[darthvader]

When you got it repainted, did they use exactly the same color (diamond white), or did they use some locally available paint? And this was done at the Chevrolet workshop? Should I wait for the first servicing (reassurance check up) which is due in a month, or should I get it done right away?

Today I went to the dealer to get the number plate installed. The person who was originally supposed to take a look at the scratched part wasn't present, so he deputed someone else to inspect. That person said the scratch was a little deep along with a slight dent, and that we need to go to the workshop to get it fixed. He also recommended that we make the trip only during the reassurance check up which is due within 1 month or 1000 km (whichever is earlier).

I don't know if it is appropriate to discuss scratches and bumps further on this thread? Perhaps we should start another thread about this. I would like to know from the rest of you what your experiences were in getting the scratches/dents fixed. Are scratches repaired to look as good as new, or can one still see the difference? Perhaps I am making a big deal out of it, but a scratch on a caviar black cruze over the wheel arch doesn't look too good

[SedatedDrive]

Originally Posted by darthvader

When you got it repainted, did they use exactly the same color (diamond white), or did they use some locally available paint?

Diamond White colour paint.

Originally Posted by darthvader

And this was done at the Chevrolet workshop?

Yes.

Originally Posted by darthvader

Should I wait for the first servicing (reassurance check up) which is due in a month, or should I get it done right away?

It depends if you can stand seeing a scratch on your Cruze. I got mine done during a service checkup which was due in 2 weeks from the time of the incident.

If I had not said it here on Team BHP, no one but the dealer and I would have known that my car had scratches on it by seeing my car. The patch up done in the workshop will be like factory finish provided you ensure that they do their job with due diligence.

Regarding the bulging wheel arches- Aye, Cruze does have some thunder thighs and we have to be extra careful.

[darthvader]

Originally Posted by SedatedDrive

If I had not said it here on Team BHP, no one but the dealer and I would have known that my car had scratches on it by seeing my car. The patch up done in the workshop will be like factory finish provided you ensure that they do their job with due diligence.

The fact the patch up at the workshop will be similar to factory finish is very reassuring , especially to someone with Caviar Black color. I was advised by the dealer to wait for the reassurance checkup so that any other scratches (God forbid!) can be attended to at the same time. I will try and coax the workshop people to let me stay while they do their job.

PS -- Absolutely SedatedDrive. My parents are getting the entrance of our house widened (something I had been asking them to do right from day 1..argh) :-)

[darthvader]

Do you wash/wax your car yourself? If so, do you have any recommendations for any waxing agents, or any advice in general for taking care of the car to ensure that the factory paint stays in good shape?

Is it safe to give the car a shower like one does with old cars? I am worried about the chrome linings, and any sensors that may get drenched. Please offer any minor/major advice to a new (and inexperienced) Cruze LTZ owner

[darthvader]

What's the general advice regarding run in of the car? I have read conflicting things on the internet, and when I asked my dealer, he said the car is good to go and I need not worry about driving it in any particular manner for the first several kilometers. He claimed that such advice was usually given for older petrol cars, and the modern Cruze does not require run-in . Is this true? I have been driving the car with 'care' (barring the scratches mentioned above, which were unfortunate) but occasionally have shot past 1500 RPM in the second gear while trying to get out of traffic, which I read somewhere isn't advisable.

I would appreciate if someone could give me a detailed description of how the run-in should be performed. Thanks!

[SedatedDrive]

What?! Postpone your first night for the first few weeks?! Nuts!

Originally Posted by darthvader

Do you wash/wax your car yourself? If so, do you have any recommendations for any waxing agents, or any advice in general for taking care of the car to ensure that the factory paint stays in good shape?

Is it safe to give the car a shower like one does with old cars? I am worried about the chrome linings, and any sensors that may get drenched. Please offer any minor/major advice to a new (and inexperienced) Cruze LTZ owner

I have hired a person to was my car every day. He is provided with car cleaning cloth and a cleanser from Amway. He douses the car with water first to wash away the durst, dirt and what not.

In case of bird drops, you need to apply water and let it be for some time before attempting to remove it.

Recently I took my car for a full wash & wax package at Privilege Moto Mall in Chennai which cost me 4,500 INR.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by darthvader

Do you wash/wax your car yourself? If so, do you have any recommendations for any waxing agents, or any advice in general for taking care of the car to ensure that the factory paint stays in good shape?

Is it safe to give the car a shower like one does with old cars? I am worried about the chrome linings, and any sensors that may get drenched. Please offer any minor/major advice to a new (and inexperienced) Cruze LTZ owner

Please use the simple logic of run-in to bed the components properly for atleast the first 2000kms

1. Dont stretch the gears unneccesarily. Stick to reasonable RPM's for each gear. And, try not to cross 2500rpm till you complete 2000kms

2. Anticipate braking and try not to resort to emergency brakes or hard braking in this period

3. Dont drive sedately following a pattern. Once in a while, rev the engine and take the car through its motions.

Around 2K kms, the engine components would have properly bed-in and then after this period as "Sedateddrive" mentioned, you can enjoy your honeymoon to full extent

With regards to cleaning. Hope you got the teflon coat done after buying the car. If not, get one coat painted soon and then stick to waxing the car using popular products once in 3-4 months to ensure the factory paint is retained. This can be done self (to save cost) and if cost is not a consideration then it can be done at any professional outfit. But, ensure its not done more than once in 3-4 months.

[darthvader]

Originally Posted by SedatedDrive

What?! Postpone your first night for the first few weeks?! Nuts!

Originally Posted by mobike008

Please use the simple logic of run-in to bed the components properly for atleast the first 2000kms

1. Dont stretch the gears unneccesarily. Stick to reasonable RPM's for each gear. And, try not to cross 2500rpm till you complete 2000kms

Thank you SedatedDrive and mobike008. Mobike008, can you please give me a better idea of the 'reasonable RPMs'? I know that there is a recommended RPM range for each gear, but I don't have access to this data for our Indian Cruze. Usually Autocar India lists this data in a detailed review along with gear ratios, but I haven't been able to get access to their (possibly 2009?) detailed review of the Cruze. And my manual doesn't have this info either.

PS -- What's special about 2500 RPM and 2000 km technically?

[SedatedDrive]

I just know when I need to up shift or down shift based on the driving circumstance at a given time. I rarely look at the dials. For me it is all about what is on the road in front of me, how the engine feels and the road condition (inclination or declination, slippery or gravel).

[darthvader]

Originally Posted by SedatedDrive

I just know when I need to up shift or down shift based on the driving circumstance at a given time. I rarely look at the dials. For me it is all about what is on the road in front of me, how the engine feels and the road condition (inclination or declination, slippery or gravel).

Sure, but this is a standard recommendation when you are driving any vehicle . Since you folks referred to 'RPM ranges' for various gears, I thought you had something quantitative in mind, for instance 'don't cross an RPM of 'x' in the 1st gear' or something like that.

PS -- Looking at the dials once in a while isn't bad, for instance at the 'fuel level' dial and also at the speed (so you don't overspeed)

[SedatedDrive]

As my name would suggest, I up shift quite early for any gear. So I guess I don't 'rev' the engine. Also the pulling power of the Cruze is such that if you for example try to 'rev' her up in the 2nd gear, you better hold on to the steering wheel!

[sameer sultan]

Originally Posted by darthvader

This was a very informative thread, which enabled my father to go in for the Chevy Cruze LTZ myself. Unfortunately, while backing up the car to take it out of the house, my father accidentally scratched the rear right side of the car (the wheel covering primarily) with the gate of our house.

I haven't had a chance to post a picture yet, but I was hoping if someone could give me an idea whether the scratch can be 'repaired' and what this would involve, and how much would it cost. Are they going to repaint the scratched portion? What do they normally do in such a situation?

Unfortunate to hear that. Will be able to tell you clearly if you can post a picture here of the scratched portion.

[rangakishen]

Originally Posted by darthvader

Sure, but this is a standard recommendation when you are driving any vehicle . Since you folks referred to 'RPM ranges' for various gears, I thought you had something quantitative in mind, for instance 'don't cross an RPM of 'x' in the 1st gear' or something like that.

PS -- Looking at the dials once in a while isn't bad, for instance at the 'fuel level' dial and also at the speed (so you don't overspeed)

Hello,
It is not about some very particular RPM number. It is just an approximation such as "50% of engine's redline" or so. Even this is just a rough estimation as ther is no hard and fast rule as such. The intention is to keep the engine in the comfortable band till the run-in period is complete(i.e till the moving element bed in). Usually, in this period, 1st gear is used only for initial movement (1200-1800). Other gears can be used however you wish depending on the circumstances. Say 1800 to 2000 is about optimum during run-in. But this is only in the beginning. as you clock up miles, simultaneously increase your RPM usage band. By the end of say 2000-3000 kms you should be able to hit max-power RPM (in case of cruze it is 4000).

Hope this helped.

[darthvader]

Originally Posted by sameer sultan

Unfortunate to hear that. Will be able to tell you clearly if you can post a picture here of the scratched portion.

Yes Sameer, I'll post a picture here tomorrow..thanks. I get the impression though that the metal is exposed. My major concern is whether the Chevy workshop in Kanpur consists of competent people who can repair the scratch and the dent and bring it back to factory condition. The dealer did not seem very confident, and instead said that these things keep happening in the city. When I told him that the scratch happened right at home due to a mistake in taking out the car, it had little effect on him :-P. So I thought I would consult other TBHP members about what should be done...I don't want to leave it as is.

Also, it has been raining heavily for the past 2-3 days and the supplied car cover which was covering the car seems to absorb moisture. When I took it off today, I noticed lots of water marks on the rear screen and on the body, mostly swirl marks and moist spots. I also noticed that over the fuel tank lid where I had experimented a little bit with waxpol a few days ago, there are especially a lot of swirl marks. Should regular waxpol be used at all? It seems to dim the black paint..

[darthvader]

Originally Posted by mobike008

With regards to cleaning. Hope you got the teflon coat done after buying the car.

I got the anti teflon coating done and some paint protection thing which the dealer mentioned as an accessory. The whole thing cost me Rs.4522/- on the day of the delivery. Does this seem reasonable for the kind of protection you were referring to?

Originally Posted by sameer sultan

Unfortunate to hear that. Will be able to tell you clearly if you can post a picture here of the scratched portion.

Here are the pics everyone.

There are 4 pictures in all: 3 of the scratch on the wheel arch on the rear right end (driver side rear wheel) and 1 picture of a small dent on the co-driver's side on the front wheel arch. All are due to impact with the gate of our house, which has only recently been widened (after impact with the Cruze ).

I would like to get these fixed asap, but at the same time, before I go to the workshop, I need to understand how bad the damage on each arch is, and what exactly I should expect from the workshop. Your inputs are welcome!

Front Wheel Arch Dent (Co-Driver's side)




Rear Wheel Arch Scratch + Dent (Driver's Side) Image 1



Rear Wheel Arch Scratch + Dent (Driver's Side) Image 2



Please ignore the specular reflections on the left side of the third image above...they are due to improper lighting conditions while taking the photographs.

Sorry for the somewhat amateurish images...these are the best I could manage under the circumstances.

In case you're unable to view these images, please visit https://picasaweb.google.com/1086582.../CruzeScratch#.