First service update – at 683km
So, I spent the first half of the day on Valentine’s, February 14, 2020, getting the Baleno’s first servicing done. It was one month since we took the delivery of the car and it had clocked 683km by this time.
The appointment was booked a day in advance at Krish Auto, Wazirpur, Delhi. Although, I would have liked to avail the Maruti Mobile Service (MMS) doorstep servicing facility, Krish only operates those Eeco vans on Wednesdays.
Nonetheless, it was also a good opportunity for me to start building some rapport with the service team and so I showed up sharp at 10:00 at their outlet.
My SA Sahil opened the job card and took the car in. There were no complaints to be reported from my end. Except for the poor illumination from the headlamps, it was largely going to be general checkup, washing and cleaning.
Sahil made a video of the exterior and my car was put in the que for washing. I would have liked disposable seat and steering covers to be used to keep the upholstery protected from any stains. While I wasn’t stern about the same and had requested just once, it wasn’t put on.
I waited patiently in the customers’ lounge on the first floor and started working. It was a quiet, neat and clean area. The entire process was going to take a little bit of time due to a fair number of vehicles already present for the day and I was given an estimated delivery time of 13:30.
I was intermittently going downstairs to make some calls and so was checking upon the progress as well.
Around 12:30, the car came out of the washing bay and they were now vacuuming the interiors. I had carried my set of interior polish and wax for the exterior, which I handed over to their washing superintendent Subir san.
He happily obliged and personally took care of proper application on the inside. For the outer application, he showed me their ‘Ecstar’ brand of exterior wax, and I agreed for them to be using it on the car’s body. They applied the wax and took the car outside in the sun for it to dry and be wiped off.
Meanwhile, since it was lunch time, I was offered lunch in their neatly set up canteen on the first floor and had a quick and simple meal. When I came down, the car was ready and glistening!
As regards the headlight throw, they only adjusted the level of the beam using the headlamp leveller on the driver’s side. I don’t think it made any difference and weak LED headlamps seems to be the only major grouse with the car so far.
Overall, it was a pleasant experience with the bill amount being null.
Some more updates On accessories - 1) Mats for the cabin and boot -
Even though we had opted for the carpet mats from the showroom itself, going by past experience, I was certain on adding another layer of good floor mat in the car.
So, I installed these ‘noodle’ type mats in the cabin.
This is how they look in the driver's footwell.
And this smooth textured, ribbed plastic mat for the boot with Velcro tags on the underside.
Purchased them from Lajpat Nagar for Rs 2,100 (Rs 1,400 + Rs 700) and pretty happy with them so far. The black-coloured mats gel well with the interior theme and since they absorb most of the dirt, the cabin looks clean at all times. Just the way I like it.
2) Front center armrest -
After driving the car for about 1,000km, I could tell that with the smoothness and tractability of the 1.2 K-series motor, frequent gearshifts are going to be a thing of the past. I had experienced the armrest-equipped Alpha variant during our test drive before buying the car, and found it to be immensely useful with my driving position with my 5’8” height.
Hence, got the official armrest installed from the Nexa accessory pack on one fine day while returning from office.
It was a simple plug-and-play job and would rate it highly for the convenience and comfort it has brought to my left elbow. The quality of the material is good and it has a small openable bin as well.
Priced at around Rs 2,300. I also took this opportunity to redeem the 1,400 points in the otherwise useless Nexa Card, and had to pay the balance Rs 800.
The accessory socket at the rear continues to remains functional.
Now, I have the armrest on the left and the fabric insert on the door pad on the right to rest either of my elbows whenever I want to.
It really makes for a stress-free driving experience in the Baleno.
A minor nudge -
On March 14, Delhi experienced a sudden change of weather and we witnessed a hailstorm, so heavy that there were actual deposits of snow on the road in some parts of the city.
Our Baleno was parked on the ramp in front of the house and a whole lot of hail got deposited on the cowl.
Next morning when I stepped out, I saw a dimple in the rear bumper towards the lower left side. My wife said that the hailstorm was so intense that it might have caused the damage.
Nonetheless, I took the car to a nearby denting guy and he quickly repaired the minor damage by unscrewing the bumper from the left side and using a heat gun to soften it and pull the dent out.
Total expense – Rs 200. Time taken – 10 minutes and it was again back to normal.
He told me that this couldn’t be done by the hailstorm howsoever severe it was; must be someone who would have lost control of their vehicle due to the road becoming slippery after the heavy downpour and would have accidentally bumped into our car.
The bodywork does tend to pick up dings and scratches easily. I have now switched to using Jopasu on alternate days and a full car wash once a week.
Acres of usable space inside
My brother had to recently move out from his rented accommodation in Gurgaon due to the work-from-home regime being applicable for the foreseeable future.
We went to empty the house, drop luggage of two of his flat mates at another colleague's place and bring his stuff back.
And, while we had given high marks to the spacious cabin while making the purchase decision, the usable space surprised us all the more when we were able to literally move houses in the Baleno.
I would let pictures do the talking.
A houseful of luggage into the boot.
With the rear seats folded flat, packed up to the brim!
Headroom and the legroom utilised to fit as much luggage as possible.
With 60:40 split rear seats, that's how one's able to make the most of it.
A parting shot until the next update...
Stay safe everyone!