[Mr.Beat]

Great work sablin, they are looking awesome and make your car unique as well. Good part is that you have not overdone it unlike some of the indigos i have seen on Pune roads which have these lights all over the body.

[thedreamcatcher]

Ok. Now i get it. Even I really love the design of the bumper on the International Beats. The black part makes it look even more aggressive, than it currently is.

Why dont you black out the Logos now. That will complete the look. The Gold Logo looks out of place. I have seen several Cruze's in the city with the logos blacked out. Seems to be the latest craze

[mi2n]

The DRLs look good, and yes painting the lower grill of the bumper black would make it look much better. Aping the international bumper is just a smart vinyl job away. I found someone already did so with his beat.
Here's the pic i found on facebook, however, i don't think the vinyl would last, so i'd rather get a matte black paintjob done instead.

[Auto freak]

Originally Posted by salbin

@Auto freak: Here are some pics with DRL on. As Sajjt said, it is very difficult to capture the DRL with a camera. Tried capturing it with different settings in the cam and this is what I could get:

Thanks Salbin!
The DRLs look brilliant in daytime!
Know what! now i am wanting to do that to my car as well. But what gets me thinking is the 'bumper-breaking" roads here! You know how the roads to my office here at Chennai are!

That bumper paint job on the white Beat is too good. It spruces up the front end quite well. That is next on the list! DRLs though i like them so much will take some time.

My car has done close to 16K and will be going in for service this weekend.
I have a wierd pulling to the left issue that persists even after wheel alignment and the AC blower has off late become so loud that at max blower speed, it overpowers the music system!

[vivekm85]

Hi Salbin,

The DLR's fixed in your car is really awesome. Actually i would like to fix the same in my Back Beat LT too... But i found two options. One is the same as you fixed in your car.

High Power White 2W 6-LED 6000K 50-Lumen Daytime Running Lamp/Lights for Car (Pair/DC 12V) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

I found this one too.

High Power Waterproof White 6W 1200-Lumen Daytime Running Lamp/Lights for Benz E300 (12V/Pair) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

Please advise which one is better and which one i have to go with. Any ideas???

Also, if you are in Kochi, please send me your mob no: too.

[salbin]

@vivekm85:
Even I considered both the options before buying mine.
Exactly the same thought came in my mind also.
here are my observations:
Apart from the reflector colour, there is no physical difference between the two.
One is chrome reflector and the other is black reflector.
They have mentioned 1200Lumen in the black one, which does not seems to be a realistic value. A user review also mention about the same.
IMO, a white one will be more appealing compared to a blueish tint. From the user reviews I understand that the black reflector one has got a blueish tint.
Also, a chrome reflector reflects more light when compared to a black reflector. Black absorbs light instead of reflecting it.
Both are chinese made items and the pack also looks almost similar.
So I could not justify the 60% additional cost of the black one.
Both the models does not include the relay kit.
If you want really bright DRLs like Audi/Merc, then you can consider good brands like Philips or Hella.
Philips recently launched DRLs in India. Check out these threads for more details and pics:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post2302283
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...on-system.html

Regarding the mounting, you have to get an angular bracket to fix it on the lower grill. In my case, I did it myself. Fixed the L bracket with 3M double sided tape. Not very strong, but it is okay for me. Otherwise we need to fix it using a screw/bolt-nut to the bumper.

I am yet to complete a proper wiring using a relay for switching it off the DRLs when the head lights are switched-on. Yet to find time or I am lazy.

Please put pics after installing the DRLs.

BTW I am from Aluva, presently staying in Bangalore. Please enable your PM. I will send my number to you.

[vivekm85]

Thanks Salbin,

So me aso decided to go with the first item like yours. Initially i decided to go with the 1200 Lumen (whatever is the original capacity) product. But after reading your review i think that the chromium plated item can produce the same light as the 1200 lumen product produces.

Now my only worry is about its water resistant capacity. The latter claims that it is water resistant but the former don't. So should i go for some sort of silicone sealant if i purchase the first one??? If so, then what would be the cost for it??

[salbin]

Originally Posted by vivekm85

Thanks Salbin,

So me aso decided to go with the first item like yours. Initially i decided to go with the 1200 Lumen (whatever is the original capacity) product. But after reading your review i think that the chromium plated item can produce the same light as the 1200 lumen product produces.

Now my only worry is about its water resistant capacity. The latter claims that it is water resistant but the former don't. So should i go for some sort of silicone sealant if i purchase the first one??? If so, then what would be the cost for it??

Mine is still working even after the rain. Also did few water service after fixing it. Did not observed any sort of water entry. Since these are not branded ones, it will be difficult for commenting on the quality.
Actually, I bought from ebay - not from DX.
IMO, You may use any kind of water proof adhesives like quickfix etc @Rs10 since we need not open it in future(it is not designed for any repairs - get a new one in case of failure)..
Silicon sealants generally comes in bigger tubes and widely available in hardware shops. Else, you can even get small quantity of transparent silicon sealant from aquarium shops also.
If you are skeptical about the leak, then go for the black one.

BTW, which is that bridge in your Avatar?

[vivekm85]

Originally Posted by salbin

Mine is still working even after the rain. Also did few water service after fixing it. Did not observed any sort of water entry. Since these are not branded ones, it will be difficult for commenting on the quality.
Actually, I bought from ebay - not from DX.
IMO, You may use any kind of water proof adhesives like quickfix etc @Rs10 since we need not open it in future(it is not designed for any repairs - get a new one in case of failure)..
Silicon sealants generally comes in bigger tubes and widely available in hardware shops. Else, you can even get small quantity of transparent silicon sealant from aquarium shops also.
If you are skeptical about the leak, then go for the black one.

BTW, which is that bridge in your Avatar?

Thanks Salbin for this great feedback of the products. I had ordered 3 items including the same DRL of yours, a scratch remover pen and a pointed pen used to paint in tires. It seems like the same DRL is enough for me and we can use some adhesives for a safety.

BTW, the bridge is the Bakery Junction Flyover, Trivandrum.

[salbin]

Originally Posted by vivekm85

Thanks Salbin for this great feedback of the products. I had ordered 3 items including the same DRL of yours, a scratch remover pen and a pointed pen used to paint in tires. It seems like the same DRL is enough for me and we can use some adhesives for a safety.

BTW, the bridge is the Bakery Junction Flyover, Trivandrum.

Please put pics once you install it.

I am having a similar pic, but it was on Bangalore Elevated Tollway.

[salbin]

I gave the car for 15000km service today evening.
In fact, I reached Kropex at 7pm and found they were closing. When enquired at the service desk, they told they generally close at 6.30pm and most of the service assistants already left for the day.
But luckily there was one guy who was about to leave, but he came forward to attend me.
I told him not to do wheel balancing, wheel rotation, wheel alignment and pollen filter change.
So it is only oil and filter change for me.

Most of the showroom guys simply replace the existing balancing weights with new one and charge for the fresh weights, which is wastage of money.
Also we dont get to know what is the final unbalance. So I generally get the wheels balanced in my presence from outside Tyre shops to my satisfaction.

[vivekm85]

Hi Salbin,

Today i got a call from Deedi Chevrolet, TVM that they are planning for an ECU remap in my car and asked for the booking date as per my convenience. I asked for the advantages of ECU remapping but the lady called me has not that much idea on it. She just told that the performance of the engine will go better. Am a little confused whether i should go for this ECU remapping or not???

[salbin]

Got the vehicle yesterday evening. Only oil and oil filter changed. Now there is a considerable difference in the performance. It has become very smooth.
They gave the car a very good wash followed by waxing.
Having experienced with Maruti and Hyundai service earlier, I would rate GM service(Kropex) excellent.
I gave some instructions and they had taken care of all the points.
My only dislike is, they pasted Kropex sticker again on the rear windshield without asking me.

Last time I had to spend around 30 mins to remove the sticker. Now again my 30mins of effort .. gone waste.

Originally Posted by vivekm85

Hi Salbin,

Today i got a call from Deedi Chevrolet, TVM that they are planning for an ECU remap in my car and asked for the booking date as per my convenience. I asked for the advantages of ECU remapping but the lady called me has not that much idea on it. She just told that the performance of the engine will go better. Am a little confused whether i should go for this ECU remapping or not???

Check for the original version# of the ECU mapping and the version they are offering now.
If the offered one is newer, then you can go for it.
If you are skeptical about it, then dont go for it.
BTW, how old is your car?
Mine is running on version3. I am not sure about version4 or higher. I will try to find out more about this.
You can also ask them to transfer the call to any of the technical person in the service center and ask for more details on this.
Please do update in case if you get any further info about the mapping version.

[vivekm85]

Originally Posted by salbin

Got the vehicle yesterday evening. Only oil and oil filter changed. Now there is a considerable difference in the performance. It has become very smooth.
=================
Please do update in case if you get any further info about the mapping version.

Hi Salbin,

My car is July 2010 model. And for the ECU i will definitely consult with the executive and upgrade it based on the feedback from executive. Let me check whether the offered one is newer or not?

[vivekm85]

Finally the shipment of the below 3 items has been despatched from the supplier by 22nd july 2011. They confirmed that the items will receive here within 7-10 working days.

Toyota #202 Black Auto Paint Scratch Repair Pen (12ml)

Decoration Oil Base Medium Point Paint Marker for Car Tires - White

High Power White 2W 6-LED 6000K 50-Lumen Daytime Running Lamp/Lights for Car (Pair/DC 12V)

Fingers crossed for receiving the consignment.