[kkg]

Sorry to inform everybody this late but I got this information in last august itself (my warranty was expiring in october). I saw the " extend your warranty" poster in GM workshop, inquired about it and got to know the above mentioned condition.

Why would a person with 3 year warranty buy an extended warranty for the fourth year in first year itself? It's still above my head.

For what could happen after the warranty, refer here :

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

[harishnayak]

^^ True

Got the rear left door painted and the paint job looks pretty fine. So finally the Sparky gets a mid life uplift with the following in place -

New clutch plates
New Battery
New Tyres
New Alloys
Touch up and paint job done for all small and big scratches

Here are a few pictures that i took from my BB in the office parking today. The pictures don't do justice to how the car actually looks in person. Will take better pictures over the weekend and post it here.

KM Update - 56,400 kms

[SPARKled]

I am quite tired of one thing that keeps coming up every now and then in my Spark thats about 1.5 years old. The brake clamps start making noise when ever I go over a rough patch. The gad gad noise keeps cropping up after every few thousand kms. Any permanent solution? Also right from day 1, I have felt that the car goes a bit to the left when the steering is left alone. In spite of many alignments and balancings at the Nikhil auto I have never been satisfied with the work done. Should I look for an external alignment/balancing shop?

[harishnayak]

I didn't understand what you meant by Brake clamps making the gad gad noise , do you mean the brake pedal?

Try getting the balancing alignment done from a known place outside the showroom in front of your eyes , i'm sure you'll get better results than before.

[SPARKled]

Originally Posted by harishnayak

I didn't understand what you meant by Brake clamps making the gad gad noise , do you mean the brake pedal?

Try getting the balancing alignment done from a known place outside the showroom in front of your eyes , i'm sure you'll get better results than before.

What happens is that when the brake clamp is a bit loose, it starts banging against the brake disc and you start having these gad-gad kind of noises on rough roads. I have had this problem sorted out 2 times already now but the sound has started again.

[BurningHeart]

i have a Spark and while going over speed breakers, the front suspension makes a "crunch" sound almost like a spring compressing and de-compressing. i dont like it. Now the rear left one also started. Is there anything that can be done?

BH

[harishnayak]

Originally Posted by SPARKled

What happens is that when the brake clamp is a bit loose, it starts banging against the brake disc and you start having these gad-gad kind of noises on rough roads. I have had this problem sorted out 2 times already now but the sound has started again.

I think these are common problems with every spark as per my observation and personal experience

Poor braking
frequent brake pad replacements

Originally Posted by BurningHeart

i have a Spark and while going over speed breakers, the front suspension makes a "crunch" sound almost like a spring compressing and de-compressing. i dont like it. Now the rear left one also started. Is there anything that can be done?

BH

Yes, You can get it changed if your car is under warranty otherwise you have to pay for it. As i mentioned before that i've got my shockers changed 4 times..phew!!

Overall GM really needs to work on the quality of their cars. I guess they're making money through the spares and keeping lower margins on the selling price.

[abhinav.s]

Guys, the LTO of Spark seems to be pretty costly after the service holiday, going by the reports of few BHPians. I have an year old Spark. The car has excellent driveability and ergonomics. But the upkeep of the car after 3 years is the scary part going by the reports on here. Fingers crossed and praying!!

[kenpachigamer]

Yep, @abhinav agreeing fully with you on the scary part. even I have an year old spark. Though I have a good acquaintance with the service manager and till now things have been smooth , but I doubt if that will really help after 3 years time.

[harishnayak]

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

Guys, the LTO of Spark seems to be pretty costly after the service holiday, going by the reports of few BHPians. I have an year old Spark. The car has excellent driveability and ergonomics. But the upkeep of the car after 3 years is the scary part going by the reports on here. Fingers crossed and praying!!

Originally Posted by kenpachigamer

Yep, @abhinav agreeing fully with you on the scary part. even I have an year old spark. Though I have a good acquaintance with the service manager and till now things have been smooth , but I doubt if that will really help after 3 years time.

True guys. Although i've travelled vastly on my Spark so i dont feel the pinch as much as a guy who uses it only for daily commute.

Also the true love for cars keeps me away from the scary part but ultimately when it comes to shelling some dough then it does hurt.

My car is on a 5 year loan so i don't see myself selling it before that because then the deal would be a suicidal one

[kkg]

@ harishnayak

My car is on a 5 year loan so i don't see myself selling it before that because then the deal would be a suicidal one

[/quote]


Exactly my scenario mate. Due to frequent problems I am facing off late I guess I'll have to take that dreaded step. ( I am feeling extremely bad on saying so about my beloved Spark).

[SPARKled]

I guess 2.5-3 years is reasonable time for any car suspension to give problems considering the "wonderful" roads we travel on. But re-occurence of the same problem again and again is not good. I am going to take my car again to Nikhil auto and give them a piece of my mind.
We are complaining about the high cost of spare and servicing once the maintenance package is over, but look at the other thread where Hyundai owners are also venting their displeasure of high service and parts cost of the so called "cheap to maintain Hyundais" makes me wonder if this is the same scenario across all brands.

[Utopian]

Hi Harish! bumped into the thread after a long time. Good to see that the sparky is going strong over the years.
Although, the frequent brake pad replacement is quite strange for every 20k km interval.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by SPARKled

We are complaining about the high cost of spare and servicing once the maintenance package is over, but look at the other thread where Hyundai owners are also venting their displeasure of high service and parts cost of the so called "cheap to maintain Hyundais" makes me wonder if this is the same scenario across all brands.

True, looks like GM is selling the car for a low initial price to make up for it in spares and service cost after the 3 year package is over.

And like you say, it seems to be common across the board barring the Maruti's for normal upkeep of the vehicle.

[harishnayak]

Apparently this is not the case with all the car manufacturers , IMO some like Maruti and Honda still provide very low maintenance costs.