[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by snaseer

Just one query is that can Ertiga handle bad roads for a long period. for example Ladakh.

Handling bad roads is not really going to be a problem with the Ertiga. The Ground clearance is good enough. The ride may not be the best on bad roads but it is not going to be bad either.

My worry is the way Maruti's MJDs & their clutch behave in these terrains, especially super bad roads and slush that you might pass on the way. I have personally never liked the clutch of the Ertiga for such terrains because when you get stuck, you can't really release the pedal and get out of tricky situations by just lugging and you might really need to rev than lug without throttle input. And when you rev, it just jumps to turbo zone and that will cause immense wheel spins. This is exactly the situation which is very very tricky to tackle.

I liked the way the Linea handled this terrain way back in 2014 when we drove. It's got a better clutch to handle such terrains.

Check this video where you can see how the Ertiga manages such terrains & what I spoke about:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySDxh1CBMwQ

Personally, I have had situations when getting stuck in bad slush but I have been lucky to escape this with a lot of careful maneuvers.

Having said that, there are a lot of Ertigas which have done Leh circuit without much complaints.

[snaseer]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

My worry is the way Maruti's MJDs & their clutch behave in these terrains, especially super bad roads and slush that you might pass on the way. I have personally never liked the clutch of the Ertiga for such terrains because when you get stuck, you can't really release the pedal and get out of tricky situations by just lugging and you might really need to rev than lug without throttle input. And when you rev, it just jumps to turbo zone and that will cause immense wheel spins. This is exactly the situation which is very very tricky to tackle.

Thanks Parag
Would it be the same with Petrol engine as well.

[drsingh]

Excellent thread Parag. Waiting for the updates on the injector issue. I have just purchased a Maruti Wagon R for its practicality. Your Wagon R thread made it a no brainer choice. I can see Ertiga as a natural upgrade option for someone coming from a Wagon R. I probably will replace my Diesel Linea with the Ertiga in future,and again this thread will play a big part in my decision.

[Rajain]

Originally Posted by snaseer

HI Parag,

I am planning to buy an Ertiga soon and your thread has been of a great help in deciding the same. Just one query is that can Ertiga handle bad roads for a long period. for example Ladakh.

In the last 4 years I have been to Leh twice and have seen dozens of Ertigas there. Including at Nubra Valley and there is one video on youtube of one crossing Wari La also (most of this route is a 4x4 territory). I had clicked a picture of an Ertiga at Nubra dunes also.

Ertiga is light weight and can take any journey pretty easily. The engine - both in petrol and diesel is adequately powered to manage most terrains. Agreed that it is not a 4x4 and therefore before taking it into slush or snow or beach or sand one would have to be mindful of traction.

It does need a sump guard. So while the engine can do all the good work the GC (which at 185 mm is pretty good) however a sump guard is certainly recommended.

In a cross country drive (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...rth-india.html) I have taken a fully loaded Ertiga to some difficult terrains and it has been a winner.

Go ahead and buy it. A decision you will not regret.

Cheers
Rajain

[deepakdhingra]

Hi Parag,

Many thanks for this great thread. It has been very helpful for Ertiga owners like me.

I am almost convinced that I should go for the Michelin 3PST 195/65/15 based on your experience. However, I have gotten a lower quote from a dealer in Mumbai for Pirelli 195/65/R15 at Rs. 5576/- against Rs. 6350/- for the Michelins.

I was wondering if you or anyone has any information and/or experience with Pirelli's on Ertiga over here. I have to buy the tyres today or by Wednesday latest. Any suggestions from anyone will be most helpful.

Deepak

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

I liked the way the Linea handled this terrain way back in 2014 when we drove. It's got a better clutch to handle such terrains.

To add to this, what I generally do in such bad slushy roads, put it in 2nd gear play with the clutch and throttle. This has helped in minimizing the wheel spin and provide enough torque to get the vehicle moving and eventually get out of the rut.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

To add to this, what I generally do in such bad slushy roads, put it in 2nd gear play with the clutch and throttle. This has helped in minimizing the wheel spin and provide enough torque to get the vehicle moving and eventually get out of the rut.

Yes, works perfectly well when in slushy situations. 1st is mostly when you are stuck. In Second, you keep crawling with very little throttle input required.

And at times, to avoid wheelspin when stuck, it is also good to release the clutch swiftly to get that momentum to surge ahead and then immediately slot into second and release it again and crawl for the rest of the path.

[paragsachania]

This will Certainly require patient reading as this less of a pictorial update:

In short, here were the sequence of events that pointed towards the actual culprit:

Fuel Filter >> Fuel Pump >> Dirty Fuel Tank >> ODB Readings >> Injection System >> Clogged Injectors >> Injector Cleaning >> Longer cranks >> EPS Warning Light >> Battery test >> Battery Replacement

Complete details:

Been around 5 months now since I was facing this peculiar, weird issue that almost everyone failed to acknowledge. Instead of linking back to my earlier posts, I will try to summarize the same in this post.

• I could slot in all gears - Up or Down, without any issues

• When I was gaining speeds and shifting - Up or Down, exactly around 80% after I released the Clutch pedal, I felt a slight jerk

• This Jerk was felt when I shifted from 1-2-3-4-5 or 5-4-3-2-1 and release the clutch while the car is in motion and gears were shifted based on the speed (and engine RPMs)that one does under normal driving circumstances

• The Jerk was felt even when I released the clutch very very slowly

• The jerk was again evident when I am in any one particular gear and I release my foot off the throttle and press the throttle again, no matter how gently I would press the throttle, there was little jerk that is felt

• There was a good evidence of mild roughness, hesitation as It gained speeds

• At Highway cruising speeds, the Engine note was rougher

• There was no change in terms of Fuel Efficiency or Top end performance

1. The Fuel Filter which resolved the problem temporarily:

With 33,000 Kms of hard work, blocking all the particulates, the Fuel Filter replacement was long overdue and somehow this crucial element was missed. Post replacement, there was an immediate difference and things back to absolute normal for the next 3000 kms.

2. Fuel Pump, Dirty Fuel Tank:

Trial and error was the only way to go not because we were clueless but merely wanted to isolate parts that were not associated. Fuel tank was cleaned and that did not make any difference. In fact the Fuel Filter was also replaced during this as a precaution. The next possible culprit was the Primary Fuel Pump located in the fuel tank itself. So we swapped fuel tank of another Ertiga (of the dealership) so rule out fuel pump and it was also easy to swap tanks than remove the Pump which was more laborious. This didn’t solve the problem

3. Anything abnormal in the OBD Readings:


(click image for better reading)
Tried capturing values of the other Ertiga and comparing that with mine. There was very little hint that the injection system was not up to the mark. However, This would have been an aberration as well because the readings for both the Ertigas were recorded when there was a considerable difference in the Engine Coolant Temperature of these. Quite obvious that a Hotter engine would be fed with a lean mixture (my car) than the one that was cranked when cold and values taken

4. Fuel Injection Pump (FIP) and the Injectors:

The assumption was that if fuel is getting injected seamlessly, there is less likely a chance for the injection pump to be at fault. Didn’t troubleshoot this further. However, I always had an eye on the injectors. With more than a lakh on the ODO, this would have got dirtier and clogged and hence blocking efficient injection?

5. Injector cleaning with Liqui Moly Diesel Purge Additive:



As a popular resort, I succumbed to this as well and I could notice no difference even after using this almost as directed. A can of this was fed directly into the Fuel Filter housing and the Engine fueled with this additive for over 20+ minutes but no difference whatsoever and the curious investigations continue as I keep driving around regularly.

6. Longer time taken to crank:

It so happened in the last 3-4 weeks that I noticed the cranking time longer than usual after parking the car on the weekend. Battery was easily 3.5 Years from Date of Purchase and having read instances of stock battery replacement after 3+ year of regular use, I thought it was time for mine too. I experienced longer crank on just 2 occasions in the past month.

7. EPS Warning light on Start:



This happened in the last month too, and exactly on 2 different occasions and more precisely after a long rest. After the Engine started, EPS Light would come on while the car is still idling and the steering would have zero assistance from the EPS Motor. Shut down the engine and crank again and things would get normal. This mostly happened after parking the car for more than 24 hours. The fact that the Battery takes a lot of load on cranking and that the EPS Motor too needs good voltage to operate was giving clear hints that the battery was due for replacement now.

8. The Battery test:



This didn’t need an appointment nor much time. It was all clear in under 5 minutes. Although the Crank and Load tests passed, the overall test said : REPLACE BATTERY

9 Battery replacement:

First time ever, I shopped online for Battery and the experience was positive. I read arjithin’s update on him replacing Battery for his Ertiga via Batteryexpert and discussed with him on his experience and placed an order. On last Friday, the battery was replaced. In fact, I and Leoshashi were casually discussing about this battery test when he also commented on how few problems in his car got resolved by replacing a weak battery.

EDIT: Amaron Flo DIN 65 was the replacement battery I picked online for 5125/- after returning my stock battery (Amaron again).

10 Post replacement experience:

I will keep this short rather than a story. The DRLs which I installed don’t wink anymore when I crank & crank is indeed shorter but the biggest ever changes: Lighter steering and very effortless acceleration from standstill.

11. Was Battery the Problem solver or not?

Driven more than 200 kms now and the changes are noticeable. Earlier, I would experience intermittent cases of everything being normal to engine sounding stressed. Since this happened very intermittently, my suspicion on injectors was getting completely ruled out. A clogged injector remains clogged till you get rid of the dirt and it wouldn’t behave perfectly normal to abnormal on 2 sample days with the same fuel in tank and the same driver behind its wheels.

• The clatter at Idle is smoother
  
  
• Vibrations too have reduced when in idle, earlier I could notice this with my foot on the floor
  
  
• The throttle response, especially from 0 to 80 has definitely improved and can be easily felt
  
  
• Highway cruising at 100-120 is Effortless, smoother and free revving
  
  
• The Ramp test: Earlier, both at work and home, climbing the Ramp in 2nd required effort and now it keeps surging ahead with no throttle input – Confirms the fact that the injectors were not working upto the mark and feeding lean mixture resulting in all this
  
  
• Engine braking experience is back to normal – No abnormal jerks felt as I shift down nearing a speed-breaker or a toll booth

12 The connection between a Weak Battery and Fuel injection:

As I replaced the battery and started noticing the changes, just to make sure that it wasn’t only a placebo effect, I stumbled upon various articles which somehow gave a direct correlation between a weak battery and fuel injection. It is a known fact that a weaker battery would put a lot of pressure on the charging system (alternator) which has to keep working harder to maintain the Voltage at the battery terminals and while this happens, various components in the car while running – Fuel Pump, Injection Pump, Injectors, EPS, HVAC system, ICE and Headlights will be utilizing this charge to function. Hence, a healthy voltage is what becomes crucial for the injectors to function normally and a weak battery would prevent it from doing so and this is exactly what was happening over the last few months. This coupled with a fuel filter that wasn’t replaced for a very long interval only further elevated the problems.

In the end, I am happy to report with my last few days of driving that the issue has been resolved, without bothering the injectors. I took some time to report this as I didn’t want to jump the gun too early with some random evidence.

For someone at the ASC who would drive my Ertiga today, he may find no difference whatsoever but to me this has been a huge change and a good learning as well.

Where's the Odometer now?

Its little shy of 130,000 Mark and that would happen soon. Went on couple of drives in the last few weeks : Salem, Vellore, Few trips to Belur and Chikmagalur, Few more trips to the western Ghats. More on that as I post a separate update.

Any DIYs?
Installed the OSRAM LEDriving DRL Fog lamps 2 weeks before. No pictures of the installation the wiring was straightforward.

[paragsachania]

Only last month, and almost every weekend, I drove to couple of places to relish the monsoon with a totally unplanned itinerary. This post has pictures from the same trips done with Addyhemmige and Funkykar who drove the Duster and Punto respectively:

During one of the trips, we had to drive over some steep sections full of slush and here is the Dashcam clip of the same:

https://youtu.be/KAEZpFlqR_Q

[paragsachania]

Every dog may not have its day. This one may have not been lucky. I didn't stop to check because they were quite a few and also the location and time when this happened.

A week before on Friday night when returning back from a drive, this happened.

https://youtu.be/MWdwuX1K_z4

My first dog hit driving my own car. Earlier to this in 2014 I hit another one driving a friend's Palio somewhere in Odhisha.

In both cases it was almost impossible to avoid hitting them.

Damage - Broken bumper.





Next day tried to paste the broken part with Araldite and used Abro tape to hold 2 sections in place.

Although the joint had fixed, lower part still looks separated and am thinking to remove the bumper and do this all over again, properly and then get it painted

On the running part, it's been doing business as usual since the battery replacement that it still surprises me how a weak battery caused all the issues with fuel injection earlier. Odo is clocking lazily without any drives in past few months as I was loaded with so much work and that also meant I almost ended up working from home for more than 2 months with few days of driving to work in between. As on today the Odo has just crossed 131,000 kms.

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Although the joint had fixed, lower part still looks separated and am thinking to remove the bumper and do this all over again, properly and then get it painted

Glad to note all is well. Street dogs, nowadays have increasingly become a menace. Since you are planning to go for a repaint, why not a new bumper? They don't cost much, just a suggestion.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Glad to note all is well. Street dogs, nowadays have increasingly become a menace. Since you are planning to go for a repaint, why not a new bumper? They don't cost much, just a suggestion.

Thanks Rakesh. In fact, the first thing I had in mind was to replace.

Then when audioholic was home, we casually evaluated the option to repair this and get only touch up done at a good FNG. I have seen on earlier occasion they did a fantastic job for a Cruze we had driven from Delhi last year.

If this doesn't work out, I will replace the bumper and get that painted completely of course.

EDIT: So I have just drained out the MGDO (Shell) and topped up with Delvac 1 again this evening. A drive (real long one) may just happen over the next 3 days.

Given my earlier feedback about how to me Delvac didn't male much difference should change now since I have got the injector issue sorted after battery replacement and that it's been behaving absolutely normal ever since.

By tomorrow afternoon itself I should write about Delvac

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Since you are planning to go for a repaint, why not a new bumper? They don't cost much, just a suggestion.

The bumper does not cost much, but a decent garage will charge 2.5k-3k for painting the bumper. The total cost will come to around 5k. Instead, this can be repaired and only the corner area can be painted for less than a thousand rupees. Being a dark colour, it will be very easy to match and since this is on the lower edge of the bumper, the touch up will not even be noticeable. Hence, I was of the opinion that this can be repaired easily. I have got a similar job done on my Yellow celerio and that colour was nowhere easy to match. Yet the job was done to my satisfaction.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

EDIT: So I have just drained out the MGDO (Shell) and topped up with Delvac 1 again this evening. A drive (real long one) may just happen over the next 3 days.

Quite in time then All the best for that one!

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Quite in time then All the best for that one!

Oh yes. Post oil change a basic wash and then I cleaned all the glass area and lamps. All set to drive, with a random thought as I am still unsure where





Notice the residue of the left over after removing Abro tape. No time today to clean that area. However, put the cladding in place behind the bumper and fixed it with the clip.

[rajshenoy]

I missed your post on weak battery. I had few symptoms like EPS light on, delay in cranking etc but but nothing felt serious. EPS light went away after I off and on. And after a week the battery just died suddenly. I had driven close to 30kms, stopped for refueling and car never started !! I couldn't even lower my windows.

Thankfully the maruti onroad service just rocks !! Within 10 min I was back on the move. Went and replaced the battery(lasted 4year)

It was a horror taking U-turn after he jump started my car. Steering was light as long as I was accelerating. Otherwise rock hard.