[Aniruthan]

Hello Pannaggs. Fantastic review up there buddy. All points are crisply and mentioned with detail. Coming to the S Cross, even though it does not have the looks or the attention of the competitors it's still a very practical choice and people with a eye of practical perception will surely consider it on his list. The DDiS engine is proven and after sales will not be a problem. Congrats for your new ride buddy and wishing you loads of happy miles in it .

[pannags]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Congrats pannags
I am sure the NVH levels may take some time getting used to for you, considering you are coming from an Esteem, but from personal experience, you will love the diesel for its highway runs.

This has exactly been my experience - the highway jaunts have been a sheer pleasure with the S-Cross. I look forward to taking the car out more often than I ever have

Originally Posted by antardaksh

Would you be able to share sqft rate for PPF. How do they measure area, are they charging for amount of sheet used from their roll or covered area?

The rates for PPF are 532 /sq. ft and charged based on amount of film consumed and not applied. In my case, for instance, the door handles were able to be covered using the excess film from the front bumpers. This way "excess" film can be made use of wherever needed.

Originally Posted by Aniruthan

Hello Pannaggs. Fantastic review up there buddy. All points are crisply and mentioned with detail. Coming to the S Cross, even though it does not have the looks or the attention of the competitors it's still a very practical choice and people with a eye of practical perception will surely consider it on his list. The DDiS engine is proven and after sales will not be a problem. Congrats for your new ride buddy and wishing you loads of happy miles in it .

Lol! Thanks and very well said about the S-Cross. The not-so-dazzling looks are very generously overshadowed by loads of practicality. Trust me, the looks have only grown with time.

[sudeepg]

Originally Posted by pannags

Tthe highway jaunts have been a sheer pleasure with the S-Cross. I look forward to taking the car out more often than I ever have

...

The rates for PPF are 532 /sq. ft and charged based on amount of film consumed and not applied. In my case, for instance, the door handles were able to be covered using the excess film from the front bumpers. This way "excess" film can be made use of wherever needed.

So true. I love the drive and have ditched my office cab in favour of driving the cross!

Did you apply PPF on all sides or just bumpers and doors? Could you give me the cost breakup of polishing/sealant and the PPF?

[pannags]

Originally Posted by sudeepg

Did you apply PPF on all sides or just bumpers and doors? Could you give me the cost breakup of polishing/sealant and the PPF?

PPF was applied on front and rear bumpers, front sides, mirrors and door handles.



The total cost for the above came to 22,000+

The paint sealant treatment was done as part of the annual package that cost me 20,000+

Total cost of the services availed 42,500+

Needless to say, folks at home think this was just another visit to the car wash shop!!

[Venku2015]

Congratulations pannags and wish you tons of happy miles in your A350(aka S-Cross).

The premium silver with the 5-spoke alloys looks outstanding and gleams really well since its a metallic color and suits the S-Corss particularly well, nice choice there!

[MercFan]

Originally Posted by pannags

PPF was applied on front and rear bumpers, front sides, mirrors and door handles.

Attachment 1450759

The total cost for the above came to 22,000+

The paint sealant treatment was done as part of the annual package that cost me 20,000+

Total cost of the services availed 42,500+

Needless to say, folks at home think this was just another visit to the car wash shop!!

Excellent pictures and attention to detail. SCross has the best interiors, and speedo amongst its class.

Just asking, why couldn't you have gone for a DDIS320?

[SafeDrive0107]

Originally Posted by pannags

[b]


I complained about the trouble with closing the boot lid, and again, the service adviser got it right every time and I continued to struggle.

Are you still having trouble closing the boot or have you got something done to fix this issue? I had a similar experience while doing a PDI for my car as well.

[pannags]

Originally Posted by MercFan

Excellent pictures and attention to detail. SCross has the best interiors, and speedo amongst its class.

Just asking, why couldn't you have gone for a DDIS320?

Thank you MercFan

I chose the 1.3 over the 1.6 for multiple reasons, including, city driveability, sufficient power, landing price, Zeta kit differences, amongst others.

The 1.3 ticked most boxes on the couple of long TDs I took.

Originally Posted by SafeDrive0107

Are you still having trouble closing the boot or have you got something done to fix this issue? I had a similar experience while doing a PDI for my car as well.

Sorry for the late response. Have been off the grid for a while. The good news is that this was fixed in under 15 minutes - an adjustment to the locking mechanism the NEXA SM suggested - after which it has been easier done than said

[SafeDrive0107]

Originally Posted by pannags

Thank you MercFan

Sorry for the late response. Have been off the grid for a while. The good news is that this was fixed in under 15 minutes - an adjustment to the locking mechanism the NEXA SM suggested - after which it has been easier done than said

Thanks pannags. I will try to get this fixed when I take my car for the first service. I tell you, it really is a pain right now, they check the boot while I enter office and every single time I have had to get down to close the boot myself. The same happened when I went to a mall today. I am expecting to hit the 1000 mark by end of this week & really looking forward to the first service atleast to get this boot closure issue fixed.

[pannags]

[Update after 2nd service at @ 6 months & 4900+ KMS

Completed close to 5000 KMS in just a little over six months. As with my Esteem, the service center personnel kept reminding me every two days that the car is due for service. I was given to understand that the MCP (Maintenance Cost Protect) package offered by Maruti Suzuki to early S-Cross owners kicks in after all free services are availed. As part of the second free service, all OEM recommended maintenance, including wheel alignment and balancing, were completed. They probably do not do the balancing (and alignment) act as meticulously as specialists, but a steady steering on the long test drive confirmed a good job.

I insisted on replacing the engine oil, but the service adviser was super adamant and did not agree to do so, in spite of being absolutely clear I'd be paying for it! Plan to get this done at Shell on my next refueling stop.

The car was delivered in about 2 and half hours.

Accessory upgrades

I'd scheduled an appointment with Karlsson for the much-awaited leather steering wrap, the same day, in the afternoon. My requirement was to keep the circumference as thin as possible since I do not prefer a bulky grip. I was hoping the result would be at least 80% as good as on the Alpha, but from how it actually turned out, I'd strongly recommend Maruti use services from Karlsson! (Thanks to volkman10 for the picture that was the original inspiration).

The morning of the next day, I headed to the accessory fitment workshop for the LED sill guards (highly recommended for aesthetic value) and an upgrade to Philips 130/100 W headlight kit. After discussing with the accessory manager, I decided against the upgrade, but rather chose to swap the OEM halogens to Philips Extreme Vision bulbs. Visibility post swap is marginally, yet noticeably, better.

The steering wheel job is apparently also undertaken at the workshop, but this entails dismantling the wheel and sending that to the "authorised" workshop. Authorised by whom, no one knows.

While the Sill Guards were installed, I learned that an attempt was made to upgrade the headlamps of a Zeta to bi-Xenon HiDs with projectors - components sourced from Maruti Suzuki (Alpha MGP). The upgrade was stalled due to want of OEM wiring. These statements and exercise are not verified for facts, but the message was that the upgrade would have to wait for some more time!

I've been looking at various options for the headlight upgrade, an essential requirement being the ability to retrofit without having to cut the reflector housing. Spoke to AVS tuning for the Morimoto D2S 3.0, but they only ship to Bangalore and do not offer any installation services. Plan to speak to the Morimoto India sometime this week (they have pics of a Creta with upgraded headlights on their FB pages - definitely worth a look).

Post the bulb swap, I dropped the A350 at 3M Basaveshwara Nagar for a GermKleen plus interior cleaning. As always the Shankar, Arvind and team surprised with yet another impeccable service experience.

Pics from, including a previous visit to, 3M









The steering job - in mathematical terms, Zeta ~~ Alpha

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by pannags

[[b]
I insisted on replacing the engine oil, but the service adviser was super adamant and did not agree to do so, in spite of being absolutely clear I'd be paying for it!

Got the engine oil changed oon my S Cross at 5k km though the SA was insisting not to.
Seems Service centers have different strategies!

The S Cross looks good as new and nice to see the Leather wrap done at Karlsson!

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by pannags

[Update after 2nd service at @ 6 months & 4900+ KMS

I've been looking at various options for the headlight upgrade, an essential requirement being the ability to retrofit without having to cut the reflector housing. Spoke to AVS tuning for the Morimoto D2S 3.0, but they only ship to Bangalore and do not offer any installation services. Plan to speak to the Morimoto India sometime this week (they have pics of a Creta with upgraded headlights on their FB pages - definitely worth a look).

Did you not check out xenon planet? They have installation facility in bangalore. Mi10 got hella projectors installed for his S cross from xenon planet, bangalore. It requires cutting of reflectors, but Mini D2S 4.0 from xenon planet is plug and play, costs 19.5k for full kit with installation.
Cheers!

Mini D2S setup

[pannags]

Originally Posted by pannags

I insisted on replacing the engine oil, but the service adviser was super adamant and did not agree to do so, in spite of being absolutely clear I'd be paying for it! Plan to get this done at Shell on my next refueling stop.

With the range still well over 150, I decided to get the engine oil changed on my way back from work. Shell tried selling 5W-40 (fully synthetic oil), but I insisted on using multigrade motor oil 5W-30, recommended by Maruti. The sealed Shell container has MGP mentioned clearly!

Being hoisted



Opening in the underbody for access to the outlet



This may sound absurd, but post engine oil change, there is a noticeable smoothness in the clutch (yes, the clutch) and a similar, but somewhat lesser effect on the already free revving engine.

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

Did you not check out xenon planet? They have installation facility in bangalore. Mi10 got hella projectors installed for his S cross from xenon planet, bangalore. It requires cutting of reflectors, but Mini D2S 4.0 from xenon planet is plug and play, costs 19.5k for full kit with installation.[/ATTACH]

I did that doc - left a message for them to call me back. Their website only lists an address from Chandigarh, with no details of a contact number.

In the meanwhile, I got this update from Palace NEXA that projector headlamps would soon be attemted to be upgraded on a non-Alpha variant. Will keep the OEM option as my first preference.

[kashyapz8055]

Originally Posted by pannags

In the meanwhile, I got this update from Palace NEXA that projector headlamps would soon be attemted to be upgraded on a non-Alpha variant. Will keep the OEM option as my first preference.

Sir,
I enquired with Accessories department of NEXA palace regarding headlamp upgrade of Zeta, but they were not sure of the update and said they need some trained person from MSIL to install it.
Can you please share the contact details of the person with whom you enquired ?

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by pannags

I did that doc - left a message for them to call me back. Their website only lists an address from Chandigarh, with no details of a contact number.

In the meanwhile, I got this update from Palace NEXA that projector headlamps would soon be attemted to be upgraded on a non-Alpha variant. Will keep the OEM option as my first preference.

I will PM you the contact of bangalore dealer. I was told by Nexa dealer that it is not possible to install projectors of Alpha variants. Dealer was getting lot of requests and they thought to order Alpha MGP headlamps and install. But it was not possible due to different wiring and ECU. Stock projector lamps in alpha is not clear lens and uses 35 W ballast. Mini D2S setup from xenon planet would be way better. Posting few output pics of Mini D2S in S cross.