[kanishkster]

Hi Guys,

I am observing a rattling sound from dashboard on rough roads and also in lower gears.
I haven't been to locate the exact source of this sound, but it seems to be coming somewhere from center of the dashboard (around the audio system).
Car is just less than 2 months old and I am sure I have never driven it rash on rough surfaces. I have also checked this by removing everything from glove box and other storage spaces; but the sound persists.
Although I will be raising this with service center; but do let me know if anyone else has faced a similar issue.

[Soumyajit9]

Hello Folks, posting this on behalf of one of my childhood friend.
He is contemplating on buying the new i20 Elite Petrol.
He had a few questions, which I am posting here for your responses, for him to read and decide.

- Sportz or Sports (O) or Asta - Price difference between each of the three is ~30k.
- Asta gives 2 Airbags + Alloys + Rear Wiper + 60:40 Split seats.
- Sportz (O) gives - 1 Airbag + Smart Key + Push Button (Mostly fancy stuff)
- Sportz gives - 1 Airbag + No Alloys + No Smart Key or Push Button.

- How is the Airbag functionality ? - What is the speed at which airbag deploys ? 50kmph / 60kmph ? I know that the sensor should hit so that airbags deploy, but at what approx speed it deploys ?

- To replace airbags, the entire dashboard has to be replaced. This costs approx 1.5 lakhs. Do insurance companies cover this expense ?

[car_crazy1400]

If you do not have too many budget constraints, prefer going in for the ASTA variant.

Sports (O) variant is pretty much useless.

Besides, the safety kit & the features that you get in Asta variant, makes up for the price difference over the Sports .

IIRC, airbags will even deploy at 10kmph.

[hillsnrains]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

- How is the Airbag functionality ? - What is the speed at which airbag deploys ? 50kmph / 60kmph ? I know that the sensor should hit so that airbags deploy, but at what approx speed it deploys ?

Airbags deployment/activation is based on the amount of impact energy (in terms of strains caused at the activation sensor location). Which is not based on the speed of your vehicle. Imagine a vehicle is idle and rammed by a big truck @60 KMPH, don't you expect the airbags to deploy and save occupants life?

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

Hello Folks, posting this on behalf of one of my childhood friend.

- To replace airbags, the entire dashboard has to be replaced. This costs approx 1.5 lakhs. Do insurance companies cover this expense ?

Hey Soumyajit9 all due respect to your friend's buying decision, but being a BHPian, IMO here's what you must advise him:

- There is no substitute for Safety, PERIOD !! There is a lot of R&D that goes behind these engineering solutions to reduce the human fatality and this comes at a cost.

- Indian automotive industry norms are slowly but surely moving towards standardizing safety aspects such as ABS,Airbags,etc and being a part of such a knowledgeable forum, we BHPians must always support the cause.

- Airbags are designed to reduce the impact of collision on the human body and does not guarantee a survival chance, it only increases the same. In short, its always better to be Safe than Sorry.

So if I were you, I would advise my friend to not ponder over the thought of spending 60k more on Safety aspect of the car.

The Fancy items that come with Asta are Bonus, but at least your friend can be rest assured that he has the protection of extensive Engineering R&D ideas.

[Soumyajit9]

Thank you so much @car_crazy1400, @hillsnrains, @Vik0728 for the advice !
I have already stressed him on the importance of having airbags in car, and I too believe and preach that safety is of paramount importance in such buying decisions. He also agrees that Airbag is important and is looking forwards to buying a variant which has this safety feature.

Must agree with you, Vik0728.
SRS Airbag is secondary protection after Seatbelts in event of a collision. That is why it is aptly named as "Secondary" Restraint System.

Nevertheless, he is making up his mind and planning for future service costs, parts replacements, etc. Basically planning out the Maintenance of the car. Hence he was asking about:
- At what "impact speed" it deploys (whether someone hits you, or you hit someone) ? (May be in my earlier post, I didn't put this question in a bit more clear way).
- Costs of Airbag replacement.
- Service Interval and Average Cost per Service.

[hillsnrains]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

..
- At what "impact speed" it deploys (whether someone hits you, or you hit someone) ? (May be in my earlier post, I didn't put this question in a bit more clear way).
...

Soumyajit,
I got your point!
But again let me tell you that speed of the vehicles involved in accident does not matter for airbag deployment. What matters is the magnitude of impact (fully loaded truck @20 KMPH may have the same impact energy as that of Scorpio@100 KMPH). If the above said truck/Scorpio comes and hits another car moving at 10 KMPH or 100 KMPH should deploy airbags in both scenario's.
my 2 cents.

Mods: please excuse for going slightly off topic

[saket77]

Hello Soumyajit,

I can understand the plight that your friend must be in because my folks are also looking for a car with a budget of about 6 L on road. Unfortunately, with the high road tax prevailing in Bangalore, there is not a single option with ABS & Airbags within this budget. Of course, I am discounting the Alto and the WagonR because I do not feel that these cars would be safe enough even with the airbags. Only the Liva does come with 2 airbags, but no ABS. They might go for the Xcent base model finally which is about 6.2L on road.

Just look at the comparative table that I prepared for them:

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

That is why it is aptly named as "Secondary" Restraint System.

Sorry for the nitpick, but that would be 'Supplemental' Restraint System. But your logic for nomenclature is correct.

Regards,
Saket

[Grand Drive]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

- Sportz or Sports (O) or Asta - Price difference between each of the three is ~30k.
- Asta gives 2 Airbags + Alloys + Rear Wiper + 60:40 Split seats.
- Sportz (O) gives - 1 Airbag + Smart Key + Push Button (Mostly fancy stuff)
- Sportz gives - 1 Airbag + No Alloys + No Smart Key or Push Button.

In addition to the above, Sports(o) and Asta will have 195 / 55 R16 tyres with Alloys. Asta variant has 60:40 split seats and adjustable neck restraints for the rear seats. Apart from this, Asta variant also got more functions on the MID.

So, please ask your friend to opt for the Asta Variant.

[Maverick1977]

The Asta variant has a completely different meter console. It looks much better than whats in the Sports & Sports (O). Also the price difference is justifiable. I was in the same situation a couple of weeks back and finally decided to plonk my $$$ on the Asta variant.

[balajisv]

Originally Posted by saket77

Hello Soumyajit,

I can understand the plight that your friend must be in because my folks are also looking for a car with a budget of about 6 L on road. Unfortunately, with the high road tax prevailing in Bangalore, there is not a single option with ABS & Airbags within this budget.

Regards,
Saket

Zest/Bolt XMS trims would have fit the bill perfectly. Very stable build quality, they come with ABS and Dual air bags. Bonus would have been great interiors and Harman ICE system!

[RSR]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

- How is the Airbag functionality ? - What is the speed at which airbag deploys ? 50kmph / 60kmph ? I know that the sensor should hit so that airbags deploy, but at what approx speed it deploys ?

- To replace airbags, the entire dashboard has to be replaced. This costs approx 1.5 lakhs. Do insurance companies cover this expense?

I'm glad you've convinced him to go for a variant with airbag(s) & ABS. If his budget is tight and cannot be stretched, then the Sportz is a good buy for it does have almost all the necessary features.

However, like the others, I would also suggest the Asta variant for your friend. Alternatively, if he wants excellent ground clearance, he can wait till the i20 Active is launched in early March to see if it suits him.

The airbag system is governed by complex algorithms that determine whether the airbags need to be deployed in a particular situation or not. There is no "speed" consideration as such for the system. Instead it is based on impact forces, angle of impact, parts bearing the brunt of the impact etc.

For instance, if a stationary car (with the ignition on) is hit by a vehicle from the front with enough force, the airbags would most probably deploy to protect the occupants. On the other hand, a collision at good speed resulting in a grazing kind of impact on the vehicle's fender may not trigger the airbags.

So it all depends on the kind of impact and the forces acting on the impact sensors. One can get a basic understanding of the conditions in which the airbags would deploy by reading the owner's manual.

Yes, airbags are covered by insurance, so don't let the cost of replacement in case of an airbag-deploying accident prevent your friend from buying a variant with airbags. However, the insurance company may have a depreciation amount for the airbags & related components and may not cover the entire cost of replacement. Even this can be overcome by opting to purchase a "zero depreciation insurance policy".

Originally Posted by saket77

Just look at the comparative table that I prepared for them

Any reason for leaving out the Nissan Micra Active? As per my calculations, the XV Safety variant it is one of the (if not the) least expensive car on sale in India with 2 airbags & ABS (+EBD+BA).

[saket77]

Originally Posted by balajisv

Zest/Bolt XMS trims would have fit the bill perfectly. Very stable build quality, they come with ABS and Dual air bags. Bonus would have been great interiors and Harman ICE system!

We did look into the Zest XMS. That was a value for money deal but this variant was costing close to 7L on road, which is a lakh more than the allocated budget. Hence, had to drop out. But yes, the Zest is a tempting deal.

Originally Posted by RSR

Any reason for leaving out the Nissan Micra Active? As per my calculations, the XV Safety variant it is one of the (if not the) least expensive car on sale in India with 2 airbags & ABS (+EBD+BA).

As this is for by sister and BIL, and they are first time buyers, I advised them to go for a Hyundai or Maruti. I was not sure about the ease, level & cost of service at Nissan, hence did not consider the Micra.

Regards,
Saket

[RSR]

Originally Posted by saket77

As this is for by sister and BIL, and they are first time buyers, I advised them to go for a Hyundai or Maruti. I was not sure about the ease, level & cost of service at Nissan, hence did not consider the Micra.

Ah yes, that's perfectly understandable! Nissan's inconsistent service experience and thinly spread network is indeed a cause of concern, especially for first time customers and non-automobile folks.

I was expecting things to improve dramatically after the exit of Hover Automotive, but that doesn't seem to be the case (going by feedback from Nissan owners on Team-BHP). Nissan will have to pull up their socks and deliver on this front, else they risk being an also-ran in a market where Japanese brands tend to do very well.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by RSR

I was expecting things to improve dramatically after the exit of Hover Automotive, but that doesn't seem to be the case (going by feedback from Nissan owners on Team-BHP). They will have to pull up their socks and deliver on this front, else they risk being an also-ran in a market where Japanese brands tend to do very well.

Exactly. But things probably have not improved much or is not on ground as yet. If Nissan does not get the after sales act right, they may be fully decimated in the Indian market. This is especially true for a manufacturer with Japanese roots.