[audioholic]

Think the issue of brake fade is due to the reason that the car was lying idle for some time, and then it has run 15k kms, which has worn out the brake fluid. Hence changing the fluid and bleeding the lines might solve the problem.

[TheTeacher]

What I know says the brake pads overheat and lose their friction with repeated braking. It's the pads and discs/drums that are doing the work.

Not understanding what brake fluid has to do with brake fade? Can someone enlighten me please?

[kbk_75]

Originally Posted by TheTeacher

What I know says the brake pads overheat and lose their friction with repeated braking. It's the pads and discs/drums that are doing the work.

Not understanding what brake fluid has to do with brake fade? Can someone enlighten me please?

The various components in your braking system can all overheat with repeated heavy braking or prolonged light braking (such as driving down a long hill with your foot gently touching the brake pedal).

Brake fade is the spongy feeling you experience in the brake pedal on repeated hard braking. The brake pedal also bites lower down the more you continue to brake hard.

This is caused by your brake fluid exceeding its boiling point, whereupon air bubbles are formed and get trapped in your brake lines. These bubbles are what cause the spongy feeling because there is no longer a vacuum in the system once trapped air is present.

The only way to remedy this permanently is to bleed the brakes and replace your brake fluid with fresh fluid, thereby restoring the vacuum in your braking system. A temporary solution is to pump the brake pedal a couple of times to help dissipate the trapped gas.

Overheated brake pads / discs will not cause your pedal to feel spongy or low. If your brake surfaces have overheated, your braking distance will increase while pedal feel should remain the same.

Hope that helps explain the term fade and what causes it.

[IshaanIan]

Thanks guys I shall bleed the lines this weekend itself
Yes I have been driving this car pretty hard now and then but certainly not in a manner that would cause damage, as someone mentioned, the car was lying unused for almost a year and that ought to warrant a change in brake fluid too.
As for the paint; I do use a microfiber cloth along with 2 other different kinds and wipe/dust it in one direction too. The car has now gone to the body shop for a wax and polish which I plan to keep up about twice a year.
I really don't know why the alignment goes out more often than most cars but a forum in the USA says that it is because potholes and other obstacles on the road cause it.

[kbk_75]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

the car was lying unused for almost a year and that ought to warrant a change in brake fluid too.

Absolutely. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, ie it wants to attract moisture to it, which it does over time. Naturally, once there is water absorbed into the fluid you have a similar situation with fade because water boils at a comparatively low 100ºC compared to new brake fluid. Why not try a higher grade of brake fluid if you tend to drive hard (and therefore brake hard)?

[rockporiom]

Hey guys wanted to give an update about my experience till now with kizashi.

DISTANCE COVERED: 8700kms in 5 months

THE GOOD
1. Excellent stability at high speeds
2. Extremely powerful brakes and very short stopping distance
3. Powerful music system
4. Stunning looks
5. High quality paint work doesnt get scratched easily
6. Glides over bumps and potholes
7. Useful dual zone climate control
8. Electric seats
9. Access to boot from inside
10. Powerful engine

THE BAD
1. Difficult to maintain beige seats
2. Wiper blades torn in just 4 months
3. Replacement wipers cost a whopping Rs.1650 per blade
4. Left front suspension is making noises and has to be replaced under warranty.

TOTAL AMOUNT SPENT ON FUEL:Around Rs.40000

AVG. SPEED: 78 km/h
AVG. FUEL CONSUMPTION: 8.7 Km/L

DO WE REGRET BUYING IT?
Hmmm that's a tough question let me think about it. Are you kidding hell no, we enjoy every kilometer driven in the beast.

[rockporiom]

Guys need to make a tiny amendment to my last post about the amount that we blew on fuel in last 4 months.

It seems that I skipped a few alright I admit it a lot of fuel bills and it occurred to me that the price I quoted was not for 4 months but it was in fact for 4 weeks.

I know this post is going to make you guys and seeing the bills even my dad went . To correct this huge problem we have sold our petrol Dzire and gone for a diesel Dzire zdi will make an initial ownership review as soon as I get delivery which is in about a week.

Just for the records the cost of fuel for 4 months just for kizashi is wait for it:
Rs.1,60,000 i.e. Rs.5500 per week (inclusive of some outside trips)

[i2i]

Hey , that is some serious driving . The calculations would come to about Rs..10000 per week . And as per your economy figures that's roughly averaging 150 kms. per day .Wow! Well my Kizashi experience @ 10000 Kms has been exhilarating to say the least .

[rockporiom]

Originally Posted by i2i

Hey , that is some serious driving . The calculations would come to about Rs..10000 per week . And as per your economy figures that's roughly averaging 150 kms. per day .Wow! Well my Kizashi experience @ 10000 Kms has been exhilarating to say the least .

Yeah it is actually 5500 a week but some trips increased the bill. For e.g. ahmedabad to Rajkot and back is around Rs.8000 so you get the idea.

[rockporiom]

Hey this is just to inform interested bhpians that there is one last kizashi left in gujarat with nanda automobiles ahmedabad.

The asking price is about 12 lakhs ex showroom for a silver automatic car with free parking sensors. If anyone is interested PM me I will give you the contact details of the guy there.

[nik_kapur]

Im worried about the age of the car lying at the dealer. This must be 2.5 years old now.

[anantnehru]

Out of curiousity, aside from the above post about the mileage - because that is some SERIOUS driving - what is the mileage the auto Kizashi is giving owners? Like say, with normal day to day driving in Delhi or Mumbai.

[rockporiom]

Originally Posted by nik_kapur

Im worried about the age of the car lying at the dealer. This must be 2.5 years old now.

It was a December 2011 model. And I said was because even that one is sold. It was sold just 2 days after I put it up here.

Originally Posted by anantnehru

Out of curiousity, aside from the above post about the mileage - because that is some SERIOUS driving - what is the mileage the auto Kizashi is giving owners? Like say, with normal day to day driving in Delhi or Mumbai.

The auto would give at max. 7-8 km/l average. Sometime back a bhpian had stated that bluu's kizashi was giving 5 in bumper to bumper bangalore traffic.

[rockporiom]

I analysed the whole history of kizashi right from its launch to the stoppage of imports.
This is the solution that I have come up with and am sure this can help shoot the sales charts. So here goes nothing:

1) Immediately shift to ckd route to avoid 110% import tax on cbu.

2) Provide features such as bluetooth, parktronics, rain sensing wiper, auto head light.

3) Price the product between 14-16 lakh ex showroom.

4) Advertise the product heavily and make it compete with products like fluence petrol, jetta tsi, civic.

5) Train and maintain staff specifically for kizashi.

6) Provide priority to kizashi customers for service

7) Provide k&n air filter as standard as it improves economy figures by upto 10%.

8) Expect sales of 100-200 units per month.

9) Provide a scheme wherein a customer is paid Rs. 5000 if goes for competing petrol product.

10) Take an extensive feedback from existing kizashi customers about what they like and what more they desire from the product.

11) Give existing kizashi customers an option to have updated features at a price.

12) Provide 2 years unlimited kilometres warranty.

13) Provide special offers to customers who are with maruti for 5 years or more.

14) Provide 2 memory settings instead of 3 for drivers seat.

15) Introduce the 1.9 ddis engine in kizashi over a period of 2 years.

16) Introduce a corporate edition with manual seats, no keyless system, fabric seats, no rain sensing wiper, no auto lights, no parktronics, only manual transmisson,single tone black interiors, only auto down driver window, no anti pinch on any window, no cruise control. Priced at 11 lakhs ex showroom.

17) Provide petro card worth Rs.50000 with cvt variant.

18) Ensure kizashi sales executives are well trained and have a dress code that suits a premium car.

19) Introduce red colour.

20) Reduce service intervals to 15000 kms or 1 year. Provide only 1 free check up at 1000 kms.

21) Provide incentives to sales executives who sell the product.


This is all that I came up with. So do you think if maruti had used these points they could have had a strong product? What do you guys think?

[amrisharm]

The Kizashi was never meant to sell in large numbers, that's why they took the CBU route with the car. The sole purpose of this car was to lift the brand image for Suzuki and to take the spot of the "Hero" Car for the brand.

As we all know very well, when we think of MarutiSuzuki, we think Low end cars. The company wanted to change that image with the Kizashi.