Team-BHP - Chevrolet Beat : Test Drive & Review
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Quote:

Originally Posted by faustus77 (Post 3345587)
Hi everybody
I got my Beat last serviced in 2013 January.
During the one year after service have driven around 3500 kms and AFAIR hardly anytime during the monsoon season. To that extent there would not be any mud clinging to the underbody.
Is it necessary to go for service ? How necessary?
My problem is taking the car to the authorised service center . This entails 2 visits,once to drop the car and once to bring it back. I cant do it in a day as I start very late.
Please would appreciate comments from members her.
Thanks and regards.
PS: Would not like to hand over the car to the AS*S driver.Personally don't prefer it.

Dear faustus77,

The car has to be serviced as per the required schedule. Even if the car doesn't run, the oil has to be changed as per prescribed time interval. We all love our machines here. Taking just one day off to get it serviced once in six months is least what we can do. Some service centres are also open on Sundays.:)

Chevrolet has already started working on the next gen Spark which is the Beat in India. Caught undergoing cold weather testing, the redesigned Spark is heavily camouflaged but it seems that it will have an evolutionary design with a sloping roofline and an upward sweeping beltline.

Chevy is showing the Beat facelift at the soon to begin Auto Expo and the all new car is expected in 2015.

Chevrolet Beat : Test Drive & Review-chevroletbeatexterior23922_l.jpg

Chevrolet Beat : Test Drive & Review-chevroletleftrearthreequarter23927.jpg

http://www.carwale.com/news/12109-20...-testing-.html

I have been searching for news related to facelifted Beat (2014). Had heard a lot about the redone exterior and interiors, here is what the US spec offers .
Source: http://www.leftlanenews.com/photos/c...icture-21.html
Chevy Beat US site: http://www.chevrolet.com/spark-city-...-pictures.html

I personally find the new interiors beautiful - the new speedo console, coloured dashboard accents, 7 inch touchscreen, steering mounted controls.

Observation: The automatic climate control feature is not to be seen, though the knobs are pleasant unlike the unruly twist and turn ones provided by other car manufacturers here. ORVM stalks are missing, perhaps we get the electronic version. The rear seats appear to be more comfortable too, though the leg space is not clear.

If only these could be ported to Indian spec in their entirety!

Quote:

Originally Posted by volkman10 (Post 3350107)
Chevrolet has already started working on the next gen Spark which is the Beat in India. Caught undergoing cold weather testing, the redesigned Spark is heavily camouflaged but it seems that it will have an evolutionary design with a sloping roofline and an upward sweeping beltline.

Chevy is showing the Beat facelift at the soon to begin Auto Expo and the all new car is expected in 2015.

It does not seem to have major changes. One thing to note here is that the door handle for the rear doors has been moved to it's conventional place ?.

Chevy must offer automatic variant, improve boot space and swap the RPM and speedometer. A larger wheelbase and improved engine bay might even house a bigger diesel engine

Quote:

Originally Posted by volkman10 (Post 3350107)
Chevy is showing the Beat facelift at the soon to begin Auto Expo and the all new car is expected in 2015.

Test drives of camouflaged Beats spotted in Pune, as reported by overdrive. No word on CVT and other interior details yet.

I just hope that Chevy designs the car (front nose overhang, wheel arch bulge, and a bit more seat height) for better visibility, making the diesel a true hot seller.

Hi everybody
Knowing that I drive cross country the workshop manager at Nikhil (A.S.S. at Bombay) called me .
They have started a scheme for unlimited free towing anywhere in India to their nearest service centre. Even if you run out of fuel they will provide 5 litres of it. Rs 1350 per year.
Has anybody else received such a call? Looks good.
Thanks and regards

Quote:

Originally Posted by faustus77 (Post 3355421)
Hi everybody
Knowing that I drive cross country the workshop manager at Nikhil (A.S.S. at Bombay) called me .
They have started a scheme for unlimited free towing anywhere in India to their nearest service centre. Even if you run out of fuel they will provide 5 litres of it. Rs 1350 per year.
Has anybody else received such a call? Looks good.
Thanks and regards

Hi Faustus77,

My car is regularly serviced at Nikhil automobiles however have not received any call. One reason maybe that i have changed my number just yesterday. The scheme looks good if you are on the road for long stretches in deserted areas.

Posting on this thread after a really long time !!

So I have been ignoring the health of my ride for over 7 or 8 months now. Just driving all around the maddenning city traffic without a check on the health.

For the last 1 month or so, I have noticed a very high drop in performance of the car.

Below are some of the problems faced.

- 1st to 2nd Gear - The shift has become very short. I have to immediately switch to 2nd gear at a speed of less that 20kmph, else the RPM shoots to almost 3k !! I just noticed today that the RPM hovers around 3k+ at just a speed of 75kmph !! Is this normal ? Isn't the RPM going really high at low speed ?
- 2nd to 3rd Gear - The infamous problem of pick up. So can't really comment on how bad my car is.
- 3rd to 4th Gear - I have to push the RPM to atleast 3k, and then shift to 4th. Else, there is a terrible ring sound that comes if I press the accelerator.

I had reported this ring sound to my SA during the 20k service and he said that I was releasing the clutch too soon and wanted me to ride the clutch for a few fraction of seconds more before releasing it completely. I was not convinced, but then lived with it.
Now the ring sound during each gear shift has become very loud and annoying.

I have been using FuelLog app on my Android device to record mileage of my car. The results are highly unsatisfactory.
I have been getting an average of 14kmph without AC.
I drive in B'lore, so unless I pass through very dusty area, I don't use AC. The weather helps maintain the coolness in the cabin. I leave a very small gap while my windows are rolled up.

At the same time the suspension has given up. There is no more that "phus-phus" effect when I go over potholes. Instead there is this loud thud and the whole car shakes violently !!

My 25k service was due in October. But since the ODO was still at 20k, I skipped the service.
As on today's date, the ODO sits at 22k only. Am planning to however get the car serviced in the next month.

Any suggestions for the below problems ? What should I ask the SA to get check for the below speific issues ?
- Low Pick Up (In all gears) + Ring Sound
- High RPM at low speeds. (3k at 75kmph)
- Thud noise from suspension.

Thanks in advance for any help !!

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9 (Post 3357501)
- Low Pick Up (In all gears) + Ring Sound
- High RPM at low speeds. (3k at 75kmph)
- Thud noise from suspension.

Ditto here for my ride as well, except for the Ring sound part. The FE ha taken a severe hit as well. However, mine is a 40 month old car with the ODO at 59500 kms.
However, I must admit that the car has been subjected to severe conditions on a regular basis. I am just hoping that the 60k service will take care of the issues.

- Hard shifts - sometimes it takes a lot of effort shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. The gear refuses to slot in 2nd and I need to go back to first and shift again. This happens occasionally ( trice a day) and I have failed to reproduce the same before the A.S.S.

- Lugging/Stalling - The engine lugs away to glory at low RPMs. I feel the clutch is giving up. Maybe I'm losing the engine mounts as well.

- Sluggishness/Low FE - The car is virtually dead in 1st and 2nd. The 3rd however is as responsive as it has ever been. FE has dropped from ~14kmpl to 12.5 odd in the city.

- Front suspension giving away - I can almost feel it. It has a 1000km more life to it. The thuds are becoming more prominent and the vehicle does not behave well even in slightly uneven roads. I can hear a few rattles, checked plastic parts/panels but could not pin point the source. The rear hatch is the most likely culprit. NH34 deserves a special mention here.

For the last 15k odd kilometres, I couldn't manage to take much care of the vehicle except for the scheduled services in which Chevy A.S.S. utterly failed to take care of any cited issues.

On the positive side though, I would say I am quite happy with the car. All of the 60k has been relatively trouble free. No additional expenses were incurred apart from the charges for scheduled services. The car has been subjected to extreme conditions, be it the ripped apart NH34 or surfing through water logged city street. It has spent 80% of its life in maddening city traffic so additional wear and tear cannot really be blamed on the manufacturer.

Chevy A.S.S. in Kolkata is seemingly either reluctant or incompetent to carry out additional work apart from regular servicing. I'm in search for alternatives, now that warranty is not an issue anymore.

February 2014 will bring in a new vehicle in our garage, most likely a Beat Diesel. Once the new car shows up, I plan to give the veteran a deserving and comprehensive health checkup. The car still looks as good as new, I hope I will find someone competent enough to take care of the issues.

Do keep us in loop if your issues are detected and sorted out. As the issues are identical, it might help me a lot.

Thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9 (Post 3357501)
Posting on this thread after a really long time !!

Greetings Soumya!:)

Quote:


- 1st to 2nd Gear - The shift has become very short. I have to immediately switch to 2nd gear at a speed of less that 20kmph, else the RPM shoots to almost 3k
- 2nd to 3rd Gear - The infamous problem of pick up. So can't really comment on how bad my car is.
I think you car's air-filter has clogged up due to dusty and high density/ pollutant (winter air). Filter cleaning and engine oil/filter change will make your Beat's acceleration back to normal. A throttle body cleaning also essential.

Quote:


- 3rd to 4th Gear - I have to push the RPM to at least 3k, and then shift to 4th. Else, there is a terrible ring sound that comes if I press the accelerator.

I am not sure about this symptom. May be something loose at clutch/gear box end. Can you record the ringing sound and post.

Beat generally have a quick "karda karda karda" sound from clutch if it is little bit loaded in initial gears i.e. up-shifting without insufficient RPM. (note this not the usual clutch shuddering) Hope that it is not the case here.

Irrespective of KMs run, I never missed a service since may 2010. I service my beat every six months. My daily running is 95% terrible b2b city traffic. You should take her to service center.

Quote:


I have been using FuelLog app on my Android device to record mileage of my car.
Mileage of Beat is something we should accept with a pinch of salt. Take 10 of them and we could see 10 different values that too with major variation.

What psi you maintain in your tyres? If roads are good try to maintain 34.

As said earlier, after service the mileage will increase.

I am attaching my FuelLog too. Many partial fill for last 3 months due to a contest running at IOCL pump:D.

Chevrolet Beat : Test Drive & Review-screenshot_20140130122621.png

Quote:


At the same time the suspension has given up. There is no more that "phus-phus" effect when I go over potholes. Instead there is this loud thud and the whole car shakes violently !!

This need to be taken care seriously. Hope you are in Warranty period or opted for an Extended Warranty.

Cheers!

Vinu

Wanted to give you a quick info on my beat TDCI FE.

Beat TDCI
2012 Dec make
14k kms done

I used to get around 14 kmpl in Bangalore city with 50% AC and best is 15 kmpl. I felt the beat TDCI to be severely underpowered (I come from Rapid TDI).
Recently I installed the Dieseltronic box and below are the gains

1) In P1 mode, the car feels very strong and I dont feel under powered at all. In P2 mode, there is power and turbo kick post 2k RPM comparable to Swift VDI.

2) In P1 mode, in Bangalore city with 50% AC , I am regularly clocking 17 -18 KMPL. (Full tank to full tank)

I would strongly suggest the box for Beat TDCI owners.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9 (Post 3357501)

Any suggestions for the below problems ? What should I ask the SA to get check for the below speific issues ?
- Low Pick Up (In all gears) + Ring Sound

By ring sound do you mean knocking sound. If so, then adulterated fuel is the culprit. Poor fuel quality results in low pick-up and engine knocking. Change the pump from where you fill regularly and opt for trusted pump.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9 (Post 3357501)
- High RPM at low speeds. (3k at 75kmph)

Get the throttle body and Idle Air Control Valve cleaned. Due to the adulterated fuel excessive residue has deposited on these components resulting in erratic rpm.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9 (Post 3357501)
- Thud noise from suspension.

Check the tyre air pressure using accurate gauge. Keep the cold tyre pressure ~32 psi. Excessive air pressure puts strain on suspension components, due to which noises are produced.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9 (Post 3357501)
Any suggestions for the below problems ? What should I ask the SA to get check for the below speific issues ?
- Low Pick Up (In all gears) + Ring Sound
- High RPM at low speeds. (3k at 75kmph)
- Thud noise from suspension.


Quote:

Originally Posted by mi2n (Post 3357690)
Hard shifts - sometimes it takes a lot of effort shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. The gear refuses to slot in 2nd and I need to go back to first and shift again. This happens occasionally ( trice a day) and I have failed to reproduce the same before the A.S.S.

- Lugging/Stalling - The engine lugs away to glory at low RPMs. I feel the clutch is giving up. Maybe I'm losing the engine mounts as well.

- Sluggishness/Low FE - The car is virtually dead in 1st and 2nd. The 3rd however is as responsive as it has ever been. FE has dropped from ~14kmpl to 12.5 odd in the city.

- Front suspension giving away - .

Quote:

Originally Posted by Topolino (Post 3358014)

Check the tyre air pressure using accurate gauge. Keep the cold tyre pressure ~32 psi. Excessive air pressure puts strain on suspension components, due to which noises are produced.

Hello Guys, Nice to see the thread veterans back. :)

My 2 cents as below

1. For the low pick up issue, did you get your ECU formatted ( Or whatever it is called).

2. I think the ideal RPM which i have observed is 3000 RPM at 100 Km/h at 5th gear


3. Thud noise from suspension- Present in my car too which has done only 40,000 Kms. Can you try caliper greasing, maybe the thud might reduce ( Not sure about this though).


4. Mileage: 18.5 with A/C on highways. Drops to about 14 in City with A/C


Most of my trips are on the highways and thus on good roads.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.Beat (Post 3355746)
Hi Faustus77,

My car is regularly serviced at Nikhil automobiles however have not received any call. One reason maybe that i have changed my number just yesterday. The scheme looks good if you are on the road for long stretches in deserted areas.

Mr. Beat
Hi
You can call them and they should be able to guide you.
Or you can check with their Reay Road workshop. Their number is 23789999.
Regards


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