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No, this wasn't done and I did not press the issue. I doubt they would have had the part too as it is an RS specific requirement. Is this something we can carry out ourselves if we buy the cleaner?


I believe most of the parts for the RS are SGP and consequently priced higher. The oil filter is another example. Costs 750/- compared to 80/- for that of the regular Baleno.

Drive on,
Shibu.

Yes, basically you just add the cleaner to an almost empty tank of fuel, then fill up the fuel tank and drive on.

In my last service, a problem was identified with the vacuum hose. The hose was pinched and it's diameter had contracted greatly.

This was not a problem in regular braking but on sudden braking it was a real issue. Everything would be okay the first time you brake hard. But if you release the pedal for an instant and then brake hard again there would literally be no vacuum and the braking would be next to nothing. Regular Balenos had this addressed in a recall but none for the RS. If your vacuum hose looks anything like the picture please get it checked. It is that flattish hose to the right of the engine cover.

Luckily for me the service guys picked it up before I got into any mishap.

Drive on,
Shibu

Hi Shibu,
IIRC there was recall by MS for the brake vacuum hose, I don't remember the date, but I had asked my SA regarding it as my uncle and my aunt both brought Baleno Alpha CVT just before the recall.
But it turned out both the cars were not in that lot, and hence didn't need to get it checked.

EDIT: Read the post again, sorry about it.:)
Hope the problem is solved now.

Yup got the hoses replaced last weekend as shown in the pictures below. The replaced pipes are those light colored greyish one in the pictures.

Now repeated hard braking is possible with not degradation of the braking capability. It is possible to get the front tyres protesting under hard braking before the abs kicks in.

Drive on,
Shibu.

Glad to hear.:)

Any specific reason why it happened in the first place?
Also any preventive measures to avoid it from happening again in the future?

I guess it must be related to a manufacturing defect of the pipe itself. Perhaps the material is not strong enough to withstand collapsing when the vacuum is created.

It was never an issue on regular braking.

Drive on,
Shibu

The RS crossed a milestone last weekend.

Low oil levels
On a routine oil level check the other day I noticed that the oil level was on the lowest mark on the dipstick. The engine was cold after being parked the previous day and the car was on level ground. I got a litre of Mobile 1 OW40 and topped it up. Will have to keep an eye on it more frequently. The car has done around 6000 kms since the last service.

I was not happy with the handling ever since the last service as the car seemed to be too soggy and light around corners. I decided to try and address it myself based on my experience with my Polo. The first start would be with the vertical links. These components are supposed to be tightened under load and not in an unloaded state on the lift.

Step 1 was to get the car on Jack's and remove the front wheels.

Step 2 was to load the suspension with a jack under the lower arm.

Step 3 was loosening the top and bottom nut of the link and tighten them back. In addition to a 16mm ring spanner an Allen key was to be used to prevent the bolt of the link spinning around.

There was a marked improvement in the front end after this exercise. Would need to see if the effect sustains.

The link I was referring to. Also notice the scuffing on the plastic cladding due to the tyres touching it under full lock. It's only on the left side though.

Drive on,
Shibu

Finally got a bottle of injector cleaning fluid after a wait of well over 4 months! Quite unexpected from Maruti. Cost me around 1990/-. The fluid itself is light yellow in color, odorless and has a slightly thick and gummy consistency. I poured out the whole bottle into a full tank of petrol. Haven't driven the car since so yet to assess the impact. I assume it would take a couple of hundred kilometers to sense a change.

The product is imported from Japan and is branded under the EcStar range.



Drive on,
Shibu.

Having driven the car a couple of thousand kilometers since the addition of the cleaner, I do feel an improvement in the cripsness of the power delivery and the response seems to be a bit sharper.

Over the week I received a piece of kit that has been a standard upgrade in all my cars - a stock K&N filter - 33-3063. The K&N filter fits easily into the stock airbox which has a helpful notch to ensure that the filter goes in right side up. Initial impressions have been good and keeping in line with my experience with K&N stock replacements on the other cars. The power delivery smoothens out over the rev range with the jerkiness at low rpms much improved. To expect a big increase in the power would be out of place with a stock replacement. The top end feels freer too but this will be more evident when I revert back to the stock airfilter when cleaning the K&N.


A couple of stickers and a information card with the filter.


Stock airfilter and K&N replacement side by side


The airbox. It is a bit of a task getting this component out. Not as service friendly as the Maruti's of yore.


Side view of the filter


Notice the rubber lip on the left side that help proper orientation of the filter in the air box.


Decal on the back announcing the upgraded breathing apparatus!!

Drive on,
Shibu

Completed the 30,000 service for the RS. I must say that the service experience was very good. I chose to wait with the car. The lounge was very comfortable and you can see your car being serviced. I had fixed an appointment prior and clearly mentioned that it was an RS and needed an oil filter other than the regular Baleno's. I was happy to see that they had ensured availability.

The wait in the lounge was pleasant with the tabs working well that allowed me to catch up on some reading. The car felt smoother and the handling tighter. I am not sure that they did anything special but whatever it is it sure works. The wash was pretty through with the engine compartment and the wheel cladding properly cleaned as in the photos below.









The final bill worked out to 4325 rupees with the breakup in the image below.


The only glitch in what would have been a perfect 10 with me was the mixup in the grade of oil. Again got 0W20 filled in place of the Maruti recommended 5W30. The engine doesn't seem any worse for wear and an oil distributor that I know mentioned that the 0W20 having a lower viscosity might be more effective for the turbo bing able to more easily get into places with tight tolerances. However I am trying to get a confirmation from Nexa on this as this is the second dealership where this has happened. It is taking more time that the usual Maruti response and seems there is no access to Mauti's technical team.

One of the issues mentioned in the service was the impending replacement of the brake pads for which they unfortunately did not have a replacement (another area where Nexa bucks the regular Maruti service quality and not in a good way). The pads had around 2k kms life left in them. I do aound 2000-2500 km a month and did not fancy another visit to the service center so decided to conduct a DIY replacement. Okay truth be told I was just waiting for an excuse.

After a failed match with Bosch pads, I was able to zero in on Maruti Ertiga pads from Motherson.

Comparison with the OEM v/s Motherson




Pad thickness - old v/s new


The caliper has a nut which means that you need an extra open end spanner to hold it while you loosen the nuts.


The clips for the brake pad on top and bottom too are different from what I have seen on my Swift and the Polo GT.



Anyway the pads were a good fit and brake feel was quite good. I have driven around 1500 km post the replacement.

Drive on,
Shibu.

After a couple of email reminders a TSM from Maruti clarified that the recommended grade of oil is indeed 5w30 for the Baleno RS.

Drive on,
Shibu.

Completed the 40k service on the RS a couple of weeks back. No complaints in particular. But with the RS, service is always the same old story. If they put the right oil filter they fill up the wrong oil grade. If they put in the proper oil grade they fit the wrong filter. As I gave my car for service I had the following asks:

1. Oil and oil service - instructions were given to fill up the proper oil grade and the oil filter
2. Spark plug replacement
3. Fuel filter replacement

There was confusion as to the proper oil grade as usual and it was after providing a mail from a Maruti TSM after the mix-up at the 30K service that they were convinced that 5W-30 would be used.

Apparently Maruti has issued a circular increasing the spark plug change interval to 60K so that was that.

The oil filter was substituted with the filter for the regular Baleno. Another aspect to raise with Nexa.

The total bill came upto 4768.




What I found interesting was that the dealership has it's own suspension text track with various kinds of bumps. The technician drives over these bumps to check for suspension noises. It is good to see dealers take such initiatives.


Drive on,
Shibu

Seems that Maruti has introduced a cheaper Made in India oil filter for the RS. The old Made in Japan used to set me back by 800 rupees but the new one costs around 80 bucks.

The part number is 16510 M 68K10. I order the old part number through Boodmo and they ended up sending me this one. At first I though they sent me the regular Baleno filter but when asked they said Maruti issues this one on request for the old part number.



I also got a set of rear brake pads for the RS from Boodmo. Got an excuse for a DIY pad change now. clap: The set of four pads cost me around 1900/-.They are from TVS. Came with shims and also Molykote paste which is supposed to reduce the brake noise.




Drive on,
Shibu