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Old 29th November 2010, 17:16   #1
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Ownership review of the Swift Petrol

This is going to be yet another owner ship report of the Swift Petrol. My car has run just more than 20,000 kilometers now and has come back from its 1st paid service. I have wanted to put in an ownership report for a long time but somehow getting to do it only now. I got the car in November 2009 (silver color) and have just now completed one year. I have fitted the Nippon security system and the kenwood HU and speakers, both installed at the CARS India show room during delivery. I have also got the anti rust coating and changed the bulbs to 90/100 during the first service as I found the quality and range of the stock bulbs to be very bad, considering that I used to drive on the dimly lit ECR daily.

The things which I like about the car:
  • This car is fun to drive. Mine is the old engine (G Series), and I have not driven the new K series one so I cannot compare the same, but the drive is simply fun. It always puts a smile on my face when I take it out for a spin
  • My car, right now does not have any rattles. Going by the reports which are present in the forum, I consider myself to be very lucky in this aspect. Ok, so I can hear some rattle sometime but there is no rattle which is omnipresent
  • I have driven the car for 20,000 kilometers and each and every km of the same has been an absolute blast, be it on the highways or the city roads. Not once has the car let me down.
  • The service costs have been reasonable till now. The 20,000 km service has set me back by only 2638 Rs. This, I think is very good and one of the main reasons why Maruti leads in India
  • The car has been consistently giving me in the range of 12-13 kms per liter, with which I am completely satisfied. I know that the K series engine boasts of a little higher fuel efficiency, but I am still happy and completely satisifed with my car
  • This is a car which perfectly suits 2 adults. Me and my wife are mostly the only ones in the car and there is very negligible luggage most of the time so all that is not a worry at all.
  • The whoosh with which the car can start and gallop from a signal its really unexplainable. I do it very rarely, considering that Madras is perennially full of choc-a-bloc traffic these days but on an open road, with this car, there is really nothing more that you would need (apart from money for fuel )
Cons of the car
  • This is certainly not the fault of the car but more of the service center. My car has an accident in the month of March and the following parts had to be replaced – rear bumper, rear windshield, mud flaps and associated parts. There was no clear communication on when the parts would arrive and the dealers after much dilly dallying and follow up gave the car back more than 3 weeks after I gave it to them. Since then, have changed the service center and things are good till now
  • Since this is the base version, there is no tachometer. I have got used to being without it and change the gears based on the engine sounds and the speeds in which I am
  • The stock tyres are too skinny. I came to know more about the importance of the wider tyres after joining the forum, and the tyres change is the first thing that is going to be happening once I get Vitamin M. Question – How many kms can I run the stock tyres on? My running is wholly within the city only. I am going with the assumption that I would be having to change the tyres in another 10,000 km or so
After the car came back from the 20,000 service, the advisor called me up and told me that the brake pads are worn out and that it would be better if I replace the same within another 500 km. I also looked up the brake pad thread and it was mentioned there that the brake pads would emit a squeaking sound when there is a need to change them. I do get the sound when I turn even at speeds of about 20 kmph. So, assuming that this warrants an immediate change, I am going to go MASS tomorrow and change the same. It would be great if you guys can let me know if my assumption is correct and how much the cost of a replacement would be.

Last edited by Zappo : 29th November 2010 at 19:21.
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Old 29th November 2010, 22:17   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arvind71181 View Post
. I got the car in November 2009 (silver color) and have just now completed one year. I have fitted the Nippon security system and the kenwood HU and speakers, both installed at the CARS India show room during delivery. I have also got the anti rust coating and changed the bulbs to 90/100 during the first service as I found the quality and range of the stock bulbs to be very bad, considering that I used to drive on the dimly lit ECR daily.

I too bought my swift VDi in oct 2008 and i too chnaged the Head lights for the same reason as i used to stay in ECR
  • The stock tyres are too skinny. I came to know more about the importance of the wider tyres after joining the forum, and the tyres change is the first thing that is going to be happening once I get Vitamin M. Question – How many kms can I run the stock tyres on? My running is wholly within the city only. I am going with the assumption that I would be having to change the tyres in another 10,000 km or so
I am also in the same situtaion now and have posted questions to gurus on the same in the tyre section.Mhy swift has done 35k kms and looks like it will do 5-10 k more with these tyre's

After the car came back from the 20,000 service, the advisor called me up and told me that the brake pads are worn out and that it would be better if I replace the same within another 500 km. I also looked up the brake pad thread and it was mentioned there that the brake pads would emit a squeaking sound when there is a need to change them. I do get the sound when I turn even at speeds of about 20 kmph. So, assuming that this warrants an immediate change, I am going to go MASS tomorrow and change the same. It would be great if you guys can let me know if my assumption is correct and how much the cost of a replacement would be.
Here too there is a similarity ,please get it changed ASAP !!!

i was asking my SA to change it but he said it can run for more kms now come tells me that pads wore out and they have damaged the disc too.

Better spend 1500 and change the pad instead of pads& disc for 5k

The link to my sad story is here

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post2154823
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Old 30th November 2010, 11:22   #3
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Thanks Josh guy, yes there seem to be a lot of similarities between your and my cars except that yours is DDIS

Yes, I will go ahead and confirm with the service advisor and change the brake pads first thing tomorrow morning. Wanted to do it today but could not due to some time constraints. The tires will have to wait for another 10 K or more km though.

Some idiot had removed the emblem from the front of the car. I dont know what to say about such idiots. Changed it again @123 Rs. only so thats good. And probably the same guy has put scratch marks using a key all over the bonnet of the car.

BTW, you drive through ECR now? Reason I ask is I also dont commute by ECR daily, so if yes, thats another similarity
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Old 1st December 2010, 18:25   #4
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Got my Team-BHP stickers yesterday and stuck them on to the car. After sticking them, I think I feel more responsible in the sense that I dont want to be seen doing "Non-BHPian" things by a BHPian.

Not that I do it often, but there are sometimes when you get the uncontrollable urge to respond to some fellow driver's stupid antics on the road. I think that is under control for the past 2 days
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Old 29th August 2011, 12:45   #5
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Re: Ownership review of the Swift Petrol

Thought of updating this thread for a long time but somehow could not manage to do so.

Anyway, the car went through its 30,000 km service this weekend and came back so updating this log. The major change which was done was the brake pads were replaced citing wear and tear. I had raised this query during the 20,000 km service as the advisor wanted it to be replaced at that point itself. Decided to go ahead with the existing set of brake pads and it did serve me well in the last 10,000 kms. Decided to go ahead with the change this time though.

2 queries which I have:

1. I asked the advisor on how much longer would the stock tyres last and they were of the opinion that the tyres would easily last another 20-25,000 kms. Are they being over optimistic? I can post pictures of the tyres if required

2. The owner manual recommends a service at only 10,000 km intervals but the advisor wanted me to do a service at 5000 kms citing possible oil/ change. Is this really required? I looked up the Dealer scam thread and have decided that it is enough if I do the service next at the 40,000 km mark. Please do let me know if this opinion of mine is incorrect.

Other than this, I have enjoyed every minute of driving the vehicle all these kms and hoping that the same joy continues (though the rising petrol prices continue to dent the pocket )
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Old 1st September 2011, 15:00   #6
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Re: Ownership review of the Swift Petrol

Hi Arvind, a crisp ownership report there.

Quote:
Originally Posted by arvind71181 View Post
1. I asked the advisor on how much longer would the stock tyres last and they were of the opinion that the tyres would easily last another 20-25,000 kms. Are they being over optimistic? I can post pictures of the tyres if required

Regarding tyre change, some tyres easily last till 50,000 kms and this has been reported on the forum. It is recommended by some members to change them in the 30-40,000 kms mark to be on the safer side. Tyre wear mainly depends on the driving pattern and road conditions.

If you want wider tyres to experience the better grip and handling, go for them when you have the vitamin M.

Drive safe.
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Old 1st September 2011, 15:18   #7
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Re: Ownership review of the Swift Petrol

If wheel alignment is done well and tyres are rotated at 5000km intervals,a set of tyres should last 55-60k kms

It is fine if you do oil changes at 10k kms ; 5k is great but an unnecessary expense.

You have one life to enjoy your drive ; to hell with rising petrol prices.Enjoy !!!!


Quote:
Originally Posted by arvind71181 View Post

Anyway, the car went through its 30,000 km service this weekend and came back so updating this log.
2 queries which I have:

1. I asked the advisor on how much longer would the stock tyres last and they were of the opinion that the tyres would easily last another 20-25,000 kms. Are they being over optimistic? I can post pictures of the tyres if required

2. The owner manual recommends a service at only 10,000 km intervals but the advisor wanted me to do a service at 5000 kms citing possible oil/ change. Is this really required? I looked up the Dealer scam thread and have decided that it is enough if I do the service next at the 40,000 km mark. Please do let me know if this opinion of mine is incorrect.
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Old 2nd September 2011, 08:02   #8
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Re: Ownership review of the Swift Petrol

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Originally Posted by kaushikr View Post
Hi Arvind, a crisp ownership report there.
Thank you!!!


Quote:
Originally Posted by kaushikr View Post
Regarding tyre change, some tyres easily last till 50,000 kms and this has been reported on the forum. It is recommended by some members to change them in the 30-40,000 kms mark to be on the safer side. Tyre wear mainly depends on the driving pattern and road conditions.

If you want wider tyres to experience the better grip and handling, go for them when you have the vitamin M.

Drive safe.
My running is mainly on good roads so I guess the tyres should hold up well for the next few thousand kms.Will wait and watch and decide based on their performance. And yes, waiting for Vitamin M for an upgrade

Quote:
Originally Posted by vigsom View Post
If wheel alignment is done well and tyres are rotated at 5000km intervals,a set of tyres should last 55-60k kms

It is fine if you do oil changes at 10k kms ; 5k is great but an unnecessary expense.

You have one life to enjoy your drive ; to hell with rising petrol prices.Enjoy !!!!
Yes, I too have decided the same and am not going to the service advisor unless I think an oil change is required. For now, 10,000 kms interval it is. Yes, not bothered about the petrol prices most of the times, but some times it gets stuck at the back of the mind
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Old 10th May 2012, 20:34   #9
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Re: Ownership review of the Swift Petrol

Bought the Jopasu duster and 3M Micro fiber cloth for cleaning the large amounts of dust which seems to accumulate on my car. Did a trial run and it seems to be very good and value for money. Will do a full clean tomorrow morning and check it out.

Also, my car is approaching the 40,000 km service. Apart from whatever is mentioned in the service booklet, is there anything else which is required to be specifically looked into? Tyres seem to be in good condition and I guess they might last another 10K kilometers. Other than that, anything else to be on the look out for? Thanks.
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Old 15th May 2012, 15:59   #10
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Re: Ownership review of the Swift Petrol

Quote:
Originally Posted by arvind71181 View Post

Also, my car is approaching the 40,000 km service. Apart from whatever is mentioned in the service booklet, is there anything else which is required to be specifically looked into? Tyres seem to be in good condition and I guess they might last another 10K kilometers. Other than that, anything else to be on the look out for? Thanks.
I drive a 5 year old Vxi (nearing 45000 now). I was running on the stock JK tornadoes all these while and got fed up with the noise and hard rubber. finally Switched to Yoko A drives at 44K and i am totally happy with my decision.

Trust me, those JK tornadoes will last you easily 50-55K. But its up to you to upgrade it(i did so because my tires were 5+ years old and i had a sidewall puncture recently)

My 40K service was the most expensive one(about 10K). Had to change Breakpad and discs(3600) and i also had bad rear wheel bearing which costed me another 1500.

Apart from that, usual 40K stuff. Spark plugs, check your clutch(my SA said it will last another 10-20K)

I also feel the break pads get worn out every 20K(or the SA makes sure we change it at 20K). I had changed my breakpads at 20K service and during 40K service he said pads+disc

How often you service your car ? every 5K or every 10K ?

So far i have been giving for service every 10K(or one year) even though the service center keeps reminding me every now and then for 6 months/5000 km service.

Touchwood, i have not had any major issues so far so i would like to stick to my once a year(using it more, so 10K =8-9 months now)service interval
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Old 16th May 2012, 09:10   #11
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Re: Ownership review of the Swift Petrol

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I drive a 5 year old Vxi (nearing 45000 now). I was running on the stock JK tornadoes all these while and got fed up with the noise and hard rubber. finally Switched to Yoko A drives at 44K and i am totally happy with my decision.

Trust me, those JK tornadoes will last you easily 50-55K. But its up to you to upgrade it(i did so because my tires were 5+ years old and i had a sidewall puncture recently)
I plan to change my tyres around the 45K mark as well. I want to upgrade to 15 inches though. Did you upsize or retain the same size?

Quote:
Originally Posted by rajshenoy View Post
My 40K service was the most expensive one(about 10K). Had to change Breakpad and discs(3600) and i also had bad rear wheel bearing which costed me another 1500.

Apart from that, usual 40K stuff. Spark plugs, check your clutch(my SA said it will last another 10-20K)
Thanks for the info. Will check how much the SA quotes for mine and how many parts he changes

Quote:
Originally Posted by rajshenoy View Post
I also feel the break pads get worn out every 20K(or the SA makes sure we change it at 20K). I had changed my breakpads at 20K service and during 40K service he said pads+disc

How often you service your car ? every 5K or every 10K ?
My disc pads were changed at 30,000 km as they had genuinely worn out and I could hear the squealing sound whenever I used to travel at slow speeds even in a straight line. I service my car every 10k kilometers.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rajshenoy View Post
So far i have been giving for service every 10K(or one year) even though the service center keeps reminding me every now and then for 6 months/5000 km service.

Touchwood, i have not had any major issues so far so i would like to stick to my once a year(using it more, so 10K =8-9 months now)service interval
Thanks for the information!!! Will get back after the service is done with the details
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Old 16th May 2012, 09:20   #12
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Re: Ownership review of the Swift Petrol

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I plan to change my tyres around the 45K mark as well. I want to upgrade to 15 inches though. Did you upsize or retain the same size?
I went for the Zxi size 185/70 R14 since i did not want alloys. you can fit upto 185/70 on your stock steel rims. anything beyond(195 etc) needs bigger rim. R15 definitely needs alloys or bigger rims.

Also check if 15 inches is being used by someone on the swift. New swift now comes with bigger wheel arches, so you can fit 15 inches easily. Not too sure about old Swift, besides your FE might take a hit.
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Old 16th May 2012, 09:40   #13
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Re: Ownership review of the Swift Petrol

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I went for the Zxi size 185/70 R14 since i did not want alloys. you can fit upto 185/70 on your stock steel rims. anything beyond(195 etc) needs bigger rim. R15 definitely needs alloys or bigger rims.

Also check if 15 inches is being used by someone on the swift. New swift now comes with bigger wheel arches, so you can fit 15 inches easily. Not too sure about old Swift, besides your FE might take a hit.
Checked around on the site and found the right upsize to be 195/60/R15. Yes, will definitely go for alloys as its going to be 3 years come November and I want to refresh the looks and give my car a makeover . I have seen plenty of cars with 15 inchers (old swifts - mine is a 1.3G series engine too so the oldest) and they look really good
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Old 16th May 2012, 09:48   #14
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Re: Ownership review of the Swift Petrol

Well, if you are planning to go for alloys, then it changes the equation
I was tight on budget so 185/70 is the best i could afford. I am happy though with the increased handling capabilities.

Also noticed that you already changed your discs at 30K(i first changed at 40K), so i guess you dont need to change them so soon again.

Unless your car has any other issues, i dont see you getting a fat bill. just the usual service costs i guess.
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Old 12th July 2012, 08:49   #15
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Re: Ownership review of the Swift Petrol

Got my car back from the 40,000 km service yesterday. The service bill came to just 4077 Rs. The car is still as good as it was the first day we brought it home and still feels like new. Checked with the SA at the workshop and he was of the opinion that the tyres would run for another 10k kms. Since I mainly drive inside the city, I think I will take his advice and wait for that many kms before thinking of switching.

Even with the increasing petrol prices, I still am in love with the car and the way it drives. Had to pick up something from a person arriving at the airport at around 4AM in the morning and due to the sparse traffic, had fun pushing the car a little. The 3rd gear is simply superb
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