[Mav3rick]

Hello,

I hope you all have been well.

I have been lurking around and hopping threads just to glean information ranging from new cars to mods to tyres, ICE etc and to read about experiences that are shared. So far it's been an enriching experience and kudos to all FMs who are constantly, relentlessly and selflessly contributing to this ever-growing community.

Till now, for me a car was just a means of transport from one point to another. My car clocked ~35000kms in 15 years is a case in point. I have a black metallic Alto Lxi bought as a gift in 2007. The only changes in the car were the oils, coolant, battery, and the front shock absorbers. Occasional liners and rodent-bite repairs maybe. The stepney is still new. I didn't even get ONE puncture in the 15 years!!!! I changed the tyres only after 11 years and that too not as a necessity but as an impulse. Such is the situation.

The car now obviously needs a makeover, and inspired by a lot of you, I am thinking of making some modifications in the car. The plan is to drive as much as I can and then keep her as a memory and buy a new on in the next 5 years.

Sifting through the threads I managed to make a list of modifications which add to mine. I need your help in either adding to or removing from them and above all point me to someone who is best suited to do all this in PUNE. Right now I am in Saswad a town 40 kms away, and need this car to be ready by Christmas.

MY REQUIREMENTS

1. Same paint - Black Metallic
2. Ceramic Coating
3. Power Windows
4. Good powerful lights
5. Thinking of either changing the seats or just an upholstery change would do?
6. Hub Caps
7. The AC vents rattle or just droop down. Can they be changed?
8. Other aesthetic changes like the door lining, wipers, dashcams etc.
9. Good windshield where the light from the oncoming vehicles just don't "break" and create a blinding effect for me - the only driver yet.
10. And other parts that need to be changed.

FROM THE FORUMS

1. Internally adjustable ORVM (OEM/MGP).
2. Day / night mirror (OEM/MGP).
3. Boot opener (OEM/MGP).
4. Rear doors cabin light switch (OEM/MGP).
5. Clear side indicator lens (OEM/MGP).
6. Philips T10 leds x4 (front + back)
7. Sylvania T10 amber leds x2 (side)
8. Philips 100/90W H4 headlamps + wiring
9. Internal TPMS (Honda)
10. Alloy wheels x5 (NEO)
11. Celerio Fogs (OEM/MGP)
12. Custom art leather seats with blue stitching + leather adjustable (welded) front arm rest + leather door pads + leather steering wheel wrap.
13. Few other bits like audio upgrade, dashcam, noodle mats etc
14. Install cabin filter
15. And there were some discussions about FFE and Conical Filters

Please don't judge me if I say, I don't even know what some of these mean! Its just ^C and ^V

Mods, I am hoping this is the right thread to post this, if not my apologies. Please move it to an appropriate thread.

Hoping to hear from this wonderful community.

Till then you all be well and stay blessed

[shancz]

Welcome to TBHP.
No punctures in 15 years/35000 kms, spectacular

Your requirements and list is good, will add some suggestions on the points I can, better informed members will guide you on others.

Originally Posted by Mav3rick

1. Thinking of either changing the seats or just an upholstery change would do?
2. The AC vents rattle or just droop down. Can they be changed?
3. Good windshield where the light from the oncoming vehicles just don't "break" and create a blinding effect for me - the only driver yet.

1. If the seats haven't sagged much then getting a good seat cover should suffice. There are some really good ones from dedicated makers like Elegance etc. and MGA should be also have some well fitting ones, may not be very plush though.
2. They should be changeable, you can check the OEM catalog on Boodmo or this (Maruti Genuine Parts (MGP) Catalog: Post your queries here (model list on Pg 1)) excellent thread maintained by Leoshashi.
3. For the windshield, check it after the Ceramic treatment. A friend wanted to change his windscreen for the same reason but post a ceramic treatment he found it to be significantly better and dropped his plans for changing it.

[IshaanIan]

Firstly congratulations on owning a mint condition Alto

Now coming to mods:

Alloys - get yourself alloys but only those sold for the Alto so make sure to check offset and not just PCD. Do not buy multi-pcd stuff, you can alternatively go through the OEM catalogue for part numbers to alloy wheels and buy those from Boodmo.

Audio - Keep it simple get yourself 4 inch speakers that fit in the stock location on the dashboard, can pair them with separately bought tweeters and use the best 6x9 coaxials mounted in the dicky door facing the cabin with loads of damping in the dicky door. This way the only damping you will need to do is in the boot door and that's it. Power them with a class A/B amp and pair a subwoofer of your choice with it

Lighting - Simply go for projectors in the foglamps they are cheap, effective and will maintain the stock headlamp's look as they can fade out if you add higher power bulbs. And change your windshield

Power Windows - You might have to get a different ECU for this if you want the stock ones along with new door pads so not sure if it is worth the expense. Also I myself recently restored my 2004 WagonR lxi and was wondering if I should add power windows but chose not to as I did not want to rely on aftermarket power windows and also decided that since manually winding windows are pretty rare, I'd keep mine stock for nostalgia sake

Seats - Fix them no need to replace as they have only been sat in for 35k kms. Go for real leather and avoid the artificial stuff as they will simply lead to you having a sweaty back in the summers

Paint - Stick to Glasurit best stuff in the aftermarket as far as I can make out

Lastly, make sure to get everything done at the right place as your car is bone stock and in mint condition so it would be a shame for some installer to ruin the wires or put something back the wrong way and end up breaking stuff. Doesn't matter if it is out of station also, but go for the best. Places like Bangalore, Delhi and Bombay would have the best options.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by shancz

3. A friend wanted to change his windscreen for the same reason but post a ceramic treatment he found it to be significantly better and dropped his plans for changing it.

Just to be clear the ceramic coating itself had nothing to do with it since its applied on metal.
What helped was the "glass cleaning" which was a part of preparing the car before the ceramic coating was done.
It had a lot of watermarks and the usual scratches. The watermarks are gone while the minute scratches need to be checked but they don't seem to be there. Deeper scratches/pits(from small stones) are there and to be honest look more prominent which could be because the other stuff has been removed hence they stand out more.

But even if you want to change, the Alto's windscreen shouldn't be that expensive.

[GTO]

Your car is 15 years old, so I'd suggest not spending too much money on it. I see from your profile that you're an education professional. With time, you'll make more money and you'll move onto better cars, whether bigger Marutis or something else. Your Alto will be feeling old & outdated by now, and will feel even more so with time.

Since you intend to keep the car for 5 years, just spend a bit of money on her maintenance, which makes her drive better. In terms of accessories, only the high priority stuff. Example, if you're big on music, get nicer speakers and a small amplifier (you can carry this ICE equipment forward to your next car too).

Your list in the opening post is too long and too expensive for a 15-year old economy car. Instead, save up on that money and use it for a lateral upgrade to a newer, superior car (ARTICLE: The Beauty of Lateral Upgrades (Getting MORE CAR for LESS $$$)). Invest it and do a lateral upgrade in a few years.

[Kosfactor]

I can imagine a lowered alto, white steel wheels. Rest all can be restored to stock, visibly they make no difference.

Alternative - You can do with something more exciting than an Alto. Exchange this Alto for a K10 or Jelly bean Zen - now lower it, add white steel wheels , that is it. With the Zen you now have a classic car that can be daily driven.

[anoop.u]

Originally Posted by Mav3rick

Please don't judge me...

No judging at all, I have all the above mods and a few more (rear wipe, washer, etc) done on my 2007 Alto.

My advise: Get into this ONLY and ONLY if you have the time, money and patience to get most of this by yourself one at time. No garage or workshop will get you a 100% perfect job.

Truth be told, no matter how much I love driving my 2007 Alto, the only running it sees is for the quick grocery runs within city limits. After all this is a small hatch with nothing much on the safety front.

[Pennant1970]

Go beyond any sentimental feelings you may have towards what is (to be brutally frank) just a runof the mill car. Like GTO suggested, do essential maintenance, look for an opportunity to upgrade. This comes from some who spent a lakh-plus rupees on a petrol Premier Padmini in 2000 and in the end, sold it on without ever driving it because I was out of the country. That's when I swore to myself that I would never get sucked into an old car rabbit hole. My father was one of those who would buy absolute crates he had nostalgic memories of, from his misspent youth, and spend time and money to ressurect decades-old cars. And I am talking of cars like 2 Standard 10s (also known erroneously as the Pennant), a Fiat Super Select and even a 1952 Austin A40 Devon, amongst various old bikes of doubtful provenance! The only one I am really thankful for is a Herald (don't remember the model year) we had, in which I taugh myself driving (those were different days)! Even that latter one would constantly strand my father on his morning commute as the rear suspension collapsed over a pothole!

Sorry to be so wordy - but my advice as a partially reformed motor addict: move on!

[vinya_jag]

Well, a couple of years ago, got our maroon Alto from 2008 modified. Got the choicest of alloys, changed paint (Better than the default Maruti option), changed seat covers (not to my liking though, the dealer did this one himself, and I didn’t like it). I was hoping for better driving dynamics, stabler on highways, better pick up (from the changed valves).
It was just about okay. It didn’t make a huge difference. In a year, the rust started from inside the door panels, and a little on the roof. It had a broken catalytic converter, and it sounded great for some time, but then got noisier.
A year and a bit later, sold it off to buy our new car. It was a great experience though. Got a good deal on the resale and the person who bought was also awed by the car.

But like GTO says, how much ever modifications, the car will start to age very quickly after 15

[sumeethaldankar]

The Alto is a simple car and a good one so keep it simple. Alloy wheels, seat covers and a decent music system are the things to go for. Keep the engine stock and she will be trouble free. The odo shows that she has hardly run. Pamper her with a good quality engine oil like synthetic oil and a good detailing session. The car can last long since it has a lot of engine life left however parts will start to fail due to age if not due to wear and tear so save the money for factory original parts when needed rather than after market ones and she will hold well.

[NiInJa]

We have a 2006 Zen in our family and its still running well at 95000 km, but it did have some issues of rusting and oil leakage which have been fixed to satisfaction. I did a couple of mods back then and some them have come to bite us. Listing some of our (mis)adventures on old cars below:

1. Big JBL Speakers: attached it to rear parcel tray, while they sounded good, the tray could not handle its weight and started rattling and the tray sagged in the middle. Plus the Zen has very less boot space that is reduced with the speakers protruding. Door panels of Alto are not very thick, good speakers may start sounding weird if the damping is done poorly. Back in the day, good speakers were fitted to sturdy wooden boxes.

2. Alloy wheels: This is very important. Make sure the Alloy wheels are not wide enough to scrape the wheel arch. I fitted Plati wheels and the rear wheels used to scrape the wheel wells when driving with full load.

3. Wiring cut for accessories/fog lamps: Do it with help of professionals who know a thing or two about car electricals. If done incorrectly, you will have unwanted problems. We had this done for fog lamps and the entire centre console (AC Control, Hazard light indicator) lights would conk off as one of the fuse would blow after every 6-9 months. Authorised service center could not fix it and suggested changing the entire wiring harness. Root cause was found by another FNG.

4. Rusting: If rusting starts, one cannot stop it entirely, unless the car is repainted with factory finish (means removing the engine and everything). Do check for rust and get it fixed, but understand that it is going to temporary, the car will start rusting again.

5. Windshield change: Again, get this done properly. We discovered our car had leakage when it started raining, six months after changing the windscreen. See if you can fix the glare issues without removing the glass first.

6. Headlamp upgrade: You can do this mod, Alto's headlamp housings are cheaper even if you burn them. Make sure it does not affect any other electricals.

The best part of having an Alto is the car is extremely cheap to maintain and repair, even if things don't go as planned. So don't wait, just get things done as you like

One thing I would add (which may not be applicable to you), Altos of those vintage (2005-2007) used to get stolen a lot in Mumbai and nearby areas. My manager's Alto was stolen from Thane area in 2012. The police told him that Altos are usually stolen for the engine which is then fitted on fishing boats. If the key or lock is worn out, you can have a new set of key and lock as well.

[Mav3rick]

Thanks a lot for all the replies. Based on all the suggestions, I have decided to keep it as simple as possible.

I am now going for a coat of paint (Glasurit), change the windshield ONLY if needed, change the headlamps to better ones, keeping the cranking windows as it would mean to mess with the wiring and also as @Pennant1970 mentioned for the nostalgic value, fit alloys and just do basic modifications and changes that a 15yr old car needs. I will share pre/post pictures once the project begins. Again, a heartfelt thanks to each and every suggestion posted here. I appreciate it.

Going OT - After having worked in IT for 23+ years, I've now entered into the education field. I am supporting 3 rural schools that need traveling through lot of dusty, potholed, uneven roads and strips of lands locally c/a roads. I believe my trusty Alto will be the right choice for this kind of a commute considering my small family of 4. We work a lot with homeschooling, roadschooling, unschooling kids from India and abroad. My 13 yr old has never been to a school - EVER.

I will come back to you all for suggestions when we plan our roadschooling trip and a change of car (lateral upgrade)

Mods: Apologize if this does not belong here. Let me know if I need to delete the off-topic info.