Zen 2004 Lxi- Long term Ownership

Maxwell Arthur · 26th March 2010, 00:00

Hi All,
I am here on the first day with a long term ownership of my Zen Lxi 2004. The car was bought in the second hand market in January,2008. The car had run 37000 kilometres when it was procurred. As of date, the odo reads 88000. I had taken the car through some tough terrains when the Trichy-Chennai 4 laning was in progress. My parents were put up at Periyakulam near Theni and my in-laws were ar Trichy. I stay at Chennai. There were some niggling issues that is expected in a second hand car.

I give it for service at MSM Chennai and they are very good. Once when I happened to be in Theni, I gave the car for service at a Maruti outlet. Those guys are seriously nuts. I asked them to change mu stock OEM horn to Roots. That is where the issue started. They had misplaced a small box which contains the fuel(I guess). Whenever I fill the car to the brim, the car would stall. It stalled after the service on my way back home. The mechanics were called and they did some cleaning on the spark plugs and said it was OK to drive. The next morning, when I started to Trichy there was no issues at all. Again when I filled in petrol, the car stalled. Took it to ABT,Trichy, where the service advisor did a test drive and told me the electricals were not earthed. I ended up replacing the whole clutch assembly. On the way back, the car again stalled. Called MSM and the person who takes care of my car told me to come to Chennai and that he can have a look. Drove to Chennai in 3 hours 45 minutes flat without a break. Took it to MSM and they had the car for two days and finally after doing a comparison with another Zen, they finally found out the culprit.

.

The accessories that I have added as of now.

-The car came with a pathetic aiwa cassette player, The very day of purchase took the car to an audio insatller and installed a pioneer headunit along with 6*9 co-axials in the back and sony 4" speakers in the front

-Installed Xenos Failsafe 180 last year and got some tinted paper installed
-Added Skoda type roots

-Got some seat covers(they don't look goo though)

-Have upgraded the headlamps to 90/100 Philips Rally. Used 55/60 Extreme vision but were not that good.

Maintenance has always been done MSM. The car went in for service at 80000 in Janauary this year and now it stands at 88000.Got the front struts as well as the rear one replaced during the 85K service. Got the service rake, the front stabilizer bars, studs during the 65k service.
The bumper has been replaced once. Thanks to dad who was new to the car, had to park it in the garage and set me back by 4000 INR
The car has gone to Cochin, Tirunelveli, Magercoil, Thanjavur,Madurai, Bangalore,Tutucorin, Theni, Munnar,Vellore, Kodaikanal, Coimbatore and many Chennai- Tiruchi trips. The longest ever was Tiruchi-Chennai-Vellore-Chennai- Tircuhy non stop in less than 18 hours.

I do not have pics from those trips. I use it as my daily commute to the office which is 22 kms from home. The car has been well taken care of. There were many things changed which I cannot recall. I have done 145 km/hour once when I had to visit Pudukottai. Other than the problem mentioned above the car has not given me any sort of issues. I am happy that I bought the car and I am planning to keep the car even if I buy my second car. IT definitely shall be a sedan as I have faced many problems with the space in my Zen. I will continue to keep updating the thread as I clock many more miles on the car.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Max

Utopian · 26th March 2010, 00:28

You cant go wrong with a Zen. Its so zippy and fun to drive, though driving without a PS is a (mine is a '99 LX) sore. Good to notice that she is still serving you OOPS us so well.

rpads1 · 26th March 2010, 16:43

Maxwell Arthur,
I drive a 1999 carburetor Zen myself and, am very pleased with the performance and minimal maintenance. Have driven it from Chennai to Trichy, Chennai to Bangalore 5-6 times each. Also frequent trips to Pondicherry. Love the car , No PS but, still find it good to drive.
Around a couple of weeks back having similar problems as you mention. The car just stalls as if its choked for petrol. Then I try 2-3 self starts and in 5-10 mins it starts up and then there's no sign of trouble. I showed it to the mechanic who checked the fuel lines , said maybe the fuel pumps week but, said we need not replace unless we are sure. But since the problem is not reproducible , or a definite pattern not available, would like ot know more on what exactly was the misplace fuel box problem was. maybe mines the same . Can you elaborate.

Thanks in advance

ElantraGT · 26th March 2010, 17:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxwell Arthur

They had misplaced a small box which contains the fuel(I guess).

Took it to ABT,Trichy, where the service advisor did a test drive and told me the electricals were not earthed. I ended up replacing the whole clutch assembly.

Max, Welcome to the gang. I own a 2000 carb Zen and it has done close to 50K in the past 10 years. When i look at your issues i was not sure about the small box that you mentioned. Are you mentioning about the Fuse or is it Fuel. I dont know if there is anything called fuel box.

You also mentioned that the ABT guy changed your clutch assembly for a electrical problem

or is it my imagination.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Utopian

You cant go wrong with a Zen. Its so zippy and fun to drive, though driving without a PS is a (mine is a '99 LX) sore. Good to notice that she is still serving you OOPS us so well.

You are absolutely bang on buddy

. Zen is called a Pocket Rocket thanks to its peppy engine. Even without a power steering zen is always fun to drive around.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpads1

Maxwell Arthur,
I drive a 1999 carburetor Zen myself and, am very pleased with the performance and minimal maintenance. Have driven it from Chennai to Trichy, Chennai to Bangalore 5-6 times each. Also frequent trips to Pondicherry. Love the car , No PS but, still find it good to drive.
Around a couple of weeks back having similar problems as you mention. The car just stalls as if its choked for petrol. Then I try 2-3 self starts and in 5-10 mins it starts up and then there's no sign of trouble. I showed it to the mechanic who checked the fuel lines , said maybe the fuel pumps week but, said we need not replace unless we are sure. But since the problem is not reproducible , or a definite pattern not available, would like ot know more on what exactly was the misplace fuel box problem was. maybe mines the same . Can you elaborate.

Thanks in advance

rpads1, did you check the fuel filter. If its clogged then you will have this problem of stalling now and then. Also try to see if the butterfly of your carburator is not struck. If its occuring only when you top upo your vehicle, try to see if your fuel gaue is giving you correct reading. Which service cneter do you frequent in chennai? I always take my car to ABT or to a competentn local mechanic.

Guys,

Go through this thread for any issues or maintenance queries in Zen.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...intenance.html

Edit:

Go through the following thread for the issues in Clutch. Maxwell this is one reason for me to ask you the question on why the clutch was repalced at ABT Trichy.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...-overhaul.html (SCAM Alert "Saar, your car needs a clutch overhaul")

Hope this helps.

Utopian · 26th March 2010, 18:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElantraGT

Guys,

Go through this thread for any issues or maintenance queries in Zen.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...intenance.html

This one was quite informative, thanks.

Maxwell Arthur · 26th March 2010, 21:03

Hi ElantraGT,

The clutch was replaced as he felt it was hard and would be a cause to the engine stalling problem. We also have a Maruti 800. I have been driving for 6 years now and felt the clutch was hard. So asked him to replace it. But maybe I was taken for a ride. Even now the clutch is hard and not waht it used to be. MSM guys told me that the clutch assembly was not installed properly and so it is hard.

Rpads, I am not sure what it is. But the box since was misplaced, they had put in a bigger box from WagonR. Not sure what it is called. But shall definitely find out. The issue that you are facing also might be because of adultered fuel.

Guys, after joining the forum, I always have a second thought and question the service advisor as to why he changes things. Great feel when you ask the service advisor little questions nad he feels that you might be knowledgeable about stuff.

sumeethaldankar · 27th March 2010, 22:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxwell Arthur

Hi All,
Maintenance has always been done MSM. The car went in for service at 80000 in Janauary this year and now it stands at 88000.Got the front struts as well as the rear one replaced during the 85K service. Got the service rake, the front stabilizer bars, studs during the 65k service.

Hello,
can you post the cost of the suspension o/h.

thanks

rpads1 · 29th March 2010, 23:38

Hi ElantraGT (hari)
I too give to ABT guindy but, have not been that happy with them. Earlier I was giving it to ABT Adyar, they were quite ok but then I moved to velachery . Now I give it to Surya Motors on the way to Medavakkam, they seem to do a good job and till now I'm very pleased by their work. Done front suspension replacement, front right drive shaft oil seal replacement etc. Also done an under chassis job, which was quite upto expectations

Maxwell Arthur · 29th March 2010, 23:43

Hi Sumeeth,

The front studs(as they call it) along with some rubber parts costed me 5000+ including labor. The front and the back struts costed me 4500 for the front and 1400 for the rear.

Maxwell Arthur · 23rd February 2011, 03:43

Hi There, Sorry for being dormant all these months. The car has completed 99000 Kms. Got the carpet floor replaced as it was dusty and cleaning did not help. The windshield has cracked again due to a flying stone from a tipper. I am going to Tirunleveli in the month of March.

One question for other Zen users. I have always serviced the car once the car completes 5000 Kms. I noticed today that the service interval is 10000. What do you guys recommend? Stick to the 5000 interval?

Thanks

bhatmaster · 1st March 2011, 22:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxwell Arthur

One question for other Zen users. I have always serviced the car once the car completes 5000 Kms. I noticed today that the service interval is 10000. What do you guys recommend? Stick to the 5000 interval?

Thanks

I own a Zen Lxi 2005 model, and got it serviced every 10000 Km till date. Still it runs like new and no probs whatsoever.

Btw, what is the stock wheel size of your Zen, is it R12 or R13?

Maxwell Arthur · 1st March 2011, 22:44

WOW. I also have a Yellow colored Zen. The Stock wheel size is 12". I just replaced all the four with new steel rims and Michelin XM1+

ElantraGT · 2nd March 2011, 17:53

Guys, Yes as per the book the service interval is 10,000 Kms. it depends on your running actually. If you do around 2000Kms per month then 10,000Kms would be a good idea for service, but once you cross 8,000Kms do keep an eye on the engine oil viscosity. If you dont use your car much, then service it every 6 months.

My stock wheel is also 12" and runs on a MRF Zigma. My vehicle scrapes the bottom everytime I go over a hump. Planning for an upgrade to 13" in future.

Maxwell Arthur · 4th March 2011, 04:28

The car has not scrapped its bottom except on huge speedbreakers. I also wanted to upgrade to 13" but was way out of my budget. Hence stuck to 12" which costed me about INR 13500 including four new rims.

Maxwell Arthur · 22nd March 2011, 00:49

Hi All,

The car has completed 101000. Drove to Madurai and back during the weekend. One issue that was noted was, the car starts to wobble or feels to be pulled off the ground when the speedometer reads 120 kmph. Also, there is a zooming noise exactly at 110 and vanishes if I lower or increase the speed. The tyres are new and the rims as well. Any pointers?

26th March 2010, 00:00	#1
Maxwell Arthur BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Chennai Posts: 103 Thanked: 46 Times	Zen 2004 Lxi- Long term Ownership Hi All, I am here on the first day with a long term ownership of my Zen Lxi 2004. The car was bought in the second hand market in January,2008. The car had run 37000 kilometres when it was procurred. As of date, the odo reads 88000. I had taken the car through some tough terrains when the Trichy-Chennai 4 laning was in progress. My parents were put up at Periyakulam near Theni and my in-laws were ar Trichy. I stay at Chennai. There were some niggling issues that is expected in a second hand car. I give it for service at MSM Chennai and they are very good. Once when I happened to be in Theni, I gave the car for service at a Maruti outlet. Those guys are seriously nuts. I asked them to change mu stock OEM horn to Roots. That is where the issue started. They had misplaced a small box which contains the fuel(I guess). Whenever I fill the car to the brim, the car would stall. It stalled after the service on my way back home. The mechanics were called and they did some cleaning on the spark plugs and said it was OK to drive. The next morning, when I started to Trichy there was no issues at all. Again when I filled in petrol, the car stalled. Took it to ABT,Trichy, where the service advisor did a test drive and told me the electricals were not earthed. I ended up replacing the whole clutch assembly. On the way back, the car again stalled. Called MSM and the person who takes care of my car told me to come to Chennai and that he can have a look. Drove to Chennai in 3 hours 45 minutes flat without a break. Took it to MSM and they had the car for two days and finally after doing a comparison with another Zen, they finally found out the culprit. . The accessories that I have added as of now. -The car came with a pathetic aiwa cassette player, The very day of purchase took the car to an audio insatller and installed a pioneer headunit along with 6*9 co-axials in the back and sony 4" speakers in the front -Installed Xenos Failsafe 180 last year and got some tinted paper installed -Added Skoda type roots -Got some seat covers(they don't look goo though) -Have upgraded the headlamps to 90/100 Philips Rally. Used 55/60 Extreme vision but were not that good. Maintenance has always been done MSM. The car went in for service at 80000 in Janauary this year and now it stands at 88000.Got the front struts as well as the rear one replaced during the 85K service. Got the service rake, the front stabilizer bars, studs during the 65k service. The bumper has been replaced once. Thanks to dad who was new to the car, had to park it in the garage and set me back by 4000 INR The car has gone to Cochin, Tirunelveli, Magercoil, Thanjavur,Madurai, Bangalore,Tutucorin, Theni, Munnar,Vellore, Kodaikanal, Coimbatore and many Chennai- Tiruchi trips. The longest ever was Tiruchi-Chennai-Vellore-Chennai- Tircuhy non stop in less than 18 hours. I do not have pics from those trips. I use it as my daily commute to the office which is 22 kms from home. The car has been well taken care of. There were many things changed which I cannot recall. I have done 145 km/hour once when I had to visit Pudukottai. Other than the problem mentioned above the car has not given me any sort of issues. I am happy that I bought the car and I am planning to keep the car even if I buy my second car. IT definitely shall be a sedan as I have faced many problems with the space in my Zen. I will continue to keep updating the thread as I clock many more miles on the car. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Max
	() Thanks

26th March 2010, 00:28	#2
Utopian BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: New Delhi Posts: 603 Thanked: 123 Times	You cant go wrong with a Zen. Its so zippy and fun to drive, though driving without a PS is a (mine is a '99 LX) sore. Good to notice that she is still serving you OOPS us so well.
	() Thanks

26th March 2010, 16:43	#3
rpads1 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 65 Thanked: 41 Times	Maxwell Arthur, I drive a 1999 carburetor Zen myself and, am very pleased with the performance and minimal maintenance. Have driven it from Chennai to Trichy, Chennai to Bangalore 5-6 times each. Also frequent trips to Pondicherry. Love the car , No PS but, still find it good to drive. Around a couple of weeks back having similar problems as you mention. The car just stalls as if its choked for petrol. Then I try 2-3 self starts and in 5-10 mins it starts up and then there's no sign of trouble. I showed it to the mechanic who checked the fuel lines , said maybe the fuel pumps week but, said we need not replace unless we are sure. But since the problem is not reproducible , or a definite pattern not available, would like ot know more on what exactly was the misplace fuel box problem was. maybe mines the same . Can you elaborate. Thanks in advance
	() Thanks

26th March 2010, 21:03	#6
Maxwell Arthur BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Chennai Posts: 103 Thanked: 46 Times	Hi ElantraGT, The clutch was replaced as he felt it was hard and would be a cause to the engine stalling problem. We also have a Maruti 800. I have been driving for 6 years now and felt the clutch was hard. So asked him to replace it. But maybe I was taken for a ride. Even now the clutch is hard and not waht it used to be. MSM guys told me that the clutch assembly was not installed properly and so it is hard. Rpads, I am not sure what it is. But the box since was misplaced, they had put in a bigger box from WagonR. Not sure what it is called. But shall definitely find out. The issue that you are facing also might be because of adultered fuel. Guys, after joining the forum, I always have a second thought and question the service advisor as to why he changes things. Great feel when you ask the service advisor little questions nad he feels that you might be knowledgeable about stuff.
	() Thanks

29th March 2010, 23:38	#8
rpads1 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 65 Thanked: 41 Times	Hi ElantraGT (hari) I too give to ABT guindy but, have not been that happy with them. Earlier I was giving it to ABT Adyar, they were quite ok but then I moved to velachery . Now I give it to Surya Motors on the way to Medavakkam, they seem to do a good job and till now I'm very pleased by their work. Done front suspension replacement, front right drive shaft oil seal replacement etc. Also done an under chassis job, which was quite upto expectations
	() Thanks

29th March 2010, 23:43	#9
Maxwell Arthur BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Chennai Posts: 103 Thanked: 46 Times	Hi Sumeeth, The front studs(as they call it) along with some rubber parts costed me 5000+ including labor. The front and the back struts costed me 4500 for the front and 1400 for the rear.
	() Thanks

23rd February 2011, 03:43	#10
Maxwell Arthur BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Chennai Posts: 103 Thanked: 46 Times	Re: Zen 2004 Lxi- Long term Ownership Hi There, Sorry for being dormant all these months. The car has completed 99000 Kms. Got the carpet floor replaced as it was dusty and cleaning did not help. The windshield has cracked again due to a flying stone from a tipper. I am going to Tirunleveli in the month of March. One question for other Zen users. I have always serviced the car once the car completes 5000 Kms. I noticed today that the service interval is 10000. What do you guys recommend? Stick to the 5000 interval? Thanks
	() Thanks

1st March 2011, 22:44	#12
Maxwell Arthur BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Chennai Posts: 103 Thanked: 46 Times	Re: Zen 2004 Lxi- Long term Ownership WOW. I also have a Yellow colored Zen. The Stock wheel size is 12". I just replaced all the four with new steel rims and Michelin XM1+
	() Thanks

2nd March 2011, 17:53	#13
ElantraGT BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 441 Thanked: 12 Times	Re: Zen 2004 Lxi- Long term Ownership Guys, Yes as per the book the service interval is 10,000 Kms. it depends on your running actually. If you do around 2000Kms per month then 10,000Kms would be a good idea for service, but once you cross 8,000Kms do keep an eye on the engine oil viscosity. If you dont use your car much, then service it every 6 months. My stock wheel is also 12" and runs on a MRF Zigma. My vehicle scrapes the bottom everytime I go over a hump. Planning for an upgrade to 13" in future.
	() Thanks

4th March 2011, 04:28	#14
Maxwell Arthur BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Chennai Posts: 103 Thanked: 46 Times	Re: Zen 2004 Lxi- Long term Ownership The car has not scrapped its bottom except on huge speedbreakers. I also wanted to upgrade to 13" but was way out of my budget. Hence stuck to 12" which costed me about INR 13500 including four new rims.
	() Thanks

22nd March 2011, 00:49	#15
Maxwell Arthur BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Chennai Posts: 103 Thanked: 46 Times	Re: Zen 2004 Lxi- Long term Ownership Hi All, The car has completed 101000. Drove to Madurai and back during the weekend. One issue that was noted was, the car starts to wobble or feels to be pulled off the ground when the speedometer reads 120 kmph. Also, there is a zooming noise exactly at 110 and vanishes if I lower or increase the speed. The tyres are new and the rims as well. Any pointers?
	() Thanks