[vivekm85]

Originally Posted by oxyzen

Well FE seems to be the major point of discussion here.
Earlier I used to get 11.5 to 12 in 100% city and 100% AC.
Now that my car has clocked closed to 6000 Kms. I am getting
14 Kmpl in 100% city and may be 20% AC.
Cant really call that an improvement due to running in but also the due to the fact that the chiller is put to rest.
When my car was almost new. I got 16 in highways with 80% AC. Driving mainly at 90-110 kmph. Restricting it to 80 and driving with AC off I think you can achieve 18.


I simply dont buy that. 16Kmpl with AC in city is 16!! You gotta be kidding me. It will at best be 14.

Hi Oxyzen, Even i tried my car for calculating the mileage figures. Mode of calculation is mentioned below:
Drive the car till the display shows reserve. Noted the km(that was 2418 km at that time). Then filled 9 ltrs of Petrol (ordinary). After trying a rash drive in city (mostly) as well as bypass (includes sudden accelration and sudden braking) with 90% ac on, i saw the needle comes back to reserve again today and showed the km count of 2539. That means the total kms i travelled is 121 kms. With 9 Ltrs of Petrol, the mileage am getting is 121/9 which gives 13.44 km/L in city. As the bypass here in Trivandrum is choking with heavy traffic due to the narrow roads, i can consider it as just like city traffic. So being 13.44 Km/L with 90% AC on, i am pretty sure you can get 18km/L in highways, even i already got 16.75 during a long journey before my first service.

[mithleshsridhar]

Originally Posted by vivekm85

Hi Oxyzen, Even i tried my car for calculating the mileage figures. Mode of calculation is mentioned below:
Drive the car till the display shows reserve. Noted the km(that was 2418 km at that time). Then filled 9 ltrs of Petrol (ordinary). After trying a rash drive in city (mostly) as well as bypass (includes sudden accelration and sudden braking) with 90% ac on, i saw the needle comes back to reserve again today and showed the km count of 2539. That means the total kms i travelled is 121 kms. With 9 Ltrs of Petrol, the mileage am getting is 121/9 which gives 13.44 km/L in city. As the bypass here in Trivandrum is choking with heavy traffic due to the narrow roads, i can consider it as just like city traffic. So being 13.44 Km/L with 90% AC on, i am pretty sure you can get 18km/L in highways, even i already got 16.75 during a long journey before my first service.

Hi Vivek, thats fantastic mileage your getting (more optimistic for beat user). I have got 12kmpl max that too short run of 60-70 kms in city with A/C, or else about 11kmpl. Read that clutch riding could cause bad mileage and wear/tear of the clutch plate, i have tried to eliminate it much but chennai traffic eludes me always. I am currently trying full tank shell unleaded fuel, lets see how much it coughs up.

Between have anybody got USB working. Enlighten me. Had a install of only speakers done at power zone (MTX 4" two way in the front and 6" three way ovals at the back), as installer said MTX surely gives max BANG for the money i paid. Will an AMP be required to increase sound quality with stock HU, has anybody got good amp installed with stock HU. Installer said if i go for an AMP, then HU will sound bad, then i have to change that etc etc, this cycle will burn my pocket.

[thedreamcatcher]

Originally Posted by sajjt

At last I found that

The manual says any one of the side position+tail lamps can be switched on while the key is not inserted. For that, switch on the park lights and turn on the right/left indicator for which side of the park/tail lights to be on and pull out the key as usual. It worked well.

But when I tried this, both side park+tail lamps were on which offers good visibility but its draining the battery pretty much, each poistion lamp is 5W each+ tails 10W each so the total load is 30W. Not a wise idea to keep this on for long time.

When I was experimenting with brake light flashers, total brake lights are consuming a total load of 65W which is more than a headlight power.

. I am unable to figure this out. Can you please elaborate once more pls. Tried out something, nothing happened.

Also, how did you go about figuring out the load consumed by the brake lights

[sajjt]

Originally Posted by thedreamcatcher

. I am unable to figure this out. Can you please elaborate once more pls. Tried out something, nothing happened.

Also, how did you go about figuring out the load consumed by the brake lights

Ok, for leaving the park lights on follow this procedure:

1. Turn on the park lights
2. Turn on the indicator right/left
3. Remove the key and leave the car, the lights will stay on till you switch it off.

Remember it will drain the battery if you left it on for hours. Park lights are 2X 10W+ Position lights in the HL assy 2 X 5W=30W total AFAIK. Theoretically you can use it for hours but there wont be much juice for cranking the engine once you come back. So use judiciously as and when its required especially when you have done a b2b traffic condition with head lights on, as the battery wont be charged properly at this rpm to its optimum levels.


Coming back to brake lights consumption:

Each brake lights will consume 20W, so 2 X 20W = 40W
Third brake light cluster= 5 X 5W = 25W
Total = 40W+25W= 65W

GM should atleast consider the third brake lights to be LEDs to save the battery power.

[roy_libran]

Guys... A bit confused. Someone in my family needs either a Beat or Spark. Between the two of them, there is approx. a 40-50K price difference, inclusive of everything, which we are not too concerned about.

Which of these, do you think, would be a better car to buy, looking at a 4-5 years ownership horizon? The person who will drive is not a speed freak, or into gizmos etc. Just need a car that will deliver long-term value and peace of mind.

I personally own a Matiz from 2002 too, that I use for the crowded local markets etc. nowadays, and know for a fact that this car is very reliable and has held over beautifully for all these years.

Please do not suggest anything from any other manufacturer, because it has got to be a Chevy.

[informmaha]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Guys... A bit confused. Someone in my family needs either a Beat or Spark. Between the two of them, there is approx. a 40-50K price difference, inclusive of everything, which we are not too concerned about.

Which of these, do you think, would be a better car to buy, looking at a 4-5 years ownership horizon? The person who will drive is not a speed freak, or into gizmos etc. Just need a car that will deliver long-term value and peace of mind.

I personally own a Matiz from 2002 too, that I use for the crowded local markets etc. nowadays, and know for a fact that this car is very reliable and has held over beautifully for all these years.

Please do not suggest anything from any other manufacturer, because it has got to be a Chevy.

Hey Roy,

Both these cars are VFM in their respective class. Its basically the purpose that you look for. I own a beat and have driven a spark recently for a long trip. If the commuting is going to be inside the city, i would recommend a spark since you can easily park this without any difficulty. I hope since you have a matiz you might know about this..

If its going to be more of highway drive and normal city drive, then its definitely going to be beat, since the engine size does matter when oh highways. secondly if you want a new design, then beat scores over spark both in interiors and exteriors.

Well if the liking is for biege, then spark is the one, since you still dont have biege in beat.

Both are equally reliable cars, although i felt beat to be better in refinement in gears as compared to spark. (May be since i have a beat? i don't think so)

Well i hope i have confused you more on this

[EssYouWe]

The size difference between the two is certainly not enough to rule out the Beat. I would suggest going with the newer model. 4-5 years later, the Spark will be an old car.

Cheers

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by informmaha

Hey Roy,

Both these cars are VFM in their respective class. Its basically the purpose that you look for. I own a beat and have driven a spark recently for a long trip. If the commuting is going to be inside the city, i would recommend a spark since you can easily park this without any difficulty. I hope since you have a matiz you might know about this..

If its going to be more of highway drive and normal city drive, then its definitely going to be beat, since the engine size does matter when oh highways. secondly if you want a new design, then beat scores over spark both in interiors and exteriors.

Well if the liking is for biege, then spark is the one, since you still dont have biege in beat.

Both are equally reliable cars, although i felt beat to be better in refinement in gears as compared to spark. (May be since i have a beat? i don't think so)

Well i hope i have confused you more on this

Yes, you did manage to confuse me more. I know these are both very good cars and in a very similar price band. We just LOVE the BEAT's Design, but the SPARK is so much more driveable in the congested city. Ah, tough choice ahead.
I'll confirm tomorrow evening, what we finally book.

[oxyzen]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Between the two of them, there is approx. a 40-50K price difference, inclusive of everything, which we are not too concerned about.
Which of these, do you think, would be a better car to buy, looking at a 4-5 years ownership horizon?
The person who will drive is not a speed freak, or into gizmos etc. Just need a car that will deliver long-term value and peace of mind.

Well if you are looking for long term value and peace of mind only there is nothing much to choose btwn spark and beat. Maybe you are better of with the spark as it is there for some time without any major problems.
With the spark
1) You can save 40-50K.
2) Will give you 1-2 Kmpl more.
3) Rear seat is more comfortable.
4) Handles much better thanks to slightly stiff suspensions.

But I would suggest to go for beat because
1) Its a new product.
2) Looks much better.
3) Interiors are amazing
4) Space is marginally more.
5) Ride is much better.
6) 1.2L Engine. It may be much more powerful on paper but in real life there is not much of a difference at least in the city. On the highways it is definitely happier.
7) Refinement at idle is excellent. Spark is also pretty good here.

Its for you to decide whether you want only reliability or the extra advantages of Beat at a nominal price.

[informmaha]

Originally Posted by oxyzen

Well if you are looking for long term value and peace of mind only there is nothing much to choose btwn spark and beat. Maybe you are better of with the spark as it is there for some time without any major problems.
With the spark
1) You can save 40-50K.
2) Will give you 1-2 Kmpl more.
3) Rear seat is more comfortable.
4) Handles much better thanks to slightly stiff suspensions.

But I would suggest to go for beat because
1) Its a new product.
2) Looks much better.
3) Interiors are amazing
4) Space is marginally more.
5) Ride is much better.
6) 1.2L Engine. It may be much more powerful on paper but in real life there is not much of a difference at least in the city. On the highways it is definitely happier.
7) Refinement at idle is excellent. Spark is also pretty good here.

Its for you to decide whether you want only reliability or the extra advantages of Beat at a nominal price.

You have equally confused him the same way i have done him, and you are a step ahead than me LOL .. Nice piece of info on prospective buyer for beat though

[roy_libran]

I think we are going in for the Spark, considering that it will be a lady who will be driving it. However, there is still this battle between the brain (Spark) and heart (Beat), so we'll know today evening, what we finally booked. LOLZ.... So much ado for such a small car!

[Auto freak]

@roy,
Good that you have finalized the car! I too feel that a Spark makes more sense if it will be a lady who drives it, given the high dash and low seating position on the Beat.

By the way, i managed to take my Beat to 155kmph on the GQ last week!!! It felt just great!
The car was very well planted thanks to the tyre upgrade I did.
Have also got the ECU flashed with the new dataset. It has marginally improved the second gear response though not to the extent i expected. Should try and check the FE this time.

[informmaha]

Originally Posted by Auto freak

Have also got the ECU flashed with the new dataset. It has marginally improved the second gear response though not to the extent i expected. Should try and check the FE this time.

Hey Auto Freak,

Did you come to know which version of ECU remap was done in your car? When i did it in mine, it was version 3 and i could feel the difference immediately after it was done and the engine became very smooth than the one that was before (already with the original setting only it was silent, now its super silent ). One of my friend did a remap in his, but i could find only a marginal improvement in performance in his car. Have asked him to enquire the same with the dealer.

Well there is definetely difference in the high end speed, means with the original setting i was able to go beyond 130 with ease which is not the case now, not that you cannot reach those speeds, but not as easy as it was before. But this is driven mostly inside city, so love this ECU setting..

[Auto freak]

@informmaha,

I wasn't aware until now that there are different versions of the ECU dataset available! I will check with my dealer about the version on my car.
But i have now got used to this response and dont think i'll reflash it again.
Perhaps GM should give its customers an option to choose the ECU they want just like we choose the colour!
Regarding the top speed, what i managed was with the factory flashed ECU. Guess it must have seen a drop now.

[Takumi-san]

Fellows, need your immediate advice here. I just gave in the beat for the first service (6 month service) and mentioned that there was some noise in the front suspension since past 2-3 weeks. Its increased since and causes a shudder in the steering too. I thought it was a small thing / some bolt that went loose thanks to Mumbais notorious roads. However I just got a call from the service center that they are still looking and not sure where the trouble is. The guy who test drove the car was wondering if the car has been in any accident. I mentioned that the car stays in covered parking in my residence as well as office is only driven by me , was bought 5 months ago and has only covered 2500 odd kms so thats impossible. The car barely has 1 scratch , so accident is certainly impossible. However I do admit that I dont slow down completely for every pothole / speedbreaker. This does not mean I drive like a maniac over them either, its just that people often drive down to a dead stop while negotiating such obstacles where as I take them at 10-20 kmph.

Given that this sounded serious from the service advisors voice , what I need to know is that what does a new car warranty cover? Does it cover things like suspension / axle etc? Because its unbelievable that my daily city commute would cause this effect on a new car. She has been a fantastic ride so far and I dont want to have a heavy damage bill which insurance wont cover either since there is no accident for no fault of mine. Please advice. The service advisor was non-committal when I asked him to speculate. I gave the car for service a month before the due date for this reason itself , but it seems I should have done so even sooner. However the noise does not come each time, its only on rough roads and that too while turning (usually making extreme lefts at speeds of greater than 15 kmph on rough roads).