[TJ02]

Originally Posted by balenoed

Hi Fellow Bhpians,

We own a 2018 Baleno Delta Petrol. I have been experiencing brake grinding noise since the very first free-service. The car has clocked just over 10k on the ODO during our 2.5+ years of our ownership.

I own a 2018 Baleno CVT. This issue is still persistent till date and I do not think Maruti has found any resolution to it. My rear and front brake pads got changed within first 5000 km on complaining about it (due to my relations with Service head) else they would have cleaned the brakes and given the car back. It has till date done approx 20000 km and on sudden breaking the brake makes noise & the car tends to skid. I have given up on this issue and we do not use Baleno outside city due to its poor built and braking issues. Maruti service rep told me you have to be careful with CVT on high speeds and not apply sudden brakes as Baleno tends to skid. There is no solution with them as per my experience.

Maruti knows Indians will still buy their cars due to mileage and cheap service so they care less about well engineered products & quality.

[coolboy007]

Trip to Rohtang Pass
As luck would have it, i had not planned on doing a trip to Manali-Rohtang in my Baleno but my friend's Ecosport developed some issue with the rear tail gate latch a day prior to our trip and we were not interested in wasting our day trying to get it rectified, we could not have started the trip also as the tail gate was not closing. I had two options - either to take the 3 series or take the Baleno. The roads upto Manali are in a pretty bad shape and i was unsure of how it is till Rohtang, checked up the fluids myself, topped the tyre pressure to 29 Psi and off we went in my Baleno.

Pleased to say that the car performed beautifully, she took a lot of beating over broken stretches and the steep hill climb/descent of Rohtang but i never felt that the car was underpowered. Those having qualms of CVT over hills can relax, it is not a scorcher and you need to plan tight overtakes in the hilly terrain but the sprightly 1.2 motor with the nimble handling made it very easy to drive over that terrain at 13000 FT above sea level. Automatic is such a boon when you get stuck on sharp inclines as the car does not move back and would not stall too, used L mode on a couple of occasions when the incline was too steep but otherwise D and S took care of things.

From Manali to Palampur, encountered a 6 km stretch which was just huge stones and sand but neither did the car scrape anywhere, nor did i face issues going through that stretch. If i had taken the 3 series, i would have had to turn back since am sure the car would have completely bottomed out there. Infact i enjoyed driving the car over broken stretches for a while since i did not have to care about tyre bursts or underbelly scrapping which am so used to in the 320d.

Fuel efficiency on highways was excellent at 19-20 Km/l cruising at 90-110 and on the hills was 15 km/l. I have not faced any issues with the ride quality as such, it is on the stiffer side but mine is a 2019 model where Maruti softened up things and along with Michelin XM2's, it is pretty decent. Handling is also good for a family hatchback, rides absolutely flat over undulations and the body roll was in check in the ghats. Special mention for the powerful LED lamps, NH1 is having a lot of road works till Panipat and the throw of high beams is excellent, much required for unlit highway littered with tons of unmarked diversions.

The only issue i have felt with this car is that the engine braking is non existent in D mode and you have to totally rely on the brakes which are not great to start with. I used the S mode a lot to get engine braking while going downhill but the brakes started to fade out. Also, a little more heft to the steering would have been great. The earlier gen Swift had such a nice eps unit but the one on Baleno lacks any feel, i find it a touch too light as well.
The CVT Baleno is no enthusiast car but it serves some other purpose and i knew it before buying the car, works great it the city and exceeded my expectations on this trip. Automatic is such a boon in the city and was a great help over narrow tight bends around Manali where i did not have to fret about selecting the right gear or slipping the clutch, takes away the stress of driving and keeps you fresh over long journeys. Sharing some photos.


































Back home after a gruelling trip covered in mud and dust

[TusharK]

The Maruti Baleno is celebrating 5 years since its launch in the Indian market and during this period, the carmaker sold over 8 lakh units.



Maruti had introduced the Baleno in 2015. A year later, the carmaker had sold over 1 lakh units. In 2017, Maruti launched the continuously variable transmission (CVT) in Alpha trim.

In just three years following the launch of the car, over 5 lakh units were sold - a new record. In 2019, Maruti launched the mild-hybrid version.

At present, the Baleno is offered with a 1.2-litre petrol engine which makes 82 BHP and 113 Nm. The mild-hybrid version has a slightly higher output of 89 BHP, while the torque figure is the same. Both powertrains are mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. The non-hybrid version gets a CVT option.

The Baleno is exported to overseas markets such as Australia, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Middle-East and South-East Asia.

Link to Team-BHP News

[theAutomaniac]

Despite it's age, the Baleno is quite an attractive purchase in the segment, no wonder why it sells so much!

Now though, let's hope that MS will update the car with a new generation in a year or two as the Altroz and new i20 might dent the sales of the Baleno marginally!

[Abhi5868]

Baleno has been an outright sensation! I'll go as far saying that the biggest competition it has faced till now is non other than Swift. Let's see how the newly launched i20 stands up, Altroz has been showing promising numbers but I doubt it's gonna come anywhere near the MS in terms of sales.

[Dieselritzer]

I really doubt the new i20 will cause any dent in Baleno numbers. Why? Because i20 has a big issue which remains unfixed, space! That is a cramped car for the price Hyundai is asking. Yes it is absolutely feature loaded and well put together. But that life less steering, poor mileage and lack of space is a big issue for people buying a car in this segment.

Altroz is one serious competition. It has got space, looks, SAFETY, features. The only thing it lacks is a refined petrol engine and a proper automatic option. The day it gets both these things fixed, Baleno should be in trouble.

[Dieselritzer]

Guys,
There is a very faint hair line scratch on the cars windshield and its hard to ignore as its exactly in front of the drivers seat. I took the car to 3M and got it buffed but no use. Has anyone got rid of such scratches and how?

Thanks in advance.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Dieselritzer

I took the car to 3M and got it buffed but no use. Has anyone got rid of such scratches and how?

Can you post an image if possible for better understanding the problem and members can suggest solutions.

Can that scratch be felt by finger nails?

[Dieselritzer]

The scratch cannot be felt with the finger. It's really thin but right in front of the eyes where the focal point is while driving. The irritation increases at night. Let me try and take a pic.

[srvm]

Originally Posted by TusharK

The Maruti Baleno is celebrating 5 years since its launch in the Indian market and during this period, the carmaker sold over 8 lakh units.
.....

MS sold over 8 lakh vehicles to customers but could not afford to send 1 unit to GNCAP for crash tests . This would have settled the debate "Made of Mettle" vs "Made of Brittle" once and for all.
Oh wait! Chairman R C Bhargava doesn't believe in crash tests conducted by neutral/third-party/NGOs. In his opinion all MS cars satisfy current crash regulations AND Maruti cars are relatively safer than 2-wheelers.
What a shame! Apart from questionable safety and build, this car has everything going for it. Safety is the ONLY reason I hesitate to recommend Baleno to my family & friends who ask me for advice before purchase.

[2cents]

Originally Posted by pat2kin

.... I have already sent an email to their Quality Manager. Will talk to him today too....

Any developments on this? I have exactly the same issue in my 1 month old Glanza. Taking it for 1st service tomorrow. Let me see what the Toyota guys say!

[2cents]

Note to Mods: seemingly back to back posts have a one day gap.

Originally Posted by 2cents

Any developments on this? I have exactly the same issue in my 1 month old Glanza. Taking it for 1st service tomorrow. Let me see what the Toyota guys say!

Recollection: This is what I'm talking about - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post4715147 (Maruti Baleno : Official Review)



My Toyota Service Adviser tells me it's just normal since it's cast iron, and that's how it is in all vehicles. I don't remember having seen such a thing in my 10 yr old Fabia, nor could I verify this when I looked around in other true Toyotas parked there. For that's when I realised --- the rusted arms are visible only because the dics have a much smaller dia in the Baleno/Glanza. My own experience with braking so far in the Glanza is not so confidence inspiring, I have tuned myself to maintaining a good distance from the vehicle ahead. Perhaps sometime down the line I have to seriously think of going for better discs.

[Kpzonwheels]

This is also present in our 2019 baleno alpha petrol. I wrote an email to Maruti pointing out this and later the dealership guys called back and said, it is quite normal as they are made of cast iron and it is present in all vehicles in their yard. Later, when I got a chance to visit the yard I saw these in all balenos present there. It's been 1 year and 20k kilometres since then and no problems encountered so far. I felt the brake is adequate in mine.

Originally Posted by 2cents

Note to Mods: seemingly back to back posts have a one day gap.

Recollection: This is what I'm talking about - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post4715147 (Maruti Baleno : Official Review)

My Toyota Service Adviser tells me it's just normal since it's cast iron, and that's how it is in all vehicles. I don't remember having seen such a thing in my 10 yr old Fabia, nor could I verify this when I looked around in other true Toyotas parked there. For that's when I realised --- the rusted arms are visible only because the dics have a much smaller dia in the Baleno/Glanza. My own experience with braking so far in the Glanza is not so confidence inspiring, I have tuned myself to maintaining a good distance from the vehicle ahead. Perhaps sometime down the line I have to seriously think of going for better discs.

[amarprusty]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Trip to Rohtang Pass
As luck would have it, i had not planned on doing a trip to Manali-Rohtang in my Baleno but my friend's Ecosport developed some issue with the rear tail gate latch a day prior to our trip and we were not interested in wasting our day trying to get it rectified, we could not have started the trip also as the tail gate was not closing. I had two options - either to take the 3 series or take the Baleno. The roads upto Manali are in a pretty bad shape and i was unsure of how it is till Rohtang, checked up the fluids myself, topped the tyre pressure to 29 Psi and off we went in my Baleno.

Lovely post and amazing pics from your trip now I got confidence that my Baleno Delta CVT is good for highway drive as I have only used it for city driving in last 2.5 yrs

[Kpzonwheels]

Hi
Did anyone use 0w-16 engine oil in petrol baleno?. My dealership service centre used 0w-16 fully synthetic engine oil instead of the recommended 0w-20 engine oil. Should I change it immediately or carry on until the next service??