[soccer]

The front brake pads (Japanese make) were just not suited for the early mornings of Bangalore winter. The car was a terror to drive for the first 5-10 kms. in the stop-go traffic of Bangalore. The car would come to a jarring halt each time at a variable distance. I was never sure whether the car would actually stop before hitting the car in front. The Japanese brake pads were replaced twice under warranty but the result would be the same. Ultimately I had to report this directly to Maruti an with great reluctance the Engineer accepted that the pads were not suitable for these conditions and that they would shortly be replacing it with "Rane" Brake pads. On replacement the problem was set right but the overall braking ( even with the ABS) is quite poor in comparison to the original Japanese ones.

Another nagging issue is the awful sound, the AC makes when you put it ON for the first time in the morning or after a gap of 4-5 hours. Again the compressor unit was replaced FOC under warranty. The problem was fine for a few days but has recurred again after about 1000k run.

The Japanese Wiper blades, both front and rear were also not suitable for our conditions either. They would clean exceptionally well but were very noisy.Since they were not covered under warranty, I had to replace them with German Bosch ones at my cost. Even the OE horns that come with the car are a laugh.

Maruti has become complacent in their approach to address their customer's needs and its precisely because of this attitude that their competitors are inching closer.

All said and done , the Ritz is a magical machine and its only a matter of time when Indian roads will be full of them.

God bless.....

[navan49]

Hi S2,
Nice updates. I do come across the problems of the wiper issue with my Ritz VDI. I noticed during rain. The visibility is poor due to some frost ype on the wind screen. It is not in side but out side and even after wiping also it remains the same. I have to go to MASS and check with my 35k Service.

[gaddiwale]

Originally Posted by soccer

The Japanese Wiper blades, both front and rear were also not suitable for our conditions either. They would clean exceptionally well but were very noisy.Since they were not covered under warranty, I had to replace them with German Bosch ones at my cost. Even the OE horns that come with the car are a laugh.

Originally Posted by navan49

Hi S2,
Nice updates. I do come across the problems of the wiper issue with my Ritz VDI. I noticed during rain. The visibility is poor due to some frost ype on the wind screen. It is not in side but out side and even after wiping also it remains the same. I have to go to MASS and check with my 35k Service.

I also faced the same problem with the wipers as described by Navan in my Ritz Vdi. Reported that to MASS during 3rd free servicing. MASS changed the wipers FOC under warranty. Earlier and the new wiper set are of Syndicate make.

soccer - you are right, wipers are noisy. Some time I feel like some body is banging on the windshild.

Again with the horn, if you blow it for little long (10 secs) I found it sounds like one horn is not working. Does, any one came across this issue?

[S2!!!]

@ Gandhi
The mileage you are getting is really incredible. My car has just crossed the 3000 kms mark and is due for a tankfull soon. I am expecting the FE to rise by a km or two if not more.

@ Soccer
Thanks, totally agree with you. The machine is amazingly refined and revvy and does not feel strained at high revs.

UPDATE: LIVING WITH THE CAR

Well there are certain things that I am not happy with. To start of, the thick A pillar is a pain while driving be it an intersection or a twisted road. I need to bend ahead to watch out for vehicles coming from the right.
Also, the aircon vents are odly placed IMO. My hands tend to chill sooner than anything else in the carr!! Having said that the aircon is really good and I donot find the need to switch the blower to speeds beyond 2.
The car is surprisingly roomy at the back offering good leg room and adequate shoulder room for 3 adults. The engine is not audible at idle and very quite at revs below 3500 rpm after which there is a soft bassy growl from the exhaust. I Love it!!! Oh and the rims do get a lot of attention and have had many people asking me whether they are 15s or 14s. Overall I am lovin the car.

Another thing, a cabbie dashed into my car from behind on a signal. Apparently his leg slipped off the brakes due to which he caused a dent in my rear bumper. Not a very big thing but it hurts to see an almost new car with a dent on it. The good part is that the paint is not chipped and the dent can be hit from inside and made as good as new, if you know what i am saying.

[soccer]

[quote]

Originally Posted by gaddiwale

I also faced the same problem with the wipers as described by Navan in my Ritz Vdi. Reported that to MASS during 3rd free servicing. MASS changed the wipers FOC under warranty. Earlier and the new wiper set are of Syndicate make.

Did they give you an Invoice stating that the Wipers were replaced FOC ? If not, then the guys at MASS have just plucked it out from another new car to avoid the cumbersome system of claiming repalcement from Maruti. Most probably the wipers on our car are the defective ones returned from other cars. The syndicate ones come as a set, while, in the japanese ones, only the rubber strip (without the metal clip that holds the Wiper blade) is available separately.

soccer - you are right, wipers are noisy. Some time I feel like some body is banging on the windshild.

The noise can be tolerated for some time but what about the damage that can be cause by this defective blade. Just one swish is enough for that.

Another draw back I found, is in the Wiper water spray nozzle system.When you operate the water spray option lever switch, the water takes quite a while to reach the wind screen and by that time the Wiper has already swished a couple of times on the dry glass rubbing all the grime and dust like a sand paper.

I would prefer an option, where only the water sprays on to the wind screen, without the wipers coming on immediately. After the glass is sufficiently wet the wipers can be used by pushing the switch lever up. This option will be helpful, especially, when you have a lot of Bird droppings on the glass.

Again with the horn, if you blow it for little long (10 secs) I found it sounds like one horn is not working. Does, any one came across this issue?

The quality of the Horns is disappointing that need frequent tuning. The worse part being that each time you need to do that, the entire front Bumper needs to be removed. With each removal the life span of Bumper is reduced, not to talk of the complimentary scratches that come with each removal and refit.

God bless.....

[Gandhi]

Fortunately I have not faced any of the issues described above (touch wood). There is absolutely no noise from the wipers, though they don't clean the windscreen absolutely well.

[gaddiwale]

[quote=soccer;2005884]

Did they give you an Invoice stating that the Wipers were replaced FOC ? If not, then the guys at MASS have just plucked it out from another new car to avoid the cumbersome system of claiming repalcement from Maruti. Most probably the wipers on our car are the defective ones returned from other cars. The syndicate ones come as a set, while, in the japanese ones, only the rubber strip (without the metal clip that holds the Wiper blade) is available separately.

Yes, I got the invoice mentioning the rate of the Blade Assyembly - Wiper RH and LH and part amount as 0.00 WAR (Part No. 38340M83K00 for RH and 38340M83K10 for LH). No labour charge included (code:SG03R0), mentioned in the invoice as WAR (under warranty).

[Amit Mehta]

Does your LXi have an internal boot release? I like this car and am starting into think of buying it. I've heard some variants do not have an internal boot release. Can you confirm on the LXi please ?

[S2!!!]

this is an update after almost 7 and a half months of owning the ritz.

• 1st and 2nd service both are done at vitesse, which as a dealership, i would highly recommend.
• the car has run ~6500kms.
• mileage i am getting consistenly within the city : 10.5-11 kmpl.
• the performance of the car is good enough w.r.t the size of the car and the engine capacity. within the city there is ample torque to crawl around and on the highways i do need to downshift at times to overtake.
• the car tops out at 165km/hr, however, the speedo reads upto 220 which it should touch in the coming months.
• the bridgestones 165 profile tyres have adequate grip and the car can take the expressway curves at 80 without much fuss.
• the brakes and headlights both are really more than adequate IMO.
• the tall boy has a nice sense of roominess inside and the flat rear bench offers decent legroom too.
• the gearshift is slightly on the firm side especially while shifting from 2nd to 3rd.
• there were certain rattles which were eliminated after the 1st service.
• i really miss cupholders and door pockets with a capacity to hold a bottle of atleast one litre. having said that there are quite a few storage areas here and there which are very useful.

@amit mehta: really sorry for not replying earlier. you may have found out by now but anyways the ritz does have an internal boot release.

Happy new year to every one!! Keep revving...drive safe

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by S2!!!

• the car tops out at 165km/hr, however, the speedo reads upto 220 which it should touch in the coming months.

Please tell me that you were kidding!

[ACFT]

@S2!!!: Wow! you could really touch the 165 mark with those 165 section tyres? The maximum I could do(within my controlling limits) was 150Kmph on the National Expressway No.1 but, 220 Kmph sounds too optimistic for a Ritz especially with 'S' speed index tyres. As for the mileage, which solely depends on one's driving style, you could go a bit more easy with the throttle and also try crawling on idle in traffic i.e. don't even touch the accelerator pedal. Just drive using the clutch (without stalling) and you will see the city mileage figures go upto 12.5 kmpl.
For the records, I too own a Ritz Lxi which has clocked 10800 Km and Iam consistently getting city mileage of 13 Kmpl (without A/c) and an average mileage, highway:city(60:40 respectively), of 17.7 Kmpl (without A/c). Calculated by tank-full to tank-full method.

[falcon009]

Originally Posted by Amit Mehta

Does your LXi have an internal boot release? I like this car and am starting into think of buying it. I've heard some variants do not have an internal boot release. Can you confirm on the LXi please ?

Yes Lxi has internal boot release.

[Gandhi]

Originally Posted by falcon009

Yes Lxi has internal boot release.

ZXi doesn't have one. It has central locking and boot is also released when doors are opened using central locking system.

[S2!!!]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

[/list]Please tell me that you were kidding!

im being a lil optimistic or rather too optimistic here but stage 1 upgrades will follow in the coming months. after topping out the speedo in my zen and 800 i am very much eager to do the same here.

Originally Posted by ACFT

@S2!!!: Wow! you could really touch the 165 mark with those 165 section tyres? The maximum I could do(within my controlling limits) was 150Kmph on the National Expressway No.1 but, 220 Kmph sounds too optimistic for a Ritz especially with 'S' speed index tyres. As for the mileage, which solely depends on one's driving style, you could go a bit more easy with the throttle and also try crawling on idle in traffic i.e. don't even touch the accelerator pedal. Just drive using the clutch (without stalling) and you will see the city mileage figures go upto 12.5 kmpl.
For the records, I too own a Ritz Lxi which has clocked 10800 Km and Iam consistently getting city mileage of 13 Kmpl (without A/c) and an average mileage, highway:city(60:40 respectively), of 17.7 Kmpl (without A/c). Calculated by tank-full to tank-full method.

the car is driven with the a/c on at all times. reading other ritz ownership threads i know people are squeezing in 14+kmpl in city conditions but the fact is that the car is driven by 3 different people with 3 different styles of driving so the FE is bound to vary.

[Schoudhury]

WOW! 165 is pretty kool and im sure if you get to touch around 200 that will be simply awesome, isn't it ?
Anyways i guess in city drivng 11kmpl is not that bad, more over it also depends on the traffic also , here in blore im not sure what is the mileage our petrol counterparts are getting, im getting around 14-15 in 100 % city driving in my Vdi.

Recently im getting a slight rattle from the dashboard where the tacho is placed, need to get that checked during the next service. There were some rattles from back doors in mu ride, but they were taken care during the service and till now holds good .

I guess you can use the place where the ash tray is placed as cup holder.

And its really nice to hear that you find the headlights adequate , i was complete unhappy with the headlights .

Anyways , drive safe and take care

Cheers