a tyre shiner over the portion, and later over the whole bumper. He also applied it on the front bumper so that it shines equally well. He did the same over other black plastics as well, like the ORVMs and the beading over the roof. Overall the car looks perfect now! Total cost was a meager Rs 200/-. I'm really lucky to have that shop nearby. I saved a lot of money getting small jobs done by him on my two other cars as well!

Overall, feeling glad that things are back to normal!

[vnabhi]

The battery in the WagonR died a couple of days back, when my son was returning from his workplace. The car simply refused to crank. It was working fine a day before that when I made a small trip for groceries. But my son said it was taking many cranks over the past month, which I was not aware of.

The battery was an Exide and was last replaced in Dec 2011. So around 5 years two months, it had a long enough life, though its predecessor lasted 6 years 3 months. And that was an Exide too.

I asked my son to check for nearby dealers and finally found one that was a km away. He replaced the battery with a new Exide and i paid Rs 3700 as the price for exchanging the battery. It was Rs 3500 last time.

So far everything is working fine!

[vnabhi]

Ol' Faithful will complete 16 years on 31st!
Sweet sixteen, if you ask me.

Everything is fine with the car, which has 85200 clicks on the odo. Of course, the infamous dashboard rattles are back. It's mainly used by the wife. The only recent issue is that the crack on the rear bumper has grown in size, causing the leftmost part to hang loose. I got that fixed temporarily by the accessories shop nearby. Though I was planning to change it (Rs 1750 inclusive of labour), my wife asked me to hold on till it cracks fully!

I'm quite surprised that Saboo Motors actually has stock of bumpers of the oldest model of the car. No wonder MUL is doing so good!

[vnabhi]

I always call my daughter on 31st July and ask what's special about the day. She's got used to it for the last several years and immediately responds saying it's the WagonR's birthday! As the saying goes, practice makes perfect!

With a free service coupon worth Rs 500 labor charges lying with me (given by Saboo Motors for renewing insurance with them), I got the Waggie water-washed and vacuumed last week. They did a good job of it, and the car is shining now, and the interiors spick and span! Wifey is happy!

The only issue I found post that was slight jerks in second gear on the 1 km route to my abode. My wife took the car today to work and she complained of the same. She actually got down and inspected the tyres, thinking something was amiss. She called me and I told her to keep driving. This is based on my earlier experience soon after the car was serviced. Either it could be the spark plugs that were cleaned (not sure if they were) or the water sprayed into the engine bay might be causing it. Last time, it vanished after driving for a couple of days.

I"ll keep a watch and update when the issue gets resolved.

A picture of the Red Injun getting washed before it turned sweet sixteen!

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

The only issue I found post that was slight jerks in second gear on the 1 km route to my abode. My wife took the car today to work and she complained of the same. She actually got down and inspected the tyres, thinking something was amiss. She called me and I told her to keep driving. This is based on my earlier experience soon after the car was serviced. Either it could be the spark plugs that were cleaned (not sure if they were) or the water sprayed into the engine bay might be causing it. Last time, it vanished after driving for a couple of days.

I"ll keep a watch and update when the issue gets resolved.
Attachment 1662474

The issue of jerking while picking up speeds for near zero on lower gears got solved of its own, just like it happened after the previous service. I'll keep this in mind whenever I give the car for water wash or service in future. After that, i'll drive the car for about 30 kms so that the water dries up and the jerking stops!

So all's well that ends well!

[Sherlocked]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

The issue of jerking while picking up speeds for near zero on lower gears got solved of its own, just like it happened after the previous service. I'll keep this in mind whenever I give the car for water wash or service in future. After that, i'll drive the car for about 30 kms so that the water dries up and the jerking stops!

So all's well that ends well!

This jerking was a frequent issue with our WagonR. It was solved only when I started using System G petrol additive. Good that it got solved on its own in your case.

Its been a long since I drove the Waggie. Now that its with my brother in another city, I'm missing it badly.