[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

+1. I'd like to recommend some mods from my end :

What the Zeta offers over the Delta:
1. 16" Alloys
2. Fog Lamps
3. Auto Dimming IRVM
4. Height adjustable driver seat
5. Rear Chrome garnish
6. Chrome handles
7. Keyless entry
8. Push button start.
9. TFT MID.
7. Better touchscreen audio.

The Zeta costs about 70K more.
If I was buying a Baleno:
- I'd want to upgrade to 17" aftermarket alloys or 16" Ciaz or Export Baleno alloys. Here the Delta makes sense as I'd anyway have to spend on Alloys and Tyres.
- I'd need the Fog Lamps and IRVM. These can be done in around 11-12K for both.
- I don't really care for the other features though the push button start and TFT MID are nice to have.

If you buy a Delta and upgrade it to almost Zeta spec you'd probably end up spending more than the cost of a Zeta.

I was debating whether to:
1) Buy a Delta and
- Fit 16/17"alloys and tyres.
- Fit auto dimming IRVM.
- Fit fog lamps
- Upgrade the touchscreen either to Alpha/Zeta OEM or aftermarket.
- Fit the rear chrome garnish
- Fit a reversing camera inside the garnish.

and live without:
- Push button start
- Keyless entry
- Driver seat height adjust

2) Buy a Zeta
- Fit 16/17"alloys and tyres. (Stock alloys look pathetic IMO)
- Fit a reversing camera inside the garnish.
- Replace the chrome handles with body coloured ones.

I think the Zeta makes more sense.
@Leosashi, your thoughts on this.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

@Leosashi, your thoughts on this.

TBH I'm the last person whom you should ask this. I always believe in top variant of any model, and from there my mods/upgrades begin. You can get an idea of my thought process, I bought Alpha XL6 whereas Zeta too made perfect sense. I spent 60k extra for reverse camera, leather upholstery and couple of minor changes.

In Baleno, I'm a big fan of those UV cut glasses which come in Alpha. So please excuse me, my thought process is economically flawed, I think.

Regards,
Shashi

[forester]

Restart Roadtrip - Baleno's first long-distance outing! Delhi to Binsar - Oct'20.

So, after an excruciating wait of over six months, finally headed out on the highway to take a quick breather from the mundane routine that the new normal has thrown upon us. Moreover, since we brought the Baleno home, there was that constant itch to head out on a longish trip with the car and do a proper run-in which was now long overdue due to the outbreak of the pandemic.

Lapped up the first opportunity in sight of heading out with wifey and friends which had me super excited. We planned a flash getaway to Uttarakhand from Delhi over the October 8-11 weekend. While I started writing this log sitting in the midst of the valley in Almora, Uttarakhand, I left it up for completion only when I return as I didn’t want to sit against the screen and rather liked to spend some quality time with friends and family and enjoy the scenic beauty of the landscape.



We stayed at a homestay-cum-resort named Binsar Eco Camp. We zeroed upon this place as we have been here twice before and were absolutely confident about it being safe and secluded as it is located inside the wildlife sanctuary in Dhaulchhina.



We left Delhi on Thursday (October 8) night at 11:00pm and it was a near-smooth roll all the way with a deserted NH-9, which has now also been converted into fast four-laned Delhi-Meerut expressway between Delhi and Gajraula.



Top that off with the contactless convenience of FASTag and it was an enjoyable drive onward and back.



Binsar is situated around 80km from Nainital and the Google-suggested shorter route from Delhi is to take a left after Moradabad towards Nainital, however, one needs to endure the terrible stretch at Bazpur which could be no less than an axle-breaker proving ground even for tall SUVs. We had done that mistake of going through Bazpur both the earlier times we’ve been to Binsar, and were pretty sure to avoid it at any cost, lest we friends get some flak from our dear wives.



We took the first halt at Gajraula, around 100km into the journey. It’s a huge complex on the highway with Mc Donald’s and other fast-food chains, but gets closed around 11:00pm.



We were lucky that wifey had bought premixed cups of Nescafe and even though we had carried hot water, we requested the manager at the closed McD to help us out with some water from their kitchen.

For safety reasons, bring your own cuppa!



The manager gracefully obliged with hot water and also directed us to the BP pump next door to use the ultra-clean lavatories, especially since we had fellow women travelers along.

Top marks to the Bharat Petroleum, Gajraula staffers for keeping the restrooms in tip-top shape.


Meanwhile, the two steeds taking a breather too. The Baleno was accompanied by friend's EcoSport TDCi.


Brothers in arms - the gang of dear friends was getting together after a while. The fifth one was inside the car and is absconding from this picture!


After an extended break that lasted for about an hour, we finally got going. As explained in the map above, the better option from Gajraula is to move towards Rampur after Moradabad and then to Rudrapur to finally reach Haldwani and Kathgodam, which is where the ascend up the hills begins. One could move further up towards Bhimtal or take the Dolmar-Jeolikote-Sukha route to bypass Nainital and stay on NH-109 to reach Almora after crossing the Bhowali range.

We took the prior route on the onward trip and came back using the latter, and both are equally good.

We took another fuel-cum-restroom break around 100km after crossing Gajraula and stopped at a decent HP bunk.


The car gulped in around 12 litres of petrol after running 236km after the first tank full in Delhi. While the plan was to take a halt and nap inside the car somewhere around Haldwani, the journey was being thoroughly enjoyed with the soulful music and endless talks, and we kept moving along.


Started up the ascend around 5'ish in the morning and boy, it was cold outside!


I think sunrise is always the best time to hit the mountains as you get to see the lovely views and less traffic means one can breeze through easily through the narrow town lanes as well.

Onward towards Almora. Everyone was asleep inside the car and I was carefully driving and avoiding bumps to enhance comfort!


We finally landed up at our destination at 8:45am, surprisingly refreshed and elated with joy of spending the next two complete days in the lap of nature.


A quick view of the cozy room


The place is beautifully maintained with lots of flora and colors around.






Met this doggo friend Shadow who came along with another guest.


Everyone proceeded to get freshened up to have breakfast and lie down for a nap before the lunch, which was home-style food served hot and fresh from the kitchen.


We indulged in some cricket and carrom after lunch and getting to be with each other in a relaxed environment after so long, was looking like a treat in itself.


The gang of boys from school! Three of us got married in quick succession last year.


Soaking in the serene views.


Just like this as we were lazing around, the sun came down and it was one of the most picturesque sights captured by the naked eye. What we were really looking forward to was stargazing at night, and with a crystal-clear sky, Binsar offers the splendid views of various planets such as Jupiter, Saturn and Mars, and if one's lucky, there are plentiful shooting stars on offer too.

The musical evening at bonfire!


After calling it a day, we were ready for the jungle trek the next morning after breakfast. The entire gang was ready in our trekking gears and set to descent around 7km through the forest to end up at the riverside.


We marched through the jungle and while we've taken a reasonably thrilling route in our previous expeditions, it was kept at a moderate level this time around keeping everyone's comfort in mind.


Some fun and frolic along the way!


Finally ended up at the riverside for a quick dip and sumptuous lunch brought by the resort guys at the site.


Made our way back in our cars brought down by the resort owners - Gaurav and Ravi - who have taken utmost care in maintaining this place like it is. That their father is a botanist also helps in all the refreshing floral colors around. I'm in no way associated with them and it's just one of those rare places that I have visited thrice now in the last five years.

The next morning went into a nice yoga session for some and since everyone wanted to spend a little more time at the place, we decided to move at a relaxed pace back home.


We took the Jeolikote-Kathgodam route on our way back and halted at The Mudhouse Cafe for a lip-smacking late-lunch-cum-dinner. The King Fish was astonishingly good and their woodfire pizzas and cold coffee gave us the fuel to power through the journey!

Dropped off everyone and we finally reached home at 2:30am - a lot refreshed and a little disappointed to come back to routine! Total trip distance - 836km. Thanks for your patient read. Stay safe.

[forester]

Third free-service update - 4,342km

The Baleno completed a fuss-free first year with us and as the lockdown meant limited usability, I got the oil change done at mere 4,342km.


Called for the Maruti Mobile Service (MMS) doorstep service option on January 22 from Maruti Service Masters, Jahangirpuri, Delhi.

Tasks performed -
Oil change - 0W16 Shell - 3.2 litres
Oil filter change - 16510-M-68K00
Drain plug O-ring - copper type
Coolant top up
Brake fluid top up
Battery inspection - no top-up required
Air filter cleaned
AC cabin filter cleaned

A big shout out to DBHPian and friend Leoshashi for telling me to specifically ask for the oil filter with part number - 68K00 and not 68K10 - which has lesser holes and inhibits optimal flow of oil inside the engine.






He had also mentioned asking for steel-type O-ring for the drain plug, but unfortunately the MSM didn't have it.

This MSM doesn't get packed cans of the Ecstar-branded oil either, but SA ensured he carefully picked 3.2-litres of fresh oil from the barrel in a clean can. Although oil color looks a lot like it belongs to the 'mineral' category, they have assured it is indeed 0W16.


The oil that came out. Quite dirty considering the low mileage clocked, but I think it could be attributed to my short-distance and start-stop usage pattern of the car.


Old oil being rightfully disposed in a big can they carry in the MMS van.


Job performed in front of my eyes to my utmost satisfaction. Time taken - approximately two hours and the total bill came out to Rs 1,529 which I paid online. Apparently, job card mentions odo to be at 4,545km at the time of service! They must've done it for convenience. Good job done nonetheless, I am sticking to MSM, Jahangirpuri for future services.


Also, used the clay bar with shampoo solution to remove the fine dust from the body and applied a coat of Collinite 845. I had my cousin carry these for me from the US and I came out thoroughly impressed with Collinite's outcome.


Stretch and break down the clay into two pieces - one for glasses and body each - as suggested by Leoshashi.


Claying in process. The action sounds like sanding the paint surface but nothing to worry. The end result is top-class!




The paint surface is smooth as silk and disposes water like anything. The car sees regular dusting with a Jopasu, so I am assuming that Collinite would stick to the surface for a long time. Also treated all glasses with Turtle Wax rain repellent and front seats were sprayed and cleaned with Turtle Wax interior foam.

Drove for a few kilometres today and loved the smoothness and tracteability of the engine.


At a recent night outing!

[forester]

5,000km update

The car crossed the 5k mark a few days back after coming back from a long trip to Alwar, Rajasthan last Sunday.


Got the PUC done in a not-so-smooth fashion. First checked at my regular IOCL bunk and was aghast to see the system showing the car as a BS-IV model after entering the manufacturing date.

I then headed to a BP pump and again in the first two attempts of entering the details and OTP, the car was still being shown as a BS-IV, but fortunately, it retrieved the correct information in the third attempt.


The PUC attendant told me it could be a system / software error as it is cloud-based and is rather full of bugs. But, had it not shown the correct information, my doubt was whether it was the problem with just one Baleno here or all Balenos in Delhi which are BS-VI compliant but the MoRTH / Vahan database hasn’t been updated yet.

Nonetheless, the readings came clean and I was happy to see the minimal carbon footprint.


Secondly, went to the nearby tyre shop to get the five-tyre rotation done. It was a quick and simple tyre rotation activity without any alignment or balancing, as Leoshashi had told me that 5,000km is too early for the tyres to have developed any kind of radial runout.


Quick and simple job done for Rs 100. Tyre rotated as per manual –
FR to RR
FL to RL
RR to FL
RL to Spare
Spare to FR

The spare coming into action. One of the benefits of having a variant with no alloy wheels!


Even though the work was quite basic, I went specifically to the newly-opened shop – Rolling Wheels – in my locality – Pitampura as I had stumbled upon the shop in September last year, when they were in the process of setting up their Hunter equipment.


Coincidentally, I was in the market that day, and had initiated a conversation with the proprietor Mr Ajay Sharma who was being visited by an engineer from Madhus Garage Equipments to install the machines.




I was really happy to interact with someone directly from Madhus and see a known tyre-equipment brand coming up in my vicinity. So, going there now was a no-brainer and I came away happy with the work done.


They also helped me adjust the headlight's horizontal beam screws with their Allen-key set. I am trying to arrive at the best-possible setting for better low-beam visibility at night. Goes without saying, Shashi has been of great help all this while! Thanks a lot, buddy!

[forester]

The Baleno finally breached the 6,000km mark on the odometer in 17 months of fuss-free ownership. The strictly-limited usage has been an outcome of the intermittent lockdowns since last year.


While there weren’t many complains to start off with, the intensity from the stock LED projector headlamps was a big concern for me. I found the throw as well as illumination, especially from the low beam, quite inadequate, and my eyes would often feel strained even after a short night drive in the city.

Going from the user experiences on the forum, I zeroed down on a projector fog-lamp setup with an HID kit to be the best resolution to this problem. I went through several threads and posts related to iPH projector fog lamps, for instance, vsrivatsa’s experience in his fourth-generation Honda City on this thread. thread (iPHCAR Bi-Xenon Projector Foglamp upgrade (Blaze India)).

iPH unanimously emerged as the best option when it comes to finding a VFM solution to upgrade the car’s illumination for day-to-day driving.


While I was holding on to this modification for quite some time, I finally decided to take the plunge on July 2, when I had gone to Lajpat Nagar for a meeting and spared out time after that to get this necessary installation done in the car.

Lajpat Nagar is a hub of car accessory shops in Delhi and while there are all sorts of aftermarket products available, one has to be ultra-careful in picking the right product. I began my search by going to 4-5 shops, only to get disappointed either by the shopkeeper’s attitude to sell cheap, Chinese LED lamps, or their poor knowledge about a projector-HID setup.

After wasting almost 45 minutes, I stumbled upon a shop (Gem Car Accessories) in the main market behind the Honda and Kia showrooms and diagonally-opposite BK Tyres. As I entered, I could see a fresh batch of HID kits being placed on their shelves.

On enquiring about a projector fog lamp for Baleno, the elderly owner, Mr Mahinder Arora, took out a box of iPH projectors from one of the shelves – my Eureka moment on a hot, sweltry Delhi afternoon!


It was a 3.0-inch size, the one which would fit most Indian cars with a round fog lamp housing.




I asked if they would have an HID kit to go along with it, and Mr Arora pulled out another box from the ones still being parked on their shelves, and this time around it was an ‘Excelite’ brand 55W HID kit.


I had never heard of this brand before, but when I inspected the box, it became evident that the company – DH Lighting India – is the domestic arm of DH Lighting of Korea, and Mr Arora confirmed that it is an OE supplier to Hyundai Motor India as well.


A designed-in-Korea and made-in-India product with two years of warranty instilled some confidence and I was ready to take a plunge, considering this would be better than all the Chinese HID kits doing rounds in the market. Mr Arora reassured of the quality and was confident about the performance and customer service in case of any problem.

I still asked for other options available and there was the Osram Xenarc, which, in its 35W variant, was significantly expensive than the Rs 8,000 quoted for the Excelite bulb-and-ballast HID kit.

A quick amazon search also showed the same and I was getting more inclined towards this Korean brand.


Then came the part of negotiating on the prices and while I was given an initial quote of Rs 10,500, we finally settled at Rs 9,000.




The price breakup:

Rs 6,000 for the Excelite 55W ballast-and-bulb kit with 6,000K bulbs and two-year warranty with proper bill.

Rs 3,000 for the iPH projectors (without bill) along with genuine Motherson fog lamp wire harness and switch for Maruti Suzuki models. The harness and switch were required as my car is a Baleno Delta variant and doesn’t come with fog lamps as standard.

The labour was inclusive in the above quotation.

We sealed the price and agreed to begin work on the car. The technicians Pramod and Arun started with the work and started unscrewing the front bumper. They removed the blank fog lamp enclosures and made cut outs for the projectors.


The brackets supplied with the projectors were adjusted to arrive at the right fitment position inside the fog lamp housing.


Meanwhile, Arun routed a 4mm insulated wire from the accessory switch board on the right side of the steering wheel, through the glove box and to the battery in the engine bay.


While the HID kit comes with couplers to join with a relay if a wiring is being done afresh, since we had the original Motherson Sumi wire harness, these were of no use.


The HID CANBUS modules were placed behind the headlamp unit on the left side headlight, and another one near the shock absorber’s rubber boot on the right-hand side inside the engine compartment.


The entire process took two hours and the fitment was neatly done with all wires and CANBUS modules secured tightly with cable ties.




Arun detested me from getting the high-beam / low-beam toggle activated on the fog lamp as that would mean getting an input from the main headlamp stock on the steering wheel, and possibly tampering the wires.

I straightaway accepted the suggestion to let the projector fog lamp work only in its low-beam setting. If need be, I can get this activated in future, especially for highway driving.




After using the new lamps for almost a week, I can safely say that it’s one of the best upgrades in the car so far.




The weak throw from the stock headlamps is now resolved to a great extent with the combination of headlight low and fog light (low) being more than sufficient for my requirements for driving in the city.

The patch of darkness within three-four feet from the front bumper which used to remain unlit before, is now filled with light. Moreover, there is a distinct sharp beam emanating from the lower right and left sides of the car, which immensely helps when driving next to the divider or the shoulder.


The always-low-beam setting of the projector fog lamps also ensures that the light doesn’t hinder the visibility of the onlookers on two-way streets. The colour temperature, however, at 6,000K is slightly distinct from the main headlamps’, but gels well when one notices the car from the outside.

Here's a look at the respective throws -

Projector fog lamps (low beam) only.


Headlight low beam and projector fogs.


Headlight high beam and projector fogs.


I think I missed clicking a picture of the illumination with just the headlight's low beam at this very spot in a basement mall parking, but there's a world of a difference that's keeping me happy for the time being.

Feedback is most welcome.

Note: I am in no means associated with the accessory shop in Lajpat Nagar from where I got this setup installed.

[forester]

Fourth service update – 9,768km

The Baleno completed two years on January 16, and since it was my brother’s wedding over the rainy weekend, booked the fourth service for January 24 – Monday.

Dropped the car at Pasco, Sector 18 (3S) outlet – and left for work in Gurgaon. Nothing major to report other than sternly asking for a proper five-tyre rotation by marking each tyre with a chalk. I also opted for the free underbody anti-rust coating as the car is lately being exposed to slush in the colony’s parking lot.

Jobs performed:
1)Oil filter replacement with 68K00 part number
2)Engine oil replacement – 0W16 Shell
3)Coolant replacement – Ecstar
4)Brake oil replacement - Ecstar
5)Caliper-pin greasing
6)All-four brakes cleaned and brake-pad thickness measured by vernier caliper
7)Anti-rust spray for underbody nuts and bolts
8)Wheel alignment, balancing, and five-tyre rotation

All parts assigned for the service. Customer approval for getting the parts taken digitally through a mobile link.


Reached the outlet at 9:00am sharp where Mr Shiv Kumar, the service lead was waiting for the car. Protective covers were put on the driver’s seat, gear lever and steering wheel as soon as I arrived.

Mr Sudhir Kumar, the SA, asked me to check my phone’s inbox for a link from MSIL. It redirected me to a contactless job card opening procedure, wherein I could type / speak the jobs desired.

When submitted, the SA got everything listed on his tablet, and took a printout, to just take my signatures. I spent a total of 15 minutes emphasising the important things that needed to be done, and also requested for a digital track of the car’s service.

The SA was reporting every minutest detail on the progress of the service through small video clips, and I couldn’t be happier to see work getting done with top-notch quality. A small example: the SA sends me pictures of readings of a vernier caliper, which the technician used to measure the remaining life of the brake pads! I sent it to Leoshashi, and even he was surprised to see the attention to detail and SOPs being followed!



I kept getting videos of the caliper pin getting greased, brakes getting cleaned, as well as underbody inspection being done along with all bolts getting tightened. It was very reassuring and I finally checked the engine oil and coolant getting replaced with fresh fluid as well.





The car was thoroughly washed and cleaned, including the underbody which had to go for the anti-rust coating.




It was gleaming and ready to be delivered, and I picked it up at 5:30pm.


Total bill: Rs 5,337 - after 20 percent discount on labour and 5 percent on parts. Anti-rust coating was free of cost as per their promotional offer.







Overall, it was a 5/5 experience, and I came thoroughly impressed with MSIL’s digital initiatives.

[forester]

10,000km update -

After the fourth service, the car reached the 10,000km mark on February 11.


However, the next few days weren’t really good as got to see some nasty scratches on the left side while it was parked in the tight colony parking.

The front fender bore the major brunt with deep scratches, while the rear left door had picked up surface-level scars.






The front left door also picked up a ding just below the mounting point of the ORVM.


I decided to undertake bodywork repairs on the three panels by claiming insurance under accidental damage. Scheduled an appointment for February 24 with Maruti Service Masters, GT Karnal Road, which sent a body shop advisor – Mr Ranjeet – along with a driver to pick up the car sharp at 8:30am.

Since I was traveling outstation for work, this was the best four-day window I could spare without the car, that would also allow the workshop to do the repairs at ease.

The service advisor took multiple photos of the car while taking handover from me, as well as got the Tata AIG zero-dep claim documents signed. He took copies of my driving license as well as PAN card. I clearly mentioned the reason of damage as accidental scratches while the vehicle was standing stationary in the parking.

Within 45 minutes of the car reaching the workshop, I received an SMS from Tata AIG, notifying me about the initiation of the claim process. The SA also informed me of the same and by evening of February 24, he got back with an update that the claim had been approved for the three panels in consideration.

I gave them a go-ahead by clicking ‘Approve’ on the MSIL online link that carried 360-degree exterior and interior photos of the car again clicked inside the workshop. The same link also approves any parts / consumables that the SA would have gotten issued from the store for conducting the work.

It was morning of February 25 when they started work on the car by sanding off the existing paint. The scratches on the fender and ding on front left door were repaired with a repair filler and the next step was application of primer.



Mr Ranjeet was consistently sharing progress images with me over the WhatsApp group that was created with my car’s registration number as the group name, alongside when the job card was opened. The group also had the workshop GM and RM handling this particular MSM.

While the primer was applied covering just the front and rear windscreens, it did not cover the right side of the car. On the advice of Leoshashi, I requested the SA to ensure that the remaining panels of the car are fully masked before it went inside the paint booth.









They took care of protecting the interior as well.


The SA obliged and shared the final outcome with me after the paint and clear coat were applied the next day. They undertook polishing of the entire car to ensure the new paint seamlessly blends with the existing panels. And it was indeed a fine job.


The car was delivered home on February 27 at 5:30pm in the evening.






While the total invoice was generated for Rs 12,063, I had to only incur Rs 1,000 in file charges.


Since I had also asked for the rear left door’s weather strip to be replaced as it had developed a cut, the net payment was of Rs 1,735, which I had made online. Overall, a seamless experience!

[forester]

In an age when sinking startups are trying to disrupt the servicing segment, it is hard to overlook the efficiency and quality standards of the existing system in place. Had a truly superlative experience with the car’s fifth servicing at Pasco Automobiles Nexa Service centre in Gurgaon on January 16.



I was the first one to be there at 5:45am, straight after an early-morning airport run, and the humble guard registered me in for the day and offered to safely park inside, to be able to take a quick nap until the staff arrives by 7:00am.



He unlocked the premises so that I could use the spic-and-span washroom and also offered water as a basic gesture of courtesy.



As I parked myself in the rear bench of the car, he turned off all the lights so that I could catch whatever sleep possible before the sun came up.



The dawn breaks on this cold Delhi morning!



The service manager and service advisor – Mr Sudhir – were the first to show up around 7:00am and I could hear the faint hustle and bustle as the janitor too had started sweeping the porch. I let them settle in and finally came out of the car around 7:30am when I could not bear the cold anymore.

Within the next half an hour, Mr Sudhir started opening the digital job card and also offered to drop me off but I had plans to stay, work from there and return with the car in the afternoon.



The cosy lounge with the morning papers was now open and the staff was already gearing up for the gazillion coffee cups through the day.



I emptied the car and put my stuff in the lounge, grabbed a cuppa and headed to bask in the sun in this cold winter morning.



Uniquely, this workshop boasts of a huge parking area which is used to safely stow away the serviced cars until delivery or despatch to the customer.



The work started with the vacuuming and washing and mine was the first car in the que. The cleaning team obliged by using my clay bar on the exterior after the foam application.





I had reported just one specific concern – to resolve the rusting that had occurred around the battery clamp and tray area – as they had overfilled the distilled water in the last service.





It was promptly resolved with the mechanic first removing the battery, cleaning the terminals and base with hot water, drying the entire area with pressurised air, and finally changing the clamps and screws with new ones.





The team ensured that this time around they fill it to the appropriate level and remove the extra water using a syringe.



The battery readings were taken down as well and the health came out to be good, with need for some recharge.



The other scheduled tasks part of the preventive maintenance were also diligently done with the car being stationed at the service bay.





The jobs performed:
Oil filter replaced: Part No. 16510-M-68K00
Engine oil changed: 0W16
Engine air filter: cleaned
Cabin air filter: replaced with PM2.5 type – Part No. – 990J0M56RS0-010
Rear wiper blade: replaced
Front wipers: I had already got them replaced from a MASS during the 2022 monsoons
Tyres: Wheel balancing, 5-tyre rotation, and alignment





The brake cleaning in process.


After the head technician did a thorough underbody inspection, and the tyre rotation and alignment was done, I was taken on a test drive to see if everything was in place.

The work was done with utmost satisfaction and I had handed over my Turtle Wax spray wax to the cleaning supervisor to be applied on the car’s exterior under the sun. While they happily obliged and kept the car ready in the parking area around 12:30pm, I continued working in the lounge, and started to make a move around 1:00pm.

The service advisor – Mr Sudhir as well as the service manager – Mr Nayar – offered me lunch at their employee mess in the 3S outlet next door. They took me to the canteen and it was a sumptuous, healthy meal, much needed at this hour after an early start to the day.





The final bill came out to Rs 6,663 on which they redeemed my existing Nexa points worth Rs 963 to make the final payble amount as Rs 5,700.



I gave an excellent rating to the team - SA Sudhir, SM Mr Nayar and the gatekeeper Mr RK Jha. Encountered a new milestone on my way back!



A terrific service experience at this service centre.

[lxskllr]

Originally Posted by forester

Engine oil changed: 0W16

I had a positive experience here as well when i got my delta serviced in December.

Although I had to insist on 0w20 synthetic oil, they procured a new drum for me.

Manual says 0w20 is the right grade. You sure 0w16 would be right for you?

[FalconRed]

It's good to hear a good service experience in the sea of all the horrific experience we are encountering in recent times.

I always felt that NEXA marketing & service is a next level in Indian market and MS know very well on how to tap into that pulse of us Indians.

We are looking for a secondary car for ourselves and a positive review like this is making me tilt towards MS. Especially with their latest offerings.

[TorqMaster]

With service levels like this Maruti can even sell rocks from the road and we will have happy customers to buy them.

Treat the customer right, and you have a happy one.
Pamper him straight and you win his relationship which will keep your business running for decades .

I wish other companies also come forth and do something similar.

[ankitsharma]

I had heard good reviews about Pasco when I was working in GGN though never went there. I see Maruti has reached a level where other high end brand aspire and local manufacturers might not even be close in another 5 years. (No offense to respective owners)

Also I see Maruti service bill to be the best readable format till date. Simple with all parts and labor charges put in a subtle layout.

[AROO7]

Now that's what a good after sales service experience should be like. No wonder how Maruti sells boatloads of cars in our country and manage to get repeat customer despite being branded an unsafe carmaker. Hope Tata and Mahindra take a leaf out of Maruti's playbook. They have good product and if they achieve this kind of after sale service, I can't even imagine (with all the SUV euphoria going on) what would be their sale figures.

[SGK]

Originally Posted by forester

I was the first one to be there at 5:45am, straight after an early-morning airport run, and the humble guard registered me in for the day and offered to safely park inside, to be able to take a quick nap until the staff arrives by 7:00am.

A terrific service experience at this service centre.

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Such an amazing experience to read on, this is one reason my better half was very clear she will buy only MS car (whatever model) rather than any other brand. We use this as a beater car but service from Bangalore centre (Bimal) is also equally good. Way to go Maruti.