[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by kpzen

few questions -

1. Brake pads were not changed along with brake overhaul ?

2. Reason for EGR valve cleaning ? Smoke ?

3. Why intercooler was not cleaned ? AFAIK, good intercooler cleaning would cost in the range of 800/- unless they do a superficial cleaning without removing it.

1. Brake pads were changed at 35K kms and guess it's going strong. Usually for every service they clean up the brakes & pads and that's what is called a brake O/H as far as I understand.

2. EGR valve cleaning is recommended in the service manual for every 20K kms? I have never done this for the last 60K and did it as a preventive maintenance. I had read some where on this forum that if it's not cleaned - can lead to some serious problems in the DDiS engine. Smoke was very much within the acceptable limits, acceleration was good, but engine noise was definitely higher.

3. Because of the cost. In Bangy, it used to cost me just 250/- for proper cleaning [by removing it from the hood] in Surakshaa [I have the rate quoted in one of the previous posts] and I could not digest someone charging 750/- for the same. I will try and get it done from some local MA$$ after checking the rates. Remember, the bill was quite high this time owing to strut O/H, steering O/H etc; so didn't want to take the additional burden.

After the sevice the engine noise has reduced CONSIDERABLY! Yes, it's very low now and almost silent by diesel standards. Not sure what did the trick here; whether it's the oil change or EGR valve cleaning. Have to check whether the noise further subsides after inter-cooler cleaning, but NO I guess. Usually inter-cooler cleaning address smoke & acceleration issues from my past experiences.

The steering is feeling heavy after the O/H and feels tight too.

Originally Posted by M124

yes buddy i tried it twice. i will get a new pair of remotes.

Why do you need a "pair" of remotes? You could buy a single piece if one piece is working fine and it should solve the issue. I bought just one remote [I had lost one of the keys + remote] and they said at any point of time only 2 remotes will be active.

One tip here: Actually the service guys suggest that we keep interchanging the remotes every alternate month so that one key doesn't wear off quickly. That means, if you are using remote 1 this month, use remote 2 next month, use remote 1 the third month and so on. Hope you are doing this.

[GT500]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

In Bangy, it used to cost me just 250/- for proper cleaning [by removing it from the hood] in Surakshaa [I have the rate quoted in one of the previous posts] and I could not digest someone charging 750/- for the same. I will try and get it done from some local MA$$ after checking the rates. Remember, the bill was quite high this time owing to strut O/H, steering O/H etc; so didn't want to take the additional burden.

There seems to be a high variation in the labour charges it seems.
I had contacted maruti on this matter.

Apparently the labour charges are on an "hourly" basis, labour rate varying from city to city, but, the time specified for each job is fixed.

Now here are the quotes I received from the manager of the MASS near my locality.Car is a SWIFT D.

Front brake pads cleaning/overhauling- 350
Both front and rear brake overhauling - 550
Intercooler cleaning - 1000
EGR cleaning - 1850

The hourly rate is Rs.295

Something doesn't add up here.
FIRSTLY IF there is a variation of the hourly labour rates from delhi to bangalore ,one simply cannot expect a difference of Rs.1000 on the EGR cleaning!

SECONDLY, if hypothetically I go for the all brake overhaul,intercooler,EGR cleaning , it would theoretically take 12 hours for my car to be serviced!


I feel the labour charges are heavily dependent on the MASS and not standardized my Maruti.


I am still gathering information on this, It would be great to see a compilation of what people actually paid on one single thread , to make them aware if they're being ripped off.


GT

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by Gt500

Apparently the labour charges are on an "hourly" basis, labour rate varying from city to city, but, the time specified for each job is fixed.

Thanks for the details. But the problem I have is that within cities itself, the rates change quite drastically ! I enquired between two dealers of the same city and the rates are not standardized. Ideally Maruti should standardize the rates at least in each cities.

[swiftnfurious]

Updating the thread after a long time. Car now 4 years old & at 80,000 kms. Taking it for the service tomorrow.

Problems:

Intercooler leakage

Dad banged the car somewhere at 75,000 kms and the metal frame beneath the intercooler bend pushing the locks open and causing leakage. Took the car to a local reputed garage and the guy said he fixed it (He was really good with the work, but other chaps did raise a concern the way they were fiddling with it - decided I will NOT go back after the repairs). Drove around for a week and everything was perfect.

Me relocated somewhere but the car remained at home. Couple of days later, the car experienced heavy smoke during acceleration and power drop and max speed was around 40 kmph. Took the car to AVG motors, Kottayam and issue was diagnosed as a leak in the pipe connected to intercooler.

Replaced and everything was OK. One more week, one of the engine lights come on. Car went back to the showroom and was diagnosed as intercooler problem again. Fixed and sent back. 2 weeks later, the car was experiencing some sound from the front + heavy smoke again. This time the check was done, but they could NOT find any problems. Left the car for a day, drained oil and checked whether there was oil spillage, but confirmed negative. Just as my brother was taking delivery, there was huge sound from the engine bay and the car was taken back for inspection.

Found out numerous pieces of chocolate wrappers, foam, thermocol etc from the fan (?) which some rat used to build a home !!

Now am back home and took the car for a spin and noticed that one of the wheel bearings gone kaput. There is some metal clinging sound from the engine bay too.

In turbo zone, while pressing the clutch, there is a "hissss" sound. Took it to another MA$$ and they showed me that the intercooler is still leaking. Got the car back as they said ABS wheel bearing NOT in stock (estimate from a MGP vendor at 4500/- and imported wheel bearing at 1400/-) and takes 3 days to arrive. Intercooler replacement estimated at 4500/-. Last time I had a problem with one of the wheel bearing, it was replaced at 1000/- at a Bosch service centre in Thrissur. Not sure what are these rates. The MGP vendor infact quoted 4800/- for the intercooler!!

Taking the car to another branch of AVG motors as I heard the work is better there. Work planned :

1. Regular changes
2. Intercooler repair / replacement
3. Wheel bearing replacement
4. Suspension / steering overhaul

Will keep you guys posted.

To be frank, I lost my peace of mind owning this brilliant car. Thinking of selling this out. Sad part is IT STILL DRIVES LIKE A DREAM (apart from the niggles)! Dont want to sell it - everything depends on the service tomorrow. Am expecting a bill close to 15K.

Note:: The MGP vendor I am talking about is "Jubilee" at Kottayam (coming down from Kottayam Transport bus stand towards Aida, this is slightly ahead of Kalyan Silks). I am not sure why this guy is selling stuffs at this price. Others please do check for his prices please. If there are any reputed vendors in Kottayam, please do let me know.

[swiftnfurious]

Short Update: 80,000 kms

Went for the service today at AVG Motors, Thiruvalla. Went in at 8.40 AM and there was a bunch of SAs in the car reception area. Soon I parked the car, a guy came & greeted and enquired was it any repair of regular service. Soon one of them got into the drivers seat and we went for a short spin.

Problems acknowledged:

Wheel bearing busted
Intercooler leakage
Rattles
Suspension / steering bush worn out

Good part:

Intercooler problem diagnosed. The hose connecting has been torn. When I said the hose was replaced last month, more R&D went into it and they found the member frame beneath the intercooler is NOT straightened properly resulting in the intercooler remaining slant and the hose is touching A/C condenser pulley.

The car will go to body shop for repairing the frame. If they can't do it, they will replace the lower frame alone.

Cost estimate : 1500/- for repair, slightly more for replacement.

For the rest of the jobs, I was given an estimate of ~9500/-. The SA called up some time back and told me that the bill for regular service + suspension/steering overhaul + wheel bearing is 12,xxx/- (Wheel bearing costs 900/-, which was NOT included in the initial estimate).

I still feel the rates are higher than it should be and getting to scary levels for a Maruti.

Overall, a feel good factor with this service centre. The space is better than the Kottayam branch. SAs are pretty much on par (which are among GREAT in my rating) with the Kottayam branch. So I guess I will stick on to Thiruvalla branch going forth. Even if the MA$$ rates are high, I still prefer them for their knowledge levels and the expertise and am willing to pay a premium for the service.

Being an enthusiasts sucks at times as I bother about the car more than myself at times. Might take delivery tomorrow or day after. Will keep you guys posted on the progress.

Edit:: They also said the A/C is NOT efficient and said it's better to overhaul the system. Cost - 4000/- . Said it's NOT required as of now.

It's frustrating that I had done a steering / suspension overhaul last year (@ 55,000 kms) and I had to do it again now. Blame the crappy roads in my native. But the good news is, they just repaired MOST of those roads (advantage of being in the "Sabarimala" pilgrim stretch - roads are repaired every year before the main season) and I hope it remains good for atleast 9 months from now.

[swiftnfurious]

Update - 80,000 kms service

Car back after service. All problems sorted out and got a heavy bill of ~12K too! Car feels smooth & tight, though I feel the engine noise is slightly on the higher side. It used to be much more silent usually. Told them and they said it's at par. Hope the intercooler issue is sorted out forever.

Since suspension & steering overhaul were done, alignment was suggested. Took it to an experienced guy & he said one of the wheel stud was jammed and was not coming out. Guess this was done by the A$$ guys as they had removed all tyres for brake cleaning. Called them and they were trying to blame the guy who tried to take out the tyre for rotation.

Estimate given is close to Rs. 600/-. Taking the car to Thiruvalla doesn't seem to be a financially sensible option as I will spend atleast Rs. 500/- for a day's work + one full day for the work (even if they replace it free of cost)! I would rather spend Rs. 200/- more & get it done close to home & save the time.

Major rates in the bill - There are tons of items, don't want to type everything. Any clarifications, please do let me know.

Labour:

Paid Service - 825
Caliper pin greasing - 300
Brakes overhaul (Rear) - 400
Suspension O/H (Front) - 815
Front strut both side R&R - 700
Steering O/H - 795
Rear wheel bearing - 300

Total - Rs. 4257/-

Consumables:

Intercooler Hose Inlet - 276
Air cleaner element - 228
Exchange filter - 1164
Oil filter - 331
Front strut support component - 234
Front stabilizer joint component x2 - 468
Front stabilizer mount - 401
Rear wheel bearing - 624
Steering rack plunger - 540
Coolant - 414
Brake fluid - 273
15W40 (Engine Oil - Castrol), 3.1L - 748
75W90 (Gear Oil) - 797

Total - Rs. 6931/-

Grand Total : Rs. 11,189/-

In addition to this 500/- for intercooler replacement labour.

************************************************** *
Edit 2:

Steering, Suspension, Wheel bearing & Intercooler work totals to 5153/- + VAT + ST

So the regular service cost around 6500/- which is very much the standard.

************************************************** *

Edit:

Mods, Could you update the thread as below:

SwiftnFurious' Swift VDi ABS - 20K, 30K, 60K, 80K Service updates on Pg 1, 2, 4 & 5

[swiftnfurious]

Tyre Upgrade:

Another update is that the rear tyres need to be replaced. The rear set lasted a cool 80,000 kms. Am extremely happy. But the new Bridgestones in the front (replaced 15K kms back) has worn out atleast 50% I guess.

I am looking at Apollo Accelere, Bridgestome & ZLO. What should be the choice for relatively bad roads? Don't want any soft sidewall ones. Also I don't want any uni-directional as the ones I have are already those.

Is it a good practice to have different brands at the front & rear? Also uni-directional Vs normal ones at front & rear?

Race Dynamics box after 80,000 kms - Good or Bad?

Kind of itching to go for RD Dieseltronic box. Will it be OK to have it installed after having driven for 80,000 kms? I am not sure whether the mechanicals will have any issues after this many kms on odo. Was always tight on cash & now since my friend is contemplating on buying a box for his Linea & has entrusted me on finding more details on the box, the fever is slowly catching up!

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Tyre Upgrade:

=====
Is it a good practice to have different brands at the front & rear? Also uni-directional Vs normal ones at front & rear?

Race Dynamics box after 80,000 kms - Good or Bad?

Kind of itching to go for RD Dieseltronic box. Will it be OK to have it installed after having driven for 80,000 kms?

Tyres i personally prefer to have same set all around, easy on car, drive and for rotation etc.

ECU box, as long as tune is not over agressive shouldn't have a big issue. Unless one plans to really push it way too much.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Tyres i personally prefer to have same set all around, easy on car, drive and for rotation etc...

This is what even Nikhil suggested. Planning to switch all 4 to Acelere or ZLO, based on the pricing.

[rameshnanda]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

This is what even Nikhil suggested. Planning to switch all 4 to Acelere or ZLO, based on the pricing.

Personally, I am more inclined towards ZLO after reading multiple recommendation from Nikhil. Tyres on my Linea are due for change. Currently, it has Acelere and I must admit that GT3 is better in road grip than Aceleres.

[swiftnfurious]

Left the car today at Indus motors A$$ @ Kanjirappally for the wheel stud fixing. Car is supposed to be delivered by 5 PM. They say it usually takes 3 hours to fix but today they have a lot of pending work!

Had some metal clinging noise coming from the boot / hatch. Thought it's the spoiler, but doesn't look like. In spite of taking on the bad roads, we could NOT re-produce the sound!

Originally Posted by Jaggu

In my car without AC its 900 and with AC ~950.

Checked it today, the idle rpm at cold (no A/C) was around 950. By the time I reached the A$$ & we finished the TD, car had warmed up (still NOT at optimal temperature) and showed ~925 with No A/C & ~950 with A/C. Hope there is no issue. The guy who TDed the car said, everything is normal and usually the diesel sound gets higher as the car clocks more kms.

As of now some relief, hope it stays good.

************************************************** ********

Estimate for the wheel stud fix (cutting & removing one of those) - Rs. 600/-. Now I have started feeling the pinch & appreciate absolute maintenance & trouble free cars more. It sure saves hell a lot of time!

[swiftnfurious]

Car back from A$$. Wheel stud issue fixed. They also replaced sliding pin set (caliper pin).

Labour kills!

Wheel stud fixing (labour) - 450/-

Sliding pin - 190/-
Nut - 10/-
Bolt - 17/-

Total Damage - 750/- (All figures rounded off)

[thoma]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Labour kills!

Talking about labour, I was charged only 750/- as labour charge for replacing the Baleno oxygen sensor from AVG motors. I'm wondering if that is such a complicated job!

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by thoma

Talking about labour, I was charged only 750/- as labour charge for replacing the Baleno oxygen sensor from AVG motors. I'm wondering if that is such a complicated job!

If you see the bill in the below post, you can see that labour constituted 40% of the entire bill!

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post3019541

The same way, last time I enquired about A/C blower cleaning (which is hardly 5 mins manual job, except using high pressure blower to clean the A/C blower), they said it costs 450/- odd bucks! Once in Surakshaa, they did it free of cost (in 5 mins) when they found the blower was NOT effective, during the final check before delivery. However this was done without entering into the job card.

The moment anything gets into the job card, you can expect a Rs. 400/- bill. Many a times I feel like challenging certain jobs as I feel those jobs could be a subset of a major job which is already entered & charged.

But being a non-techie, you have a disadvantage - these guys always speak in their technical terms & make us feel that these jobs are NOT at all related (though we can understand these are related).

[thoma]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

If you see the bill in the below post, you can see that labour constituted 40% of the entire bill!

I guess you have been to many a MASS and other service centers around this area and is in a better position to post a comparison.

Going by your earlier post, you mentioned that the regular service cost around 6500/-. If that is the case with a 80k diesel service at MASS, I then feel that Hyundai service costs are a total rip-off. They told that the 30k service for the i10 usually costs around 8k

For vehicles outside warranty, it is high time we find alternative service centers who do a good job.