UPDATE: 10,000Kms, Race Dynamics, Kamyo Detailing. Here's a more detailed 10,000 km update. THE CAR- 11,400 km in 12 months
- 95% of this has been city driving.
- Other than the rims, tyres, and now the Race Dynamics DT Pro box, she's completely stock.
- FE when the car was new about a year ago was about 10 kpl in the city. FE now ranges between 12.5-13.5 in the city and about 15.5-16 on the highway.
- No part failures, breakdowns, or even a single squeak or rattle.
In about 11,000 km, I've really got nothing to complain about. The car's been immensely reliable, and I haven't had to make a single unscheduled visit to the service center.
So far, there's been two services not counting the 1500 km 'reassurance check' that they do. Oil was changed @ 10,000 km. So far I'm using GM's stock oil for the Cruze, I'll make the switch to my own synthetic oil choice when the next oil change is due.
The engine's gotten progressively smoother over time, and the gearshift's also become smoother as it does with all cars. She still doesn't feel completely 'run-in' though - I think that will probably happen in another 5,000 km or so. RACE DYNAMICS FOR THE WIN!
So I finally went ahead and got the Race Dynamics Dieseltronic Pro fitted after 10,000 km. She's a completely different animal with the box fitted. In P1 you feel the gain all the way to 140-160, but what's great is the fact that you can now also potter around at 25-30 kph in 3rd gear with very minimal turbo lag. The lag's definitely reduced which makes city driving a whole lot easier.
I toyed with the idea of waiting for the dual-channel box that Race Dynamics is coming out with soon, but based on some extremely good advice from Bhoj (the RD distributor in Bombay) I went ahead with the single channel.
FE's also gone up slightly with the RD box. The car's been on P1 ever since the box was fitted, and the economy's gone up from about 12.5 to about 13.5 kpl.
The only issue continues to be smoke under extreme acceleration. I'm going to give this a little bit of time and then see if a Green Cotton filter will help the car breathe better and stop the smoke under heavy throttle. KAMYO CAR DETAILING. One year in our polluted climes meant she was crying out for some detailing. I'm fortunate that I've got basement parking both at work and at home, but we still live in so much dust and pollution that the glossy black paint had lost a lot of it's shine.
I called Jehangir and scheduled a visit for the 'Super Detail', which includes exteriors, interiors and the engine bay. Jehangir arrived with his team of 5, and they worked from 9:30 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon. Every nook, cranny, and crevice of the car is now gleaming including those pesky spaces around and in between the various badges and logos. I cannot recommend Kamyo enough - they are absolutely outstanding. I'll let the pics speak for themselves (they're from a phone cam, sorry). See if you can spot the Race Dynamics box in the engine bay.
Last edited by ghostrider : 11th February 2013 at 12:50.
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