[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Blow Horn Ok

The car looks even younger. Great job. GG must be single 800 in the world getting the attention and care which even luxury and sports cars would dream to get from their owners. Keep it up.

Originally Posted by ankitsharma

You have maintained you car very well dear. I see the engine bay is as good as new. Mine feels like the car is dumped for years in the jungle.

Great detailing overall.

Originally Posted by anshu1101

Wow! What an impeccably maintained machine. The M800 is without doubt one of the iconic cars, especially given how it democratized car ownership in India. Wish you many more happy miles with your steed!

Originally Posted by ask_017

Absolutely loved it sir. We have a 1998 one with us in Phoenix Red. Going through your writings has made me realize how badly we have kept our little 800. Well this is motivation for sure to keep hold of her for longer.

Originally Posted by utkarshshukla92

Coming back to GG, I am sure this is the most loved 800 ever. Engine bay looks as if GG has just rolled out of the showroom. The level of attention and detail is amazing. Not everyone can do it.

Wishing you loads of happy kms on GG

Originally Posted by Stribog

In a forum with car maniacs like us, basic condition of cars is not even a question, it starts with impeccable but sir, your car blew me away! I mean even showroom fresh cars won't be this brilliantly maintained.

Loved this thread (haven't seen this before, just popped up on my feed), good and fun reading.

Originally Posted by bharatmarch

Cleaning every single part requires immense knowledge, patience and selfless love towards your car, and Shashi, youare the epitome of these 3 traits. I read your thread every day without fail. A big fan of you and GG .

Originally Posted by Rustom Mistry

Absolute awesome kept car. And really inspiring too.Wishing you many more happy miles.

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Hi Leoshashi,
This is a thread I've been following for a while now and I love your dedication for maintaining the M800. My father got a maroon example when I was three in 1998. Owning a car was a privilege back in the day and it was near my heart as I grew up. I wish to own one of these once I'm back in India.

Thanks a lot Gentlemen! Your affection means a lot to me.

Why Last? Are you going to shift to a new project car?

Definitely not, not atleast in near future. Even if I move, GG will keep getting all the love and care she gets. This was last of the maintenance I did during the time I got during lockdown, others being reported on last page, # 50.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Thanks at least in small part to my encouragement my grandfather remained the sole owner of an Opel 6-cylinder 1936 model from purchase in 1936 till his passing away in 1998. Sadly my uncle in all innocence sold her, without consulting me, 17 or 18 years ago in the one and only year I was based out of India on business.

That's extremely sad. :(

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Leoshashi, I hope you will still be the owner in 2050. It isnt that difficult.

Definitely Sir. With Human life being so uncertain, I'm not sure about the year, but Yes, as long as I'm breathing, she isn't going to see Owner's name change on her RC.


Regards,
Shashi

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

That engine bay looks sweet! Damn, I remember mine didn't look this way right off the showroom floor.

Your posts make me repent my not-so-hands-on approach! Will need to figure something out soon.

[ask_017]

Originally Posted by Shreyfiesta

Kindly upload some pictures of your 1998 beauty.

Would love to see them!

Originally Posted by ask_017

Sure. It is currently at my parents place. Will click a few snaps when I visit next and post.

Hero you go, a few snaps from our Phoenix Red one from 1998 April - April 18th to be precise. Still remember the evening she rolled onto our home and the countless ours me and my brother spent inside taking in the new smell and feeding our curiosity. It was a dream for us till then owning a car and suddenly my parents made it a reality.

The age really shows now with little niggles. Only if I had the patience and knowledge like Leoshashi sir to keep her in mint condition I wonder.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

That engine bay looks sweet! Damn, I remember mine didn't look this way right off the showroom floor.

Your posts make me repent my not-so-hands-on approach! Will need to figure something out soon.

Haha! Actually cleaning a dirty engine bay is therapeutic for me.

Besides, its also good for the health of the engine as its able to dissipate heat better.

BTW, do checkout the immaculate 98 Phoenix Red 800 pics posted by BHPian ask_017. I'm sure it will bring back a lot of your memories.

Originally Posted by ask_017

Hero you go, a few snaps from our Phoenix Red one from 1998 April - April 18th to be precise. Still remember the evening she rolled onto our home and the countless ours me and my brother spent inside taking in the new smell and feeding our curiosity. It was a dream for us till then owning a car and suddenly my parents made it a reality.

The age really shows now with little niggles. Only if I had the patience and knowledge like Leoshashi sir to keep her in mint condition I wonder.

She is in great condition, at least cosmetically. If you ever need assistance regarding this beauty, I'll be happy to help you in any way.

Phoenix Red was a very popular shade of the late 90s. While I didn't like it back then, I'm a big fan now. Thanks for sharing these pics.

Regards,
Shashi

[ask_017]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

If you ever need assistance regarding this beauty, I'll be happy to help you in any way.

Thank you sir for offering your guidance. Will surely reach out to you.

Phoenix Red was a very popular shade of the late 90s. While I didn't like it back then, I'm a big fan now. Thanks for sharing these pics.

I remember there were two popular colors in contention back then for us - Harvest Green and Phoenix Red. We chose the red.

[chiranjitp]

Originally Posted by ask_017

Hero you go, a few snaps from our Phoenix Red one from 1998 April - April 18th to be precise. Still remember the evening she rolled onto our home and the countless ours me and my brother spent inside taking in the new smell and feeding our curiosity. It was a dream for us till then owning a car and suddenly my parents made it a reality.

Nice to see a M800 in Phoenix Red, that too in original condition. We too have a 99 Omni in Phoenix Red, though cosmetically not as mint as your car (some panels have rust + paint fade). I have plans to take care of the rust & do a full body repaint. In those days for M800 & Omni, white was the most common color followed by the Phoenix Red. How much has your car done on the odometer?

Sharing a recent photo of the Omni:

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Phoenix Red was a very popular shade of the late 90s. While I didn't like it back then, I'm a big fan now.

Same here, I initially hated my parents for buying a Pink Van . White or Metallic green looked so much better. But now 20 years later, I have (finally) developed a liking for the Phoenix Red color.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by ask_017

Hero you go, a few snaps from our Phoenix Red one from 1998 April - April 18th to be precise.

Seems to be in stock condition - and just need a little attention to be a gem! I had a '99 Pheonix Red 800 (KL 01 P series) - but didn't knew better back then!

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

BTW, do checkout the immaculate 98 Phoenix Red 800 pics posted by BHPian ask_017. I'm sure it will bring back a lot of your memories.

Your memory!

I keep checking OLX if my car comes back on sale - but I fear it has been scrapped or abandoned somehow - the registration doesn't seem to have been renewed recently. Or maybe used in the village side where the new owner may not care about such formalities.

Not sure what I can do if I see the car listed for sale - but no harm in checking. Recently bought an HMT watch - the same my father used to have and I used to play around with! Now - if only cars were so simple to buy and keep.

Originally Posted by chiranjitp

Same here, I initially hated my parents for buying a Pink Van . White or Metallic green looked so much better. But now 20 years later, I have (finally) developed a liking for the Phoenix Red color.

I wanted the Omni instead of 800 - as a child (who knew about safety!). Used to be cool in the movies with all the villains using it.

Omni was in fact slightly cheaper till 1999, and then somehow (my memory fails me how!) M800 prices got cheaper than the Omni and gave all the more reason for parents to go ahead with the 800.

[ask_017]

Originally Posted by chiranjitp

Nice to see a M800 in Phoenix Red, that too in original condition. We too have a 99 Omni in Phoenix Red, though cosmetically not as mint as your car (some panels have rust + paint fade). I have plans to take care of the rust & do a full body repaint. In those days for M800 & Omni, white was the most common color followed by the Phoenix Red. How much has your car done on the odometer?

Thank you sir. Nice to see your beloved Omni too. Our red cherry has done 1.22 lakh km in these 22 years.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Seems to be in stock condition - and just need a little attention to be a gem! I had a '99 Pheonix Red 800 (KL 01 P series) - but didn't knew better back then!

Yes CD, a little patience and a little attention will convert her into a gem. I had a slight lean towards Harvest Green back then but my parents wanted the Phoenix Red and it turned out to be a great choice.

[Shreyfiesta]

You guys are saying it right!

Phoenix Red and Milky White were the most common shades of M800s and Omnis during late 90s. This shade got replaced by Metallic Ruby Red by mid-2001 that was darker than Pheonix Red.

[bharatmarch]

Leoshashi's GG and present Alto 800 have the same speedometer fonts. Classy and elegant. I was pleasantly surprised and happy.



(M800 speedo pic courtesy : LeoShashi)

[Leoshashi]

Engine Oil change: I had run close to 6k kms on this oil and it was time to change it since last oil change was done in May 2019. I had also planned to mod the oil filter location a bit using Alto's adapter, but that mod failed miserably. Quoting myself:

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Great. In my car, the situation is even worse. I have seen mechanics easily accessing filters in F8B cars, but they struggle a bit in my car.

I prefer to remove the bumper and then easily access the filter. If you too do that way then the oil won't come out if you fill it and then try to screw.

Another info for you-I'll try it next time. Alto uses the same block as mine but in BS3 and BS4 models,the filter is screwed vertically. They use a 90 degree adapter. That should hopefully make the oil change a bit easy in my car.

At home, I find it difficult to access the oil filter without removing the bumper. At workshops, mechanics either put it on lift or they use a pit.





I had collected all the required spares for the mod well in advance:



However I wasn't happy with the clearance of the filter with engine member. Other workarounds were fiddling with the member a bit, or using a smaller oil filter. But I decided against them altogether.



Hence I removed the adapter completely and decided to continue with the stock setup. I had procured the oil last year itself during a lucrative deal.

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

3. Shell Helix Ultra: I have decided to stick to this grade and oil for GG's oil changes. It's not only VFM but also a great oil. Stumbled upon a killer deal on Amazon(Cloudtail India) where they were selling it for 200 Rupees a litre. Immediately ordered before they could change the price. The oil change is still some months away, but I could't refuse such a sweet deal:

Drained the old oil, this much came normally. That's when it stops dripping:



I again forced the remaining oil out using air blower as described in my previous oil change post. This much oil and some crap came out when forced:



Also like last time, I continued with 68K00 Oil filter.



Signing off with some shots of GG from a paradise untouched by modern civilization:









This gentle soul came near GG as soon as I parked and gave us company till we left:



Regards,
Shashi

[Captain Slow]

Why should shashi have all the fun! ?

Inspired by shashi and with his blessing, I started doing this to the fuel tank on my car.
The Fuel pump was about to die. The perfect time to get everything done. I did not want some mechanic to come or go to a garage due to the risk of COVID 19.

The hoses and tubes were old! Who says Maruti quality is bad?

The following was done - >
Full cleaning of the fuel tank -
Fresh Paint coat
Fuel pump change,.
All gaskets changed.
Hoses changed
Clamps changed
All nuts and bolts replaced.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Captain Slow

Why should shashi have all the fun! ?

Inspired by shashi and with his blessing, I started doing this to the fuel tank on my car.
The Fuel pump was about to die. The perfect time to get everything done. I did not want some mechanic to come or go to a garage due to the risk of COVID 19.

Awesome work! Working on your car yourself gives unmatched pleasure. Do share some clear finished shots of the tank if you have. Was there any rust inside the tank?

Regards,
Shashi

[Captain Slow]

No rust at all! everything fitted back and the car is up again. I had a hard time getting petrol. Shell had only a 2L can. Had to make 4 trips to get the tank to minimum level

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Due to the worsening situation of road rage and other related incidents, decided to invest in a good dashcam.

The investment paid off and it saved me from what could have been a major harassment.

I overtook a PCR van, and a Honda Stunner was in front of me with two riders, both had helmets. I spotted a dog running voraciously from opposite lane and I had doubt that it could create some issue. There was no accelerator input from my end. The dog eventually crashes into the bike and they both fall.

But the PCR van probably got entirely different idea. They thought I had crashed into the bikers.

I got down, helped the bikers to get up and made them sit on the divider. Some other good samaritans came and moved the bike.

Meanwhile police came and asked the chaps if I was responsible for the crash. More than confirming, their tone gave me a vibe that they wanted the bikers to say Yes! The biker then lied that they don't know how they fell, may be they felt a push from behind.

This was enough to make the cops go berserk. Thankfully I was calm all this while as I knew I had the footage.

As soon as I uttered about the camera, they got shocked and the pillion who was quiet all this while, tells that they fell down due to a dog crossing the street.

The cops didn't even check my dashcam for footage and let me go.

I sincerely urge all BHPians to get this life saver. This incident happened 1km from my residence. If I didn't have any footage then it was going to be an uphill task to convince them, since I think they wanted this to escalate, and may be make some money out of this.

https://youtu.be/hDcwFwbeeEQ

A narrow escape!

PS: Also note that the biker had braked before crashing, which clearly indicates he was lying.