[Sai Narayan]

svaid:

This is one of the best reviews I have ever come across!! Mentioned in my Introduction as well. Thanks for posting this review about i10 which did had an impact on me...

[Punzabi]

@svaid, very much informative, well written and nicely narrated thread. Congrats on that. I have recently (Sept 09) bought an i10 kappa sports for my parents and had an opportunity to get behind the wheel. I live abroad and haven't driven too much an Indian car before, So my experience with i10 could be more of a comparison with a non Indian car but can't hold my horses to share it fellow i10 owners.Some observations on this korean creation are:

• exterior build quality felt like made of paper thin steel. After getting back from India when I drove my Astra here in kangrooland it felt like made of bulletproof steel.
• on rough roads I could hear Mr. kappa (picked it from svaid's one of posts) rattling. (felt like its coming from front passenger side window but could never trace the exact location).
• Steering extra-extra smooth (may be its a boon for Indian traffic conditions) or may be its just me,as I am used to a little heavier (read it normal) Power steering (for first 2 days after returning from India, every time time I drove my Astra, it felt like I am driving a truck despite the fact it was power steering).
• While driving i10 every time I held down the clutch, I could literally feel the vibrations coming from even a smooth road.
• On low speeds (esply 2 gear @ 20km/h)with Aircon on, felt like car ran out of breath and at times experienced engine knocking. (unexpected from 1.2 cc)
• Reverse gear did give me hard time, but from this thread I learnt its a known issue with most of (it not all) i10s.

Don't have enough material to write about dealer experience as dad took the delivery & also been to service centre for first check visit @1200 kms on odo and on both ocasions I wasn't in the country.

Regards
Punzabi

[svaid]

Originally Posted by Punzabi

@svaid, very much informative, well written and nicely narrated thread.

Originally Posted by Sai Narayan

This is one of the best reviews I have ever come across!! Thanks for posting this review about i10 which did had an impact on me...

Thanks folks - really appreciate and respect your feedback.

Originally Posted by Punzabi

* exterior build quality felt like made of paper thin steel. After getting back from India when I drove my Astra here in kangrooland it felt like made of bulletproof steel.

While I wont say that the build quality is extra ordinary but at the same time its not flimsy as well. May be this comes from your experience with your previous cars. You might like to have a look at cars from other manufacturers in the same segment to have a feel of build quality. Except for FIAT cars - none of the others really look solid from an external build quality perspective.

* on rough roads I could hear Mr. kappa (picked it from svaid's one of posts) rattling. (felt like its coming from front passenger side window but could never trace the exact location).

Just to be sure remove everything from the glove box and passenger side door pocket and then try. Sometimes its just the vibrations from those objects there which one could take for a rattle.

* Steering extra-extra smooth (may be its a boon for Indian traffic conditions) or may be its just me,as I am used to a little heavier (read it normal) Power steering (for first 2 days after returning from India, every time time I drove my Astra, it felt like I am driving a truck despite the fact it was power steering).

The modern day hatches are aimed for city driving where a light steering is one of the most important requirements and hence your observation. Additionally - you might also like to get a feel of the steering at higher speed in case you plan to drive more. You might find it a bit more responsive to your liking.

* While driving i10 every time I held down the clutch, I could literally feel the vibrations coming from even a smooth road.

Couldnt understand your observation. Ideally vibrations should come regardless of your clutch position if its suspension related.

* On low speeds (esply 2 gear @ 20km/h)with Aircon on, felt like car ran out of breath and at times experienced engine knocking. (unexpected from 1.2 cc)

I have repeatedly mentioned in my updates that low end performance of Mr. Kappa is not good. In harsh words - it almost feels sluggish in back to back traffic conditions. It comes in to its own self only beyond 1500 RPM

* Reverse gear did give me hard time, but from this thread I learnt its a known issue with most of (it not all) i10s.

Don't have enough material to write about dealer experience as dad took the delivery & also been to service centre for first check visit @1200 kms on odo and on both ocasions I wasn't in the country.

Would like to hear more about your experiences with the car. Do update whenever you have time.

[blackasta]

Just a couple of points from my end

Originally Posted by Punzabi

.Some observations on this korean creation are:

• exterior build quality felt like made of paper thin steel. After getting back from India when I drove my Astra here in kangrooland it felt like made of bulletproof steel.
  
  Oh yes. My friend suffered a sideswipe accident (the other guy tried to overtake from left and turn right) in NYC on my 10 year old Mazda, and all that needed to be changed was the broken plastic bumper and headlamps. Body suffered a thud but had only scars - gone after touchup.
  My i10 was stationary in a red light, and a sumo comes and bangs it by the rear left quarter with similar force. Result - big dent!
  
  
• on rough roads I could hear Mr. kappa (picked it from svaid's one of posts) rattling. (felt like its coming from front passenger side window but could never trace the exact location).
  
  I felt the same - only problem is that the issue is not repeatable!
  
  
• Steering extra-extra smooth (may be its a boon for Indian traffic conditions) or may be its just me,as I am used to a little heavier (read it normal) Power steering (for first 2 days after returning from India, every time time I drove my Astra, it felt like I am driving a truck despite the fact it was power steering).
  
  Feel the same. But one requires that kind of EPS steering response to wiggle through Indian traffic. Surely a balanced HPS is better any day for proper driving.
  
  
• While driving i10 every time I held down the clutch, I could literally feel the vibrations coming from even a smooth road.
  
  Drive an A/T here - no clutch. But the vibrations come in via the suspension I guess. Sometimes its reassuring that I have the proper road feel.
  
  
• On low speeds (esply 2 gear @ 20km/h)with Aircon on, felt like car ran out of breath and at times experienced engine knocking. (unexpected from 1.2 cc)
  
  No engine knocking - A/T drives smoothly all the way.
  
  
• Reverse gear did give me hard time, but from this thread I learnt its a known issue with most of (it not all) i10s.

Don't have enough material to write about dealer experience as dad took the delivery & also been to service centre for first check visit @1200 kms on odo and on both ocasions I wasn't in the country.

Regards
Punzabi

[Punzabi]

Sorry folks for a delayed response.

• As I complained about some interior rattle in my previous post, I did make sure there's nothing in the door pockets. Even removed coins or any object capable of making any noise from the car but still noise was persistent and made its presence on rough roads.

• About experiencing vibrations on pushing the clutch down, I should've said feeling suspension (Thanks svaid for the hint). It could be the way Mr kappa is built. What I wanted to convey was, every time I pushed clutch down, I could feel "Front suspension in action" with my foot.(this may be due to the fact its a hatch, its economic and built light to get more milage).

For more observations from my side, you guys might have to wait till my next vacation in India. But would keep a close eye in this thread to learn more from fellow Tbhpian i10 owners.

Regards
Punzabi

[svaid]

This happened in last week of October. Early morning while going to office( Noida ), I was going over the Modi Mill flyover taking a left towards Ashram. This left actually is an exit from the flyover to the road below. I had an M800 in the front which was also taking the left. Suddenly a vegetable vendor on a Rickshaw who had to go straight swerves right and comes in front of M800 and M800 does a panic braking and so do I. I manage to stop safely behind the M800.

A guy on a bike who is just behind me is not that quick to react and he bangs his front tyre in to the rear bumper of Mr. Kappa. I feel a big jerk inside the cabin. A couple of cars behind that bike also bang into each other. The bike guy quickly swirls to the right - smiles and indicates to me that there is no significant damage and speeds away without bothering to stop. I quickly get down and check the damage. There is a dent in the bumper just below the number plate which is pretty visible and spoils the day for me.

I get back in to the car, curse my fate and slowly move on. There is little you can do in such situations but it feels all the more bad when it actually happens.

Following are few pics of the dent[ Notice the area below the number plate ]. I am still undecided how to proceed on getting this repaired. Your feedback would be appreciated.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by svaid

This happened in last week of October. ....

I had a similar experience - only it was a sumo that hit my left rear panel, below the fuel cap.

I also have gathered another dent (running board - HUGE stone), nick (right rear door bottom - careless gateman of a small shopping arcade), and paint scratches above front left tire (again a sumo) and left mirror (private bus).

Some of these might be due to my fault as I am only driving in India since getting my i10 (2+ month) and have earlier only driven in US.

I plan to get them all fixed at once.

What I plan is, and advise you, is to take a quote from Hyundai A.S.S, and if the amount covered by insurance exceeds the NCB, then get it fixed by insurance - else do a out of pocket repair.

[DieselFan]

Originally Posted by blackasta

I had a similar experience - only it was a sumo that hit my left rear panel, below the fuel cap.

I also have gathered another dent (running board - HUGE stone), nick (right rear door bottom - careless gateman of a small shopping arcade), and paint scratches above front left tire (again a sumo) and left mirror (private bus).

Some of these might be due to my fault as I am only driving in India since getting my i10 (2+ month) and have earlier only driven in US.

I plan to get them all fixed at once.

What I plan is, and advise you, is to take a quote from Hyundai A.S.S, and if the amount covered by insurance exceeds the NCB, then get it fixed by insurance - else do a out of pocket repair.

No Insurance will pay for multiple damages all in one go. Also insurance will not pay for damages beyond 2 weeks. Keep this in mind before going to HASS or insurance.

[svaid]

Originally Posted by blackasta

I also have gathered another dent (running board - HUGE stone), nick (right rear door bottom - careless gateman of a small shopping arcade), and paint scratches above front left tire (again a sumo) and left mirror (private bus).

How bad is the damage on your car? From the looks of the dent on my i10 - it appeared to me that some local guy would be able to remove the dent by striking some force from the inside the bumper to get the dented thing out.

However I dont exactly know where to try and get it rectified? I am sure Hyundai guys would just mint money for doing this. For scratches and all - I am planning to get touch-up done on next service.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

No Insurance will pay for multiple damages all in one go. Also insurance will not pay for damages beyond 2 weeks. Keep this in mind before going to HASS or insurance.

I guess then my only options are to take quotes from HASS and a good external workshop, and go with the cheaper one.

[svaid]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

No Insurance will pay for multiple damages all in one go. Also insurance will not pay for damages beyond 2 weeks. Keep this in mind before going to HASS or insurance.

This is absolutely right and this is infact the norm.

However - depending upon the kind of damage and how one one damage can be related to other ( eg some damage on fender and front door can possibly be clubbed and claimed as to have happened together ) - it is possible to claim for insurance. End of the day - the call is taken by the guy who comes for inspection from the insurance agency.

The workshop guys ( based on their experience ) can give a good feedback on whether a given set of damages can be clubbed and claimed together or not. @BlackAsta - You can get their feedback and see if they indicate that it is possible to club the damage in to one.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by svaid

@BlackAsta - You can get their feedback and see if they indicate that it is possible to club the damage in to one.

No way man! They are in different locations and are of different types (eg: dent with no paint scratch / paint scratch with no dent / both dent and paint scratch)

Feels real bad to see a 2 month old car messed up with scratches and dents like this - never had a single scratch/dent on my 10 year old beauty in US - and yes - I drove in NYC a lot.

[Punzabi]

@svaid & @blackasta: I can understand your situation. Experiencing even a minor damage to a new (or an year old) car, skips your heartbeat. Hyundai A.S.S would be a rip off for sure. I gave my 2 weeks old Mr. Kappa some scratches on right hand side right below B pillar on the front & back doors whilst I was in India in October this year. Took my bruised car to service station the very next day and service supervisor advised me that fixing less than 5 inch long and ~2 inch wide (not really deep though)scratches would cost me 7 grands . He insisted I should file an insurance claim and so I did. I don't know whether that service advisor tried to be realy helpful or made his life easier (god knows in what ways)!! I paid only Rs/- 500 and rest was taken care by insurance (United India insurance that was I believe).

@blackasta: you got a company here regarding having a hard time with bad drivers on indian roads. I have no problem driving abroad either but on indian roads I feel nurvous. There are two species you see on Indian roads; drivers and Cannibals (sorry bad drivers couldn't find more appropriate word for you). Every time I drove, I experienced heavy cannibalism on roads. Some even sitting on the driver seats of premium vehicles. All it needs is common sence to be on road but majority doesn't carry it along. By the look of it, it seems they like travelling braindead....

Wish you all safe driving, wish me back too as I'd need it next time I am home.

[Gandhi]

Hey svaid, you may want to have a look at this post. Some of the i20 owners are facing similar issue of rattling from steering column and looks like Hyundai has suggested to replace bush in the steering column.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post1588158

[gupta_chd]

Originally Posted by iPai

Hi svaid,
Even i get that irritating sound somewhere between the steering and the front glass. I don't know how to describe it. Sounds like a light 'Kirrrrr'
continuosly.

Do let me know if you got it solved. My car is due for service on 3rd november. Exactly one year after i bought it

My i10 had the same kind of sound when I bought it last year. Thought that it comes somewhere from the dashboard. When I got it checked at Hyundai workshop, it was actually coming from the inside rear view mirror. There is some pin in the hinge which was making it. The guy opened it, did something and and again fastened it. Never did the sound come again.

Though when he told me that it is coming from the mirror, I could not believe him even after hearing that sound again. It always looked to be coming from the dashboard. The very idea of getting the dashboard open to fix the sound had always petrified me.


If you want to confirm this, just press and hold the hinge of IRVM when the sound is coming, if it stops with the press, it means it comes from there, otherwise somewhere else.