[gpa]

55,000 KMS Service Update

The Alto has seen very minimal running in the past year and recently touched the 55,000 kms mark. I had replaced the OEM battery a few weeks earlier and since it had been a year since the last service and oil change, I decided to drop the car in for a service yesterday, Dec 10.

It was a routine service that included a change of engine oil (The Shell helix HX5 15W40 which I supplied), oil filter, cleaning of the brake drums, discs and the brake caliper pin greasing. The SA tried pushing a few extras like engine flush, de-carbonizing but I politely turned him down and asked him to change the wiper blades instead.

This was the 9th paid service/55,000 kms: Rs. 2516 + Rs. 786 for 3 litres of Shell Helix HX5 15W40. Labor rates for the service at M.A.S.S have shot up 15% in just one year!

[aneezan]

Hi gpa,
What's the latest on your Alto? Have you sold it? My Alto has just completed 41,000 Kms and the run has been good.

[gpa]

The running of the car has been very minimal over the last one year. This is the second straight year where the running has been ~5,000 kms.

The car touched the 60,000 kms mark a few weeks ago and since the running has been very minimal, I opted to do a quick oil change instead of a full service.

I looked for the usual Shell Helix HX5 15W40 which I have been using since a while now but was unable to find it in any of the Shell stations. Instead I bought three one-litre bottles of Shell Helix HX7 10W40 semi-synth oil instead for a total of Rs.1,200. If you compare the two (HX5 15W40 & HX7 10W40) its a marginal price differential of around Rs.400 for three litres so I decided to go ahead.

I drove in to my usual M.A.S.S and asked for a quick oil & oil filter change and the total was Rs.337 (Rs.78 for the oil filter & Rs.220 for labour)

While at the service station, I noticed that they have an automatic engine and gear oil dispensing machine installed since my last visit in December last year. I was talking to my SA and he mentioned that once the quantity of oil for the engine is entered into the system, it dispenses the exact amount automatically via a long dispensing tube which is pulled from the ceiling. It dispenses different grades of oil depending on the spec of the engine via individual nozzles.

This is the first time I've seen this installed in a M.A.S.S and it will put to rest all the concerns of over-filling and adulteration of engine oil.

[Gansan]

I have seen such a dispenser at MSM for the past one year. They are filling MGO 5W30 as standard for all the engines. If we want 20W 40, we should ask for it specifically.

I too switched over to HX-7 during the last service and find it to be ok. HX-5 is very much available here though.

[gpa]

7 years and 70,000 KMS Update.

My Alto completed 7 years on May 24, 2015 and since I've not had time for an update here, I'm posting a consolidated report.

65,000 kms Major Service Update

The car touched 65,000 kms in December 2014 and it was due for a major service since over the past two years (2012 and 2013) and 10,000 kms, I had only changed the engine oil and oil filter and nothing more since my running was less than 5,000 kms a year. I drove into Mandovi Motors, Yeshwantpur on Dec 7, 2014 and got to know that my trusted Service Advisor Mr. Thimme Gowda had quit some time during the year and so i was attended to by another SA. My instructions were simple and the list of work is given below

• Replace engine oil and oil filter
• Replace engine coolant
• Replace air filter
• Replace fuel filter
• Replace spark plugs (NGK only)
• Replace brake fluid
• Brake bleeding and caliper greasing
• Clean front and rear brake shoes and drums
• Remove and clean throttle body
• Adjust valve clearances

I spent the better part of that Sunday morning overlooking the work on my car. While the car was on the ramp, I noticed the suspension lower arm ball joints had given way and the cracked and so made the SA replace that component as well.

Since M.A.S.S had switched to the automatic dispensing machines for engine oil, I decided against using Shell Helix HX7 10W40 semi-synth oil that i used during the last oil change. They instead filled Shell MGO 15W40 engine oil. After driving 5,000 kms on the MGO, I must say that the Shell Helix HX7 10W40 semi-synth oil delivers far better performance especially on cold starts and mid-revving (1,500-3,500 RPMS) one encounters in the city.

Over the past 70,000 kms, I have used a few combinations of oils including fully synth but have noticed that the best performance is on Shell Helix HX7 10W40 semi-synth or Shell Helix HX5 15W40 mineral oil. When I change the oil in Dec this year, I am going back to the semi-synth brew from Shell.

This was the Alto's 12th complete service at the 65,000 kms mark cost me Rs.9,639. The car had covered 10,000 kms since I changed the stock MRF tyres to Michelin XM2 at the odo reading of 55,514 kms in Dec 2012 and so a few weeks later, I took the car to Madhus for a complete wheel alignment, road force balancing and tyre rotation which cost me Rs.720

Update on May 24, 2015

My Alto completed 7 years of fuss-free ownership on May 24 this year. I renewed the insurance policy with a 50% NCB (no claims in 7 years) with Maruti Insurance for Rs.3254. I have been using the Alto sparingly since the past few years but since the past two months, my brother-in-law has been using the car as his daily drive to work and is very surprised at the overall smoothness of the engine and the car as a whole and fuel efficiency he is getting. The Alto just crossed the 70,000 kms mark last week and I decided it was about time I posted an update here.

I have not been able to measure the FE accurately but from what I have been told over the past few months, the car consistently delivers about 17-18 kmpl in Bangalore's city traffic. This is very good for a 7 year old vehicle and just goes to prove that manufacturer specified routine maintenance is all that's needed to keep the Alto running in top form.

Once my BIL get his own set of wheels, I will do a few tankful-to-tankful FE calculations and post my FE update here.

Upcoming Work

The car has its fair share of minor battle scars and I am planning to give it to a good garage to tidy her up in the next few months.

The a/c system was last recharged at M.A.S.S in Dec 2011 and I did notice that the cooling has dropped a tiny bit during this year's summer and an a/c gas top-up is due. With the onset of the monsoons now, I can easily push this work for another few months.

Service History - 7 Years and 70,000 kms

I have maintained a detailed service and maintenance/replacement history files and below is a small update.

• 1st free service/1,000 kms: Rs.636
• 2nd free service/5,000 kms: Rs.2088
• 3rd free service/10,000 kms: Rs.778 + Rs.2000 for 3 litres of Mobil 1 5W50 - Rs.2778
• 4th paid service/20,000 kms: Rs.2974 + Rs.1725 for the Mobil 10W40, NGK plugs and Gear Oil - Rs.4699
• 5th paid service/26,500 kms: Rs. 1393 + Rs. 850 for 4 litres of Mobil Super XHP 10W40 - Rs.2243
• 6th paid service/30,000 kms: Rs. 2585 + Rs. 915 for 4 litres of Shell Helix HX5 15W40 - Rs.3500
• 7th paid service/35,000 kms: Clutch Overhaul and oil change/34,816 kms: Rs.3722 + Rs.702 for 3 litres of Shell Helix HX5 15W40 - Rs.4424
• 8th paid service and body alignment/40,000 kms: Rs.4436 Service + Rs. 1379 Body Alignment + Rs.932 for 4 litres of Shell Helix HX5 15W40 + Rs. 330 NGK spark plugs + Rs.2547 RHS headlamp assembly + Rs.1162 front bumper + Rs.500 LHS ORVM - Rs.11,286
• 9th paid service/50,000 kms: Rs.3135 + Rs.786 for 3 litres of Shell Helix HX5 15W40 - Rs.3921
• 10th paid service/55,000 kms: Rs.2516 + Rs.786 for 3 litres of Shell Helix HX5 15W40 - Rs.3302
• 11th paid service/60,000 kms: Rs.337 + Rs.1200 for 3 litres of Shell Helix HX7 10W40 semi-synth oil - Rs.1537
• 12th paid service/65,000 kms: Rs.9639

[ar.abc]

Originally Posted by gpa

7 years and 70,000 KMS Update.

My Alto completed 7 years on May 24, 2015 and since I've not had time for an update here, I'm posting a consolidated report.

First of all congratulations for owning the most reliable urban commuter of India and from your review I can see that you have surely enjoyed every moment spent with your Alto. I myself own an Alto Lxi 2008 model (wine red colour) bought in Nov 2008. Till date it has completed almost 9 years and 81k kms.

My dad bought this car and since the first day I myself and my sister have been driving this little beauty apart from a few occasions when it was driven by a driver when my parents wanted to use the car. From city roads to highways and no roads, our Alto has seen it all and has never let us down. Only recently, our Alto gave up in the middle of the road on 3 occasions out of which once it was the driver's fault as he drove the car in a flooded area. Apart from this, once the coolant pipe broke and all coolant leaked which resulted in overheating and once there was some problem in fuel supply line. We maintained the car in Maruti authorised dealer workshop till 7 years and since then it has been serviced by a trusted local mechanic until recently I tried out a good local workshop 'S K Carzone' in Navi Mumbai.

In these 9 years and 81k kms, our Alto has undergone change of 4 tyres once (changed to CEAT tubeless tyres), front suspension replacement, front and rear shock absorber replacement, battery replacement once, clutch replacement twice and other regular minor replacements. If you are getting 18 kmpl mileage, then it is pretty good. I have not checked mileage recently, but last time when I checked mileage, it was around 15-16 kmpl when my sister used the car for daily commute to her office.

Your review inspires me to write my own experience with my Alto. Two months back we spent a good 20k to do some major and much needed repairs. Today, I took her to 3M car care and gave an interior germkleen and outside body shampoo treatment. Now she looks and feels ready to keep going strong and cross that 1L mark. However, we are also contemplating about selling off the Alto as she is ageing and we dont use it regularly as there is another car in the family. I think before we bid goodbye to her, I will pen down a detailed report about our beloved Alto.

[gpa]

Originally Posted by ar.abc

First of all congratulations for owning the most reliable urban commuter of India and from your review I can see that you have surely enjoyed every moment spent with your Alto.

Thank you, for your kind words. I truly have enjoyed the car and as of today, the car has completed 9+ years, covered 87,000 kms, is on the second battery (OEM battery replaced in Nov 2012), second set of tyres (OEM MRF tyres replaced at the 55k mark on the odo) and yet soldiers on reliably and so I have no plans to sell it since it is a great city car in Bangalore's heavy traffic.

A long-term update is more than overdue so do watch this thread for a major update in a few days.

Originally Posted by ar.abc

Now she looks and feels ready to keep going strong and cross that 1L mark. However, we are also contemplating about selling off the Alto as she is ageing and we dont use it regularly as there is another car in the family. I think before we bid goodbye to her, I will pen down a detailed report about our beloved Alto.

My advice - do not sell the car if there are no problems. Upkeep and maintenance is very cheap and so will the insurance renewals.

[ar.abc]

Originally Posted by gpa

My advice - do not sell the car if there are no problems. Upkeep and maintenance is very cheap and so will the insurance renewals.

Thank you for your valuable advice. In fact I am not willing to sell our Alto. Today after the cleaning treatment the car got a new lease of life and even dad was somewhere convinced with me that we should keep her as of now. After 2 years I am sure once sister will be back from her higher studies, she will exchange the Alto for a new car. Lets see if all is well with her at that time, then I may try to convince her to buy herself a new car and leave the Alto with me! . As of now I am enjoying the Alto.

[bharatmarch]

This fantastic thread has been quiet for 3 years! Admire your Alto, awaiting for a long term review please.