Team-BHP - The First Grand Vitara on Team-BHP

Searched the forum and the rest of the internet but couldn't find much info so I thought I'd ask here; does anyone have any experience with the previous generation 2003-2006 GV XL-7? A friend and I are planning on buying a car to be shared between the two of us (purchase cost as well as maintenance), and I'm seeing a few really good examples going for 2 lacs in the used market. To me it seems like a god deal for a reliable, petrol, body on frame bruiser, or am I missing something here?

Quote:

Originally Posted by IshaanIan (Post 5084714)

My 2 cents

Pros
4 wheel drive with low ratio
V6
space
handling - for a body on frame its great
Very robust mechanicals if not abused - In stock form its won the Desert Storm in the capable hands of Sunny Sidhu

Cons
Lack of spares support - they are incredibly cheap in the USA and but shipping costs and customs remain a challenge
Thirsty
window winders pack up
Engine wiring harness deteriorates - especially the wiring that goes to the injectors
AC - Lack of cooling at standstill , not topicalised for India

Thanks to the NGT , I had to park mine at the garage - SO have a complete car for parts but alas cant buy another Xl7 ! to transfer them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vigsom (Post 5083797)

Even I've faced the same issue, but in my case, it was related to improper sealing of the back door against the beading. I got the door set properly in 2018, and all was well after that.

That beading was my first suspect. I had the door adjusted. Even after that the leakage persisted. And I had checked for wetness on the inner side of the beading. It was dry.
Now I am waiting for the lock-down restrictions to ease, so that I can take it out in the rains.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wbd8779 (Post 5084750)

My 2 cents
Pros
space
handling - for a body on frame its great
Very robust mechanicals if not abused - In stock form its won the Desert Storm in the capable hands of Sunny Sidhu

Cons
Lack of spares support - they are incredibly cheap in the USA and but shipping costs and customs remain a challenge
AC - Lack of cooling at standstill , not topicalised for India

Thanks a lot for the speedy response. Never knew we had GV XL-7 owners here as well. Could you comment on the 3rd row of seats? Are they useful for folks upto 5'8"? I read that the 2nd row slides forward and back if one were to slide it forward would there be enough room to seat someone in both the 2nd and 3rd rows? Also with the 2nd row slid all the way back, is there actually a lot of legroom? Thanks for the tip on the aircon I'm surprised they didn't get that right. Is there any quick fix/easy upgrade possible to rectify the weak AC?

Quote:

Originally Posted by wbd8779 (Post 5084909)

Oh how I rue the NGT looking at these pics ! You have touched a raw nerve today by asking about the XL7 @ishanian

I'm sorry about that. Even I feel like the NGT ban was quite unfortunate especially for well maintained cars like yours that could easily serve the owner well for several more years and impact the environment far less harmfully than forcing the owner to buy a new car. I hope some day we actually get people qualified in the automotive and transport field, to run the show here. Our roadways and transportation laws all make absolutely no sense at the moment :Frustrati

Not sure if this is the right thread to post this. While at a garage getting some work done for my Gypsy here in Bangalore, I found this discarded Grand Vitara. This is now being moved away for scrapping I'm given to understand. This seemed to have been used for rallies. Anyone looking for parts, especially exterior trims etc, which is difficult to source(I guess) may be interested. Anyone in case keen on cannibalizing parts can DM me and I shall share the garage owner's number.

I replaced my tyres today after 40K kms. The GV is currently at 149,200kms.

The tyres choices have changed quite a bit since I changed last time in 2016.

I got the Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015, which is an improved version of A/T-S. Only 4 tyres this time, one of the old tyres became the spare tyre.

Details: https://www.yokohama-india.com/produ...landar-at-g015

The selected tyres were not in stock. So I had to wait for an hour for the tyres to arrive.

The First Grand Vitara on Team-BHP-tire3.jpg

As a result I got tyres that were only a week old. :D

The First Grand Vitara on Team-BHP-tire2.jpg

The First Grand Vitara on Team-BHP-tire1.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samurai (Post 616780)

Nov 3rd: At 5:30PM the dealership MD hands me the keys along with a bottle of champagne while posing for a photograph. The drive out of Mangalore was terrible, the roads were under repair or new construction. Basically it was SUV territory, soon we were running circles around other trucks and cars that were negotiating the roads. It was night when we reached home.

That was exactly 14 years ago. After 14 years and 150,000kms later, Grand Vitara is still my primary family. I still drive on plenty of bad roads every month, and there is no modern SUV with a huge tyre profile like Grand Vitara.

I would like to have a modern car or a more powerful car, but not at the cost of losing the bad road munching ability. That is a compromise I am not willing to make. It still fills the role it was bought for perfectly and my family still loves it. I installed Old Man Emu suspension 4 years ago and brand new tyres last month. The maintenance cost is really cheap, and the service quality is excellent. The alloys have zero bends even after all those years of pothole hopping. As long as it keeps running perfectly and spares are available, looks like I am going to keep it.

I second that opinion. The Grand Vitara is much more trouble free compared to my 2008 Santro. Not bad considering I really hammer it over bad roads while the Santro currently only does gym runs on butter smooth roads. I have got 1 alloy wheel that is badly out of balance without any visible damages. It has been relegated to the stepney.

And after adjusting for Synthetic oil used in the Grand Vitara servicing costs are comparable.
I will be renewing the registration for 5 more years in 2022. I only hope the spares parts situation does not deteriorate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samurai (Post 5189809)

My head unit is really getting long in the tooth. I want replace it with an android HU, what are my options these days? Don't want to risk AliExpress anymore.

I mainly need MP3 player, Google Maps and reversing camera.

While there are a lot of Android HUs of Chinese origin in the market, I'd recommend Sony/Pioneer HUs which get Android Auto/Apple Car Play support for your simple needs. I somehow don't trust those locally branded Chinese Stuff.

For example: Sony

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samurai (Post 5189809)

Go for the Sony https://www.sony.co.in/electronics/i...specifications

Or the 5500.

The one Leoshashi suggested is also good but the screen is resistive touch so not as responsive as the 5000 capacitive one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vid6639 (Post 5189842)

The one Leoshashi suggested is also good but the screen is resistive touch so not as responsive as the 5000 capacitive one.

Yes, just gave an example, your recommendations will surely be superior. :)

Absolutely hate those android HUs with hi-tech names. :D. Anything in Sony will be far better.

Regards,
Shashi

Blaupunkt had a good Android unit a few months ago. Due to all the turmoil in the market you will need to see if it is still available.

I was looking at the options in 2019. Finally decided to go for a standard Blaupunkt HU and rely on my mobile for maps. And nowadays I conciously try to go back to my old navigating methods of paper maps and road signs.