[v&v]

Great report. Hats off to your father for maintaining the car so well.
Its a sheer coincidence that yesterday i chachu too picked a used esteem diesel 2005 model yesterday run 45k only. Reading your report now i feel its a good deal if it is maintained well.

[benzinblut]

Update 3,10,000km

Car was serviced yesterday.
Jobs done: Oil, Oil filter, Diesel filter
Total Cost: Rs. 1850

Jobs to be done in the next few months:
1) Engine mounts. I observe that the engine vibrations are higher than normal during cold start. Once hot, its back normal. This will its first engine mount change.
2) Rusting on rear right wheel arch
3) Driver side door pad vibrations

The car is fun to drive as usual. Serving its basic purpuse very efficiently and economically. Loving every moment driving it.

[Fordmanchau]

^^ That's a nice update benzinblut!!
A service cost of just 1850/- at 3.1lakhs km is awesome.
How long do you intend to keep the car with you?
As with age now the body will start showing niggles in form of rusts and chipped paints, etc. Please do update with the latest pics too.
How much more life is left in the engine? any rough estimate?

[benzinblut]

Thanks fordmanchau!

No intentions of parting with the car. Its the most economial car that we ever owned and it is equally reliable. Its too economical to replace and now we also have an emotional attachment with it. If we consider a new vehicle then I think it would be an addition rather than a replacement.

Yes, the body is the first thing that is showing signs of overhaul required. There are also quite a few minor irritating noises; but then I find these in most marutis. Actually the car hasnt' changed lookswise and looks just like in the pics on page1. The rusting on the wheel arch started during that time and is now visible. We might go for a full body paint job in the next months.

The engine shows no weakness. The compression still feels very strong. I dont know how many more kms are left in the engine but my dad is keen on atleast 5 lakh, and he drives it like that!

[Fordmanchau]

Originally Posted by benzinblut

The engine shows no weakness. The compression still feels very strong. I dont know how many more kms are left in the engine but my dad is keen on atleast 5 lakh, and he drives it like that!

Woah!! that's great that the engine is doing good.
5L kms Hope the car survives through it easily.
I can understand the emotional attachment and if the car is doing good without any major hiccups than it makes a point for itself against any replacements.
Great if it looks still the same .
I know you guys will take good care of it , as you have been doing till now .

[filmaka]

We have a zen Diesel with the same TUD-5 engine, Clocked 170000 km, I drove it for 90,000 km and then it got stolen and after one year when I got it back the Odo was at 60,000 I guess the thieves have driven it for 70,000 It has been more than an year since we got it back and the Odo is again at 80,000 it means we have driven it another 20,000 After getting it back from thieves. We just got regular service done at an interval of 7500 kms and nothing else Once we had to get The Battery charger repaired and apart from that no major repairs, Even the clutch is original, This is one hell of an engine keeping in mind the rough use by thieves.

[amit1234singla]

Wow! benzinblut. She is one hell of a machine and is serving you very well. Take good care of her. Esteem, both petrols and diesel had a different benchmark of reliability. My FIL used two petrol Esteems and sold first at 2.65L km's and other at 2.45L km's. No breakdowns ever.

We in the family also believe in cars which are used like workhorses but are taken care of very well. Nothing close to your Esteem but our 2005 Santro is at 131k km's and is as good a new. No plans to sell her even in distant future.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ros-manza.html

[msranade]

Originally Posted by benzinblut

Attachment 471399
This is probably the longest ownership thread, in terms of miles logged, on this forum and the first for an Esteem Diesel.

..................................
.................................

We are not sure how long we intend to keep her. But this has been a no non-sense car. It brought us the efficiency of diesel with the reliability of the Esteem. It has done the job well for it and is still going strong….Great Going!!

Hey Benzi

Nice review.

I too own a 2003 Esteem Diesel. Do you have the owner's manual? If yes, can you please send a scanned copy to me. I have lost mine.

Also if you wish to sell your Esteem D let me know one of my friend is looking for the same.

[devarshi84]

Hats off to maintaining the car so nicely. Hope the car keeps up for years to come.


Just to put my two cents. You've mentioned that sourcing engine parts is tough. You can try for the same here. Madan Motors 25, Bezzola Complex, S. T. Road, Chembur - 400071. They are the dealers for Premier RIo car which uses the same engine as your car.

Also, since Premier has updated the engine, you might be in luck with power and refinement.

[msranade]

Hey Benzi ..... very nice review.

I own 2003 Esteem Diesel (D)
Please send a scanned copy of Esteem Diesel (I have lost mine)
Have you removed Condenser Fan? or there was no separate Fan at the front for the Condenser?

Once again request you to kindly send a scanned copy of the manual to my email ID msranade@yahoo.com

Thnaks !

[benzinblut]

Update 19-Sep-11:
The odometer stands at approx. 3,17,000 km. Engine vibrations were quite high. Could only source one mount for the engine and got it replaced. Mild vibrations still exist on startup, but thats nothing to complain of.

The body needs to be attened at places and a thorough interior cleaning is required. These are next on our list once the rains stop fully.

-------

@msranade:
No plans to sell the car so far. If something changes then I will contact you.
The condnser fan is not removed. The car is stock. Just recently an additional condenser fan about 3 months ago for better AC performance.
I must check if I still have the manual. If I find it, ill send you a photocopy by courier.

@devarshi84: Thanks for the address of that store.

[benzinblut]

Update 3,20,000km

Oil Change done about 1000km back:
Jobs done: Oil, Oil filter.

The AC failed last week:
AC piping has 2 leaks. AC Cooling coil also had a leak
Cost of new AC cooling coil and service/charging: Rs. 5000

Next on the list is body work to treat the rusted portions.

Originally Posted by msranade

.....
Please send a scanned copy of Esteem Diesel (I have lost mine)

Thnaks !

Sorry Mate! I looked all over but cant find the Owner's Manual. It has to be there but I cant locate it.

[k_nitin_r]

@benzinblut

Hi!

I just wanted to let you know that I've got a Maruti Esteem Di 2004 (the model year after yours with the face-lift). I can't tell if the car has done 104,000 km or 204,000 km as the odometer has only 5-digits and I had the car with my bro-in-law while I was out of town for about 2 years, but I have witnessed the odometer roll past zero once.

My Esteem doesn't have the electrical problems or brake fade described in the thread, but I do have a problem of brakes refusing to work after I drive through a puddle. The solution? Turn on the AC and switch to 2nd or 1st gear to slow down while holding the brake pedal as hard as you can.

When climbing slopes, you do have to turn off the AC and the current conditions of the national highways mean that you would be going at 100-120 km/hr for the most part. A 6th forward gear on the gearbox would have helped with highway travel (at 100 km/hr, the 5th gear has the engine at 3,000 rpm). The owner's manual does specifically suggest avoiding speeds of over 100 km/hr. Overtaking on the highway often means driving on 3rd gear at 80 km/hr which does strain the engine a lot - the fuel consumption and engine noise are the car's way of complaining.

I am considering a trade-in because the boot space is too little for a trip of about 4 days for a family of 4 (and with gifts for 4 more) and the car isn't suitable for the highway speeds. Perhaps the Maruti Ertiga? The Tata Grande solves the space problem.

The Esteem Di 2004 is rare. The Aqua Blue color is rare. Put the two together and that is what I have :-)

PS: There are quite a few Esteems in Hyderabad; they aren't rare yet here.

[benzinblut]

Originally Posted by k_nitin_r

...but I do have a problem of brakes refusing to work after I drive through a puddle. The solution? Turn on the AC and switch to 2nd or 1st gear to slow down while holding the brake pedal as hard as you can.

Why? Do the brakes function partially or fail totally? When and how do they come back to normal funciton? Has this something to do with brake boost? In any case, There seems to be something seriously wrong. It has nothing to do with the car model. I strongly suggest you to get this checked and dont drive until it is identified and fixed. Driving in such conditions is dangerous. Also, do let us konw the reason when you find it out.

Originally Posted by k_nitin_r

A 6th forward gear on the gearbox would have helped with highway travel (at 100 km/hr, the 5th gear has the engine at 3,000 rpm).

I also miss the 6th gear many-a-times. The engine would be more relaxed at higher speeds.

What FE do you get nitin?

[k_nitin_r]

Originally Posted by benzinblut

Why? Do the brakes function partially or fail totally? When and how do they come back to normal funciton? Has this something to do with brake boost? In any case, There seems to be something seriously wrong. It has nothing to do with the car model. I strongly suggest you to get this checked and dont drive until it is identified and fixed. Driving in such conditions is dangerous. Also, do let us konw the reason when you find it out.

The problem with brake malfunction in the rain has been since the car was new. I noticed the problem in a Maruti 800 too so I assumed it was a problem with all of the older Marutis. The brakes work normally after they dry i.e. after being parked overnight, it starts working again.

Last year, I had the car checked at MASS for the brakes being too weak (not related to the rain malfunction) and they had it adjusted. I did ask the why the brakes needed adjustment - they said the brake booster may need a replacement but it has a 1 month wait.

Originally Posted by benzinblut

I also miss the 6th gear many-a-times. The engine would be more relaxed at higher speeds. What FE do you get nitin?

On the highway, the speed limit is 100 km/hr so with the engine at 3,000 rpm for most of the trip, I get about 14-15 km / ltr (diesel) with the AC running for at least half the trip (AC runs on High and is turned off when it gets too cold). I haven't checked the mileage in the city though.