[Mister_M]

Originally Posted by su1978

Congrats on your new buy. Truly said, "A Car says a lot about a personz character" . Your beauty really looks amazing in white with Beige interiors. Moreover you have really decorated the interiors well. They look really cute. Last year in september 2011, When i was planning to upgrade from my spark, did a test drive of Liva. But somehow was not attracted towards the interiors. They seemed very dull and lifeless. Bought White Ritz diesel VDI instead.

Secondly diesel version of Liva was not launched by Toyota at that time. Could you please confirm the mileage that you are getting out of your white beauty.

Thanks su1978. White & Beige is really a good combination for this car, maintenance is getting difficult though! I do have a chap who cleans my car daily, still I see that the effort he has to invest each day for keeping this color-combination clean is at a higher end. Nevertheless, each penny & effort spent on it is totally worth it and we are enjoying the ownership of this car to the core!

I have done only around 450 kms and still is on my first tank-full (4 bars are still showing up). Next week I will be on my first long-drive in this car. After this, I shall post some reasonable FE figures.

------
Just an update: The reverse camera is not fixed yet. Trying hard to find some time for it. Hopefully I get this job done before this week so that I have this feature up-and-running during my first long drive

[pradkumar]

Belated congrats! Looks good in white.

I love the radiator protection bar or the dog hit bar. Very few new cars come with this. I know the value of this as I have had a dog hit on my car on a desolate stretch of the Mangalore highway around 9PM with the wife and two small kids some years back, and luckily it was on the left side with negligible damage.

Pradeep

Originally Posted by Mister_M

Pictures Continued, for your viewing pleasure...

Cheers!!
M

[Mister_M]

Originally Posted by pradkumar

Belated congrats! Looks good in white.

I love the radiator protection bar or the dog hit bar. Very few new cars come with this. I know the value of this as I have had a dog hit on a desolate Mangalore highway at 8PM and luckily it was on the left side with negligible damage.

Pradeep

Love the way you named it, "the dog-hit bar". I never thought about this kind of usage / purpose for it. Thanks for sharing your experience mate.

Cheers!!
M

[Mister_M]

Friends, finally got my reverse camera fitted from a dealer in HSR Layout (the one nead BDA).

Options that are widely found:
1. WorldTech (regular / night-vision (with LEDs) - around 1700 with no warranty / guarentee. Negotiated price 1400 including fitting charges.
2. Torq (an approved brand used by many car-makers) - around 2400 with 1 year replacement guarentee. Negotiated price 2200 including fitting charges.
3. XYNOS (Another famous one in the market) - around 2400 with 1 year service warranty. Negotiated price 2200 including fitting charges.

I chose the TORQ as this is an approved brand by many car-makers + 1 year replacement warranty is available.

The irony is, to get a "fresh piece", the dealer made me wait for around 2 hours. He said - "sir, the fresh piece will come in 30 mins - before which - we can get the other things ready". I agreed and they first drilled the hole on the bumper (job was neat though!), removed the ICE HU, opened up the carpet areas where wire-lining is required and started to wait! I couldn't leave in this state and was literally "made" to wait until the fresh piece arrived 2 hours later.

Finally after the box came and the overall job quality was OK (acceptable to an extent). When the reverse gear is engaged, the camera starts immediately on the HU without delays. Wide-angle, water proof, acceptable clarity for nights - all OK & overall I am happy for choosing it.

Nevertheless - there is an option called "Rear View - ON/OFF" in the DDIN 2490 BT Touch-screen home. When I turn this "ON", the camera is not getting activated for a "Live-streaming". I was told by their "lead-technician" (who claims that he has worked as a lead in Tata Concorde too) that only one of these set-ups is possible. i.e. either reverse gear engagement or live streaming (NOT BOTH). Is this true guys? Any inputs here? Is there any way to make both these modes functional without tampering OE wires?
I paid him 200 Rupees less stating this un-finished work and if he finds a solution, he can get this 200 paid later. Else, I would find another dealer to fix this at this price (normally people charge between 100 to 200 for such work).

P.S. No pictures clicked on this topic yet. Will try to do it and update shortly.

Cheers!!
M

[mohan41]

Originally Posted by pradkumar

Belated congrats! Looks good in white.

I love the radiator protection bar or the dog hit bar. Very few new cars come with this. I know the value of this as I have had a dog hit on my car on a desolate stretch of the Mangalore highway around 9PM with the wife and two small kids some years back, and luckily it was on the left side with negligible damage.

Pradeep

Originally Posted by Mister_M

Love the way you named it, "the dog-hit bar". I never thought about this kind of usage / purpose for it. Thanks for sharing your experience mate.

Cheers!!
M

Radiator protector bar is indeed a very useful component. Could you please point out this in the pics? I couldn't notice it.

Are any aftermarket protectors available for car radiators?

[pradkumar]

The second last picture on post #17 on this thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2925886

Pradeep

Originally Posted by mohan41

Radiator protector bar is indeed a very useful component. Could you please point out this in the pics? I couldn't notice it.

Are any aftermarket protectors available for car radiators?

[nkrishnap]

How much did the Pioneer BT2490 cost you. Sorry I might have missed reading that in your earlier posts.

[Mister_M]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

How much did the Pioneer BT2490 cost you. Sorry I might have missed reading that in your earlier posts.

After haggling quite a lot in different shops at various locations in Bangalore starting from INR 24800, finalised this one at INR 19,200 at JC Road. This one is a Fresh Box piece, with bill and with warranty card. Just for your reference, I saw the same piece for INR 23,500 at HSR Reliance Auto Zone a couple of weeks back. So negotiate to the core is the key here

Another good feature in this HU is that, one can select the display light and buttons illumination color tones from a color-array. My 3 years old Son chooses his favorite color-tone every second day (presently it is light purple). A light beige/grayish white shade (that suits my interiors) is my personal favorite though!

Cheers!
M

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by Mister_M

After haggling quite a lot in different shops at various locations in Bangalore starting from INR 24800, finalised this one at INR 19,200 at JC Road. This one is a Fresh Box piece, with bill and with warranty card. Just for your reference, I saw the same piece for INR 23,500 at HSR Reliance Auto Zone a couple of weeks back. So negotiate to the core is the key here

Another good feature in this HU is that, one can select the display light and buttons illumination color tones from a color-array. My 3 years old Son chooses his favorite color-tone every second day (presently it is light purple). A light beige/grayish white shade (that suits my interiors) is my personal favorite though!

Cheers!
M

One of my friends wanted this for the Sunny. So wanted to check with you to know the ball park price, as you know the price starts from MRP and then to negotiate to reduce it.

Will keep you posted on the quotes I get, else will need your help in sourcing one.

Thanks in advance.

[Mister_M]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

One of my friends wanted this for the Sunny. So wanted to check with you to know the ball park price, as you know the price starts from MRP and then to negotiate to reduce it.

Will keep you posted on the quotes I get, else will need your help in sourcing one.

Thanks in advance.

Good Luck nKrishnap . If you don't get similar or even better pricing, I can PM you the dealer details where I have purchased in JC Road. You can refer to my deal and possibly demand for a similar buy there.

And Sorry, I don't remember the Shop's name now.

---------
By the Way, my 1st Free Service (at 1022 kms) is finished last week during my first long drive. I shall post a brief experience about the complete trip and service experience shortly.

Cheers!
M

[Mister_M]

1st Free Service at 1022 kms:

I had been on a slightly long drive last week and have covered my 1st FREE Service (at odo reading: 1022 kms at Anamallais Toyota, Coimbatore on 25th October 2012; 9:30 AM slot) during this trip and my experience goes like this:

** No pictures of the car were taken during this trip / during the service. Sorry for this guys, nevertheless - I shall try to narrate the complete experience briefly here.

Trip Route: Bangalore - Salem (200 kms) - Palani (200 kms) - Coimbatore (130 kms + 150 local kms) - Salem (175 kms + 50 local kms) - Tiruchengode (45 kms including a short hill-drive) - Salem (45 kms + 70 local kms) - Bangalore (200 kms in heavy traffic).

Total drive: 1265 kms

No of days: 5

Total Fuel re-fill: 32 + 36 = 68 liters of Diesel (Tank-Full to Tank-Full calculated at the Starting point, Bangalore). I always stop re-filling at the "Auto-cut off" point.

Fuel Efficiency (55% Highways (~705 kms with considerably dense traffic at most of the times) & 45% City / Town roads (~560 kms) mostly B2B drives & heavy standing Traffic scenarios): 18.6 kmpl

Average Speed Range maintained: 90 - 110 kmph, (with absolutely NO rash driving / excessive engine squeeze)

Tyre pressure: 32 psi Nitrogen in all 5 wheels

A/C Usage: 100% at fan speed 1 (mostly) / 2 (ocassionally).

Incidents en-route:
1. A dog jumped from the median on the Driver-side Bumper when we were driving 80 - 90 kmph at Salem-Namakkal highway. There was a slight damage on the bumper; The plastic Liner (the semi-circle plastic part above the tyre) was completely torn-off though; The car was absolutely stable - fully under control. I pulled-over by the side service-lane and called the Toyota road-side assistance call center (6:00 AM) to which they promptly responded. They had confirmed that it is absolutely safe to drive further without this Liner, which could be fixed during my planned service at Coimbatore the next day. Total Damage to pocket: INR 1600
<<INR 1000 for the B2B Insurance (this is a fixed amount that needs to be paid for each claim) + INR 600 for the Mud-Flaps (accessories are not covered by Insurance) against a total bill of ~INR 11000 (Bumper, Mud Flaps & the Plastic Liner replacement) where the rest was fully claimed under Chola MS insurance with no hassles.>>

2. A Screw found on the rear-Left tyre pattern (seemed like a Puncture). No Tyre-Pressure reduced, still didnot want to take a chance and changed to the Spare-Wheel. Took to the Tyre Plus / Tyre Empire, the screw didnot penetrate through the tyre deep enough to cause a Puncture. They did a good job at Tyre Plus. Got the rear-left tyre replaced back with the actual tyre and got all tyres topped up with 32 PSI nitrogen. Total damage to pocket: INR 50/-


The Service Experience: Truly PREMIUM, Toyota Rocks!!
I had booked for a Service Apointment with Anamallai's Toyota, Coimbatore a week in advance. Booking was smooth, the slot which I had requested was very much available (9:30 AM on 25th October 2012). I received a couple of reminder SMS from them (one on the previous evening and one at 8:00 AM on the Service day). I reached promptly ON-Time (1022 KMS on the ODO) and was stunned to see the very well-organised service procedure.

Right from the security to the Service advisor to the Claims department - each person strives to provide customer-satisfaction at Anamallai's.

I was quite surprised when the Service Advisor came with their company cloth Seat-Cover (which he fixed over the driver-seat) and a brown-sheet that was put over the mud-flap before he entered into the car for inspection, so as to avoid dirtying the interiors! He started the car, noted down all general points in detail and finally checked if I had any specific issues. I was told that it typically takes not more than 1.5 hours for completing the general 1st Free Service (as it involves only the slight topups, checks & washing) but this time, it might get delayed due to the Insurabce claims. He then directed me to the claims-section for estimation of the damage caused on the dog-hit bumper.

In less than half-an-hour, a thorough estimation was made (including 3 thorough checks by 3 persons including the Body-Shop Chief-Technician). Initially, they said that it would take 3 days for delivery - considering their Claims Queue. I requested them that I had to get back to Bangalore the next day and they prioritised my claim after an approval from their Higher-Ups. I was promised a delivery on the next evening (which they had punctually kept-up). I received an SMS from Toyota within the next 4 hours that my 1st FREE Service was completed at Zero Cost. Called them up immediately and was told that it was an automatic SMS from Toyota soon after the Service formalities are completed. My car was pending the Insurance claim & Bumper + Liner replacement though. Received a call 1 hour prior to the promised time and was told that the vehicle was ready for delivery. All issues were perfectly addressed, with no chance given for re-visiting. The car was delivered back in its real old pristine state (1024 KMS on the odo) with extremely clean interiors & exteriors.

Overall Impression until my 1st Free Service:
When I compare to my Service Experiences with Maruti (Alto) for the past 5+ years, this is a giant leap ahead! The Whole Toyota team (Right from my first TD to Buying to Service) has really made me feel quite Premium through their service! I really had to wait several hours for an insurance claim for my Alto and each Service had some or the other un-attended issues which had to be re-attended after my comments. I truly hope that Toyota keeps up their same Servicing standards in the coming years too! Overall it was a hassle-free Servicing experience delivered with good commitment! Here I am, another happy revving member from the Toyota Family!

Cheers!!
M

[Mister_M]

Friends, I received this comparo-chart as an email forward. This chart has numbers about interiors of the cars considered for comparison.

I thought of posting it here as it has the actual numbers of the cars that I had in my pre-final list before choosing on my Liva. Hope this helps propective buyers

*** I am posting this AS-IS as received only for the benefit of readers. I strongly recommend you to cross-verify these numbers with reliable sources for your personal considerations.

Cheers!!
M

[Ahmed]

Sir, normally the reverse camera trigger is taken from the rear reverse light positive terminal and in the pioneer HU, reverse camera input is selected as 'battery'. If you need a live streaming - you will need to install a 2 way switch to the trigger wire to the HU. One wire will be coming from the rear combination lamp and and one will be tapped in from the RED wire coming out of the pioneer. This RED wire is usually the ACC wire. Center terminal will go to the HU reverse camera signal input.

So, when you want a live feed from the rear view camera, switch the 2 way on. When not in need, switch it off so it will go on when you engage the reverse gear - or - this will be vice versa, depends on which terminal of the 2 way switch you have used for both the terminals.

In my thread -http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-metallic.html - I have used the same switch to use the ROOTS horn or the stock dual horns. You will get an idea of the same.

Simple DIY - however one needs to be careful in all DIYs. All the best.

[Mister_M]

Originally Posted by Ahmed

Sir, normally the reverse camera trigger is taken from the rear reverse light positive terminal and in the pioneer HU, reverse camera input is selected as 'battery'. If you need a live streaming - you will need to install a 2 way switch to the trigger wire to the HU. One wire will be coming from the rear combination lamp and and one will be tapped in from the RED wire coming out of the pioneer. This RED wire is usually the ACC wire. Center terminal will go to the HU reverse camera signal input.

So, when you want a live feed from the rear view camera, switch the 2 way on. When not in need, switch it off so it will go on when you engage the reverse gear - or - this will be vice versa, depends on which terminal of the 2 way switch you have used for both the terminals.

In my thread -http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-metallic.html - I have used the same switch to use the ROOTS horn or the stock dual horns. You will get an idea of the same.

Simple DIY - however one needs to be careful in all DIYs. All the best.

Wow, sounds pretty interesting Ahmed. Though you have explained so well, I am a little worried if I would mess up something on the wires. To avoid possible wiring errors, I am going to print your solution and give it to my Toyota Dealer and ask him to do the same.

Nevertheless, thanks a zillion for attempting to help me on this as I have no help till date from any near-by local dealers regarding this.

P.S: I used the same switch for my Roots horn in my Alto; did not opt for the same functioning in Liva as I hardly used OE horns on the Alto till date. So, got the OE fitment completely removed and changed to the ROOTS Wind-Tone Horn. I never imagined that the same concept could be a solution to my camera problem though

Cheers!!
M

[subratasenn]

Originally Posted by Mister_M

Overall Impression until my 1st Free Service:
When I compare to my Service Experiences with Maruti (Alto) for the past 5+ years, this is a giant leap ahead! The Whole Toyota team (Right from my first TD to Buying to Service) has really made me feel quite Premium through their service! I really had to wait several hours for an insurance claim for my Alto and each Service had some or the other un-attended issues which had to be re-attended after my comments. I truly hope that Toyota keeps up their same Servicing standards in the coming years too! Overall it was a hassle-free Servicing experience delivered with good commitment! Here I am, another happy revving member from the Toyota Family!

Cheers!!
M

Quite true. My service experience has been likewise and I too, like you, upgraded from Alto to Toyota Liva GD.

Loved your ownership report, and wishing you miles of happy driving on this beautiful car. Liva surely is a no-nonsense car, and I have no reasons to complain through my three months and 4500 km with it.