[ashis89]

Renewed the insurance for the third year and paid Rs.16,074. Continued with ICICI Lombard as their quote was good enough and I didn't search for alternatives. This is only OD insurance as the TP one is valid for another year. Next year's renewal premium would be higher.

[ashis89]

Time flies....

Coyote will complete 2 years on Nov 1. Odo remains little short of 32000 kms and will breach it during my trip tomorrow.

Being a weekend, with the upcoming drive and the upcoming anniversary, I got down to clean him. With 2.5 buckets of (hard!)water and 3M shampoo, I gave him a decent wash. Followed it up with a coat of Turtle Hard Shell Wax and then a coat of Turtle Hybrid Ceramic spray. I wasn't carrying with me the trim restorer (last polished 1.5 months ago) and the tyre spray.





I had a peek into the brake pads and they still have good life left. Braking has been above my expectations.

Front left


Front right


Rear left


Rear right


Topped up the tyres to 33.5 PSi. Only that one tyre is losing pressure, about 6 PSi in 3 weeks. As mentioned before, front tires are more worn out and almost due to replacement. Rear ones are better off. Next service will be in another 1-2k kms where the tyres would be rotated. I will monitor their performance and should replace them soon.

Leaky bugger!


Front right


Rear left


Rear right



The last tankful returned 17.85 kmpl (150 kms on highway, 480 kms in the city, 100% AC).
On a different note, I argued with the fuel pump attendant asking him for normal diesel only instead of the premium one. But he kept insisting this was normal diesel. After few exchanges, I realized that it was normal diesel only which costed Rs.107.4/L!

Clicked the Prakasam barrage during an early morning drive to get some yummy idlis and pizza dosa from Idlee's.
It was a cloudy day with low visibility and that's seen in the pic too.


Experience
Overall, these 2 years with the car has been fun. Never left wanting in power, whether in city or on highway. One dab on the accelerator is enough to surge forward irrespective of which gear I am in. Power, braking, features, interior space, seating comfort, AC, boot space, service costs - everything has been what we have been looking for. Lighting was below par but the HID upgrade took care of it.

Two complaints -
one minor: The front bumper lip could have been shorter as the wind deflector does scrape on rare occasions, just like the Compass.

One major: Those crash test results!

[ashis89]

Drove down to Bangalore earlier today. After the oil price shock yesterday, I thought of taking it easy on the A-pedal. My mom and sister were accompanying, that's the other (main) reason.

I realised I was doing similar average speeds but accelerating slowly. Until Gudur (London Street restaurant), I clocked 22kmpl with average speed of 80+kmph.



Of course then onwards, the Naidupet - Chittoor stretch and Bangalore traffic broke some of my resolve. Still ended the day with 20+kmpl @70kmph average speeds. After 700 kms, a little more than fourth of the tank is full.



Parked at London Street restaurant. Faced few bouts of rain but the shine remained.


Mom loved the view on the new Chittoor highway, so stopped for couple of pics


Now, onto the third year...

[ashis89]

Another home run

November was otherwise busy for me - working weeks and personal commitments taking up every weekend. All this meant Coyote ran only 650 kms in those 4 weeks but all within Bangalore city. With all those rains blessing the Bangalore roads, I never bothered to clean it as well but I did wade through more than a foot of water on a couple of occasions.

Last weekend, I drove down to Vijayawada (took me 11 hrs.) to pick up my mother. I faced rains between Tirupati and Ongole but it was the most intense around Nellore. Coyote also decided to turn blind in one eye (again! More on that later) which I fixed myself.

After a day's rest, the mother-son duo set off to Bhubaneswar (took us 13.5 hrs). This whole stretch was dry and mostly pleasant. The route updates can be found here (Bangalore - Vijayawada - Vizag - Bhubaneswar : Route Queries).

After this trip, Coyote definitely needed some TLC, filthy as it was. I also had a complaint list to be addressed.

Start @Bangalore


Breached the 33k mark near KR Puram signal


Lunch break near Nellore


Retire at Vijayawada


After crossing Chilika, found a beautiful spot and thought of taking a short break as I was a little sore






PC: my mother




Retire at Bhubaneswar


A month of no cleaning and 2900 kms has to leave its mark somewhere...or rather everywhere




Issues

1. Wiper squeaking throughout the trip was the most irritating part. So much so that I used to use the wiper manually only when the visibility fell below my comfort levels.

2. Somewhere around 1400-1500 rpm, I found a dead spot. Keep the car steady in that rpm for some time and when the time came to accelerate gently, there was some lag or a missed beat before it accelerated smoothly. Would happen often.

3. I could hear some mild scrapping kind of metallic sound from the underbody when car was idling and I was standing beside it. It was very faint and I couldn't hear it when inside the car.

4. That leaking front tire.

5. Compared to my outgoing Pixel 3a, the new Samsung s20fe 5g doesn't give a good experience when paired with ICE. On a couple of occasions, it fails to download my contact when connected via BT. On Android auto (wired), it lost GPS connection 3 times. I also had to restart the phone once when it didn't detect the location.

Of course, Coyote also reminded me for its service, which I couldn't ignore. That's 9k kms in 153 days.



HID
Just before reaching Tirupati, the sky was overcast and ready to rain. I switched on the headlight and got an error on the MID to check the RHS light. I knew it was a loose connection again. Since I was a long way from Bangalore already, I called up Anton and told him about my predicament. He suggested as soon as I reach the nearest city, I take the car to any good accessory shop and get the connection inspected. If any component is faulty, he will ship me the part at my address. Fair enough.

Pirate!


The loose connector


But the sky was overcast and ready to pour any moment. And I had the Reniguta - Naidupet stretch to do which I didn't want to drive with a single headlight. Also the error on the MID came with a frequent chime (as if the wipers were not enough!).

Popped up the bonnet and looked up the connections. One touch at this connector and the light fired up. I shut the bonnet, praised me and set off again. Little did I know that I was a fool.

About 20 kms later, the error came back. Again had to stop as I realized my simple touch wasn't magic enough. This time, I opened the connector, adjusted the rubber seal and refit it. Over the next 500 kms, I had to repeat the exercise once but that has stayed good since. Anton has promised a thorough check of all connectors once I return.


ABS - a bane!

On one service road, I was following a Sail. There was a small bad patch where the car slowed down and I did the same (around 13th second). I dropped a gear too (should have dropped 2). The car accelerates away and then brakes hard again in the next few metres. I press my brake gently around the 24th second and progress to little harder around 25th onwards. By then there was gravel under the wheels and the ABS kicked refusing to stop the car. While it might seem I rear ended the car, I was lucky enough my car decided to stop before hitting the other car but not before I skipped several heart beats!

Skipped a few heartbeats

[ashis89]

6th Service

I already had my list of issues/complaints to be addressed and also felt the car felt a little sluggish/coarse during the last 1000 kms. And the service reminder was up too. I didn't delay it any further and booked an appointment at Central Kia and went for the service yesterday.

Apart from the usual 40k service, I had the following complaints to report.

Originally Posted by ashis89

Issues

1. Wiper squeaking throughout the trip was the most irritating part. So much so that I used to use the wiper manually only when the visibility fell below my comfort levels.

2. Somewhere around 1400-1500 rpm, I found a dead spot. Keep the car steady in that rpm for some time and when the time came to accelerate gently, there was some lag or a missed beat before it accelerated smoothly. Would happen often.

3. I could hear some mild scrapping kind of metallic sound from the underbody when car was idling and I was standing beside it. It was very faint and I couldn't hear it when inside the car.

4. That leaking front tire.

I went for a longish TD with one of their senior most SA. A very genuine guy (Mr. Naresh) with a keen eye for details. He checked the usual stuff and mentioned everything was good.

#1 was not reproducible at low speeds but I had a video recording with me of the racket that the wipers created. As such, I asked them to install a fresh pair of wiper blades even though the current ones are just 4 months old.

#2 was attributed to the old diesel filter which was due for replacement. That and the old air filter.

#3 was not reproducible during the TD as it was heard rarely.

Work started by 11AM and was completed by 1PM. I was allowed to stand next to the car all through the service. I did click only a few pictures as I was talking to the technician most of the time. Again, he was a very good chap and did the jobs with a lot of interest.

The technician found the cause of #4, a small pin hole. Tires were rotated and are good for another 10k kms. Rear brakes are in good shape while the front ones might need replacement at the next service.

When the car was raised, I saw some heat shield insulation around the exhaust pipe, covering a small portion of it. The sheet was coming off at a few spots and was scraping against the exhaust giving #3. Cause was found and the sheet was torn off wherever it had come off.

Got new wiper blades installed as well, manufactured in Oct-21.

To replace the diesel filter, one has to remove the air filter housing, battery and the ECU as the filter lies beneath it. All these were duly removed, filter replaced and then reinstalled. Only mistake was to attempt to start the car, after this replacement.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

After a new diesel filter is installed, the fuel pump should be primed a few times at least before starting the car. The technician, being hurried by the Workshop manager to clear the bay for other cars, accidentally tried starting the car and that too, with a slightly long shelf. Then he realized his mistake and primed the pump few times before the next attempt. This time the car started with a little hesitancy but settled to an idle.

I was requested to go on another trial run with their SA before they wash the car. That was a good move. When we were driving out, I could hear some prominent knocking sound at lower revs. It would go away post 1500 rpm. I shared my observation and the SA agreed. Next their engine expert was called and they sat down to "reset the system" with their diagnostic tool. As friend was waiting outside, I left for lunch by then. When I returned, I was told it took them 15 mins to reset the system but the issue is resolved. The SA and the technician individually came to me to inform this.

The car got an average wash and some trim polish. I let it be as it was 4:30PM already and I was tired. I can wash it myself as we have a hose here in our apartment parking.

I received a bill of Rs.8535 which I cleared and left. The cost has been lesser than the previous service even though it was a major one. I was mindful to strike off the 3M AC cleaning and of course, the PMS labor cost in Bhubaneswar is less than that of Bangalore.





On the 15 km drive back home, I couldn't hear any more knocking and car was smooth as earlier. I tried replicating #2 but couldn't, engine response felt crisp again. I should be able to confirm #1 and #2 after driving for few more days.

#3 seems to be gone. For #4, now that I know there was a pinhole leak, I still need to get it fixed.


Now for some random pics that I managed to click:

The electronics which are forced down upon us in each car, however fancy they maybe, but they don't come cheap at all!


A look at the rear suspension


And the front one


Ready for balancing


This one was under going repairs and I clicked what lies behind that front bumper!


Even with a super loud OE horn on the Seltos, people have got aftermarket ones


Finally, the Coyote transformed from


to...


Odo stands at 34,500 kms.

[GautamJ]

Have been an avid reader of this well documented ownership thread

Originally Posted by ashis89

By then there was gravel under the wheels and the ABS kicked refusing to stop the car. While it might seem I rear ended the car, I was lucky enough my car decided to stop before hitting the other car but not before I skipped several heart beats!

I too have experienced similar incident, but wasn’t as lucky as you. I did end up rear-ending the car ahead, by all means I braked hard, but due to ABS kicking it, stopping at correct time wasn’t possible. I blame the BridgeStone Ecopias for it, also the car in talk is Ford EcoSport.

https://youtu.be/C-e3lxT0FVY

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by GautamJ

Have been an avid reader of this well documented ownership thread

Thank you!

I too have experienced similar incident, but wasn’t as lucky as you. I did end up rear-ending the car ahead, by all means I braked hard, but due to ABS kicking it, stopping at correct time wasn’t possible. I blame the BridgeStone Ecopias for it, also the car in talk is Ford EcoSport.

Sorry to hear about the incident. I hope the damage wasn't too major.

Did you have loose gravel on the road too? If yes, then tyres barely play any role in such a situation. If no, then time to ditch those Ecopias.

[GautamJ]

Originally Posted by ashis89

Did you have loose gravel on the road too?

The damages on my car aren’t much, just broken locks of fog lamp bezel (fixed it with help of FeviKwik) and headlight (not affecting utility, hence no plans to shell out for a replacement).
But for the other car (Hyundai Verna), could see the rear bumper in need of immediate replacement.

The road is fairly good by Mumbai roads standard, and there are hardly any loose gravels. Surely, Ecopias are known for all bad reasons and might plan out replacement next year.

[abhaumik]

A remarkably well maintained and detailed thread. My respect and sincere thanks for helping us live through your ownership giving insights to details that can only be experienced by the owners.

While you have maintained your thread quite well, would you have some summary view of cost of ownership covering the service costs and replacements (if any)? And if you can share any specific issue(s) that you had faced in these two years that you would link to quality?

34K on the odometer in 2 years is some serious mile crunching. My wishes for many more to this beautiful partnership.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by abhaumik

A remarkably well maintained and detailed thread. My respect and sincere thanks for helping us live through your ownership giving insights to details that can only be experienced by the owners.

Thank you for your kind words!

While you have maintained your thread quite well, would you have some summary view of cost of ownership covering the service costs and replacements (if any)? And if you can share any specific issue(s) that you had faced in these two years that you would link to quality?

I haven't maintained a proper log but keep updating this thread regularly. Now that you ask, I will try to create an excel and jot down the expenses some day.

I have quoted my posts regarding each service done for my car and the respective insurance renewals for two years. If you refer the respective posts, you find the bills too which I uploaded earlier.

Apart from routine consumables (oil, coolant and filters), I have replaced two sets of wipers till date (the last set was defective and didn't last long). Tyres and brake pads are stock but might need replacement around the 50k kms mark. No other replacements till date.

I haven't had any complaints till date, touchwood. Even the brake judder which I reported post the 5th service was probably due to the ABS working overtime on a rain-drenched day. From a quality perspective, I have nothing to complain so far except for a mediocre paint quality. The car has been trouble-free and a joy to drive. Two years and 35k kms is still too early to say, the car is still new in my books.

These are a few known design/engineering flaws which can't be fixed - front windshield fogging up due to air leak from the defogger vents, rear vents dishing out slightly warmer air, the low lying air deflector on the front bumper is prone to scraping and last, the crash test results!

Originally Posted by ashis89

Second Service

Originally Posted by ashis89

As planned, I booked an appointment at Epitome KIA, Whitefield for Coyote's 3rd service.
After another 20-30 mins, I cleared the bill (Rs. 4682, including the idol) and left the place around 12:45 PM.

Originally Posted by ashis89

4th service

Net setback was Rs. 7113. It could have been lowered further by removing the AC disinfectant but I let it pass.

Originally Posted by ashis89

Finally got the 5th service done yesterday @Epitome Kia, Whitefield.
The total bill was 10790.

Originally Posted by ashis89

2nd year insurance

Total paid: 18212

Originally Posted by ashis89

Renewed the insurance for the third year and paid Rs.16,074.

Originally Posted by ashis89

6th Service

I received a bill of Rs.8535 which I cleared and left.

[ashis89]

The wiper judder is gone and so are all other complaints, but I could sense a new issue after the service - a very slight steering pull to the left. Need to get that checked once I get some free time.


A trip to the native: Bargarh - Sambalpur

Another weekend another trip this time. My parents had been planning to visit our native. An upcoming wedding was another reason to make this trip happen. So took my parents on a trip of nostalgia and they loved every bit of it.

Started on Saturday and took the Nayagarh - Boudh(lunch break) - Sonepur - Binka - Barpali - Bargarh route to reach our village. Then halted for the night at Burla.

A visit to Hirakud was also necessary for a trip down the memory lane.

Return was via Sambalpur - Redhakhol - Boinda - Badkera - Athagarh - Bhubaneswar. This road is a mess, especially Jujumura - Boinda stretch. Huge potholes, uneven roads, mud roads and the remaining was super busy undivided roads. After a 6hr 290 km drive, I reached home and worked for the whole day yesterday without any complain.

On day 1 itself, before lunch break, I felt the tyres were over-inflated. Fuel bunk guy had filled till 32 PSi but it turned out to be 36. Deflated all the tyres and then refilled them using my TUSA to 32.5. The ride was much better there-on.

End of Day 1


A trip to the Right Dyke of the Hirakud dam. We also went to the Nehru nivas and Debrigarh sanctuary but didn't stay there for long






Waited till the sunset








Soiled car after the trip to our village the previous day






Green with envy after a dewy night




We stopped enroute, near Athagarh to buy some farm fresh vegetables. While my parents were busy selecting the vegetables, I was busy clicking these beautiful glowing farm fields












End of the trip. Covered 840 kms on a single tank of diesel. It includes an hour of idling at least, at various times during the past 3 days of the trip.


It was already late for lunch and we were in a hurry to go home. I will refuel the car the next time I step out, maybe next weekend.

[ashis89]

This weekend, a bunch of us friends drove to Phulbani, our local hill station. Started off yesterday and return today. My buddy had been itching for another long drive on my Coyote and insisted we take my car.

He owns a Brezza D and has always loved the power, torque and refinement of the Seltos. He also likes the better interior build quality which Maruti doesn't have. That said, he doesn't like the spongy brake pedal feel of the Seltos compared to the progressive pedal of his Brezza. I agree with his observation and already pointed this out during my initial review.


Back to the trip, given the limited time we had, it was a memorable outing. Being a leisure trip, we took time stopping and chit chatting all through the way. Despite that, it took us 4.5 hrs each way for the 215 km journey including several breaks.


Here are some pictures of the trip, including the two spots we visited - Umragarh waterfall and Putudi waterfall.

[ScorpioYadav]

Hi Ashis89,

I opened this thread for an Ownership Review & got to learn all about the Diesel MT there is to know and in addition, got a thread of multiple travelogues. I must say, you've got a penchant for taking the road less travelled & exploring lesser known gems.
The names Roadrunner & Coyote also seem to belong together !!

I wanted to know whether you are concerned or conscious about the poor safety ratings of the Seltos whenever you are on one of your spirited drives or does the Crossover instill enough confidence when pedalling to the metal to be a 'safe enough' car ?

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by ScorpioYadav

Hi Ashis89,

I opened this thread for an Ownership Review & got to learn all about the Diesel MT there is to know and in addition, got a thread of multiple travelogues. I must say, you've got a penchant for taking the road less travelled & exploring lesser known gems.
The names Roadrunner & Coyote also seem to belong together !!

Thank you for your kind words! I sincerely hope that COVID is eradicated soon and we all get to move freely.

I wanted to know whether you are concerned or conscious about the poor safety ratings of the Seltos whenever you are on one of your spirited drives or does the Crossover instill enough confidence when pedalling to the metal to be a 'safe enough' car ?

Crash rating was a shock and unfortunate.

That said, I drive my Seltos just like I would drive any other car - at comfortable speeds based on the road and traffic conditions and the driving dynamics of the car. The car is a pleasure to drive and I have nothing to complain.


Does the crash rating come to my mind?
Yes, it does sometimes.

Does it impact my driving?
No.

Will I go any faster if it was a 5-star car?
No.

Will I recommend this car to anyone?
Yes, I still do if someone explicitly asks my feedback for Seltos. But I clearly mention the crash rating it has received.

Will I buy this car again after knowing the rating?
Likely, yes. Even today, if I have the same budget and same requirements as I did earlier, I don't see any better alternative than the Seltos.


A high crash rating increases the chances of survival/reduces the chances of injuries BUT the car doesn't guarantee it. Safety lies in our hands (of course, some luck) which we shouldn't take for granted just because we are driving a safer car.

[ashis89]

Last 30 days has been pretty idle for the car, has run for 400 odd kms so far. Over the weekend, I washed the car (last opportunity to enjoy the luxury called hose pipe before I head back) and topped up the tyres of either of the cars with the inflator.

While at it, I remembered that the stepney had been untouched since the day the car was bought. RoadRunner's stepney read 17 PSi! I topped it to 47 PSi so it remains for some time to come. Next was Coyote's turn. It was at 35 which I bumped up to 40.

Seltos' stepney sits under the boot floorboard and is held in place snugly with a screw. Floorboard folds in half and pulling out the wheel is relatively easy. Putting it back is a pain in the back (unless you lift the whole floor board)! The tyre itself is very heavy. After I topped up the tyre, I tried to slide it back into the well but couldn't. The floor is uneven and the tyre sticks to those imperfections. I had to lift the rear end of the wheel and place it further into the well. Since I had folded just half of the floorboard and had kept several knick-knacks on the other half, I barely got space to lift the wheel. All in all, it took me 15 secs to pull out the wheel and 15 mins to place it back. 30 hrs later, my back and shoulder still remind me what I did yesterday!

Even after spending almost 2 months in Bhubaneswar, I hadn't been able to visit Puri. So thought of an impromptu drive yesterday to catch the sunset with my close friend. But lazy boys that we are, we started around 5, drove sedately doing 70-80kmph and reached by 6 to enjoy the evening on the beach. No sunset but alteast the beach visit is off my checklist

RoadRunner get a click which Coyote stays in the shadow






Unused spare.


And this how the in-use set looks like

Originally Posted by ashis89

....