car buying experience - Esteem

pk3977 · 11th April 2006, 12:33

Hi folks,

I had been reading team-bhp for sometime as a guest.
I must say you folks are amazing.

Sometime back I had this itch to splurge on a new car. so with my hard earned $s, unsolicited advices from all n sundry and good info from team-bhp, I started the decision making process.

I tracked many threads here , the 5.5L car, ikon vs esteem etc etc.
I was in the market for something bigger car than my old 800 and zen.
once I had almost signed on the dotted lines for ikon flair last month. but then changed my mind coz of the A.S.S. after my die hard patriotic family convinced me abt the maruti service in every nook n corner of the country.

finally last week I went and purchased the esteem lxi at sagar motors in bangalore. The sales guy was kind of ok. delivered the car on the promised day and with all the usual small stuff thrown in - mats etc..
Also got 8K corporate disc after some extra paperwork. I still need to do the after market fittings - audio,sun control etc. wasnt convinced abt the things at sagar motors on this. I am trying to get more info in other forums on tbhp.

Drove the car out of the showroom friday everning. Everything seemed smooth for sometime. Next day noticed the problems
- the car stalled every time I slowed for a speed bump and in bangalore traffic I had a horrible time.
- lots of jerks when in 2nd gear. somehow managed to show off the car to frnds using some soft pedalling on the clutch.
- the last major problem is the gear shift. It moves almost an inch everytime I accelerate. I can feel the acceleration through the gear shift. The feeling is as if the engine is running away with the rest of the car in the same spot. my weekend was spent worrying if the assembly will crash while driving! all the more heightened when one of my frnd said it might be due to faulty mounting of the gear assembly.

next day I drop the car back to service, shout at the guys asking them how the PDI was done. After a couple of quick checks, they agree the car has problems, promise to rectify the things by evening. Later they call me up to inform that the reason for stalling and jerks in low speed was a faulty vacuum hose pipe and now the car is good to go.
Abt the gear shift, they said all esteems have the same problem and its just a free play for the stick shift.
I wasnt convinced and test drove their demo car, as well another zen. those two cars did not have the problem. After lot of arguing and repeat test drives, the service guy said, the feel varies in other cars and they will check it up in first service.
Now I have the car with me. Everything is smooth apart from the gear shift problem.
I am just not comfortable with the amount of shift whenever I accelerate.
so guys

tell me if this is normal for esteems and I can safely drive around. If not, what next for the car ?

thanks
pk

bruce · 11th April 2006, 12:54

Hi pk,
I own a 98 Esteem carb,I have not seen this gear shift problem, the problem is present but not as much as you mention...
I would advise you to approach the Maruti Customer Support in Bangalore...
I also had 2004 WagonR, which had Left Front power window issue, Mondovi said it's problem with the motor and they replaced it. But the window still wore a major scratch, i complained to the Customer Support , they came back chasing me to replace the whole system & window again....
Now i have sold my WagonR....
Sagar i have heard is a little laidback....
Hope to get it fixed soon...

Godfather · 11th April 2006, 13:00

hmmmm. my esteem does not have the gear shift problem.. its smooth... get it checked thoroughly..All this coming from a new car is really pathetic..

PRADEEP KUMAR · 11th April 2006, 13:12

Hi,
I own an Esteem Vxi for the past 2.5 yrs,not had a single issue on any front(except some poor braking!),pls pull up your dealer and escalate it to the local Maruti(company) guys!
Good luck!

Fiero · 11th April 2006, 15:01

ive noticed alotta problems happening with 'new esteems' lately ... remeber a few more guy having various issues on this forum ... A** might be damn good ... whats happening to MUL quality ???

hot_rod · 13th April 2006, 02:36

hey man maruti has lost interest in other cars nowadays it concentrated on swift more anyway maruti quality was always poor!i shouldnt be sayin this as i own 2 marutis myself!hehe

pramodkumar · 13th April 2006, 20:18

Hi

I have a 98 model esteem LX carb, i also face the same problem but this all started after i got it serviced. The gear shift problem is more noticeble when the AC is on. I took it to the same place where i got it serviced and they said they had reduced the RPM for better millage. Now that i have increased the RPM its working fine. But the feeling that the engine might run away from the hood is very much noticable in my car it also gives a small noise and a jerk when i release the clutch and accelerate. But the car is good as it is giving me a millage of 16KMPL with all these issues.

turbo_c · 15th April 2006, 17:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by pk3977

- the last major problem is the gear shift. It moves almost an inch everytime I accelerate. I can feel the acceleration through the gear shift. The feeling is as if the engine is running away with the rest of the car in the same spot.

We have 2 Esteems in the family, a '96 carb version and a 2001 MPFI, both have done roughly 80KKm, but, neither has the behavior you described!

The '96 was not cared for well and is begining to show her age. I guess the gears in the GBox have worn quite a bit and have developed excess play. When the clutch is released there is a slight lag and a faint "clunk" till power gets to the wheels, but no other problems.

The 2001 has no problems so far except for a faint squeaking noise on cold mornings till the engine heats up. I was told by the MASS guys that it was because "the GBox oil sometimes does not get onto the free wheeling 5th gear till the engine has warmed up".

Slightly off topic, but I thought I should mention that I feel that the Esteems have some of the smoothest GBoxes on the Indian roads. The gearbox in the '96 carb Esteem is super slick and has a nice short throw, the 2001's GBox is smooth but the throw is noticeably longer. I am aware that Maruti changed the final drive in the MPFI version but I'm not sure if they also changed the GBox design or whether it is just another case of "imported part" vs "indian built". Dont get me wrong guys, I'm as patriotic as they come, but I find that a "chalta hai" attitude creeps into Q.A. & Q.C. when the parts are manufactured in India.

- T u r b o C -

11th April 2006, 12:33	#1
pk3977 Newbie Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: bangalore Posts: 9 Thanked: 18 Times	car buying experience - Esteem Hi folks, I had been reading team-bhp for sometime as a guest. I must say you folks are amazing. Sometime back I had this itch to splurge on a new car. so with my hard earned $s, unsolicited advices from all n sundry and good info from team-bhp, I started the decision making process. I tracked many threads here , the 5.5L car, ikon vs esteem etc etc. I was in the market for something bigger car than my old 800 and zen. once I had almost signed on the dotted lines for ikon flair last month. but then changed my mind coz of the A.S.S. after my die hard patriotic family convinced me abt the maruti service in every nook n corner of the country. finally last week I went and purchased the esteem lxi at sagar motors in bangalore. The sales guy was kind of ok. delivered the car on the promised day and with all the usual small stuff thrown in - mats etc.. Also got 8K corporate disc after some extra paperwork. I still need to do the after market fittings - audio,sun control etc. wasnt convinced abt the things at sagar motors on this. I am trying to get more info in other forums on tbhp. Drove the car out of the showroom friday everning. Everything seemed smooth for sometime. Next day noticed the problems - the car stalled every time I slowed for a speed bump and in bangalore traffic I had a horrible time. - lots of jerks when in 2nd gear. somehow managed to show off the car to frnds using some soft pedalling on the clutch. - the last major problem is the gear shift. It moves almost an inch everytime I accelerate. I can feel the acceleration through the gear shift. The feeling is as if the engine is running away with the rest of the car in the same spot. my weekend was spent worrying if the assembly will crash while driving! all the more heightened when one of my frnd said it might be due to faulty mounting of the gear assembly. next day I drop the car back to service, shout at the guys asking them how the PDI was done. After a couple of quick checks, they agree the car has problems, promise to rectify the things by evening. Later they call me up to inform that the reason for stalling and jerks in low speed was a faulty vacuum hose pipe and now the car is good to go. Abt the gear shift, they said all esteems have the same problem and its just a free play for the stick shift. I wasnt convinced and test drove their demo car, as well another zen. those two cars did not have the problem. After lot of arguing and repeat test drives, the service guy said, the feel varies in other cars and they will check it up in first service. Now I have the car with me. Everything is smooth apart from the gear shift problem. I am just not comfortable with the amount of shift whenever I accelerate. so guys tell me if this is normal for esteems and I can safely drive around. If not, what next for the car ? thanks pk
	() Thanks

11th April 2006, 12:54	#2
bruce BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 140 Thanked: 5 Times View My Garage	Hi pk, I own a 98 Esteem carb,I have not seen this gear shift problem, the problem is present but not as much as you mention... I would advise you to approach the Maruti Customer Support in Bangalore... I also had 2004 WagonR, which had Left Front power window issue, Mondovi said it's problem with the motor and they replaced it. But the window still wore a major scratch, i complained to the Customer Support , they came back chasing me to replace the whole system & window again.... Now i have sold my WagonR.... Sagar i have heard is a little laidback.... Hope to get it fixed soon... Last edited by bruce : 11th April 2006 at 13:04. Reason: Grammatic
	() Thanks

11th April 2006, 13:00	#3
Godfather Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bangalore / Atlanta Posts: 1,387 Thanked: 70 Times View My Garage	hmmmm. my esteem does not have the gear shift problem.. its smooth... get it checked thoroughly..All this coming from a new car is really pathetic..
	() Thanks

11th April 2006, 13:12	#4
PRADEEP KUMAR BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: CHENNAI Posts: 386 Thanked: 28 Times	Hi, I own an Esteem Vxi for the past 2.5 yrs,not had a single issue on any front(except some poor braking!),pls pull up your dealer and escalate it to the local Maruti(company) guys! Good luck!
	() Thanks

11th April 2006, 15:01	#5
Fiero BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 352 Thanked: 146 Times	ive noticed alotta problems happening with 'new esteems' lately ... remeber a few more guy having various issues on this forum ... A** might be damn good ... whats happening to MUL quality ??? Last edited by Fiero : 11th April 2006 at 15:02.
	() Thanks

13th April 2006, 02:36	#6
hot_rod BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: mumbai Posts: 166 Thanked: 2 Times View My Garage	hey man maruti has lost interest in other cars nowadays it concentrated on swift more anyway maruti quality was always poor!i shouldnt be sayin this as i own 2 marutis myself!hehe
	() Thanks

13th April 2006, 20:18	#7
pramodkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Gods own country Posts: 2,302 Thanked: 2,208 Times View My Garage	Hi I have a 98 model esteem LX carb, i also face the same problem but this all started after i got it serviced. The gear shift problem is more noticeble when the AC is on. I took it to the same place where i got it serviced and they said they had reduced the RPM for better millage. Now that i have increased the RPM its working fine. But the feeling that the engine might run away from the hood is very much noticable in my car it also gives a small noise and a jerk when i release the clutch and accelerate. But the car is good as it is giving me a millage of 16KMPL with all these issues.
	() Thanks