[RMN]

Originally Posted by Samba

[b][u]
In the 2nd week of October, I got a call from Topsel Toyota Kolkata, that engineers from Japan came to India to do a rust survey on their old cars.

Wow. I would like to know from anyone with insights if this is routine for Toyota and if other manufactures also do this.

[hserus]

The one interesting thing I find is that you had done all kinds of treatments and coatings for your car at Topsel and they knew that it is in a good condition so showed it as an old Etios to the Toyota Japan people.

Now - what would they have found if they picked some cabbie’s twelve year old Etios? Would that be a fairer test?

[BMK]

Originally Posted by Samba

All Toyotas are boring.
The car runs without any problem, so I never think of changing this car, & now we have too many memories together. Plus selling this car will hardly fetch a couple of lacs. So it's better to retain and enjoy this fun to drive yet reliable car. Buying a car which will give me the same level of comfort and fun in today's date will cost me north of 10Lacs.
I have done nothing out of the way to get the car going. I just get the routine yearly services done on time from Toyota.
I am a bit paranoid about cars. If I notice an early wear and tear on any parts, I straight away replace them with an OEM part. I do the same for all my cars. .

Bang on! Same experience here with 12 yr old 80k on odo Etios petrol. Except consumables, clutch & brake pads nothing else has been replaced.
A no nonsense car!

Can't find any strong reason to replace for the space, comfort and engine response it offers. Yes, it doesn't have the thud sound while closing the door and gizmos of today. But who cares!

[bigbearddriver]

Originally Posted by Samba

Odo reads 114,500 km and some interesting updates-

In the 2nd week of October, I got a call from Topsel Toyota Kolkata, that engineers from Japan came to India to do a rust survey on their old cars.
I was asked, if I was interested to bring my car for three hours, and they will take a small interview to understand how the car was used and maintained.

This is why Toyota tops the charts in terms of maintenance. Cars manufactured with a combination of Toyota-like maintenance and German engineering would hands down be the best in the world!

[sasta_rider]

Originally Posted by Samba

[b]
In the 2nd week of October, I got a call from Topsel Toyota Kolkata, that engineers from Japan came to India to do a rust survey on their old cars.

Experience like this is a proof that how much a brand values their customers & products. Glad that TeamBHP'ians & public viewers are getting to know about this gesture!

IMHO, Toyota could get enormous amount of data if they collect real life experiences of various owners: from Old Qualis owners to the recently launched Hilux. In addition, Toyota should compare the data of how a vehicle that has been in Delhi (non-coastal area) is different than the vehicle that has been in coastal belt of India.

However, it is sad that Toyota discontinued the good ol' sedans/hatchbacks like Etios, Etios Liva and Corolla just because of the norms in place back then. A good R&D could have retained these legendary vehicles, at least as petrol variants. All thanks to the ban on diesel cars that has been coming into effect slowly across India.

But, I am expecting some good news from Toyota for their Indian customers. Fingers crossed!

Drive safe!
Sud.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by arjab

Photobombing your thread with pics of my geriatric Japanese lass.

What a lovely & well maintained Swift!
On a different note, next time when you cross the Nivedita Setu do give me a call, it's just 4km from my home!

Originally Posted by RMN

Wow. I would like to know from anyone with insights if this is routine for Toyota and if other manufactures also do this.

Am sure every car manufacture have their own long term test vehicles. Though am not sure whether they check their customer's car for survey or not. Though data can be collected from their customer's cars service history.

Originally Posted by hserus

The one interesting thing I find is that you had done all kinds of treatments and coatings for your car at Topsel and they knew that it is in a good condition so showed it as an old Etios to the Toyota Japan people.

Now - what would they have found if they picked some cabbie’s twelve year old Etios? Would that be a fairer test?

They have called many vehicles. Mine was one of them. There were Innovas, Corollas and other Toyota vehicles too. They checked all kind of cars, abused and the well maintained ones.

Originally Posted by BMK

Can't find any strong reason to replace for the space, comfort and engine response it offers. Yes, it doesn't have the thud sound while closing the door and gizmos of today. But who cares!

Honestly my yearly expenditure on this car is about 10-12k per year which includes the annual service and insurance! So am having fun by spending less than 1k per month! What can be better than this!

Originally Posted by bigbearddriver

This is why Toyota tops the charts in terms of maintenance. Cars manufactured with a combination of Toyota-like maintenance and German engineering would hands down be the best in the world!

+1

Originally Posted by sasta_rider

IMHO, Toyota could get enormous amount of data if they collect real life experiences of various owners: from Old Qualis owners to the recently launched Hilux. In addition, Toyota should compare the data of how a vehicle that has been in Delhi (non-coastal area) is different than the vehicle that has been in coastal belt of India.

They are actually doing this.

Originally Posted by sasta_rider

However, it is sad that Toyota discontinued the good ol' sedans/hatchbacks like Etios, Etios Liva and Corolla just because of the norms in place back then. A good R&D could have retained these legendary vehicles, at least as petrol variants. All thanks to the ban on diesel cars that has been coming into effect slowly across India.

The problem was different. Etios and Liva were outdated from the time of their launch and the cost cuttings in these cars were evident. They gave us a very basic car with strong and bullet proof mechanicals.
The Indian customers never accepted the Etios twins where the market offered much more fancy cars like the i20 or Jazz or other cars in the same price bracket. In today's date these outdated cars won't sell.
Toyota won't compromise on the mechanicals, so if they try to build a car with good features and creature comfort on top of it, they will goof up with the pricing and the car will have the same fate of the Yaris.

[Samba]

Got the 130,000 km service done at 115,230 km mark.

The service was done at Saini Toyota Howrah. Needless to say, as always they were professional and did the job well.
After owning a Maruti now, it is even more clear to me, why people buy Maruti products from Toyota! The difference in professionalism, attitude and customer satisfaction is quite glaring. I was spoilt by Renault too!

Parts replaced-

Engine oil (Full synthetic)
Engine oil Filter
Brake check up and bleeding the brake line.
A thorough inspection of the whole vehicle. Happy to report that, all the mechanicals are in perfect shape.
Interior and exterior cleaning

Damage to pocket - Rs 6,031

The overall maintenance cost over these 12.5 years and 115,000 km -

Parts replaced outside the annual scheduled maintenance-

1) 6000 km- To replace the fuel hose as it was a recall from Toyota.
Cost - 0.

2) A leaked shock absorber at 18,000 km. Cost - 0 (Changed under warranty).

3) Upgraded the stock front shock absorbers to the stiffer shock absorbers under warranty at 22,000 km. Toyota gave their customers a choice and I opted for it. Cost - 0.

4) At 23,000 km changed one tyre due to side wall cut. Cost Rs 3,400 (fng).

5) A blown out fuse at 22,000 km due to using a faulty mobile charger. Toyota changed the fuse for free.

6) The stock horn was replaced at 27,000 km due to malfunction. Cost - Rs 100 (fng).

7) At 34,290 km the following parts were changed- Front disc pads with rotors, rear left shock absorber had a leak so replaced both of them. Cost - Rs 11,599.

8) At 34,700 km an anti rattling kit was installed due to a kat kat sound coming from the dashboard area. Though the sound vanished of its own, we still installed the anti rattling kit. Cost Rs - 501.

9) At 44,000 km changed all the 5 tyres to Yokokama Earth 1. (185/65/R14) Rs 22,000. New Exide mileage battery - Rs 3,200 (fng).

10) At 45,000 km there was a recall from Toyota to change the front seat belt Pre-tensioners. Cost - 0.

11) At 51,000 km front left shock absorber was changed. Cost - Rs 2,200.

12) At 64,000 km upgraded the horn to dual Minda jalwa horn. Rs 1,200 (fng).

13) Changed a head light bulb - Rs 220 (fng).

14) Got an extra check up done just before a long trip and stocked 1L engine oil and coolant along with washing and cleaning. Rs 2,500.

15) Got the right hand side rear view mirror glass changed as the original one fell off by getting hit with the orvm of another car. Rs 1,065.

16) Got the front right wheel bearing changed with the hub at 79,800 km. Rs 2,900 (fng).

17) At 86,000 km mark rats chewed the left side headlight holder. Replaced with a new one. Damage to pocket - Rs 150.

18) At 86,000 km mark replaced the wiper. Damage to pocket - Rs 524.

19) Got the left wheel bearing changed with the hub at 88,000 km. Rs 3,100 (fng)

20) A minor denting and painting job in a FNG. Rs 4,000

21) At 93,000 km mark, four new Yokohama Earth one tyres were installed. Rs 17,000

22) At 96,500 km mark a new Exide Matrix Battery was installed. Rs 4,400

23) At 103,000 km needed a headlight bulb (left) replacement. Rs 200

24) At 104,000 km rear boot-lid alignment for a minor hit from behind. Rs 470.

25) At 107,000 km a small repair for rat bite. Rs 1,000.

26) Two new headlight bulbs. Rs 400.

27) Ac gas top up at 110,000 km. Rs 2000.

28) Wiper blade- Rs 550.

29) Replacing a broken tail lamp- Rs 2000.


Scheduled 1 year/10,000kms services with other wear & tear part replacements -

1) 1,000 km- 1st service. Cost- 0.

2) 10,000 km- 2nd service- Changed engine oil and oil filter. (synthetic oil.) Cost - Rs 2,800.

3) 20,000 km- 3rd service. Changed engine oil (Synthetic oil), oil filter, 4 spark plugs, rotation of tyres and greasing the side walls of the tyres. Cost - Rs 3,400.

4) 30,000 km- 4th service. Changed engine oil (Synthetic oil), oil filter, ac filter, wiper blade. 30,000 km service inspection cost, rear brake shoe assembly both side inspection, front disc brake pad both side inspection cost - Rs 5,240.

5) 40,000 km- 5th service. Changed engine oil (Synthetic oil), oil filter, 4 spark plugs, Brake fluid. Cost - Rs 5,500.

6) 50,000 km- 6th service. Engine oil (Synthetic oil) and oil filter change, Wiper washer fluid top up, 3M under body check up, Foam wash to the exterior body, Premium interior clean.
The only added attention the car needed was the change of the front left shockabsorber. It developed a leak. Got the air filter and ac filter cleaned too, Brakes shoes/pads checked and cleaned. The total bill amount was Rs 8,500.

7) 60,000 km- 7th service. Changed engine oil (Synthetic oil), oil filter, ac filter, wiper blade, 4 spark plugs, Clutch cable, left rear tail lamp, rear brake shoe assembly both side inspection, front disc, brake pads both side inspection. Cost - Rs 8,500.

8) 70,000 km- 8th service. Changed engine oil (synthetic), oil filter, front brake pads. Rs 6,591.

9) 80,000 km- 9th service. Changed engine oil (Synthetic oil), oil filter, 4 spark plugs, Brake fluid, air filter. Rs 6,700.

10) 90,000 km - 10th service. Changed engine oil (Synthetic oil), 0il filter, Ac filter, fuel filter, right wheel bearing. Rs 11,540.

11) 100,000 km service at 96,600 km mark- Changed engine oil, Oil filter, 4 spark plugs, Gearbox inner oil seal, Transmission oil, Clutch plate assembly (Excluding the flywheel). Rs 20,355

12) 110,000 km service at 104,000 km- Engine oil, Oil filter, front two shock-absorbers, Lower arm (both sides), wheel balancing and alignment, front brake pads and discs, rear brake shoes, spare wheel retaining screw. Rs- 32,186

13) 120,000 km service at 110,000 km. Engine oil (Fully synthetic), Engine oil Filter, Air Filter, AC filter, 4 spark plugs, Changed the brake oil, Wiper blade, AC gas top up. Rs 8,317.

14) 130,000 km service at 115,000 km. Engine oil (Fully synthetic), Engine oil Filter, Brake check up & interior and exterior cleaning.

Total cost over these 12.5 years including yearly services, spare parts replacements, 10 tyres, a couple of batteries, body work (minor denting & painting, a couple of tail lights) = Rs 209,748. This comes to approximately Rs 1.82 per km.

[coolmel]

Originally Posted by Samba

...
[b]The overall maintenance cost over these 12.5 years and 115,000 km...
Total cost over these 12.5 years including yearly services, spare parts replacements, 10 tyres, a couple of batteries, body work (minor denting & painting, a couple of tail lights) = Rs 209,748. This comes to approximately Rs 1.82 per km.

Dada, how come you haven't changed the coolant & power steering fluid? How much quantity of gear/transmission fluid did your Etios take? I am about to change mine to Amsoils. Our Liva diesel has clocked close to 47k in 10 years and part of the steering column which is right near the drivers feet has rusted. Will share a pic later. Post 5 years don't know if we will get a renewal or no. Fingers crossed.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by coolmel

Dada, how come you haven't changed the coolant & power steering fluid? How much quantity of gear/transmission fluid did your Etios take? I am about to change mine to Amsoils. Our Liva diesel has clocked close to 47k in 10 years and part of the steering column which is right near the drivers feet has rusted. Will share a pic later. Post 5 years don't know if we will get a renewal or no. Fingers crossed.

Hello,
actually the life of the Toyota long life coolant is 160,000 km or 16 years, after that the change interval will be every 80,000 km or 8 years.
Etios petrol comes with EPS, so there is no power steering fluid.
Regarding the gear oil, as per I can remember, it consumes 2.5L. I may be wrong, please cross check this once.
At 96,000 km the gear box oil seal of my car was damaged, and there was a minor oil leak. At that time I got these changed along with the clutch plate from Toyota.

If the rust is not much, you can get some antirust treatment done to the steering column. If the rust is more, better not to take risk.

[coolmel]

Originally Posted by Samba

Hello,
actually the life of the Toyota long life coolant is 160,000 km or 16 years, after that the change interval will be every 80,000 km or 8 years.
Etios petrol comes with EPS, so there is no power steering fluid.
Regarding the gear oil, as per I can remember, it consumes 2.5L. I may be wrong, please cross check this once.
At 96,000 km the gear box oil seal of my car was damaged, and there was a minor oil leak. At that time I got these changed along with the clutch plate from Toyota.

If the rust is not much, you can get some antirust treatment done to the steering column. If the rust is more, better not to take risk.

Thank you! I guess the diesel also comes with EPS. I will look into the steering bits. Thanks again!

[iampulo]

Samba Da, need one guidance. My 50K maintenance is due next month. I am planning for instructing service team for changing the engine oil to fully synthetic engine oil instead of their usual mineral oil. Kindly suggest if there is any extra steps/cleaning, flushing required prior to this.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by iampulo

Samba Da, need one guidance. My 50K maintenance is due next month. I am planning for instructing service team for changing the engine oil to fully synthetic engine oil instead of their usual mineral oil. Kindly suggest if there is any extra steps/cleaning, flushing required prior to this.

Just drain the old oil and refill new. You don’t need to flush anything if you have been changing the oil on schedule.

[Samba]

Etios turns into a teenager (13 years) with roughly 116,000 km on the Odo.

The highest we kept a car in our house was the Fiat Uno. It was there for 13 years and 7 months covering 106,000 km. Before the Uno, there were a couple of Fiats which served us for 10 years each.
We do not have any plan to sell the Etios. So looks like, this is going to be the longest kept car in our house.
In between the Etios shared its garage with a AltoK10, a Figo TDCI, and a Duster AWD.

In the last one year, the Etios has covered hardly 3,000 km. Its duty has been majorly shared by the Jimny and my wife's, (Bhpian DogNDamsel12) Polo.

The brand new Etios, with the then 13-year-old Uno!
&
The brand new Jimny with the now 13-year-old Etios! Time flies!

[DogNDamsel12]

Love this car totally, even though I was never a fan of the Liva for its design. But the Etios remains fun to drive - tap the accelerator and it takes off!

Happy Birthday, Etios. Hoping to safeguard you for many more years from the circus of the ever-changing fuel norms.

[aniketbapat]

Indeed an amazing car !! As a proud owner of Etios Liva diesel GD can totally relate to this.
Your's and Amalji's blogs on etios always made me equally proud of my car .
My dear Liva is nearly 9 yrs now and at 227,000km and I just cannot find a better car to replace the ever reliable Liva.
I took Liva for another Ladakh trip in July 2023 and at 204,000km on ODO it was on top of Umling La and I was just in awe of its reliability !!!