[sgiitk]

With disc brakes most of the funny noises / screeches or whatever can be traced to the disc pads. Often the Copper Lube for the rear is overlooked. Remember in a disk set up the pad is always in contact with the disc, something our boffins are not used to. Another issue, though easier to diagnose is belt squeal.

Both can be a pain to fix.

[curios]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Could be an issue with the power steering belt and perhaps, the rack may need to be examined. Worst case, the power steering module may be about to fail. Has the steering warning light ever lit up on the instrument console? It could also be good to check with an OBD scanner if any error code is found on the ECU. In addition, it could also be a weak battery. Check if you can find a good FNG who can troubleshoot as this could be expensive if misdiagnosed.


Seems like a clutch issue.

Thanks so much for the advice and words of caution. Never went elsewhere for service, so the search for a good FNG will begin now

Btw, an indicator light malfunction that was apparently thoroughly checked and corrected just couple of weeks ago, returned while driving this morning. The rapidly blinking light issue was back (signs of an electrical wiring issue somewhere), making me wonder if these ASS chaps ever do a serious check on anything at all. My patience, as expected, is running out and I'm just not at peace with this vehicle. Sigh.

As for the battery, had my alternator repaired by Lucas service (the OEM for Spark) and the Amaron battery has lasted for a good 3.5 years or so now.

[curios]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Could be an issue with the power steering belt and perhaps, the rack may need to be examined. Worst case, the power steering module may be about to fail. Has the steering warning light ever lit up on the instrument console? It could also be good to check with an OBD scanner if any error code is found on the ECU. In addition, it could also be a weak battery. Check if you can find a good FNG who can troubleshoot as this could be expensive if misdiagnosed.



Seems like a clutch issue.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

Don't have the exact date but the battery might have stretched beyond 3.5 years already. Never been to a neighbourhood garage so looking for some pointers by BHP-ians in Delhi NCR. Is it a good idea to try the Bosch service centre. They've set up here recently.

The car tends to groan a lot more now. Late Tuesday evening when i was driving with family back home, it was sluggish and even started decelerating suddenly in between despite pushing the pedal. It was a dark unlit road and I was scared. But a few gear shifts later, it was responding slightly better.

And here's the most depressing news of today. Mileage (based on the full tank method after driving over 100km in city traffic both with A/c on and off) has come to 8.6 km/litre Had noticed a unusual drop in the gauge past week so decided to check.

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by curios

Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

Don't have the exact date but the battery might have stretched beyond 3.5 years already. Never been to a neighbourhood garage so looking for some pointers by BHP-ians in Delhi NCR. Is it a good idea to try the Bosch service centre. They've set up here recently.

The car tends to groan a lot more now. Late Tuesday evening when i was driving with family back home, it was sluggish and even started decelerating suddenly in between despite pushing the pedal. It was a dark unlit road and I was scared. But a few gear shifts later, it was responding slightly better.

And here's the most depressing news of today. Mileage (based on the full tank method after driving over 100km in city traffic both with A/c on and off) has come to 8.6 km/litre Had noticed a unusual drop in the gauge past week so decided to check.

Hi I also have a spark from 2010 so I think I could help a bit.

There definitely seems to be an issue with the clutch, I would get it checked out at the chevy dealership. I had a similar issue with gears hard to slot in and jerky shifts, even though its just been 26k on the Odo. Chevy guys quoted at least 2-3 days and 15k including labor for the work. Got it done at a garage in CP for 8k with the original clutch replacement and got it back the same day.

And I used to have a strange screeching noise at startup since at least the last 4-5 years and nota single chevy dealer could fix it. Finally last week when i took my car to get the clutch calibrated, the FNG diagnosed a broken bracket that tightens the Alternator belt. 600 bucks and 2 hrs later, its silent now.
I would advise you to get all the belts and their brackets inspected.

[curios]

Originally Posted by agambhandari

Hi I also have a spark from 2010 so I think I could help a bit.

There definitely seems to be an issue with the clutch, I would get it checked out at the chevy dealership. I had a similar issue with gears hard to slot in and jerky shifts, even though its just been 26k on the Odo. Chevy guys quoted at least 2-3 days and 15k including labor for the work. Got it done at a garage in CP for 8k with the original clutch replacement and got it back the same day.

And I used to have a strange screeching noise at startup since at least the last 4-5 years and nota single chevy dealer could fix it. Finally last week when i took my car to get the clutch calibrated, the FNG diagnosed a broken bracket that tightens the Alternator belt. 600 bucks and 2 hrs later, its silent now.
I would advise you to get all the belts and their brackets inspected.

This really is timely advice agambhandari!

I did yesterday, and was told by the ASS supervisor after he had driven a bit with me that the clutch assembly needs replacing. And maybe the flywheel too, if needed. The price quoted - Rs 9K for clutch components, and if replaced, Rs 9K for the flywheel, so I'm staring at bill of Rs.18-20K at the very least.

Want to check a FNG but know no one who comes strongly recommended. Will try the new Bosch service guys in Ghaziabad, perhaps?

Thing is, I have a nagging suspicion about these ASS guys in Ghaziabad based on past experience. For the second time since a year ago, I've had major replacement situations just a week or two AFTER my regular paid service. Last time the alternator conked off a few days after service and I was quoted Rs.14,500 for a new one! Thankfully located a Lucas ASS nearby and got it repaired for Rs.2,600 with bill. This time, too, the bad clutch situation has cropped up only after the scheduled maintenance service.

Really want someone who also has my interest at heart, to diagnose the problem properly. Any leads please? Which was this CP garage?

And btw, how does a professional clutch calibration happen? Do they have special equipment for this or is it a manual thing?

[curios]

This is really important for me -- am I right in suspecting something fishy regarding the cropping up of major part issues after the service is done? With corporate greed taking over every aspect of our lives, hospitals and ASS's are perhaps prime examples of this.

My vehicle's service history is fraught with such instances (have spent nearly a lakh in past 4 years, after the 3 years of free service), hence raising this point. Would changing the ASS help? Even getting the company involved is proving to be of little help as they would effectively side with their service franchisee for profits.

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by curios

This is really important for me -- am I right in suspecting something fishy regarding the cropping up of major part issues after the service is done? With corporate greed taking over every aspect of our lives, hospitals and ASS's are perhaps prime examples of this.

My vehicle's service history is fraught with such instances (have spent nearly a lakh in past 4 years, after the 3 years of free service), hence raising this point. Would changing the ASS help? Even getting the company involved is proving to be of little help as they would effectively side with their service franchisee for profits.

Yes I believe you are right in thinking this. Its difficult to call it a co incidence when it happens 3 times! . I've had this kind of a thing with a Honda city i had, where the dealers screwed it up at every service. My solution, delay the service as much as you can . Lol . In my case it was possible as my running was low, this is obviously not a possibility for others and is not the real solution.

In case you do not feel comfortable in going to other garages, i would recommend that you stay and supervise your car being serviced whenever you give it to these guys. They may have written its not allowed, but its definitely doable.

I got my car fixed at Krishna motor garage in CP, I would highly recommend them.

[curios]

Originally Posted by agambhandari

Yes I believe you are right in thinking this. Its difficult to call it a co incidence when it happens 3 times! . I've had this kind of a thing with a Honda city i had, where the dealers screwed it up at every service. My solution, delay the service as much as you can . Lol . In my case it was possible as my running was low, this is obviously not a possibility for others and is not the real solution.

In case you do not feel comfortable in going to other garages, i would recommend that you stay and supervise your car being serviced whenever you give it to these guys. They may have written its not allowed, but its definitely doable.

I got my car fixed at Krishna motor garage in CP, I would highly recommend them.

Guess what, I too have been putting off visits past couple of years. This time it was after 11 months! But they sure know how to extract their pound of flesh. I do want to try the Bosch centre once for their opinion. But most likely I will get the parts replaced by these ASS guys only. The other thing is Chevrolet spares aren't easily available unlike, say, a Maruti. And like one experienced neighbourhood mechanic once told me, he's not sure about this one so I'm better off at the ASS only.

Will, of course, go by your advice and stay and watch, no matter what.

Thanks for all the tips.

[GKR9900]

OK! So today I took my Vento for wheel alignment and balancing. Did it at a local shop, around 4 kms from my home. After the procedure, I didn't notice any issue except a slight thud from front left side when going over a speed breaker. Didn't think it was important.

So I took my car out at night to drop wifey at her home (a journey of 180 kms). Just when we were into 40 kms into our journey, a strange noise had crept up while braking. Whenever I pressed the B pedal, there's some shuddering noise from the left front wheel. Stopped the car, inspected the wheel. Couldn't find anything wrong. Also, when the wheel starts rotating there's some metallic sound that picks up pace at the same rate as the wheel spin, much like how one gets when you have a nail puncturing the tyre. But I couldn't find anything of that sort. I didn't notice this sound when we started the journey. There was a situation of panic braking(but yet not THAT panicky) before I noticed this sound. But I'm not sure if the sound was there before. I noticed it just then.

So what could be the cause of this sound guys?
Could it be anything related to the wheel balancing/alignment procedure? Could it be related to the panic braking situation? I haven't got a clue. Anyway, I've completed the journey and is hoping to show the car to a mechanic first thing in the morning. But I can't seem to catch some sleep without thinking about the nature of the problem :(

[rupdeb]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

Just when we were into 40 kms into our journey, a strange noise had crept up while braking. Whenever I pressed the B pedal, there's some shuddering noise from the left front wheel. Stopped the car, inspected the wheel. Couldn't find anything wrong. Also, when the wheel starts rotating there's some metallic sound that picks up pace at the same rate as the wheel spin, much like how one gets when you have a nail puncturing the tyre. But I couldn't find anything of that sort. I didn't notice this sound when we started the journey. There was a situation of panic braking(but yet not THAT panicky) before I noticed this sound. But I'm not sure if the sound was there before. I noticed it just then.
(

It could be that the front brake pads have worn out and needs to be replaced. There are break wear indicators which maybe causing the sound.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brake_wear_indicator

Once a similar kind of situation had arisen in my car when suddenly there was some metal clinging noise coming from the front wheels. On braking the sound was much more and speeding up was also increasing it. The next day took the car to the A.S.S; they removed the wheel and opened the brake assembly and told that the pads had worn out and damaged the brake disc as well. So we had to replace both. Please get it checked soon and let us know the cause and remedy.

Regards,
Debrup.

[GKR9900]

Originally Posted by rupdeb

It could be that the front brake pads have worn out and needs to be replaced. There are break wear indicators which maybe causing the sound.

Thank you so much. This was indeed found to be the case here. VW service centre informed me that the brake pads as well as discs need to be replaced. The same have been done and she's up and running. Costed me 7900/- including labour charges.