[zenren]

Originally Posted by Tazzy Boy

Iam in urgent need to replace my brake pads in my 99 carb zen. Team could you let me know which brake pads non OEM is the best. Also what would be the cost as well.

Why do you want to opt for non-OEM pads? Do not compromise on safety as the non-OEM parts may not be adequately tested in all conditions and the risk from failure is too high with parts like brakes. Also, spares for Zen are not that costly AFAIK.

If you are changing the entire brake assembly in front, you can go for OEM brakes of Type II Zen (MPFI version) which is slightly improved than the carb version to handle the additional power. (cost around 10k I think)

I would stick to OEM parts for important things like brake pads unless you have serious modifications in your car that demand higher levels of braking. If that is the case, you'll need to do a lot more than just replace brake pads.

[Tazzy Boy]

Originally Posted by zenren

Why do you want to opt for non-OEM pads? Do not compromise on safety as the non-OEM parts may not be adequately tested in all conditions and the risk from failure is too high with parts like brakes. Also, spares for Zen are not that costly AFAIK.

If you are changing the entire brake assembly in front, you can go for OEM brakes of Type II Zen (MPFI version) which is slightly improved than the carb version to handle the additional power. (cost around 10k I think)

I would stick to OEM parts for important things like brake pads unless you have serious modifications in your car that demand higher levels of braking. If that is the case, you'll need to do a lot more than just replace brake pads.

Thank you zenren. Will stick to OEM parts then

[Sebring]

My brother wants to get things done for the Zen. Need rough indications of cost for Ecocare (Did it eliminate the odour) and the white LED. Does the cabin LED replace the original bulb, as he wants to keep the look stock? I hope Car Shringar has it. Where did you get the carpeting done? Autocop needs overhauling as well, with the front door lock.
Lot of questions, thanks in advance


All this is scheduled for Monday along with a full interior cleaning by EcoCarCare. Hoping this will also take care of that odor you get due to moisture from the ongoing monsoon. I remember there was a thread somewhere on the forum on how to keep your car smelling good. Will have to dig it out. From Nexus off i went to my accessory guy Car Shringar @ JC Road and also got the cabin light changed to the white LED one. The cabin lights up pretty well now. Also talked to a guy there who agreed to change the entire carpeting on the car for 1.8K. This again is scheduled for Monday. I finally ended my mission for the day with a visit to the Autocop store to replace the buttons on the remote which had got chipped over the several years of usage and they happily replaced it for INR 230

[hishetty]

Originally Posted by Sebring

My brother wants to get things done for the Zen. Need rough indications of cost for Ecocare (Did it eliminate the odour) and the white LED. Does the cabin LED replace the original bulb, as he wants to keep the look stock? I hope Car Shringar has it. Where did you get the carpeting done? Autocop needs overhauling as well, with the front door lock.
Lot of questions, thanks in advance

Hey Sebring, i realized you were waiting for my response. Its been crazy the last couple of days at work, so hardly time for anything else. Also, you deleted the my tag when quoting me so that prevented the notification from coming to me. Neways, if you are still looking for info, unfortunately the odor is still there. Looks like the only way to get rid of it would be to remove the seats fully from inside the car and leave it out in the sun for a full day after a good vacuum job. I plan to do this once monsoon ends. For now, i keep a bottle of AmbiPure room freshener in the car and spray the cabin every morning before i drive out. Also i run the AC with the recycle mode for a couple of minutes every day. Let me see how it goes. Yes, the LED replaces the original cabin bulb. I dropped the carpeting plan and instead installed a set of premium floor mats. Its easier to clean. A lot of work has gone into my car since then. I will update all that in another post and include some pictures as well

[karizma9292]

Just googled some info about zen , here's what i got . The zen is known as cervo mode in other countries , it comes with a turbocharged 660cc engine . To my surprise its available in a 4WD also . Here's a video of a 4WD cervo mode drifting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xauo5D2RttM

[karizma9292]

Hey brothers , i have few questions regarding zen
1. Im looking to swap an esteem engine into my 2003 zen . Should i change to esteem wiring also or can i just swap the engine and the ECM.
2. Planning to upgrade the brakes to esteem brakes , is the brakes different in esteem type 2 and type 3 because i have heard people saying i swapped to type 2 esteem brakes or type 3 esteem brakes .

[hishetty]

Originally Posted by hishetty

A lot of work has gone into my car since then. I will update all that in another post and include some pictures as well

Finally got myself some time to write about the work that has gone into my Zen in the last couple of weeks. It happened in several phases, so for better readability i'll split my story it into multiple posts. After the wash by ecocarcare, i took her to Siva's (Bridgestone dealer near Ramaiah Hospital) for wheel alignment and was told that alignment was not possible as the front shocks were bent Since Nexus was next door, drove her there and after a full checkup, the service advisor informed that the front shocks are indeed damaged and the oil tray was leaking as well. Guess the damage happened while navigating over (there is no way around them) the huge craters on Shiradi Ghat. Agreed to get them changed and took this opportunity to fix the LHS OVRM and replace the boot carpet, mud flaps and also get the 12V socket fitted for charging phones. Also, mentioned that i was getting an irritating sound (kind of low pitched sound that makes you feel like your eardrums are blocked) when on idle or low speeds so they suggested the engine 'something' (i don't remember the exact name) be changed since the car was 8 years old. The hand brake was not effective so told then to check that out as well. The front fog lamps which was not coming on for some reason and told them to fix that as well. I also wanted to get the clutch plate assembly checked since i felt the pickup was a little less, but service advisor suggested that it was not required. The car was at Nexus for two days and the cost of repair and parts worked out to around 12.5K. The hand brake was overhauled and this was not cheap. Anyways, all issues that i pointed out were addressed and the car felt much better now Some pics post the repair. In the next post i'll update about the speaker upgrade and some stickering job

[hishetty]

So with the car back from Nexus and all mechanicals in order, the next thing that i wanted to fix was the audio. Like i had mentioned in an earlier post, this was my Dad's car and his requirement was minimal with lyrics taking precedence over SQ. The HU is some cheap chinese make going by the name Geesonic. It has a USB slot, a SD card slots and radio. It has its own mind when deciding on the order of the tracks to be played. Only front speakers were installed and they were the basic 4" ones from JBL. The installer had also thrown in some cheap tweeters and for some reason the tweeters seemed to dominate the entire setup. I did not want to swap the HU as i wanted to install the best and at this time the moolah was reserved for more pressing needs like a paint job and some performance mods. Components were ruled out as that would mean cutting the plastic door panels and i did not want to compromise the finish of the car in anyway. Similarly, Amp and Sub would have to come after the HU upgrade if at all. All this meant the popular 6"X9" was my best option and i wanted to make sure they were good. After looking around in the forum and some general googling, zeroed in on the GTO949 6"X9" 3 way coax speakers.
Another upgrade on my list was a nice set of Alloys but dad had just replaced the rubber (all 5) a few months back with the MRF ZVTS ones and these were 12" So upgrading to Alloys (13") meant replacing brand new rubber as well and i did not have the budget for that. So decided to delay the Alloy upgrade and instead planned on painting the steel rims black and fit them with steel lips.
Landed at Motoware since they are close to my office and they agreed to paint the rims black at 330rs/rims. They quoted 900rs for the the steel trims, 4.5K for the speaker and 1K towards installation charges incl the mdf board and cables. After some bargaining they agreed to do all for 7.5K. I was told to collect the car after 2 days to allow the paint on the rims to dry properly. Came back after two days and although they did a decent job with painting the rims and the speaker installation, they back tracked on the price claiming that they had to remove a few bends on the rims and voluntairly painted the spare wheel as well Finally had to shell out 8.2K for the job. Personally i felt i could have saved at least 1.5K had i not got lazy and driven to Car Shringar, my favorite accessory shop in JC Road. Few pics post the job.
Next i'll post about the K&L performance filter and the rear spoiler that i got installed along with some fancy fittings and some stickering job

[amrisharm]

Recently went to Darjeeling in my Zen.

[Joe M]

Does anyone know where in Bangalore(or shipped to Bangalore) to get wooden finish centre console for 2005 Zen Lxi? [not the wooden-looking sticker set. See attached pics for reference].

The wooden finish on the steering wheel also looks good - any idea where to find someone who does it?.

Thanks in advance!

[zenren]

Originally Posted by Joe M

Does anyone know where in Bangalore(or shipped to Bangalore) to get wooden finish centre console for 2005 Zen Lxi? [not the wooden-looking sticker set. See attached pics for reference].

The wooden finish on the steering wheel also looks good - any idea where to find someone who does it?.

Thanks in advance!

Zen Classic came with wood finish in the center console and side vents as OEM.

Not sure if the part in the pic was ordered via MGP as a Zen classic part. You can check with MGP if it might be available against order.

Also, I remember Zen VXi coming with a 3-spoke steering wheel (similar to original 93 model) around 2002 time frame, for a short while. I don't remember if that had wood finish for the dashboard or not. If someone on TBHP owned/still owns the model with 3-spoke steering or Zen Classic, they can comment which areas in the dash came with the wood finish.

[Joe M]

Yes, the Zen classic and Zen Vxi 'Deluxe' variants('01 - 'xx) came with wooden centre console and side vents. It was this Vxi deluxe model which had the 3-spoke steering wheel.

At first the Maruti service centre I enquired told the part is not available but on further enquiry they said they'll get back to me after checking. Another dealer said it is available on order, for Rs 1450/-.

The first picture shows the wooden console of a Zen classic and the second one I think is an extra fitment, along with the speedometer cover and steering wheel cover. In my opinion, the second one looks better than the first one.

[S_U_N]

There is a very nice Zen modified - now up for sale in Chennai.
http://classifieds.team-bhp.com/buy-...ruti/Zen.html/

I have been looking out for someone in Pune who can do this kind of a job for me.

[zenren]

Originally Posted by zenren

Any idea if is it possible to get AC vents for the Zen? Mine got broken thanks to the air freshner clip (looks like workshop guys tried to adjust it when the clip was wedged between two slits!)

Originally Posted by Grr7

Check out the nearest MGP outlet. If the guy there tries to evade some hard work to search for the minuscule part (low value part= low profit margin), then insist him to handover the hard copy of parts manual for zen and search for it and indicate him the part you needed. I am pretty sure maruti must be providing it separately.

Got the MGP replacement part finally for the central AC vents. Didn't have the courage to ask them if they had the wooden finish model once they somehow procured the black after a few nagging follow ups
AC vent (regular type) cost: Rs. 260

I have placed the order for ORVM inside garnish (internally adjustable type) and side AC vents too which are yet to come. Hoping to get those in a couple of weeks.

[Grr7]

Originally Posted by zenren

Got the MGP replacement part finally for the central AC vents. Didn't have the courage to ask them if they had the wooden finish model once they somehow procured the black after a few nagging follow ups
AC vent (regular type) cost: Rs. 260

I have placed the order for ORVM inside garnish (internally adjustable type) and side AC vents too which are yet to come. Hoping to get those in a couple of weeks.

The guys at MSM and MSS, Naraina are quite helpful with my passion for my cars. In case your MGP do not cooperate for a part, you can send me the part number, I shall try my level best to help. Esp since maruti warehouse is in gurgaon and ordered parts reach MSM the very next day of placing order(if placed before 4 pm).

Regards