[alstonlobo]

Originally Posted by Topolino

Yes, the manual have instruction for cleaning air filter. It is not washable, it is to be cleaned only with compressed air.

There was no way any compressed air could remove the soot that was on my filter.

[Topolino]

Originally Posted by alstonlobo

There was no way any compressed air could remove the soot that was on my filter.

Well, I commented about air filter. If the soot was on your air filter, I would recommend you to get it replaced as it will effect car's performance as well as efficiency. IMO Pollen filter shoiuld be cleaned using petrol and compressed air.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by alstonlobo

There was no way any compressed air could remove the soot that was on my filter.

In that case, you may have to replace the filter. you cant just take any filter and wash it in water.

[salbin]

Originally Posted by Topolino

Yes, the manual have instruction for cleaning air filter. It is not washable, it is to be cleaned only with compressed air.

Me too did the filter cleaning recently during the 10K service. It is better to use either compressed air or vacuum to clean the filter. I used compressed air to clean it. If water washed, there are chances that the filter may shrink after drying. If that happens, there will be small gap through which unfiltered air comes inside. So please check if there is any shrinkage to the filter.

[alstonlobo]

Right, so I’ve been a ‘not so regular’ on this thread and am back with a slight bang

My car’s celebrated its one year birthday on the 13th of this month and also a third free service coincided with the occasion.

Now all this while I did nothing but gush about the car in terms of a review. Hence I thought I would put down a review now that I have experienced the car since a year.

The 3rd servicing has been done at 9600 kms on the odo and have got the tyres rotated and aligned and the service guys replaced the AC filter with a new one and topped up the wiper wash liquid. Total bill has come upto 1929/- bucks.

The car feels smoother and I’m yet to check the current mileage.

I have strictly instructed the chaps not to tinker around with the ECU setting. No other glitches or issues have been reported by me before giving the car for a service.

Likes

• VFM – A neat package for the price you pay. A premium small car.
• Looks – yes, this is a subjective domain, to me, the car’s got a futuristic look and it feels like a ‘new car’ to me every single day.
• Ease of driving – Excellent to use in city especially in B2B traffic.
• Parking – Easy to park in tight spots, ORVM are large and chunky and helps in doing most of the job.
• Steering – Excellent design, nice and chunky for a car of this size and feedback is good.
• Wheels + Tyres – During the early days I used to be prejudiced against the skinny tyres but they did some great handing during some emergency braking incidents. Wheel design can be passed off as an alloy, great one at that Chevrolet!
• Suspension – The best I have encountered for a small car, for the rough roads I wade through on a daily basis, the suspension works as if its made to last. No bumpiness.
• Clutch and gear – Short range clutch and long travel range gears handy for B2B driving. Gear is the best I felt as well as those who have driven my car have told me that they love the gear level to bits, it slots perfectly and can be shifted with just a slight push of a finger. Car is capable to drive in 4th gear at speeds if 30 kmph, perfect city car?
• Engine – Super silent and is made for the city. 2nd gear lag wears off as you clock miles and my car is running on original ECU settings, never felt the need to upgrade, yes the AC sucks some of the engine power, no denying that. Mileage ranges anywhere from 13 to 16 for my driving style.
• Interiors – The best I have ever seen in an Indian small car. Love the plastic quality and the fit and finish. Blue lit dash and controls are simply awesome! Digital odo is easy to read in harsh sunlight. . Love the mobile phone holder next to the driver’s side AC vent. There is no need to take my eyes off the road for long as the reflection on the piano black finish lets me know if there is a call or sms to attend to. Space is generous with nifty cubby holes and rear legroom is great. I’m 5’11” and never felt a pain ever being in the rear seat Rear is not claustrophobic as long as you get used to it. Seats are good and give a good back support.
• ACC – On of the best features of this variant, not many 5 lakh cars come with ACC. Blower is like a jet and cools effectively within minutes, a definite chiller, does get noisy at full fan speed but its ok to me.
• Paint job – Paint finish is so great that during the year for all the scratches I have seen on the car, the big bonnet scratch thanks to some vandal also made me observe how tough the paint is. It is sort of rock solid. My car’s been exposed to daily sunlight and I have not noticed any fading over the year.
• Lights – Love the design and throw and makes me think twice on going for HID Xenons.

There are more liked but these are the most significant ones to me.

Dislikes

• Speakers – The reason I am putting this point first is that, the car is great in every aspect and just when I thought I got a good deal, the speakers were a real dampner! The SQ put me off bigtime. You pay 5 lakhs but get some horrible quality speakers, how much will a decent pair cost Chevy? GM if you are reading this, please please plug in some decent quality speakers for the car. Why make something which is prone to an upgrade, that too immediately? While we are at this, who came up with the mini USB idea? Good that the new model comes with a regular USB slot, GM you are bad in the audio department! We love your cars, but we also love our music!
• Seats – Though the lumbar support is good, the thigh support is non existent which makes it very tiring for long drives. Also a seat height adjust is a must as the dash is placed quite high, I do not have a problem regarding the height adjust since I’m tall but people shorter than me will definitely have a problem. A friend of mine was contemplating in buying the car for his mum but changed his mind the moment he came to know there is no seat height adjust. They now own a Ritz.
• Ground clearance – Not a major issue but the car’s lower than the Marutis, have to be careful on humps with full occupancy sometimes. Maybe the low clearance adds to the looks IMO.
• Damping – I’m being hypercritical here, but would love the car to be damped a step further, would kill some of the bad road noise and since I have a subwoofer, the boot door rattles at high volumes.
• Boot – Yes it is small but I understand that the priority is given to rear legroom, yet this car wont be practical for families, especially for long drives, Not much of luggage space there!
• The LS variant – Its misses out on almost all the goodies, no chrome, boring interiors, nothing. Only go for this if you are on a budget constraint.

Overall, I’m happy with the car just as in day 1 and the car did not give me any issues. GM you had a winner here but failed to position it properly in the PR area as well as during delivery ( I waited for 2 months for delivery). Hope the diesel and lpg variants create a magic over the image of this car.

That’s all I can jot down for now folks, will post more updates later.

[gemithomas]

Thanks for the detailed update.

The only thing i doubt is the steering feedback. During the test drives i did on the beat y only grouse was that there was not enough feedback on where your tyres are really going

Nice to hear you are enjoying the ownership. Cheers!

[motortechie]

@alstonlobo : Nice to see a fellow mangalorean in team-bhp .

I just read the entire thread. I am amazed at the number of modifications you have done for the BEAT. You have nicely pointed out the pluses and minuses of the car.

O.T : How are the sales of BEAT doing in Mangalore? The last time i was there i saw lot of i10/swift/ritz/Punto but hardly any Figo/BEAT

[alstonlobo]

Motortechie : Thanks for visitng my thread and spending time reading it.

Sales in Mangalore does not seem good IMO because I hardly seen a couple of beats, my Chevy friend said that he sold 25 beats over the year! But I'm happy, at least i don't own a 'common' car

[motortechie]

Originally Posted by alstonlobo

But I'm happy, at least i don't own a 'common' car

+1 to that. It sure is cool to have an uncommon car in Mangalore.

I am just curious to know why you are not going for the ECU remapping as recommended by GM.

[Daewood]

Originally Posted by gemithomas

The only thing i doubt is the steering feedback. During the test drives i did on the beat y only grouse was that there was not enough feedback on where your tyres are really going

Actually the Beat's steering is a nice and 'heavy feel' HPS unit. The reason why you felt feedback being less is, because of those thin tyres. Change to wider tyres and you get really good feedback. Among all hatchbacks sold in India, this steering is easily the third best after Punto and Figo.

[alstonlobo]

Originally Posted by motortechie

+1 to that. It sure is cool to have an uncommon car in Mangalore.

I am just curious to know why you are not going for the ECU remapping as recommended by GM.

Ha Ha, the reason is simple. Why are people going for the ECU remaps? Cos they complain the car does not pull well on 2nd gear. True, but the issue dies off with time. Upgrading the ECU will surely take its toll on mileage and high end torque. To gain something, you must lose out on something too.

[auto-one]

@alstonlobo, thanks for sharing your views about the Beat. I have test driven the car three times and I agree with you on almost all counts.
I have always liked the Beat for its futuristic design, good steering feedback , light clutch and comfortable ride. However, I am disappointed with the seats. They lack under thigh support and the driver's seat doesn't have a height adjuster. Secondly, except for the ACC, the car is not loaded with features like steering mounted audio controls , power mirrors and bluetooth, which are really convenient in today's driving environment. These disappointing points have made me postpone the decision of buying the car. Iam waiting for GM to equip the car with at least the driver's seat height adjuster. ( Iam sure GM is listening )

Would you please share the cost break up of the 3rd servicing ? Wasn't it supposed to be free?

[Mr.Beat]

Thanks for the update alstonlobo, can you please provide a break up of the cost of service which was 1929/- INR ?. Secondly, i am little circumspect when it comes to the chilling of the ACC, i feel that at 20 degrees the ACC does not cool, all it does it keep the sun away, is it just me?

[sajjt]

Alston, nice ownership review on the first anniversary and I must say one of its kind but you didnt surprised me as I know how much care you are giving to the ride.

Pollen filter will cost around 1.2k and other consumables like grease, oil topping up will come around to that money. Hey Alston, what about CCOP? haven't opted for? Your car is eating miles so was it worth to go for?

[alstonlobo]

Originally Posted by auto-one

Would you please share the cost break up of the 3rd servicing ? Wasn't it supposed to be free?

Originally Posted by Mr.Beat

Thanks for the update alstonlobo, can you please provide a break up of the cost of service which was 1929/- INR ?.

Sorry guys my bad, this is the 2nd free service, in fact I forgot the 1000 kms was a check up one.

Servicing is free guys but parts are chargeable, here is the breakdown

Parts
AC Filter - 995.59
Consumables - 83.70
Balance Weights - 264.00
Screen Wash - 35.24
Total - 1378.53

13.50% VAT on 1378.53 is 186.10

Total cost of spares including VAT = 1378.53+186.10 = 1564.63

Labour & Job Work

Second Free Service - 000.00
Wheel alignment - 230.00
Wheel Balancing - 100.00
Total - 330.00

Service Tax - 33.00
Edu Cess - 00.99

Grand Total = 1564.63 + 330 + 33 + 0.99=1929

Originally Posted by Mr.Beat

Secondly, i am little circumspect when it comes to the chilling of the ACC, i feel that at 20 degrees the ACC does not cool, all it does it keep the sun away, is it just me?

Firstly what I would recommend you to do is place your hand at the AC vent while using it sometime in the evening (do not test in sunlight) and feel if the air is chill enough. If not, then you would need to get the AC checked, can be a case of gas leakage.
ACs do not throw air at variating temperatures at a time. You cannot control the tempreature of compressed air. Though the compressed air is much cooler then 20 degress, once the cabin reaches 20 degress, the compressor cuts off and plain air gets blown from the vent. The compressor starts automatically when the temperature is above 20 degress (in this case 20.5 degress maybe).

Basically the logic is simple, the AC either cools or does not at all.
Hope I made sense, my explanations can be confusing sometimes