[ACS]

Originally Posted by GTO

Parag's neat looking WagonR with nearly 200,000 kms on the clock

I personally know Parag and his ride. They way he maintains his car is incredible and most of them are DIYs. Even I drove his car and I must say that the response is superb and engine is still young. It doesn't look like it has got lakhs in the ODO. Way more to go!!!

[Diesel lover]

Well guys, you seemed to miss this 30 year old beauty in top notch condition!

Car: Isuzu Gemini
DOB: April 1983
Place of Birth: Japan
Hit Indian Shores: July 1983
Engine: 1817 cc Naturally Aspirated Diesel Engine (not opened till date)
Kms covered: 2,35,487 Kms
Drinking Habits: 16 Kmpl (City) 18 Kmpl (Highway)

I have the car pictures loaded up at various other threads so I am adding the link to those threads here. This would obviously save time and server space

Below are the links:

The Garage
The car just like Chandigarh: One of it's kind

[GTO]

Originally Posted by akshay4587

Helped me fetch almost 1L More than Actual resale value of my 7 year old car

You can say that again. At a time when Vtecs were going for 2.5 - 2.7 lakhs, my 7 year old example fetched 3.5 lakhs!

Good maintenance results in a pleasurable driving, owning & selling experience

Originally Posted by rahulk2510

With recent purchase of my beloved Polo the only trouble is guessing the engine temperature since there is none in it. Can 4-5 minutes be assumed as sufficient time for engine to warm up to optimum temperatures?

4 - 5 minutes is overkill. 30 - 60 seconds is more than enough. Be sure to maintain low rpms for the first 7 - 10 minutes of driving.

Originally Posted by R2D2

In order to save water I wash the car only once in 15 days, relying on advantage of having light coloured car that will not highlight dust.

Lucky you. The driving & parking conditions here are very different. My cars which are driven every day need to be washed every day. They just end up too dirty by the evening.

Fluids and parts are changed regardless of mileage. No compromises on maintenance especially related to parts that are important to safety.

Originally Posted by Diesel lover

You seemed to miss this 30 year old beauty in top notch condition!

Man, that is one heck of a well-maintained car. Congratulations.

By the way, here is my 16 year old 200,000 km Jeep:

[Catalyst_delhi]

I own an ikon that is 13 years old.
I make it a point to check all the fluids / boots/ tyres every week.
I check all the belts and hoses every month and before every journey more than 300 kms.
I wash the car every 6 months and a spray wax clean every fortnight. Happy to say on a car with 1.5 lacs km it is still reliable.

Further to this i ensure that I get the best quality or name brand(like gates for belts and hoses only). I don't think i will ever sell this car and intend to keep it till I can.

Going slow on bumps is an art practices by very few. Loved this article!

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by GTO

You can say that again. At a time when Vtecs were going for 2.5 - 2.7 lakhs, my 7 year old example fetched 3.5 lakhs!
By the way, here is my 16 year old 200,000 km Jeep

Congrats GTO, That Jeep looks superb. I know maintaining a car in Mumbai is tough.

Let me give you an example where maintenance paid off for me- my Yamaha RX100 was purchased in Aug 1986 for Rs 15,200 with accessories (yes, that's what an Indo-Jap bike cost back then) and sold in April 1998, 12 years & 60K kms later for Rs 26,000. Unbelievable but true. It's the 1st and probably the last time I'll ever make money on a vehicle.

[vb-saan]

Excellent thread… Thank you!

When I put my 2003 Dec. Ikon 1.6 for sale last year, many mentioned that my asking price (around 2 lakhs) is too high for an old Ford, that too petrol. But there were some who saw the car and appreciate the way it was maintained (plus the beautiful 1.6 engine), and finally sold it for 1.75 lakhs.

Another interesting bit is, this car was quite well known at the Ford ASC. Throughout its life with us, the car was always taken to them, even if it was for a small paint touch-up job. They used to say that not many customers are so prompt with the service intervals and care for a car which was more than 8 years old.

[Santoshbhat]

Amazing article GTO . I am one of those who practices almost every tip that you've mentioned here.

Sunday mornings are invariably spent in washing one of the cars in the garage. Apart from the the satisfaction of saving few bucks, its good exercise too! Most of my neighbours are aware of my obsession with cars and the way I maintain them. One of them has already 'booked' my i10. "Sir just tell me when you decide to sell it. I will buy it at whatever price you decide"

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Most of my neighbours are aware of my obsession with cars and the way I maintain them

Ditto here

You may be aware that in the Mumbai-Pune region (elsewhere too) Parsis are a community that have a reputation for maintaining their cars/vehicles very well.

As for my neighbours, a Parsi gentleman in my housing complex tells me I have very Bawaji (Parsi like) habits and even enquired if one of my ancestors was a Parsi. LOL! He was so convinced that he once asked my Dad (who did look like a Parsi) and even Dad was most amused. Many of my dearest long time friends are Parsis and I helped them maintain their cars and bikes.

And yes, many of my friends wait for me to sell my car. They see a good deal in getting an immaculately maintained machine.

PS - you may have seen the VW Polo advert with a Parsi gentleman. He's seen gently wiping the hood of a '80s VW hatchback, another Polo I think Well, that's something like me.

PPS - I can attest to the fact that washing a car is good exercise.

[Sommos]

Thanks GTO for the wonderful information.
I personally do practice most of the tips mentioned by you.
Will certainly try to adhere to the rest also in the future.

Yes, as Santosh mentioned washing your car on Sundays is a very good exercise in itself.

[nandans2005]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Sunday mornings are invariably spent in washing one of the cars in the garage. Apart from the the satisfaction of saving few bucks, its good exercise too!

Not being a spoiltsport here. Would i request you to restrain from washing your cars every sunday. Karnataka is reeling under severe water scarcity. Please use some discretion before you decide to wash car(s) every sunday. It is literally an SOS situation in Karnataka for water. So please contribute to saving water.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by nandans2005

Not being a spoiltsport here. Would i request you to restrain from washing your cars every sunday. Karnataka is reeling under severe water scarcity. Please use some discretion before you decide to wash car(s) every sunday. It is literally an SOS situation in Karnataka for water. So please contribute to saving water.

A couple of buckets of water a week to wash my beloved car should not qualify as wastage of water I don't think. Each of my cars get just two washes a month, given that I wash my cars alternatively. FYI I do harvest rain water and do believe in energy and water conservation. Thanks for the advice but sorry I do not think I am wasting water by washing one of my cars every weekend. Its basic hygiene for me and my cars which I cannot sacrifice.

[bj96]

Originally Posted by GTO

At the time of repainting, it's advisable to choose the same colour. Changing the exterior shade requires a complete strip down...

+1 .
I think it is a legal requirement too because the color of car is also endorsed in the RC booklet at the time of registration. Changing it later (amounts to the modification of the car?) have to inform the RTO and update RC book.

-BJ

[rsarunkumar]

Thank GTO, for a very practical and timely article. Learnt a few ideas and tricks. Never used to do the tipping part! I've already started putting them to use.

[amit_purohit20]

As correctly said "Maintaining a log of your fuel efficiency gives a clear picture of the health of your engine."
Normally the fuel efficiency graph of your car grows upto 5k-10k kms and then over due time starts falling down slowly. But if you are not maintaining your car properly the fall in the graph is rather prematurely.
I would give you a example from my own experience but on bikes which I own.
I earlier owned a TVS Victor and the fall in its fuel efficiency graph took a lot kms before it started happening (Around 40 k kms.)

Another bike which I acquired in 2010 the TVS APACHE RTR 180 had a rather sharp fall in the fuel efficiency prematurely. The bike used to give me 43kms/litre earlier in city and even gave me 40.5 kms during my Ladakh trip but after that I saw a sudden fall and now the best it gives is 36-37 kms/litre.

The culprit- Driving short distances, my office is hardly 1.8 kms from my house and in that short distance many times I rip the bike hard (actually it tempts me to do so ). The engine does not even warm up and then I rip it hard sometimes causing this drop in fuel efficiency. My bike has hardly done 12 k kms. Better to walk for short distances as suggested by GTO good for both your vehicle and your body.

[hrman]

Another great article GTO. I am liking the gradual movement of TBHP towards general knowledge on car maintenance and usage. I'm sure many of us come here mainly for the fabulous new car reviews and get advice, but these articles really make it worth the stay on TBHP.
I don't know if you have realised, but practicing these tips, I'm sure BHPians have saved thousands over the years. I personally have been able to sell my cars for good rates by following the "How to sell a used car" tips to the T. Kudos to you and the team and keep them coming.