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Why taking our neglected Santro Xing on a 700 km trip was a bad idea

We have been planning to sell the car and hence it wasn't being looked after properly for the last 6-7 years.

BHPian Oil_leak recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I recently convinced my family to take a 700 km round trip in our trusty 2004 Santro Xing. The only problem being the car was neglected for the past 6-7 years since my family was planning to get rid of the car but never did and there were only 3 days to get the car repaired.

Took it to an FNG and asked to fix the suspension part, all 4 wheel bearings, and an engine leak. Should have pushed back on the engine oil leak for now and got the other 2 fixed, but the FNG told me the front wheel bearing can be replaced later (1 st mistake) and will do the rest of them.

3 days pass by and I get the car by the evening and had to leave for the trip the next day morning. Test drove the car and realised the mechanic had forgotten my complaint about front suspension work.

Things that got repaired in 3 days

  • Rear wheel bearing both sides, this was a quick job done on the first day itself.
  • The other 2 days were to fix the oil leak from the cam and crank seal. There's no oil leak now but the mechanic tightened the timing a bit more so there's a belt noise at lower rpm.

Since I had to leave for the trip the next morning I thought of letting things go and started the journey as planned.

Started from Mangalore in the morning everything was going well till we reached Bhramhavara, Udupi. When my ignorance about the front suspension work backfired. There was a clicking sound from the front and took it to a garage nearby. Even they got confused and after checking the car for almost 1 and a half hours they zeroed it down to the clutch release bearing. As we were on our way the mechanic told us it won't give us further problems and can be taken till Hubli (around 300kms). We continued on our journey and reached Hubli safely. This turned out to be the happier side of the journey.

In Hubli, the tires started to screech when turning and braking. Took it to an alignment shop got it aligned and the sound went away for around 10 mins for it to return, so there it was our holiday turned into a trip to FNG where we have no idea about any mechanic.

Took a chance and left it at a random FNG who decided to go change the brake pads for no reason and replaced Hyundai branded brake pads with one that has no name. Came to know about it only after they started rubbing and sticking to the discs on our way back to Mangalore. So had no other option since it was night and all shops were closed so drive it till Mangalore with engine braking mostly and avoiding all situations of braking.

Lessons learnt

  • Never neglect a car's maintenance let alone take it on a long trip
  • Postpone the trip if the vehicle isn't completely repaired
  • Not to trust online Google garage reviews blindly

Currently, the brakes are making noise while braking and while at low speeds, yet to have the brake pads changed since the last time I went to the FNG and saw the no branded pads it was late and they asked to get it back the next day and couldn't due to my schedule.

Here's what BHPian GTO had to say about the matter:

Frankly, a 20-year-old econo-hatchback or sedan is pretty much at the end of its life. Best only for local runs, and certainly not suitable to do 700-km road trips. More than the maintenance, who knows what parts have worn out and to what level (you haven't mentioned the odo reading).

If owning such an old car, best to:

  • Hire a self-drive rental for long road trips
  • Use the old car for local in-city runs only

Too many things that can go wrong. No manufacturer today designs a car to last 20 years.

Here's what BHPian MT_Hyderabad had to say about the matter:

My learning would be: Do not take a car for such a long drive just after major repairs. Minor repairs like coolant change, engine oil change, air filter replacement etc are ok. But Timing belt! Oil leak! Wheel bearings! Not at all.

More the number of major repairs you get done, more is the probability of one of them giving you trouble during the journey.

You were lucky that the timing belt did not break.

Here's what BHPian boniver had to say about the matter:

I hope you've realized that the tantrums thrown by your car can only be attributed to its poor maintenance upkeep. This shouldn't dampen your spirits and prevent you from taking road trips in future (in old cars or new ones), provided you've maintained them properly.

Honestly, as an ex-owner of a 2004 Santro Xing myself (we just sold the car last October), I can say that the car doesn't even demand a lot of maintenance. The bare minimum is enough to ensure that it performs well, and that's the least we can do for our cars anyway.

Here's what BHPian Samfromindia had to say about the matter:

So you just made your forum name taking inspiration from an issue faced on a 20yr old car! Well, that will be a first.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 
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