[JoshuaS]

Hello, the ABS warning light on my 2013 Asta (P) has just lit up on the dashboard (whilst driving). I've read some articles on Team-BHP and the internet to try and diagnose what could be wrong and unfortunately I'm unable to sort it out myself.

So, I have a couple of questions:

1. What could be the worst case scenario (monetarily) to get this sorted? and
2. Has anyone been to Bharat Auto Associates in Worli, Mumbai? Any reviews? I can't seem to find anything about them review-wise here. Except for the one where they sorted the Skoda for a fraction of the cost quoted by the authorized service centre.

[sidpunjabi]

Originally Posted by JoshuaS

1. What could be the worst case scenario (monetarily) to get this sorted?

It's difficult to give a straight answer without a proper diagnosis. Worst case scenario is that the entire ABS system will need to be replaced - Rs. 48k (ex-labour) as per 99rpm.com

i20 1.2 ABS Assembly

But, many garages have tie-ups with auto-parts dealers so you may get it cheaper too.

Did you give the car for service recently? This recently happened with my dad's X-cent as well, when he was driving it home after the 2nd free service. He went back to them instantly since it was under warranty. Turned out that the technician didn't re-connect 1 of the wires correctly which resulted in the fault code showing up.

[JoshuaS]

Thank you once again, sidpunjabi

I do hope it doesn't cost anywhere close to 48K. I'm going to get it looked at tomorrow and my fingers are crossed.

No, I haven't done a service in a while (the car is due one now). I did go over a pretty high speed breaker and something on the bottom scraped the breaker and it was quite soon after, that the warning light came on.

[sidpunjabi]

Always happy to help out a fellow bhp-ian.

Originally Posted by JoshuaS

I did go over a pretty high speed breaker and something on the bottom scraped the breaker and it was quite soon after, that the warning light came on.

Aaah, I guess that would explain it then. Probably a wire / connection may have come lose from the impact, so monetarily - it may not be that much. But, it shouldn't have happened in the 1st place so do get the housings and holders checked as well.

[JoshuaS]

Originally Posted by sidpunjabi

Always happy to help out a fellow bhp-ian.

Aaah, I guess that would explain it then. Probably a wire / connection may have come lose from the impact, so monetarily - it may not be that much. But, it shouldn't have happened in the 1st place so do get the housings and holders checked as well.

Thanks, Sidpunjabi!

The car is currently in the workshop. There was an error code stating something about there being an issue with the LH rear wheel. That's being checked now. So far the cost with the wheel/brake overhaul and including the scanning is around 5K. Let's hope it stays at that

[sidpunjabi]

Originally Posted by JoshuaS

Thanks, Sidpunjabi!

The car is currently in the workshop. There was an error code stating something about there being an issue with the LH rear wheel. That's being checked now. So far the cost with the wheel/brake overhaul and including the scanning is around 5K. Let's hope it stays at that

Great. Which workshop did you give your car to finally?

[JoshuaS]

Originally Posted by sidpunjabi

Great. Which workshop did you give your car to finally?

I've given it to Bharat Auto Associates in Worli, Mumbai. They are an authorized Hyundai Service centre.

[TT-S]

Hi fellow team members, this is my first post even though I have been a member on Team-bhp for more than 2 years now. Please excuse any deficiencies with this post. Mods, please move this post to appropriate section if this is not the right one.


I am facing a strange electrical issue with my car, since last 2 weeks and I am unable to pinpoint the reason. It will be very helpful to know the opinion of forum members before taking her to the service center.


Background:
I have a i20 1.2 Asta (2010 April make) which I have been using as daily driver. The car has completed 8.5 years and 129,000 Kms till date without any major issues or breakdowns. The car is mostly in stock condition - only electrical accessory fitted to it is a reverse parking sensor with a mirror mounted digital distance gauge (Everything else on the car is stock/OEM supplied till date). I had a mobile charger (Aukey 2-port) plugged into the power socket but had promptly removed it after the first occurrence of the issue.




Problem:
Two weeks back, while returning to Trivandrum (~150KM trip), the car seemed to lose electrical power - The Audio was on but it was cutting out every time I flashed headlights. I also noticed that the central display showing trip data is also dimming considerably when I do this. I switched on headlights (high and low beam), fogs and everything looked to work okay. It was only when there was some sudden power usage (like flashing the head lights), did the electricals dimmed. I noticed that sometimes the indicators on the dashboard also lit up for a few seconds and went away after I started revving above 1000 RPM. Towards the end of the journey, it got worse when using steering fully turned at stand still - The dashboard lights came on, there was a hardness felt on the steering momentarily, but I did not manage to stall the engine. After increasing revs and moving away, the dashboard lights went away and steering worked normally.


Initially I suspected the battery. After reaching Trivandrum, I took the car to the Amaron dealer from which I installed the battery - They checked specific gravity of electrolyte, cranking voltage drop and resting voltage - to give it a clean bill of health. I have an ELM327 based OBD adapter which is hooked up with the car - and saw that the battery resting voltage is at 12.3V. With engine started, it goes up to 14.4 (readings are from the adapter reported values and not PID values from ECU). Also no errors were logged by the ECU upon scanning.


I tried to run the car a bit in the city and observe the behavior further before handing it over to the HASS. There were a few more incidents - once involved a hard braking scenario when the dashboard lights (all of them I think) came on and went away as I revved above 1000 rpm again. Then there was another instance while reversing the car - This time not only the lights on dash came on, the engine stalled. However, the car started without any hesitation on first crank and it was normal again.


Suspected causes:


Bad alternator: The reason to suspect the alternator is the small flicker/rippling seen on the headlights when car is idle. The Trip meter also is seen dimming in sync with the idle rpm. This goes away when going above 1000 RPM though, but this flickering is observed since last 3 years.


Bad connections/rat bites: Highly unlikely, I rarely park my car outside the compound – or in places where there could be rodents. While at the battery dealer, the connection points were verified to be properly tightened.


Faulty ignition switch: This is a common issue reported by many owners having 2008-2013 model i20s, and I am also facing the issue since the past 4 years. The problem is that the key would not click into place fully/properly in the accessory position. I have been working around this issue by turning the key straight away into the fully 'ON' position. Also at times, the rpm, fuel needles were stuck when turning the key back to accessory position, when switching off engine.


Is there anything that I can check further, before handing over the car to the service center?


PS. Apologies for the long post - I wanted to list out every detail that could help with troubleshooting.

[Pratyush2407]

Hey Guys! This is my first ownership thread so please forgive me for my rather unprofessional write up on the car. Also, since I turned 18 just 2-3 weeks ago, I cant elaborate in detail about the drive. Have taken reference from my dad and the limited time I have driven the car on private roads.

I am posting this ownership review for 2 reasons-

1)I feel this car is perfect for buyers looking to buy a second-hand car for 2-3 lakh rupees in the market and this will hopefully be a good reference for them

2)Not sure how much longer we are going to keep the car, so as a memory that I can look back at from the future. After-all it is the car I learned/am learning how to drive on!

Prelude

Our aging 2002 Fiat Palio 1.2 had started degrading. Don’t get me wrong, the car was still in working condition but everything from the efficiency of the AC to the smoothness(ironical) of the rather notchy gearbox to the hard clutch, worn out suspension started to bother my father and he was in no mood to spend money getting the countless problems fixed more so he was tired of the poor part support for the car so the hunt for a new car began in mid-2009.

The basic requirement of the new car was to take my dad from home to office and back. That’s it. We had a 2006 Honda City ZX that was for everything else. The chauffeur used to drive the Honda City and my mom would drive it in his absence. My dad seldom drove that car so the replacement for the Palio was completely left to his preference.

His requirements for the new car were -
1. It had to be a Compact size.
2. It had to have light Controls
3. It had to be comfortable, airy to sit in with modern interiors and exteriors
4. Had to be a petrol engine (Dad hates Diesels)
5. Engine had to be smooth and tractable.
6. The car had to have a quality feel.
7. The car has to be Red (He said he’s always wanted a Red Car.)

He did not care about the features of the car s long as it had a power steering, power windows, Ac and a music player with a disc changer. Fuel efficiency was also not a criteria as such due to his low running. He also did not keep a fixed budget, I just remember him saying “I want the best bang for my buck”.

Cars Considered

Fiat Punto-
Having had a Fiat in the family for decades now in one form or the other, this was the first option we looked at. The car had recently been launched and the showroom at Prabhadevi was packed with people to see the car. We all were very impressed with the exteriors of the car and my grandfather was particularly happy that Fiat had retained the solid build quality. Understandable since the Palio was his choice to begin with. All this excitement about the car vanished once we sat inside. The colour combination of the interiors were very drab and my dad was not impressed with the layout of the interior. The rear seat did not matter much but this was just too cramped for anyone to sit. The space in the boot did not help either. Due to the crowd at the showroom, our SA told informed us that we had to wait for half an hour for a test-drive. At that moment, we just walked out. Now when I think of it, notwithstanding how dynamically capable the Punto is, my dad would have not liked it anyway due to its heavy controls and cumbersome to drive nature in the city.

Honda Jazz-
Being extremely satisfied with our 2006 Honda City ZX, not only with the product but also with the service, we landed at the Honda showroom at Prabhadevi to check the newly launched Jazz. All of us fell in love with the product. The space, the interiors, the boot. This car had everything going for it except- THE PRICE. The car was costing about 7.5lakhs to 8 lakhs if I remember correctly. Although my Dad did not have a fixed budget, he could not fathom spending that amount on a Hatchback. He said the typical line “ If I am spending this much only, why don’t I buy another sedan like the Honda City only” .
Although initially the price was a shocker, later my dad came to terms with it and decided if he finds nothing else, he would straight away go and buy it because he loved the product and trusted the Brand Honda so much thanks to our stellar experience.

Maruti Swift and Ritz
Like any other Indian family, we went to Vitesse at Worli to check out the Maruti stable. Both the cars were flat out rejected in 10 minutes. One look at the back of the Ritz and my dad walked away. We did take a test-drive of the swift but apart from the drive, my dad hated everything else. Only plus point was it was competitively priced.

Volkswagen Polo
The polo had just been launched in India and my dad fell in love. That bride red colour, heavy build quality that he is used to yet reasonably light controls just worked for him. He was ok with the size of the boot and lack of space in the backseat looking at the rest of the car and more than that, he was the one that said “If I get this, it will be the 1.6 not the 1.2” Knowing what a bomb a 1.6 would be in a hatchback I was ecstatic. My dad got the whole family to see the car and was ready to hand over the booking amount when the SA backtracked on his words and told my dad he can only deliver by April 2010.
By the time we looked at the Polo, it was already Feb 2010 and my dad needed delivery by March 16. Why? We were shifting into our new house, a house that was finally going to be finished after 4 years of searching and getting the interiors done up. Due to this my dad was very particular of the delivery date being 16th March. My grandfather and I tried persuading him but to no avail, his mind was fixed. So, with a heavy heart, we moved on.

Hyundai I20
When we entered the showroom at Prabhadevi and saw the car for the first time, everyone fell in love with the car except me. They loved the space the car offered compared to other hatchbacks(the palio had more space) and my dad loved the interiors and the light controls. This car ticked every single criteria he had. The car was almost decided only till my dad saw my sulking face. He understood I did not like the car especially in the Magna variant he was interested in. He decided to sleep over his decision before giving the check so we left for home just when we passed the Skoda showroom and things changed from there.

Skoda Fabia
My dad wanted to check this car out only because of me, and boy did this car impress me. It fulfilled every criteria and more so with the Pro’s of the Polo. I loved the car and tried my best to convince dad to give them a check straight away.

Toyota Innova-
This car is the complete opposite from the criteria and everyone in the family wanted one. Therefore, my dad did consider the car thinking he will the drive the City and the Chauffeur can drive this but later dropped the idea as he needed a hatchback due to the parking problems at his office at kala ghoda.

The final contenders were the I20 and the Fabia.
My dad realised that I really really really liked the Fabia and just for that reason, although I was just a 9 year old kid, knowing the petrolhead I was he was ready to buy that car. Thankfully better sense prevailed in me and I realised that Dad really liked the i20 and was only going for the Fabia because of me. The next morning before I left for school, I told my dad that I would be happy with the i20 and if that’s what he wants to go ahead with that (As if he needed my permission).

There were three variants- Magna, Asta and Asta(0). Magna Fulfilled all of my dad’s criteria and at that time he did not care about the additional safety features that the Asta variant boasted of.
So, it was done- A berry red i20 Magna Petrol was finalised.
We did not know a minor face-lift was just around the corner but I thank god we did not know that. Why? Because from the magna variant we were going to buy, they removed a number of features like adjustable rear head rest, split folding seat, cooled glove-box etc... The only upside would be the inclusion of automatic climate control.
The dealer had thrown in some cash discount, leatherette seat covers and floor mats as part of the deal. We also got the horn changed from the dealer to the Skoda type from the meek one present. The car had come with Apollo Acelere 175/70 R14 Steel wheels. The size seems apt for the class and usage of the car although the higher variants do come with wider 185/65 tyres.
The total amount paid was approx- 5.75 lakhs.
Delivery day was on 16th March, but I wasn’t THAT excited about the car. I liked the car but that was just it. I used to care about the City much more than this. I only realised the car’s true qualities (pun intended) after we replaced the City ZX with the 4th Gen City in early 2014. After finishing the pooja in our new home, we took delivery of the car, drove to a temple in Gamdevi and drove back.
My first proper drive i the car was the next morning when dad had to drop me to school. I loved that new car smell and was just really happy that I could finally play my songs in the car through the ipod. I remember happily listening to my aerosmith album when dad was lecturing me on how I should listen to "calm and peaceful" songs in the morning. It was a good day!

Coming to the car a little brief-
It has run about 70,000 thousand kilometers with 98% city usage. It has been to once to Lavasa, once to Surat and once to Matheran. That’s it.
Over the course of these 70,000 kilometers the engine and gearbox have not lost any smoothness, suspension has gotten a little weak, clutch assembly (clutch plate, fly wheel the whole hog) was replaced at 65 thousand kilometers, tires were changed at 60,000 kilometers and the car was serviced every 3 months. The battery lasted for 8 years and was replaced last year. All of the above was just routine maintenance. Apart from a rickety steering column and Ac coil that were changed in 2018 and 2017 respectively, the car has not required anything in its almost 9 years now.

Also, my “Base” variant car has -
An inbuilt stereo with 4 speakers + 2 teeters
60/40 split folding rear seat with adjustable headrest
Tilt and telescopic steering (something that is rare in budget segments even 9 years later)
Air- cooled glovebox
Boot lamp, rear defogger etc..
It is a pretty loaded car for a base variant and the only features I miss is a rear wiper and ABS, Airbags.

Coming to the likes and dislikes of the car-

Likes

Engine- It still feels the same even with 70,000 city kilometers in the clock

Light Controls- Everything from the light clutch to the smooth gearbox and
the lifeless steering.

Soft suspension- Super cushy ride till 30-40 kilometers per hour.

Good Mileage- Although we haven’t measured the mileage, the car gives us a better range than our Honda city which has a similar size fuel tank and returns 10 kmpl. Anything above 10 is good.
Sturdy Build- The car feels sturdy especially compared to its competition from Maruti and the like. It feels sturdier than my City for sure. Also, since my car is an export model that was given 5 starts, at least I know my structure will be stable in a crash

Feel good factor- The air-cooled glove-box that is also damped in its opening action, back lit window switches on all doors, zero exposed screw heads, tilt/telescopic steering are details that just add to the experience and feel good factor of the car. It also helps that there are zero rattles and the plastics have not aged one bit.

Dislikes

Engine- Although it is an extremely smooth engine, it is purely a commuter engine and booms too much if anything else is asked of it. I actually feel bad if I revv this engine up.

Suspension- Perfect till 30-40 kilometers per hour. Anything after that it is loud, crashy, floaty just bad. Handling is equally bad.

Noise Insulation- The sound insulation from the road noise is pretty poor (partly due to the Goodyear tires I’m using).

Safety- Lack of safety features in my variant. Lifeless steering does not help either.

Brakes- Does not have ABS/EBD and the brake pedal feels so spongy that panic braking is a scary experience.

Bhpian’s pls excuse the state of the exteriors of my car, it has been the beater car for the past 4 years with multiple chauffeurs with not the best sense driving this and 2 people learning to drive in this car. (Including me). The reason my dad is not getting any work done to the exteriors is because every time he gets something done to the car, someone scratches it even worse. Since this car is used as a beater car, he is not ready to touch the exteriors anymore although mechanically the car is immaculate.


The exterior of the car is very aesthetically pleasing and has more of a offend none design. The car looks good from all sides although the design on the back may divide opinions.


One of the door handles had broken off, got it replaced at a FNG but the new one has to be painted.


I find this the ugliest view of the car, don’t like it much.


Though she is injured from the battles on the Mumbai roads, her paint still shines even after almost 9 years


One of the best angles to look at the car from


The car has got a pretty spacious boot and has enough space to fit all the groceries needed for the week.


My cycle holder for the car had got damaged, so folded the seats down and transported the cycle.....split fold rear seats does come in handy in these situations.


Thankfully they weren’t cost-cutting at that time and did not skimp on basic features like the boot light and rear defogger


Hyundai had advertised this car based on it’s safety rating. This is the only part of the car which has shown signs of oxidation. My city on the other hand is another story altogether.

Moving to the Interiors


The dashboard has a functional layout that’s also aesthetically pleasing. The magna variant got the steering from the then i10. Keen observers will notice that there is a part missing on the left A pillar. The garage from where I got the AC compressor changed lost it so have to live with that eyesore.


Manual AC controls in the Magna variant. AC sometimes feel inadequate during peak summer afternoons but otherwise performs just fine.


Storage under the AC controls is perfect to store your wet wipes or you cigarette box. Notice the rubber stoppers to prevent the high quality thick lid from rattling.


Manual Controls for the side mirrors. More than electric adjustment, I miss automatic folding mirrors


AUX port along with a cigarette lighter. Unfortunately, although my socket works, the lighter itself for some reasons doesn’t heat up. Don’t care about it much though since the only person in the family who would use it is me.


High quality rubberized cigarette ash box was provided with the car. We use it as a dustbin.


Plain looking speedometer console. It lights up only when the parking lights/headlights are switched on. At least it has a good-ol temperature gauge.


Extremely spacious glove box that will accommodate everything.


It also has a cooling function and a separate tray for the cars handbook.


Non existent door pockets in the front


None in the rear.


Maximum and Minimum available leg room..


Also the seat is a little upright which I find uncomfortable during longer stints in the car. . Notice the car has a three-point seatbelt for the middle passenger too!


The engine of the car after it was back from a detailing session. Who doesn’t love a shiny engine bay!

All in all, I love this car!
The suspension is the only thing I really really dislike in the car. For what the car is, I feel everything else has been set-up correctly.
I have had a lot of firsts in this car and those memories will stay for life. This will always be a special car for me and I will be extremely sad to see her go. Earlier I had taken a rattle free experience in a budget car for granted but since we replaced my city ZX with a 4th Gen city, I really value the peace the car gives me when I'm travelling in it. These small things just make me love the car more and more as the days go by.

Well that’s about it! Please do share your experiences with the car if you have ever owned or experienced the first gen i20.

[sidpunjabi]

Originally Posted by TT-S

I am facing a strange electrical issue with my car........ the car seemed to lose electrical power ...... I switched on headlights (high and low beam), fogs and everything looked to work okay. It was only when there was some sudden power usage (like flashing the head lights), did the electricals dimmed........it got worse when using steering fully turned at stand still - The dashboard lights came on, there was a hardness felt on the steering momentarily,....the dashboard lights went away and steering worked normally.
...... Bad alternator: ..... Bad connections/rat bites:....... Is there anything that I can check further, before handing over the car to the service center?

Hey TT-S,

Did Hyundai solve this problem? What was the issue? Was it to do with the wiring or a fuse?

Originally Posted by Pratyush2407

Hey Guys! This is my first ownership thread so please forgive me for my rather unprofessional write up on the car.......
Well that’s about it! Please do share your experiences with the car if you have ever owned or experienced the first gen i20.

Excellent write up. !! The turbo-lag under 2000rpm makes the i20 a great car to navigate through Mumbai / Lower Parel's stop-start traffic.

While you may have to revv it on those Lonavala / Mahabaleshwar / Goa / Sea Link trips - don't worry about it, this car's engine was built to last.

[Pratyush2407]

Originally Posted by sidpunjabi

The turbo-lag under 2000rpm makes the i20 a great car to navigate through Mumbai / Lower Parel's stop-start traffic.

The dead engine under 2000rpm is great for sedate drivers, but if your aggressive and want to shoot for the traffic gaps, you really need to wring the engine out.

But, I do also enjoy redlining it in 2nd and 3rd gear on the Lalbagh flyover at odd times of the day. It's one of the few places in South/Central Mumbai, I feel, where one can have some fun without getting speeding tickets!

In other news, we're on the lookout for a replacement for the car. The suspension system along with engine mounts, brake rotors etc.. need to be changed and the maintenance in only going to increase with time. Hence, it does not make sense keeping the car for longer.

[sidpunjabi]

Originally Posted by Pratyush2407

The dead engine under 2000rpm is great for sedate drivers, but if your aggressive and want to shoot for the traffic gaps, you really need to wring the engine out.

Agreed. Usually, a quick down shift and a hard foot puts the car back in the power band.

Originally Posted by Pratyush2407

In other news, we're on the lookout for a replacement for the car.

Understandable. How far along are you on your search? Most of us are likely to be in this position soon, if not already, so do keep us updated.

[racer_ash]

Hi guys. I own a 2011 model i20 sportz petrol. Its a car that is very dear to me since its my first car and it has many memories associated with it.

Now I know this particular model had a facelift in 2012 and was replaced with the elite in 2014 or so

I want to keep the car as long as possible since its a fairly reliable car and more due to the atrocious pricing of current day cars.

My only worry is the situation wrt spare parts in the years to come. Realistically, how long is Hyundai going to keep stock of critical parts? And what is the situation after Hyundai washes off their hands?

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by racer_ash

atrocious pricing of current day cars.

My only worry is the situation wrt spare parts in the years to come....

Hyundai is pretty good in that respect. We had our Getz till 2018 and never have we worried about parts. Even the front passenger seatbelt was procured from the factory in about 3 days flat. We just drive the car without the passenger seatbelt while it came. (No one other than the driver was in the car)

Considering the i20 was far more popular, spares shouldn't be a problem till 2024. I'm guessing there's a law that spares need to circulated at least till 15 years after the latest model year. Realistically, you shouldn't need to worry at all until 2025.
Or you could also laterally upgrade

[haisaikat]

I thought the motor company needs to manufacture spares at least 10 years after phasing out of the model unless there is parts sharing advantage with other running models like Getz had with Verna. But from my experience the cost of spares although available is expensive with some spares costing twice as much as it was earlier because of scarcity, at least for the Getz. While it's true that i20 sold way more units than Getz this is something to be aware of at the back of the mind.