[Chhanda Das]

Do you know how cheap maintaining a Creta can be ?

Let me share my example so that you can decide for yourself how cheap it is to maintain a Creta. I own a first-generation 2017 Creta petrol 1.6 model having a naturally aspirated 16 valve variable timing valve train (VTVT) 4 cylinder direct overhead camshaft (DOHC) engine with a torque converter 6-speed automatic transmission. It has covered almost 40k kilometres till date. Touchwood, my car has not faced any issue till date except for one which was resolved during the first service itself (details below). This car needs regular maintenance at every 10k kilometres or 1 year, whichever is earlier. I always choose regular mineral engine oil or semi-synthetic engine oil if the earlier one is not available. And these have served me well in all of my cars for the last half a century on almost all sorts of terrains.

My car named Blaze (after a horse from one of the Sherlock stories) was serviced just the first 3 times at Hyundai ASCs.

My dear Blaze

The first service was done at 1200 kms for INR 0 in 2018. This is basically a checkup and nothing is replaced in this service unless there are issues. Just top-ups are done if necessary and this is true for all Hyundai cars in India. The headlights' beam, throws and direction were pathetic initially to say the least but the service centre personnel adjusted them very nicely to my son's liking. Since then he has driven my car in dense fog in the middle of the night on the treacherous roads of Meghalaya simply with the stock headlamps without using foglamps.

The 10000 kilometres service cost me INR 1071 in 2018. They recommended cleaning the brake pads/shoes (maybe to inflate the bill ?) but I felt that it was unnecessary since brake pads/shoes do not usually require cleaning unless they are extremely dirty or glazed. Merely greasing the brake assembly guide rods/pins annually is more than enough. Hence, I did not allow them to do it. I also got a discount since there was an ongoing Hyundai service campaign at that time. Here is a copy of the bill :-

The 20000 kilometres service cost me INR 1260 in 2019. Hyundai recommends replacing the AC air filter and engine air filter every 20000 kilometres. But personally, I know for a fact that they can last even more with regular cleaning. Hence, I did not go for a replacement there. Sadly, I did not get any discounts this time. Here is a copy of the bill :-

Please note that all prices mentioned in this post are inclusive of all taxes including GST. Also, kindly note that the term OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) used below indicates parts without a Hyundai badging on them but not being different from the relevant original Hyundai parts in any other way.

Now let me get into the details :-

1) My car requires at least 3.5 litres of API SM 5W-30 grade engine oil. A 3.5 litre jar of semi-synthetic API SN+ 5W-30 grade engine oil (better than recommended costs approximately INR 1k from branded dealerships.

2) The OEM engine oil filter costs approximately between INR 150-200 depending on the model as well as depending on whether it is made by Mann+Hummel from S. Korea or by Inzi Controls India Ltd. Obviously, the one made in India is cheaper with no noticeable difference in quality when compared to the one made in S. Korea.

3) Both the OEM engine air filter and OEM AC air filter cost less than approximately INR 500 in total. These can be cleaned and reused for at least 20k kms (as per Hyundai) and way more if cleaned regularly.

4) In case I need to topup the brake fluid, a 250 ml bottle of DOT 3 - FMVSS 116 grade fluid costs approximately INR 80. Coincidentally, Maruti too uses the same grade of brake fluid from Indian Oil's Servo as recommended by Hyundai. I have not had to top-up the brake fluid till date in my Creta after the only topup during the first service in 2017.

5) If I need to topup the coolant, a 1 litre bottle of concentrated LLC (Long Life Coolant) costs less than approximately INR 250. This needs to be mixed with distilled water before usage in a 3 parts of concentrated LLC for every 7 parts of water ratio. Coincidentally, here too Maruti uses the same grade of LLC from Indian Oil's Servo as recommended by Hyundai. I have had to top-up the coolant fluid mixture only once till date at around 30k kms.

6) In case I need to topup the battery fluid, I can get distilled water for around INR 35-40 per litre.

7) If I need to grease the brake pins/rods, a small sachet should be enough for all 4 wheels and costs approximately INR 50.

8) If the door hinges and other joints need lubrication then a 500 ml can of sprayable grease costs approximately INR 250 and this should last for years.

9) For the power windows, wiper blades, door/window seals, etc, some silicone spray can be used which costs approximately INR 200 for a 150 ml can and this too should last for years.

10) My car came with iridium-tipped spark plugs which are known to last for a long time. So cleaning them annually is the only maintenance they need. For that, a small 64 gram can of WD-40 costing approximately INR 100 should be enough and should last for quite a few years.

11) When necessary, I can get OEM brake pads/shoes for approximately INR 1700-1800 for the complete set of 2 wheels on the same axle. My car still has the original brake pads/shoes and at their existing rate of usage, they should easily last upto approximately 80k-90k kilometres on the odometer. Thankfully, my son uses engine braking more.

12) Labour charges are free for me as my son does all of the above at home. If someone gets all of these done at aftermarket shops then they will charge approximately at least INR 500-800 as labour charges alone. If we get all of the aforementioned services done at Hyundai ASCs then merely the labour charges without including GST would be approximately around INR 4000.

13) My car comes with a timing chain that can easily last for at least 100000 kilometres. Timing chains do not have a tendency to snap without sufficient aural or haptic warnings, unlike timing belts which often snap without any prior warning resulting in catastrophic and often irreversible engine failure.

14) Hyundai does not recommend replacing the automatic transmission fluid (ATF) in my car during its entire lifetime
But I intend to replace the ATF at around 100000 kilometres.

15) Wheel alignment, if necessary. can be done at good aftermarket shops for approximately around INR 300-400.

Disclaimer : All the prices are true to the best of my knowledge and belief. The contents of this post reflect my personal opinions based on my own experiences only and may or may not match with those of my fellow members here.

Thank you for reading. Wish you all happy and safe drives ahead

[GTO]

Thread moved to Tech Stuff! Thanks for sharing.

[ZenMaster]

Did you take the extended warranty? If you did, How much did it cost? Are there any fine print exclusions that one should be aware about?

[prashantuchil]

Originally Posted by ZenMaster

Did you take the extended warranty? If you did, How much did it cost? Are there any fine print exclusions that one should be aware about?

I recently bought extended warranty for my 2018 Creta. It cost me 17,903/- for 4th and 5th year or up to 1 lac km.

[hserus]

If you just clean your air and ac filter you can’t remove ingrained dust from a paper filter. You will eventually pay for cheaping out on a few hundred rupees each with premature failure of your ac cooling coil / turbo issues etc. The same with topping up oil rather than draining and refilling on schedule.

[ike]

Originally Posted by Chhanda Das

The 20000 kilometres service cost me INR 1260 in 2019. Hyundai recommends replacing the AC air filter and engine air filter every 20000 kilometres. But personally, I know for a fact that they can last even more with regular cleaning. Hence, I did not go for a replacement there.

It is better to stick to replacement intervals specified by the manufacturer, especially considering the paper filters are cheap as chips. There isn't a lot of money saved by not carrying out air filter/cabin filter replacements on time. A good way to reduce costs is to have the ASS/FNG carry out only what is recommended by the OEM.

[rkw]

I believe Hyundai & Maruti are the cheapest vehicles to maintain which is corroborated by their large customer base & wide network (even in small towns) as well. Besides the features & price, trouble-free ownership, reliability & durability are preferred choices. The very service interval of 1 year or 10k km itself is so reassuring. I can say this with confidence for Hyundai after 5 years with i10 & now almost 3 years with Creta. Sticking to service schedule & recommendations is necessary.

[agambhandari]

Good premise of the thread but some undesirable and downright dangerous practices mentioned here.

Brake fluid is needs to be replaced not just because the big manufacturer is trying to rip you off but because the fluid is Hygroscopic and will go bad after around 3 yrs especially in our hot and humid conditions. So please don't end up trying to be penny wise and pound foolish. The whole fluid change costs under 2k at most places including the fluid.

Same thing needs to be said for Air Filter. I feel in India, the absolute Maximum you can use an air filter comfortably is 10k kms (i start to notice lower performance around 5-6k kms). And if you do want to clean it around the halfway mark, please don't use compressed air which will actually be worse than not cleaning it all. Dust it off and replace the filter at an appropriate time.

[hareshjethwani]

Would never steer away from manufacturer recommendations. Hyundai website has clear pricing mentioned for all cars and at what service intervals. I think they are reasonable enough to skip anything out of them.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by agambhandari

Good premise of the thread but some undesirable and downright dangerous practices mentioned here.

Moral of the story is perhaps that picking up what are fairly common taxi drivers tricks where they just focus on thrashing the car and earning as much money out of it might not be a good idea for a personally owned car that will last more years with lesser mileage.

[asit.kulkarni93]

What is the purpose of these practices? What will you do saving money on an Air filter or AC filter?
Our climatic conditions have changed and its best to replace these filters during every service. Additionally what you have listed are the prices of consumables not the labour around it. Even a road side mechanic won't do it for 500-800 rupees. I would love to know what you would do when your Creta's cooling coil goes bad or steering rack starts making a ruckus or your brake cylinders leak? I am sure you have thought of some cost effective aka cheap solution for the same.


Slightly OT- Mods, This thread needs to be deleted. Team-BHP has lakhs of viewers and such practices being reccomended on the forum means people are going to consider doing them. Already Indians in general tend to ignore things related to car maintenance and we get mediocre products, this will worsen the things.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Chhanda Das

Coincidentally, Maruti too uses the same grade of brake fluid from Indian Oil's Servo as recommended by Hyundai.

Coincidentally, here too Maruti uses the same grade of LLC from Indian Oil's Servo as recommended by Hyundai.

Glad to read about your experiences, Ma'am. However would like to point out a few things. The OE brake fluid and Coolants are made by SCCI or Golden Cruiser.

Secondly, atleast in Maruti, we don't have option of true LLC like Honda/Toyotas. It needs to be replaced at 2 year/20k mark whichever is earlier.

Regards,
Shashi

[Chhanda Das]

Originally Posted by ZenMaster

Did you take the extended warranty? If you did, How much did it cost? Are there any fine print exclusions that one should be aware about?

I got a 2 year or 1,20,000 kms extended warranty for free as a part of the dealer's lottery offer when I got my car in 2017.

Hyundai has various slabs for the two kinds of extended warranties for its cars. One is the extended warranty for the powertrain only while the other is a comprehensive one.

To check the extended warranty terms and conditions from Hyundai for the powertrain only, please have a look at the page in the following link ...
https://www.hyundai.com/content/dam/...-Terms&Con.pdf

And here are the prices for the powertrain's extended warranty ...
https://www.hyundai.com/content/dam/.../PT-Prices.pdf

To check the comprehensive extended warranty terms and conditions from Hyundai, please have a look at the page in the following link ...
https://www.hyundai.com/content/dam/...-Terms&Con.pdf

And here are the prices for the comprehensive extended warranty ...
https://www.hyundai.com/content/dam/...n/EW-price.pdf

Apart from the above, new car buyers also have the option of choosing a wonder warranty of 5 years or 50000 kilometres instead of the regular 3 years or unlimited kilometres.

Additionally, a "Shield of Trust" or SOT can also be chosen to cover the replacement/top-up of consumables. You can find more details about SOT here ...
https://www.hyundai.com/in/en/connec...hield-of-trust

I hope this helps

[ZenMaster]

Originally Posted by Chhanda Das

I hope this helps

Thanks a lot for this. This will definitely help me make a more educated choice.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by Chhanda Das

I got a 2 year or 1,20,000 kms extended warranty for free as a part of the dealer's lottery offer when I got my car in 2017.

One condition of such a warranty is that you are supposed to carry out service at an authorised service centre as per the manufacturer recommendations. You can certainly deny any extra additives, cleaning etc the dealer tries to push and stick to what is listed in the service manual.