Pete'd Accent Viva CRDi Ownership Report - Updated to 50K kms

mobike008 · 21st June 2008, 10:18

After my initial ownership report, I have been thinking of writing a long term review of my car after 10K-Couldn't- 20K- Just could not-- finally at 25K- I told myself enough is enough, better hitch up my pants and write up a report. So, here it is,

Bought my red beauty in Oct'06 to replace my 4 year old trusted hatchback ( Santro Zipplus) and since then have driven 25K+ kms till date. During my buying consideration days, i had also test drove the Verna ( the first car to arrive at Talwar, Jubliee Hills) and during the initial days of verna release, i simply didn't like its looks-found it too be small from outside and shape was also not that great.

And, in addition to this, it was costing over a lakh for a stock car ( whereas for Viva, i got several discounts and even got the alloys free) was difficult to accomodate on top of my already stretched budget.

Only positive aspects during my drive from Talwar to Cybertowers and back was the power of the car. It just stunned me and suddenly made the viva crdi feel quite inferior. But, then i also found the car to be really bouncy and this sealed the deal. I stuck to buying the viva as i was saving a lot of money that i can use for accessories.

i spent majority of my accessory budget on my ICE, I have the following in my car

HU: Pio 6850
Rear Co-axials: JBT GTO937
Front Components: Blaupaunkt ( Don't remember the model)
Amp 1 : JBL Monoblock 300.1
Amp 2: Sony 555 4-Channel
Sub-Woofer: JBL 1204B
Damping : I forgot the name of the brand, spent 4K, primarily for the boot sound deadening and little for the front door pads.

Fast forward, i am extremely happy with my decision as the car has it all :

a) Looks

In my opinion, I still think that it looks and handles much better than a
Verna. I find the suspension of Viva CRDi much stiffer and due to this there is absolutely no bounce almost until 150kmph and here is when things start getting a little rocky. Previous versions of CRDI didn't come with an Anti-roll bar and also had a softer suspension, probably this made a huge difference.

b) Power

Until this new realization ( read Pete's) dawned on me, I was completely happy with the power and used to immensly enjoy driving this car as its taut, tight in corners and fun car to drive. And, imagine all this still on stock tyres. Also, in its stock form, it can still smoke many cars

c) Fantastic A.S.S

Hyundai service never ceases to amaze me. Service is prompt, no delays in delivery and I am always handed out a bill which is much lower than the estimated service cost. In this age of fleecers galore, don't you love it?

d) Awesome built quality

There is hardly any difference in the interiors since i bought the car, it still looks as if it just stepped out of the showroom. Attached interior pictures may give you some indication ( taken only a day ago). And, rattles that we hear so much from different manafacturers is non-existent. Till date, not a single rattle allowing me to enjoy a silent and peaceful drive

e) Ownership cost

I have spent a total of approximately 3.5K till date on service cost of the car which translates to approximately 0.14 rupees/ km. This cost does not include wheel balancing and alignment which i typically do every 6k-8k kms and each visit costs be around Rs.600. The last time was at 17K kms. However, i test the alignment every once in a while and the car drives in a straight line with my hands off the wheel.

I get an average of 14kmpl in city drives ( 70% AC) with gear shift changes always between 2000-3000RPM. How can i change the gear at a lower range when i know the peak is between 1900-2800. I get 17+kmpl on highway drives. The maximum i got on a highway was around 19 kmpl. Therefore, owning this car hasn't pinched me at all.

I am extremely happy with my decision of buying this car and intend to keep it for another 3 years for sure.

Now let me come to the main topic ( i am sure there would be a lot more interest on the box than the ownership report).

Firstly, the credit goes to TBHP for providing such a fabulous medium of information. And, no surprises that i learnt about this box here more than a year ago. I was not so keen on the box as the CRDi is inherently quite powerful. As time flew and as you drive your car daily, you start feeling that your car isn't powerful anymore ( Heck, vRS owners find their 150 BHP's puny and getting it re-mapped to 240bhp/300 bhp) so i am more than justified.

I don't know whether to attribute this feeling to car ageing or plain driving it daily where your so used to it that you realize it isn't the same power horse it used to be.

I started grasping this feeling only lately, especially during the last tbhp drives. Out of all the drives we did with Hyd TBHP, i always prided myself for always being ahead of the pack. But, then Suren got himself a smacking new Verna and bang, things have changed for good. This was the iceing on my contemplating cake, have to get a pete's box!

So starting enquiring about it and then PM'ed Rippergeo and KB100 who were very helpful and i also give my credits to them to some extent for making me spend this money

We have only one dealer in Hyderabad for Pete's and they gave a quote of 19K and i placed an order with them on June 14th and i was told the box will be received by June 18 and finally got a call on 18th and i was excited for the day to end and drove straight to their office and got the box fitted. Here is my brief take on it:

Installation

The product is made of high quality materials and the connectors were also of good quality. They installed the box in the car and since there is no brackets provided, the box was fixed between the engine and air filter stuck with two plastic thingyes. I was peeking closely as they worked so i can do it myself if the need arised later to un-install and re-install in future.

I can say that it is indeed 20 minutes for installation if you have the tools and know what your doing. My installation took over 1 hour as connected the box in 20 minutes and spent over 45mins to figure out where to keep it safe. Accent has no place for even a small box like this. Wanted to keep it on the fuse box but the bonnet was hitting it. So finally got it fixed as described above.

Initial Impression

I thanked them and slowly headed out. They are located in paradise area which is always teeming with traffic, so i negotiated my way out and headed straight for the necklace road to check out the box. When i saw the open beautiful necklace road with little traffic i gently pressed the accelarator and found no difference? But, when i moved to 3rd gear and after 1500rpm it was a totally different animal. Initially never use to see the power until 1900rpm. It felt like i am driving a completely different car.

Accelaration :

Quite improved. In-gear accelaration also dramatically improved. Especially the 3rd and 4th gear. Previously, Accent loses out steam in 4th. But, now i can easily climb a steep while i am at 4th gear @30kmph and trust me, at <1000 rpm.

Midrange:

I was accelarating from 40kmph at 3rd gear at 1500 rpm and it took off like a rocket. Viva CRDi was always powerful in the 3rd gear ( i never liked its 1st and 2nd as much) and 4th gear until 2800 rpm and then it is out of steam. But, now even at 2000rpm in 4th gear the car jumped ahead as if a strong hand is pushing it from behind. It was pure bliss!

Driveability :

This is the major area of improvement. It is smoother in all gears and i can drive comfortably at lower gears at higher speeds. Another major difference is the car comes into the power band much earlier than before (i.e) 1500rpm instead of 1800rpm.

FE :

I am praying to god, it should not drop. Increase in FE would be a big thank-you laced with coconuts, Sweets and flowers

Top Whack :

I hit 120kmph on necklace road and didn't dare go beyond that as its a evening walkers and joy makers haven. But, i seriously doubt if it will improve the top whack. I have done 180kmph on NH4 during one of my trip to Goa as maximum and i think i could have pushed it a bit more but, not sure.

Dis-advantages

Why does the warranty of the car have to get void?
Remove and re-install before giving to service. You see, i am lazy!
Heard it will smoke a lot on hard accelaration. Not sure, as i need someone on my tail to confirm the same

Would i recommend to others: Oh Yeah, It certainly improves the driveability of the car, engine does become smooth and going overboard here but, difference is phenomenal not in terms of power but in other areas as described above. I hope it works like a charm during my entire ownership period.

Thanks for reading up guys and here are some random pictures of my car :

musicmanaman · 21st June 2008, 10:32

Very nice review, of a very nice car, with Pete's you seems to be enjoying the car even more.

Dippy · 21st June 2008, 10:39

Thats a very well written and comprehensive review. The car is serving you well and I guess you are addicted to the torque of the CRDi too. Well done and nice pictures as well. Whats with the bottle and glass photo?

mezereo · 21st June 2008, 10:43

Avi, you've did it.
nice review. and congrats on ur new Pete Box.

mobike008 · 21st June 2008, 10:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dippy

Thats a very well written and comprehensive review. The car is serving you well and I guess you are addicted to the torque of the CRDi too. Well done and nice pictures as well. Whats with the bottle and glass photo?

Thanks Dippy. Well, that photo is there just to show how pleased i am with my car

mobike008 · 21st June 2008, 10:55

Thanks Sriram and Musicman. Here is another picture of the interior

AshOnTheRocks · 21st June 2008, 11:10

Well really enjoyed reading your Accent CRDI review especially your take on Pete's box. Something for me to ponder once my Accent GLE gets on with age and hopefully the bug catches up with me as well to implant Pete's box.

Nice accompanying pics and wine and all! The car has served you well.Good show! Hope you are enjoying the music. The rear speaker placement in your car made me curious.Could you please describe..

Cheers
Ash

srijit · 21st June 2008, 11:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by mobike008

Driveability :

This is the major area of improvement. It is smoother in all gears and i can drive comfortably at lower gears at higher speeds. Another major difference is the car comes into the power band much earlier than before (i.e) 1500rpm instead of 1800rpm.

Shouldnt that be "higher gears at lower speeds"?

ps: Congrats. Enjoy your vehicle cheers:

mobike008 · 21st June 2008, 11:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by AshOnTheRocks

Well really enjoyed reading your Accent CRDI review especially your take on Pete's box. Something for me to ponder once my Accent GLE gets on with age and hopefully the bug catches up with me as well to implant Pete's box.

Nice accompanying pics and wine and all! The car has served you well.Good show! Hope you are enjoying the music. The rear speaker placement in your car made me curious.Could you please describe..

Cheers
Ash

Thanks Ash. Sorry to say you cannot fit a pete's box in your car as its petrol

Rear speakers are in company given location albiet via. an MDF board made specially to ensure no rattles. And, you bet the clarity and bass punch is to die for and especially after the dampening done.

Srijit, thanks for correcting. We tbhp folks are really meticulous, aren't we? We can never get away with even one mistake!

zoomingbhat · 21st June 2008, 11:45

You are enjoying the torque arent You.

Wish there was petes for Petrol engines too

The car pics are wonderful,And could you post the pictures of Petes installed.I wanted to see the location.

kkr2k2 · 21st June 2008, 11:55

ah! i am surprised of such an early report, as today is a weekend, i was expecting you to be off the city in your petefied waana be verna.

as for the peted car, NO COMMENTS till I drive it myself.

kutlee · 21st June 2008, 13:03

Good review. I think its time for another meet then. Who is the installer in Hyd?? Are you still using normal diesel?? How are your tyres now?

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoomingbhat

Wish there was petes for Petrol engines too

You have the boost. Check it out.

rohan_fonseca · 21st June 2008, 13:22

Great review Avi. Good to know that you finally took the plunge. Keep rocking!

zoomingbhat · 21st June 2008, 13:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by kutlee

You have the boost. Check it out.

Could you elaborate on that

aaggoswami · 21st June 2008, 13:34

Nice review. One more Pete-fied car. The performance gain is good, pulling from 1500 instead of 1900rmp is good gain.

Was there a drop in FE ?

21st June 2008, 10:18	#1
mobike008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 11,694 Thanked: 14,783 Times View My Garage	Pete'd Accent Viva CRDi Ownership Report - Updated to 50K kms After my initial ownership report, I have been thinking of writing a long term review of my car after 10K-Couldn't- 20K- Just could not-- finally at 25K- I told myself enough is enough, better hitch up my pants and write up a report. So, here it is, Bought my red beauty in Oct'06 to replace my 4 year old trusted hatchback ( Santro Zipplus) and since then have driven 25K+ kms till date. During my buying consideration days, i had also test drove the Verna ( the first car to arrive at Talwar, Jubliee Hills) and during the initial days of verna release, i simply didn't like its looks-found it too be small from outside and shape was also not that great. And, in addition to this, it was costing over a lakh for a stock car ( whereas for Viva, i got several discounts and even got the alloys free) was difficult to accomodate on top of my already stretched budget. Only positive aspects during my drive from Talwar to Cybertowers and back was the power of the car. It just stunned me and suddenly made the viva crdi feel quite inferior. But, then i also found the car to be really bouncy and this sealed the deal. I stuck to buying the viva as i was saving a lot of money that i can use for accessories. i spent majority of my accessory budget on my ICE, I have the following in my car HU: Pio 6850 Rear Co-axials: JBT GTO937 Front Components: Blaupaunkt ( Don't remember the model) Amp 1 : JBL Monoblock 300.1 Amp 2: Sony 555 4-Channel Sub-Woofer: JBL 1204B Damping : I forgot the name of the brand, spent 4K, primarily for the boot sound deadening and little for the front door pads. Fast forward, i am extremely happy with my decision as the car has it all : a) Looks In my opinion, I still think that it looks and handles much better than a Verna. I find the suspension of Viva CRDi much stiffer and due to this there is absolutely no bounce almost until 150kmph and here is when things start getting a little rocky. Previous versions of CRDI didn't come with an Anti-roll bar and also had a softer suspension, probably this made a huge difference. b) Power Until this new realization ( read Pete's) dawned on me, I was completely happy with the power and used to immensly enjoy driving this car as its taut, tight in corners and fun car to drive. And, imagine all this still on stock tyres. Also, in its stock form, it can still smoke many cars c) Fantastic A.S.S Hyundai service never ceases to amaze me. Service is prompt, no delays in delivery and I am always handed out a bill which is much lower than the estimated service cost. In this age of fleecers galore, don't you love it? d) Awesome built quality There is hardly any difference in the interiors since i bought the car, it still looks as if it just stepped out of the showroom. Attached interior pictures may give you some indication ( taken only a day ago). And, rattles that we hear so much from different manafacturers is non-existent. Till date, not a single rattle allowing me to enjoy a silent and peaceful drive e) Ownership cost I have spent a total of approximately 3.5K till date on service cost of the car which translates to approximately 0.14 rupees/ km. This cost does not include wheel balancing and alignment which i typically do every 6k-8k kms and each visit costs be around Rs.600. The last time was at 17K kms. However, i test the alignment every once in a while and the car drives in a straight line with my hands off the wheel. I get an average of 14kmpl in city drives ( 70% AC) with gear shift changes always between 2000-3000RPM. How can i change the gear at a lower range when i know the peak is between 1900-2800. I get 17+kmpl on highway drives. The maximum i got on a highway was around 19 kmpl. Therefore, owning this car hasn't pinched me at all. I am extremely happy with my decision of buying this car and intend to keep it for another 3 years for sure. Now let me come to the main topic ( i am sure there would be a lot more interest on the box than the ownership report). Firstly, the credit goes to TBHP for providing such a fabulous medium of information. And, no surprises that i learnt about this box here more than a year ago. I was not so keen on the box as the CRDi is inherently quite powerful. As time flew and as you drive your car daily, you start feeling that your car isn't powerful anymore ( Heck, vRS owners find their 150 BHP's puny and getting it re-mapped to 240bhp/300 bhp) so i am more than justified. I don't know whether to attribute this feeling to car ageing or plain driving it daily where your so used to it that you realize it isn't the same power horse it used to be. I started grasping this feeling only lately, especially during the last tbhp drives. Out of all the drives we did with Hyd TBHP, i always prided myself for always being ahead of the pack. But, then Suren got himself a smacking new Verna and bang, things have changed for good. This was the iceing on my contemplating cake, have to get a pete's box! So starting enquiring about it and then PM'ed Rippergeo and KB100 who were very helpful and i also give my credits to them to some extent for making me spend this money We have only one dealer in Hyderabad for Pete's and they gave a quote of 19K and i placed an order with them on June 14th and i was told the box will be received by June 18 and finally got a call on 18th and i was excited for the day to end and drove straight to their office and got the box fitted. Here is my brief take on it: Installation The product is made of high quality materials and the connectors were also of good quality. They installed the box in the car and since there is no brackets provided, the box was fixed between the engine and air filter stuck with two plastic thingyes. I was peeking closely as they worked so i can do it myself if the need arised later to un-install and re-install in future. I can say that it is indeed 20 minutes for installation if you have the tools and know what your doing. My installation took over 1 hour as connected the box in 20 minutes and spent over 45mins to figure out where to keep it safe. Accent has no place for even a small box like this. Wanted to keep it on the fuse box but the bonnet was hitting it. So finally got it fixed as described above. Initial Impression I thanked them and slowly headed out. They are located in paradise area which is always teeming with traffic, so i negotiated my way out and headed straight for the necklace road to check out the box. When i saw the open beautiful necklace road with little traffic i gently pressed the accelarator and found no difference? But, when i moved to 3rd gear and after 1500rpm it was a totally different animal. Initially never use to see the power until 1900rpm. It felt like i am driving a completely different car. Accelaration : Quite improved. In-gear accelaration also dramatically improved. Especially the 3rd and 4th gear. Previously, Accent loses out steam in 4th. But, now i can easily climb a steep while i am at 4th gear @30kmph and trust me, at <1000 rpm. Midrange: I was accelarating from 40kmph at 3rd gear at 1500 rpm and it took off like a rocket. Viva CRDi was always powerful in the 3rd gear ( i never liked its 1st and 2nd as much) and 4th gear until 2800 rpm and then it is out of steam. But, now even at 2000rpm in 4th gear the car jumped ahead as if a strong hand is pushing it from behind. It was pure bliss! Driveability : This is the major area of improvement. It is smoother in all gears and i can drive comfortably at lower gears at higher speeds. Another major difference is the car comes into the power band much earlier than before (i.e) 1500rpm instead of 1800rpm. FE : I am praying to god, it should not drop. Increase in FE would be a big thank-you laced with coconuts, Sweets and flowers Top Whack : I hit 120kmph on necklace road and didn't dare go beyond that as its a evening walkers and joy makers haven. But, i seriously doubt if it will improve the top whack. I have done 180kmph on NH4 during one of my trip to Goa as maximum and i think i could have pushed it a bit more but, not sure. Dis-advantages Why does the warranty of the car have to get void? Remove and re-install before giving to service. You see, i am lazy! Heard it will smoke a lot on hard accelaration. Not sure, as i need someone on my tail to confirm the same Would i recommend to others: Oh Yeah, It certainly improves the driveability of the car, engine does become smooth and going overboard here but, difference is phenomenal not in terms of power but in other areas as described above. I hope it works like a charm during my entire ownership period. Thanks for reading up guys and here are some random pictures of my car : Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Mpower : 23rd March 2010 at 18:32. Reason: removing pic of alcohol
	(1) Thanks

21st June 2008, 10:32	#2
musicmanaman BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: kolkata Posts: 927 Thanked: 25 Times	Very nice review, of a very nice car, with Pete's you seems to be enjoying the car even more.
	() Thanks

21st June 2008, 10:39	#3
Dippy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 7,557 Thanked: 2,459 Times	Thats a very well written and comprehensive review. The car is serving you well and I guess you are addicted to the torque of the CRDi too. Well done and nice pictures as well. Whats with the bottle and glass photo?
	() Thanks

21st June 2008, 10:43	#4
mezereo BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 126 Thanked: 3 Times View My Garage	Avi, you've did it. nice review. and congrats on ur new Pete Box.
	() Thanks

21st June 2008, 10:55	#6
mobike008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 11,694 Thanked: 14,783 Times View My Garage	Thanks Sriram and Musicman. Here is another picture of the interior Attached Thumbnails
	(1) Thanks

21st June 2008, 11:10	#7
AshOnTheRocks BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: New Delhi Posts: 107 Thanked: 5 Times	Well really enjoyed reading your Accent CRDI review especially your take on Pete's box. Something for me to ponder once my Accent GLE gets on with age and hopefully the bug catches up with me as well to implant Pete's box. Nice accompanying pics and wine and all! The car has served you well.Good show! Hope you are enjoying the music. The rear speaker placement in your car made me curious.Could you please describe.. Cheers Ash
	() Thanks

21st June 2008, 11:45	#10
zoomingbhat BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: bangalore Posts: 110 Thanked: Once View My Garage	You are enjoying the torque arent You. Wish there was petes for Petrol engines too The car pics are wonderful,And could you post the pictures of Petes installed.I wanted to see the location.
	() Thanks

21st June 2008, 11:55	#11
kkr2k2 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Melbourne, Hyd Posts: 1,294 Thanked: 66 Times View My Garage	ah! i am surprised of such an early report, as today is a weekend, i was expecting you to be off the city in your petefied waana be verna. as for the peted car, NO COMMENTS till I drive it myself.
	() Thanks

21st June 2008, 13:22	#13
rohan_fonseca BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Panaji Posts: 984 Thanked: 8 Times View My Garage	Great review Avi. Good to know that you finally took the plunge. Keep rocking!
	() Thanks

21st June 2008, 13:34	#15
aaggoswami Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Vadodara Posts: 4,982 Thanked: 2,930 Times	Nice review. One more Pete-fied car. The performance gain is good, pulling from 1500 instead of 1900rmp is good gain. Was there a drop in FE ?
	() Thanks