[M35]

I had some personal work at Shobha City at Thrissur yesterday. After finishing the work on my way back, I made a quick visit to Pinnacle Skoda just to get the status of the air filter post remap. The plan was to get a new one if found dirty. It only had a slight bit of dust which was removed and the same was placed back. Also got the tyre air pressure corrected to 32psi as the ride was a bit bumpy.

On reaching home, there found some excessive engine vibration/noise at idle which I ignored for a while. The same thing was observed today morning as well. It was when I noticed the idling rpm at 1000 ( instead of 800 ), I called up Mr.Vinu at Pete’s who promptly asked if I touched any wiring to which I said no. Before calling Skoda, I opened the bonnet and checked if there any wiring around the air filter area. Didn’t find anything apart from a pin just above the air filter compartment which too was found alright. Just gave it a slight press before closing the bonnet. Got in and cranked. Pleasantly surprised to see that the engine is back to the relaxed 800 rpm at idle. Was keeping a close watch on the issue the whole day.

Have an early morning drive to Munnar and it already started raining heavily as I type

[M35]

Update:

Suddenly our roads have become inadequate and limiting. BTW, I returned from Munnar to Palakkad yesterday night. At 100-110 kmph (my usual speed on highways) the engine was at a relaxed 1900-2000 rpm and even at 2450 rpm region Yeti was cruising at 140 kmph with absolutely no harsh engine noise at all. More importantly, even at that speed, the car was rock solid with plenty of juice left to sprint further more. The superb handling + braking of this mini-beast is what makes it very special and remap friendly.

[M35]

Kerala Monsoon, this year, is quite nasty. Thanks to the continuous downpour, the roads getting waterlogged is a common sight these days. Those killer pot-holes have started to appear fast. The other day, I was driving down from Munnar at around midnight. With heavy rain and then thick fog, I could see hardly anything in front. Crawled on first gear for some 40-50km or so around Adimaly. The white light from the LEDs did not help either. The SWF wiper blades are of high quality and have been doing a superb job.

Yeti is all set for a Palakkad - Bangalore drive tomorrow.

[M35]

Had a quick dash to Bangalore and back last weekend. The best driving experience ever !

Current ODO reading: 70200 km

• At cold start, the idling RPM is slightly higher at 880-900. After a couple of kilometres once the engine is warmed up, it comes down to a more relaxed 800ish
• While coming back from bangalore after having driven for 2.5 hours while being parked for a coffee, it shot up again to 900-910. On restarting the engine it came down to 800 again. When at 900, the engine vibration filters in which is annoying a bit. Should I get it checked ?

• My regular highway speed on 4-lane now is 110-120 kmph and on a slight further mild press/touch on the pedal, you are cruising at 130-140 kmph on those 6-lane stretches. Remember, even at that stage the pedal is only just about half way mark; for anything beyond that our roads are simply inadequate/unsafe. I was giving company to an X1 and a C-Class from Palakkad to Salem during my onward journey. []No drama; silent and composed all the way.

• Spirited driving + wider tyres = a drop in the FE to around 14kmpL

• Mind blowing quality levels, no rattle or sounds – absolute beauty of a vehicle. The music and the lighting are working flawlessly

• Could source a pair of mud flaps for the front. Unable to find online a pair for the rear in India

On the way to Krishnagiri !

[M35]

Originally Posted by M35

Current ODO reading: 70200 km

Correction: 71200 km

Update: K&N air filter installed

The OEM filter wasn’t dirty as it had just run about 6-8k km or so. The K & N is lighter and much smaller (thinner). The drive has become even more refined now. Did not notice any additional pick-up; but the same super performance in a more (significantly more ) refined manner. Very much noticeable in the north of 110kmph !

It costed me 4900 INR

[M35]

Update:
Got the 3M Rodent repellent coating @ 3M car care, Coimbatore (Trichy road) for the engine bay. Just a couple of more weeks of stay in India. Will be parked at home mostly after that, hence thought of giving Yeti a rat repellent treatment.

Exceptional experience from every single one out there. Highly recommended !

The vehicle was driven in at around 9.30 am. As I had called them up the previous day, it was taken in immediately. After waiting for half an hour or so for the engine area to cool down a bit, gave it a thorough wash and then dried immediately. After having the entire area cleaned manually, the coating was done. The following areas received the application

• The entire engine bay under the hood
• All four wheel wells

Waited for another half an hour or so while the entire glass area were given a complimentary detailing/cleaning. They claim that the coating would last 6 months. Hope it works that way. Costed me something around 1400 INR
Drove away at around 11.00am

[iTNerd]

How is your experience with the Philips H4 Ultinon LED 6000K for the past few months? Is it any better on rain than the stock one? Also, did it give any canbus error in the maxidot?

[M35]

Originally Posted by iTNerd

How is your experience with the Philips H4 Ultinon LED 6000K for the past few months? Is it any better on rain than the stock one? Also, did it give any canbus error in the maxidot?

Please check my posts 56/57 for details. The Philips LEDs have been fine in rains, no significant advantage on the visibility front @8000 INR

The minimum usage of the power throws up an error only if you instantly fire the engine immediately after the ignition has been turned on. Like when you restart the car in hurry after it got stalled in the traffic. The error goes off once you do a ‘proper’ restart. I didn’t bother doing any coding/ adapter/resistor as it did not affect its functionality in any ways. Unlike cheap LEDs, this one comes with a tiny metal plate inside to help focus better. The vehicle must have done 4-5k km post installation and it’s been working flawlessly.

BTW, how has been your experience post Pete’s remap?

[iTNerd]

Originally Posted by M35

The vehicle must have done 4-5k km post installation and it’s been working flawlessly.

BTW, how has been your experience post Pete’s remap?

Thanks! Did the LED bulb fits snugly inside the headlamp housing well within the rubber cover, or did it require a hole to be made?

Remap has transformed the car into a beast. Love the torque at the slight nudge of the pedal. City driving is much better now, so is the mileage and NVH. worth every penny

[M35]

Originally Posted by iTNerd

Thanks! Did the LED bulb fits snugly inside the headlamp housing well within the rubber cover, or did it require a hole to be made?

No holes, perfect fit inside the housing. It took just 5 minutes for the accessory guy for the fitment. I wanted the rubber cover intact, otherwise I would have gone for a 100/90W halogen upgrade instead of the LEDs.

Originally Posted by iTNerd

Remap has transformed the car into a beast. Love the torque at the slight nudge of the pedal. City driving is much better now, so is the mileage and NVH. worth every penny

Surprised to note the FE improvement; might well have to be the driving style.
I noticed a consistent 1km/l drop since the remap. Add another 2 km/l thanks to my 235mm tyres + spirited driving, my Yeti's FE never hardly goes past 15km/l mark these days [tankful method]. No complaints though

[Vhruday]

Originally Posted by M35

Had a short break back home. Post service, Yeti drives even better. Most importantly, I did quite a few add on DIYs. Some bling too, like this one
More on these later.
Attachment 1757064

Hey M35! Can you shed some more details regarding your DIY’s such as the one quoted above and also your MBQ powered/active Sub-Woofer inside the spare wheel. Thanks!

[M35]

The ODO reading just a couple of days before I left India. The ODO should read close to 74000 now.


During my last week before I flew out, the following additives were used. The Yeti had covered some 10k km since the last service, most of which were post remap. Also, I felt some slight cluttered noise at cold start and inconsistent high idle RPM (around 900 instead of a more relaxed 800), hence thought of trying these additives

• Abro diesel fuel injector cleaner
• Abro Premium oil treatment

Feedback:
Abro diesel Injector cleaner:

• The engine seemed to have gotten slightly more refined overall. But no improvement on the cold start sound + erratic idle RPM
• No improvement on the FE

• Application: One bottle per 30-35L of diesel

Abro premium oil treatment

• The engine got further silent, significantly. It drove as if it was running on Petrol.
• The cold start smoothened out.
• The idle rpm thingy still shows up, but once in a week or so; the frequency reduced.
• The FE seemed to be the same.

Yeti must have done close to 12000km after I got her in my possession. Apart from one regular service, it drove like new with absolutely no rattle or creak or any sort. An absolute gem of a car.

Yeti somewhere near Krishnagiri!

Originally Posted by Vhruday

Hey M35! Can you shed some more details regarding your DIY’s such as the one quoted above and also your MBQ powered/active Sub-Woofer inside the spare wheel. Thanks!

You can find most of them in the subsequent posts. Nevertheless, I shall make a consolidated list and post the details soon

[iTNerd]

Originally Posted by M35

No holes, perfect fit inside the housing. It took just 5 minutes for the accessory guy for the fitment...

Great to hear that! What's the wattage of your LED? I had also ordered the Philips Xtreme Ultinon LED (23w each) and should be with me in 2-3 days. It says, it has a driver component that is Canbus friendly and cancels any error. Did your LED kit had a decode/driver component too?

Originally Posted by M35

Also, I felt some slight cluttered noise at cold start and inconsistent high idle RPM (around 900 instead of a more relaxed 800), hence thought of trying these additives

If your yeti had the EA189 'fix', it would idle to around 900 rpm with the AC running. If you 'off' the AC and idle, and slightly nudge the accelerator and then idle, it will come down to 750 rpm. This is a common trait with the new 'fix'. Don't think any additives or engine tweak will fix it.

[Sheel]

Appears you are enjoying the Yeti a lot

We could have exchanged PM's, but that defeats the purpose of the forum. I am not looking to replace my Scorpio 4WD just yet, but still wanted to know your opinion, since you have extensively driven one, also the Endeavor and now, the Yeti, in which I drove a significant part in it reaching 1.7L kms [after which it went away].

Do you miss the body on frame SUV's? I frankly hate driving anything which is not a SUV for the feel, visibility, robustness and go anywhere ability.

But there is one big sore point and which is slowly being pointed out by everyone in the family [courtesy the arrival of Swift ZXi+], the ride quality.

I don't drive these SUV's over 100-110 kmph even on very good roads as dynamics/brakes are poor, FE starts to get horrendous, though I still get a lot of pleasure in cruising in my Scorpio 4WD as I really don't have to bat an eye lid prior to venturing out anywhere. And I need generous GC, that has spoilt me.

Not in the market yet, but I was looking forward for the Trailhawk edition at one end and of course the Jap SUV's are always there. Wanted to know your perspective.

[M35]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Appears you are enjoying the Yeti a lot
Do you miss the body on frame SUV's? I frankly hate driving anything which is not a SUV for the feel, visibility, robustness and go anywhere ability.

Thank you Sheel for dropping by. Long time

Go anywhere type? Yeti stands no chance against the likes of Scorpio or Endeavour. I did need a BOF brute as I used to be seriously into bird/wildlife photography those days. Times changed, have a child now and with work at the office getting more demanding, I gave up photography almost completely.

I don’t like sedans because I don’t like seating low while being behind the wheels - the main reason, along with harsh ride, that I let my pristine Endeavour go. At one point I nearly placed an order for a complete suspension overhaul with a comfort kit from OME. But the low seating was a downer.

With a little girl in the family, a more refined and comfortable vehicle made more sense. Didn’t like any of the compact SUVs that includes Ecosport, Duster and Creta. Had it been available at booking, a Jeep Compass 4x4 in Red (dual colour) would have found a place in my portico instead of this Yeti.

That said, no regrets. Though came in as pre-owned, it turned out to be as reliable. In terms of quality levels, no comparison here and you know as you owned one in the past. Every single feature it comes with just works. Post remap, with the wider Conti shoes + K&N filter etc, this is no short of a GT. The overall refinement levels at any speeds + the stability/handling at cornering are just amazing. It’s only the GC for SUV standards, if I have pick one. Forget the off-road trails; even those deep pot-holes on monsoon hit Kerala roads posed a bit of a challenge, while both my Scorpio or Endy would have dismissed those with utter disdain.

Yeti stays as of now. If at all we decide to upgrade, the closest I can think of is the Jeep provided it comes with an all black interior. Haven’t driven one yet; the Trailhawk might cut it.