[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

Nice video!

BTW are you a pilot?

OT: No sir. I am not a Pilot.

Hail General,

so finally Admiral has reached another milestone. Congrats. Any more outings/long sailings planned? One of my friend is contemplating on buying the new Avatar of well not from Spielberg, but from Toyota Fortuner. He has taken a TD and felt the vehicle had underpowered or very candle lampish projectors. Do you reckon a H/L upgrade? If so which is the best one to go without being too heavy on oncoming drivers. (No High Discharge!)

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Guderian

And with this milestone (30K KMs) crossed (shouldn't it be a Kilometer stone ???) - would request the Mods to shift this thread to the Long Term Ownership Reports (LTOR) Section !
Thank you.

Congratulations on the milestone. Any goodies planned for the steed in recognition of the moment?

OT: we should have tbhp-type stickers to mark such milestones!

[F150]

Originally Posted by Guderian

Extract from Ship's Log Book:

Days to 30K Clicks: 544 : Date of Delivery - Feb 27, 2011.
Average Run Per Day: 55.14 KMs

Total Fuel Consumed: 2448.20 Lts
Overall FE: 12.26 KMPL
Best Recorded FE Figure till date: 16.2 KMPL (By MID)

No of Services/Inspections : 7.
Total Service Expenses: Rs. 15364 - Inclusive of wheel alignment work (1) & washing (1) carried out by non ASC dry docks.
Cost per Service: Rs 2194.86

Niggles: Nil. No rattles, no squeaks, no nothing. Feels fresh, tight and perky - as on the first day.

Greetings General !
Thank you for this excellent report.
I am amazed to see the frugal service costs.
Did you observe any difference in the feel of the brakes ? What was the SA's feedback on the life of the pads ?
I observed a slight delay in the braking on my swift, the SA's answer was "As the pads wear out the gap between the pad and the disc increases and this is the reason for the slight delay.

Waiting to hear your expert explanation on this issue!

[Guderian]

And with the Togo Channel having shifted to LTOR (Long Term Ownership Reports) Section...Admiral feels like a veteran. But with a million miles to go !

And with a few observations from the recent past about Admiral.

- Past 2 odd weeks the tyre pressure has been increased to 34 PSI, as mentioned earlier. Admiral doesn't feel bumpy or anything just the same. However one good thing that has happened is that the FE has increased by about 0.50 KMPL. During the rainy season (or till the increase in pressure) the FE returns were in the region of 11 - 11.5 KMPL (T2T & MID respectively). It now shows 11.5 to 12.0 KMPL by the same methods. So hurrah ! Expected though. After the rains and road/pothole repairs in amchi Mumbai that should go up to 12.0 - 12.5 KMPL. Not too bad eh ?

- Admiral has been weathering the rains and resultant roads well. Though there hasn't been much of rains this year, round these parts - but the roads as usual have deteriorated to rag tops pretty quick. Suspension is doing good.

- Thanks to developments on the professional front the distance driven everyday has reduced over the last two months. And in the period Sept '11 to early July '12 there wasn't much of running around except the long distance drive in May this year which seems to have made up for it. So the average distance driven per day has fallen to 55.14 KMs. That will change now with a few long distance drives coming up soon.

- During this period except for the oil, oil filter, AC Filter & Air Filter nothing else was replaced.

- Tyres appear to be OK.

- Brakes - Adequate. Could have been better/ sharper. But no cribs.

- Engine - loosened up well. Now settled to a regular hum ! And ready to take on anything.

- All other systems, plastics, interiors, feel and finish - super ! Quality shows.

- One crib, as before, is the paint quality - prone to chipping very easily. Thanks to all the highway driving - a few chips here and there thanks to flying debris from the roads, of course covered up pretty quickly by the paint pen.

Light and Shadows - Admiral at 30K !

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

Hail General,

so finally Admiral has reached another milestone. Congrats. Any more outings/long sailings planned? One of my friend is contemplating on buying the new Avatar of well not from Spielberg, but from Toyota Fortuner. He has taken a TD and felt the vehicle had underpowered or very candle lampish projectors. Do you reckon a H/L upgrade? If so which is the best one to go without being too heavy on oncoming drivers. (No High Discharge!)

Hi AK,
Thanks a mil !
First things first. You had asked for the update on the conclusion of the touch up job. So here it is - completed the activity today with - again a little bit of rubbing, touch up and polishing. Not too bad an outcome though from some angles one can spot the work done. Results are here to see :



Glad to hear about your friend's choice. He has decided wisely ! About the headlights - I feel the high beam is good but yeah the low beam is very pedestrian. Could require an upgrade. But to what - I have no idea on such stuff, totally clueless. Perhaps the Gurus on the channel could advice.

A couple of blue sea sailing schedules round the corner. Eagerly awaiting clearance from the fleet operations !

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Congratulations on the milestone. Any goodies planned for the steed in recognition of the moment?

OT: we should have tbhp-type stickers to mark such milestones!

Hi ninjatalli,
Thanks a bunch.
No goodies planned as of now. Though some random thoughts of a Pete's Box post warranty seems to be filtering in - though I am not too happy at the prospects of that box impacting Admiral's general well being ! But like I mentioned random are the thoughts and far away is the time for such an action !

Originally Posted by F150

Greetings General !
Thank you for this excellent report.
I am amazed to see the frugal service costs.
Did you observe any difference in the feel of the brakes ? What was the SA's feedback on the life of the pads ?
I observed a slight delay in the braking on my swift, the SA's answer was "As the pads wear out the gap between the pad and the disc increases and this is the reason for the slight delay.

Waiting to hear your expert explanation on this issue!

Hi F150,
Thanks for your kind words !
Yes the service costs are lower than even the average of my Scorp from the initial days - and that is almost 5 years ago and the figures are not adjusted for inflation.
Could be due to the fact that by the time the Scorp hit 30K KMs quite a few major consumables had been replaced - the front brake pads etc.
Also the number of visits to the ASC for niggle fixing was very high indeed.
As far as the brake pads of the Admiral go - no specific feedback from the ASC - which means there is plenty of time to go. Going by the other Fortuner users reports (Manuuj specifically) appears that the Fortuner brake pads should last for about 70K KMs if used/driven sensibly.
I haven't sensed any delay in braking over a period of time.
As far as delay in braking due to wear out of the pads is concerned - though it sounds logical - not sure how much of a delay a few MMs of wearout can cause. Besides the calipers of the brakes can be adjusted to some extent.
Have the ASC guys to thoroughly inspect the brakes on your Swift and have them to adjust it.

Originally Posted by aveoman19

General! Great to hear from you after a long time. Admiral san has just given a sarcastic smile to you, asking "Is 30000 kms such a great milestone for you? I can do inter-gallactic miles. The question is, can you keep up with me?"
The Admiral's black recruit will soon join the fleet. I am in a shifting spree, hence the delay.

Hi aveoman !
Thanks. Yeah 30K KMs milestone sounds silly...when the ol' chap is raring to go.
Awaiting your black recruit eagerly. Would meet up sometime when on a southern sojourn.

[AlphaKilo]

Hail General,

Originally Posted by Guderian

- Past 2 odd weeks the tyre pressure has been increased to 34 PSI, as mentioned earlier. Admiral doesn't feel bumpy or anything just the same. However one good thing that has happened is that the FE has increased by about 0.50 KMPL. During the rainy season (or till the increase in pressure) the FE returns were in the region of 11 - 11.5 KMPL (T2T & MID respectively). It now shows 11.5 to 12.0 KMPL by the same methods. So hurrah ! Expected though. After the rains and road/pothole repairs in amchi Mumbai that should go up to 12.0 - 12.5 KMPL. Not too bad eh ?

Any scientific reasons for this increase? Any study conducted by the Defence research organisation? Or you are not getting that Boat feeling? Fuel efficiency increase - less rolling resistance, but otherwise why tyre pressure increase?

First things first. You had asked for the update on the conclusion of the touch up job. So here it is - completed the activity today with - again a little bit of rubbing, touch up and polishing. Not too bad an outcome though from some angles one can spot the work done. Results are here to see :

Thanks a ton for getting back with the pics sir.

Glad to hear about your friend's choice. He has decided wisely ! About the headlights - I feel the high beam is good but yeah the low beam is very pedestrian. Could require an upgrade. But to what - I have no idea on such stuff, totally clueless. Perhaps the Gurus on the channel could advice.
A couple of blue sea sailing schedules round the corner. Eagerly awaiting clearance from the fleet operations !

Awaiting the report as usual.

OT:

Hi aveoman !
Thanks. Yeah 30K KMs milestone sounds silly...when the ol' chap is raring to go.
Awaiting your black recruit eagerly. Would meet up sometime when on a southern sojourn.

Hey Aveoman, seems like General has forgotten your ketchup joke

[nilanjanray]

Yes, why the 34 PSI Guderian? I usually maintain 30 unless I am going on a long trip - then I increase to 32. I do find that the vehicle becomes noticably bumpy if I increase the pressures beyond 32 PSI.

[Manuuj]

Welcome to the Geriatric Ward General. I must confess though you wont find any arthritis prone struggling Fortuners here. Mine is close to the 70k mark and going along beautifully.

Brake pads and Tyres are due for their first replacement but apart from that everything is ticking along nicely. Ofcourse a mild facelift and intervention from the Plastic Surgeon will help to hide the wrinkles that have set in over this period.

Completed a 900 km round trip to Punjab and back to Delhi on a single tankful with the FE hovering at the 13.5 - 13.7 mark. Eminently satisfactory.

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

Hail General,


1. Any scientific reasons for this increase? Any study conducted by the Defence research organisation? Or you are not getting that Boat feeling? Fuel efficiency increase - less rolling resistance, but otherwise why tyre pressure increase?



2. Hey Aveoman, seems like General has forgotten your ketchup joke

Hi AK,
1. As mentioned it was on a whim. But then it was also because when Admiral went in for the last service & the chap started the alignment work he measured the pressure with his sorry looking gauge. That wretched looking thing showed/read the pressure as 28 PSI. Now this was after running about 5 KMs to the ASC - the pressure should have been higher than 32PSI which my digital inflator shows every Sunday in a cold tyre condition after filling up. So then my thought was that the digital inflator could be showing higher reading than actual. Or may be the ASC gauge was buggered up (most likely). So thought of inflating higher just as an experiment. I need to cross check with two more separate reading from other gauges to confirm the validity of the digital inflator reading. But then no gauge can be fully trusted especially those seen at fuel pumps.
Anyway the experiment seems to going well for Admiral as of now.

2. I'll ketchup with you on that later - AK and aveoman.

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Yes, why the 34 PSI Guderian? I usually maintain 30 unless I am going on a long trip - then I increase to 32. I do find that the vehicle becomes noticably bumpy if I increase the pressures beyond 32 PSI.

Hi Nilanjan,
For the reason/s mentioned above.
Would suggest that you get a cross check of Bison's tyre pressure from couple of other gauges and validate the calibration of the inflator - as you have the same one that dkaile and I have. The results would be interesting.
Possibly all LIMI inflators underread the actual tyre pressure or they could be dead accurate.

dkaile - would request your readings too.

But surprisingly Admiral is not showing any signs of enhanced bumpiness etc. Makes me want to increase the pressure by the digital inflator to 36 PSI or so...but let me see.

Originally Posted by Manuuj

Welcome to the Geriatric Ward General. I must confess though you wont find any arthritis prone struggling Fortuners here. Mine is close to the 70k mark and going along beautifully.

Brake pads and Tyres are due for their first replacement but apart from that everything is ticking along nicely. Ofcourse a mild facelift and intervention from the Plastic Surgeon will help to hide the wrinkles that have set in over this period.

Completed a 900 km round trip to Punjab and back to Delhi on a single tankful with the FE hovering at the 13.5 - 13.7 mark. Eminently satisfactory.

Hi Manuuj,
Thanks for the warm welcome to the ward. Have yet to spot any pretty nurses round these parts !
That's a comforting word indeed - about not finding arthritic Fortuners here. Though I am not sure about the owners themselves on that count !
Break pads and tyre change at 70K - sweet figures indeed and shows some great deal of sensible driving and quality of products perhaps. The break pads on my Scorp had to be changed every 35-40K KMs despite the utmost care while driving. The tyres of course lasted till 70K Kms.
About the plastic surgeon - just ensure the bloke doesn't change the character of your beloved wheels by suddenly attempting a S** Change operation on the sly. Now we wouldn't want that, would we ?

Nice FE figures those - now you going the Granny way mate ?!!

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by Guderian

Possibly all LIMI inflators underread the actual tyre pressure or they could be dead accurate.

I have used the LIMI on multiple cars/bikes and am using the same with the Fortuner as well as the Superb. I cross checked with the one installed at the Toyota ASC recently and the LIMI and ASC readings cross checked on the Falcon. I am keeping the Falcon's tyre pressure at 32psi and it seems to be doing the job well. For the Superb I am sticking with the manufacturers recommendation of slightly higher pressure of 33 and 35 psi and that seems to be working well for it. As far as I can tell the LIMI is dead accurate.

[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by Guderian

Hi AK,
1. Sunday in a cold tyre condition after filling up. So then my thought was that the digital inflator could be showing higher reading than actual. Or may be the ASC gauge was buggered up (most likely).

Is there a puncture or a leak somewhere? I see from your post that you have taken the thermodynamics into account.(cold air contracts & hot air expands!). So keep an eye around for any leaks or as you said either of the measuring devices needs a calibration or is kaputt.

I need to cross check with two more separate reading from other gauges to confirm the validity of the digital inflator reading. But then no gauge can be fully trusted especially those seen at fuel pumps.
Anyway the experiment seems to going well for Admiral as of now.

You can borrow from someone and check. Well, I guess the ones at Shell pumps are quite good and reliable. Check with them if you are satisfied with their quality

As long as you are happy with the ride, I don't think there is any need to investigate on this further, that too when you are getting a reduction in avg. consumption.

2. I'll ketchup with you on that later - AK and aveoman.

Oops! I hope you are not preparing a Memo order for us to report in person for a CoI (Court of Inquiry) - the last I want is my roster being cancelled and I am being grounded for showing indiscipline against a four start General.

[Manuuj]

Not going the granny way at all infact! The Haryana and Punjab highway police have become very serious about speed limits on the highway and so was at around the 90 kmph mark.

The highway seems to have improved also with a lot of sections of six laning completed, hence reduced braking also improved the FE figures.

[amitwlele]

Originally Posted by Guderian

Hi Nilanjan,
For the reason/s mentioned above.
Would suggest that you get a cross check of Bison's tyre pressure from couple of other gauges and validate the calibration of the inflator - as you have the same one that dkaile and I have. The results would be interesting.
Possibly all LIMI inflators underread the actual tyre pressure or they could be dead accurate.

General while you are on the topic of Inflation thought should chip in with the readings of my LIMI device.

I set the pressure as 32 PSI and the device shuts off automatically when it reaches that reading. But i have noticed that if i recheck the tyre pressure it usually shows up as 33.5 PSI. And this has been the case right from day one of the purchase. Not sure why this should be the case.

Not bothered about it too much as the ride quality is not affected.

[aveoman19]

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

OT:


Hey Aveoman, seems like General has forgotten your ketchup joke

Dear AK! The General might leave us, but what about Admiral San? The sheer sight of that macho brute is making my pants wet. Getting crushed under the huge 265/70 R17 Wheel+Tyre combo will make sure that I become a tomato "ketchup" on road!

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by amitwlele

General while you are on the topic of Inflation thought should chip in with the readings of my LIMI device.

I set the pressure as 32 PSI and the device shuts off automatically when it reaches that reading. But i have noticed that if i recheck the tyre pressure it usually shows up as 33.5 PSI. And this has been the case right from day one of the purchase. Not sure why this should be the case.

Not bothered about it too much as the ride quality is not affected.

I am ashamed to say that I haven't used the LIMI even once. It just lies there in the boot. Must try it out some day - practice for emergency.

I use a digital pressure gauge that I had bought 5 years back from Amazon - still runs fine after battery change. Two nearby petrol pumps' gauges show 0.5PSI variance, so I assume that my gauge is accurate.

OK, I just realized why I have not used the LIMI. I have aversion towards running anything just on battery with the engine off - since to use LIMI I have to switch the engine off, I have procrastinated till now.

Why on earth do we need to switch the engine off to use the LIMI? Any rational explanation?

[Guderian]

And a quick, short dash to Lonavala yesterday to the my organisation's Training Center.
Delightful weather and glorious vistas to drive in and just didn't feel like stopping at L'vla. Could have continued till the tip of the country and Indian Ocean.
On the way...wet roads, delightful sights...





With plenty of rain:


And fog:


And as usual having nothing better to do and foced by the slow drive due to weather thought I'll turn it into another FE testing session.

At the start of the E-Way:


After a sane 80-100 KMPH run at the first toll naka after about 40 KMs:

This held for quite some time. I think I could have breached the 17 KMPL mark but for the trucks and rain forcing slow downs at some spots.

On the return.


Wonderful weather and greenery prompts a quick break.




The spot where the road out of Khandala towards Mumbai joins Expressway.
Reset the MID to check the FE.


On the way back ran at a steady 100-120 KMPH. End of the E-Way showed:


Nice figures I thought.
Left me itching for a long drive.

Originally Posted by Manuuj

Not going the granny way at all infact! The Haryana and Punjab highway police have become very serious about speed limits on the highway and so was at around the 90 kmph mark.

Enforced Granny eh ?!! At sane speeds it really does return some great figures.

Originally Posted by amitwlele

I set the pressure as 32 PSI and the device shuts off automatically when it reaches that reading. But i have noticed that if i recheck the tyre pressure it usually shows up as 33.5 PSI. And this has been the case right from day one of the purchase. Not sure why this should be the case.

Appears normal. Though in my case I see the reading stabilising after some time.

Originally Posted by aveoman19

Dear AK! The General might leave us, but what about Admiral San? The sheer sight of that macho brute is making my pants wet. Getting crushed under the huge 265/70 R17 Wheel+Tyre combo will make sure that I become a tomato "ketchup" on road!

A quick correction here Aveoman The tyres on Admiral/Fortuners are 265/65/R17. But then a small difference - ki faraq painda anyway when you are getting squashed.

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

I am ashamed to say that I haven't used the LIMI even once. It just lies there in the boot. Must try it out some day - practice for emergency.
OK, I just realized why I have not used the LIMI. I have aversion towards running anything just on battery with the engine off - since to use LIMI I have to switch the engine off, I have procrastinated till now.
Why on earth do we need to switch the engine off to use the LIMI? Any rational explanation?

Hi Nilanjan,
Pity that unused DI ! Do check it out before it gets rusty. The bellows in it need some workout.
I guess the general advice to switch off the engine before running the DI is to ensure that the device is protected from spikes etc ? Whereas when you operate a lap top etc you have the Belkin device in between. I think some times with the engine running you could blow off the fuse of the LIMI DI.

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

Is there a puncture or a leak somewhere? I see from your post that you have taken the thermodynamics into account.(cold air contracts & hot air expands!). So keep an eye around for any leaks or as you said either of the measuring devices needs a calibration or is kaputt.

You can borrow from someone and check. Well, I guess the ones at Shell pumps are quite good and reliable. Check with them if you are satisfied with their quality

Absolutely no leaks. All the tyres week after week measure at the same level. And there is a loss of about 0.5 PSI in about 2/3 weeks in all 4 tyres which is then topped up. Even at the ASC their gauge showed a steady 28 PSI in all tyres.
No Shell outlets in Mumbai/Thane region. Pity. But yeah I have a general distrust of any of the fuel bunks gauges as they are never calibrated as required.
Best method is multiple device check, horse sense calculations and arriving at an approximate figure !

Originally Posted by dkaile

I cross checked with the one installed at the Toyota ASC recently and the LIMI and ASC readings cross checked on the Falcon.

Hi dakile,
Thanks. The only thing to be kept in mind is the cold/hot tyre syndrome. The pressure checked with the LIMI DI would be at home - which possibly would be in cold tyre condition. By the time one drives to the ASC the tyres would have run for some time and would be in hot tyre condition. The ASC gauge should then be showing about 3/4 PSI more.

'ave a good weekend all.

Salūtā !