[chiranjitp]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Update: Good friend and DBHPian Dr. Naren recommended newly launched XP95 fuel by IOCL. Doc says I should wait for at least 200 km for ECM to adapt and engine to show any changes. Since price difference is so less, I'll try this for 2 tankfuls and report.

Awesome, only the best food (petrol) for your XL6 . I suppose a direct injection petrol engine might show more difference compared to a MPFi engine, anyways excited to see the results.

BTW, how come your car is so clean even in the rainy season?

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by NiInJa

I studied it more and noticed the sound comes from below the body, not from inside or the seats, as if something was in tension and it got released the moment weight was lifted. And it is something that happens always.

They were not able to fix the 'kat' sound coming from front wheel when going over small bumps at lower speeds as well (link (Maruti Ertiga : Official Review)). So, the saga of follow-ups and taking the car back to service station multiple times continues. I will have a look at it personally next time.

Weird, try to shoot a video of both the noises and we'll try to locate the culprit. I'll also share with my mechanic and SA who are quite competent in solving such issues.

Anyway, I got my car serviced from my dealer last week and as expected, SA was completely clueless about this recall and said he will get back to me on this.

Precisely why I had recommended approaching your Workshop Manager(WM) for this. SA will not get back to you on this!

While we are at it, how do you confirm if they really replaced the coolant and brake oil as mentioned in the job card?

Only way is to ask them for video evidence of the same, may appear rude but that's the only way out. We had a doubt on our workshop and the owner gladly shared evidences of the jobs being done. Link: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...ml#post4295055 (Video: Fake service done on my Baleno RS by Mandovi Motors!)

Or, an easier way is ensuring that someone stays with the car. It's an annual affair and hence I believe taking out time for this once a year is very much possible.

Originally Posted by chiranjitp

BTW, how come your car is so clean even in the rainy season?

Well it had become dirty, thanks to the rains. I got it washed at a friend's washing center last saturday and then detailed the car inside out on Sunday. Also gave the car a very mild polish(first polish after it was ceramic coated last year) with my old rotary, coupled with Megs Finishing pad and Ultimate Polish to remove minor swirls, which was followed with surface specific coatings from Armor All, Turtle Wax etc. And while I was at it, also cleaned the air filter, cabin filter, spark plug and TB. Well these aren't needed but I like to do a comprehensive work and it helps in unwinding myself.

Some pics:

Extremely dirty car:

Reflections post polishing:

For me, internal health is more important than external looks:

TB had a bit of carbon accumulation around the edges:

TLC in progress:

Engine bay was cleaned and detailed too:

Aftermath:

Well it will certainly get dirty again, but that's the fun of a car ownership!

Regards,
Shashi

[vebmetal]

I asked my car service garage about the axle issue, and their response was:

Sir we have no communication received from Maruti.If we will received , we will inform to you .Regards

I can understand them having a 'replace only if needed' policy, but how is it possible that Maruti hasn't informed their dealers about this issue? (This particular service garage is a major one in Delhi).

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Dislikes:

-Weird features distribution: A 12L rupees car doesn't get Auto Dimming IRVM,

Teaser: Another big feature added! Extremely happy and proud about the same. Maruti tried to be stingy with the features, nevertheless, this is my car! #Built,notBought

Detailed post coming up soon. I have to hide the mounts with glass tape just like it is in the original fitments, route the wires, install 2nd cover. Should be done by tomorrow.

Have already checked the electricals, had made a custom harness from Baleno's roof harness(removed all unnecessary bits):

Signing off with a recent click of the XL6:

Regards,
Shashi

Originally Posted by vebmetal

I asked my car service garage about the axle issue, and their response was:

I can understand them having a 'replace only if needed' policy, but how is it possible that Maruti hasn't informed their dealers about this issue? (This particular service garage is a major one in Delhi).

Such service circulars are uploaded on DMS which can be accessed by workshop managers. All you have to do is, approach the Workshop Manager(not some random SA), ask him to search his system for service circulars for XL6/Ertiga. There will be only 1 recall in 2021, dated 6th January.

Regards,
Shashi

[tacho9000]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Teaser: Another big feature added! Extremely happy and proud about the same. Maruti tried to be stingy with the features, nevertheless, this is my car! #Built,notBought

You just provide with the teasers. Rest the general public will understand. Right

That DIY Ceramic Coating thread is due. And make sure you upload a proper post for this update. Including a video if possible. So that the world can see what mischeif you've been upto. I know you enough to be assured, this is no less than a perfect job executed by you. Provide us with the final full update soon.

[chiranjitp]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Extremely happy and proud about the same. Maruti tried to be stingy with the features, nevertheless, this is my car! #Built,notBought

Detailed post coming up soon. I have to hide the mounts with glass tape just like it is in the original fitments, route the wires, install 2nd cover. Should be done by tomorrow.

Awesome Shashi, big fan of this feature. Our Ecosport comes with this feature & I find it very useful for night driving, I also consider this as an important safety feature (for night driving).

Like all your projects, I am sure the outcome would be perfect & like a OE fitting. The auto dimming feature on our Ecosport (& most other cars I believe) gets deactivated when the reverse gear is engaged, if possible try to implement that as well.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by tacho9000

You just provide with the teasers. Rest the general public will understand. Right

Since you loved the teaser so much, here's another one, this time in action :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa767L46aAs

Originally Posted by chiranjitp

Awesome Shashi, big fan of this feature. Our Ecosport comes with this feature & I find it very useful for night driving, I also consider this as an important safety feature (for night driving).

Indeed it is. And yes it has been implemented normally, with reverse signal cutting off the auto dimming function.

Regards,
Shashi

[lxskllr]

Originally Posted by chiranjitp

Awesome Shashi, big fan of this feature. Our Ecosport comes with this feature & I find it very useful for night driving, I also consider this as an important safety feature (for night driving).

Like all your projects, I am sure the outcome would be perfect & like a OE fitting. The auto dimming feature on our Ecosport (& most other cars I believe) gets deactivated when the reverse gear is engaged, if possible try to implement that as well.

Is there an advantage to the auto dimming mirror vs the manual one apart from the auto dimming of course?

[chiranjitp]

Originally Posted by lxskllr

Is there an advantage to the auto dimming mirror vs the manual one apart from the auto dimming of course?

Let me try to explain a bit more. The auto IRVM by default stays in the day mode, only when light falls on the IRVM it switches to night mode. After that when light is no longer falling on the IRVM, it switches back to day mode (default mode). This means that objects on the IRVM are always visible, as it keeps toggling between the two modes.

With the manual day/night IRVM, most people tend to move the IRVM to the night mode after dusk & keep it that way. That is not the correct way to use a IRVM, one needs to keep it in day mode & only when there is glare from behind (very common in India), switch to the night mode. It is not possible to keep switching between the modes so frequently, so we end up driving in one mode.

Here's what my Swift's manual says regarding using the manual day/night IRVM:



P.S- The understanding of the night mode is quite wrong, from what I've seen in many instances. I've seen people turning on the night mode in their IRVM after nightfall, but the correct way to use the feature is only when there's glare from a vehicle's HL following behind. IMO the feature should have been named anti-glare mode & not night mode so that people don't get confused .

[Leoshashi]

Detailed post on Auto Dimming IRVM: This is one of the features I badly missed on the XL6, specially when other cheaper Marutis got it. Had vented my frustration here: Weird Feature distribution in MSIL cars (Weird feature distribution in the current Maruti-Suzuki car range)

Attempt 1: Aliexpress was a good option since BHPian A4anurag had done it years ago in his Swift with similar IRVM mount. However with current geopolitics scene, that option was not there anymore. Another very minor drawback was that wire would be slightly visible before going into the headliner.

Attempt 2: This was a disaster, I tried to get RD's mirror which looked like auto dimming, but in reality it was a crappy product which was good for nothing. Well documented here: RD's horrible experience The company is still deciding on whether to refund my money or not, speaks volumes of their intention!

Attempt 3: After RD's debacle and laying low for sometime, I was even more determined to anyhow get this feature. I was aware that Celerio had a kit in MGA. However the picture in MGA brochure was misleading, and the mount in actual kit was way different than shown.

Boodmo Link to the product: https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-auto...erio-50726307/

Nevertheless, I had purchased this kit way back in 2018 to install in my M800(which didn't happen). So I had the kit and decided to check feasibility in XL6. The kit came with windshield mount, glue, thinner, couple of clips to cover existing IRVM holes, a wiring harness for Celerio etc.

However one big drawback was that coupler location and type of Celerio mirror was way different than usual Maruti's IRVM found in Baleno Ciaz etc which have hidden wiring. In Celerio a bit of wiring will be visible, which I didn't want for the XL6.

Compare the middle point of Both IRVMs. Upper one is Baleno's OEM mirror while bottom one is that of Celerio's kit:

We had recently procured an S Cross and I compared the mount given in S Cross to that of Celerio's Kit. It was absolutely identical!

So I had the mount and glue, now it was time to procure the Mirror, caps and harness.

Parts ordered:

1. Baleno/Ciaz/S Cross' Auto Dimming IRVM:

Part Number: 84703M54P00
Price: Rs. 3700
Boodmo Link: https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-mirr..._view-6788737/

2. Lower cover for IRVM:

Part Number: 84781M61M00
Price: Rs. 100
Boodmo Link: https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-cove...y_lwr-6788678/

3. Upper Cover for IRVM:

Part Number: 84781M68P00
Price: Rs. 24
Boodmo Link: https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-cove...y_upr-6788738/

4. Wiring Harness Baleno:

Part Number: 36820M68P30
Price: Rs. 239
Boodmo Link: https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-wire_roof-6800431/

I also procured a black 3M vinyl strip(the one they use for wraps)

Step 1: I stripped Baleno's wiring harness and extracted only the bit which I needed and made a custom harness for myself. Basically the wiring will have a coupler with 3 wires, Red Green and Black. Green goes to 12V line(via fuse tap), black is ground and Red goes to reverse signal. This ensures Auto Dimming mirror turns off when reverse gear is engaged.

This black coupler is the one which interests us:

Stripping in progress:

Line diagram of how Auto dimming works:

Step 2: Testing outside the car: hooked up the green and black wires to battery and tested the unit:

Step 3: Pasting the mount on windscreen: First we need to clean the surface with cleaner/primer provided in Celerio's kit. Then after double checking location, I pasted the mount with glue provided. Ensure there is no air bubble in between, the glue spread should be uniform.

Step 4: I gave the glue 2 days to settle down properly. It had become rock solid. I tried mounting the ORVM and it successfully took its weight. Drove around for a day to see if road undulations dislodge the mount. Nothing happened.

Step 5: This is the easiest step, apply the black vinyl strip on windshield(hides passing wires), connect the wire as explained earlier, put the two covers back and you are done! Also, remove the old manual IRVM. You will be left with two screw holes, put roof liner clip in them. I also relocated the dashcam a bit towards the top part of the windshield. I'll relocate the Fastag behind the IRVM and dashcam will then get properly hidden behind the IRVM on the left side.

The bigger Toyota feeling jealous with this latest addition

Meanwhile Maruti's "Cost Optimization Department" after seeing this post:

Some small yet significant points:

1. S Cross, Brezza and Baleno owners of lower variants don't need to do so much circus. Just get harness of roof of Alpha variant of your model, mirror, the covers and you are done. Example: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-d...m-s-cross.html (DIY: Auto-Dimming IRVM (S-Cross))

2. Even Toyota Fortuner and Innova owners can do this in similar way, again you don't have to paste mount on windscreen, you can use existing mount and using Maruti parts, you can install this mirror. Example: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-d...ding-orvm.html (DIY: Toyota Fortuner Type 2 - Auto Dimming IRVM & Auto Folding ORVM)

3. Ertiga and XL6 owners, you don't need to follow exactly what I did. For example, easiest way is to get Celerio's kit. It will have all things you need to do this mod in most basic way, although it won't be the cleanest.
You can explore other ways of procuring mount, for example from your workshop. A lot of Baleno/S Cross etc get their windscreen changed and you can easily source the metal mount from their broken windscreen. For glue, you may use some other glue. Final aim is to ensure the mount doesn't fall, and there can be a lot of solutions like JB Weld Clear.

4. I didn't use vinyl below the mount as IRVM needs to be adjusted constantly and since the setup is heavy, I didn't want the strength of the mount to be dependent on a thin piece of vinyl. Hence skipped it.

Again, a video of the Auto dimming working :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa767L46aAs

Regards,
Shashi

[BoneCollector]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Detailed post on Auto Dimming IRVM:

This is a very important safety feature that should be present in all cars. Once you drive a car with auto dimming IRVM, you'll feel the difference it makes in night driving. After I drove my brother's S-Cross, I retrofitted auto dimming IRVM in my Brezza. A very important upgrade.

[saket77]

Very good and useful upgrade. And more importantly, executed perfectly. These small additions make driving a pleasure and also add that little touch of personalisation to our otherwise so called mass market cars.
I can see slowly this XL6 evolving to the personalisation level your GG has reached over the years of your ownership.
Drive safe.

Regards.

[Blow Horn Ok]

Great DIY! I am sure maruti would scratch its head after seeing this. Though not simple as the engine guard fitment, all XL owners must get this done as it would ease night driving.

This makes me think once again of ridiculous ways of Maruti's feature distribution. Why anyone is forced to do this in car in which he has paid a premium to get the top model and overall cost is way upward of the a car in which it comes factory fitted?

[Gannu_1]

A very useful add-on especially for those who do a lot of night drives. Cuts down the high beam glare from the vehicles tailing the car. Good job Shashi!

I hope this becomes a standard fitment sooner or later just like the manual day-night mirror. I recall our ‘99 Zen LXi did not have this manual mirror either.

[Leoshashi]

Some updates:

* The XL6 crossed 12k on the odo today, as usual, nothing much to report on the ownership front.

* Regarding XL6's behavior with IOCL's XP95: One very evident difference is that I need to press the throttle lesser to maintain a specific speed, which directly translates to better mileage. Other than that there is absolutely no difference in flat-out acceleration or pick up.

Signing off with a recent click of the XL6:

Regards,
Shashi