[Tony2298]

Hello all

As car crazy people we all will agree that we've an unshakeable belief that cars do have a soul and these mean a lot more to us than what non-car people see which is just a heap of steel, plastic and rubber. I really LOVE automobiles every bit and I know it sound non-sensible and even rubbish to all non-car people but I don't care cause automobiles were and are my forever love.

This insane love towards machinery is more or less hereditary to me since my great great grandpa used to own a Ford Phaeton(I know some people will be confused as VWs flagship sedan has had the same name but the car in question is a vintage model dating back to 1920s!), my grandpa owned a Morris 8(this car is still in running condition AFAIK!) and my dad was an IIT graduate and a metallurgical engineer, his first car was none other than the legendary 2001 MS800 and not just any generic one but the ultra rare MPFi 5speed gearbox model and used to go even beyond its speedo indicated top whack of 140kmph!!

I&my elder brother have a lot of memories of tagging along Dad and later even reminding him of going to ASC to get the car serviced and tagging along with even my mom who used to meticulously maintain her Kinetic Honda DX scooter at the ASC, and maybe from that time itself I became deeply passionate into motor workshops and I grew up to become that type of guy who will prefer spending an entire day at a workshop, seeing each and every aspect of my car(s) and two wheelers in detail and observing the entire repair process instead of hanging out with friends at some movie theatre or a restaurant, maybe that's the reason why I don't have a GF (yet!!).

He replaced the MS800 with a 2012 Maruti WagonR VXi since he was genuinely impressed with MSILs after-sales, cheap maintenance and lower running costs. The same story continued and since we were kinda grown up by that time we entirely took care of repairing all the vehicles at home and not troubling our parents with these things. However we ensured that the job done is satisfactory and leave no stone unturned to continue the legacy of our parents.

This is one of the many teachings of my parents which have played an immense role in my upbringing and made me self-dependant and made me aware of many a things. I can't thank them enough for their teachings and values they instilled into us!

Sorry for a longish background but I genuinely think it was important to mention about my parents since at the end of the day this post is related to my Dad's vehicle only.

Part 1- Service

For a past few years the running has had dropped significantly but still we ensure that the car visits the ASC timely and gets its periodic service done so that it is always roadworthy and can be used without any issues should any need arise, and during its last service many of the stuff viz bearings, headlights and batteries were changed and now lets get into detail about all the maintenance work carried out this year and spoiler alert, its a bit exhaustive and even kind of expensive.

Regarding servicing, I genuinely believe you should always stick to your one trusted ASC and even there try building a rapport with one SA and get your car serviced under him only since he knows you and your car, also don't be very stingy and allow him to do some optional add-ons viz interior cleaning, A/C Disinfection etc since it gives them some margin and in turn they ensure the work done is top notch. This approach has worked well for my cars and WagonR is no different.

Therefore, I had already informed to my trusty SA about the service and took an appointment for the same, also I requested him to repair my car in priority since I wanted the car before evening since there is nasty congestion and lengthy traffic gridlocks during peak hours on the road just adjacent to my apartment complex.

I reached the ASC at sharp 8:30AM itself since I wanted the first slot for the day. The technical advisor(TA), quite an experienced fellow and working for MSIL for more than 25years now took a short spin and informed about some defect with the brakes and suspension, I wasn't very sure about the latter but I completely agreed with him about the former, the brakes did become quite weak and the car struggled to brake especially during emergency braking complemented in no small part by the brittle, old tyres.

Anyways the SA arrived soon and by the time he completed all the formalities on his tablet, the car was already into service bay and the work had already started in full swing, since I requested for an express service, entire team of the ASCs most experienced mechanics arrived on the spot!

Even before the job card was opened the car was taken into service bay!


The most elite team of mechanics were assigned to carry out express and perfect service.


On seeing so much action I just couldn't hold my horses and rushed towards the service bay from the customer lounge to witness the work in proximity and not a single person objected me from standing near my car and/or taking numerous photographs/videos of various stuff!

I seriously hate those ASCs who prohibit customers from standing near their cars while the repair work is going on, I seriously don't understand why they do this, do they think we will learn stuff and would carry out repair work by ourselves at our home!?

On the contrary, even when I was asking the mechanics about some components and asked some of my doubts instead of getting irritated they enthusiastically explained me each and every stuff and then some!, plus they showed me condition of each and every part and asked for my consent before replacing the necessary ones, also the SA himself denied changing some parts viz Air Filter, Fuel Filter Cartridge etc as those were perfectly in working condition and there's no point in inflating the bill.

Even he was kind of reluctant towards changing the front brake pads and said I could possibly eek out 4000-5000kms more out of them but I still requested him to get it changed since braking is one aspect I will NEVER take casually.

New brake pads(OEM)


New v/s old, the latter still had a service life of about 5000kms but still decided to get it changed due to safety reasons.


Regarding suspension, the TA was absolutely correct, the front lower arms had bent and rubber bush was completely cracked, immediately asked to replace the front lower arms.

The old worn out lower arms. Both the front suspension lower arms were replaced


The new arm


The rear end was in much better shape thankfully, the rear brakes were thoroughly cleaned and suspension was inspected and no anomalies were detected.

Also, parallel processing was being applied by the service team to speed up the repair work, interior foam cleaning was carried out and cabin air filter was removed, which was quite filthy which I approved immediately for replacement.

The dirty old cabin filter


New cabin filter


Regarding engine oil, I especially requested the SA for fully synthetic oil that too from Shell only since I'm not fond of Servo, to which he obliged.

Shell Helix 5W30 API SG+ was used, the exact specifications as mentioned in the owners' manual, the ASC also had option of cheaper Servo which I declined.


While the car was lifted up, I inspected the underbody which sadly was showing some signs of rust, especially the exhaust system, I asked if he could get some sort of underbody coating done upon which he called the guy from accessories department who explained the costing of the same and the fact that the coating would be valid for 5 years and would be thoroughly inspected each time my car enters the ASC. The costing was fair enough and I obliged.

The anti-corrosive coating is made by MSIL EcStar only and not 3M which is used by Hyundai ASC.


Underbody after coating, looks waayyy better and even wheel arches were coated making the things look neater by miles.


Even though they carried out all the tasks as fast as they possibly could, it was already afternoon till the time washing was completed, which I must mention was FOC for me since MSIL is offering some discounts on service due to Holi, it took a really long time before the underbody coating was started since there was a hell lot of rush due to infinite deliveries of new cars from the attached showroom in lieu of this auspicious occasion.

The veteran stands strong and healthy among all the newborns!


After all the work pertaining to car was completed, I spotted some dirt on my car, pointed it to the SA, who immediately got the car washed, waxed and polished from the showroom guys itself!

While at the accessories department I saw a really nice Musk perfume which btw was official Nexa accessory and wayyy better than usual Godrej aer, picked it up, also I spotted a body graphic with stylised WagonR lettering and this has been discontinued by MSIL, therefore I picked it up since some time in the future I will get the doors changed since one of the doors of the car is severely scratched and dented post which I would stick these graphics.

The final bill which came out was almost 18,000INR. Expensive, yes but totally worth it and do note, it does include all the accessories and underbody coating. So I didn't mind the service cost at all and at the end of the day if my Dad's car is running in perfect shape, there's no better feeling for me than the same!

Since the car was running low on fuel, tanked up to the brim post service. The thing which stood out the most was the significant improvement in braking performance, in fact I had to measure the pedal input since even with light tap to the B pedal the car was literally dropping the anchor!

[Tony2298]

Part2- New Tyres

The WagonR's current set of footwear were the Bridgestone Turanza T005a, it was fitted almost 5years ago and these were a great set of tyres and I've had been pretty happy with those, although since I previously mentioned the running of the car dropped significantly due to COVID and the fact that my Dad superannuated from his workplace soon after COVID, therefore the car saw extended period of disuse which took a toll on the tyres and in recent times became quite hard with several cracks appearing on the sidewalls even though it had plenty of tread left.

Therefore decided not to take a chance and get the tyres changed, the options I narrowed down were the Yokohama Earth1 Max and Bridgestone Turanza 6i, both of these are recently launched, the former claims a long tyre life whereas the latter promises a silent and cushier ride, considering the limited usage and in general good experience with Bridgestones, I decided to opt for the latter. It was also influenced by the fact that I've had a soft spot for Bridgestone since my childhood when they were the official tyre suppliers for both F1&MotoGP back in the day!

Now, here comes somewhat bitter part. According to official website as of now Bridgestone has only one authorised dealer in our entire city. No problem, I approached them via phone line, the owner somehow had a very rough tone towards me and forget any goodies, he outrightly rejected for complimentary WA/WB, stark contrast to tyre shops of the current city where I reside which give a hell lot of freebies along with complimentary WA/WB.

No problem, since I wanted the tyres, I agreed to his terms and now he tells me to pay advance so that he could order the tyres, I outrightly rejected his demand, I clearly won't pay a single penny until I look at the tyres in flesh, get them fitted and get the warranty registered with my phone number to which he started blabbering non-sense stuff to me and his tone changed from rough to RUDE and at this moment, I've had enough and just hung up.

I approached another dealer who was apparently an authorised dealer a few months back and is also one of the oldest dealer in the city, therefore gave him a benefit of doubt and enquired about the tyres.

Now it was maybe just the fact that nobody picks up the Turanza 6i tyres that none of the dealer stock it and they get it from the company's warehouse when they receive an order for the same. I guess somebody from the warehouse informed the earlier dealer about this entire deal and he started to bombard me with phone calls non-stop, finally I picked up and he told me in a very arrogant tone that all the warranty claims will be done only by him irrespective of whoever other dealer sells any Bridgestone tyres in the city and since I didn't purchase from him, he won't be doing so for my tyres and I was seriously, like WHAT?, is he some kind of mafia which can be quite possible considering the city I live in has a hell lot of these goon kind of psychos around, anyways later I found out both the dealers in question are relatives of each other and doing these kind of malpractice as a part of their own sibling rivalry, anyways it was none of my concern and all I wanted was a new set of tyres of my preference with warranty certification.

The tyres were exactly one year old when I fitted them and the dealer was very clear that anything more newer than this can't be procured and I would be getting warranty from date of purchase. I had no option but to oblige.

Another bombshell which the dealer dropped upon me was the fact that he didn't have a functioning wheel balancing machine and he will carry out only the alignment, which was a serious concern as unbalanced tyres are quite risky to use. He asked me to visit his store after a week as he promised to fix the equipment although I wasn't taking his word and got it done from another store right after the tyres were fitted.

Final bombshell which he dropped was the fact that he was not able to register the warranty as there was some internal problem involving him, the another dealer and Bridgestone India. I was seriously fuming by that point of time but still managed to keep my cool and clearly said I want the warranty else I'm making noise on social media and wouldn't be even fitting the tyres to which he requested me to give him a week's time by which he would surely get the warranty registered with my phone number, I ensured I get this thing in writing with his sign&stamp, also I kept a balance amount with myself and said I would be paying it only after the warranty is registered to which he agreed.

Only positive thing about the entire ordeal was the fact that he managed to give me a very good pricing for the tyres which I will say was informally negotiated by us and the actual invoice pricing is much higher as according to him Bridgestone has kept a price cap for the Turanza 6i below which no dealer is allowed to sell those. Therefore I wouldn't be able to share the exact pricing here but all I can say is the pricing was very very impressive considering it's the flagship touring tyre of Bridgestone.

After I got out of the tyre shop, the first thing I did was to call Bridgestone India, gave them an earful about my entire sour experience with their so called authorised reseller and the fact that I haven't even got my warranty registered to which they assured me that the warranty would be registered soon by the dealer from whom I purchased the tyres and in case it doesn't happen, they will themselves intervene into the matter and get the warranty registered. Fingers crossed.

The old tyre, even though it had more than sufficient tread depth the sidewalls were having multiple cracks.


The new tyre, look wise its quite similar and in fact both the Turanza T005 and 6i have eerily similar tread pattern as Michelin Primacy 4ST which makes sense since all these are premium touring tyres .


All the tyres were exactly one year old at the time of purchase and that's the latest stock dealer could procure of the Turanza.


Old v/s new



Now coming to the actual tyres itself, at first there ain't any very noticeable change to the car's characteristics maybe due to the fact that the earlier Turanza T005s were already quite good tyres at first place, the new tyre feels a wee bit more silent which might be due to the fact that its brand new and devoid of any abrasion or is just a placebo.

On the highway, there are differences which I could genuinely appreciate, the grip has improved and the WagonR now feels a lot more stable above 80kmph and even the steering doesn't feel as numb as it used to before but that doesn't mean you should push it like a maniac, WagonR is meant to be driven very sedately at speeds between 60-80kmph at straights and 30kmph at curves IMHO, anything higher and you're playing a game of Russian Roulette.

TidBits

• Horns- I got the WagonR fitted with wind tone horns from Hella which sounded quite loud and was perfect for our traffic conditions, however I don't know why all of a sudden the low pitch horn stopped working, leaving only the high pitched one functional and it wasn't as effective in traffic as it should be, therefore I decided enough of aftermarket stuff, I'll fit the OE Suzuki dual tone disc horns only which are quite loud and effective in the traffic. Got it done at my trusted ASC itself.
  
  Maruti genuine horn(High pitch)
  
  
  The low pitched one
  
  
  
• PUC- Since the PUC was expiring a couple of days later and the entire city will be closed due to festivities I decided to update the PUC today itself.

That's all folks and as of now the car is running perfectly alright and I'm enjoying to drive it every bit though all these work has had been overwhelming for me leaving me quite exhausted and I would be taking complete rest for a couple of days now post which I'll take it for a long drive! Wish you all a very auspicious festival of colours and at this point I'm reminded of this brilliant heart touching old ad of Maruti Suzuki!

For a festival called life; small sentence with such a deep meaning

https://youtu.be/IDOepwHw0f0?si=nO3bK9czaS-n5DUm

See you around!


Thank you
Tony

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by Tony2298

Hello all

I seriously hate those ASCs who prohibit customers from standing near their cars while the repair work is going on, I seriously don't understand why they do this, do they think we will learn stuff and would carry out repair work by ourselves at our home!?

That’s not why they don’t want clients in the work area.

1) Safety and risk of getting sued- with heavy 440V machinary and potential oil spill hazards on the floor, they don’t want untrained personnel getting injured and consequently suing them for damages.

2) Space management- If they allow every owner/driver to stand next to their car, it’ll take up important shop floor space which otherwise can be used for actual work. Just imagine 20-30 extra people standing in the work area for no benefit (to the dealer).

3) Fire hazard- As clients aren’t trained in work area safety in industrial environments, their actions can lead to fires/explosions, lighting up a cigarette near volatile chemicals for eg.

4) Disturbance- Certain clients may harass/argue with techs working on their car, reducing efficiency and causing unnecessary distraction. Have seen this personally more than once.

I’m sure there are more reasons, I’ve highlighted the major ones above.

Having said all that, what I do is politely request the service advisor that I want to stand next to my car as I get better quality of work when I do.

I don’t take any pictures, talk to the mechanics (unless they’re doing something very wrong) or be a potential nuisance in any way to the dealer and I’ve never had issues with being denied access.

[aditya_reds]

Hey there! I just finished reading through your thread, and I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it! The dedication and love you’ve shown for your dad’s Maruti WagonR really shine through, and it’s inspiring to see how much effort you’ve put into keeping it going strong. The detailed updates and insights you’ve shared are fantastic—thanks for taking the time to document it all.

I can totally relate, as my dad has got a 2012 WagonR CNG that’s been a trusty companion over the years. It’s definitely due for some TLC, and your thread has given me a ton of useful ideas and motivation to tackle its maintenance. From the repair tips to the challenges you faced, it’s been really insightful and makes me feel more confident about sorting out my own car. Looking forward to any more updates you might post—cheers to keeping these WagonRs alive!