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-   -   Maruti Baleno : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/171209-maruti-baleno-official-review-152.html)

Since I have opted for Synthetic Oil, they have used 5W40 (Castrol Edge Professional).

Seriously, it's happening at an alarming rate and Maruti is not even bothered about it.

I learnt it the hard way. However, while choosing Maruti Suzuki Baleno, another close competitor is Ford Figo Diesel and many of the close relatives pointed out specifically to stick with the Maruti citing maintenance costs. Though I shifted my decision to Maruti as I wanted a petrol vehicle later on which was not the case earlier.
But that's the general mentality of people :deadhorse and the recent Ford Ad Campaign towards lower maintenance cost is the best I have seen from any manufacturer clap:.

Correctly pointed out AkMar. I have heard that someone took his NEXA car to Authorized MASS outlet and the Service center is not even able to open the Job Card in the system. So, this is what premium treatment we got in return from Maruti for opting Cars retailed through NEXA.

Quick update : 1020 KM, first service:

Its been two weeks that i have my white Zeta CVT and i am thoroughly enjoying the drives. I have been ignoring my Innova for these two weeks. My wife is yet to gain some comfort to take the Baleno to the roads and she is still comfortable using the innova, and i have no complaints.

All this aside - i called the MASS (Kalyani Motors, Bangalore) for service appointment, and was pleasantly surprised when i was told that the first and second service can be done at Home with no charges. I promptly opted for this, and the service folks turned up exactly on time. They went about their work ( 1st service is hardly anything ) for an hour, did a complete interior vacuum and a good wash to the car. The dashboard is now sparkling, the whole car was looking really good. The windshield wiper fluid was filled. The alloys and tyres were cleaned to good effect.

All they wanted was some space for washing the car and electric connections to run the Vacuum.

No charges at all ( though i did tip the two service people). I was quite happy to watch them do the work. Loved this !.

Sorry, you have been conned or have been listening to a SA who doesn't know the basics of his trade.

0W20 MUST be used, and by definition it is either fully or semi-synthetic, so the logic that it needs to be 5W40 because of being synthetic is absolutely wrong.

I would suggest that you complain to the dealership and to Maruti. They deserve to be taken to task for that.

So we all have heard about the dreaded suspension issue of the Baleno. I too observed it and although I am ok with the stiff suspension setup because that is what Maruti claims Baleno has, what bothers me the most is the loud noise from the suspension whenever you hit a pothole. The sound kind of exaggerates the pothole to be much larger in size and depth than it actually is.

So I dropped a mail to Maruti citing this issue a couple of weeks back. I told them that this is a well known problem of Baleno with threads all over the internet citing the same but all those who got the dampers replaced have found lot of improvement. Maruti forwarded my case to the local Nexa dealer Sai Service Lower Parel. The customer service manager replied that he would like to inspect my vehicle before jumping to any conclusion. I received a call last week that they have ordered for new shock absorbers for my vehicle to be replaced under warranty and they will call me as soon as they arrive. Then yesterday got a call from him again saying that the parts have arrived but they have kept the regular services at hold after Mumbai floods as they have a backlog of 150 vehicles affected by flood and they are prioritising their repairing first. He says that he will be contacting me within 15 days to come with my vehicle and get the shocks replaced.
Let's see whether the changes improve anything or not but Nexa's customer service is sure impressive.clap:

Those who have upgraded the suspension under warranty after complaining about a stiff ride, could you please comment on the handling of the car post the upgrade? I own a 2016 November Baleno (bought a pre-owned last month) and did my first long journey last week. I too feel suspension is on the harder side, more so for the rear passengers. But the handling especially in the ghats and curvy roads of Kerala was immaculate. Coming from a Punto which I drove for 5.5 years before this, I daresay it does come close to it when under 90-100 kmph. Now with a softer suspension, how much has the handling changed?

I have the 2017 model with the fixed suspension installed from the factory.

The chassis itself has great handling with minimal body roll. However the useless vague and light steering with no feedback nullifies all of that, especially at highway speeds.

These Value Added Services is how the service advisors get their incentives. Good that you took out the unwanted stuff.

The brake pads look fine except for the chunk that is missing. Is coolant replacement required so early? The owners manual usually has an itemised list of service check points every 10k kms.

Any noticeable improvement after the throttle body cleaning?

Drive on,
Shibu.

Brake pads look fine to me as well but due to the noise and uneven pattern, I changed it and got the replaced pads back from the service center.
Coolant replacement is part of the 20000 Service cycle due to which they have changed the coolant.
Have not included the throttle body cleaning. Though after the engine oil change, engine now seems to be acting even more smoother than before.
One thing which irked me is they haven't changed the air filter, just cleaned and put the same back which is now used for over 20000 Km. According to them it should be changed at 40000 Km Service which should not be the case keeping in mind the air quality we have.

Coolant replacement interval seems pretty low but as long as that is what Maruti prescribes you would need to stick to that.

Air filter replacement at 40K is pretty standard for petrols and it is usually diesels that have a much lower replacement interval at 10 - 20K.

Drive on,
Shibu.

Planning to buy the Alpha CVT. How is the new suspension holding up on the speed-breakers and potholes ? The car that I test drove was from 2015-16 hence it felt quite a bit.

Would appreciate any feedback on the same.

Thanks !

The ride quality is decent and comfortable, but on the firmer side. The rear, if unladen is a bit bouncy as well. So you won't find it as cushioned and absorbing of everything like say a Duster, you will feel and hear big potholes or bumps in the road, however none of that upsets the stability or control. Ground clearance is good enough for most speed breakers.

Also, you need to test drive the car and form your own observations and make up your mind. Everybody's opinion and frame of reference is subjective so it's not something that can be determined by querying a forum.

thanks a lot for the feedback. You are correct about test driving on my own but the dealership doesnt have a 2017 model available for a test drive. They have offered me to test drive the RS but I suppose the suspension is tweaked differently for that ?

Have you got complaints from your family or friends when they occupy the backseat ?

I avoid Bimal Auto in Bangalore. The buying experience at NEXA as one of the early customers of the Baleno Alpha in 2015 was horrifying. Their service experience has not been good either.

I use Surakshaa Car Care in Electronic City/Bommanahalli. They have been honest and have given me reasonably priced services for my Baleno. The Works Manager never recommends unnecessary items in the service list. I am not affiliated with any of these service stations. From prior experience, I have been happy with the honest feedback from Surakshaa. The NEXA branded ones have not impressed me even a little.

Question to all Zeta petrol owners. How much will the insurance renewal be for the second year. My insurance will expire in May 2018 and i want to keep the money aside right away.
My policy is currently with Bajaj Allianz.

Rs.16764 with NCB for Zeta Petrol CVT.