[SlowRider]

Originally Posted by sajo

Even in this case, with very hard and bordering on indecent, driving the car returned a very decent 19.xx kilometers to a liter of highway swill.

Average service cost for the 2 yr/20k service was in the region of Rs4k , I am expecting it to be up by ~10% this year.

The engine , though smooth, now does need an oil change. Rattles are ever present , and I have stopped thinking or bothering about them. They dont go away and service centers cant fix them.

Fuel efficiency varies between 14 and 16 kmpl , depending upon what part of town I am driving in, with AC on all the time.

Thanks Sajo. I must say, it's a brilliant car! And your FE figures are all the more heartening. Do you use synthetic oil?

[sajo]

Originally Posted by SlowRider

Thanks Sajo. I must say, it's a brilliant car! And your FE figures are all the more heartening. Do you use synthetic oil?

Nope. I use mineral oil which the MASS puts in. Its still another matter that they charge a bomb even for that.

[sajo]

*BUMP*
I just realised I have this thread opened exactly 7 years ago, had forgotten all about it. Maybe because its nowhere close to modern Tbhp owner reviews :P .
I still have the car, running great! Current ODO stands at a measly 38k, as I was not using the car for daily commute for more than 4 years, out of the country for another 2.
There are some battle scars still present on the car, and the clutch sometime feels week. I changed the stock JK Vectras to Yoko Earth1s of the same size , and there is now a considerable difference in comfort. Though its still a far cry from many of its modern brethren.
Ofcourse, the rattles are ever present. Now the center console below the handbrake vibrates too!

Things that broke off :
- The driver's seat height adjustment lever.
- The rear bench clamp! I am surprised and irritated by how often it comes loose from its moorings.

I often observe uneven idling in traffic , which I consider an irritant for now. Not sure if its a sign of something else. Made a small video a few weeks ago.

https://youtu.be/XWxNo0Nk3K8

The car was serviced twice outside MASS , with mixed results. I am not sure as of now if its worth spending so much at an MASS or try and find another good independent garage to take care of it.
The city fuel efficiency as of yesterday was 13.83 kmpl , while a Pune-Sangli-Pune run returned 19.2 kmpl in March.
Overall, I am happy with the overall product after 7 years, and continues to bring a smile to my face even today.

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by sajo

*BUMP*

I often observe uneven idling in traffic , which I consider an irritant for now. Not sure if its a sign of something else. Made a small video a few weeks ago.

.

Just get the spark plugs checked and the throttle body cleaned thoroughly. This is often a cause of irregular idling. Also get the battery and the alternator belt checked and you should be fine. Enjoy the car.

Regards,
vishy

[sajo]

Originally Posted by vishy76

Just get the spark plugs checked and the throttle body cleaned thoroughly. This is often a cause of irregular idling. Also get the battery and the alternator belt checked and you should be fine. Enjoy the car.

Regards,
vishy

Thanks vishy , the sparkplugs were recently serviced (December '16) at a neighbourhood garage. Wasnt happy with the outcome, hence my mixed feelings about FNGs. Battery and alternator belt checked during the same service !
The peculiar thing is it does not show uneven idling when I start the car and wait for a bit to move off. Only starts if I am in traffic.

[sumeethaldankar]

The twitching of the tacho most probably means the throttle body may need cleaning. Also after the idle rpm may need to be adjusted electronic if the case is with the Swift. Also make sure you have a clean air filter as my Civic behaves like that when the air filter needs a change. Mine has a Cng which is sensitive to clogged air filters. Does the car comes to stalling while in idle?

[sajo]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Does the car comes to stalling while in idle?

Yes , the RPM drops to about 600 , after which I am guessing the ECU tries to rectify it.
I will get the car checked out soon for throttle body/Air Filter , first at an FNG , and if it doesnt work, at an MASS.

[sajo]

A random check at the Shell bunk for oil revealed that the current oil had turned black and nearly opaque in just 5 months, 4k KMs. It means I was
- I was duped by the FNG and the oil wasnt changed. Home delivery was availed. Completely my mistake as I wasnt home and didnt bother to check later.
- The oil was changed but was of inferior grade and compromised quality.

Changed the oil to Shell Helix 15W40 mineral oil for Rs1376 + 160 for the oil filter. They do not charge for labour. Seemed quite professional as well.

Up in the air :



After the first crank itself I felt that it cranked much better than before. I will run for a few days before reaching a conclusion.

Originally Posted by sajo

I often observe uneven idling in traffic <snip>

An immediate consequence that I felt that it immediately was idling better in traffic. Here it is, about 4 kms after the oil change in crazy post rain Hinjewadi traffic.

https://youtu.be/M1dDO9891w8

No twitching of the tacho observed so far. So it seems that bad oil was atleast one of the factors contributing to it.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by sajo

A random check at the Shell bunk for oil revealed that the current oil had turned black and nearly opaque in just 5 months, 4k KMs. It means I was
- I was duped by the FNG and the oil wasnt changed. Home delivery was availed. Completely my mistake as I wasnt home and didnt bother to check later.
- The oil was changed but was of inferior grade and compromised quality.

Changed the oil to Shell Helix 15W40 mineral oil for Rs1376 + 160 for the oil filter. They do not charge for labour. Seemed quite professional as well.

Good to know about the service quality at Shell. However - Wouldn't the oil anyway turn blackish in 5 months if you are using the car daily for say 30kms? Or no? I'm no expert - just curious.

Originally Posted by sajo

No twitching of the tacho observed so far. So it seems that bad oil was atleast one of the factors contributing to it.

Isn't the twitching of the tacho an equation of the battery parameters as well? I think these are electronic tachometers. If you were seeing irregular twitchy RPM readings & it was purely because of the oil used, the FNG really must have poured edible oil or something .

BTW - did you take the back road of Hinjewadi that comes from Nande-Chande / Le-Royale to Megapolis today? I think I was looking at your car in the mirror for some time while coming to office.

[sajo]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Good to know about the service quality at Shell. However - Wouldn't the oil anyway turn blackish in 5 months if you are using the car daily for say 30kms? Or no? I'm no expert - just curious.

Hey Reinhard, you are probably right! The oil will turn black after a couple of months (or weeks?) anyway.
Also , I think I overpaid for the oil at Shell by paying at MRP. The same oil is available on Amazon for mucccch less, with free shipping as well.

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Isn't the twitching of the tacho an equation of the battery parameters as well? I think these are electronic tachometers.

The battery is new(ish). Changed at the end of 2014 by my dad. Since all other parameters are fine , I guess the battery should be okay. I will do a health check again though, since its probably reached about half its expected life.

Originally Posted by Reinhard

If you were seeing irregular twitchy RPM readings & it was purely because of the oil used, the FNG really must have poured edible oil or something .

I wouldnt rule that possibility out! I think it wasnt changed at all, probably topped up and the car returned via home delivery.

Originally Posted by Reinhard

BTW - did you take the back road of Hinjewadi that comes from Nande-Chande / Le-Royale to Megapolis today? I think I was looking at your car in the mirror for some time while coming to office.

Ah no, wasnt me. I always take the Bypass->Wakad Flyover->Shivaji Chowk->Blue Ridge route.