[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Just now I stumbled upon this thread AD SX4 was a great car fr me too when I had it. I outgrew its need and unable to keep two cars at home, I had to get rid of my silver steed after putting a lot of heart and soul in her. I think this car was responsible for luring me into the SUV world - the GC and the ability to go almost anywhere was instant click with me. I never hesitated to take her to my village, farm or into the unknown.

Yes, I remember your SX4 very well. In fact, the first time we met, both of us had our SX4s in that meet :-)

Totally agree with you about how SX4 leads you to an SUV. I know several cases where SX4 owners upgraded to an XUV5OO and some to Fortuners. That is a natural progression. In fact, I was (and still am) so impressed by your Orange Cheetah and your journeys and explorations with your Cheetah that I was also thinking along the same lines. But then somehow I fell in love with the 3-series and somehow ended up finding one for me, even though I was also looking for an SUV for my rural travels. Now I still miss owning an SUV and sometimes wonder if I should find some used SUV. But luckily the SX4 is good enough for all those occasional rural drives.

You have kept the car in perfect shape and its still a great beater car (how we change definitions right? Once this was "first" love car!). Wish you many more care-free and enjoyable miles on this car

Thank you very much! Yes, it is in pretty decent shape and I actually feel bad to call it a beater. It certainly does not deserve that term. It is more like an old friend.

I totally agree with you about how the definitions change. But again that is how life is.

[Dr.AD]

I have had nothing to really to update here in a long time. This car is anyways used quite rarely, and on top of that, given the current lockdown in Bangalore since last 6 weeks or so, the car is just parked most of the times. Just to keep it running fine, I follow the routine of starting the car once in a week, and either driving around for 10 minutes in our apartment complex, or taking it to the shops nearby for essentials shopping.

Given this usage, the refueling frequency is reduced drastically. Last time (before the instance mentioned below) I refueled the car was back in February!

Now recently, I took this car out for my vaccination visit to a hospital. A totally genuine reason to take the car out. Given that I was out anyways, I thought of fueling it up. I fueled up the car, and then realized that my fuel lid/flap was not getting locked again. Actually it had become a bit fidgety recently, and I realized that the lock/unlock option was not smooth in last few months. But this time, finally, it gave up.

Looks like the spring/lock holding the fuel lid closed is gone bad. The lid just remains open now. Given that we were (still are) in the middle of the lockdown, and service centers were not working, I could not get it repaired. Anyways, this is not something critical. I will get this repaired once the service centers open.

For now, since the car is safely parked most of the times anyway (and given that I am not likely to need another fueling anytime in next 2 months), I decided to do a temporary fix. I had some 3M double sided tape lying around in my car. I just took it and put some tape around the lid to keep it closed for now. See the picture below.

Temporary solution to keep the fuel lid closed:


It has been about 2 weeks and the tape is holding up quite well. Anyways this is temporary. I will get this fixed as soon as the lockdown is over and the service centers open.

Overall, the car is quite healthy and fit, and I am still happy with the car. However, such minor issues are showing up now. Looks like no matter how reliable the car is, 11 years is way too long for everything to work fine. Some springs and locks, some belts and pulleys, some small parts will start failing from now on. But the best part of a Maruti is that such things are fixed well, fixed quickly, and fixed at very cheap costs. So I will continue to fix these and continue to use this car. Let us see.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Overall, the car is quite healthy and fit, and I am still happy with the car. However, such minor issues are showing up now. Looks like no matter how reliable the car is, 11 years is way too long for everything to work fine. Some springs and locks, some belts and pulleys, some small parts will start failing from now on. But the best part of a Maruti is that such things are fixed well, fixed quickly, and fixed at very cheap costs. So I will continue to fix these and continue to use this car. Let us see.

While the part is cheap, try this and see if it works. The opener is a spring loaded knob sort of thing. Spray in some WD40 and push the knob in and out a few times and see if it becomes smooth. It should move in and out without any restriction.

Regards,
Shashi

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

While the part is cheap, try this and see if it works. The opener is a spring loaded knob sort of thing. Spray in some WD40 and push the knob in and out a few times and see if it becomes smooth. It should move in and out without any restriction.

Thanks a lot Shashi for that suggestion. I will certainly try that.

However, what has actually happened is that it is not the knob/lock in the lid that is the problem (probably). There is the fuel lid opening flap/lever in the cabin (right next to the trunk opening lever), which is a cable driven mechanism. That lever itself has gone bad. That lever has lost its spring action. So the problem is either in that lever, or the cable attached to it. I will get that checked/replaced.

Any suggestions what could be the exact issue? Thanks!

[indrangiri]

Nice to see a well maintained and cared for Maruti SX4 by Dr. AD. I also had a 2008 model SX4 ZXI and gave me trouble free service for 12 years. Had to finally let it go when I upgraded to a 320D last Aug.

SX4 was a great car but a bit underpowered for its weight. Another 20 to 30 BHP power would have made a great difference to the driving experience. The plus points were the commanding view and the excellent ground clearance of 190mm. Fuel efficiency was not too good especially for the petrols when driven in city traffic with AC. was around the 9kpl mark, however highway drives did give around 13kpl.

The only equipment change I had done was the clutch replacement around the 80K mark. In the last 2 years, the power steering became a bit hard when steering right and MASS advised to replace the power steering electric motors.

Couple of pics of old faithful SX4 that never let me down during any of my long drives of over 1500km in a week

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by indrangiri

Nice to see a well maintained and cared for Maruti SX4 by Dr. AD. I also had a 2008 model SX4 ZXI and gave me trouble free service for 12 years. Had to finally let it go when I upgraded to a 320D last Aug.

Thank you! And great to see that you also had a SX4 before the 320d. Looks like we have the same taste in cars :-) Even my primary car now is a 320d. If I recall correct, there are a few more who mentioned they have same combo - SX4 and 320d!

SX4 was a great car but a bit underpowered for its weight. Another 20 to 30 BHP power would have made a great difference to the driving experience. The plus points were the commanding view and the excellent ground clearance of 190mm. Fuel efficiency was not too good especially for the petrols when driven in city traffic with AC. was around the 9kpl mark, however highway drives did give around 13kpl.

Good point, and 100% agree on all your points. Regarding being underpowered, it is all relative. In my early days with this car when it was new, I was quite happy with the power and it never felt underpowered to me. However, later when I started experiencing more powerful cars, the SX4 started feeling underpowered. Now given that my daily drive is the 320d, SX4 feels terribly underpowered when I drive it. But it has some other qualities that make up for it and I still like this car.

The only equipment change I had done was the clutch replacement around the 80K mark.

Very similar story again. I changed the clutch at 93k km! It is amazing that the original clutch lasted so long. And since then, only part changed was the AC compressor belt which snapped suddenly and I had to change it immediately.

Couple of pics of old faithful SX4 that never let me down during any of my long drives of over 1500km in a week

Looks nice! Thanks for sharing.

[Vivek Menon]

Well, I can related to every word written here about SX4 since its my first sedan car and I am using the same for more than 10 years (still counting). I just love the car, both for it's build quality and looks (some might disagree). I got the blue color and when we took the car , it was the first one with that color in my city. We used to get so many queries about the color at parking lots etc.. Was fun to see that

I mentioned about build quality not by chance but I personally had an experience. One rampant mini lorry driver once drove into my SX4. Collision was so bad that the front was destroyed almost fully and all airbags were deployed. In spite of all that I was not injured and escaped the accident with just a scratch on the leg. I still remember one comment that came from the showroom guy that insurer of other vehicle (mini lorry) came personally to see SX4 since they didnt believe that a mini lorry suffered this much damage after hitting a "MARUTI"

SX4 will always have special place in my heart, no matter whichever car will come to my garage.

[Dr.AD]

125,000km, and a couple of long drives:

It has been a long time since I posted any updates here. Main reason was that the car was running fine, but with a very limited usage, and there was nothing much to post an update about.

However, finally, after a long time, I have some updates to share.

First of all, the car is running absolutely fine, and is mechanically as fit as always. I got a full annual service done at a Maruti authorized service center sometime in June. The car had only run about 2,000km in one year since the last service in June 2020. However, decided to do a full service anyways (as per annual schedule) and got the car back to shipshape. The fuel lid problem I mentioned earlier was fixed too. Turned out that the problem was the cable connecting the lever in the cabin with the actual lid opening mechanism that was broken. This cable was replaced by the service center and the fuel lid opening is working fine again. Although the servicing was done and the car was totally fine, the usage remained very limited.

Reached 125,000km: Sometime in September, I reached this milestone of 125,000km. It took me three years to reach 125,000 from 120,000 (which was in September 2018). This is because my other car was doing all the running and the SX4 was only used occasionally.

125,000km on the odo, after 3 years since 120,000km:


Feeling really guilty about such low utilization on this car, which is mechanically in excellent condition and quite a capable car, I decided to fix this. Essentially decided to take this car out for a long drive, after a long time. What better way to reconnect with an old car than a solo drive to far away locations, driving across the most scenic mountains and the Western ghats, and then reaching the sea just in time for a sunset? Well, that is exactly what I did!


Solo Drive to Maravanthe Beach: I did a solo drive to Maravanthe beach, explored different routes on the onward and return journey (both the routes were through the lovely Western Ghats), and had some fun with the car. This drive helped me reconnect with the car. It was almost like spending a weekend with an old friend whom you met after a long time.

Driving on the ever beautiful Chikmagalur-Sringeri road on my way to Maravanthe:



Reached the beach well in time for the sunset:



"Dusty" on the beach:



Sunset through the window:



A very memorable evening there with my old car, watching this scene:



A parting shot of that evening:



Another photoshoot next morning, in the fresh morning light:



The old car was totally at home in this rugged setting:



And then the return journey through the lovely Western ghats again:



A different route on the way back, but equally scenic again:



This was an amazing solo drive of about 1100 km. Really enjoyed being alone with the car, in the car, driving the car and photographing the car. This helped me rejuvenate my bond with the car, and also get the batteries charged (quite literally!)


Temple drive with my parents: Luckily for me, soon after the solo drive to Maravanthe, another opportunity came up to drive this car. I have written that story here: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...s-old-car.html (Western Ghats, Temples and an old car)

Just to keep this thread updated, please allow me to share some of the car photos from that drive here.

Approaching a lovely homestay near Mudigere:



At the homestay:



Even did some mild off-roading near Devaramane:



Back on the usual Chikmagalur-Sringeri road:



A parting shot at the homestay:


With these two drives, the car suddenly accrued 2,000km in less than two months! A welcome change after driving just 5,000km in previous three years . Thankfully, the car is in shipshape. And my intention is to keep her like that as long as I can. While I am back to driving my other car for next few drives, I will certainly do more drives in the SX4 in future.

[vigsom]

"Inspite of so many colours, Black & White is considered class"

This is what came to mind when I read your update, Doc. The black is an extremely classy shade on the SX4_v01 (the post 2009 model), and your pics are all outstanding. The ones with the sun in the background take the cake.

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

- The car had only run about 2,000km in one year since the last service in June 2020
- It took me three years to reach 125,000 from 120,000

I'm in the same boat as you are, probably a bigger boat.
Some stats of my car published for your info:

19-Jul-2020 95,000 km
21-Jan-2021 95,368 km
16-Nov-2021 96,363 km

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by vigsom

This is what came to mind when I read your update, Doc. The black is an extremely classy shade on the SX4_v01 (the post 2009 model), and your pics are all outstanding. The ones with the sun in the background take the cake.

Thank you very much vigsom!

I'm in the same boat as you are, probably a bigger boat.
Some stats of my car published for your info:

This is your Grand Vitara right? Very nice car, and a very classy car as well!

Yes, I had a similar mileage increase rates on my car during last 3 years. Thankfully these latest 2,000km make me feel a bit better :-) As we speak, the car now stands at about 127,100km.

[OffRoadFun]

Congratulations on the milestone!
I too have a 2008 golden ZXI SX4. Was better than peers at the time (103hp) at that time with high ground clearance. Did various trips to KL, TN and AP and to my farm. It never broke down on those trips. I got around 9kmpl in city and ~11kmpl on highway not so impressive. But it ran well with no major maintenance issues. The electric power steering, though ahead of time in 2008, was not up to the mark.

It still runs well otherwise but since I got Audi Q5, it is probably doing only 2K km a year, only my wife uses it. I drive it only to keep it charged. Stuck at 85k km and I doubt it will even do 100k kms! But overall value for money and fun! Will try to post some good pics if I have.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by OffRoadFun

Congratulations on the milestone!

Thank you!

I too have a 2008 golden ZXI SX4. Was better than peers at the time (103hp) at that time with high ground clearance. Did various trips to KL, TN and AP and to my farm. It never broke down on those trips. I got around 9kmpl in city and ~11kmpl on highway not so impressive. But it ran well with no major maintenance issues. The electric power steering, though ahead of time in 2008, was not up to the mark.

I agree with your observations. The electric power steering of the SX4 is quite poor. This has always been the case (one of the major weaknesses of this car), and somehow I just got used to this steering. Now when I drive my BMW320d and then the SX4, the difference in steering is like day and night.

It still runs well otherwise but since I got Audi Q5, it is probably doing only 2K km a year, only my wife uses it. I drive it only to keep it charged. Stuck at 85k km and I doubt it will even do 100k kms! But overall value for money and fun! Will try to post some good pics if I have.

We are in the exact same situation then :-) Since I got the BMW 320d, SX4 did only 5k km in 3 years! I used to drive it just to keep it charged like you said. But that all changed when I decided to do these couple of long drives as I mentioned. And after these long drives, I am liking my SX4 again and plan to drive it a bit more.

[indrangiri]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Thank you!
I agree with your observations. The electric power steering of the SX4 is quite poor. This has always been the case (one of the major weaknesses of this car), and somehow I just got used to this steering.

Good write up Dr.AD and good to know that you are still enjoying the SX4 drive after so many years. Yes fully agree on the electric power steering issue on the SX4 and I also faced the same that required increased effort when turning left. However, turning right was ok. Maruti ASS had advised to change the full power steering unit costing around 35K if I intend to keep the car. Bitten by the BMW 320D bug, had to let go of SX4 after 115,000 KM in 12 years.
Always that that Maruti should have offered AWD on the SX4 to enhance it good clearance and ability to do mild offroading

[aka_iitd]

Very nice car and driven it for 81K in 13 years (last 1.5 years only 1K) before I sold it to one of my friends who was eying it for 2 years in June as usage was very less and was looking for SUV.

It had a very good view and never failed on long trips. Changed shoes to Michelin in 2015 with regular service it never failed. Huge boot space. Good ground clearance. The only problem I had was sticky gear and sometimes refuses to change even at 81K. Also due to the thick A-pillar had some view issues when driving on ghat roads but manageable.

Edit : My friend pinged he crossed 86K and still going strong.

[Dr.AD]

13 years, 137,000km, and Sold!

Feels like end of an era for me.

I finally sold this car after using it for close to 13 years (July 2010 to May 2023), and after driving more than 137,000km.

I hadn't updated this thread for a while. The reason was that there was nothing to much to update in an "old faithful" Maruti. The car continued to serve me well, with minimal maintenance and no serious issues, even for such an old car.

Although I used this car primarily as a beater car, I still did (and thoroughly enjoyed) a few long drives in this car in 2022 and also in 2023. It came handy when the conditions were tough. When last year in the monsoon, I did a long road trip across the ghats of Maharashtra, where the monsoon scenery is breathtaking but the road surfaces are terrible, the car that handled it all for me was Dusty, my old SX4!

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Dusty - the name I gave her after a week-long monsoon drive in 2016 in which she was covered in mud and dust - on the Konkan coast in 2016, in my most memorable solo drive ever!

Dusty got her name in a similar monsoon drive back in 2016. And then even in 2022, she faithfully supported me in another such drive.

Before wrapping this thread up, please allow me to share a few parting photos of Dusty in this Maharashtra drive in the monsoons of 2022.

Somewhere on the rural roads of Maharashtra:



Dusty loved such monsoon drives:



At Mulshi lake, under pouring rain:



Mild off-roading to manage the overflowing parking lots at Kaas:



She enjoyed such small rural roads, no matter what road surface looked like:



A parting shot from that drive:


Overall, the car served me well. In 2022, even in her final full year with me, the car required nothing much apart from the routine service. Oh yes, I changed the tyres in 2022. I bought her brand new Michelin Primacy 4 ST in the stock size (205/60/R16) in September 2022. And when the car was finally sold in May 2023, the tyres were still quite new with just around 5000km run on them.

In 2023, just a couple of months before selling the car, I did my last complete service on the car. And this time, apart from the usual oil and other fluids change, I got the front brake pads and brake discs replaced. The engine mounts were also replaced this time.

When the car was sold, she was still in very good mechanical condition with recent service done, reasonably new Michelin Primacy 4 ST tyres, new brake pads and discs at front, new engine mounts, and generally in good health.

The final odometer at the time of selling:


I have always felt, from my own experience, that the bond between the driver and his car becomes much stronger during solo drives. If you do plenty of solo drives, especially through not very easy conditions, and spend days with your car alone on the road, the car talks to you. She becomes your family.

I did plenty of solo drives with Dusty, and she indeed used to talk to me. We have had long and philosophical conversations for hours and days, out on the open road, in rural areas as well as on the highways, with sometimes rain and sometimes sun for company. Those are all the wonderful memories I will cherish.

Of course, although Dusty was not my primary car for last 4 to 5 years now (that role was taken by other very talkative car, my Red 320d), it was a very emotional moment for me to say good bye to Dusty.

What next?

Although Dusty is gone, the spirit of Dusty still lives me, and thankfully for me, that spirit has reincarnated itself in a new avatar. My new Dusty is 4x4, has 150hp of turbopetrol engine instead of the 103hp, NA engine of the old Dusty. If the old Dusty could tackle bad roads on the hills, the new Dusty can tackle the hills without any roads. Instead of the 5-speed manual transmission in the old Dusty, the new one comes with a smooth 6-speed automatic transmission. The only things that remain the same are the color and the spirit to go on drives through tough conditions. In fact, I am hoping that the driving spirit reaches new heights with this new replacement of Dusty.

Please allow me to introduce the replacement of Dusty (please pardon me for sharing a photo from the delivery time and not from a road trip - that is yet to happen), my 2023 Mahindra Thar Petrol AT 4x4:


As much as I miss the old Dusty, I am super thrilled with the new driving possibilities that this new Dusty will offer. The moment I get free from my current work schedules, I will start road tripping with the new avatar of Dusty. Of course, toad tripping with the 320d will continue too. These two cars are so different from each other, and they have such minimal or no overlap, that they both offer unique driving experiences and road trip opportunities, and I plan to use them both to the fullest.

I will, at the right time, create a new thread and share new stories with this new avatar there. That may take a month or two.

But it is time to wrap up this old thread. 13 years is the longest I have owned any one car, and full credit to Dusty's reliability and utility value for that record.

With that, let me call this "The End" to this Dusty story. Thank you very much for reading this, and for being with me throughout this decade long story!