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Old 8th April 2009, 18:14   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HappyWheels View Post
2. Ok, the good a/c on this puny engine does take it toll. You will certainly feel a very noticeable drop in engine performance with a/c. All normal.
I completely agree. In fact I have one more thing to share on this. Try this if possible-
If you are waiting at a long red light with the car and the AC running, keep your brake pedal pressed. You would actually be able to feel the pedal depressing a little more, on its own, just as the AC automatically cuts off after a cooling cycle.
I suppose this is also because of the power hungry AC of the Alto. If not, I would be glad if someone can shed light on this.
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Old 8th April 2009, 18:36   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ess_a View Post
If you are waiting at a long red light with the car and the AC running, keep your brake pedal pressed. You would actually be able to feel the pedal depressing a little more, on its own, just as the AC automatically cuts off after a cooling cycle.
I suppose this is also because of the power hungry AC of the Alto. If not, I would be glad if someone can shed light on this.
IMO, The brake pedal is not at all related to the AC, irrespective of the power it is drawing from the engine!
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Old 8th April 2009, 22:27   #18
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1. This sound does come up, purely due to feeble engine.
2. Common stuff, it feels it is brake but it is not. The reason and solution is below -
The magnetic clutch that egts engaged when AC kicks takes away lots of power, also, it creates an inertia, so you will feel as if ona high RPM, you have suddenly moved from 5th to 2nd gear, in fact there is a jerk at times if it happens at low speed and/or with heavy load in the car. Whenever you experience this, rev the engine harder so that it gets enough juice to overcome the inertia, this is the only way.
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Old 9th April 2009, 09:53   #19
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Thanks, all

It is just that this is my first car and every little 'out of the ordinary' behaviour makes me jump.

I will post more experiences with this machine once I cross 5000 kms and the second service.

Thanks, everyone
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Old 9th April 2009, 21:43   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pulsar56 View Post
IMO, The brake pedal is not at all related to the AC, irrespective of the power it is drawing from the engine!
Hmmm... Well I am not sure. What I was thinking was that the brake booster needs power from the engine and so does the AC. As soon as the AC cuts off, there is more engine power available for the brakes and thus the pedal depresses a little bit more.
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Old 25th April 2009, 02:45   #21
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The Alto has a 110 cc A/c. So with the A/c on you have only 686 cc to run the car with. I too own an Alto and I know that the performance drop is phenomenal when the A/c is switched on.

The A/c is usually successful on engines that are above 1000cc.

Another drawback of the alto is very less leg room at the rear. Otherwise it is a wonderful car in that price range.
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Old 14th June 2010, 10:57   #22
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Originally Posted by pulsar56 View Post
IMO, The brake pedal is not at all related to the AC, irrespective of the power it is drawing from the engine!
I have noticed (at least in 4 instances) that the braking efficiency decreases when the a/c compressor just switches on. All these were cars that had (engine) power assisted braking.

Last edited by jinojohnt : 14th June 2010 at 10:59.
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Old 14th June 2010, 11:27   #23
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I have been driving an Alto for the last 6.5 years. The drop in performance when the AC is switched on is very real but it can be overcome by maintaining the engine in its peak power band. I always drive with the AC on and no longer feel that much drop in performance as I have become used to working the gears accordingly.

OTOH, the AC is really powerful. In fact, it's rated as one of the best ACs in its class.
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Old 14th December 2011, 11:17   #24
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Re: Alto LXI - 2700 kms and some issues. Now 27000 Kms done

It took me good 3 years to clock up 27000 kms on my Alto LXI. I have taken it through 7 services. Here are a few things I would like to mention.

Car performance:
Nothing to really complain about. The car does its duty well and does not bother me much.

The FE is a little over 16 and I drive almost 100% with AC on.

Servicing:
After trying out 3 different M.A.S.S., I finally zeroed in on Machino Techno as the safest albeit a little expensive than others. Other service stations, especially Mohan Motors are quite unsafe to go to. The last time I went there, they tried to cheat me on two counts - clutch plate needs to be replaced and battery needs to be replaced (both at around 18000 kms on the odo).

I challenged them to it and they agreed that they made a 'mistake'. I complained about this to the GM and also got several calls of apologoes from the service advisor.

But no such thing with Machino Techno. They charge for every minute and every trivial piece of labour but the job they do leaves little room for complaints.

One common grouse I have with all service stations including Machino Techno is that every complaint is attended to but when the car is delivered, there are two or three new issues although quite minor to bother one. I have not been able to understand why the technicians and advisors refuse to pay complete attention to the vehicle before delivering it.

Changes done during the last servicing (at 26500 kms).
Other than oil, the brake pads were changed completely. Now, I did not complain about it and I did not experience any issue with the brake pads. But when I went back to pick up the car, the advisor said that the brake pads were worn out and 'as a policy' they changed it without informing me of the cost or the reason. I argued about this but did not go aggressive.

Reason is that after I drove the car for about 50 kms, I did notice a perceptible change in the way the car behaved while braking. I assume the advisor was right. Any Alto onwing team member has any idea about this? Kindly let me know.

Another funny thing happened (and here I would like your views). I changed the engine oil at 23000 kms but not at the service station. I went to a roadside mechanic, bought oil on my own (Servo: "approved for Maruti cars" it said on the label) and had the mechanic change the oil. After that, I noticed that the mileage dropped to around 12. I did not know the reason and felt it could be due to the petrol bunk I regularly use (Trimurti at Theatre Road crossing). I changed the petrol bunk and started going to the one at Gurusaday Road.

During the 26K service, the advisor called me and said that the oil was the wrong one and he changed it again. Since then the FE has gone up to close to 17.

Can anyone tell me in case I wish to buy the oil on my own, which one I should buy and if it is a good idea to get it done out of MASS?

Other than this, the car is behaving perfectly well. The merciless potholes on Kolkata roads do not let the wheel alignment stay aligned. And the rattles; I feel the road noise gives me more peace than this. Some nut or screw or something is always making some noise. I guess the longer you know your car, the greater then rattles and the nagging becomes. No wonder we all refer the our car in the feminine gender

I still keep dreaming of switching over to a newer, faster car but so far my Alto has not given me any reason to go for a change. Now I plan to take her out on a long drive across states. Again its a plan fraught with chances of cancellations.

Do let me have your views.

Travelwriter
Mods: How do I change the subject line to update it?

Last edited by travelwriter : 14th December 2011 at 11:18. Reason: Request
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