[Leoshashi]

One thing which we all car guys hate and fear is, encounter of our car's interiors with rodents. The most common entry point is Cabin air intake located in cowl. There are couple of other vents located at the rear, behind the bumper, but chances of entry from those holes is pretty less compared to cowl.

While plan to fix this cowl intake was always on cards, recently an official 2nd Gen Swift Dzire had to be completely stripped down to fix damages done by rats. It was a horrible sight:

This is something I wanted to avoid, so decided to open the cowl and fix it. The cowl is held by some clips, and we also need to remove the wiper arms to pull the cowl out. Also, the two small trims above the fender needs to be pulled out carefully. Sorry not many pics of the DIY since I was doing it alone.

Once the cowl was accessed, I was amazed at the dust accumulation around the drain in a 2-month old car.

Cleaned the area nicely. I didn't opt to get this done at MASS or FNG because somehow the mesh they use tend to rust quite early. Dad had some left over rolls of mesh from 2005, so it was testament to its quality.

I also sprayed Meguiar's Sprayable Hybrid ceramic wax all along the cowl. It's an excellent water repellent . So hopefully it will provide some extra protection:

There are two bolts protruding around the intake. Remove the nuts, insert the mesh and tighten the nuts. However I found the mesh to be still quite loose. So used split pins at 3 places to hold the mesh tightly against the intake opening. Pics are self explanatory:

Initially I thought to make this a clean installation, but then an evil plan dawned upon me. Twisted the edges and made them even more harming to the rats if they try to move around this area.

Some more points:

-Didn't spray 3M's rat repellent in cowl since whole cabin will smell bad in no time.

-Lubricated the wiper links, since I don't know when cowl will be opened next. Does no harm to be extra cautious.

-Make sure to place the wiper arm exactly where they were. Since my car was dusty, the original wiper resting point was evident.

-Vents at the rear are easily accessible if car is lifted, so will get it done at MASS when I visit them next.

Regards,
Shashi

[Leoshashi]

Since I often travel alone on unknown roads, was searching for MGA's emergency kit. It's probably discontinued now. Found one unit in Patna's NEXA outlet, and purchased immediately. At the price which it sells, its absolutely VFM with excellent quality. Apart from these, I always keep a tyre inflator and pressure gauge in my car.

Part Number: 990J0M999X0-010
Price: Not sure, but its well within Rs. 1500.

Kit details:

Comes in a nice bag, won't trigger my OCD:

Held by velcros

Contents:

Comes with a leaflet too, with description on how to use tyre repair kit:

In some other news, who needs a Dijal? Loving CC on empty roads

Signing off with a recent pic:

Regards,
Shashi

[saket77]

So, finally I was able to meet Shashi today! And take a nice test drive of his XL6.

Due to this COVID thing, the test drive of Shashi's XL was long pending. Somehow he dropped in the afternoon while I was working on my Civic and finally we set off for a longish test drive of his truck.

This was my first drive of a smart hybrid and I was keen to look at the animation on the MID to know when the electronics meet the fossils.

The seating position is commanding enough- this was even more amplified for me because I graduated from a Zen and a Civic where commanding heights are not something to brag about. The car moves with ease- low end grunt is fairly good. Enough to keep one unconcerned even in the city traffic. The clutch is not too light and not too heavy- something in between to keep everyone from complaining. The car picks up speed quickly and you feel like driving a mid size car and not an MPV. Handling is good for an MPV. Coming to the brakes, it doesn't have a sudden strong sharp bite like most Hyundai's and even a trait that my Civic has to an extent. The braking action is much more linear and should be easy to adjust to.
While driving, an animation on the MID lets you know when the electric motor kicks in and when you brake or perform engine braking, how the the energy is used for regeneration.
There are lots of storage area at the rear and while the ingress to the last row isn't the easiest but that is compensated with the luxury offered in the second row. I liked the car on most grounds and according to me, it scores a perfect 10 in terms of practicality and functionality. Being a Maruti gives it some unfair points too Most panels feel strong which is a nice departure from the usual Maruti standard. For eg, the bonnet felt really heavy for the size of the panel. Except the quarter panel, nothing sounded tinny or feeble. The car is also well insulated from outside noise and ensures a stress free drive. The only thing I could dislike in this particular car was a piano finish grey plastic panel in the dashboard which could have been designed better.

Thank you Shashi for trusting me with your brand new vehicle. I came back impressed.

Leaving you with a parting shot.

[dadu]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Yes sir, I had considered all these points and 195/65R15 felt like the best bet to me. 195/60R15 was a bit smaller in dia, so it kind of defeated the whole purpose of upgrade. 205/60R15 is surely the ideal upgrade, but not so on the stock rims. For 5.5J alloys, 195 section is the maximum one should go for.

Please post a pic of how you have put the rubber. The tray surely bounces if I cross a hump at higher speeds. I have started driving as one should drive an empty VAN.

There are conflicting views on the rim size but 205/60 can be fitted with 5.5J RIM.

I would like to believe the proof of the pudding , @paragsachania who has used one set of tyres with the same.

The rubber pad is as below, it should be the width of the protuded notch on the tray so as to hold it.









Hope this helps.

[MadTiger]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

The HeadUnit is developed by Harman, chaps who love more pics, here are some :

Attachment 2051730

Attachment 2051731

Regards,
Shashi

Hate Maruti's lousyness! The brand new car squeaks!

Sashi could you please share how you fixed it, I was able to remove the facia cover but not able to take the head unit out. Appreciate your assistance.

Regards,
AM

One more question, while driving around have you ever felt a slight knock if you disengage the clutch a little early? Or engaging the clutch while the car is in motion?

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by MadTiger

Hate Maruti's lousyness! The brand new car squeaks!

Sashi could you please share how you fixed it, I was able to remove the facia cover but not able to take the head unit out. Appreciate your assistance.


One more question, while driving around have you ever felt a slight knock if you disengage the clutch a little early? Or engaging the clutch while the car is in motion?

Please give me time till today evening, I am out on a trip, so will try to get you the pics before EOD.

The ACC panel needs to be removed. If you carefully observe the periphery of the ACC panel, you will see two notches if you see/feel from below. You need to insert a trim removal tool there, and pry it open. Comes out easily.

Then you will need to remove two screws which hold the HU from bottom(access to screws to be taken from below, where you just removed the ACC panel).

After removing the screws, pull out the HU cleanly. It has sharp edges, so make sure it doesn't touch any dash part while taking it out. Also be careful with your fingers.

If you are not comfortable, please wait till I post pics in evening.

Regards,
Shashi

PS: No such issue with clutch.

[Leoshashi]

The condition of GT road is such that 5-10 km long traffic jam isn't uncommon. Only thing you can do is, climb over dividers or drains(if possible) to wrong side, or get into nearby fields, navigate through unknown villages. I can only imagine how much stress free a 4WD SUV owner would be over this conditions. I had no option but to try those in my XL6, and except one part where a brick slipped and the nose hit the ground hard, the XL6 passed with flying colors. Ground clearance is adequate for all practical purposes.

Scene 1: I had taken an alternate route through a village to escape a 12km long jam on the highway. Drove almost 15 km, to reach this stretch filled with slush and bricks. Even the locals recommended not to try crossing that. Bikes were also struggling. I did a recce on foot and felt it can be crossed with gentle throttle input.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXt_6wp9T-4

Everything went well except one part where some brick slipped, and the nose hit hard against other bricks. That resulted in this:

The front lip plastic tore off. Happy to report that my Engine guard has been coping with the situation like a champ!

Couple of other situations where the XL6 had to be driven off the road:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cm9y1Pm-dY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW-tLTZwZhg

Some pics for you all:

Going on the wrong side. This is absolutely normal in Eastern UP and Bihar:

Regards,
Shashi

[Navs]

Thanks a lot Leoshashi for exploring this mod. I have been looking for this mod for a long time. I completed the installation of underbody protection for my swift with guidance from your post.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post4885958 (Maruti Swift : Official Review)

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Navs

Thanks a lot Leoshashi for exploring this mod. I have been looking for this mod for a long time. I completed the installation of underbody protection for my swift with guidance from your post.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post4885958 (Maruti Swift : Official Review)

Many Congratulations on the neat job. Hope Maruti notices this and makes this available as an accessory for all models.

Regards,
Shashi

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Closeup Pics: Can anyone tell me the manufacturer for this alloy?

[center]Attachment 2048983

Its MINDA KOSEI ALUMINUM WHEELS (P) LTD. Link

[arijit_chat2006]

Hearty Congratulations @Leoshashi for the new car

The car looks simply amazing in this colour.

If only Maruti would have provided a diesel under the hood....
(Yeah somehow big cars and diesels go hand in hand for me).

[adv.yzr]

Originally Posted by arijit_chat2006

Hearty Congratulations @Leoshashi for the new car

The car looks simply amazing in this colour.

If only Maruti would have provided a diesel under the hood....
(Yeah somehow big cars and diesels go hand in hand for me).

Greetings,

I am in full agreement with you, the need of a diesel engine is definitely there. I really liked the 1.5 ddis 225 on the Ertiga. It made it a good if not great people-mover and a cruiser.

Thanks.

PS: This thread is amazing and I am loving it. I never found XL6 that fascinating as a product as much as now after going through this. Keep rocking and thanks again for the wonderful post.

[Leoshashi]

I was just in time to witness a spectacular sunset at Ranchi. I was mesmerized by the beauty of my surroundings. While I tried to capture it, the actual experience was atleast 10x better! I'm very poor at photography and neither is my phone cam the best in business. So please bear with me.

Let the pics do the talking:

Even the view out of windscreen was killer:

[arindam.dino]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Like DBHPian Parag said, press it inside and simultaneously twist the lens anticlockwise. By the time I managed to open the first lens, my fingers were aching badly.

I am sorry to report that I have been defeated again. Need Help!

[BoneCollector]

Originally Posted by arindam.dino

I am sorry to report that I have been defeated again. Need Help!

As I can see, you've removed the covering. Now you've to pull out the bulb. There is no need to rotate the bulb, it needs to be pulled out. Once out, you have to push the LED bulb into its slot.