[kri$hna]

This thread is slowly becoming another "thread of appreciation for baleno" !

I too own a Baleno Vxi 2006 model, done abt 64,260kms and still going strong. It now treads on Yokohama A Drives and LPG instead of petrol. Amazing car to drive, even on LPG. I have used a sequential LPG kit from BRC (MY 07) which feels peppier than petrol and doesnt burn my pocket as much ! ha ha

In the pics posted by OP, i see the Front Bumper has a Matt finish paint. Did you do it deliberately ? Any specific reason/advantage of that ?

[Sabby-069]

Sure seems to be another Baleno appreciation thread - I have a 2004 Sep Baleno, it's done 60,000 Kms so far. Changed the OE Battery 2 months back, have just changed her shoes a week back. Upgraded to 15" 195/55. The resale value is not all that great, so have decided to keep her for good. Planing on more mods/upgrades, like the filter, spark plugs, spark plug cables, FFE, CAI and also planing on moving to Synthetic Oil. Non Engine mods may include, HIDs on low beam and Fogs and a complete paint job. Plan to start some time in mid March!!!

[mayankjha1806]

Originally Posted by kri$hna

This thread is slowly becoming another "thread of appreciation for baleno" !

In the pics posted by OP, i see the Front Bumper has a Matt finish paint. Did you do it deliberately ? Any specific reason/advantage of that ?

Awesome team, we are into 2nd page now. So many Baleno enthusiasts.

Well the Matt finish is accidental. Had an accident 2 years ago and had to change the Bumper. MSIL gets plain bumper and paints them before fixing and they did paint the bumper to the car color but the paint started coming off immediately. I got it repainted again last year again the same story, since then i have left it such dosent look too BAD i guess rather than spending money on this.

Did anyone did any mods on their Baleno. Once i get another car i am thinking of sending her to the service station again for some necessary stuff and some mods (If they look/work good)? Any recommendations?

[honeybee]

Get matching seat covers, and your interior will look amazing!

[mayankjha1806]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Get matching seat covers, and your interior will look amazing!

I was looking at more like engine mods, ecu mods, maybe airfilter changes to boost power and exaust mods. Anyone tried that before or any place in Bangalore you would recommend that does this job effectively.

[mayankjha1806]

Yesterday the babe crossed 50K, and we were contemplating on doing a longish drive (close to 3.5K) hence decided to get it checked at a local repair shop nearby (A place where i can see everything that is being done to the car). To my horrer, here is what i found.

1. The last time when got it serviced i asked the SA to put Synthetic oil, and had run about 9K on that oil. When we checked it looked in a bad. This time i got the oil changed again (Castrol Edge Synthetic) about 4L went in and costed about 4.3K.
2. I have been running on stock headlamps for 5+ years and sometimes felt the beam was not strong. Asked the mechanic if there is a possibility to put HID's he suggested new Phillips 90/100 bulbs, i decided to get that changed with relay and wiring (Total cost 1.5K)
3. I have also been running on stock battery and as suggested i got that also checked. He said battery is still in good condition and will surely last another 5K Kms. No need to change. Even he was surprised that the battery has lasted me 5+ years. He said "Sir you are lucky, usually it lasts approx 3years".
4. The coolent was completly empty and i was surprised that even after that the temp gauge never went up above the half way mark. Got the coolent filled. I felt bad, sometimes i have been really careless with this babe, but she never complained. My respect for the car went few nothes above.

Next in line i am planning to replace

1. New spark plugs, he said each of them cost about 300. These are performance plugs. Anyone tried this already?
2. KNN Filter, have been thinking about this for sometime
3. Some body repair, and front windshield change (as it has a crack).
4. Somekind of polishing on alloys, to make them look as new. Not sure how this could be done. Any suggestions?
5. Get suspension checked, as i feel that there is more body roll now than when it was new.

The car now is driving much better than earlier, and the headlamps are really more powerful (Folks now go to low beam, when i request them by switching onto high beam, earlier they didnt bother)

Moral of the story, for these kind of repairs (Oil changes etc) i would now go to the local shop get it done in front of my eyes.

[honeybee]

1. If you had switched to synthetic oil the last time you got the car serviced, it's kinda expected that the oil will have turned black. I had the same experience with my Santro. With the second oil change, I have now clocked close to 5K and the oil still retains much of its original colour. So I guess nothing to worry about there. I am, however, on semi-synthetic which costs much lesser than a fully synthetic one. Point: Just because in 9K the oil turned black doesn't indicate the SA didn't put synthetic oil in your engine. The first time you switch from normal to synthetic, this will happen.

2. Please remember the 90/100 lights are not street-legal. It's also printed on the boxes.

3. Battery lasting for 5K is not much of a wonder, as is the assurance that it will go for another few thousand kms. Congratulations.

4. Even if the coolant reservoir were empty, the radiator and the cooling system should still have some water+coolant mixture. Unless you have been high-revving the engine or driving on ghat sections, a healthy engine should survive on it. But now that you have discovered the incident, please keep an eye on the reservoir. If it seems to be depleting faster, you may have a leak somewhere in the cooling system.

Regarding the mods you are planning:

1. Performance spark plugs: whether they add any performance or not is pretty much doubtful. Stick to the manufacturer specifications and you should be good.

2. K&N Filter: Again the same advice. It's doubtful if they really give as much benefit as they claim. Going for stock air filter should be cheaper and better. You could always replace it if you find it getting clogged. Much easier than trying to wash/clean the K&N filters.

3. Body repairs/Windshield replacement: Your call, try and see if the windshield replacement can be done under insurance. Glass items are fully covered by your insurance. You may avoid a dent on your pocket, though it means your no claim bonus goes for a toss and your next premium may be a little higher. Check with some insurance expert and work out what will be cheaper. Again, if the crack isn't wide enough/deep enough and the wipers are working well, you may want to live with the crack.

4. Alloy Polishing: Again your call, though it would only add to the looks and not the functionality.

5. Good idea. Getting the car up on stands and having both front and rear suspension components checked would be a good idea.

I hope you are also carrying out regular tyre rotation and wheel alignment. It would be good to get the wheel balancing done too, if you haven't done it in a long while.

[james]

• Its quite normal for the oil to turn black by 9k. Was it the first time you put in synthetic?
• Changing the bulbs to 90/100 with proper wiring is a good decision! The HID’s don’t really help unless you have projectors and the outer lens is clear.
• I would suggest changing the batt! You wouldn’t want it to let you down all of a sudden in the middle of nowhere. A friend of mine was told by the mech that his batt would last him another 6 months with ease! The next morning he set off on a long journey. He stopped for a break and when he came back, the car refused to crank. 5+yrs is a very good life but I don’t think you should push it further!
• Was the coolant empty in the radiator or the reservoir?

Regarding your future plans:

• Stick to the NGK’s recommended by Suzuki. Don’t go in for the fancy ones. Just make sure you get the ngk’s from a Maruti authorized parts dealer
• K&N is again your call. Frankly it wont make much of a difference. If you really must change the filter to an aftermarket one, id suggest a foam filter like UNI etc.
• This is you call, If you can get it fixed at a windshield expert, well and good. If it needs to be replaced, you will have to replace it.
• The alloys on the VXI are painted, right? In that case you may need to contact a painter for that. Maybe he could polish it and then spray some lacquer. If you are gonna do that, id suggest getting the bumper painted as well;
• It’s a good idea to get the suspension checked.

Getting these routine services at a competent independent mech is a better idea. You can see the work being done and it would work out relatively cheaper.

My car had done about 56k and still runs like a dream! * Touchwood*

Have a look at this thread, its got quite a bit of info in there. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...eet-build.html

Cheers!

[santosh.s]

Originally Posted by honeybee

2. K&N Filter: Again the same advice. It's doubtful if they really give as much benefit as they claim. Going for stock air filter should be cheaper and better. You could always replace it if you find it getting clogged. Much easier than trying to wash/clean the K&N filters.

Recently replaced air filter of my baleno (5 years old) with a new OEM one, cost was 700+ being SGP. Resulted in quite noticeable improvement in pick-up and engine smoothness, even though it was done soon after an yearly service. Had asked for replacement a couple of years ago itself, but service guys told that there was no need, and cleaning was enough!

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by santosh.s

Recently replaced air filter of my baleno (5 years old) with a new OEM one, cost was 700+ being SGP. Resulted in quite noticeable improvement in pick-up and engine smoothness, even though it was done soon after an yearly service. Had asked for replacement a couple of years ago itself, but service guys told that there was no need, and cleaning was enough!

I am not aware if the OEM filters can be cleaned. I get mine for 120/- bucks and when it gets dirty it goes to the garbage bin. I deliberated for a while if going for aftermarket performance filters would help. But after reading through numerous posts on the topic I decided it's best to stick with the OEM ones. If the filter develops any gaps in the filtering elements, it can prove really costly.

[santosh.s]

Filters are cleaned using compressed air (letting it pass through the filter in reverse direction).

[rjstyles69]

The last time when got it serviced i asked the SA to put Synthetic oil, and had run about 9K on that oil. When we checked it looked in a bad. This time i got the oil changed again (Castrol Edge Synthetic) about 4L went in and costed about 4.3K.

Stick to a 5/6k kms oil change when it comes to synthetic. I followed this religiously when I had the baleno.

New spark plugs, he said each of them cost about 300. These are performance plugs. Anyone tried this already?

Simply stick to the normal one's performance plugs doesn't help in anyways.

Somekind of polishing on alloys, to make them look as new. Not sure how this could be done. Any suggestions?

There was a DIY thread somewhere on this forum. Dig it up, else you can get them rebuffed.

Get suspension checked, as i feel that there is more body roll now than when it was new.

Any noises from the suspension ? Else just get the suspension bushes checked, the rubber would have hardened over time.

[wanderernomad]

How much would replacing the rubber bushes cost?

[mayankjha1806]

On 16th March while going to pick up my daughter @ school something cranked under the bonnet and the babe refused to move. Wifee called from the location to explain the problem and left the car under good eyes to watch out for until i arrive.

After about an hour i reached the spot and checked, the car's engine would start, after slotting in 1st gear it wouldnt move and make a cranking noise from under the hood. Opened the boot and nothing obviously wrong was visible. Called up the local garage (With whom i get washing and basic repairs done) to send someone to take a look. Once the guy arrived here is what we found out.

The link between the gear box and wheels was vibrating and making noise (The guy said that it needs to be replaced as the teeth that are inside are probably gone). Got the car towed to Carnation in Marathalli. Babe was with the doc for 5 days and following operations were performed on it.

1. The Rod was changed (Not sure whats the name of it) will check in the bill and revert.
2. Front windshield was changed with its rubber and the things.
3. Front bumper was painted again
4. Alloy wheels were polished

Total spend about close to 25K.

Following is the result.

[mayankjha1806]

Following are the pictures, refreshed Alloys, Bumper painted and the rod that was replaced.