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Old 11th January 2013, 23:27   #1741
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re: Maruti Swift : Test Drive & Review

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Originally Posted by funkyp View Post
If that's the case then synth will almost be 3 times as expensive. What are the benefits of synth? Does the car really run much smoother?

Gurus pls advise. I am worried about running 10k on mineral oil in the dusty polluted environment of Mumbai
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Originally Posted by funkyp View Post
Service intervals will remain 10k irrespective right? Or can you stretch synth to 15-20k
10000km on mineral is okay, a change at 8000km will give you some mental peace. I am sure you will not keep the car beyond 80000kms and if, and thats a big if, there is any difference to engine wear and tear due to use of mineral oil, you will definitely not realize it. Engine life is not calculated in thousands but in lacs of kilometers.

Think of it this way, you want to sell your car after 80000 kms (my assumption is extended warranty till 80000kms or for 4 years whichever is earlier).

You change oil 8 times using synthetic. That costs you about Rs 1100 x 3 ltrs (Approx) x 8 + 8 x Rs 200 for the oil filter= Rs 28000 on synthetics

For mineral oil changed every 8000kms, you change oil 10 times. The total hit is Rs400 x 3 x 10 + 10 x Rs 200 = Rs 14000 give or take a couple of thousand.

Difference = Rs 14000 and this will only increase as I expect the cost of synthetics to increase faster and I see the gap getting wider.

Will selling a car run only on synthetic earn you an extra Rs 14000+? I don't think so since Maruti themselves have now said that mineral oil will also do, so synthetic is not really a necessity.

Service intervals will still be 10000 while MASS now is trying to swindle you into visiting every 5000 kms.

I feel mineral oil should do, I am going to change mine to mineral at the 20k service, I'm at 18000 km now. I have had personal experience with my Father in laws car which has always been mineral (earlier vin #) and he hasn't changed to synthetics and honestly I don't see any difference. He's at 15500 kms.

If the cost of synthetic oil does not pinch you, then stick with synthetic, or else, go for mineral. I just don't see the advantages of synthetic oil in an MJD, more so because we have certain swifts running on mineral and Maruti doesn't insist for synthetics anymore.

Changing to synthetic can be done at a later stage once the car has crossed 40000 kms if you wish

My two cents.

Last edited by Shome : 11th January 2013 at 23:31.
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Old 12th January 2013, 08:08   #1742
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Quote:
Originally Posted by funkyp View Post

Service intervals will remain 10k irrespective right? Or can you stretch synth to 15-20k
Yes, but oil replacement should be done twice if one is on mineral. So will necessarily entail two visits to the service center.
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Old 12th January 2013, 10:54   #1743
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Quote:
Originally Posted by funkyp View Post

Service intervals will remain 10k irrespective right? Or can you stretch synth to 15-20k
Do NOT use synthetic oil if you stick to 10K interval! Mineral oil suffices for that. If you are using synthetic oil, push the schedule to 15K max. That's what is recommended by Fiat.

Instead of synthetic, I would rather stick to mineral oil & change it every 5K kms if I want to pamper my car. And still save some bucks.

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Originally Posted by Shome View Post
...Difference = Rs 14000 and this will only increase as I expect the cost of synthetics to increase faster and I see the gap getting wider...

Changing to synthetic can be done at a later stage once the car has crossed 40000 kms if you wish...
Good mathematics there. Gives a nice insight. However if someone wants to change to synthetic, I suggest doing it at 10K or 20K kms max. 40K is quite a mileage & the mechanicals start adjusting to mineral oil by then.

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...Yes, but oil replacement should be done twice if one is on mineral. So will necessarily entail two visits to the service center.
Going once in 6 months to a service centre should not be much of a worry right? Again, simple jobs like oil change can be done by a decently skilled road side garage. Use them if you dont want to go to a service centre.

Also please note that air filters are scheduled to be changed every 10K kms. Its not good to stretch the replacement to 10K or 20K kms. Additionally, I suggest air filter cleaning to be done every 5K kms. It can pick up a lot of dust in Diesel swifts & can lower performance & fuel efficiency. I get it cleaned every 3K kms.

Last edited by swiftnfurious : 12th January 2013 at 11:10.
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Old 12th January 2013, 22:01   #1744
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re: Maruti Swift : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shome View Post
Difference = Rs 14000 and this will only increase as I expect the cost of synthetics to increase faster and I see the gap getting wider.

Will selling a car run only on synthetic earn you an extra Rs 14000+? I don't think so since Maruti themselves have now said that mineral oil will also do, so synthetic is not really a necessity.

I feel mineral oil should do, I am going to change mine to mineral at the 20k service, I'm at 18000 km now.
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Yes, but oil replacement should be done twice if one is on mineral.
Quote:
Originally Posted by swiftnfurious View Post
Do NOT use synthetic oil if you stick to 10K interval! Mineral oil suffices for that. If you are using synthetic oil, push the schedule to 15K max. That's what is recommended by Fiat.

Instead of synthetic, I would rather stick to mineral oil & change it every 5K kms if I want to pamper my car. And still save some bucks.
Thanks for all this info. I guess sticking to mineral with a 10k or a slight earlier oil change should be good with a new oil filter everytime. Even with a 5k change with mineral will turn our cheaper than synthetic.

now the second question. do i stick to mass provided mineral oil or try something like shell hx5 which has been highly recommended on the forum.

How much does swift drink? i dont want to buy oil outside and then have some spare to keep at home for another year.
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Old 12th January 2013, 23:09   #1745
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Originally Posted by funkyp View Post
...now the second question. do i stick to mass provided mineral oil or try something like shell hx5 which has been highly recommended on the forum.

How much does swift drink? i dont want to buy oil outside and then have some spare to keep at home for another year.
Anything is fine. I take what the MASS gives. You can buy what you want & give them too.

Diesel swift takes 3.1L of oil.
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Old 13th January 2013, 11:02   #1746
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Got the the third service done on my ZDi last week. My car has done only 7200 km. Had got the oil changed at 6K km (first change at 1K) and so oil was not changed this time. I have been using mineral oil. The service guys were insisting that I switch to synthetic. They even went to the extent of claiming that they do not have mineral oil for the diesel Swift. After talking to some guys higher up, I could manage to convince them to fill in mineral oil.

I have been following the 5K interval for mineral oil change as opposed to 10K that synthetic oil is supposed to be good for. I don't see the point in spending 4X for synthetic oil if I can change the oil every 5K km. The dealership always tries their best to force synthetic oil on us.

I got wheel balancing/alignment, tyre rotation and 3M wax coating done on the car during the third service. Not sure if alignment/balancing was required.

My right side ORVM used to make a creaking noise while opening and folding. I pointed this out and have been promised a free replacement (did not expect this). Lets see if they honor it.

I have also noticed uneven panel gap at the junction of the C pillar and section where the parcel shelf meets the the C pillar. Pointed this out to the MASS but they could not fix it. The service advisor showed me another Swift which also had the same uneven panel gap. Sorry I don't have pictures to illustrate my point but would like to know if any of you see the same in your cars. I am referring to the C pillar on the right hand side. The plastic panel has popped out by few mm and does not sit in place even if I try to force it in.

Last edited by fuel_addict : 13th January 2013 at 11:06.
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Old 13th January 2013, 11:26   #1747
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The point is most of us have extended warranty on the swifts and god forbid anything goes wrong with the mechanical part of the engine these dealers will put the blame on us that it was due to the mineral oil and that warranty cannot be given in such instance. Of late there are quite a few people who are switching to mineral oil we only hope that we are not going against the maruti recommendation of synthetic oil which may void the warranty! I guess am too going to change to mineral oil during the 3rd free service. Has any chennai bhpian changed to mineral oil with dealer "Cars India" for their swift and had any problems with the dealer for getting this done?
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Old 13th January 2013, 12:01   #1748
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re: Maruti Swift : Test Drive & Review

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Originally Posted by zwift1819 View Post
The point is most of us have extended warranty on the swifts and god forbid anything goes wrong with the mechanical part of the engine these dealers will put the blame on us that it was due to the mineral oil and that warranty cannot be given in such instance. Of late there are quite a few people who are switching to mineral oil we only hope that we are not going against the maruti recommendation of synthetic oil which may void the warranty! I guess am too going to change to mineral oil during the 3rd free service
A couple of pages back in this thread, I was told that Maruti has approved the use of mineral oil if owners insist in an attempt keep the service costs low. Apparently, there is an official confirmation from Maruti as well. I don't think warranty will be void in this case.
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Old 13th January 2013, 13:04   #1749
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re: Maruti Swift : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shome View Post
A couple of pages back in this thread, I was told that Maruti has approved the use of mineral oil if owners insist in an attempt keep the service costs low. Apparently, there is an official confirmation from Maruti as well. I don't think warranty will be void in this case.
Please note that the official confirmation shared in this forum is limited to vehicles upto a VIN. Picture is hazy for vehicles after the stated VIN - I wrote to Maruti some time back, but no confirmation on this yet. So, we can't be sure of this.

Personally, I would like to play it safe, because I have claimed warranty on my earlier ride (Fortuitously, this happened either on the penultimate or last date of extended warranty in a Hyundai! That Hyundai might have intentionally stalled in order to get the warranty expired is another sad story and is OT).
The amount saved such a fix can potentially be far far higher than the projected amount one would save, especially since we've paid up for the warranty.
Of course then there is that remote possibility that the engine "really" needs the synthetic.
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Old 13th January 2013, 13:52   #1750
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re: Maruti Swift : Test Drive & Review

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As I understood from my SA during my last service, synthetic is optional now, regardless of the VIN. There was a service circular mandating synthetic oil for cars after a certain VIN number, but the policy was backed out later due to fear of complaints that the service cost for swift is too high.

What brand of synthetic oil do the MASS use? Can we carry our own oil when going for service?
Quote:
Originally Posted by swiftnfurious View Post
Should be 3.1L for 1.3L MJD. Please check again. Otherwise there is a mistake.



Shome, I believe the communication on synthetic being optional was given in this very thread. The SAs decline it as they make more money on it. They might also have huge stock. Please bear in mind that if you plan to change it to mineral, do it ASAP & also make sure to flush the engine before converting to mineral.
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Please note that the official confirmation shared in this forum is limited to vehicles upto a VIN. Picture is hazy for vehicles after the stated VIN - I wrote to Maruti some time back, but no confirmation on this yet. So, we can't be sure of this.

Personally, I would like to play it safe, because I have claimed warranty on my earlier ride (Fortuitously, this happened either on the penultimate or last date of extended warranty in a Hyundai! That Hyundai might have intentionally stalled in order to get the warranty expired is another sad story and is OT).
The amount saved such a fix can potentially be far far higher than the projected amount one would save, especially since we've paid up for the warranty.
Of course then there is that remote possibility that the engine "really" needs the synthetic.
Quoting a couple of posts previously made on this thread. I was of the opinion that synthetics were mandatory. That the SAs are agreeing to mineral and also the performance of the other swift in my family makes me feel that mineral oil should do. No SAs have ever spoken about warranty being void. Its better for everyone to confirm once before they switch

Nothing in the engine has changed after the VIN. Just that Fiat insists on synthetics for the Punto and I feel the need to make more money by MASS. Finally it's upto the owner. Personally, I don't think engine parts will get damaged due to mineral oil as long as you change it at regular intervals. Note that the quality of mineral oil has improved vastly since the last century.

Even my Fluidic verna uses Hyundai approved mineral.
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Old 19th January 2013, 16:09   #1751
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re: Maruti Swift : Test Drive & Review

New Swift launched in Indonesia. Boasts of 1.4 l K-series engine and rear disc brakes.
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Old 25th January 2013, 11:03   #1752
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re: Maruti Swift : Test Drive & Review

Got the third service done at 9950 kms at MSM Chennai for my ZDI. MSM confirmed that synthetic is not mandatory though Maruti recommend synthetic for better performance. Gave the car at 11:30 am and they delivered the car back at 4:30 PM at my office (near to MSM). Things done were oil change, oil filter change, wiper fluid addition, brake pad cleaning, condenser cleaning, inter cooler cleaning, air filter cleaning. Strangely the air filter replacement frequency for the new swift diesel is 20k. I told the SA to check the filters and replace them if needed but he said they were pretty clean.

MSM offers annual maintenance packages in the name of Gold plus, gold, Silver and bronze. With gold plus they offer unlimited water washes +dry cleaning, waiver on 500 rs minimum cost on insurance, wiper blades replacement, labour work on clutch, suspension, break pad cleaning, 9 point services anytime, wheel alignment and balancing anytime, priority queue, experienced SA +tech team and consumables, free pick up and drop etc.for the one year or 10k kms. The cost for ZDI was 7.8k for synthetic and Rs 7.2K if mineral with 20k service not covered.

I went for the package with synthetic this time as typically all my friends have recovered the cost the paid but later thought that I could have avoided the package and stuck to regular service with mineral oil which I am planning to do it at every 10k. The mineral spec per them is 10W40.

Last edited by Sridhar K : 25th January 2013 at 11:04.
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Old 25th January 2013, 12:48   #1753
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re: Maruti Swift : Test Drive & Review

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Got the third service done at 9950 kms at MSM Chennai for my ZDI. MSM confirmed that synthetic is not mandatory though Maruti recommend synthetic for better performance. Gave the car at 11:30 am and they delivered the car back at 4:30 PM at my office (near to MSM). Things done were oil change, oil filter change, wiper fluid addition, brake pad cleaning, condenser cleaning, inter cooler cleaning, air filter cleaning. Strangely the air filter replacement frequency for the new swift diesel is 20k. I told the SA to check the filters and replace them if needed but he said they were pretty clean.
An intercooler cleaning was done? Just curious to know if the IC was opened or how was it cleaned? I have not heard of this earlier and that too at 10k.
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Old 25th January 2013, 13:20   #1754
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re: Maruti Swift : Test Drive & Review

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An intercooler cleaning was done? Just curious to know if the IC was opened or how was it cleaned? I have not heard of this earlier and that too at 10k.
It was not scheduled in the service but something I requested based on feedback from another bhpian swiftnfurious who had mentioned on this thread that it helps reduce the smoke that comes during rapid acceleration as oil gets deposited in the intercooler with MASS overfilling oil.
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Old 25th January 2013, 22:54   #1755
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re: Maruti Swift : Test Drive & Review

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An intercooler cleaning was done? Just curious to know if the IC was opened or how was it cleaned? I have not heard of this earlier and that too at 10k.
I have specified the steps in one of the posts. Let me see if I can dig it for you! FYI, this is NOT a regular maintenance stuff. You need to do it ONLY if you have smoke problems / low pick up. But can be done once in a while to pamper your car!

Edit:: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post2726916

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sridhar K View Post
It was not scheduled in the service but something I requested based on feedback from another bhpian swiftnfurious who had mentioned on this thread that it helps reduce the smoke that comes during rapid acceleration as oil gets deposited in the intercooler with MASS overfilling oil.
Hey, did you have any of the issues I mentioned? How much did they charge for it?

Last edited by swiftnfurious : 25th January 2013 at 23:04. Reason: Adding link in the "Edit" line
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