[gigy]

hi,
condor, if i open my boot only with keys the boot light comes on. cabin light is off. mine is a 2k model. so it could be this new logic applies to newer car makes.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by filcord

Yes all the lights in the interior are on one circuit, open the boot, and cabin lights come on, and vice versa.

@filcord, what position do you keep your cabin light switch in ?

Originally Posted by Digital Vampire

If you are really concerned on saving battery while cleaning the car, the easiest solution is to shut off the lights thru their individual switches. The cabin light as well as the boot light has seperate kill swiches in the case of Indigo. I guess such provision exists for other cars as well.

Well, the cabin light can be killed with a switch. But no switch for the boot light in the Baleno. So, this option wont work for me.

Originally Posted by condor

I'd say this is wierd. Logically, it should be independent of the cabin lights. But the security system - would like to have it for all doors.

I agree that it is wierd. And I have this feeling that it is not designed this way - the guys at MASS screwed the wiring is what I feel. It might be that way for a car with security system, but since I do not have one, that is ruled out.

Reason #1 :
The car's manual mentions "Do not leave the boot (trunk) lid open for a long time, or the battery will discharge." If the boot light is connected to the doors, they would have mentioned, "Do not leave the boot lid or doors open......".

Reason #2 :
The manual says "When you open the trunk lid, the trunk light comes on and remains on as long as you keep the lid open." If the doors played a role, then it should have been ""When you open the trunk lid or any door .....".

Reason #3 :
While mentioning the operation of the cabin light switch in the manual, they do not mention anything about the boot light or boot lid position. This indicates that the cabin light is not in anyway connected to the boot light.

One possible exception (I'm guessing here) might be when the cabin light is in centre position (lights on when doors open). When in this switch position, I guess they might have wired it such a way that :
1. When any door is opened, both cabin and boot light comes on.
2. Also, when the boot lid is opened, both cabin and boot light comes on.
This might explain the case with Revvhead's car where boot light comes on when he opens the door - he has the switch at centre position. But then,
gigy says

i checked up my baleno. boot light comes on only when i open the boot . cabin light only when any of the door is opened. i also checked these with cabin light switch in all position and it is same.

[condor]

Originally Posted by gigy

.. so it could be this new logic applies to newer car makes.

What SupremeBaleno says is also indicative of independent being normal, and that's what I'd bet on. And Gigy has confirmed this for his car.

Ram has one of the latest Baleno's in Team-BHP. Lets check with him and any others who have the newer Baleno.

[filcord]

@Supremebaleno, light switch is on center position - cabin light comes on if doors open.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by filcord

@Supremebaleno, light switch is on center position - cabin light comes on if doors open.

Thanks, mate. If it would not be too much trouble, could you please put it in always off position and then check whether boot light comes on when boot is closed BUT any door is open.

Meanwhile, the email communication with MUL is going on. Instead of just answering a simple query, they are blabbering about taking it up with the MASS, their regional office calling me etc.

-------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: <contact@maruti.co.in>
Sent: Thursday, July 27, 2006 5:22 PM
Subject: Re: HT20060724_0000000298 Maruti_Support Service/Problem in Vehicle/Maruti Baleno

Dear Mr. Rajan,

We regret to know about the problems in your vehicle and are immediately
advising our Service Division to register your complaint. We are
requesting our Regional Service Representative, based at our Regional
Office (Phone:044-28233050-53, FAX:044-8242059) to contact you and arrange
to attend to your vehicle and provide the requested information to you.

Regards
Maruti Customer Care

=======================
> -----Original Message-----
> Sent: Jul 26, 2006 1:06:38 PM IST
> To: <contact@maruti.co.in>
>
Sir / Madam,

I regularly service the car at ABT, Arumbakkam, Chennai.

More than your intervention with the service centre, what I would like is an answer to my following question :
When should the boot/trunk light come on ?
1. When the boot lid is opened (as mentioned in the manual)
OR
2. When the boot lid or any door is opened ?

Thanks,
Biju Rajan.


=======================

Dear Sir,

We request you to kindly send us the Name and Address of the MASS or dealer from where
you got the car serviced. This will help us to resolve your complaint at the earliest.

Regards,
Maruti Customer Care


=======================
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Jul 24, 2006 7:48:47 PM IST
To: <contact@maruti.co.in

I have a query with respect to my Baleno.
As far as I know and as is mentioned in the car's manual, the boot/trunk light should come up
only when the boot/trunk is opened. This was the case when I bought the car. After the 1st service,
when I got the car and did not use it for 2-3 days, I saw that the battery had gone dead. On
investigation it was found that the boot light was always on (even when boot was closed).

On mentioning it to the service centre, they said they have rectified it. But after the rectification,
the light comes on even on opening any of the 4 doors also (with boot closed). I have tried
telling them that the boot light should not come on when a door is opened and asked to rectify
it. But they insist that the boot light will come on even for doors opening (with boot closed).
I do not understand why the boot light should come on when a door is opened.

Also, this means that when I am cleaning the car and the door is open, the light will be on and it will
drain the battery. Could you please clarify this so that I can get this solved by the MASS ?

[supremeBaleno]

Had gone to the MASS to check out the same on a new Baleno. Since I reached a little late in the evening, they were unable to get the keys of a Baleno (PDI / sales guys leave early on Sundays, it seems). Anyway, I asked them to show the system as it is on an Esteem (I would assume it to be similar).

On the Esteem, the boot light came on when any door was opened (with the boot closed). And this happened both when the cabin light was in "always off" mode or "light on when door opens" mode. So looks like, however illogical it might seem, they have the wiring done that way.

The exception to this is @gigy's Baleno, in which the boot light comes on only when the boot is opened. But his is a 2000 model and might have been wired differently. Can't figure why they would change this wiring in later versions of the Baleno.

Anyway, I have started using the cabin light in the mid position and thus can detect if any doors were not locked properly. This should help me avoid issues with the battery running out of charge due to any bulb not being off.

Thanks, guys for all your responses and for taking the trouble to help me out on this.

[gigy]

supremebaleno,
when you open the boot do you see the switch installed inside on right side? does it have two wires connected to it? what happens when you depress it with hand?

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by gigy

supremebaleno, when you open the boot do you see the switch installed inside on right side? does it have two wires connected to it? what happens when you depress it with hand?

Yes, the switch is there on the right side. And when I press it, the light goes off - which means that when the boot is closed, the switch will get depressed and the light will go off. The problem is, even when the switch is depressed (ie. boot closed), the light comes on when I open any door.

Now to add to the twist, I got a call from MUL's service manager (Chennai) who says that he checked 2 Balenos and the results are as below :
Lxi - boot light comes only when boot opened - nothing to do with doors.
Vxi - boot light comes on when either boot or door opened.

He says that this has something to do with the remote locking available in Vxi. The Lxi (mine) with just manual central locking should have the boot light on only when boot is opened.
He has asked the MASS guys to fix my problem who promptly called me up and the service guy also seems to agree with the MUL guy's theory. Plan to fix it this week.

Then, how did the Esteem that I checked work that way ? I am guessing that it must have been a Vxi which would be having the remote locking and thus wired that way.

[kiranpashtakar]

Thanks guys this solved the mystery, I feel like Jupiter Jones (Three Investigators),
I encountered this battery draining problem couple of times Once it struggled to start,
The next time it was fully dead. This was very suprizing to me the service guys just told me that its probably because of my usage, I have not used my baleno much over the last year when I bought it, I have just done 2000KMS on it. I now checked the boot lights it remains on if the door is not shut properly I have a Lxi with Auto cop installed so I guess it must be something to do with this. Any ways I know realised that when the door was not shut properly the battery used drain and hence the problem.

One question to the forum at this point, If we jump start on a dead battery, and drive it around for say 100KMS will the battery get fully charged, I know it sounds daft but I think it will never attain a full charge

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by kiranpashtakar

I have a Lxi with Auto cop installed so I guess it must be something to do with this.

Must be due to the Autocop. Because as per the service guy, Lxi boot light is independent of the doors.

Originally Posted by kiranpashtakar

One question to the forum at this point, If we jump start on a dead battery, and drive it around for say 100KMS will the battery get fully charged, I know it sounds daft but I think it will never attain a full charge

IMO, unless the battery cells are really low on acid, the battery should get back to normal charge after some usage.

[gigy]

hi krian
please use the car to keep it in good shape. you have not driven it enough for the batteries to regain the charge it has lost in keeping the autocop working all the year round. with autocop armed there is little chance you left the boot or door open: unless if the boot and bonet is not wired to autocop.

[kiranpashtakar]

Thanks G
I am planning for couple of long trips and then use it regularly. hope this will do justice to my poor car...

[filcord]

Originally Posted by kiranpashtakar

If we jump start on a dead battery, and drive it around for say 100KMS will the battery get fully charged, I know it sounds daft but I think it will never attain a full charge

I did just that, battery was dead, jump-started, drove with the a/c on (on the advice of the MASS guys as they said it would charge the battery faster) for about 40-odd kms. halted overnight, then drove back 40 km. When I tested the battery at Exide, it showed almost full charge.

[gigy]

To charge battery fastest insitu, drive car a gear lower so that the engine rpm higher than normal. this way alternator will have sufficient capacity to charge battery. Dont know about running with 'ac on' funda, still you will need to keep rpm higher since the ac blower and fan both consume a large amount of current.

[Jaggu]

modern day cars dont require very high rpm for charging, a lil above idle will give max current and voltage, and yes there will be a small drop in current if ac and blower are on and also they drain from the batt.. so best to keep them off and run to charge