[abhishek79b]

Hi,

I have a 2007 Wagon-R LXi - about 22,500 kms in 1.5 years, timely serviced and singly driven. I've done frequent trips between 100 - 250 kms with her and till date had no issues (not even a tyre punture).

Last week I had taken the longest trip till date, a Bangalore - Goa and my car had been a royal let down during the entire journey & back.
Here are the issues I faced -

1. Unusually under powered acceleration(4th & 5th gears). The speedo was literally crawling from 40 to 90. Felt as if the car was straining to go.
2. Very very noisy, especially while pressing the accelerator...an extra tone gets added over the already existing loud hum.
3. Above 100 kmph, a strange deep rumble coming from the engine along with slight vibration in the pedals. By 115 kmph, this rumble gets so loud that I'm forced to ease up.

Once in Goa I checked the following:
1. Engine oil - almost new (from my 20,000 km servicing) and good for another 2 - 3000 km.
2. Coolant - required level
3. Air Filter - was dusty as hell (I seriously doubt if they had replaced it during the 20K service), so cleaned it and put it back. Its a stock filter not K&N, so, do I need to replace it ASAP?
4. Tyre pressure 34 psi

I couldn't find a mechanic as it was diwali ka chutti in Goa, so had to make do with the above checks only. Return journey was even worse (read: under powered).


I can always take her to a service center/mechanic, but before I eventually do that, I would like to KNOW what might have gone so wrong.
So guys, please help me...where do I start?!?

[Technocrat]

Did you get the wheel aligned & balanced?

34 Psi is on higher side I believe recommended tyre pressure is 30 psi.

You can replace the air filter if its dusty & old. Its not too expensive either.

4& 5th gear overdrive gears(not sure about 4th though) so acceleration would be less so thats fine.

Is noise an engine noise(engine roar) or a road noise?

[akroy]

Ya, Stock filter needs to be replaced immediately (no cleaning works here).

pls take time off and visit Surakshaa, Bomanahalli and check your car. Ask for Mr. Lokesh and explain the problem. You can give my reference to him.

All those problems you mention should not happen in the first place as distance doesnt really matter. Also tyres needs to be checked for Balancing / Alignment as well.

Abhi

[abhishek79b]

@Technocrat

Wheel alignment & balancing were part of my 20,000 km servicing requests...no way to check if they actually did it or not...or is there?

There used to be much more tap left at 4th than there is now. Simply put, the car feels like my dad's old maruti omni...straining with age.

As for tyre pressure, the recommended for Wagon-R is 33psi and since I was doing highway I had put in an extra psi.

The roar was definitely from the engine & not from the road.

[Jaggu]

Where did you do the 20K kms service, its a major service and i think it was not done properly by the workshop. Send the car to a good MASS and do a 20k service again, except for oils/fluid change if they are new.

[Technocrat]

I agree with Jaggu, probably then did not do a proper job. Get it shown as per akroy's suggestion & then let us know what they say.

[abhishek79b]

I had done the 20K km servicing from Auto Hitech in Kolkata. They usually do a pretty good job.
Think I will do as you guys suggested & go for a thorough 20K checkup in Surakshaa, Bomanahalli.
Will keep this thread posted about the results...

[GTO - Touring]

Too many possibilities here. Abhishek, I hope I am wrong, but think that its not something as simple as a clogged air filter. The first suspect is ignition, could also be a bad spark plug or ignition timing.

Do let us know once you take her in for a diagnosis.

[Swifty2008]

I could advice the following:

1. Get your car to a MASS and ask them to do a through check in front of you
2. Replace the AirFilter
3. Check whether your gearbox oil was changed
4. Get your gearbox checked
5. Check whether the throttle body was cleaned during 20L service
6. Check fuel injectors
7. Do tyre rotation and wheel balancing outside the MASS? My experience with them was bad. I always do it outside.
8. Check whether any of the connectors/tubes around the egine bay are not in place
9. Fill/Check air pressure only after running atleast 10kms. A cold 34psi is a high tyre pressure and it will go up as the air will expand once the vehicle covers some kms. So ideally it should be 30-32psi.

Hope this helps.

[sukiwa]

@ abhishek79b:

Air filter: Buy it from MASS & change it yourself. If you are not sure about this, get it changed in front of you. Should not cost more than Rs. 300.

Wheels: Carry out wheel balancing & alignment at a reputed tyre dealer (Rotate tyres if not done so far). Ensure that wheel get balanced on a dynamic balancer machine after filling correct air pressure. Wheel balancing & alignment should not cost more than Rs. 500.

[abhishek79b]

I couldn't make it to MASS this weekend...will definitely do it coming weekend.

@GTO
Spark Plugs were replaced as part of 20K service...dunno about ignition timing though.

@Swifty
I usually fill air after a couple of Kms and that too stick to 33 within city...guess it would not jack up beyond 34 or 35 when hot.
Connectors/tubes seem ok...no loose ones hanging there
Rest of all need to be checked at MASS next weekend


All of you are unanimous about one thing I notice - Wheel balancing & alignment. So thats definitely gonna be top of my list at MASS. But I am quite certain that the roar is from the engine & not from the road. Especially when I am driving above 100kmph. How would wheel alignment affect that?!? It is like an additional deep note above the normal engine whine...little like when you switch on the AC while idling at a traffic light, only much much louder and deeper.

The gearbox & oil is definitely a new perspective which even I am tempted to think - first gear seems stiff at times nowadays. But guys tell me something - how damaging for the car is it gonna be if I finally find out that they didnt change the gear oil at 20K?!? Is it usually part of 20K service (I dont have the receipt with me here at B'lore)?

[Technocrat]

Abhishek, engines are normally noisy at higher speeds. Do you mean that this was different than your previous 100kph plus drives?

Also get your exhaust pipe checked for any rusting &\or damage.

Ideally I would get the wheel balancing & alignment done from a reputed tyre shop than from M.A.S.S.

[abhishek79b]

@Technocrat

yes, its way noisier than my previous experience.

There's one Bridgestone shop next to my complex, its on outer ring road, opposite JPMC office.very near to Marathalli. Any idea if they are good enough? (I'm new to this place, less than 2 months) Any other suggestions near Outer Ring Road/Marathalli for checkup would be really helpful, otherwise I'll be taking it to Bomanahalli as suggested by akroy, but that will be hopefully coming weekend.

[abhishek79b]

Finally went for the checkup/service last saturday (8th) at Surakshaa, Bomanahalli (as suggested by akroy) and here's what was done on her -

1. Front suspension play beyond normal - got it fixed
2. Brake calipers required greasing - this was what was attributed for the noise at high speed.
3. Gear Oil was supposed to be changed at 20K service, but apparently wasn't! So replaced it and added some additive. Cost me 480(oil) + 290(additive)
4. Gear play was also tightened a little
5. Replaced air filter
6. Usual cleaning (including under carriage)

I had fixed up an appointment with Mr. Lokesh (again as suggested by akroy) and went before 8:30am. After explaining to him my issues, we took a test ride first. Then I left while they got to work on her. I went back at 5 and again took a longish test ride with Lokesh. The verdict -

1. The abnormal noise was definitely not there but I still felt that the car was a little on the noisier side. Lokesh assured me that it will take a little more kms for the additives & new gear oil to take effect BUT dont expect magic.
2. Gear shift was stiffer than before but thankfully less vague
3. Perhaps I had gotten used to the softer suspension so I could easily make out the difference now...steadier ride
4. The strain is not there anymore, doesn't feel sick
5. BUT here's the caveat - though the car feels a lot healthier now and inspite of Lokesh claiming otherwise, I still feel there's not as much pickup as used to be. Aging at 23K only?!?

Other than above, I had asked him to check wheel alignment & balancing & also ignition timing but he wasn't too keen on them. So, I let it pass for the time being. Guess will take it up at the next servicing. Probably will just drive for a while now...

opinions?!?

[eddiedsouza]

Originally Posted by abhishek79b

2. Brake calipers required greasing - this was what was attributed for the noise at high speed.
...
5. BUT here's the caveat - though the car feels a lot healthier now and inspite of Lokesh claiming otherwise, I still feel there's not as much pickup as used to be. Aging at 23K only?!?
...
opinions?!?

Oh - so your brake pads were dragging on the discs? What kind of FE were you getting during that time? (Of course, doing 100+kph won't give appreciable FE on a tallboy)

Pickup: could be spark plugs... or could be wear and tear... if the car wasn't warmed up properly - was started and driven away enough times. Many people do this and find their power and FE going down after 2 years or 30K or so. If done often enough, possible to have this prob even at 23K - so the question is whether you warm it up or not...

And, finally... this is one grouse I have with EVERY branch of the dealership here in Goa - their tyre pressure gauges suck, and they give me back the car with soft tyres - sometimes as low as 23 psi according to digital readout on (third-party) automatic machine. During a test drive after last servicing, I complained volubly to the service advisor - "why don't you people leave my tyre pressure alone? Every time you mess it up and I have to go get it re-done... and the loss of power and wallowing handling gives a bad impression to the customers you're trying to impress with service quality! Or go get some better-quality gauges!" SA just grinned Soooo... did you check your tyre pressure after the servicing? Don't rely on the MASS people to have gotten it right.

Cheers
Ed.