[BigBrad]

Originally Posted by EFF-EIGHT-BEE

Sir i have been following same less force way of closing bonnet on my 800 from past many years and still no issues!! I don't think it will cause any issues.

Even I was following the same method for my previous cars. Anyways, will follow the ASC advice for now.

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli

I definitely recommend not waiting till 15K for the first service, 8-10K(max) should be the oil change period considering Indian driving conditions. And, check and cross check, that they are filling SELENIA K for petrol and not SELENIA WR for diesel. The SAs have a fixation for WR, as it is more widely used. (remember Diesel : petrol sales figures!!!)

Grazie lazuli!

I'm quite sure they won't have much stock of the slow selling SELENIA K. Can I purchase it on my own, either from their store itself or from outside n hence make sure there isn't cause for concern at the time of service?

No. But I wish to, very soon, with Osram NB+. (The post change beam adjustment would be a much more formidable task. I doubt if anyone around the ASS has any clue how to do it scientifically

I'm not a fan of those white lights, though they look good, their light output I think, is inferior to halogens. Projector+HID setup might be a different story, but I'm not going that route for sure, at least not with this car.

The bonnet thingy: You would be using it quite infrequently unlike doors, so, how you shut it, may not be that critical.

True, still I'll follow the gyaan from ASC guys

BUT, invest in a INR250 can of WD40, and every month/6 weeks, spray all the door hinges, lock assemblies and boot locks etc. with the WD40. You will never hear squeaks. Immediately wipe off the overspray with a cotton rag. (See....gyaan always comes free !)

Closing gyaan : I see your battery is a stock EXIDE. Please, check the water level and top up with distilled water yourself. A 2 rupee coin will easily open the caps, and I am 99% certain, the water level inside, would leave you astonished! Use a clean funnel and gradual drips, to bring up to the desired level. Check every 3 months.

I already have a small can of WD-40 which I mostly use for my bike. You deserve a treat for giving me so much of gyaan, do remember the next time we get a chance to meet. Sometimes I have this trouble of short term memory loss, esp when people bring words like 'treat' n all into the picture. Just joking dude!

Evviva lazuli!

Originally Posted by Loud

To me, it feels sluggish at lower RPMs (below 2k) and has somewhat linear power delivery unlike sudden power kick in. At the end of the day, it is an AT and is meant to be driven with a light foot.
My left foot is unemployed these days!

Oops, my bad. I thought you bought a TDI Rapid. Your left leg must be thanking the AT for sure.

The wood trim? My friend, desperately trying to be a member, is looking out for a car under 5.5L On-Road and is a bit confused about the purchased. He had booked the Figo petrol but cancelled the booking (No power window available for the rear) and has booked the Ritz ZXi. Yesterday he called me that Ritz is not SO spacious and he is cancelling the booking again! I told him to refer to your Punto thread. He feels the interiors bland and was asking whether wooden trims (fake) are available.
BTW, I wish to own this beauty, and still remember 'Crafted for a Fan' line! Let's wait for my Alto to age.

My dear Loud, please ask your friend to do an extensive TD before finalising on any particular car. By extensive I mean, 'TD it like you own it' as the Chevy tagline says. Get an overall feel of the car, interiors, power delivery, driving position, ride comfort over bad patches etc etc and not just a 3km roundtrip around the showroom road. Would be better if we take this discussion to PM or any relevant thread and not continue further in this thread.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by BigBrad

I'm not a fan of those white lights, though they look good, their light output I think, is inferior to halogens.

Osram NB+ are not white. They are yellow and are really good. I've been using them and would recommend to any person who doesn't want to play with the wiring and wants a plug and play solution.
I was earlier using philips diamond vision which was white and the beam throw was poor compared to NB+ though better than the OE bulbs

[BigBrad]

Extended Warranty:
During the purchase, I thought that Extended warranty for another 2yrs was part of the deal that dad negotiated. But, that wasn't the case which I understood lately. I used to call my SA once in a while to remind him to hand me over the papers related to it. Two days back, I called him again and he said, it wasn't part of the deal and I might have got confused with RSA. Came home, checked the papers related to the dealership's preliminary offer and I knew I was wrong. So, bought it immediately for some peace of mind. Costed me Rs. 5100 and the two SA's came home to hand me over the warranty booklet and a certificate. They said, the prices have increased now and it costs above 7k. Since my car was invoiced earlier, I got it for the old amount. My apologies to everyone who read my initial posts which led them to believe that EW was part of the deal. Sorry guys.

There is a slight confusion however. Just today morning, I noticed that the booklet speaks of an additional period of 24 months/1,50,000kms whereas the certificate says 26 months/1,50,000kms. I noticed the warranty period mentioned in certificate while the SA came home and they had confirmed it was 26 months and the total period would be 50 months. Unfortunately, I didn't notice the duration specified in the booklet then. Not a big deal, but would be nice if someone can clarify. I haven't yet called the SA.

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Osram NB+ are not white. They are yellow and are really good. I've been using them and would recommend to any person who doesn't want to play with the wiring and wants a plug and play solution.
I was earlier using philips diamond vision which was white and the beam throw was poor compared to NB+ though better than the OE bulbs

Hemanth, frankly speaking I had the misconception that NB+ have white light. Thanks for clarifying. I'm still undecided on whether to use a plug n play solution like the NB+ or the 100/90 with relay. I had the latter setup in my Alto and it was pretty good in terms of light output and was also hassle free till we sold the car(approx 3yrs usage till then). I should also see if there will be any warranty related issues if I go the 100/90 route.

Did you also replace the fog lamps?

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by BigBrad

but would be nice if someone can clarify. I haven't yet called the SA.
... I'm still undecided on whether to use a plug n play solution like the NB+ or the 100/90 with relay. I had the latter setup in my Alto and it was pretty good in terms of light output and was also hassle free till we sold the car(approx 3yrs usage till then). I should also see if there will be any warranty related issues if I go the 100/90 route.

Did you also replace the fog lamps?

The total warranty including the extended warranty is 50 months for everyone.
However the extended warranty mainly covers engine parts and other specifically mentioned parts only.

My friends who have used 100/90 as well as NB+ say that NB+ comes close.
And yes there might be a problem if there is any warranty claim if your change the wiring especially within the first 2 years.

No...my car's fog lamps are factory fitted.

[lapis_lazuli]

Hey Brad.....how is your car doing?
Its been quite a while. How much does the odo read?
Any additions to it? How's the AC working and what is your current mileage?

[BigBrad]

After almost burying this thread to death, I finally found some time to update it. The delay was mainly because the car was primarily used by my dad and recently, I moved away from hometown for a job change. So, I drive the car very less these days. Anyways, the first service was done last month, the details below:

First Service Update:
It was done at Hyson Motors, Cochin. Since there was nothing major to be done, it went almost fine. I had gone through the manual and the only thing I found necessary was a wheel alignment which was to be done every 5000kms. I was not in town, and dad took the car for service. We reported 3 niggles that had popped up recently.
1. The front RHS speaker died. One fine day, the sound output was kind of blurred and gradually it died. The front LHS worked fine though.
2. Handbrake button came loose.
3. Indicator stalk's auto-cancelling was not working.

We did not insist on wheel alignment and neither did they. I preferred to do it outside at DBS Tyres which was near my home.

The car was delivered with a zero bill and 2 of the 3 issues were fixed. The speaker issue was left as it is stating that warranty wasn't applicable on audio system. Dad did not bother to argue and came home. On hearing this, I made some inquires and was assured that warranty was applicable on all electrical items. I spoke with one of the SA that I had interacted with earlier and he assured me that if they could not fix it, the part would be replaced under warranty. He also stated that all electrical parts are covered under warranty. I guess its some new recruit who had no idea on the warranty part and hence denied it. Anyways, since dad was busy with his schedules, this speaker thing was kept pending and it was done today only. While I was there, I pointed out another issue that came 2-3 days ago. The buttons on the foldable key wasn't working. They said dust accumulation usually creates issue for the foldable key and offered to clean it. And in case if it was not solved, they offered to replace the battery inside it. But, some cleaning was all that's required to bring it back to working condition. The speaker issue was traced to some coupler getting loose and that was also fixed. So, left the place with a zero bill.

The hospitality at Hyson was nice and I sat in their customer lounge while I was there. They also offered me cold/hot drinks.

Driving impressions:
The odo now stands at 5126kms and the driving characteristics remain the same. I'm falling in love with the ride over rough patches of road. The chassis maintains composure and keeps the car solidly planted on the road. High speed stability remains fantastic. It makes you feel that you are in a car twice its price. I think the brakes are a little too sharp for my liking. But, its nothing you can't get used to and the stopping power is good. I guess, the upsized tyres do make a notable difference in terms of grip and braking distance esp on wet roads. The only thing I wish for was a little more power when running A/c. Without A/c its no slouch and is manageable.

Mileage hovers around 14kmpl with city and highway combined.

Wheel alignment is planned to be done early morning tomorrow at DBS Tyres.

[voyageur]

Originally Posted by BigBrad

Wheel alignment is planned to be done early morning tomorrow at DBS Tyres.

Heard that DBS does a very good job. Would like to hear the experience at DBS tyres, if you have time please update the same.

And what does the car look like now ? Has it turned black and blue ? Any new snaps

Cheers.

[BigBrad]

Originally Posted by voyageur

Heard that DBS does a very good job. Would like to hear the experience at DBS tyres, if you have time please update the same.

And what does the car look like now ? Has it turned black and blue ? Any new snaps

Cheers.

Yes, they do a pretty good job and is near my home as well. Here's the update:

Wheel alignment at DBS Tyres:
Had spoken with Mr. Shan yesterday and he told me to come at 8am today so that I can get it done quickly before it gets crowded. But, thanks to late night browsing on team-bhp, slept late and was late to reach the shop as well. So, it was starting to get crowded being a saturday but luckily, Shan was present. He took my car in and went for a TD and noticed some left side pulling. So alignment, balancing, rotation and free N2 top-up was done.

Even after alignment, the readings showed some inconsistency and they tried swapping the front tires. Went for a TD again and this time the pull had reduced considerably though still not perfect. On talking with the mechanic, he said the tyres might need 'shim'-ing and asked me to keep an eye on the drive for the next few kms. That work will require some time and was estimated to cost about 1000 rupees. I will watch it in the coming days and will do it if necessary.

Experts, please comment on this, if you can provide some inputs, it would be really nice.

The final bill including alignment, balancing, rotation & N2 top-up was Rs. 540.

[vinit.merchant]

Originally Posted by BigBrad

]

There is no update on your car since long. How is it doing? Or has it been sold?

[BigBrad]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

There is no update on your car since long. How is it doing? Or has it been sold?

Hey Vinit,
The car isn't sold yet and is still with us. It's being used by my dad 99% of the time and I haven't taken her for a drive since long. This was mainly because I bought a Polo TDI last June and all my drives have been in the Polo since then. I turned a bit lazy too which was another reason for the lack of updates here.

Coming to the car, she's doing well. Crossed 21k kms recently and all the regular services were done on time. The service costs are very reasonable and we have two dealers in Cochin now. Avg mileage hovers around the 14kmpl mark in the MID. The remote key fob stopped working and every time it goes to service, they clean it or something and it's back to normal for a few weeks. No new accessories were added to the car and apart from few scratches here and there, there are no other incidents either.

Here's a recent pic during a solo drive to a friend's place nearby:


The odo reading as of yesterday:


Hoping to keep her for a few more years. And, sorry for the late reply.