Chevrolet Beat : Test Drive & Review

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by Team_Godspeed

Wow what an outbreak, i am glad its over. But i wish i read this earlier in the day but hey the jobs done yea!

But, I had a high BP and boiling blood thoughout the day, which isn't good at all.

I would never recommend a Chevy to anyone in my known community. Sole reason is Kropex and Trident are killing the brand in Bangalore. Don't know the story elsewhere in India though.

A word of advice to Chevrolet India (if someone is seeing this after all) - Buck up your aftersales. People would love to buy anything from a stable which has a good reputed A.S.S. Merely selling jazzy cars with powerful engines won't help. I would have been rather happy to buy an Alto. Atleast I would have a peace of mind that day at the After Sales Service Center.

This is one big reason why my parents didn't buy a Beat and went in for Wagon-R last year. And believe me, they are treated with respect (from all aspect) at the Maruti Service Center.

[samarth.bhatia]

Originally Posted by Mr.Beat

1. Brake Juddering problem ( As described by SA)
...get the front discs skimmed as they had uneven wear...

2. Front dashboard noise...

Hi Mr. Beat!
About the brake disc issue, I'm more worried about what caused the uneven wear. If the disc was not rotating properly, the same problem has chances of recurring. Did the SA happen to mention anything on this?

And what was the cause of the dashboard noise?

Sam

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

.. the suspension seems to have become extremely soft and the ground clearance seems to have reduced..
... fuel pump noise during driving too...

Hi Saumyajit9!

The suspension shouldn't become soft like that. What is the air pressure you're maintaining in the tires?
And it's time to get the fuel pump replaced under warranty, if you have the noise coming in while driving. A standard problem with the Petrol Beat.
I had mine replaced as well.

Sam

Originally Posted by AbhishekB86

My brake pads were changed at 22k and that too without my permission.

Everything is not right at Chevy. They're going from bad to worse. God knows what all hasn't caught my attention yet.

Amen to that. Chevy dealers are just not kept in a tight leash by the company. They are forever trying to loot the customers.
And I am yet to meet even one service center that has it's people trained to find solutions to typical problems.

I am seriously considering not giving my Beat to the authorized dealers for service at 30k point.

Sam

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

Alright, I am back with the car.

Good to see the shiny car!
The fuel pump would have to be changed under warranty. It's a part they don't always have in stock, so they try to wriggle out of providing it.
Insist till they stop to resist

Cheers to all,
Sam

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by samarth.bhatia

Hi Saumyajit9!
The suspension shouldn't become soft like that. What is the air pressure you're maintaining in the tires?

I have been maintaining the Chevy specified 32PSI. I never got for 31 or 33. Just kinda paranoid that things might not be nice if I use my own ideas.

Originally Posted by samarth.bhatia

And it's time to get the fuel pump replaced under warranty, if you have the noise coming in while driving. A standard problem with the Petrol Beat.
I had mine replaced as well.
Good to see the shiny car!
The fuel pump would have to be changed under warranty. It's a part they don't always have in stock, so they try to wriggle out of providing it.
Insist till they stop to resist

Thanks for the advice mate !! I didn't have the patience of fighting over for the fuel pump this time. You might have seen my post with the horrendous things I had to go over this time. And as such Murphy always strikes me. So the noise was not quite loud when I took the vehicle to the SC. But yes, I have this on mind and will go for it sometime soon.

Just a quick question: Is the Fuel Pump is covered in the 3 year warranty ?

[samarth.bhatia]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

Just a quick question: Is the Fuel Pump is covered in the 3 year warranty ?

Yes, it certainly is. I got mine in warranty only.
Sam

[AbhishekB86]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

I have been maintaining the Chevy specified 32PSI. I never got for 31 or 33. Just kinda paranoid that things might not be nice if I use my own ideas.

Just a quick question: Is the Fuel Pump is covered in the 3 year warranty ?

Maybe you're going a little too quick over the speed breaker? Could you get a view of the underbody while it was at the A.S.S?

Also the fuel pump noise is there at ignition in my car. Pretty much on the lines of the video posted by superutp. I have not purchased the Chevy promise am I still eligible for the replacement?

Lately the rattles over uneven/broken roads are getting louder. Anyone got this fixed?

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by samarth.bhatia

Yes, it certainly is. I got mine in warranty only.
Sam

Thanks for the clarity Sam !! Mine is the standard 3 year warranty. No additional covers or Chevy promise stuff. So I take it safe that the standard warranty covers this. Good then !

Originally Posted by AbhishekB86

Maybe you're going a little too quick over the speed breaker? Could you get a view of the underbody while it was at the A.S.S?

Nopes, I have been living in the same apartment for the last 2 years and I drive at the same speed that I used to. Earlier, when I used to go over it, with 4 persons (me, wifey, mom, dad), it was fine. Since the last 4-5 months, whenever I go over it, I tend to scrape the underbody, unless I roll over it using the brake light-brake hard method. It takes a cool 5-7 seconds for me to cross the hump, else I scrape the underbody.

Originally Posted by AbhishekB86

Also the fuel pump noise is there at ignition in my car. Pretty much on the lines of the video posted by superutp. I have not purchased the Chevy promise am I still eligible for the replacement?

"The fuel pump noise at the ignition is OK". Thats what the service guy said to me when rats had cut my fuel pump wires. He mentioned that if the noise is not there, then the fuel pump check is not done and fuel won't flow from the fuel tank to engine. This was a part of his On-Call diagnostics with me to identify the problem before he came to fix the wires.
However, if the noise is persistent while driving even, then you "must" get them replaced. This is what I have been facing since the last 1 year almost. The noise comes on at times while driving. Switching the engine Off and On doesn't help.

Originally Posted by AbhishekB86

Lately the rattles over uneven/broken roads are getting louder. Anyone got this fixed?

Strangely, after my car came back from the service center, all the thuds were gone from the car. The SA at the SC had said that they have tightened all the underbody nuts. Not sure what were they. But this time without me even mentioning about any noise, the guys had fixed them. May be because I had blasted them earlier while giving the car for service. May be, you should try the same too. Blast them before giving the car. They do their job as they should. You say some problems to them while giving the car, and they find ways to replace stuff and bill you. Chevy Thugs - That's what I have named them henceforth.

[samarth.bhatia]

Originally Posted by AbhishekB86

have not purchased the Chevy promise am I still eligible for the replacement?
?

I believe so, yes. This is a common issue with beat. So the promise isn't mandatory, AFAIK.

[sr_beat]

Hi All,

Bought a new Chevy Beat-Diesel-LTO and enjoying every second in it. ODO reads 1300 as n date and i gave it a good run-in by going to & fro Blore-Chennai never crossing 2500 RPM on those very good roads. My favorite has been the light steering and amazing response it gives in city. AC is good. Missing the bluetooth on inbuilt-HU and somehow managed to do some custom settings after numerous trials to get a better output from the speakers.

I am getting a FE of around 12 in City and 17 in Highway which is way below the quoted figures in this forum. During my first 1000Kms service checkup i did mention about the low figures but the service guy told me to check FE beyond 3000Kms when the engine gets 'set'. Today's car engines are pre-tuned so i really do not buy that line but wanted to check with some experienced Beat-Diesel owners. I change gears when the RPM touches 2500 does that have anything to do with the lesser numbers? I always have AC on at 19' and auto mode.

[Loud]

Congrats sr_beat for the Beat! Wish you lots of happy mile munching in your, as I would say, 'Smart' diesel hatchback. Nice to hear that you are keeping it under 2500RPMs during the run-in period.
I agree the FE is not on the good side but atleast wait till 2000 kms, I will increase! Are you relying on the MID or doing tanfull method to check the FE?
What colour, BTW?

[Balaji31582]

Originally Posted by sr_beat

I change gears when the RPM touches 2500 does that have anything to do with the lesser numbers? I always have AC on at 19' and auto mode.

Hi sr_beat.
How do you calculate the FE. Tank full to Tank full method? I own a beat diesel 2011 make and have done 23k kms. I feel better after every service with respect to acceleration and drive. With respect to beat diesel, I feel the engine pulls well even after 1200 rpm. I live in chennai and my mileage in city swings between 16kmpl in a very congested traffic to 18.5 kmpl in a normally populated traffic. Some time back did a highway trip where i was a able to achieve ~22Kmpl doing speeds at 120 kmph. I will be going for a trip tomorrow and can update the latest highway FE figures after monday. So I generally change my gears somewhere around 1800-2000 rpm. Sometime even less than that in a normal congested road. I suggest you to change the gears by 2000 RPM and evaluate the FE.

[sajjt]

@Sr-beat,

If you put this query in the diesel Beat thread, you will get more accurate answers than in this pertrol thread. Petrol Beat's mileage is very much volatile so can't compare with a diesel mill which is more cosistent in FE.

Another quality parameter failure: My fuel lid lock lever cable got stuck,upon inspecting the cable looks like new on both ends but refuses to operate, pulled out fully and found centre portion is already rusted with blisters all over Our 7 year old Zen's remote lid cable is still working like a charm. Its a one piece assy cable with the retracting mechanism at the fuel lid lock, so I need to replace the whole cable assy including the working assy to get it corrected. Next week I am going to make a visit to Chevy ASC.

Any pointers to source this from outside GM?

Originally Posted by Samarth.bhatia

I believe so, yes. This is a common issue with beat. So the promise isn't mandatory, AFAIK.

Hi Sam,

Can you share the pic of the K&N installation on your ride? I guess you have a universal conical one. Am thinking of to go for that. Also, how was the engine response especially on mid range?

[sr_beat]

@Loud: Thanks!! I ve bought a 'Blade Silver' Beat Diesel LTO and am enjoying every mile in my car

@Balaji31582: I am checking FE between 2 full tanks and I will definitely try out the gear shifts below 2000rpm and check if there is any FE difference. BTW then what would you suggest the ideal rpm to be for down shift, currently I follow 2500rpm for upshift and below 1000rpm for down. I will try both and check as per your suggestion. Enjoy your trip!

@Sajit: There were many ownership experience threads but I could not find any specific Beat diesel thread like this one where all facets are discussed. Can you please share the link with me?? Thanks for your time.

[sameerg001]

Originally Posted by sr_beat

@Loud: Thanks!! I ve bought a 'Blade Silver' Beat Diesel LTO and am enjoying every mile in my car

@Balaji31582: I am checking FE between 2 full tanks and I will definitely try out the gear shifts below 2000rpm and check if there is any FE difference. BTW then what would you suggest the ideal rpm to be for down shift, currently I follow 2500rpm for upshift and below 1000rpm for down. I will try both and check as per your suggestion. Enjoy your trip!

@Sajit: There were many ownership experience threads but I could not find any specific Beat diesel thread like this one where all facets are discussed. Can you please share the link with me?? Thanks for your time.

Try shifting around 2k rpm and also, do try to use engine braking as much as possible, Which i guess will push your FE a bit further

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by sameerg001

Try shifting around 2k rpm and also, do try to use engine braking as much as possible, Which i guess will push your FE a bit further

The shifting range of 2k is very good. Not sure of what is an Engine Braking ? Hearing for the 1st time. Advice please.

[sr_beat]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

The shifting range of 2k is very good. Not sure of what is an Engine Braking ? Hearing for the 1st time. Advice please.

@Soumyajit9: What about down-shifting? I should go to the lower gear when the RPM goes below 1000??