[aniketi]

I am a die hard Maruti fan. I dont wanna give reasons for that as you all are experts and know it. Still i give you main reason behind it, reliability, fuel efficient & good A.S.S. I already own a Dzire & very happy with that. We also have old Zen, 1997 model. Its very old now & getting rusty day by day. It still has a good engine.

Now my wife is learning a car & i am going to require a new car for her. She is not very comfortable with manual gears. So i am looking for a Automatic version. But we have really little choice here in India. Hardly any small cars available in Auto. As of today i know only 2 cars available with Auto transmission. A-star & i10. A-star i dont like at all as it is very small car (cant accommodate 4+1 people ) & little costly as well. i10 is going out of my budget in Auto. Also i dont like i10 personally though it is very good car. I am very disappointed that Maruti is not making Alto K10 with Auto

So my question here is can i make Alto K10 with auto transmission in after market? A-star has same engine so it wouldn't be a problem. But will it be reliable? How much it will cost? Does it void warranty given by MSIL?

Experts please help me.

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by aniketi

So my question here is can i make Alto K10 with auto transmission in after market?

I am no expert but my gut feeling is, this will be COSTLY/UNRELIABLE/WARRANTY GONE. And that will be more then an i10 Auto.

Look for a used Automatic instead.

[sajo]

Aniket, even if it is possible, I dont think its worth the effort. Better choice would be a bit more practice and learn to drive an MT car (it will take maximum of a week to get the hang of a manual tranny) or buy one out of the showroom.
Just my $.02.

[honeybee]

I don't see how the A-star would be a 'small car' compared to the Alto K-10. And if your main reason for standing by the Maruti cars is reliability and good A.S.S., you are throwing them out with a conversion from manual to auto.

The best I could suggest is check with some of the MASS if they can fit a clutch-less system to your car. Many years back it was advertised in many MASS. It's a system that retains your existing transmission and clutch, but removes the need for the driver to manually press the clutch while shifting. I also remember reading some feedback threads on it on this forum.

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[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by aniketi

So my question here is can i make Alto K10 with auto transmission in after market?

To my knowledge it is possible and of course is reliable if done by a professional mechanic / expert.
But here comes the question of COST. For sure it will leave a BIG hole in your pocket. Again it is not recommended on a brand new car, you will have to sacrifice the warranty.

My suggestion would be either stick to MT or if AT is your key requirement, look for a used Zen or Santro, if budget permits brand new i10.

[Arkin evoisrevo]

I hope looking at these pages and sites can help you out.
City Clutch - The pleasure of Easy Driving
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...-clutch-3.html
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...hing-foot.html
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ch-review.html


This was widely advertised in car mags: automate

Good luck. I might need to get something like this done for my grandpa.

[aniketi]

Thanks all for your replies.

@Spitfire : My wife wants brand new only :( She said its going to be her first car & so don't want it a second hand. Bad for me.

@Mr.Boss : Brand new AT i10 i guess costs around 6 Lacs. No budget for that much money as it is going to be second car in home. We already have Dzire for long trips. So need small car which wife can use easily in the city only. It need to be reliable & FE should be good.

@honeybee : I never heard about this clutch less system. SO don't know how it works. Also it will also void the warranty given by the manufacturer :( So no point in going for that as well !!!

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by aniketi

@honeybee : I never heard about this clutch less system. SO don't know how it works. Also it will also void the warranty given by the manufacturer :( So no point in going for that as well !!!

One thing I am sure of, it does not affect your warranty coverage. It does not alter the existing transmission system in any way. It only actuates your vehicle clutch whenever it senses a gear shift. So essentially it's just pressing the clutch for you.

Back when I purchased my M800, the MASS were advertising this system heavily. So I doubt it voids the warranty.

Since you are already a Maruti loyalist, and the car will be used only within city limits, I don't see why A star won't fit your needs.

.

[aniketi]

Originally Posted by honeybee

One thing I am sure of, it does not affect your warranty coverage. It does not alter the existing transmission system in any way. It only actuates your vehicle clutch whenever it senses a gear shift. So essentially it's just pressing the clutch for you.

Back when I purchased my M800, the MASS were advertising this system heavily. So I doubt it voids the warranty.

Since you are already a Maruti loyalist, and the car will be used only within city limits, I don't see why A star won't fit your needs.

.

If it dont void the warranty then its good. I need to check with the dealer if he is ready to fit such system with out hampering the warranty.

One more question here : Will this system affect the FE part? If yes, How much FE will be reduced?

A star is good but i guess it will cost me around 5 lacs on road if i am not wrong. I dont wanna put that much money on my second car. My budget is around 3.5 Lacs. Alto K10 fits perfectly in all my requirements except the Auto transmission. I can also use that in city area in B2B traffic & where parking is an issue.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by aniketi

A-star i dont like at all as it is very small car (cant accommodate 4+1 people ) & little costly as well.

Cost part I agree (compared to k10), but not sure how A-Star is smaller than the K-10 you are considering for conversion. It surely is not a proper 5-seater, but then which hatch is ? Most of our rated-for-5-people hatches seat 2 comfortably at rear, with the 3rd person having to sacrifice a bit, which the A-Star also does. The boot is almost non-existent though.

It would have been great if there was an AT version of the Alto, but since that is not the case, A_Star and i10 are your only options for factory-fitted ATs.

[aniketi]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Cost part I agree (compared to k10), but not sure how A-Star is smaller than the K-10 you are considering for conversion. It surely is not a proper 5-seater, but then which hatch is ? Most of our rated-for-5-people hatches seat 2 comfortably at rear, with the 3rd person having to sacrifice a bit, which the A-Star also does. The boot is almost non-existent though.

It would have been great if there was an AT version of the Alto, but since that is not the case, A_Star and i10 are your only options for factory-fitted ATs.

In my family all are 5.6 Ft plus. So i guess its little uncomfortable in A star for tall people on back side. Also it has very very little boot space, in case we want to carry some stuff plus 4 people then its not possible in A star. SO i guess Alto is better in terms of space.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by aniketi

If it dont void the warranty then its good. I need to check with the dealer if he is ready to fit such system with out hampering the warranty.

One more question here : Will this system affect the FE part? If yes, How much FE will be reduced?

A star is good but i guess it will cost me around 5 lacs on road if i am not wrong. I dont wanna put that much money on my second car. My budget is around 3.5 Lacs. Alto K10 fits perfectly in all my requirements except the Auto transmission. I can also use that in city area in B2B traffic & where parking is an issue.

The system works by depressing the clutch pedal for you whenever it senses you are shifting gears. So you can say it's a manual but assisted transmission. FE and other things would remain the same.

I am a little surprised here: You are worried about voiding the warranty by installing an auto-clutch system, but you have no qualms in planning to replace the whole manual transmission of an Alto K10 with an automatic. Ever thought if Maruti would keep the warranty valid or not?

You are claiming the A-star to be smaller than the Alto K-10. By what margins or standards?

You are worried about extending your budget to 5 L for an automatic A-star. However you don't mind spending a couple of lakhs over and above the on road price of a brand new Alto K10 to fit it with automatic transmission. Won't you be spending more than the automatic A-star's on road price, plus voiding warranty and possibly running more trips to the workshop/garage for things going wrong?

Do you seriously think within 3.5 lakhs you can buy an Alto K10 and change it to an automatic transmission?

I am sorry to be asking such blunt questions, but I am unable to see what you are driving at. Your desire to convert the Alto K10 is commendable, but other than that all I can see are conflicting posts.

[aniketi]

The system works by depressing the clutch pedal for you whenever it senses you are shifting gears. So you can say it's a manual but assisted transmission. FE and other things would remain the same.

Do you mean to say that we have to change gears as well? Just that clutch will be pressed? If thats the case then its not much useful for wife as changing gears is also a problem for her.

I am a little surprised here: You are worried about voiding the warranty by installing an auto-clutch system, but you have no qualms in planning to replace the whole manual transmission of an Alto K10 with an automatic. Ever thought if Maruti would keep the warranty valid or not?

I want to install auto if original warranty is not hampering. In my initial post i am asking that only.

You are claiming the A-star to be smaller than the Alto K-10. By what margins or standards?

In terms of rear leg space, boot space Alto is better in my opinion.

You are worried about extending your budget to 5 L for an automatic A-star. However you don't mind spending a couple of lakhs over and above the on road price of a brand new Alto K10 to fit it with automatic transmission. Won't you be spending more than the automatic A-star's on road price, plus voiding warranty and possibly running more trips to the workshop/garage for things going wrong?

If it costs 1-2 lacs, then certainly i am not going for it. In my opinion it should cost around 50 K as it is readily available in market for that engine.

Do you seriously think within 3.5 lakhs you can buy an Alto K10 and change it to an automatic transmission?

3.5 Lacs is for OTR price for Alto K10 Lxi. Modifying will be extra cost, i know that.

I am sorry to be asking such blunt questions, but I am unable to see what you are driving at. Your desire to convert the Alto K10 is commendable, but other than that all I can see are conflicting posts.

Anyways thanks for all your inputs.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by aniketi

My wife wants brand new only. Need small car which wife can use easily in the city only. It need to be reliable & FE should be good.

Given the above requirements, especially the "reliable" part, I would suggest you avoid any after-market AT fitment. The K-10 would anyway cost you 3.6 to 3.85 at Blore depending on the trim-level. You are anyway ready to spend 50K more on this AT-fitment. Add another 50K and you have a brand new A*-AT - no reliability issues, warranty intact, FE, nimble city compact. Not to mention a super happy missus.

Originally Posted by aniketi

In my family all are 5.6 Ft plus. So i guess its little uncomfortable in A star for tall people on back side. Also it has very very little boot space, in case we want to carry some stuff plus 4 people then its not possible in A star. SO i guess Alto is better in terms of space.

Alto might be marginally better in terms of boot space, but since your need is primarily city-use by wifey, this IMO does not really matter. Regarding interior seating/leg space, the A-Star is better than the Alto.

Also, for the extra you pay, the A-Star gives you better build, features like ABS, ICE, seat-height adjustment etc.

Having had to trade-off reliability for economy (LPG fitment in my M800), I would be wary of after-market changes to as serious a part as the transmission.

[aniketi]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Given the above requirements, especially the "reliable" part, I would suggest you avoid any after-market AT fitment. The K-10 would anyway cost you 3.6 to 3.85 at Blore depending on the trim-level. You are anyway ready to spend 50K more on this AT-fitment. Add another 50K and you have a brand new A*-AT - no reliability issues, warranty intact, FE, nimble city compact. Not to mention a super happy missus.

Alto might be marginally better in terms of boot space, but since your need is primarily city-use by wifey, this IMO does not really matter. Regarding interior seating/leg space, the A-Star is better than the Alto.

Also, for the extra you pay, the A-Star gives you better build, features like ABS, ICE, seat-height adjustment etc.

Having had to trade-off reliability for economy (LPG fitment in my M800), I would be wary of after-market changes to as serious a part as the transmission.

Thanks for your comments supremeBaleno

K10 here in Pune is around 3.47 L & 3.66 L OTR. Also you get some discounts & exchange bonus i can get in terms of exchanging my old Zen. Only problem is they should give decent amount for my old Zen. Anyways that's not a issue right now.

After your comments, i guess i need to check A star now. I had it checked long back. Need to revisit again. Hope it has decent legroom at back.
Unfortunately i didnt find any good self review on T-BHP of A star