[BenjiRoss]

The dealer finally managed to fit a 40Ah battery. Theoretically the 35 Ah should still do the job. I'm not sure why Hyundai went with a 40 Ah, non standard battery capacity on the AT petrol.
I was also annoyed that the service engineer didn't have a clue about battery capacity and what the difference was in the Amaron he was fitting. This should be basic knowledge for a service technician!
I had to go through a roundabout way to correct the technician. Tweeted to Hyundai, then called them and they conference called with Jain's Hyundai senior service manager who was on leave and then he liased with the service team to tell them the difference between 35Ah and 40Ah. After that things moved quickly and the battery was sourced as soon as the workshop opened in the morning.
I spent 4770 RS. on the Exide. (5100 for battery, 450 buyback for old battery and some labour). About 1000 RS more than BatteryBhai if I bought the 35Ah Amaron. I got the car washed and tires filled with nitrogen for free, so overall cost seems ok. Warranty is 24 + 24 months.
Hope this takes care of tripmetet resets, wavering horn and occasional stuttering starts.

[Secretariat]

Had my first trip meter resetting occurance after 4 years of ownership - SX(O) AT . I had replaced the OEM battery a year and 20,000 kms ago; so it shouldn't be a battery problem hopefully. The only change I have made recently is that I have fitted a dashcam (no hardwiring) - could that be causing the problem ?

Normally I would wait and watch, but I have a long and challenging road trip coming up in 3 weeks and absolutely cannot risk a battery failure. Grateful for advice.

[BenjiRoss]

Originally Posted by Secretariat

Had my first trip meter resetting occurance after 4 years of ownership - SX(O) AT . I had replaced the OEM battery a year and 20,000 kms ago;

Normally I would wait and watch, but I have a long and challenging road trip coming up in 3 weeks and absolutely cannot risk a battery failure. Grateful for advice.

How did you sort this out. Does the dash cam have a parking mode and come on intermittently when parked?
Get the battery checked and charged fully. If the battery is not in good health, it can be replaced under warranty.

[jpcoolguy]

Originally Posted by jpcoolguy

Will it be an issue if I go for the 35AH battery instead of 40AH battery?

Changed my car's battery last saturday, from BatteryBhai.com.

After searching for 40AH battery for some time in online portals and also with the dealership, I decided to go with the 35AH battery itself since the dealership didn't respond positively. It seems they too are having 35AH battery not the 40AH one, not sure why though.

Got the Amaron AAM-FL-0BH40B20L battery (with 24 + 24 months warranty) from BatteryBhai.com for 3,649 after exchanging the old battery (used a INR 50 coupon). The battery is manufactured in August 2018.

http://www.batterybhai.com/car-batte...L/43/2/1/35/12

A local dealer called me and came to change the battery within 2 hrs of order and the work is completed in 5 minutes. There seems to be no issue with the different AH battery till now (touchwood) and hoping no issues crop up in the future as well.

[Secretariat]

8000 kms drive to Himachal & back

Just back from a month long 8000 kms solo drive from Bangalore to Himachal & back including the districts of Kinnaur & Spiti. My car is the initial launch petrol SX(O) AT - four years old now. There is a detailed travelogue in the appropriate section, but this post is to summarise the performance of the car.

One word - brilliant. Not a squeak, not even a puncture. The car was utterly reliable and performance was at the top of what you can expect from a compact sedan.

In the high mountains (I took it up to 4600 mtrs altitude), the car performad impeccably. My route took me through the Jalori pass, one of the steepest gradients of any pass in the world. It climbed without a fuss and there was no struggling for traction even in sections where the road was broken. On the equally steep descent, shifting from AT to manual 2nd gear gave adequate engine braking. There were numerous hair pins with a steep ascent and the car rarely struggled.

There were broken roads galore in Kinnaur and Spiti and I also managed to get caught during the heavy rains that hit the state in end September. The car could handle the slush on narrow mountain roads . There were numerous landslides which had broken up road sections completely and those were handled with confidence too. Malling Nallah plus a few more water crossings with stones underneath were taken smoothly, but I should state that there wasn't a really big water crossing that I had to take. I did not do the notorious Batal-Gramphu sector, which I judged this car cannot do.

I took only about 2 or 3 underbody hits during the entire trip and even these were mere scrapes at very low speed. The lowest point in the front is actually a plastic protrusion and this is the first one to take a hit protecting the more delicate portions. When I felt the scraping, I simply backed off and tried a different approach. By now , after the North East trip and this one, I can feel the underbody of the car better than the dashboard !!

In the plains, I had the mortification of hitting a pothole at high speeds two or three times - The Bhilwara- Kishangarh section between Udaipur and Jaipur is being widened and there are sudden potholes that crop up without any warning. They were heart stopping thuds, but thankfully no damage.

Temperatures were at or below zero in the nights for about a week. Still, no problems.

Fuel efficiency I got was 16.5 kmpl in the plains and a very satisfactory 12.9 kmpl in the mountains. I have never ever got the 17kmpl plus that others have reported in the forum, despite a very sedate driving style.

When I was the solo occupant of the car, there simply was no problem in the mountains. However when I had four passengers (as I frequently gave lifts to villagers), then the car struggled on gradients. It reinforces my belief that this is really a car for not more than 2 people if you take it to the mountains. For a solo driver, it is perfect.

The trip meter resetting I reported prior to the trip (Thank you Benji Ross for your suggestions), did not recur. I had checked the battery before embarking on the trip and all was fine.

The AC continues to give trouble on and off - the switch off happens randomly 3 or 4 hours into a drive. A known problem that others have reported here, but for which there seems to be no real solution. A couple of years back I had even got the AC suppliers to Hyundai to inspect the car and suggest action, but to no avail. The AC continues to remain as a weak point in the car.

The car has now done 1,00,000 kms in the four years I have owned it. I will present a long term ownership report here shortly.

A couple of dashcam videos to show both the beauty and the beast of a Spiti drive and what this car can do.

First the beauty

https://youtu.be/Py5bM62fOA4

And then the beast - the crossing of the tamed Malling Nallah

https://youtu.be/Ie1dW2QhWuc

[jpcoolguy]

Originally Posted by Secretariat

8000 kms drive to Himachal & back

Wow, I rememer that you have already covered over 11K Kms in more than a month earlier and with this 8K Kms you have driven more than 75% of my total usage in the last 3.5 years .

This is like taking a Honda Activa to Leh and conquering it . Wishing you many more successful miles with this machine.

[jpcoolguy]

The Key Fob of my car has given up last week and I am using the alternate key for now. It seems only the rubber part on the 3 buttons are torn and I am unable to press the buttons. Is there a way to replace only the cover without impacting the electronics or only way is to get a new key?

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by jpcoolguy

The Key Fob of my car has given up last week and I am using the alternate key for now. It seems only the rubber part on the 3 buttons are torn and I am unable to press the buttons. Is there a way to replace only the cover without impacting the electronics or only way is to get a new key?

You can easily get the rubber buttons alone online (e.g. Amazon) for a small sum, and change that within minutes at home, with just basic tools. No need to replace the entire key, or go to Hyundai ASC for this.

EDIT: This item costs Rs. 180, is Amazon fulfilled, and has good reviews.

Here's a video that shows how to do it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdv5EgBrXq8

[Secretariat]

Long Term Ownership Report

My car is the SX(O) AT model. Purchased in Aug 2014 and hence 4 years old , it has clocked 1,00,000 kms. An appropriate moment to write a “long term” ownership report !

Usage

I have undertaken four major road trips in this car – a 11,000 kms trip to the North East, a 6,000 km trip to Madhya Pradesh, a 2,000 km trip to Kerala and the recent 8,000 km trip to Himachal Pradesh. The rest has been the usual mix of highway driving and the stop start crawl inside Bangalore.

Overall Impressions

The car has been a delight to own and drive. It has been utterly reliable – in all this time and kilometres, I have had only one puncture and no mechanical problems at all. Noteworthy pluses, for me, have been the smooth ride, the best in class interiors, the better than exected performance of the Automatic Transmission and the large boot capacity (a big plus on those long drives). Minuses for me has been the poor AC and the non standard tyre specs.

Exteriors

I am not particular about the looks of the car and therefore the relatively bland design is not an issue for me. A particular mention must be made about the paint quality. I get my car detailed once in 9-12 months from Ultimate Detailerz, couple of times with ceramic coating and a couple of times with just the sealant. They have remarked repeatedly that the paint quality (especially the thickness) is outstanding in my car and amongst the best they had seen across cars. With this attention, the gloss is still excellent and even now, it has been mistaken for a much newer car ! The only trouble is all the dings that is an occupational hazard of driving in Bangalore.

Interiors

The best in class interiors of the Xcent are well known and they have continued to make the car feel and look premium. I particularly value the seat and steering adjustments to get the most comfortable driving position (essential on long drives). I had added Art Leather seat covers from Imperial and Nomad mats from 3M soon after purchase and from inside, the car looks at least a class above where it really is. Everything about the interiors is well above par for a compact sedan.

Engine

As reported by others and in my own long distance trip reports, the engine is fine for its class. I have taken it to mountains with steep gradients and it took them all without a fuss. Very refined and noiseless engine. Standard highway drives are very smooth. But, as I have stated in earlier posts, this is a 4 person car in the flat and no more than a 2 person car in the mountains. It is ideal for a solo driver !

Transmission

The automatic transmission in the Xcent has often been derided as obsolete. Without any comment on its age, I find it excellent and fit for purpose. It is smooth and comfortable. Again it performed excellently in the mountains. There was never a struggle on steep gradients ; I never needed to shift to manual mode however steep the climb was. I only did this on the descents to optimize engine braking. I have mostly been confident with the AT on highway overtaking manoeuvres. Overall, very good.

Suspension

Yes, it is comfort oriented and meant for a steady driver (like me) , and as was stated in this Official Review, the handling is safe and predictable. At speeds of 100 kmph, which is the max I take the car to, it is planted and feels safe. Rides are smooth even on uneven roads. Given that corner screechers are unlikely to ever buy a compact sedan, this is a good configuration.

Brakes

The sharp bite did take some getting used to, but over time, I appreciated the reliability. In steep mountain roads, where you have to be inch perfect, I deeply appreciated the quality of braking. Seeing a monster stone in the middle of the road suddenly on a blind turn and knowing that the brakes will not let you down can only be fully appreciated in the Himalayas !

Life of some components

• I changed the tyres at about 40,000 kms and 80,000 kms although they probably had a life of another 5,000 kms . On discovering that the OEM 175/60/R15 Bridgestone tyres are non standard (nobody but Bridgestone makes this spec and spare tyres will not be readily available outside of metros) I upsized and shifted to Yokohama Earth 1 tyres. Very happy with Earth 1 – soft ride and excellent durability ; the propensity of being a stone magnet being the only downside. I currently use 185/60/R15 .

• Brake pads lasted 70,000 kms ! Probably a reflection of my very sedate driving style and the higher proportion of highway kms.

• The battery needed a change at 3 years and 70,000 kms

• The AT fluid needed a change at 90,000 kms and I finally changed it at 100,000 kms. In city conditions of stop start and if you take it to dusty mountains like I did, I don’t think the standard of change at 120,000 kms can be achieved.

Periodic Maintenance

The car has been serviced every 10,000 kms without fail at the Hyundai Service Centre only. I adopt the practice of getting the same technician at the same centre to attend to the car every time; this way it is ensured that a competent mechanic handles the car and he ends up knowing more about the car than I do and develops a personal interest in making sure that the job is done well.

The major expenditure happened at 90,000 kms and at 100,000 kms. Together they costed Rs 65,000. The major jobs, in addition to the usual stuff were

• All belts and hoses were replaced (Timing belt and Tensioner change being particularly expensive at Rs 9,300 ; Hoses cost Rs 3,000).

• The AT Fluid was changed (Rs 13,000)

• Suspension revamp

• AC Servicing (Rs 4,000)

What I like about the car

• Its utter reliability. This is priceless. I will confidently take this car anywhere, whatever be the terrain, as long as it is passable with a GC of ~170 mm.

• Great, and in my view, better than standard, engine and transmission

• Unmatched interiors for a compact sedan

• The itch to buy a new car has so far not hit me even once. That’s a great tribute to a 4 year, 100,000 km car.

What I would have liked to be better

• The AC sucks. The AC sucks. The AC sucks.

• Non standard specs of the tyres. Only one manufacturer makes this and charges a bomb. Why do manufacturers do this slyly to improve the profits of tyre manufacturers ? It has now become a more widespread disease – a whole thread exists for the Ecosport.

• Ergonomics of the horn. I don’t use the horn in the flat, but in the mountains it has to be used sometimes. I have just not learnt to steer and use the horn at the same time even after all this while.

Overall, a happy Xcent owner.

[BenjiRoss]

I've noticed a new noise in my Xcent SX(O) AT. It has done only 28000 km and is a little over 4 years. Last service was done 6 months ago at 22000 km.
When I turn the steering at low speed (eg, getting out of the garage, stopping and starting at a turn, etc) theres a soft tik-tik noise which is more towards the end of the turning of the steering. I havent noticed it when driving beyond 10 KMPH. It seems to be coming closer to the wheel than the actual steering column.
My understanding is that this could be either a power steering problem or a suspension problem.
The suspension in general seems more squeaker than before - noticed when I go over speed bumps.
The car drives well and otherwise is OK
How should I proceed? Should I wait or send it in for a check?

[Engine_Roars]

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

I've noticed a new noise in my Xcent SX(O) AT. It has done only 28000 km and is a little over 4 years. Last service was done 6 months ago at 22000 km.
When I turn the steering at low speed (eg, getting out of the garage, stopping and starting at a turn, etc) theres a soft tik-tik noise which is more towards the end of the turning of the steering. I havent noticed it when driving beyond 10 KMPH. It seems to be coming closer to the wheel than the actual steering column.
My understanding is that this could be either a power steering problem or a suspension problem.
The suspension in general seems more squeaker than before - noticed when I go over speed bumps.
The car drives well and otherwise is OK
How should I proceed? Should I wait or send it in for a check?

I think I have the exact same noise in my Xcent. It appeared in the first few months of ownership & it has been 4 years now. I took it to Hyundai Service Center but I just could not get them rectify it. I have drive the car for 45000 Kms now. Please let me know if you happen to find a solution for this.

[jpcoolguy]

Seems like Xcent has been updated with some new features.

Source: Autocar India

The mid-spec variants of the Grand i10 and the higher-spec trims of the Xcent are better equipped inside and out.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, top-spec trims of the Xcent, the SX and SX (O) now feature a boot mounted spoiler, the Hyundai iBlue app for the 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system and wireless charging.

[Sanketh_027]

Recently I had done a 600 km trip in my Xcent petrol. While I was returning I noticed that the AC's effect was very poor. It was working fine for a few kms and then suddenly the air flow dropped drastically and the effect was completely gone. What surprised me is that the next day it worked absolutely fine. I noticed the same problem again on a long run with the car and again it stopped working after sometime and then came back to normal state ( I got the filters changed just before the drive)

What do you think might be the problem?

PS the car has clocked over 68000kms

[Secretariat]

Originally Posted by Sanketh_027

What do you think might be the problem?

Unfortunately this seems to be a common problem in the Xcent. This has been reported by multiple owners in this thread (see post 516 for example) and I have faced this repeatedly too (see post 564) . Changing the thermister, AC overhaul, etc have all been tried and nothing works. It looks like we simply have to live with this problem.

The only saving grace is that this doesn't happen every time on long drives . It happens randomly.

[Dr.Abhi]

Originally Posted by Sanketh_027

Recently I had done a 600 km trip in my Xcent petrol. While I was returning I noticed that the AC's effect was very poor. It was working fine for a few kms and then suddenly the air flow dropped drastically and the effect was completely gone. What surprised me is that the next day it worked absolutely fine. I noticed the same problem again on a long run with the car and again it stopped working after sometime and then came back to normal state ( I got the filters changed just before the drive)

What do you think might be the problem?

PS the car has clocked over 68000kms

Seems like the ac evaporator coil inside the dashboard is partially choked and hampering the normal airflow through it. In a partially choked coil, after using ac for long time, ice is formed inside evaporator coil because of decreased air flow, further hampering air flow. When we switch off the ac, the ice slowly melts, making the ac effective for the next time, but it will form ice again if used for long time. (The evaporator coil is choked when we use ac on fresh air mode. The indian air condition is too dusty to use fresh air mode.)
Now the cure is, you have to get the evaporator coil cleaned after opening whole of the dashboard.