[Turboholic]

continued...

Next day I went to office as usual and was busy in my work. The car was still in my mind and I was wondering why hasn’t the sales girl called. I spoke to some friends and a service advisor of another MASS regarding the car, he told me that the car was regularly serviced at their MASS and it was in excellent condition. He also gave me some information on getting the best deals from True Value. After sometime I got a call from the sales girl but as I was in a meeting I told her that I would call back. Unfortunately the meeting went on till late in the evening and I couldn’t call her. The following couple of days I was tied up with a lot of work and the car got out of my mind.

On a Thursday (my weekly off) I got a call from the sales girl again and she told me that her manager wanted to meet me. Within the next 1 hr. I was at the dealership and negotiating further with the manager (typical sales guy who started giving me all the fundas). Within the next few minutes I got a call from a friend and came to know that they have to sell off the car at the earliest because of pressure from regional office. I knew at once that if I would negotiate carefully I could get the car at a good price and get sum of the minor changes which I wanted to be done to the car (The bumpers of the car had those ugly looking scratch guards on them which I didn’t like, if I would have removed them then the bumpers would have to be repainted, Plus I felt that as it has run 67k I might as well have the clutch replaced). So I increased the price by 10000 and added that the bumper work be done. The manager agreed to my condition if I added another 5000. It was a deal I paid the advance and asked them to start the work as I would require the delivery on next Thursday.

On Thursday I went there and took the delivery of the car, I was to do the transfer as I wanted it to be on the address of my native place. Drove all the way to my native place and the next day went to the RTO agent to get the transfer done. I was informed that the transfer would take 2 to 3 weeks as it was a smart card and not the RC book but with the receipt of transfer I could use the vehicle without any hassle. The transfer of insurance would take place after that. I was very happy to be the owner of my dream car which I had got at my price and in an excellent condition.

[Turboholic]

I went for long drives with the family to nearby hill stations. I started to use it as my daily drive. After the first 1000kms the first check came up, took it to a MASS at my native place and the car was checked and the mechanic told me that it was in great shape. The next checkup / service would be at 2500 kms. My brother got the white Turkish seat covers for the car, though I was reluctant earlier I kinda started liking them. I completed the 2500 kms in the next couple of weeks.

Below mentioned are notes which I took during the first 2500 kms:

• The car is very comfortable and everyone who was with me on the drives just loved the legroom at the rear, seating comfort, head room and the spaciousness.
• The fuel efficiency with air con on 80% of the time is good. The best 15.xx kmpl and the worst being 12.xx kmpl.
• The handling and performance is brilliant and it sure is a driver’s car. Now there are not many cars on the highway which can zoom past you.
• The air con is the best I have seen so far.
• The only glitch is the tyres which will have to be changed in the next 1000kms. Though they have a very good tread left, they have become hard and give a very irritating sound on speeds above 40kmph.

Lesson learnt: Never neglect any detail. More on this as we go ahead.

[Turboholic]

Lesson learnt the hard way:

I and some friends decided to take our annual pilgrimage to Goa. We decided to go in the Baleno this time as this was the latest entry in our group and they just loved the comfort and space that the car provided. Date and time was decided and as my friends live in my native place and I stay in Pune I was to leave 1 day prior to the actual date and get the Smart card which was ready.
I left office early that day as I had to reach the RTO office to get the smart card. After a good 2 hrs I had the smart card and was all excited about leaving for Goa early next morning. My friends decided to meet up for dinner that day and finalise the itenary. We met had dinner and finalized everything and left for our respective homes. On the way back I had to drop a friend, he wanted to drive and I let him. I was excited and thinking about the trip and all the fun that we were going to have in Goa. We were doing good speeds and thought that within the next 5 minutes we will be home. Unfortunately that was not to happen.
Boom! I heard the blast and my car started pulling towards the right, he turned it towards the left but the car had hit the road divider by then on the RHS. Then there was another blast, he controlled the car and brought it to a standstill. Thankfully no one was hurt and we got out of the car to see what had happened.

Both the front tyres blew up simultaneously, first the right and then the left. The right wheel had hit the road divider and had come off from the joint and was still attached to the car, the left had hit a stone next to the road and had damage less than but similar to the right. There was an oil pool below the car and the front bumper had come off. I thought that the Oil sump had taken the hit however after close inspection I realized that the oil filter had taken the hit and there was a hole in it.

I remember the day when my friends in Pune had told me that the spares for the Baleno were VERY expensive and I should take utmost care of the car. I wanted to change the tyres and had postponed it till next month. Then something hit me and I almost collapsed, I had transferred the car on my name but the insurance was yet to be transferred.
My condition was similar to the car and plans for Goa, SHATTERED!

[wanderernomad]

Gosh thats a bad one. What happened next? This is turning out to be a thriller rather than a onwership report.

[Turboholic]

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

Gosh thats a bad one. What happened next? This is turning out to be a thriller rather than a onwership report.

Hi wanderernomad, Next in the story come the Police, some REAL friends, a great Mechanic and an agonising wait for the car to come back on the road in mint condition. Aage aage dekhiye hota hai kya.

How about your car? how is it doing? any reports? do let me know.

Cheers

[wanderernomad]

Car's doing fine except that the blower is not working. Will get it shown soon as the car is with my parents in HP. Last recorded FE was 12.5 in hills with 100% AC, not bad, eh, lol.

[prashant.dinkar]

Congratulations on the purchase and acquiring the car you always wanted . Its one neatly maintained car . Did you also got the service history checked or True Value do that before they buy any car?

This is one car I regret selling off . I had LXI model in black colour.
Hope you enjoy her and she fulfills your expectations .

[Turboholic]

I am sorry I could not update the thread all this while as I was at the Kaas Drive with fellow Bhpians and after that took an extended vacation to stayback at my native place. Have just returned and the thread will be updated regularly hence forth.

@prashant.dinkar: Thanks for your compliments. I got the history of the car checked from a friend who is a Service Advisor at the MASS where the car was regularly serviced. He told me that there were no major repairs carried out on the car and it was serviced regularly on time. The 40k major service was also done under his supervision and he assured me that it was a well maintained car. I took his word.

I think True value also does a background check on the cars that they sell. They have to give a warranty for one year you see. Plus they do a thourough checkup of the car, I think its a 120 point checkup.

Cheers

[Turboholic]

contd...

In the middle of the night I started a search for a tow truck. Made a couple of calls to the tow truck guys but they informed me that none were available. They gave me the location of a place where I could find a tow truck. I did a mistake of leaving my car for about 15 to 20 minutes, when I returned the RHS rear passenger window glass was shattered and the rear speakers were stolen. There was no one there and someone had made way with my Sony 400 watts speakers. The HU was intact and so was the amplifier. Cursing myself I waited there with my friend.

By this time my friends had reached the place and we all started searching for a tow truck. This time 2 of my friends waited near the car and me along with the others went in search of the tow truck. We reached the location in half an hour only to be informed that the tow truck had left just 15 minutes ago. We went back to the car and saw that this time our car itself was missing from the spot. The two friends that were with the car when we left the spot were there, they informed me that the Police had come there after we left and had towed the car to the police station. I was warned by my friends that there is no point in going to the police station at this hour and it would be better if I went there in the morning. I decided to go to the police station in the morning.

The following morning I reached the police station with some friends who had contacts. We searched for the guy who had links to the top but were informed that he is on leave and would be back on duty the next day. Called him up and updated him of the situation. He promised to help but the procedure would take some time. He kept his word and after 2 days of waiting impatiently outside the police station and Rs.250 (Yes that’s what I paid. No under the table no chai paani) fine we got the possession of my car. I have to thank my friends here who waited with me outside the police station for two days from dawn to dusk. The car was towed to Pune to a MASS owned by a friend.

As the insurance was not transferred on my name I had to bear all the expenses. With very little to no vitamin M in my account (Remember I bought the car Cash Down) I could see myself in a very bad position.

to be contd...

[Turboholic]

Contd…

In Pune the initial inspection revealed that the suspension had taken a hit and needed to be replaced. Other parts were the bumper, headlights, a/c condenser fan motor, fendor panel, Rear window glass, all tyres etc. Estimated damage was close to 1 lakh. My head started spinning and I almost fell to the ground.

My friend who was driving the car came ahead and offered to pay for the damages as he was driving the car. We decided to split the cost in between us. Finally the work started and parts (Most of them SGP) were ordered from Maruti. My mechanic decided that he would order the remaining parts as and when required, I had total faith in him and asked him to do work at his pace and replace whatever was needed to be replaced. He assured me that he would keep the budget at the minimal and also try to repair the parts which could be repaired to further keep the cost low without compromising on reliability and safety.

Slowly and steadily the repair work started and I was constantly in touch with the mechanic on the progress. I did not visit the MASS as I could not see my car in that state so I told him that once the car was back on its four wheels he could call me and I would visit. I got a call from him one fine day and he told me that the car was almost complete and he had taken it on an initial test drive. The car was running good and now he had to send it for the wheel alignment to check if the suspension work was good. I decided to visit the place and take a look at my car at the garage.

I reached the garage in an hour as I was all excited to see my car almost after 2 weeks. The work done was fabulous and all the replaced parts were kept in the boot. The mechanic explained to me what was complete and what was remaining. He also told me that if the wheel alignment report was good then it would take another 5 days to deliver the car. We took the car for wheel alignment and waited impatiently for the report. The report was Good. Now apart from little tidbits, a complete rubbing and polishing, interior detailing, rear window glass and rear parcel tray everything was done and the car would be delivered in the next 5 to 6 days.

To be contd…

[khoj]

What about the tires. Did you buy new tires as yet or did your mechanic bought them for you? Or was the alignment done with old tires?

[Turboholic]

@ khoj: All the 5 tyres have been replaced by me. Earlier the car was running on Bridgestone S322 165/65/R13, now the car has Michelin XM1 + 175/70 R13. The alignment was done with the new tyres.

Originally Posted by khoj

What about the tires. Did you buy new tires as yet or did your mechanic bought them for you? Or was the alignment done with old tires?

[Turboholic]

Today I got a call from the MASS that the car was completely ready. I wanted to go right away and pick it up but as I am working today it would not be possible. Tomorrow as it is Amavasya (no moon day) parents advised against getting it tomorrow. Now I can only get the car home by Monday as I am out of town this weekend . I am not liking this situation, after waiting for all this while and now that the car is ready I still have to wait. sob sob sob.

There are some additions that I would be doing to the car wrt ICE, performance and aesthetics. They are as follows.

ICE
After getting the car home I have to get the basic ICE installation done, I have a Sony Xplod WX-GT77UI Head unit, a Sony Xplod XM222W amplifier. The rear speakers were Sony Xplod XS-GTX61202L, they were stolen. In the front I have the speakers that came with the car, I think they are Kenwood. I will be doing the installation on next Thursday, I will either get the new Sony Xplod XS-GTX61202L speakers for the rear or look for something in JBL or Kicx. For the front speakers I am planning to change the current speakers with Sony Xplod XS-GT16212S (I have to check if they fit) or I would go for the Kicx retaining the current size. I have a pair of Old Pioneer Tweeters lying with me if they are good will plonk them in too.

PERFORMANCE
I understand that performance is one very serious and critical aspect. I totally understand that by just plonking in an air filter the car would not gain 5 or 10 horses, but I think that an easy breathing car will perform better in regular driving conditions. So, I am planning to get an after market air filter. I have been advised by many that K&N and Cosworth have stock replacement filters and there are cold air intakes available from Cosworth and Green Cotton. I will take a call on this after discussing the same with my mechanic on Monday. Suggestions from the Gurus are welcome. I will also check the related thread for more in depth knowledge.

AESTHETICS
Leather seat covers and a good coat of wax to the car are the only things that are on my mind right now. The car has been through a rubbing and polishing session however I am doubtful whether it has been sealed with wax.

I can’t wait for Monday.

[typeOnegative]

Read your report Turboholic with a lot of interest as well as sadness and I can deeply feel your pain. Good to see that things are fine. Additionally, your experience is a good lesson for those of us (me included) who are procrastinators. This could be very dangerous especially when it comes to our machines and the service that they deserve.

The Baleno was my first choice till me heart was stolen by the Fiat Petra. I have always loved the looks of the Baleno, even the backside, and cannot help turning to look when a Baleno passes by. And your car looks stunning. Congratulations and hope that you are united with your car soon.

[madhukar_n]

Turboholic, I second typeOnegative's first line !!

I have 2005 Black Baleno and has run 75K. I have experimented with the K&N stock replacement filter, but was not very happy with it. Somehow i felt the vibration was more when on K&N. So now have gone back to stock air filter.
If you were in Bangalore i could give loaned you the K&N filter for you to try out !!