[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by scorpion_blore

1) Headlight upgrade: Is it worth moving to relay install for 90/100W instead of just replacing the stock bulbs with Philips Xtreme Vision or Osram Nightbreaker? What would be the approximate cost?

If you have a lot of night time driving and face issues in visibility ONLY then look at 100/90 setup else things are much better off by sticking to stock rating. I just changed the OEM bulbs (Osram Bilux) in my Swift to Philips Xtreme Vision 60/55W H4 and I am happy with the results.

I don't advice the 100/90 so as it puts load on the engine, alternator, reflectors and problem for the oncoming traffic.

Originally Posted by scorpion_blore

2) Tyres: Will seriously think of changing the tyres. No plans of alloy yet. Is there any advantage of choosing the ZXI size (185/70R14) over OEM size (165/80R14)?

My suggestion is go with the ZXi tyres. I am bit sure if Michelin or Yoko's exist in this setup. If not buy Bridgestone or MRF.

ZXi size

1) Advantages:

a) Safer and more stable due to higher contact patch;

b) Looks nice

2) Disadvantages;

a) Lower FE

b) Error in speedometer.

If possible and if money is not an issue but the tyres and ZXi alloys at a time. You can ask for discount.

Anurag.

[SBR]

Facing a strange problem these days. In tight B2B traffic, when I slot 1st gear and release the clutch at normal speeds (not very slow though), I can hear a slight "thud" kind of a sound but when I release the clutch very slowly, this sound is not there. This happens more often when the AC is on. With the AC off, this problem disappears for some time but resurfaces again. My current ODO reading is 12,600 KMS and it is a year old car.

Should I get it checked at MASS. The car is under warranty.

I am yet to buy the extended warranty from MASS which offers cover for 3rd & 4th year of ownership. I had planned to buy this from Aryan Motors where I get my car serviced regularly but they informed me that I need to buy it from the same dealer i,e, Mandovi Motors where the car was purchased.

Is it not possible to buy the extended cover from other dealers like Pratham Motors, etc. Do I have to buy it from Mandovi motors only as response from Mandovi motors has been very very poor.

If at all the problem as mentioned above needs a repair under warranty, will I still be able to buy the extended warranty from MASS. I am not sure.

Advise from BHPians

[commonman]

Take your vehicle to a MASS immediately.
Other than this ,it is normal to have a small sound when the AC starts.

Regarding extended warranty you can buy it anytime before your normal warranty ends,but it costs more when it becomes late.EW can be bought from any Maruti Dealer.

[avinash_m]

Originally Posted by SBR

Facing a strange problem these days. In tight B2B traffic, when I slot 1st gear and release the clutch at normal speeds (not very slow though), I can hear a slight "thud" kind of a sound but when I release the clutch very slowly, this sound is not there. This happens more often when the AC is on. With the AC off, this problem disappears for some time but resurfaces again. My current ODO reading is 12,600 KMS and it is a year old car.

Should I get it checked at MASS. The car is under warranty.

I am yet to buy the extended warranty from MASS which offers cover for 3rd & 4th year of ownership. I had planned to buy this from Aryan Motors where I get my car serviced regularly but they informed me that I need to buy it from the same dealer i,e, Mandovi Motors where the car was purchased.

Is it not possible to buy the extended cover from other dealers like Pratham Motors, etc. Do I have to buy it from Mandovi motors only as response from Mandovi motors has been very very poor.

If at all the problem as mentioned above needs a repair under warranty, will I still be able to buy the extended warranty from MASS. I am not sure.

Advise from BHPians

You definitely need a MASS visit! If the 'thud' is that pronounced then am afraid it can be anything from a bad clutch release bearing to a worn out clutch as well, just my thoughts! A clutch-overhaul (in that case) unfortunately will not be covered under warranty. AC is just adding to the engine-load during the clutch engage-disengage cycle.

I bought my EW at the dealer when I took delivery but the significant part was that the first 3 years was 'manufacturer' warranty and 4th year was only from 'dealer' end; and yes that's only from the dealer where I took delivery. I don't think I've had to claim warranty for anything as yet, touchwood!!

[SBR]

Originally Posted by commonman

but it costs more when it becomes late.EW can be bought from any Maruti Dealer.

Thanks. I will try and get the extended warranty from any other Maruti dealer. In fact, as you have mentioned, the Extended Warranty is more expensive now. When I purchased the car in April 2013, the extended warranty was offered to me around 7.5K and now the same warranty is been quoted at around 10K. Thats a loss of 2.5K to me for delaying the purchase of EW by a year.

Originally Posted by avinash_m

it can be anything from a bad clutch release bearing to a worn out clutch as well, just my thoughts! A clutch-overhaul (in that case) unfortunately will not be covered under warranty. AC is just adding to the engine-load during the clutch engage-disengage cycle.

I bought my EW at the dealer when I took delivery but the significant part was that the first 3 years was 'manufacturer' warranty and 4th year was only from 'dealer' end;

I will plan a MASS visit soon. If this is true then I am surprised that such a problem has cropped in the first year of ownership. Anyways, I will get to know once the car is completely checked at MASS.

On the Extended Warranty, I am now told by the dealer that the 3rd & 4th year warranty is from the dealer and not from the Manufacturer.

[SBR]

Originally Posted by SBR

On the Extended Warranty, I am now told by the dealer that the 3rd & 4th year warranty is from the dealer and not from the Manufacturer.

Got the EW from the dealer today for Rs. 10,365/- (Rs. 9225 + Service Tax) for 3rd & 4th Year or Upto 80K KMS whichever is earlier for my RITZ VDI.

[commonman]

AFAIK Extended warranty is given by the manufacturer. This is valid for all dealers and service centers around the nation .I did change my front stabilizer bar in my Ritz with EW.The vehicle was delivered by a different dealer and service done somewhere else. Anyway good you got the EW.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by SBR

On the Extended Warranty, I am now told by the dealer that the 3rd & 4th year warranty is from the dealer and not from the Manufacturer.

The warranty it any kind if claim is to be honoured by Maruti Suzuki. The dealer/MASS only is a meditator between the customer and Maruti Suzuki. You buy the car from any dealer in your city, you can service it at any MASS in your city and get warranty jobs done at any dealer/MASS in your city - there is NO problem at all. There is no hard and fast rule that where the car was bought, it must get service there.

All the data pertaining to the customer and the car+service history is avaliable on a centralised service to which all dealer heads and MASS heads have access to. They just need to input your car's registration number to track data for any service issues/warranty claims.

Dealer has no authority to cancel it ONLY Maruti Suzuki has.

Originally Posted by SBR

Got the EW from the dealer today

Congrats got the EW and wish you a peaceful and long ownership.

Anurag.

[scorpion_blore]

Damaged my car while reversing yesterday. There was a big screw that was protruding from the telephone pole and it ripped away the rear bumper. The pic below might give a better idea:


An year back the driver side door was damaged. There was a minor dent too on that area:


I was holding off the repair on the door so that I could club the repair with any other major repair work. Now it's time to get both the rear bumper and the door fixed.

Folks, please recommend:
1) Is it better to get both the damages fixed by MASS using insurance? I called the insurance guy of RNS Motors. According to him, door repainting will cost around 7.5k, and insurance might pay up to 5k.
For rear bumper, total cost would bea round 7.5k. He told that the insurance company might pay just 2-3k since it is plastic/fiber part.

2) Is it better to get it fixed outside of MASS? I have read good reviews about Trend Automobiles. Based on your personal experience, can you please recommend any other place where I can get it repaired?

3) I was told that the probability of insurance getting approved for both door work and rear bumper replacement is minimum. There is a high chance of getting insurance approval for rear bumper. Even if I do claim insurance, the premium might increase next year and I might get less amount when trying to sell my car later. So it worth it?

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by scorpion_blore

Damaged my car while reversing yesterday. There was a big screw that was protruding from the telephone pole and it ripped away the rear bumper. The pic below might give a better idea:

An year back the driver side door was damaged. There was a minor dent too on that area:

I had a similar incident a month ago where a biker rammed into me tearing away my rear bumper.

Went to MASS and asked them for an estimation. The estimation for the new bumper+painting+labour and taxes it came to 7K. But finally I paid 5.5K so I advice you to get a quote from another MASS and also better to get it done there since painting and matching it will be their headache so it'll be done nicely.

OEM Bumper would cost approx 3K. Painting and labour could be 3K.

If money is not an issue then get the parts changed at MASS as an insurance claim is waste.

Anurag

[deepclutch]

Is there something MASS can do regarding the suspension to make it slightly stiffer? While moving through gutter filled roads, I have to literally brake and shift to 1st gear as the body roll and suspension travel makes it sometimes difficult. fear of under-body scrapping and in some sharp downward roads, Ritz nose-dive scrapping under side of front bumper(it already happened). Is tyre pressure or any other adjustments to suspension possible to reduce these problems?

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by deepclutch

Is there something MASS can do regarding the suspension to make it slightly stiffer?

May be a spacer can be added to decrease the suspension travel.

Check for Honda Civic lousy suspension issue in the technical section.

Originally Posted by deepclutch

Is tyre pressure or any other adjustments to suspension possible to reduce these problems?

What tyre pressures do you maintain?

Try this:

1) Park the car on flat ground;

2) Go near each wheel and press the car to compress the suspension for that wheel.

3) Keep repeating step 2, vigorously press the car up and down and see how the suspension responds. Are you seeing any leak in suspension oil?

If the car returns quick to position 0 then the suspension is OK but of the return of the car to position 0 is shower then something is wrong.

Anurag.

[avinash_m]

Originally Posted by scorpion_blore

Folks, please recommend:
2) Is it better to get it fixed outside of MASS? I have read good reviews about Trend Automobiles. Based on your personal experience, can you please recommend any other place where I can get it repaired?

@scorp: Sad to see the damage caused! It should be a straight forward fix though; I'd just be wary of the color matching, be it at MASS or independent garage as there's just no way to know until it's all repaired and repainted. If possible, checkout some repair jobs from both to take a final call. Please do share the cost break-up of the repairs and the option you took; my car is also due for a re-spray (only bumpers) to hide the numerous scratches.

Originally Posted by scorpion_blore

3) I was told that the probability of insurance getting approved for both door work and rear bumper replacement is minimum. There is a high chance of getting insurance approval for rear bumper. Even if I do claim insurance, the premium might increase next year and I might get less amount when trying to sell my car later. So it worth it?

I guess the answer to that question would directly depend on how much of a hit you're ready to take on your pocket for getting the damages fixed if you don't want to claim insurance; increased premium and resale value will just be a consequence of the former. I think both those factors will still be a relatively small hit (probably) as compared to the total repair costs.

Originally Posted by deepclutch

Is there something MASS can do regarding the suspension to make it slightly stiffer? While moving through gutter filled roads, I have to literally brake and shift to 1st gear as the body roll and suspension travel makes it sometimes difficult. fear of under-body scrapping and in some sharp downward roads, Ritz nose-dive scrapping under side of front bumper(it already happened). Is tyre pressure or any other adjustments to suspension possible to reduce these problems?

How old is your car and how much has it run? Unless the road is really bad or the suspension is in it's last stages Ritz scraping it's belly or front overhang is quite un-heard off? In case of the latter, there should already be ample signs like a bouncy ride (soft dampers), wheels crashing into the potholes (lower arms) etc. which demand a suspension overhaul instead of artificial stiffening of the struts. Some amount of body roll is inherent to Ritz due to it's tall-boy nature but that's where Ritz's suspension set-up does a good job of having a balanced ride and handling unlike some other tall-boy hatchbacks.

[deepclutch]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

May be a spacer can be added to decrease the suspension travel.

Check for Honda Civic lousy suspension issue in the technical section.

Today did the first paid service at 15000kms replacing Oil and Oil filter on request. they replaced the drain nut citing it is recommended to do so. SA was pressing for lot of other works pushing the charges to almost 4000 Rupees. I denied many of these recommendations but accepted brake cleaning, suspension check up.

MASS checked the suspension and found nothing wrong although they have replaced Balance rode and some bushes in the front. only solution is to shift to 1st gear and go through speed-breakers with 4-5 passengers(in particular).

Does Ritz needs EGR valve cleaning and at what kilometers MASS recommends cleaning?

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by deepclutch

MASS checked the suspension and found nothing wrong although they have replaced Balance rode and some bushes in the front.

If they found nothing wrong with the suspension then why on the earth were the balance rods and bushes changed?

I hope all these parts changed were done under warranty?!

Originally Posted by deepclutch

Does Ritz needs EGR valve cleaning and at what kilometers MASS recommends cleaning?

Do it only if your car feels sluggish. Maruti owners manual says cleaning of EGR every 30K kms. I don't find an harm in it but depends on the running.

Anurag.