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-   -   The First Grand Vitara on Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/30922-first-grand-vitara-team-bhp-99.html)

^^ The Grand Vitara does not have a siren because she is already a siren.clap:

Welcome my dear chap. A 2.4AT is indeed a rare find.
You would have read my views on changing the AT fluid and the rather convulted way of doing it. So, rather that repeat that, I will only urge you to get that done asap.
And, when you change the differential and transfer case oils, ensure that they change the rear diff oils. Most MASS forget that there is a rear diff!

BTW, I finally reached Udupi and reached my Grand Vitara that was parked for 4 months. Battery was mostly drained, it was just enough for cabin light and dashcam. But it was not enough for any mechanical stuff like central locking, let alone cranking.

The entire dash and the seats had thin layer of mold like this.



The battery was almost 5 years old, so I was planning to replace it anyway. So the local MASS Service Omni came with a new Amaron Go 65AH. The old battery could not even be jump-started. So they replaced the battery even to take it to the workshop.



The petrol had thickened in the 4 month long forced vacation. So I gave away about 15 liters of thick petrol, got the fuel tank cleaned. All electricals checked up and interiors cleaned.



In total, the damage was 10K, including the battery. That 28% GST for battery is pure robbery by the government. :mad:

The Grand Vitara has two kinds of threat deterrent. One is a silly one, the other is real one.

1) There is a red light blinking on the dashboard when the car is parked. That gives the impression that the car has a theft alarm. It is a fake indicator. Kind of silly, but it may work with some uninformed thieves.
2) This one works with informed thieves. It is a petrol SUV, that is a big red flag for thieves, and keeps them at bay.

The battery was totally discharged, as expected.

The donor car engine would have had to run for at least 20 mins with jump start cables connected to your car and only then your car could have been jump started.

Good that you got the battery changed right away, as the old battery would have again conked off in a month even after proper charging. The pic of your battery showed a lot of sulfation.

Oh; this is news. I've experienced petrol degradation only when the vehicle was left idle for, say, over 6 months. The vehicle wouldn't even start, and new fuel would be needed.

agree:

Happens every monsoon in my car. It doesn't help that I manage to get the door pads and front seats soaking wet every trip. I spray IsoPropyly Alcohol (30% dilution or full strength -depending on the severity)on all the affected surfaces and clean with a tissue/cloth. And do check the cabin air filter - that is a reservior of mold spores. The wipe is discarded and not reused. I also rub the stubborn areas with Dettol. Seems to work, though I do not have any scientific reason for Dettol working.

I also place an Absorbia in the trunk:-
https://www.amazon.in/dp/B00MHOY1B6/..._7fe-Eb0V3Z6VG
https://www.amazon.in/dp/B00MHQJ8KI/..._9ge-EbTBZHMDZ

Hope this helps.

Got it cleaned already.

Great idea, just ordered it.

Do remember to check the Absorbia container every few days. Sometimes it fills up in just a couple of days. You need to empty the collected liquid in the sink.
On an average I exhaust the 3 refills in 1 monsoon season.

You are lucky that there was no rat attack. Chewing wires is common but they can also get inside the cabin and chew up the upholstery/carpet.

If ever you guys find rats inside the cabin , check the pressure equaliser flap hidden behind the rear bumper , it gets stuck at times letting mice in . I had evidence of rats in the GV last year and found that the flap wasn't working as intended .

Getting rid of them from the engine bay is another matter altogether , my solution is to have the car move around the 3 parking slots I have every few days ,no other solution has worked .

I narrowly missed this happening, though i was using the car every 2 days. I happened to step out to meet a friend about 2km from where I live, my friend was curious to see the engine. When we opened the hood he immediately sensed there could be a mouse visiting the engine bay very often. He happened to notice some mouse droppings somewhere on the engine, when we searched carefully, this little devil was right there sitting next to the battery. Its surprising these things have mastered the art of surviving.

My GV came home (almost).

Since being on the hunt to find a 2.4 AT for last 2 years, and landing no results my heart skipped a beat when i saw not one but three GV's on Sale. 2 in BLR (one belonging to Freedom4037), one belonging to a dealer and one in Hyderabad.

I Took a test drive of the dealer one as it was closer to my house during the unlock phase-1. Freedom4037 lived too far from my house and we couldn't meet to finalize the deal.

I was in touch with the owner of the Hyd GV and we finally agreed at a sweet price for this beauty. Currently the car is with my mechanic in hyd getting the steering column and anti roll bar serviced. I will get a detailed cost by the weekend. Now the agony of getting her home starts with the lock down in place. I expect to receive delivery of the car in another 3-4 weeks depending on the lock/unlock situation.

PS: The car was test driven by a friend of mine and my mech for over 2 days prior to signing the deal and we found that the car is a steal at the price we got.

Hey guys, need help looking for a Grand Vitara 2.0/ 2.4 transmission irrelevant as a spare parts donor - front end. My younger one has bashed the front end after paniking with an argument with 4 rcc divider poles! please PM me. Thanks.

Have you checked this one ?
https://www.olx.in/item/maruti-suzuk...iid-1584623730

Finally the wait was over and the GV came home. Couldn't wait to pick it up and drove down to Tumkur to see her being unloaded from the car carrier and then drove back home.

Initial observations
1. Steering seems to be pretty hard ( need to have M.A.S.S ) look at it.
2. The engine is silk.
3. Awd grip is amazing could corner at much higher speeds than my nexon even with narrower tyres.
4. A/C doesn't work and M.A.S.S will provide an update
5. I feel Suspension is gone too old and may replace the entire setup with brand new SGP parts.

Upgrade/changes done
1. Ordered a head unit fascia unit to install a pioneer android auto head unit and reverese cams.
2. Threw the old tyres and upgraded to Michelin 235/70 R16 at 8200/ piece.

Heading over to MASS now to do a thorough check up for the next round of fixes.

Congrats.
Steering fluid change may do the trick to loosen up the steering. And new tyres.
A/C issues can be due to compressor clutch or leak in the pipes. Both are easily repairable by a local AC mechanic.
When changing the suspension refer to my posts re changing the full strut assly. particularly the brackets on top.
My views on changing the AT oil are well known. Do that when you change all the fluids.