[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by frown

i have managed to speak to karthik from race dynamics bangalore and he has agreed to have a look at my car. Will decide next course of action once i meet him and will update you guys on that . Untill then please keep suggesting and thanks a ton for all your suggestions.

AFAIK, karthik is a tuner. You can take his opinion if you have to, but you will be better off with a MASS.

[frankmehta]

true true. instaed of tuning your car before it works, concentrate on the basics. i still feel this car is a lemon, sorry for being rude or blunt there but if its going to save you from even more loss, then its right to say it? whatsay other teambhpians? should he bin this or bean this?

[techn0l0gist]

i'd say you might be better off selling it off, and cutting your losses! getting the car back to shape would cost you at least 60-70k and in case you'd want to sell it after a year - you wouldn't fetch more than a little over a lakh !

For about 1.5 - 2 L (which is almost the same if not less than the amount that you would have spent on your esteem)you could get yourself a MPFI esteem/Palio/Old Zen/WagonR/Alto in decent shape which would give you more peace of mind than anything else.

Do think about cutting your losses and getting rid of this car - the amount of time you would spend in worrying about getting the car back to normal, supervising in the garage, going back to the garage(yes very rarely you get things done right the first time) , buying/hunting parts for the car, the headaches and heartaches are just not worth the trouble.

Sell the esteem for around a lac or so , add the 60k that you wanted to spend on the esteem, and buy a much more reliable car! IMO peace of mind is priceless ! Recommendations for used car include MPFi Esteem, old Zen (MPFi preferred) , Alto 1.1 , Alto 0.8, Palio 1.6/1.2 as these are available at your budget point in decent condition

[frown]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

AFAIK, karthik is a tuner. You can take his opinion if you have to, but you will be better off with a MASS.

technologist, frank mehta , esteem lover, thank you for your inputs. I know atleast everyone here has given me suggestion to sell this car even if i loose 30-40 thousand.

Anyways had a word with karthik today. Told him that if i sell this car i will loose 30-40 grands and he suggested that i can go for engine swap with mpfi which might cost around 50 k . I guess thats what everyone here is after and suggesting me get mpfi . Atleast body wise 2001 model looks the same and apart from engine there is not much change anyways.Atleast i am not aware of and you all would have known by now that my knowledge is not good enough.

and technologist just for you . I am not investing in this car to sell this. I am buying a new car anyways later next year end , mostly honda city and i will keep this as a backup car which my kiddo bro can drive when he needs to so selling this car and loosing money after that is not a problem at all for me .

please let me know if engine swap makes sense

Esteem lover frank mehta tehnologist your commnets please.

Karthik gave me rough estimate ==> 50 grands engine excluding the swap cost.
suspension maximum 14k

waiting for your comments before deciding anything.

[techn0l0gist]

Hi Frown,

- An engine swap would cost you 50k + labour - assuming 5k(on the lower side)
- fixing power windows - 3k
- new stock suspension - 14k
- A/C (1.2k - 20k based on whats wrong with it!)
- Getting interior trims to shape, doing up interiors - 5k
- New tyres - 12-15k

Cost = 37K + 55k (engine) + (2-20k for AC)

I suggest in case your engine compression is okay, get a complete carb overhaul and engine decarbonizing done from a good garage/MASS(make sure you rebuild the carb and not just spray carb cleaner into it) - that would not cost more than 5k and a carb esteem running right is pretty decent to drive around.

If you choose this route - you can get you car running perfectly without AC though for < 50k ! And if luck is on your side you'd be able to get the AC running with just a gas refill - in which case you have a very nicely running esteem for < 50k.

Drive a properly running carb esteem for reference and check if the 65 bhp state of tune is enough to keep you happy if not well go ahead and do the swap.

Whatever route you take, please do post pics on the forum.

Cheers,

Amit

P.S: just a though - current resale value + 55 k would fetch you an mpfi esteem in decent shape.

[frown]

Originally Posted by techn0l0gist

Hi Frown,

- An engine swap would cost you 50k + labour - assuming 5k(on the lower side)
- fixing power windows - 3k
- new stock suspension - 14k
- A/C (1.2k - 20k based on whats wrong with it!)
- Getting interior trims to shape, doing up interiors - 5k
- New tyres - 12-15k

Cost = 37K + 55k (engine) + (2-20k for AC)

I suggest in case your engine compression is okay, get a complete carb overhaul and engine decarbonizing done from a good garage/MASS(make sure you rebuild the carb and not just spray carb cleaner into it) - that would not cost more than 5k and a carb esteem running right is pretty decent to drive around.

If you choose this route - you can get you car running perfectly without AC though for < 50k ! And if luck is on your side you'd be able to get the AC running with just a gas refill - in which case you have a very nicely running esteem for < 50k.

Drive a properly running carb esteem for reference and check if the 65 bhp state of tune is enough to keep you happy if not well go ahead and do the swap.

Whatever route you take, please do post pics on the forum.

Cheers,

Amit

P.S: just a though - current resale value + 55 k would fetch you an mpfi esteem in decent shape.

Thanks so much for your valuable input technologist. I am gonna go tomorrow and have a look at maruti esteem 2001 edition with mpfi engine and will inquire about the price and will also wait for karthiks call on how much engine swap cost totally with labour cost and also will get the car diagnosed by M.A.S.S and will update you on how it pans out.

Best Part is i dont even know what i should be doing :P i am confused as hell hahahah. I am sure without bhpians valuable input i would be in complete mess , atleast i know what my options are. I will definitely post pics of whateve changes i make either to my existing car or to a new pre owned car that i get. I guess by this weekend i should have answers to most of your questions and my questions as well.

Amit

[Sudipto-S-Team]

No matter what mechanics claim, an old car never behaves like a new one ! This is a fact of life you have to live with. Also remember whatever money you put in will never come back when you sell the car later. Its value with or without the changes is exactly the same. Decide for how long you want to keep the car and whether spending that kind of money is really worth it.
With these two things in mind, prioritise your spending depending on the seriousness of the issue. For example, the AC repair might wait since winter is almost here. Power window doesn't really affect movement and hence can wait. New tyres might improve suspension considerably and the overall comfort. Engine decarb and carburetor overhaul could improve power. Even a new air filter might do some magic.
But go to a reputable authorised place and get the basic things going well before going to a tuner.
The body paint looks just fine, unless you used PS to correct the blemishes.
Keep us posted please.

[sureshkishore]

Originally Posted by frown

Best Part is i dont even know what i should be doing :P i am confused as hell hahahah.
Amit

Dear Frown,

Its time that you had a reality check. Accept that you have landed up with a lemon car. The best you can do know is, since its your first car, run it as much as it, sharpen your driving skills and then probably after about 6 months you could sell it and move on. Next time you buy a used I am sure you would make a better decision.

[frown]

Today i went to pre owned cars showroom and singled out two cars.

2003 silver color esteem vxi price 2,65,000

2006 black color esteem vxi price 3,26,000 28,000 kms

Will have a look at 2006 model on saturday. Please let me know if price quoted is reasonable and he is ready for negotiation.

Amit

[sureshkishore]

Dear Frown,
Going by carwale price guide 2006 esteem at bout 3,26 would be a good buy.

[techn0l0gist]

a good mpfi esteem of around 2001 model sells for anywhere from 1.2 to 1.6L depending on condition in Goa, don't know about bangalore.

[frankmehta]

Originally Posted by frown

technologist, frank mehta , esteem lover, thank you for your inputs. I know atleast everyone here has given me suggestion to sell this car even if i loose 30-40 thousand.

Anyways had a word with karthik today. Told him that if i sell this car i will loose 30-40 grands and he suggested that i can go for engine swap with mpfi which might cost around 50 k . I guess thats what everyone here is after and suggesting me get mpfi . Atleast body wise 2001 model looks the same and apart from engine there is not much change anyways.Atleast i am not aware of and you all would have known by now that my knowledge is not good enough.

and technologist just for you . I am not investing in this car to sell this. I am buying a new car anyways later next year end , mostly honda city and i will keep this as a backup car which my kiddo bro can drive when he needs to so selling this car and loosing money after that is not a problem at all for me .

please let me know if engine swap makes sense

Esteem lover frank mehta tehnologist your commnets please.

Karthik gave me rough estimate ==> 50 grands engine excluding the swap cost.
suspension maximum 14k

waiting for your comments before deciding anything.

youre still better off selling the lemon and getting a new one. its always better to give this away and spend your money on something better. get an mpfi. there are lots to find in the market. why spend money on something thats really not up to the mark. get something better. and THIS time please take a test drive thoroughly

[me_sid]

First and foremost congrats on the buy though a shade costly. Now that u have bought it you gotta make it right. The clutch problem as someone has said is because of the fact that it has completed its life time to get a new set. My esteem VX also have the same problem with power windows, and thats because of the motor, which becomes weak and the channels. Motor can be repaired and the channel changed. Esteem spares are pretty cheap compared to others in teh same segment. So to do list had it been my car would be

a) change Clutch
b) Rehaul power window motor or as esteem lover has suggested
c) Suspension change
d) Engine overhaul.

So dont be depressed buddy work on her and she would be allright. Do keep us updated.

Originally Posted by frown

esteem lover, power window works but the issue is intermittent. Sometimes it is too slow in rolling up up and it needs helping hand. Engine even though it does not have enough power it is really smooth and it has not given me any problem untill now since i have bought this car which is4-5 months now. I got the clutch cable changed at M.A.S.S and it worked for a day but then it got back to usual self the next day. Car has done 64,000 kms but you can never trust these guys . They might have rolled back the meter so i really cant comment on that. I really liked the alloy wheels you have used for your car. May i ask how much did it cost you ?

[techn0l0gist]

Originally Posted by me_sid

My esteem VX also have the same problem with power windows, and thats because of the motor, which becomes weak and the channels

From what I found after taking apart the windows on my car - it's not the motor that goes bad, it's the glass run(or channels) which are made of rubber that get hard.

I keep spraying silicon lubricant spray on the glass run whenever the windows get stuck(need to do this once in a couple of months!).

The original glass run for each window costs somewhere around 800 rupees or so I am told. Are there cheaper local alternatives that work too ? what's the brand and for how much ?

[frown]

Originally Posted by techn0l0gist

From what I found after taking apart the windows on my car - it's not the motor that goes bad, it's the glass run(or channels) which are made of rubber that get hard.

I keep spraying silicon lubricant spray on the glass run whenever the windows get stuck(need to do this once in a couple of months!).

The original glass run for each window costs somewhere around 800 rupees or so I am told. Are there cheaper local alternatives that work too ? what's the brand and for how much ?

hi techn0l0gist ,

Can you tell me if the price quoted is ok or not. 2005 esteem LXI with leather seats and spoiler , fully loaded basically , getting for 2,90,000 ? is it worth the price ?

and i will try to get the information you are looking for as well.

Amit