[RajaTaurus]

KC, You have practically re-lived what I had experienced in ACT, Chennai (Now Maya Motors) in Year 2007, when my beauty Cedia became mine. Treated like a Price and my car given the best attention like a Prince's Horse. And now, Maya Motors have only improved for better. Even after 2 years, I receive the same attention, they do free washing, free touch-up of the scratches and free wax-polish at every service.
And me too, anyone treats my car well, enters my good books.

[Car&me]

Mitsu Service is excellent. I have done it at Raima - Hyderabad and currently with Maya Motors at Chennai. Both the places treat us as good; every customer is made to feel special.

[vijaythacker]

congratulations on your cedia, one heck of a car for 10L budget.Nice review and writeup with enjoyed to read.keep updating and enjoy your ride.
Do post more of some interiors pics as well.

[kcnetid]

I am up for the 1st free service. I want to go ahead and get all the good stuff done - teflon/polymer coating .... whatever is good for having a long and trouble free ownership. I will of course take excellent care of the engine but want the exterior to reflect the same care.
There is a reputation for 'parsi owned' cars. I want to ensure my car is as well maintained if not better.

Please let me know what you guys make of WELCOME TO GLITZCARSPA
I took their brochure yesterday but was in a hurry and couldn't get into a detailed discussion.

I want body paint protection, undercarriage protection...everything (in stages if I cannot afford everything up front.)
Glitz advertises
1. Paint protection with acrylic sealants. will this affect heat radiation from the engine?
2. Underbody polymer coating
3. Anti rust treatment
4. Anti glare for glass
5. nano coating for glass.
6. They also have dashboard and leather protection - from sun and dust.

All of them sound delicious. I have no idea of the cost but am willing to get as much done as possible without going bankrupt. What do you think is the priority list?
Are these 'treatements' worthwhile or is it a case of a fool and his money are soon parted? (me being the fool of course....)

I intend to keep the car for 4 years at least or more and will be replaced by Evo or something similar. There is no guarantee that I can afford something like Evo in 4 yrs in which case I will just keep this and upgrade. I want the car to look *perfect* even after 4 years.

I will go to the spa again tomorrow and get more details on the stuff they use and the costs involved. I think I will also take the opinion of the Raima workshop people and HM people :-) and post them here...

[kcnetid]

Originally Posted by kcnetid

There is no guarantee that I can afford something like Evo in 4 yrs in which case I will just keep this and upgrade.

I meant upgrade/mod the engine.

[RajaTaurus]

KCnet,
All those treatment seem required for any 'ordinary car' and for your Mitsubishi, you would only be spoliing the original treatment done for your car by Mitsubishi. Except for sun-film for your windscreens (which you might already have), other stuff looks like just 'fancy Boutique thingie' to me.

My car, Cedia Spirit, 2 years old, 13+K done, roughed up all around Chennai's suburbs in two Monsoons, And it still looks as good as new, without any such deterioration under body nor on paint. And the leather looks and smells new too. (of course, I never drive with side windows open nor give my car to anybody else to drive).
Of course, this is my personal epxerience and opinion.

[nairrk]

A question on the Stock GPS -what make/model it is?

Regarding car coatings - Body coating (teflon or ) not highly recommended even by
many TBHP members. But underbody antirust coating is good and it protects undebody from rusting.
Cheers !

[AirWind]

Originally Posted by nairrk

A question on the Stock GPS -what make/model it is?

Its a 2 Din Kenwood touchscreen system

[kcnetid]

Originally Posted by AirWind

Its a 2 Din Kenwood touchscreen system

And GPS/maps by mapmyindia.com. This is reasonably OK but does not seem to find satellites some time.

[kcnetid]

I am currently sitting in the Raima workshop in Hafizpet. I called yesterday to confirm a slot for today and also confirmed that they have Internet access (with wifi) so that I can 'work' and as of now am 'working' on 'important stuff' :-) I am currently camped in the waiting area with the occassional cup of cofee.

First of all, apologies to somebody who asked for pics of interiors. I never got around to posting them but rest assured - they are as good as posted on Mitsu website.

Also was adviced by lot of people on this forum that this car does not need any preservation care. I might go for underbody coating, dash protection and leather protection after 2-3 months but after due research on the material used.

Here is my impression of the car after 1 month of driving below 3000 rpm.
1. Engine and gears: The car has pretty good torque and does not knock even at low speeds (<20 kmph) in 3 rd gear. I was astonished to find that there is no oil change for first servicing - just topups. Apparently this is common across all makes. I really did not pay attention while getting the 1st servicing done for other cars in our family - all various models of Maruti Suzuki. The engine is quite silent and cabin noise is very muted with all windows rolled up.
Once I attempted to start a running engine because I could not hear it :-)
2. Suspension - I have altogether stopped braking for the frequent potholes/dug up areas on Hyderabad roads. I used to slow down for bad patches in M800 and Swift - more to protect the car than for comfort of passengers. In the Cedia, all I do is just lift off the throttle and sail over the patches. I feel pretty smug when I see all other cars (including City, civic, altis, et al..even call center Indicabs!!) slow down and fall back when the road gets rough.
3. Ride - Handles well in traffic - I never felt that I was driving a sedan. Backing up is an issue - low visibility due to the rear spoiler and probably smaller side rear view mirrors. I will be happier with slightly larger mirrors. Only place where I noticed the size of the car is at underground/cramped parking spaces. I am used to wide error margins with all the hatches that I drove.
Driving Seat could be better with more lumbar and neck support.
4. Other - Forget about using the flip down sun shades at the front windscreen. The only thing visible if you deploy them is about 5 ft of road in front of the bonnet. These are useful only to block sun from the windows.
The GPS does not catch the satellites all the time. There have been times when it reported that not even 1 satellite is in view. Be cautious when exploring new areas. This seems to happen more during the day.
The USB sometimes disconnects when car hits a rough patch. Have to unplug it and plug it in again. My USB is also a bit old so that could be an issue too.
The touchscreen system is loaded with functions and navigating can be cumbersome. The navigation between screens and menus too is patchy at some places forcing you to jump 2-3 levels back when you want to go to previous menu.
Confirmed that the Steering wheel is adjustable - not that I needed it but was comparing it to other cars in same category.
5. FE - I have completd 1070 kms till today and the FE ~ 12.1 kms/ltr. Basically 2 full tanks till 1st servicing - 1st time ~ 45 ltrs and 2nd tank full ~ 43 ltrs. The fule tank is almost empty now. I have always been below 2500 RPM and only a couple of tiimes close to 3000 RPM - basically very passive driving and I am an economical driver - never rev aggressively, get off the throttle early so as to avoid braking. In traffic, I go for a zen approach and usually get more FE than all drivers that I know.
This FE is with a combination of joy rides on Ring Road where there is hardly any traffic at all (always < 2500 rpm but touched 110 kmph) and bumper to bumper traffic on main connecting roads like SP road, MG road, Madhapur to Secunderabad via Panjagutta, etc, but at all times with A/C on. I think we will easily get > 13 kmpl without A/C and ~ 10 kmpl if you are aggressive with throttle and brakes.

Test drove a Civic AT a week back. Thats a pretty good car too. Excellent torque, very spacious interiors and much better seating comfort (than Cedia) but the steering felt heavier and I did feel that I was driving a big car. Cedia feels lighter and more throwable around corners. Have to test drive a City and the Jetta for comparison.

Need to buy synthetic/rubber foot mats as the carpet ones provided by Mitsu collect loose dirt pretty fast - they actually scrape the dirt off soles.
Should be getting the car in 20-30 mins and then will go straight to Xenex in Madhapur to get these. Apparently the owner of that shop (a Mr. Amar) too bought a yellow Cedia sports sometime back which instantly puts him in my good books.

I should be going for a longer highway drive next weekend and more updates on long drive experiences after that.

Apparently my car is ready and I need to go. As the staff here greets - 'happy motoring'.

[basilmabraham]

Excellent write up. This write up shows all your passion towards the car. Write up would surely rank at one of the top spots in the whole of TBHP. Please do update the thread with more wisdom words as you keep discovering the car.


Congrats and drive safe...

[kartho]

Regarding the underbody coating - I heard that it is of use only if you are living in a coastal city with a lot of salty winds... I doubt thats the case in HYD ?

Originally Posted by kcnetid

The engine is quite silent and cabin noise is very muted with all windows rolled up.
Once I attempted to start a running engine because I could not hear it :-)

I feel exactly the same too, I have now gotten into the habit of pushing the accelerator to check if the ignition is on or not :-) Its one smooth silent engine !

Also wanted to say thank you for all the updates you have been posting on your car, its very useful for me as your car is just a couple of weeks older than mine and I could safely tread the same path for my car's maintenance...

Have you been considering change of speakers or addition of AMP/Subwoofers ? If you have done any research on this, I am glad to reap the benefits

@Raja
"And the leather looks and smells new too"
Very happy to hear this as I have been thinking about this quite often and hoping that the awesome feel and smell of the leather remains... any special cleaning/care for your seats ? I think i need a crash course from you on car maintenance when i come to chennai next... I still cant beleive its a 2 year old car :-)

[RajaTaurus]

Originally Posted by kartho

@Raja
"And the leather looks and smells new too"
Very happy to hear this as I have been thinking about this quite often and hoping that the awesome feel and smell of the leather remains... any special cleaning/care for your seats ? I think i need a crash course from you on car maintenance when i come to chennai next... I still cant beleive its a 2 year old car :-)

Here is what I follow:
1. Never drive the car with even slight open windows. That applies to when you park under the sun. These cars have enough ventilation that you don't worry about pressurizing of the cabin due to heat.
2. Never let outside air enter while driving. (Always use close circulation).
3. Continue use of car perfume - Ambipur or Glade is what I use.
4. Of course, last not the least, clean only with light soap solution and never try any fancy spray/liquid with funny names and claims of cleaning leather. And only once a week inside cleaning.
5. Never allow drivers or valet parkers to drive your car. (Even when Maya Motors take the car for servicing, I insist on a particular driver takes it and drops it back, whom I knew is clean guy).

And finally buddy, if you see my car bumpers and the sides you will cry blood. The number of scratches these morons have made and the pricks on my bumpers by the two wheelers who prefer to stop their vehicle by bumping into my rear. Well, like they say here "WATTUDOO.."...

[AirWind]

Originally Posted by RajaTaurus

2. Never let outside air enter while driving. (Always use close circulation).

I would advise against this... its okay within city/traffic where the pollution levels are high, but on the highway its always better for that fresh air. Not sure if all the cars come with pollen filters!

[kcnetid]

Updates:

On 25th. Gave my wife's Swift for denting/painting at Raima and headed to office after that. I took the 'before' pics and once we get the car back, will post the 'after' pics too. Also decided to go for paint protection and underbody coating along with denting.

We just shifted to a new office and the basement parking was not ready. Had to park the car on the road. I usually park it at a safe place but this particular time parked it close to a building under construction. I came back after a few hours to see my car covered in cement!!! - not powder - the wet kind which had started drying.
First reaction was shock..survival instincts kicked in just a few secs later.
Recalled that wet cement undergoes chemical changes and can eat into the paint. Assessed if I could drive home and wash it - but cement covered the windscreen too.

Immediately got the office building watchman to start washing the car with *lots* of water. Ensured that he used light hands to avoid scratches. Could not assess damage completely as it was night and there was very little light.
Called up Raima and fixed an appointment for early next morning.

Inspected the next morning and damage seemed to me light. Went to Raima and confirmed that there was no damage at all. They asked me to go to office and they will have the car delivered but I wanted to stay and spare myself the agony of suspense about the condition of the car.
They were gracious to give the car a complete wash and made it shiny like new again. They didn't even charge anything.

Have to really appreciate Raima workshop. Mr. Pandu Rangan(heads the work shop) and Mr. Vijaya Saradhi (Mgr.) actually took up cloth pieces to dry my car. Mr. Saradhi personally used air jet to dry all the nooks and crannies.
Of course I joined in too :-)

With this kind of care, I would urge all Hyd janata to at least go look at the Raima workshop even of you have cars of different makes. If you want body repairs done - this is the place. They do not service cars other than Mitsu.
I have totally revised my initial opinion of Raima.

Mr. Pandu Rangan was all the while discussing how Mitsu can reduce costs - he is miffed that every single part is imported. He wanted Mitsu to source some parts locally to reduce costs...apparently even the headlamp bulbs are imported. I personally wouldn't worry too much. I think they have a great car at a good price point. With Cruze, Civic and Skoda - the other driver's cars priced much higher, I don't see too much competition in this price range. Of course the interior luxury of the Cedia is not in the same league as the other cars too. Cedia tends to be spartan.

I keep wanting to hang around the workshop - They have broadband and will give you a patch cable and you can work while you wait for the car (if you have a laptop). So I don't miss work while getting to hang around cedias, lancers, pajeros, outlanders and monteros :-)

Oh, and I am now a confirmed addict of TeamBhp to the point my wife is starting to comment on it and I have do an alt+Tab when she is nearby ;-)