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Old 2nd October 2020, 12:51   #181
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Re: My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review

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Originally Posted by Kpzonwheels View Post
Dealership workshop is offering anti rust underbody coating of wurth and MGA. Both are offered at price of Rs. 2000. Which is better??. I saw that you have used MGA anti rust.
MGA has two varieties too:

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-capture.jpg

You can choose anyone-Wurth or MGA. Both are good. Just stay away from the cheap 300 rupees 3M Undershield they use. It's nothing but a black paint. Rs. 2000 for antirust is also decent value. Just make sure body is entirely clean and moisture free before they coat it. Else I have seen cases where moisture gets trapped in between body and the thicker coat, and it tends to worsen the corrosion.

Regards,
Shashi
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Old 2nd October 2020, 13:04   #182
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Re: My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review

The problem is, these dealer workshops won't allow us to go inside when they are working. They only allow you when the work is finished
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leoshashi View Post
MGA has two varieties too:

Attachment 2062006

You can choose anyone-Wurth or MGA. Both are good. Just stay away from the cheap 300 rupees 3M Undershield they use. It's nothing but a black paint. Rs. 2000 for antirust is also decent value. Just make sure body is entirely clean and moisture free before they coat it. Else I have seen cases where moisture gets trapped in between body and the thicker coat, and it tends to worsen the corrosion.

Regards,
Shashi
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Old 2nd October 2020, 13:28   #183
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Re: My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review

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Originally Posted by Kpzonwheels View Post
The problem is, these dealer workshops won't allow us to go inside when they are working. They only allow you when the work is finished
Request the SA that you want to be with the vehicle. I usually put a stern but polite foot forward, that if they need my business, I am staying with the car. However, I also respect their concern and try my best not to loiter around or disturb other people. These days they don't even try to stop me.
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Old 6th October 2020, 19:51   #184
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Re: My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review

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Originally Posted by Leoshashi View Post
The condition of GT road is such that 5-10 km long traffic jam isn't uncommon.
The rattle incident made me forget to update about this trip. While it was a mundane work related trip, it was special because it was my first long drive in the XL6.

Total distance covered: 1400 km
Total Fuel taken: 77.4L
Avg Mileage(Tankful to tankful): 18.08kmpl

The onward journey was nothing short of a nightmare, with long traffic jams, absolutely pathetic roads and a constant rattle. My mood was all ruined, and so was the fuel economy. I barely got 16kmpl when I tanked up at Varanasi.

The return journey experience was exactly opposite. I was driving with a Bureaucrat senior of mine, and because of that we had access to a Pilot Gypsy and A Scorpio. The Gypsy and Scorpio were leading, sirens blazing all along. All I had to do was to carefully tailgate them. Rarely did we stop anywhere, and despite cruising at 90-100kmph for majority of the distance, we still got stupendous mileage of almost 21kmpl. That brought the average up to a respectable 18kmpl.

Some random pics from the trip:

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-1.jpg

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-2.jpg

The accommodation was beautifully managed by UPTDC:

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-3.jpg

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-4.jpg

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-5.jpg

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-6.jpg

MID reading:

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-7.jpg

Meanwhile, got this from Amazon. I hope I never get to use this:

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-20200927_182443.jpg

Some tips to get good mileage:

1. Remove that screen on MID which gives out instantaneous mileage. It somehow makes me change my driving style.

2. This car hates braking or slow moving traffic. When cruising, it returns mind blowing figures.

3. If you need to brake, accelerate to your preferred cruising speed ASAP and then feather throttle once you reach there to maintain the desired speed. It's very sensitive to throttle inputs. That is somehow better than accelerating gradually.

What also helped me was that I was driving solo or with 2 passengers most of the time.

Regards,
Shashi
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Old 6th October 2020, 21:18   #185
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Re: My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review

I have a small query. The service centre guys are saying they have no permission for under body washing from the municipality, so instead of washing they chose to wipe the underbody with diesel before applying the antirust coating. Will it serve the purpose??
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leoshashi View Post
MGA has two varieties too:

Attachment 2062006

You can choose anyone-Wurth or MGA. Both are good. Just stay away from the cheap 300 rupees 3M Undershield they use. It's nothing but a black paint. Rs. 2000 for antirust is also decent value. Just make sure body is entirely clean and moisture free before they coat it. Else I have seen cases where moisture gets trapped in between body and the thicker coat, and it tends to worsen the corrosion.

Regards,
Shashi
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Old 6th October 2020, 22:36   #186
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Re: My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kpzonwheels View Post
I have a small query. The service centre guys are saying they have no permission for under body washing from the municipality, so instead of washing they chose to wipe the underbody with diesel before applying the antirust coating. Will it serve the purpose??
Avoid Diesel. Its not good for rubber items as well.

Ask them to wipe it clean with petrol/similar solvent if they feel like. Of course while making sure there is no fire hazard nearby like a hot exhaust.

I also didn't get my XL6 washed. Since my car was brand new, there was very minor dust, which we cleaned with diluted IPA. IPA evaporated quickly too, leaving a degreased surface behind.

Regards,
Shashi
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Old 6th October 2020, 22:44   #187
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Re: My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review

It is for my cousin's Ignis and it is one month old. Should we carry an IPA solvent with us??
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leoshashi View Post
Avoid Diesel. Its not good for rubber items as well.

Ask them to wipe it clean with petrol/similar solvent if they feel like. Of course while making sure there is no fire hazard nearby like a hot exhaust.

I also didn't get my XL6 washed. Since my car was brand new, there was very minor dust, which we cleaned with diluted IPA. IPA evaporated quickly too, leaving a degreased surface behind.

Regards,
Shashi
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Old 6th October 2020, 23:01   #188
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Re: My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review

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Originally Posted by Kpzonwheels View Post
It is for my cousin's Ignis and it is one month old. Should we carry an IPA solvent with us??
Why not get it washed comprehensively elsewhere? May be a dedicated car wash centre.

Regards,
Shashi
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Old 6th October 2020, 23:03   #189
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Re: My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review

Yes, will go for a thorough underbody wash.
Thanks
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leoshashi View Post
Why not get it washed comprehensively elsewhere? May be a dedicated car wash centre.

Regards,
Shashi
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Old 7th October 2020, 09:23   #190
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Re: My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review

Hey Leoshashi, love both your threads. The dedication and passion towards both the machine is something else.
What's next on the list of upgrades/mods?
Ciao
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Old 7th October 2020, 20:08   #191
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Re: My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Leoshashi View Post
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!
The part arrived in 5 days post order, and this is exactly why I had given extra weightage to MSIL during my car purchase.

Reached my old MASS early, since I also intended to fix the Engine guard properly. "Occupying" a lift there is like getting a Window seat in a crowded general coach of IR!

Lift occupied, Mission Accomplished!

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-20201006_152106.jpg

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-20201007_192013.jpg
The guys were quick to remove the damaged part.

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-20201007_192129.jpg

I quickly shot a video of the engine guard:



New vs Old:

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-20201007_192111.jpg

Quote:
Originally Posted by Leoshashi View Post
Guys, did a mod about which I am super happy and proud at the same time.However one shortcoming happened, and I had to resort to a minor Jugaad for the same. In Dzire, I think the front part of the engine guard goes under some other trim. In my car, there was a minor 2 cm gap even after the front clips were installed. Any kind of wind/water blast can cause the clips and screws to fail. They are all held together by plastics. To solve that, I used 4 screws with oversized washers, so that when screws go all the way in, the washers hold the plate from front and makes it snug from front. Apart from this jugaad, it was entirely plug and play.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blow Horn Ok View Post
One suggestion, you can use a plastic strip with matching holes so that it will hold the cover and also slide above the front portion of the car, which is otherwise few millimetres ahead. Big washers will hold the cover but won't cover the gap.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadTiger View Post
Simply put brilliant! After getting delivery of my car we will be travelling 2000 km all the way to my home town within a week, this is such a life savior mod from you! Can't thank you enough.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadTiger View Post
Ok enough of flattering can we have the next update on the wind deflector that puts bay to the 'jugad'
Finally fixed the engine guard properly too. Did consider many things and alternate parts, but none of them felt proper. When they opened the broken cover, I could spot a solid crossmember with many holes underneath. Best part: The crossmember is separate and is held by 4 bolts, not welded. So even though I altered it, it can be easily replaced if anything goes wrong in future like rust etc. Just being extra cautious.

We finally decided to drill 2 holes in that member, and thread it inside so that it can hold 10mm bolts. Drilling was the toughest part since the crossmember, though a box section, was of very very hard metal with decent thickness. It was so tough that the MASS guys tried to drill it for 5 minutes, and all it got was a scratch.

Luckily I had anticipated this, and asked my mechanic to go to my house and fetch my drill set. Being a new and supposedly better machine, I was expecting it to be a bit more efficient. And it didn't disappoint. It did make lot of noise but eventually managed to cut through the metal.

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-20201007_192142.jpg

At the end, this happened. Reminded me of Ajay Devgan from Golmaal 3 :

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-20201007_192209.jpg

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-ajaydevgn21572952238.jpg

We then threaded the insides of the newly made hole, so that it can accept a 10mm bolt:

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-20201007_192157.jpg

Also took care to rust proof the drilled part. End result:

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-20201007_192225.jpg

Now the engine guard is as good as factory installation and no one will have issue in removing and putting it back, if ever need arises. Earlier, the 4 screws were tightened on a plastic part(which cracked) and it was easy to make it free when opening or closing.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sreesh1009 View Post
Hey Leoshashi, love both your threads. The dedication and passion towards both the machine is something else.
What's next on the list of upgrades/mods?
Ciao
Yes there are some more upgrades coming. Stay tuned.

Signing off with two recent clicks of the XL6:

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-20201001_161225.jpg

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-20201002_203132.jpg

Regards,
Shashi
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Old 8th October 2020, 11:10   #192
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Re: My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review

Congrats Sashi on your XL6. Ive booked XL6 white automatic Alpha variant. This thread was main deciding factor to choose XL6. I’ve shortlisted Ciaz and new Scross. But for the same price, XL6 seems to be more VFM option.

Inspired by this, I plan to visit the yard during PDI process. Can you tell me what are the important items in PDI that I should inspect in person?
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Old 8th October 2020, 20:13   #193
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Re: My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review

For those who are looking for T10 LED bulbs, I bought this one from amazon, these are genuine OSRAM with 1W rating, works great. Sold on amazon and the seller is Cloudtail which generally sells genuine stuff only. The only catch is it sells out very fast, so subscribe to it and pick it up soon as you get notified.

Cheers!

PS - OSRAM T10
Attached Thumbnails
My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-t10.jpg  


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Old 8th October 2020, 21:54   #194
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Re: My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review

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Originally Posted by Vivek_ACM View Post
Congrats Sashi on your XL6. Ive booked XL6 white automatic Alpha variant. This thread was main deciding factor to choose XL6. I’ve shortlisted Ciaz and new Scross. But for the same price, XL6 seems to be more VFM option.

Inspired by this, I plan to visit the yard during PDI process. Can you tell me what are the important items in PDI that I should inspect in person?
Congratulations on the XL6. It's indeed a great buy. Hope you are aware of the shortcomings and their solutions. The only shortcomings if you ask me are Dashboard rattles(fixed) and headlamps which can make you nervous(easily fixable with Projector Fogs). Regarding lights, it appears useless mostly because it has no focused beams as such. The light is diffused, but you won't ever miss anything on road-That's for sure. This is typical of non projector LEDs. If you are used to projector lamps, you will be disappointed.

My intention for the above paragraph was not to demoralize you, but to ensure that you take an informed decision.

Regarding PDI, I'm trying to compile what all I will do:

1. Get the VIN first, and check Month of manufacture. I usually avoid cars which have been standing in the yard for anything more than a month. And with the sales MSIL cars have, you will surely get a fresh piece.

2. Visit the yard and make sure there are no distractions around. The salesmen may try to deviate your attention. I try to remain as focused as I can.

3. I always look for hints, which trigger my suspicion. Then it's a series of checks which I do. For example, while shopping for someone, I came across this car. The first thing which caught my attention was "Remains of polish" on the black trims. Notice those white marks? They shouldn't be there.

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-2-2.jpg

After this I started noticing that particular car closely and soon noticed this overspray:

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-1-2.jpg

On the A Pillar there was this paint overflow:

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-3-2.jpg

And by the time I reached the wheel arch, I spotted this:

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-4.jpg

It was pretty evident this car was damaged in transit or due to hail and was repaired. Looking at my craziness, the Salesman decided to save our time and brought out a list of damaged cars they had. We avoided all those chassis numbers. Do note that while the dealership may or may not share this file with you, they all have such documents for internal records.

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-5.jpg

As soon as I was rejecting one car, I took pic of its VIN plate:

During my XL6 purchase, I had finalised one car, but rejected at the last moment when I saw these:

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-20200711_151657.jpg

It meant there was some kind of repair/polish activity around. And truly, there was a cleverly concealed touchup nearby!

4. One easy way of avoiding this "Sherlock" act, is to look for "Assembly line marks". Notice the white scratch like marks on all panels? That's what I'm talking about.

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-20200714_134132.jpg

If its missing, the car has been polished or something is wrong somewhere.

My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review-kuchtogadbadhaidaya.jpg

I'm not saying that all cars where marks are missing, are wrong. Dealers sometimes clean them before delivery. But their presence greatly simplifies the inspection.

5. Since it's a tall car, don't miss the roof.

6. Insist on cars where internal seat plastics have not been removed.

7. Look for hints: If you notice anything which shouldn't be there, walk away!

8. I had taken my cheap paint depth gauge. Helps a lot in identifying repaired panels. This was my plan B if I had suspicion on a car, and wanted to be 100% sure.

9. Take pics of everything. Wheels, tyres, everything. I have more than 100 pics of the PDI day itself.

10. Do give extra attention to Engine bay. There may be rodent damage.

11. Don't expect showroom guys to deflate the tyres to correct pressure. Do it yourself!

12. Underbody checks can be done when they put the car on ramp/lift during their own PDI.

13. Start the car and let it idle for a minute or two. If anything is wrong, it should come up.

14. Be very polite and gentle, but at the same time be very vigilant inside.

Basically, just peel your eyes and ears, and be very attentive. A little bit of distraction can cost you dearly in the long run.

Regards,
Shashi
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Old 8th October 2020, 22:35   #195
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Re: My first car: 2020 Maruti Suzuki XL6 Alpha MT Review

Thanks mate. I will make myself available at the time of PDI. I will visit the yard during the checks.
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