Man, I haven't had a more hectic work schedule in ages! Been putting 12-14 hours at work over the last 2 months and it just doesn't seem to end!
*sigh*
Anyways, sharing a few updates that happened over the last couple of months.
- She's inching closer to the 1L km milestone:
- The stock battery (Exide, locally made) was replaced last month. The car was taking a wee bit longer to crank during Monday mornings after an idle weekend. Checked the voltage using a DC voltmeter and it showed 12.5 V when the car was turned off and 13.9 V when the engine was idling. Decided not to take a chance especially with these night drives to home and got a replacement battery from
batterybhai.com.
Amazing experience with the website! Placed the order in the afternoon and the replacement battery (Amaron Flo 60Ah, AAM-FL-566112060) arrived in the evening. Headed to the apartment's parking lot and the
bhai replaced the battery in less than 10 minutes. He tested the voltage of the new battery using a DMM, took the old battery, smiled and left. I so wish we had an
oempartsbhai.com and
caraccessoriesbhai.com - life would have been so much simpler!
- From being a
Gujju to a
Mallu!

Her
base-of-registry is officially changed to Palakkad from Surat.
Screengrab from the Kerala MVD database (FWIW, anyone can search for any car with the registration number):
(No. of cylinders - 3!)
Man, what an incredible 95k km journey she has had under the GJ registration! I am definitely going to look back and cherish the good times I've spent with her, back when I was posted in Gujarat. I got the laminated RC delivered by post to my home few weeks back. Got to apply for a refund from the Surat RTO now.
- A couple of snaps with ICGS Shaunak - a new offshore patrol vessel built for the Indian Coast Guard which was commissioned during February.
- The spare tire was used for the first time in the last 3.5 years!
Returned to the office's parking lot one day to find the rear left tire flat - I had a puncture repair kit with me but no pliers to take the sharp object out. Regretted that very moment! Luckily I had my colleague-friend with me around that time but after spending 14 hours at work, swapping a tire is the last thing in my mind! We had no go but to swap it out. Swapped the tire and drove home. Removed a small piece of a sharp flat metal plate and patched it up. Replaced the tire that weekend and the spare tire went back to its where it belonged. But inserting the tire back in that slot in the boot, was really really hard! Had to twist and turn the tire several times while I held the boot cover up. This was the third puncture in the last 55k km that these Michelins have run over - the present condition is alright for another 5-7k km but I may have to renew them shortly. Might buy the tires online this time over a B&M shop. Lot of discounts going on at PayTM.
Quote:
Originally Posted by palace35mm Hi Gannu wanted to know if an amplifier can be connected to the RCD 330G or 330G+? |
No clue on that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Immix So you definitely must have removed the 9W7 bluetooth module but what did you do with the mic in the cabin light cluster and its wire harness? Were you able to connect it to the RCD330g plus? Because that's what I want to do. I think that the mic in the cabin light cluster is a much better setup than the one integrated in the ICE on the left side, given the cabin light's proximity to the driver's voice. Thanks |
I've left the mic with the cable running through the left A-pillar as it is (disconnected). I was too lazy to remove it back when I swapped the HU. I don't suppose there is a provision to connect an external mic; might be wrong though. But do you really need one? The RCD 320 had a pathetic mic! But this one is far better despite being located at the same place on the HU. The reception is very clear and no one has complained of noise or low voice clarity from the other end.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sudeepg I am about to embark on installing the puddle lamps on my Suzuki S-Cross. I didn't find a separate thread for this DIY. Can you help spot it? |
Sorry man, I haven’t penned it down yet. I did the writeup some time back and I am yet to finish it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sudeepg a. One option is to tap the power from the turn indicator wires in the mirror housing (I saw this approach for puddle lamps for Ford Mustang) and believe this should do it. How have you tapped the power? |
From the cabin light.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sudeepg b. Ideally I'd prefer if these are enabled only when cabin lights are set to power up in the door open position, but that will defeat the purpose of installing it in the first place. In other words, it would be best if the puddle lamps turn on when the car is unlocked AND the switch for cabin lights is synched with the door open. This would ensure that the puddle lamps can be controlled to not turn on during day times when it is not required. I am not sure how to go about this. Thoughts? |
While this is ideally how the puddle lights should turn on, unless the ambient light sensor is used, they won’t work this way. How would it matter if they turn on during the day time? Nobody would notice it. I am not sure how they work on the Superb and the Octavia. Do they turn on during the day time?
Quote:
Originally Posted by sudeepg c. What is the size of the drill bit you used to make a hole in the mirror assembly to install these lights? |
I made a pilot drill hole using a 2 mm drill bit. And used a 10 mm drill bit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sudeepg Have you used these quick splice connectors? |
No. I am against these quick splice connectors since they seem to shear some strands of the wire while splicing. And the metal contacts rust over time. I prefer twisting, soldering and using a heat-shrink sleeve or a butt-splice crimp.