[Mr_Bean]

Below are the pictures of my rusted esteem & how it was restored back to shape (pictures in the next post).. I brought this car last November, little did i know that the lower side arms holding the engine, gearbox was rusted completely . All these rust were not visible from outside when the car was lifted & inspected. The welding, painting & tinkering work required removal/refitting of the engine & dash.

Currently there are no plans to go for an FFE as this unexpected work blew away the money I placed on mods. I have few niggling issue with the suspension & drive shaft which I like to get it rectified. Hope I would get enough guidance on this from the experts.


===BEFORE THE WORK===

[Jaggu]

How old is the car and how much has she run? Is it a Bangalore car originally?

[Mr_Bean]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

How old is the car and how much has she run? Is it a Bangalore car originally?

The car is a 98 carb VXPS with me in Bangalore & now it is KA registered, only after buying I noticed that the RC book has a migrated stamp on it. I guess it was from Mumbai. The speedo says 60000kms, but I doubt that.


cheers:

[Mr_Bean]

I have few niggling issue with the control of the vehicle at high speeds due to the spacers (what can be done to improve), suspension & drive shaft which I like to get it rectified.

I could hear a rumbling sound from the left side when my car goes over bad roads. I changed the front strut assembly last week but my mechanic says that the driver shaft is weak. I think I need to have a second opinion on this & would appreciate the help from experts here.

These mechanics at Maruti don't detect the problem precisely, they go by the trial & error method.

===Few pictures after the welding work===

[techn0l0gist]

Hi , Just had a few questions, how would be the strength of the car with the changed aprons with respect to the original factory welded aprons? Also how is the alignment of the aprons done before welding them ?

[humm]

Just one question... what price did you purchase the car? How much are you spending?

This modification surely is the one to blow you pockets!

[Mr_Bean]

Originally Posted by humm

Just one question... what price did you purchase the car? How much are you spending?

This modification surely is the one to blow you pockets!

I paid 1.4 lakhs for the vehicle in Bangalore. It was high but all the 5 tyres were brand new & it had a polk momo audio system. Few people I spoke to regarding the esteem told that I could get a well maintained esteem for 1.15-1.2 lakhs but I never came across one especially in Bangalore.

The welding work was not expected as the rust was not visible from outside when the car was lifted, the expenses came to 20k. I had kept some money aside for FFE but currenty I got to give it a skip.

I have few issues which I mentioned in my first post.

cheers:

[Jaggu]

The price is ok, i went through the same struggle few years back and finally managed to get a 96 model for 1.65 lakhs, yes the car was in good condition with genuine 38k kms. The rusting i guess is due to the climate in Mumbai (assuming its from Mumbai originally).

Give more details of your problems, also are you talking about wheel spacers OR suspension spacers?

[Mr_Bean]

Jaggu, It was migrated, So it could be mumbai.. I was surprised to see that the Zen commands better resale value than the esteem in Bangalore.

Problem 1 - This strange noise (two crashing pieces of wood - kad kad kad) comes from the left front side of the car when I drive over bad roads, I don't hear anything from the drivers side.

Problem 2 - Suspension spacers were added & I guess this is causing the feeling of instability at high speeds. The cars run on Bridgestone 185/60/R13.

Problem 3 - With AC on the power delivery is less, will there be a power lag since the engine is old & has run 60kms..

Could have gone for Palio GTX which I gave a skip before buying this vehicle.

Service:
Engine decarbonisation was done
Engine oil changed
Gear box oil changed
Power Sterring fluid changed
Carb Jets cleaned


cheers:

[Jaggu]

Problem 1) Do a thorough check up of struts, if required replace the rubber bush kit. Check the lower arms and balance rod bushes also. Check for any loose part inside dash and engine bay, especially things like coolant tanks, rubber ac hoses which are hitting some part.

Problem 2) Remove the suspension spacers, 185 60 13 shouldnt need one?

Problem 3) Start with a complete tune up, including, valve setting, dismantling the carb and cleaning it thoroughly, ensure the secondary butterfly and accelerator pump diaphragm are working. Set timing, check/clean/replace air filter, fuel filter & plugs. Clean the distributor cap inside, and ensure all your plug wires are in good health.

Do a compression check during tune up to ascertain the health of engine.

[alexnazim]

Hey guys,

I am sorry if I am taking this thread off track a bit but. I too have a esteem 98 VXPS. I am planning to get the engine re-done, new clutch plates, the dash board openned and fixed without any bugs in it...4 new shockers, and new axles practically want to get the baby openned in birst mode and fix anything with a bug in it (including the screws). I though a lot and finally decided to go with the plan but before I do I wanted to share it with the experts on team BHP.

One question " IS IT WORTH IT?" The point is even if I sell it i'll get 80-85K for it...better use it for the future since the esteem is a great car. The registration expires Feb 2013 but I plan to get that extended once we get there. So please let me know your suggestions/recommendations.

Yeah I forgot to mention will get the entire wiring removed and a new one fitted! I am expecting the cost of the whole thing to be around 1Lac but feel that the car can come back to life and I can use it for another good 5 years or so. So please need your thoughts on this. Thanx

[passion4cars]

Hi Just a thought , is that 13 year old rule , still implies or it never passed ?

( heard in 2002/2003 types that all cars which are 13 year old & above will have to scrapped & how confident are you of getting your registration done without a hassle ? , also take advise from others but in the end you have to be sure - do you really want to keep this car and spend a 1lakh on it or sell it off now and buy something else , i have known some friends who repaired the car and spent some amount of money on it and when the car was refurbished, they went AH I SHOULD HAVE SOLD MY CAR . so think with cool head , sip in a beer which will help you think clearly heheheheheh but no doubt Esteem is a good car , i am using 1 since 2001 , but was posted in mumbai for 2yrs so its rusting a bit near front & back bumpers otherwise no problems with engine or anything)

Originally Posted by alexnazim

Hey guys,

I am sorry if I am taking this thread off track a bit but. I too have a esteem 98 VXPS. I am planning to get the engine re-done, new clutch plates, the dash board openned and fixed without any bugs in it...4 new shockers, and new axles practically want to get the baby openned in birst mode and fix anything with a bug in it (including the screws). I though a lot and finally decided to go with the plan but before I do I wanted to share it with the experts on team BHP.

One question " IS IT WORTH IT?" The point is even if I sell it i'll get 80-85K for it...better use it for the future since the esteem is a great car. The registration expires Feb 2013 but I plan to get that extended once we get there. So please let me know your suggestions/recommendations.

Yeah I forgot to mention will get the entire wiring removed and a new one fitted! I am expecting the cost of the whole thing to be around 1Lac but feel that the car can come back to life and I can use it for another good 5 years or so. So please need your thoughts on this. Thanx

I would agree with Jaggu for Point 3 , my esteem done 130XXX , still runs in new , no load on engine or loss of power with a/c on )

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

Jaggu, It was migrated, So it could be mumbai.. I was surprised to see that the Zen commands better resale value than the esteem in Bangalore.

Problem 1 - This strange noise (two crashing pieces of wood - kad kad kad) comes from the left front side of the car when I drive over bad roads, I don't hear anything from the drivers side.

Problem 2 - Suspension spacers were added & I guess this is causing the feeling of instability at high speeds. The cars run on Bridgestone 185/60/R13.

Problem 3 - With AC on the power delivery is less, will there be a power lag since the engine is old & has run 60kms..

Could have gone for Palio GTX which I gave a skip before buying this vehicle.

Service:
Engine decarbonisation was done
Engine oil changed
Gear box oil changed
Power Sterring fluid changed
Carb Jets cleaned


cheers:

Regarding Zen commanding a better resale in Bangalore than an Esteem , i think would be as Zen is smaller car , so easy to park & its easier to drive in bangalore's traffic condition & maybe being more petrol friendly

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

Jaggu, It was migrated, So it could be mumbai.. I was surprised to see that the Zen commands better resale value than the esteem in Bangalore.

Problem 1 - This strange noise (two crashing pieces of wood - kad kad kad) comes from the left front side of the car when I drive over bad roads, I don't hear anything from the drivers side.

Problem 2 - Suspension spacers were added & I guess this is causing the feeling of instability at high speeds. The cars run on Bridgestone 185/60/R13.

Problem 3 - With AC on the power delivery is less, will there be a power lag since the engine is old & has run 60kms..

Could have gone for Palio GTX which I gave a skip before buying this vehicle.

Service:
Engine decarbonisation was done
Engine oil changed
Gear box oil changed
Power Sterring fluid changed
Carb Jets cleaned


cheers:

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team : Please use the "edit" button if posting within 15 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post

Also use "Multi Quote" option for quoting Multiple posts.

[Mr_Bean]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

.

Problem 2) Remove the suspension spacers, 185 60 13 shouldnt need one?

.

a small correction, the tyre code is 185 70 R13, do I require suspension spacers for the same. I want to get rid of it.

[esteem_lover]

185/65 is the right upsize. get rid of the tyres as well as the spacers.

[Mr_Bean]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

185/65 is the right upsize. get rid of the tyres as well as the spacers.

These came along when I brought the car, they are brand new tyres (ran some 5k). How much will I get if I sell the bridgestone GIII.