[oxyzen]

Originally Posted by informmaha

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

What can I say? All products are equally matched. There are around 15 hatchbacks in India in a price range of 3.5 to 5.5 L. Confusing , confusing, confusing.

Originally Posted by 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.

Spot on.

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.

My remap was more than satisfying. 2nd gear lag is not that irritating any more. Earlier to remap, pickup was damn slow. Only after 2500 RPM engine showed some signs of energy. Now it starts responding from 1500 RPM. Previously it used to strain after 4000. Now I can it to 5000 without much difficulty.

Originally Posted by Takumi-san

What I need to know is that what does a new car warranty cover? Does it cover things like suspension / axle etc?

Suspension / axle are generally under warranty. But Lousy companies like Skoda and VW tend to void these if you have upgraded the tyres.

Originally Posted by Takumi-san

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).

Looks like a driveshaft problem.
Please keep us informed.

[roy_libran]

So, the brain won! Spark it is.

[Captain Slow]

Originally Posted by 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).

standard warranty includes suspension and most of the parts for the first year.
If you are covered by chevys 3 year promise then everything is fully covered under warranty.

[Topolino]

Originally Posted by 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!

GM has updated their software recently and now only two types of ECU settings are available one is named Regular Setting and other is named Second Gear Improvement Setting. The customer has option to choose between these.

Originally Posted by Takumi-san

what I need to know is that what does a new car warranty cover? Does it cover things like suspension / axle etc?

Yes the car warranty covers suspension and axle.

[Takumi-san]

Update :Fellas, the cheetah is back (corny name if you think, but I think the Beat definitely looks like one).

The noise was from the steering assemble. Apparently the pothole made something loose inside and they have managed to stop the noise by adjusting and tightening a few things. They warned me however that if this does not hold then the only option is to change the entire steering assembly. Needless to say I have my fingers crossed. While the pothole was bad ; I dont think it was severe enough to have caused so much damage. So I think the repairs should hold.

In other news, do insist on getting the oil changed. I asked twice and they said all done , but after the re-assurance check I had decided to take a look at everything myself. Thats when they tell me oil doesnt need to be changed for 1.5 years / 15000 ks. I argued that not in Mumbai city driving conditions ; that doesnt hold. They gave in, charged me for the consumables. The Cheetah is certainly purring along now.

I had also complained about a broken antenna - thats what happens if you try to safeguard your vehicle by covering it everywhere. The stupid design of the antenna ensures that it snaps. And from what I saw / was told ; there were at least 1-2 cars daily that were replacing the antenna. Thankfully, that was cheap at 250 rupees (I expected a much higher damage bill). The only option is to unscrew the antenna each time you want to cover the car. Needless to say , the cover is going to be sitting in the garage from now on.

The service at the center was amazing (its the new Ashtavinayak in Charkop / Mumbai) in case anyone is wondering but the wash left a lot to be desired. The underbody was not washed at all and there were streaks on the mirrors as well as on the insides.

Oil filter cost me 70 rupees and about 600 odd for the oil. I definitely recommend the oil change at every 6 months needless of what the manufacturers say.

For the experts - in case the steering assembly needs to be changed - I had told the service centre that the car has gone into a bad pothole and the noise is resulting from there. There have been no accidents / scrapes and even the mechanics who initially thought I had been in an accident concurred. So in such a case of replacement, can I claim repairs under warranty ? The mechanic I talked to was unsure and I did not bother bringing it up with the service advisor. I did not want to play all my cards at this time. Also how about insurance (pretty sure this one is a no go).

The service guys were great and though it took them almost 2 days to diagnose the noise and hand back the car, they did not charge - final damages were to the tune of 1000+ for the oil change I asked for and antenna.

[Joy]

Originally Posted by informmaha

Hey Auto Freak,
...
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..

I bought Beat LT around 8th Oct, 2010. Has undergone some highway driving but I felt with stock tyres beyond 110-120 kmph, the feedback I m getting from the road is not confidence inspiring specially at corners. @GTO has rightly said tyre upgrade is must. Overall, I am in love with my car, it looks great, performs great, interiors are great & is a good car.

By the way, is 3 years warranty valid, if I upgrade my tyres.

Also, would like to know regarding, how all of you are reversing the car in a tight place, scrapped twice while reversing. Would like to get some ideas from fellow Beat owners.

[informmaha]

Originally Posted by Joy

I bought Beat LT around 8th Oct, 2010. Has undergone some highway driving but I felt with stock tyres beyond 110-120 kmph, the feedback I m getting from the road is not confidence inspiring specially at corners. @GTO has rightly said tyre upgrade is must. Overall, I am in love with my car, it looks great, performs great, interiors are great & is a good car.

By the way, is 3 years warranty valid, if I upgrade my tyres.

Also, would like to know regarding, how all of you are reversing the car in a tight place, scrapped twice while reversing. Would like to get some ideas from fellow Beat owners.

Oh I didnt find it as much an issue at high speed, but not as pleasing as sedans though..but still you can manage it pretty easily at high speeds. I used the Golden Quadrilateral highways to attain this speed and i did went through curves during rain, not much to complain about. May be yes if there is a tyre upgrade done, it will definetely plant itself on the roads. But cannot comment on warranty since i dont have much idea about this.

Well regarding the reversing, i hope you are using your OVRM's to the fullest. With the use of your left OVRM and your judging skills, you can easily park it with ease, set your mirror at an angle wherein you can see the entire wall near the bumper and your rear side profile of your vehicle, it can be easily set with practise, that is where you tend to hit most of the times. If you are already following this then there is no other option but to practise

[Joy]

Originally Posted by informmaha

....
Well regarding the reversing, i hope you are using your OVRM's to the fullest. With the use of your left OVRM and your judging skills, you can easily park it with ease, set your mirror at an angle wherein you can see the entire wall near the bumper and your rear side profile of your vehicle, it can be easily set with practise, that is where you tend to hit most of the times. If you are already following this then there is no other option but to practise

Thanks for the advice. Of late, I am doing the same and since then never scrapped. This, I found to be the best but still there are some blind spots. May be, I need more practice.

Some more questions,

1) How does one play songs from usb in a sequence one wants? I found that the HU chooses randomly from the folder.

2) Every time I restart the car, the volume comes back to default setting. Is it normal?

Thanks in advance.

[myavu]

@informmaha I too did 120+ in stock tyres recently. There was no problem at all.

@ Joy You must check the air pressure and try again. Tyre upgrade will void warranty. You can upgrade you alloys with stock tyre size.

As for me Beat is most easy to park when compared to next best Figo. It need some practise, that's it. Set the ORVMs such a way that you can see the rear (till the edge of rear bumper both left and right) which fill around 15% of the ORVMs' mirror area.

Try it in open area to gain confidence. You can use some dummy stuff (thermocol leftovers from TV and Refrigerator packing as obstructions. Park the car and keep the thermocols vertical on ground approx 10cms away from both rear doors. Drive ahead take a 360 spin and try to reverse it into the same space. Done!

Practice make perfect.

Originally Posted by Joy

1) How does one play songs from usb in a sequence one wants? I found that the HU chooses randomly from the folder.

2) Every time I restart the car, the volume comes back to default setting. Is it normal?

Your random button is on. Switch it off

Yes volume will reset to 14 if your set volume was above 14, it is less that 14, then it will continue with that volume.

Cheers!

Vinu

[thedreamcatcher]

Originally Posted by Takumi-san

Update :Fellas, the cheetah is back (corny name if you think, but I think the Beat definitely looks like one).

In other news, do insist on getting the oil changed. I asked twice and they said all done , but after the re-assurance check I had decided to take a look at everything myself. Thats when they tell me oil doesnt need to be changed for 1.5 years / 15000 ks. I argued that not in Mumbai city driving conditions ; that doesnt hold. They gave in, charged me for the consumables. The Cheetah is certainly purring along now.

Oil filter cost me 70 rupees and about 600 odd for the oil. I definitely recommend the oil change at every 6 months needless of what the manufacturers say.

The manufacturers here are right. The car comes factory filled with fully synthetic oil, which requires changing only after 15000 KMs, ideally. If it comes to oil change, service guys will be more than happy to ensure you replace it, after all they are earning on it right!!!

So, go by what they say, and futher check the type of oil used first. Comments like this could be misleading to people

Thanks

[Topolino]

Originally Posted by thedreamcatcher

The manufacturers here are right. The car comes factory filled with fully synthetic oil, which requires changing only after 15000 KMs, ideally. If it comes to oil change, service guys will be more than happy to ensure you replace it, after all they are earning on it right!!!

So, go by what they say, and futher check the type of oil used first. Comments like this could be misleading to people

Thanks

Takumi-san is right. Please read the Beat's Owner Manual carefully. It is clearly mentioned in the OM that under normal driving condition oil should be changed at 15000km/1.5 years but under extreme operating conditions it should be changed every 5000km/6 months. Extreme operating conditions are given when at least one of the following occurs frequently:
1. Repeated short distance driving less than 10 km.
2. Extensive idling and/or slow-speed driving in stop-and-go traffic.
3. Driving on dusty roads.
4. Driving on hilly or mountanious terrain.
5. Towing a trailer
6. Driving in heavy city traffic where the outside temperatures regularly reach 32 degree Celsius or higher.
7. Driving as a taxi, police or delivery vehicle.
8. Frequent driving when outside temperature remains below freezing.

Out of these operating conditions I think most of our driving includes (1), (2), & (6). So Oil & Filter need to be changed every 5000km/6 months

[Joy]

Originally Posted by myavu

.....
You must check the air pressure and try again. Tyre upgrade will void warranty. You can upgrade you alloys with stock tyre size.
......

Your random button is on. Switch it off

Yes volume will reset to 14 if your set volume was above 14, it is less that 14, then it will continue with that volume.

Cheers!

Vinu

Thanks myavu, for the information.

What is the correct tyre pressure for both city & highway? How frequently one should monitor it?

Thanks in advance.

[thedreamcatcher]

Originally Posted by Topolino

Takumi-san is right. Please read the Beat's Owner Manual carefully. It is clearly mentioned in the OM that under normal driving condition oil should be changed at 15000km/1.5 years but under extreme operating conditions it should be changed every 5000km/6 months. Extreme operating conditions are given when at least one of the following occurs frequently:
1. Repeated short distance driving less than 10 km.
2. Extensive idling and/or slow-speed driving in stop-and-go traffic.
3. Driving on dusty roads.
4. Driving on hilly or mountanious terrain.
5. Towing a trailer
6. Driving in heavy city traffic where the outside temperatures regularly reach 32 degree Celsius or higher.
7. Driving as a taxi, police or delivery vehicle.
8. Frequent driving when outside temperature remains below freezing.

Out of these operating conditions I think most of our driving includes (1), (2), & (6). So Oil & Filter need to be changed every 5000km/6 months

I agree with you to an extent, but more towards the not

If you look at the post, you would note the word 'ideally', at the end of 15000.

Now, my contention was that it is not 'hard' mandatory that the oil, especially in the case of synthetic, has to be changed after every 5000 KMs. Since the breakdown of syn oil is slower, and lesser content of additves in it, it lasts and lubricates a bit longer. despite those three factors u mentioned.

So, forcefully chaning it very 5k, is more of a feel good factor, unless you are driving through very dusty conditions everyday, avoid crazy revving etc

[oxyzen]

Originally Posted by thedreamcatcher

The manufacturers here are right.

The car comes factory filled with fully synthetic oil, which requires changing only after 15000 KMs, ideally. If it comes to oil change, service guys will be more than happy to ensure you replace it, after all they are earning on it right!!!

So, go by what they say, and futher check the type of oil used first. Comments like this could be misleading to people

Thanks

1st of all what harm can it cause if you are replacing oil at every 10000km or even 5000 Km? Please let me know if you have one.
OEMs tend to go for extended oil drain because of
1) Lesser service cost. Its the Oil manufacturer that earns rather than the OEM for oil change.
2) People are also reluctant to come for servicing. So a 1.5year service interval is a triumph card.
3) There is enough stress in service centres for companies like Maruti, Hyundai, Tata, So a longer service interval is quite a relief.

With new advanced engineering to produce more power/cc there has been a lot of changes in engine. It is made to run a lot hotter for better thermal effeciency.
Air-filters with lowered resistance allows some dust particles to enter the engine that results in oil thickning.
And most importantly for fresh engines the wear particles get mixed with oil. So changing the oil after 5000Km is very important.

Not that your car will breakdown after few days if you dont do it but 700 bucks is reasonable enough to go for the change. You might also experience a .5kmpl more with the new oil for the 1st 6 months.

With old oil
1) Your additives get depleted.
2) Viscosity increases. Less FE and power
3) Oil aeration increases. Bad for engine durability

---- BOTTOMLINE-----
Forget what manufacturers say. It is always better to change oil as quick as possible. I woild reccomend 5K,15K,25K.....and so on. BE IT A SYNTHETIC OR NOT.

[EssYouWe]

^
A very apt explanation for the case. However, changes at just 5,000 km are ill-advised. It is just too soon to change the oil irrespective of our driving conditions. A period of ~7,000-10,000 kms would be the best time to change the oil. You must remember that the oil performs ideally with a bit of free-carbon content, which would be at around 500-1,000 kms.

Cheers

PS: The first change should be around 1,500-2,000 kms precisely for the reason given by you.