[audioholic]

A small update:
My security fellow found clear coat scratches on the front bumper while he was dusting the car for a wash. After the car came home from service, it jad not been moved, and this scratch was noticed the very next day by him. Innediatelt called up the driver and asked him what's up with these things. He replied that he will check the inventory and report back. No call for a day. Next day I rang up the SA.

Me: I got a few scratches on the bumper of my car, and the driver told he would get back and he did not.
SA: I will check the inventory and get back to you sir.
Me: Dont give me the same reason your driver gave yesterday. Cant you take care of a small car at least?
SA: I will check with the driver and get back sir.
Me: My dear man, if you don't pay attention to this issue before your lunch break, I will ensure hell breaks out loose. And I cut the phone.

This fellow was aware that I would escalate this matter seriously, just like how he got instructions for the blower, and promptly called.
"Sir, as per the job sheet inventory, there was a scratch on Front bumper LHS. It was there when we picked up your car" as if he pulled a big one on me. Dear SA, unfortunately I have got a scratch on the RHS of the front bumper, I replied. Nailed him. He asked me to visit the service center or he would send a driver for pickup. Denied both. Instructed him(not asked) to drop into my residence with whatever tools necessary and fix it up.

Today the customer care manager came home with a mechanic. As expected he came with some unbranded rubbing compound in a mountain dew bottle. The manager couldn't deny the fact. The mechanic did some rubbing. Part of it went. Part of it remained. He wanted to do paint touch up, to which I refused.

Then he asked me to get it to the workshop, where they would do brush touch up. I did not prefer it. However, I compemented their eagerness to sort out things. If they hadn't, I would have given a negative feedback in the follow up by Maruti, which will happen in a few days. Good that they sorted things before I got the call.

Frankly, the scratch was not such a huge one, but noticeable. However, I wanted them to be aware of such happenings and take care that such incidents wont repeat in the future. I am not sure where the damage happened, but it was done. I could have fixed the scratch myself, but still, now that the manager came to know, I think he will put up a warning to the workers. I told him the same thing too. After their work we shared some tea and biscuits and they left. But, I appreciate the after sales efforts done and such reasons seldom divert us from buying anpther maruti. At least they did not try to play a blame game or ignore me and my calls etc which have been reported by friends who have faced similar issues. Will give them a 9/10 this time too.

[audioholic]

The car covered 7700kms in one year of its ownership. So far, maybe or may not be due to the first service, there has been some improvements.

• The dead feeling below 2k RPM is now history. The car has tremendously improved its low end response and can pick up from 20kmph in third gear. Without AC, second and third gear are like an automatic. A light foot on the throttle will be enough to silently putter the engine.
• There were some coarseness and vibrations at idle, now gone.
• FE has become a consistent 13-14 in pure city driving with mixed AC usage.
• Pickup with AC has improved and not as bad as before.
• Touchwood, no rattles. Is it because the car interiors are left untouched? No ICE install and removal of panels or seats.

Some issues, temporary and permanent:

• AC is giving out stale smell initially after start. Ran the heater at full blast, but only temporary solution and the problem came back after a few days. Not finding a neutraliser. Removed blower but it was clean. Think the issue is with the condensor. Guess I will strip the dashboard when I find time.
• Low profile tyres are a concern on bad roads. One rim had a bend, fixed previously. More than the tyres, I am worried about the suspension.
• There is no protection to the oil sump or AC compressor.
• Radiator is prone to bends in the fins.
• Maruti got desperate about FE - Evident from the tall gearing. First is too short, and thats the end. Second onwards the gearing gets tall. This makes first gear mandatory on humps.

What the car is excellent at:
Space and seat travel - Very comfortable
Suspension - Comfort oriented setup, however not bouncy at high speeds compared to the i10.

[mooza]

Originally Posted by audioholic

The car covered 7700kms in one year of its ownership...The dead feeling below 2k RPM is now history.
What the car is excellent at:
Space and seat travel - Very comfortable
Suspension - Comfort oriented setup, however not bouncy at high speeds compared to the i10.

Nice and crisp review, @Audioholic.

I own the same colored Wagon R for 4 months now. Will try to post a few pics in my upcoming review. I am waiting to fix alloy wheels.

It's a brilliant car for city runabouts. Agree with you fully on the points regarding space and suspension. Have not tried it out on the highway yet, but your posts are confidence inspiring !

Wishing you a happy ownership

[audioholic]

18-Month Update:

Car has covered just more than 10k kms now and there is nothing much to update. The engine has good low end with AC off and with AC, it is a different story altogether. One design quirk I have noticed and reported before is the bad difference in first and second gear ratios. While first gear is quite short, second is on the taller side. This difference makes one revv quite a bit in first gear, in order to shift to second such that the engine lies above 1500 RPM in second gear. If we shift earlier, the car struggles in second gear, esp when AC is ON.

The car got leather seats and steering done at Ceralli, Bangalore and further details can be found here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/bangal...-new-post.html

That made a huge difference to the interiors of the car. It feels much premium now.

[ajaycv2k]

Hi Audioholic,
I would like to know if the Under Body Anti-Rust Coating is useful for Wagon R.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by audioholic

One design quirk I have noticed and reported before is the bad difference in first and second gear ratios. While first gear is quite short, second is on the taller side. This difference makes one revv quite a bit in first gear, in order to shift to second such that the engine lies above 1500 RPM in second gear. If we shift earlier, the car struggles in second gear, esp when AC is ON.

I personally feel that is not a design quirk. It is meant to be that way. In no car will you find a taller first gear but it is just a load gear to get the car moving post which you need to shift up and if you try up-shifting at 2000 rpm the second gear post the change would be around 1500 rpm.

Many cars do struggle if you up-shift earlier than needed with the AC ON. So it is best if you up-shift above 2000 rpm for a jerk free drive. This is what I have learnt on my WagonR.

Originally Posted by ajaycv2k

I would like to know if the Under Body Anti-Rust Coating is useful for Wagon R.

Under body rust coating is good for any car as it will help prolong the life and won't give way suddenly.

Anurag.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by ajaycv2k

Hi Audioholic,
I would like to know if the Under Body Anti-Rust Coating is useful for Wagon R.

How useful it is I am not technically sure. But I have it on both my cars and it is reassuring to have a layer of protection over the underbody. Unlike the teflon scam this is quite better as the product is somewhat permanent and thicker than a coat of sealant that is applied onto the painted areas. It is supposed to dampen some sound but since I have had them from day one on both my cars, I cant comment if that is really true.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

I personally feel that is not a design quirk. It is meant to be that way. In no car will you find a taller first gear but it is just a load gear to get the car moving post which you need to shift up and if you try up-shifting at 2000 rpm the second gear post the change would be around 1500.

Anurag.

Well I think you are speaking about the older wagonr. I am aware that first gear is to get the car moving and it cant get taller. However the second gear must be shorter given the low end of the engine is not so impressive. The change in RPM wont go as you say. If I upshift at 2k RPM I will end up way less than 1500Rpm in second gear. Usually I need to accelarate till 3k rpm in first gear to land into second gear at 2k rpm. This is the bad part. This makes first gear a bit jerky. In case you upshift earlier, it lands into second gear at around 1-1.2k rpm which is like the dead zone for the engine, especially if AC is ON or the car is loaded. Below 1k rpm is even miserable and hence the tall gearing is good only for high speeds. I dont slip the clutch so I shift gears to get the engine into its powerband.

Not to mention the crap gearshift. Need to send it for service this month so I have some issues to get sorted. First is that the gearbox refuses to slot into first gear even if the car is moving at a snails pace. Given that taking a hump on second leads to the engine being non responsive, shifting to first is a severe necessity(again no clutch slipping). For this I literally have to fight into the slot.

Second is that there is a slight leakage of brake fluid out of the MC between MC and booster.
Third is that headlamps are condensing water again. Last time they both were replaced. Not sure whether I should demand one more set. That will be looting MSIL

Rim is prone to bends so considering a set of alloys. Not finding simple designs as I dont like the shiny/sporty/black stuff. Need some OE kinda alloys.

[ajaycv2k]

Hi Audioholic,
Is it true that the colour of the car starts to fade after say 5 years of usage even though if it is a metallic colour?

[audioholic]

Paint never fades these days subject to the condition that you maintain it well. I will post a picture of both my cars. They both look as good as new even though I haven't taken exceptional care of it. My TLC for both cars goes like this:

1. Never washed without microfiber cloth.
2. Always hosed down the car. No scrubbing with a bucket of water
3. They are washed once in a week in the above way. No hurry burry wiping with dry cloth.
4. I use a water of little hardness. If you have hard water in your house then consider getting it washed outside.
5. Both cars get a coat of good wax once in two months or so. No other detailing outside except for a 3M trip once in two years or so.

From what I have seen, two main reasons why paint loses its shine is due to swirl marks and secondly due to use of hard water for cleaning. Hence if the above method is followed I doubt paint will ever "fade".

[ajaycv2k]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Paint never fades these days subject to the condition that you maintain it well. I will post a picture of both my cars. They both look as good as new even though I haven't taken exceptional care of it. My TLC for both cars goes like this:

1. Never washed without microfiber cloth.
2. Always hosed down the car. No scrubbing with a bucket of water
3. They are washed once in a week in the above way. No hurry burry wiping with dry cloth.
4. I use a water of little hardness. If you have hard water in your house then consider getting it washed outside.
5. Both cars get a coat of good wax once in two months or so. No other detailing outside except for a 3M trip once in two years or so.

From what I have seen, two main reasons why paint loses its shine is due to swirl marks and secondly due to use of hard water for cleaning. Hence if the above method is followed I doubt paint will ever "fade".

Thank you for the detailed reply. The dealer Kalyani Motors is offering a free teflon coat. I am not inclined to get a teflon coat because I read here at TBHP that it causes swirl marks. I told the SA about it and he is denying. I asked him to get a anti-rust paint coating but he is saying it is difficult as it costs more. If he says that he will give only teflon coat free...should I go for it as there will be no other alternative? Please suggest.

[audioholic]

Usually they use a rather good quality wax in the name of teflon coating as I have seen this being done in front of my eyes. Demand anti rust coating or rather force for one. But if still he wont budge then settle for this itself. If its being offered for free then dont refuse it. Regarding swirls there is not much to worry as that happens during buffing with a wool pad as far as I know. Nowadays at least the dealers use foam pads and apply the wax. Which is the colour??

[ajaycv2k]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Usually they use a rather good quality wax in the name of teflon coating as I have seen this being done in front of my eyes. Demand anti rust coating or rather force for one. But if still he wont budge then settle for this itself. If its being offered for free then dont refuse it. Regarding swirls there is not much to worry as that happens during buffing with a wool pad as far as I know. Nowadays at least the dealers use foam pads and apply the wax. Which is the colour??

Thank you. I will try to get an anti rust coating. We have selected the Breeze Blue color, the same as yours.

[ajaycv2k]

@audioholic - The SA is not giving me the exact percentage of tax for life time tax. Can you please let me know the percentage you had paid as life time tax?

[audioholic]

IIRC it is 13% of the ex showroom price plus 10% cess on the 13% which makes it roughly 14.5%. Not sure as I had first paid annual tax and then after a year I paid the LTT and hence I am not sure of the exact amount. It was around 65k I think.

The tax percentage will be mentioned in the price list. If you need an exact quote I shall get in touch with someone i know.

[ajaycv2k]

Originally Posted by audioholic

IIRC it is 13% of the ex showroom price plus 10% cess on the 13% which makes it roughly 14.5%. Not sure as I had first paid annual tax and then after a year I paid the LTT and hence I am not sure of the exact amount. It was around 65k I think.

The tax percentage will be mentioned in the price list. If you need an exact quote I shall get in touch with someone i know.

Thanks for the info.14.5% is approximately right because it matches the amount quoted for registration in the price list.