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Old 29th October 2010, 21:06   #16
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Congratulations,you have got yourself quite and exclusive car there!
Allthough did it matter to you that the optra might in all probability be phased out soon?

The engine bay looks good,neat and tidy and nice engine cover too.
You were right about the alloys though,never seen this design on the optra.Earlier ones looked better.

Happy driving!
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Old 29th October 2010, 21:58   #17
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@avishar

I understand the Optra is dated now and even it is selling in under 200 units per month. The doubt of phasing out came to my mind but GM India has made the engines BS4 compliant.

Another thing is that with me cars are like family members and shall never be sold. The oldest as of now is 9 years old Zen & same age of my bike CBZ
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Old 30th October 2010, 10:48   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drive_or_die View Post
@avishar

I understand the Optra is dated now and even it is selling in under 200 units per month. The doubt of phasing out came to my mind but GM India has made the engines BS4 compliant.

Another thing is that with me cars are like family members and shall never be sold. The oldest as of now is 9 years old Zen & same age of my bike CBZ
+1 to that. I too consider my cars to be my family members. I normally won't worry about resale as long as the car is serving my purpose.
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Old 30th October 2010, 11:28   #19
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I guess you should get a petes box for your ride D or d;
Check out some elantras in forum that will surprise you with that little extra power and lessened turbo lag; It has become a monster.


p.S i own an Peted Elantra and would love to see your car in NICE road
How about a drive sometime
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Old 30th October 2010, 12:37   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by raj.barcode View Post
I guess you should get a petes box for your ride D or d;
Check out some elantras in forum that will surprise you with that little extra power and lessened turbo lag; It has become a monster.


p.S i own an Peted Elantra and would love to see your car in NICE road
How about a drive sometime
WOW: Peted Elantra, would be interested to see one in flesh as the Magnum shares engine with it (correct me if I am wrong). I am driving to Mysore via NICE road on Monday morning (Nov 1, 2010). Pls PM me on your plan on Monday or some other day.

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+1 to that. I too consider my cars to be my family members. I normally won't worry about resale as long as the car is serving my purpose.
Way to go bhp_Maniac
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Old 30th October 2010, 15:10   #21
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Wonderful to see someone who does not bother about the age of the product but still prefers in buying it.

It is indeed a wonderful car and looks a step up than the Verna and ANHC. Around the same time you bought this car, I too was tempted too buy this product as i had exactly same budget but, what i bought is a different story altogether

Welcome to the Chevy family!
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Old 30th October 2010, 16:20   #22
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Drive_or_Die, don't consider Potenza GIII at all, they're noisy due to their tread pattern. Yokohama Decibel Series fit your requirement, check them out.
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Old 30th October 2010, 16:27   #23
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Absolutely Bridgestone g3s' make a lot of noise; i am using it currently on My elantra but i guess S-drive is little silent but very bad on Grip factor (again personal experience); Best i guess is; source for pp2 michelin or ps3.
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Old 30th October 2010, 21:19   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mobike008 View Post
Wonderful to see someone who does not bother about the age of the product but still prefers in buying it.

It is indeed a wonderful car and looks a step up than the Verna and ANHC. Around the same time you bought this car, I too was tempted too buy this product as i had exactly same budget but, what i bought is a different story altogether

Welcome to the Chevy family!
Thank You! Picked up Optra just for the car itself and listened to my heart. It will be wrong if I say that I did extensive analysis before picking it. And TBHP reviews have to be given credit for share in decision making.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tsk13 View Post
Drive_or_Die, don't consider Potenza GIII at all, they're noisy due to their tread pattern. Yokohama Decibel Series fit your requirement, check them out.
Will check Yokohama for sure. I am looking for Michelin PP2 but this product seems to be endangered Specie in Bangalore market (or the shops I visited)

Quote:
Originally Posted by raj.barcode View Post
Absolutely Bridgestone g3s' make a lot of noise; i am using it currently on My elantra but i guess S-drive is little silent but very bad on Grip factor (again personal experience); Best i guess is; source for pp2 michelin or ps3.
@raj.barcode & tsk13, I checked for the exchange price of stock apollo tyres ans the buyback price varies extremely. Relainace Autozone quoted 700 per tyre and I guy quoted 2500 per tyre (sadly he does not sell Michelin, else i would have xchanged on spot). I had checked the buyback price at 5k odo and now odo is 8k
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Old 2nd November 2010, 20:34   #25
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additions to intial report card

Somethings I missed in my review:
  • Followed the TBHP best practices during run time conditions, it was definitely difficult to control your heart about zipping. But good part is Optra reaches 100-120 territory @ 2000- 2200 rpm in top gear
  • Headlamps are dud, though I generally avoid night drive. With limited experience, I feel the Head Lamps do not fare well, the luminosity lacks even with fog lamps on
  • ICE sound quality is acceptable
  • Steering wheel is very (very) bland; I do not know what stopped GM India in putting a golden Chevy Logo on Steering Wheel.I checked with dealership and the response was, the logo may interfere functioning of Air Bag. But then Cruze has it with Air Bag in steering wheel??
  • GM India recommends usage of premium fuel for BS4 Optra Magnum Diesel, so I fill BP's Hi Speed diesel always (with couple of exceptions where I did not have option)
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Old 3rd November 2010, 11:25   #26
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If i were in your shoes i would have gone for

1) Yoko Advan neovas
2) Hankook ventus RS2

in that order, size 205/55/15 even if it lasts for 25000kms. Because your life is important than tyres life.
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Old 3rd November 2010, 19:10   #27
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Drive_or_Die congrate on new buy and happy to see people buying Optra base her capabilities; as a fellow Magnum owner I vouch for her reliability and performance.
I had completed 35K and couple of time took it up to 180 KMPH without any difficulty. Indeed this best performance car on this price point.As you mentioned headlamp is really hopeless and bulb upgrade is a must. To be honest i am not happy with 90-100 also and thinking to go for 100-130 (which is not advisable considering the heat) or xenon kit
Welcome to Chevy world
On a seperate note, i am driving on Michelin Primacy, it seems to be much better then stock one interms of tyre noise
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Old 4th November 2010, 19:59   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brraj View Post
If i were in your shoes i would have gone for

1) Yoko Advan neovas
2) Hankook ventus RS2

in that order, size 205/55/15 even if it lasts for 25000kms. Because your life is important than tyres life.
Very True, will definitely take stock of your suggestion before any upgrades
Quote:
Originally Posted by raaga View Post
Drive_or_Die congrate on new buy and happy to see people buying Optra base her capabilities; as a fellow Magnum owner I vouch for her reliability and performance.
I had completed 35K and couple of time took it up to 180 KMPH without any difficulty. Indeed this best performance car on this price point.As you mentioned headlamp is really hopeless and bulb upgrade is a must. To be honest i am not happy with 90-100 also and thinking to go for 100-130 (which is not advisable considering the heat) or xenon kit
Welcome to Chevy world
On a seperate note, i am driving on Michelin Primacy, it seems to be much better than stock one interms of tyre noise
I am glad to read your comments about Optra's reliability & it could not have been better from none other than an owner of one. I also noticed Opel Corsa in your signature. I loved that car (achtung baby, it was the advertising line if you remember) but again thanks to smart guys (sarcastically) at GM India...the Opel could not sustain.

But one way, I am happy with indifferent attitude of GM India marketing; it leaves us with exclusive car (lesser on road ), hoping they do not phase it out.

Last edited by drive_or_die : 4th November 2010 at 20:01. Reason: grammar
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Old 22nd November 2010, 23:29   #29
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Magnum Opus

Hey Drive or die, I own a Magnum too(LT Aug 2008) and I can tell you that the car is an absolute gem. I have done 28k kms so far and have driven far and wide in my Magnum Opus and she is always ready to get on road and rule it ofcourse.

Some things which I just love in the Magnum :

1.Exhilarating Power - The car is a rocket even as a stock car and I have added the Pete's tuning box and I can tell you that the performance is top notch. I have not had any vehicle overtake me on the highway unless I let them overtake me. The Pete's box also gives me the cushion of extra power when I want to overtake in overdrive , I dont need to downshift at all, one tap on the gas pedal and the car just takes off like an airplane leaving everyone behind. City driving is a pleasure too with no turbo lag. I think adding the Pete's box and the Green cotton (Storm) air filter is worth every penny.Go for it!

BTW, The FE also increases a bit. I used to get 13 on the highway and 12 in the city and now I get 14 to 14.5(highway) and 13(city) regularly. ( Reserve to reserve fuel filling)

2. Great Comfort- I've driven some long distances in my car and have never felt tired when I reached the destination. I recently did - Pune to Bangalore in 9 hours flat. ( Left at 6:30 am , arrived at 3:30 pm) and the drive was amazing and we did not feel any fatigue at all and we were 3 of us. I guess the seats are really effective and add to it the lumbar support of the driver seat gives that extra bit of comfort.

3. Rear leg room- My folks travel quite a lot in the car with me , and they never complain of the lack of leg room at the back. There is ample leg room even for someone who is 6 feet tall and doesn't restrict leg movement which is very essential on long drives.

4. Handling and Stability : I have done speeds of 195 and 200 kms( on the mumbai-pune expressway and other roads where the road and visibility was clearand after changing stock tires to Michelin PLC) and the car is as stable as a rock even at these speeds. I have never had any issues with the car losing stability when negotiating curves at 140- 150 kms. Great handling! but with non-stock tires

5. Super- Silent Cabin: The cabin is absoutely silent at low or high speeds , there are hardly any rattles or vibration which creep into the cabin and ever since I got the Michelin PLC's the ride quality and has gone up a notch , it feels much more premium and the there's absoultely no road noise heard in the cabin. I guess the underbody rust proofing also helps here.

6. Door Damping: I think the damping provided by GM is really nice , I did not have go in for any additional damping for the ICE as there was no vibration even when i upgraded from the stock speakers to Polk audio components both on front and rear doors.

7. Storage Space: I feel the the magnum has great storage space, the arm reast in the middle is just ideal and helps on long drives to rest my left arm plus it has storage for my 80 GB harddrive, remote control etc. The front and rear door pockets are quite large as well . There are other small but useful storage spaces like and underseat tray , a specks holder and the roomy boot. I have a 12 inch sub in my boot and it still comfortably holds luggage for 4 people ( 2 suitcases and 2 duffel bags with other small bags thrown in).

There are so many other plusses which I can think of , but I will stop at these for now.

Here are some issues I faced so far:

1. Brake Rotor/Disk issue: I faced this when I driving to goa. The brake would pulsate and then shudder at speeds of 80-100 kms. The shuddering was so much that the rear passengers could feel it when I braked. I callled Sundaram and they directed me to a Chevy dealership in Hubli. When I went there, the SE tested the car and told me that it was an issue with the rotors/discs and the surface not being even. They needed to skim the rotors to fix the issue. I agreed to get it done and it took them 4 hrs to get the lathe peron to skim the rotors and we finally left hubli late evening. I did not have to pay anything as I had the CPC.

2. Fuel Pump Failure: Very recently the Engine Malfunction Light came on when I driving in the city. I thought it may just be a temp issue and would go away if I restarted, but the light stayed. I took the car to sundaram and they checked the ECU with their "Tech 2" equipment, lo and behold it was the dreaded fuel pump failure. Thanfully, I have the CPC (Chevy Promise) and I got the pump replaced free of cost the same day. The thing to note here is the blue sticker on the faulty pumps of cars released in 2008, the new ones have a yellow sticker (atleast the one I got had a yellow one) . It may be a good piece of info for other 2008 Magnum owners on the forum.

These were the only 2 major issues I've had so far . To the the Magnum's credit it has never given me any problems on long drives( touch wood). I have developed a special bond with the car and every drives seems to be filled new excitement. Hope to millions of miles with my Princess.

Here are few pics of my Platinum Metallic Princess:
Attached Thumbnails
Ownership report : Chevrolet Optra Magnum LT 2.0 TCDI-img_0456.jpg  

Ownership report : Chevrolet Optra Magnum LT 2.0 TCDI-img_0458.jpg  

Ownership report : Chevrolet Optra Magnum LT 2.0 TCDI-img_0459.jpg  

Ownership report : Chevrolet Optra Magnum LT 2.0 TCDI-img_0461.jpg  

Ownership report : Chevrolet Optra Magnum LT 2.0 TCDI-img_0460.jpg  

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Old 23rd November 2010, 18:15   #30
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@bharath_ravi

Thank you so much for sharing comprehensive experience.

I second your statement "I am building bond with the car". I have in fact made same statement couple of time and I am glad to read the same line in your post.

I like photos of your princess, especially the alloy wheels

I am sorry to hear about the brake & fuel pump issue. Fuel pump issue may happen because of fuel quality as well. My car came with stickers saying use only premium fuel.

Couple of issues I face due to BS4 compliant heart of my car- Long drives outside Bangalore mean I will have to fill non BS4 fuel & also Hi Speed Diesel is not commonly stocked by highway fuel stations.

On Pete's box, I am waiting for warranty to get over then K&N high performance filter with Pete's will get way in to my Optra's heart.

I did not take CPC as the one on offer would not cover beyond warranty.
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