[Auto freak]

Congrats on your Sail bblost!
It seems to have been tailor made to suit your needs! Wish you lots of happy miles ahead :-)

I used to drive a Beat before. Loved it for its refinement at low revs and the feeling of quality build inside out. I also liked the Chevy service. I never had to wait for a part to arrive and the car was always delivered the same day after service!

Do consider blackening the door rims and the B-Pillar like the Sail in this pic.
I've always felt this is how Chevy designers intended it to be.



Enjoy your Chevy!

[bblost]

Originally Posted by Auto freak

Congrats on your Sail bblost!
It seems to have been tailor made to suit your needs! Wish you lots of happy miles ahead :-)


Enjoy your Chevy!

Thanks for the design. I will surely think about this. I had seen a similar idea in the official review as well.

It makes it look quite stylish.
When i visited 3M for the Nomad carpets I had enquired about these carbon fiber stickers.
If I remember correctly they quoted 350 per sq ft.

However I am going to need sun blinds or something. The glass area is a lot and since I kids are in the child seat with limited ability to move, its beoming a problem.

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by bblost

When i visited 3M for the Nomad carpets I had enquired about these carbon fiber stickers. If I remember correctly they quoted 350 per sq ft.

Imran, the CF wrap on the B Pillars should cost you under 1k. The Ritz has black B pillars from the factory itself but I got the CF wrap done over this and they look awesome. Here is a link to help you decide

I would also suggest you get the PPF installed on the bumper corners and other scratch prone areas. It costs a bit but is very strong and will keep the body panels safe from scratches and scrapes.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

I would also suggest you get the PPF installed on the bumper corners and other scratch prone areas. It costs a bit but is very strong and will keep the body panels safe from scratches and scrapes.

I was quoted approx 7k for getting the bumpers covered with the ppf film. Did not seem like VFM.
Maybe I should just get the corners of the bumpers covered. Do you have the per sq ft cost for this?

Is 350 per sq ft the right price for cf wraps?

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by bblost

I was quoted approx 7k for getting the bumpers covered with the ppf film. Did not seem like VFM.
Maybe I should just get the corners of the bumpers covered. Do you have the per sq ft cost for this?

Is 350 per sq ft the right price for cf wraps?

I wanted to get the entire bumper PPF'd but Sidhu @ 3M HSR advised against it and I am thankful to him for that.

My suggestion if to PPF only the corners of the bumper. Cost of new bumpers will be a lot cheaper than the PPF job on the full bumper.

350/sq.ft for the CF wrap looks fine. It costs around 400 bucks here thanks to the vat/tax structure.

[bblost]

An interesting observation while parking my car.

Most Friday's as I go to a Mosque for Namaz, I would park along the pavement. With my Wagon R I would have to be very careful and ask the passengers alighting from the left to get down before I park.

But I forgot to mention this today and the passenger on the left opened the door. It did not scrape the pavement.
The door's bottom part is about 1" above the Wagon R's.

Also the suspension does not sag much. So even in the case of a loaded car the door opens above the pavement.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by bblost

I don't know how to get the Head Unit to display time. It has a clock, but the instruction manual for the ICE and the car don't talk about.
I found the place where I can set it to 12h or 24h. But am yet to see the time.

Time is displayed when the ICE is off.

How do I display it when its on?
A long press of the SRC button shows the file name. But time eludes me.

[lifebuoy]

Originally Posted by bblost

Its a market dud. Its sales are barely making a dent in the sales graphs. Its not going to win any beauty pageants either. The engine is decent but its not going to burn the highway. The equipment list is not very inspired.
Not many people know this car exists. When I would tell someone I am booking a sail, they would have no idea what I am talking about.

There is hardly any advertising by GM and this is a very competitive segment.

The market has been performing very poorly and GM is currently at its lowest point. The Tavera scandal and emission issues of 1.3 liter diesel engine of the Sail twins.

To be honest, buying a Sail is going against every bit of reason and common sense.

So why did I decide to put my money on it.
This is a question that has no clear answer.

When I decided to buy a new car, I came up with a small list of priorities.
1. A good rear seat that can comfortably accommodate 2 child seats and an adult.
2. Airbags for both the driver and passenger.
3. ABS with EBD.

Resale was not in my list. So why should I care if the Sail Twins sell a lot or not.

Assuming my Sail gives me just 1 lakhs, my resale loss is between 1 and 2 lakhs after 7 years.
With this change in perception I felt that its a small price to pay for what I liked.

Hey Bblost,

This post identifies with most of the thoughts that were on my mind when I thought of upgrading my 2002 Indica DLE.

My requirements:
1. Wanted to drive a BIG car (high GC, Bridgestone Duelers, 5+ seater) so, the contenders were, the Safari, Innova, XUV, Scorpio, Xylo, Bolero, Grande and the Sumo Gold in a <=10L budget.
2. Must be powerful and fuel efficient - I am a Govt employee who has to fund the car and pay for the fuel, not like my MNC friends for whom the car + fuel are part of perks.
3. It had to be cost-effective (fit my budget + satisfy needs)
4. Although I can buy through CSD, had to exchange my Indica too.

The TATA stable almost met my requirements. I was in love with the Gold (I like basic, yet robust machines) but family members ruled it out ! The Grande didn't look that good - was too rounded. The Safari was on the top as wife and me like this car very much. I had already TD the ARIA and Safari earlier. The ARIA was out of budget.

The Toyota dealer actually turned me away - the Galaxt Toyota at Moti Nagar Delhi were nice and polite. When asked for an exchange with my Indica, their faces showed their disgust (like -- WHAT?? Exchange a 10 yr old Indica for a Toyota. We have a waiting period for the Innova, blah, blah). I went to the T Trust, saw a V version for 9.5L, seemed better than buying a new one.

In the Mahindra stable, the XUV was a no-no. I cannot stand the Once upon a time in Mumbai styling (very over styled, looks like a pan shop or a local sand truck with bells and jingles). In any case, for a car this size, I didn't want to place my bet on a monocoque, that too untested. I have test driven my friends W8, Xylo and Scorpio so no fresh TD. The Xylo also looks like a boiled egg and owing to the extra rounded shape like the grande, dropped it. Liked the Bolero, went to a Mahindra showroom Moti Nagar Ind Area. The response to an exchange was luke warm, no one was sure, I did not get a YES or a NO. saw the interiors of a ZLX. That was the last straw, I ran away, the Gold was far better at similar costs. With 65 odd BHP, it also lacked power. (I have never seen a Bolero at 100 Kmph+ speeds). The Scorpio fit the bill, in looks, cost, power & FE and other features. The LX is what I was targeting.

Well, after the initial market survey, I had the Scorpio LX, the Gold GX and the Safari LX / EX. I found out CSD costs and tried disposing my Indica (for about 4 months), all I could get was Rs 60K. Got to know from a colleague that TATA dealers were giving huge discounts to push sales and Oberoi Cars, Noida offered good exchange schemes. So, landed up there and got a 32K deal for my Indica (regd in Bangalore, LTT paid in Ambala). I tried to sell the Gold idea one last time, but wife and daughter refused point blank. We will not sit in a Taxi is what they said. While at the delaer, I went through the features of the ARIA variants.

I played the emotional angle then - I said, no more money than a Gold with me, what to do ? The dealer rep smelt a deal and offer the ARIA Pure.
Other factors I considered - resale will not give me more than 2-3 L after 7-8 yrs of usage (at least) for any car, except the Innova. The ARIA's comfort and luxury / well fitted interiors (at this cost) have me impressed. ABS+EBD are standard fitment. The next higher version, the Prestige was 1.2L that gave me rear parking sensors, front fogs, steering audio controls, driver seat ht adj, and front seats with armrests and 2 airbags.

I have fitted fogs from the dealer (genuine acc) for Rs 3800/-, all that was reqd was the lamps and the fitting bracket. Operates from the main lamp switch. Rear parking sensors fitted from Reliance Autozone for Rs 3200/- (RD make).

I will quote bblost's words here - the same applies for me. This car ticks every single point on my list. The only thing against it is its low sales figures. Since I am buying a car for myself and not for the vast majority of Indians....I decided to buy it for just myself.

With very hard bargaining for a 2011 Dec Pure, I bought it for Rs 9.75 L on road, Gurgaon on 11 May 2012. Saved 20K by trf the 50 % NCB from the Indica onto the ARIA as well.

Just back from a trip to Shimla with in-laws and family (6 adults with luggage). The ARIA gave 11.6 kpl from Delhi to Shimla and down till Solan. It gave 14 kpl from Solan to Delhi, with both A/Cs ON full time, except in Shimla, where A/Cs were not reqd. Case of the car meeting its requirements very well indeed.

[bblost]

Thanks for sharing.
You must consider creating a thread for you Aria.

My brother in law drives an Aria and he is very happy with it.

[bblost]

After driving 414 kms since the last fill up, the low fuel indicator started coming on and off. I was very close to my favorite shell.
From the same pump used last time I got 34.67 kms.

The car returned 11.97 kmpl.

I was driving in a normal manner with no constraints on acceleration and speed.

[Jude300]

Originally Posted by bblost

After driving 414 kms since the last fill up, the low fuel indicator started coming on and off. I was very close to my favorite shell.
From the same pump used last time I got 34.67 kms.

The car returned 11.97 kmpl.

I was driving in a normal manner with no constraints on acceleration and speed.

Thanks for the update. Noticed that the it should have been 34.67 Ltrs

[bblost]

Originally Posted by Jude300

Thanks for the update. Noticed that the it should have been 34.67 Ltrs

Thanks.

Yesterday bought a small digital tire pressure guage for the car and fixed small rubber tips at the edge of the doors.
Cost me about 550 at Reliance Autozone.

I also checked out some of the Reverse cam setups. Found a very cute 3.5" Xenos lcd screen. I might install it on the car after its first service.

[bblost]

My first mega traffic Jam.

I left office at 5:45 PM. The roads were flooded thanks to very heavy rains.
It was around 7:30 PM that I finally got some clear roads to get accelerate back to my house.

For those 1 hour and 45 minutes I was either standing still or crawling forward at less than 5 kmph.
The clutch is very comfortable. Despite the really long amount of time there was no discomfort. However I have to keep the seat travel such that my leg when fully stretched is pushing the clutch flush with the floor. I used to drive with a little more distance away from the steering. I don't do that anymore.

When the blower focus is set for the windscreen it automatically switches on the AC and sets the re circulation to ON. I found this very annoying.

I am not very happy with the stock wiper blades. Will clean the windscreen with some tobacco and if it does help, I will replace them with bosch. The issue is a milky layer on the outside part of the windscreen.

At one point I had to take a u-turn. I don't need a reverse camera. Am quite comfortable reversing the car. This u-turn was in heavy traffic with no streetlights. Needed to make a 3 point turn.

The car performs best at 90kmph with the revs hovering at 2500 rpm. Feels almost surreal.

[bblost]

Today I got the car registered at the Mehidipatnam RTA.

I used the services of an agent provided by the Dealership. They charged me Rs3000 for this. The amount includes the cost of number plates.

If I had done it myself that cost would have been half of that.
But I have an infant who cannot be left alone at home. The agent simplified everything.

I reached the RTA at 11:15 AM sharp. The agent helped get the chasis number stenciled on the forms. The inspector was luckily right there. Then I drove a little distance away as I needed to park and wait.

My wife walked down to the RTA and provided them with the digital signature. By 11:35 AM we were on our way back home. Just in time to pick up my daughter from her kindergarden.

On my way back I also realized that the odo was now at 980 kms.

I called up my SA Kiran and requested him to arrange for the first service.

After a quick lunch at home, I drove down to the service center at Hafeezpet.

The service center is decent but I IMHO Maruti is way superior in the service lounge.
Here there is no lounge.

I met up with a Service Adviser. A young chap who looked very overworked and very uninterested in his job.

I stayed there for the entire duration of service.

The guy who built this place needs to be solidly kicked. There was heavy rainfall. Water from outside easily found its way inside the offices.

The entire office floor was very dirty. They had a lady who kept cleaning it over and over again. But it was a losing battle against the mud from outside.

They topped up my brake oil and wiper liquids.
The mechanic told me that the car is delivered with lesser brake oil and it has to be topped up during the first service. I am not convinced with his explanation.

However the operating manual does specifically ask you to avoid heavy braking till first service.

Extremely heavy rains caused a delay in getting the car washed.

I got the car back at 5:30 PM with a bill of Rs 0.

The car is performing very well.

[bblost]

I have solved the time issue. For some reason the option to show the clock is available only on the radio mode.

So select the radio as source, then press the right dial till it shows Clk. Select yes and now the clock shows.
It shows irrespective of the source.