[sahiltodankar]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Thanks for the brutally honest reply, really appreciate it.

I have seen this video last week and its quite disturbing to be honest. After watching this video I quickly tried this on my S-Cross 1.6 and as expected S-Cross is beast made up of solid metal. You have to push it very hard to make that metal bend and after you remove the force, metal comes back to its original position without any dimples

[Highh5]

Originally Posted by sahiltodankar

I have seen this video last week and its quite disturbing to be honest. After watching this video I quickly tried this on my S-Cross 1.6 and as expected S-Cross is beast made up of solid metal. You have to push it very hard to make that metal bend and after you remove the force, metal comes back to its original position without any dimples

And that's one of the reasons, price is reasonable with so many features and car is so fuel efficient.
You get what you pay for and should not crib about that if one owns it. Months of waiting shows the testimony of people about what they prefer more build quality or features.

[djpeesh]

Originally Posted by Crazy_Bean

What mileage do you get in the city? I am using a Zeta CVT for 6 months now and the mileage in the city without AC (nowadays during winter) is 13.5.

I was able to pull 17-20 on the highway though.

Lately I've been stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on my way home, so I get about 12 in the city. Yesterday was particularly bad and I got about 10, as per MID. The best I've managed to pull off on the highway is about 18. And here I was, happy with the mileage.

[Sherlocked]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

I have seen those dimples in brand new cars in the showroom and that got me worrying. Also do have a look at this video which is pretty disturbing

Precisely the very reason why I have developed a "dislike" towards this car inspite of having a good petrol engine plus gearbox combo.
The sheet metal is extremely feeble. This car is certainly not for those having OCD about keeping their car's exterior in prestine condition.

This topic deserves a thread of it's own IMO so that the potential owners are at least aware of this issue.
Oh, and that video is painful to watch.

[Horizon85]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

A question to all Baleno owners-How is the body holding up against elements in the day to day usage cycle?? I mean if you drive through a rough patch full of pebbles and small stones, do they leave a dimples on the body, if they skid from the wheels and manage to hit your body?? Also what happens if someone takes support of your car while standing?? Does that leave any dimples/dings/minor depressions??

The reason why I am asking this is because I saw a Ciaz at a dealership, and someone tried to test its sheet metal thickness by pressing it inside with his fingers, and that left a very minor depression(the metal came out only 99% after the removal of force). If this happens on a daily basis then the car won't age very well.

Driving through a rough patch of pebbles and small stones - not been on one yet. I guess under-body will take the beating without issues, but a lot of noise will seep into the cabin in this situation. Insulation on Baleno is not that good.

People leaning on the car body - On the doors, this will leave a miniature dimple. You can notice such small dimples in many Balenos if you look very closely through the body-line. My car has one of them on either side. Don't know when and how it happened. The rear door is very light and more susceptible to such dents.

This is the only thing I dislike about my car. Its body cannot be kept in a perfect shape. Ride quality is not great, but manageable. Other than this, after 11 months and 9500 of ownership, I am very happy with the way it drives, the space it offers and also the mileage it gives.

[Prodigy07]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

A question to all Baleno owners-How is the body holding up against elements in the day to day usage cycle?? I mean if you drive through a rough patch full of pebbles and small stones, do they leave a dimples on the body, if they skid from the wheels and manage to hit your body?? Also what happens if someone takes support of your car while standing?? Does that leave any dimples/dings/minor depressions??

The ride over potholes, small pebbles is manageable. The noise inside the cabin when you ride over bad roads is definitely irritating unless you jack up the ICE volume.

My daily drive to office is on the GST Road. One morning, a biker (KTM) tried to squeeze himself between my Baleno and a Tanker. Result - His handle bar slightly brushed my RHS rear door leaving a Big scratch and a small dent.

I managed to get the panel painted, but left the small dent as it is.

[sidindica]

The ignis may be a segment down from the Baleno in terms of price and size, but its build, interior plastic trim texture quality, seat design, finesse is 2 steps ahead of the Baleno. Check both side by side and see what I mean. The Baleno just does NOT feel upscale compared to ignis, leave alone the S cross.

[wantedDoA]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

I have seen those dimples in brand new cars in the showroom and that got me worrying. Also do have a look at this video which is pretty disturbing-
PS-How does the S-Cross fare in this regard?? Does it get any such dimples??

Regards,
Shashi

I saw this video few weeks after taking delivery of my zeta last month. And it was very frightening for sure. However when I tried this on my car, I could only cause a small bulge. Our 2006 Civic also behaves similarly. We also have a s-cross which seems to be just a tiny bit stiffer. I was trying this with moderate force on door panel's upper part. The guy in the video seems to be doing it very easily/ without much force. Does that mean they increased door sheet thickness or am I just pressing at the wrong location?

Just for the record, mine is updated one with isofix and suspension changes.

[bimbrahw]

Originally Posted by wantedDoA

I saw this video few weeks after taking delivery of my zeta last month. And it was very frightening for sure. However when I tried this on my car, I could only cause a small bulge. Does that mean they increased door sheet thickness or am I just pressing at the wrong location?

Just for the record, mine is updated one with isofix and suspension changes.

Unlike the old Premier Padminis & Ambassadors, the modern day cars have crumple zones built into them to keep the occupants safe even though the car may absorb all the impact and crumple up. Coupled with safety features like air bags these modern day cars are very safe and built for occupant safety and fuel efficiency. Atleast I am not bothered by these videos. The place where this person in video is pressing is not an area which can affect the safety of the occupants in the event of a crash. I do feel Maruti should have made the paint coat thicker to take on minor scratches from revealing the bare metal underneath.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by bimbrahw

Unlike the old Premier Padminis & Ambassadors, the modern day cars have crumple zones built into them to keep the occupants safe even though the car may absorb all the impact and crumple up. Coupled with safety features like air bags these modern day cars are very safe and built for occupant safety and fuel efficiency. Atleast I am not bothered by these videos. The place where this person in video is pressing is not an area which can affect the safety of the occupants in the event of a crash. I do feel Maruti should have made the paint coat thicker to take on minor scratches from revealing the bare metal underneath.

Completely agree with you on the crumple zone part, but what I am concerned about is that Baleno won't age well. We BHPians like to keep our cars as pristine as possible. And it won't be possible if cars getting small dings and dimples for some strange reasons. Imagine a person who has rested himself on your car's door leaving a very small dent. None of the Balenos I have seen are completely free of dings and dimples. If looked from the side, you will notice a ripple sort of thing on the surface.

That is definitely not a pleasant thing to look at.

[yogeshbala]

On the aging factors, shouldn't the engine of a vehicle be of a predominant consideration? Since, for common man, changing parts are more prudent than changing the engine.

Am sure, in the worst case also these areas(doors / bonnet) might be re-painted / redone.

As am writing this post, am on travelling on the streets of Delhi and I happen to see that most of the cars, irrespective of the brand and including the top brands, are suffering from such problems. Which, I guess, makes this problem of scratches & Dents a common one.

[silverado]

Recently did a trip to Gujarat - Baroda from Mumbai. I got around 19.5kmpl with 4 adults, 1 kid and fully loaded boot, with AC on full time.
I was driving at sedate pace around 80-100 most of the time, with few bursts of 110-120.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Thanks for the brutally honest reply, really appreciate it.

I have seen those dimples in brand new cars in the showroom and that got me worrying. Also do have a look at this video which is pretty disturbing-

PS-How does the S-Cross fare in this regard?? Does it get any such dimples??

That is very disturbing indeed. Haven't had a chance to experience the Baleno but the S-Cross definitely does not do that!

I'm curious if export Balenos suffer from the same tinny build - surely this wouldn't pass the cut in any developed market.

[spanner777]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

A question to all Baleno owners-How is the body holding up against elements in the day to day usage cycle?? I mean if you drive through a rough patch full of pebbles and small stones, do they leave a dimples on the body, if they skid from the wheels and manage to hit your body?? Also what happens if someone takes support of your car while standing?? Does that leave any dimples/dings/minor depressions??

The reason why I am asking this is because I saw a Ciaz at a dealership, and someone tried to test its sheet metal thickness by pressing it inside with his fingers, and that left a very minor depression(the metal came out only 99% after the removal of force). If this happens on a daily basis then the car won't age very well.

I own a Baleno since Jan 2016 and I must say that the sheet metal quality and paint depth leaves a lot to be desired. Mine being a Ray Blue colored car has accumulated a lot of scratches in seemingly harmless situations. Even people leaning onto the car while has left minor yet visible scratches from the dust. Small nuts dropping from the trees also leave a dent on the roof.

I guess in the present portfolio of Maruti cars only Scross is less susceptible all these. Even the new Swift would have a lighter build is what the sales reps tell me.

[wantedDoA]

Originally Posted by bimbrahw

Unlike the old Premier Padminis & Ambassadors, the modern day cars have crumple zones built into them to keep the occupants safe even though the car may absorb all the impact and crumple up. Coupled with safety features like air bags these modern day cars are very safe and built for occupant safety and fuel efficiency. Atleast I am not bothered by these videos. The place where this person in video is pressing is not an area which can affect the safety of the occupants in the event of a crash. I do feel Maruti should have made the paint coat thicker to take on minor scratches from revealing the bare metal underneath.

Agree about the crumple zone but every modern car has it. The super light sheet metal can not be justified in that approach. No matter what you put underneath, the weak skin will be perceived as less that average build quality.

However, my point of last post was that I can't bend my Dec 2016 zeta's doors like in that video. Could it be changes in the sheet thickness or that guy is super strong?