[amit]

When you say 'steering is pushing against your hands', I suppose you mean it is pulling right or left on rough roads. Perhaps an EPS is more sensitive to undulations on the road , and since you were used to HPS all along, this might be causing discomfort to you.

That is a possiblity I have thought about. But, shouldn't a company like Maruti know that in India there are either bad roads or no roads. Besides don't they have the ability to design a EPS that manages to go straight for at least 75 feet since thats what their own dealer claims? If this happened in a BMW or Ferrari, I would understand that they are new comers to our market and haven't done their research but this is Maruti. What I am interested in knowing is if other cars with EPS behave the sae way. NHC owners, can tell us if your car does the same.

Originally Posted by sathya_nars

clutch & accelerator are vibrating (not shaking) in RPMs 2000 and beyond. Dealer is unable to fix it yet !!!

What has amazed me is the number of niggling problems in sX4's just like in the Swift. And it seems like Maruti dealers almost everywhere are incompetant and not able to fix the issues. To add to insult to our injury the SX4 is going to top the J.D.Power IQS next year. Maruti will also top the CSI.

By the way, the compliant I made through their toll free number on 26/11/07 hasn't resulted in any action from Maruti. I even emailed them about these issues this month. Vitesse, this friday, asked me to wait for 10 mins to enable them to fix an appointment with a Maruti service engineer. I told them to call me back. 6 days later I am still waiting.

My trunk problem meanwhile is getting really frustrating. Everytime I go to malls and the car is checked the security guys never manage to lock the trunk. It's not their fault though. Even I have to bang it at least 4-5 times and still double check if it's locked . When I complianed about this to Vitesse, Prabhadevi, they, as usual, said, " This is normal. All SX4's are like that." Maruti's logic seems to be that if 10 cars have a common problem then it must be normal. In other words, they believe that they can't make any mistakes and their cars are flawless. It's the customer that needs to be 'educated' about using their cars correctly. And I thought Honda had an attitude problem. Come to think about it, at least Honda can afford to have an attitude since their cars are almost always flawless.

[roms]

Seems you are really being harrowed by your SX4's experience so far. I know how it feels, I have been in that position too.. with my ex- Palio 1.2. And its common with all dealers. If they dont think its a common problem, or a problem at all, they will just say " thats the way the car is" and you are made to feel like a fool. Consequently, the next time you appear in front of them with the same issues, they might even start neglecting you. One fine day, I got fed up and took my car directly to the Kurla plant. When even that did'nt work, I had no choice but to sell my car at roughly 16000 kms.
Fortunately, I think there is hope in this case Amit. Atleast we are aware of the fact that they are others reporting similar EPS problems as well. So its not a one off thing. You've seen the same thing on a Wagon R as well right? So the problem may be with a particular batch of EPS systems manufactured and fitted across the range. I think there should be a poll on this forum regarding this issue. If there are substantial number of SX4s / other Maruti cars facing the same issue, then the problem can be routed directly to the manufacturer.

[neoranjit]

Amit, we seem to be in the same boat. Apart from the smelly aircon, i had the same issue with teh trunk. Had to bang it hard and loud for it to close.

However, the guy, while getting my 5K service done, fiddled with the trunk
lock and its better now. Why dont you try to get another service station ( if you havent done that yet ).

[Mallikarjun]

Guys,

Reading about the issues you guys are facing, I am really scared to invest 8 lacs on this car.

I was thinking between SX4 and Honda City. Was primarily hooked to SX4 for the ABS and Airbags. But with all these additional features like - stinking/vibrating/bad-alignment etc, I have to re-think. Is it worth 8 lacs?

Please comment in this point of view: Will this car can keep owners happy after investing 8lacs?

I am sure owners of Honda City will not crib as much, as they know upfront that the car does not have ABS/Airbags. So no regrets....

I am planning to book one sometime in next month. So, your feedback on ownership will greatly help. So far its not that encouraging though!

Thanks,
Mallik

[svel]

After hearing all these issues, I am wondering whether it is worth to buy this car. I don't want to put close to 8 lakhs and struggle with these issues. My 7 year old Santro is in much better condition :-)

People will always say these are minor issues but for me these are defects in basic functionality of the car.

[neoranjit]

@ Mallikarjun and svel : yeah, i agree to what you said. But I assume all this will be there in other cars too. Probably you are not hearing them.

No matter what said and done, I think given a choice, I will always stick by Maruti cos I know I have choice of service centers and help anytime ( not that other manafacturers do not have this option )

If you are concerned abt the ABS and stuff, try the base version. Will work out cheaper by around 80K.

[Mallikarjun]

Very idea of going for SX4 is to have ABS and Airbags. The base version is not considered at all.....

[iTNerd]

Not showing too much attachment to my car or acting like a SX4 spoke-person, I would say, that some issues discussed here (EPS, vibration in third gear, rear trunk not closing etc.) do not seem to be rampant. IMHO, the EPS issue is quite naive. Every car that has EPS behaves that way.. Regarding the other problems, I for once, do not experienced any issues with vibration, rear trunk etc., BUT that's me.. so far and I am loving every bit of my car.. the mileage, the looks, the angle, the curve, the whooonnn engine noise and the attention from friends, passer-by.. totally worth the 7.5 lac I paid. I guess what I am trying to say is that, it will be unwise to judge the overall aspect of the car by reading few issues some owners are facing.

[roms]

Originally Posted by iTNerd

. Every car that has EPS behaves that way..

Really? So no EPS equipped car holds a straight line when hands are away? No I'm not doubting your claim, but its a scary thing. I can understand cars with smaller wheels like the Santro,Wagon R getting unsettled by undulations on the road, certainly not a car having big 15-16 inch boots. Anyways,The NHC we have does not display such characteristics, though it has to be said that it hardly holds a candle to the stability of the HPS system of the Palio.

[RJK]

You seem to have awfully lot of problems, Amit. Even I face the issue of car pulling to left in our SX4; but that's about it. haven't faced any other problem yet. My take on the car:

1) Car looks horrendous.
2) noisy/whiny engine.
3) High speed wind noise
4) Ridiculous mileage, around 9kmpl but with driver doing most of the driving
5) Love the steering mounted audio controls and climate control.
6) Pathetic ride.

My father chose to buy this car and I didn't bother to argue much because I wasn't going to drive it anyway. Other than the fact that its loaded to the gills, I don't see any bloody reason to buy it.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by amit

The steering/alignment mystery has deepened.

1.) There is a almost 50% improvement in the way the car drives now. How? Fed up and frustrated with the car, I ripped the car real bad on Friday evening and Saturday.

At the end of 50 kms the car started holding straight for much longer then it used to!

Amit, nothing that cant be set right with a tight rap, isnt it? Thats what its beginning to look like.

Originally Posted by amit

2.) I drove a Zen Estilo and 2 Wagon R's of my colleagues over the weekend. All the cars have the same problem!!

Amit, while i understand the problem you are facing, just wondering if you drove these cars over the same road, or not. Is it possible that the road may have a slight slant to one side? Just a wild guess. However, even if so that would only account for a slight pull in a particular direction, and not a sharp one. Also, tyre pressures would need to be checked.

[amit]

Reading about the issues you guys are facing, I am really scared to invest 8 lacs on this car. Will this car can keep owners happy after investing 8lacs?

After hearing all these issues, I am wondering whether it is worth to buy this car. I don't want to put close to 8 lakhs and struggle with these issues. My 7 year old Santro is in much better condition

I am glad my thread is making the impact I wanted. Thats the best way to hurt any company. As far as the question asked by you guys, my answer would be, buy something else. Issues are one thing, lets not forget the dealers. And not just one but two of them in one city. And also remember that I have complained to Maruti directly too through their toll free number first and then through email. I have had no response from them yet. I agree with you svel. Your 7 year old santro is in better shape just like my 4 year old Palio is in much much better shape.

Besides, as you guys have read, there are more owners reporting the same issues of trunk, alignment and smelly blowers. So this doesn't seem like a one off case.

some issues discussed here (EPS, vibration in third gear, rear trunk not closing etc.) do not seem to be rampant.

No they are not rampant but they are there. Which shows iffy quality standards.

Even I face the issue of car pulling to left in our SX4

So there are more issues like this.

if you drove these cars over the same road, or not. Is it possible that the road may have a slight slant to one side?

All cars were driven on the same roads. The route was from the Turbe flyover on Thane-Belapur road to Galleria Mall and back.

tyre pressures would need to be checked.

Can't comment on tyre pressures of the Zen and Wagon R's but my car was running on recommended tyre pressures. Besides, I have driven the car on the recommended pressure of 33psi (ridiculously high IMO!), 28 psi and 35 psi. The problem remains. Considering that there are more SX4's with this issue, I think this is surely a problem. Besides, roms has already confirmed that his NHC tracks straight on rough roads so it can't be EPS.

PS: On 11-01-08, Vitesse service manager drove the car and said there was no problem. When I pointed out the car pulling to the right, he said it was because of bad roads. We were on Worli sea face then! If that is bad road in Maruti's books then they shouldn't be selling cars in India.

[hrman]

Interesting thread. Sorry to see so many problems faced by you Amit. And it gets even more frustrating when the Service center refuses to acknowledge this and says that its a routine problem. If its so routine, why has the feedback not been passed on to Maruti and why have they not gone on a Mass recall for all cars having this problem? The did so with the Clutch problem in some early SX4 cars. (there is another problem!!).

I have an NHC with EPS, never faced the problem of steering out of line. Im used to HPS from my Indica days, so this problem would have been evident when I took to the NHC's wheels. Didnt find anything. Yes, the steering is much lighter and the response on Highways at high speed is not very encouraging. But it doesnt steer out of line.
The trunk problem in your SX4.. Well. thats sad too. I know of my friend who owns the SX4 and said the window glass on the front vibrates and makes a thudding sound if its half rolled up. . Looks like its a can of worms.

[prskumar]

I am planning to go for SX4 in the next 3 months. But now I've started thinking after seeing so many negative reviews in various sites, if it is reaaly worth buying it. I might as well go for swift vdi for now and later upgrade to SX4 diesel when it's launched.

Is the quality so bad in SX4? or is it just as good as NHC?

Other owners in the forum can pitch in with their ownership experience so far.

[normally_crazy]

Originally Posted by prskumar

I am planning to go for SX4 in the next 3 months. But now I've started thinking after seeing so many negative reviews in various sites, if it is reaaly worth buying it. I might as well go for swift vdi for now and later upgrade to SX4 diesel when it's launched.

Is the quality so bad in SX4? or is it just as good as NHC?

Other owners in the forum can pitch in with their ownership experience so far.

prskumar,

I did not get you. You plan to put off your SX4 purchase till the diesel version is launched ? But what if the diesel has the same problems (boot lock, pulling to one side, clutch side) ??

Or you are expecting better quality in the diesel version ? Which could be unlikely !! Why ? because so far MUL and the dealers have failed to acknowledge these problems and secondly with the diesel version , SX4 sales will hit the roof - leading to a compromise while manufacturing which leads to these problems.