[audioholic]

Originally Posted by Acelerar

1) The steering feels very hard to me and after full turns in round about, the steering does not come back completely when I leave the steering. I never had this issue in any of my previous cars (Santro, Ford Fiesta, Terrano). I already took it to service station once (didn't have much time as it was closing in the evening) but after Service Manager drove it for some distance the reply was "Sir, it is like this only; it will get better after 1 month or so" but I am not convinced. Also, when the car is stationary, I feel that steering can be moved bit more in either direction than my Terrano. Could you please let me if this is the issue with all Celerio's (Hard with EPS steering provided) or specific to my car only?

Steering hardness is something everyone has observed. About returning to center after turns, it doesnt do so if the steering is turned till lock. However any intermediate steering will get back to center in mine. This is more of a small car issue at least in Maruti since my WagonR showed the same behaviour or even worse since there was hardly any centering. If you really want to work on this, get the wheel alignment checked and toe set inwards. This will improve straight line drive as well as slightly increase the centering action. In bigger cars, the centering effect is actually more prominent.

Regarding steering play when stationary, try moving the steering with one finger when vehicle is off. Usually it shouldnt move. If it does, then tell the service center guys to check the tie rod ends. Usually I find them getting dumber by the day(the SAs not the technicians) so speak to technician directly and get your issues resolved. The SAs have become more of marketing experts and they can do nothing more than fill job cards.

Originally Posted by Acelerar

2) In my Celerio AMT ZXI(O), when the Car is locked, I do not see the blinking red dot which indicates the engine immobilizer in the car display (Like how it blinks in my Terrano). Is this normal? I guess showing this blinking red dot helps to discourage thieves and hence I was wondering why it is not shown.

Unfortunately, there is no security system in the car. It is a simple remote locking system so there is no beep or blinking LED.

Originally Posted by Acelerar

3) I took the car from Varun Motors, Malleshwaram, Bangalore. Delivery was very well done with cake cutting and great hospitality. But when I drove from the Parking lot, I immediately noticed that glove box lock is loose and would come off during uphill or when going over speed breakers. I am surprised to see this issue in new car and will push for the replacement of detachable section of glove box. I am just hoping that this is not part of any big issue like incorrect handling of car in inventory or so.

Mostly a defective part. Get it fixed or replaced.

[espraveen]

Originally Posted by Acelerar

Got the delivery of Celerio AMT ZXI(O)...
1) The steering feels very hard to me and after full turns in round about, the steering does not come back completely when I leave the steering....Service Manager drove it for some distance the reply was "Sir, it is like this only; it will get better after 1 month or so" but I am not convinced....Could you please let me if this is the issue with all Celerio's (Hard with EPS steering provided) or specific to my car only?
.....

Congratulations on the Celerio!!!

Even our Celerio ZXI AMT(O)'s steering is a bit hard to manoeuvre, especially for an EPS (the car has covered 8000+KM so far since Feb, 2016). It feels slightly better now than the initial period though (don't know if the improvement is because we've gotten used to it or if it has actually become better ). The service center people have said there's nothing abnormal with it in our case too. My point of reference is the new Ford Figo, which has a light and easy to manoeuvre EPS.

[Acelerar]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Steering hardness is something everyone has observed. About returning to center after turns, it doesnt do so if the steering is turned till lock. However any intermediate steering will get back to center in mine.......

Thanks a lot Audioholic. For me, intermediate steering also does not get back to center. It stays at an angle and I need to pull it back .

Originally Posted by audioholic

Regarding steering play when stationary, try moving the steering with one finger when vehicle is off. Usually it shouldnt move....

Ok, it doesn't move.. thanks.

Originally Posted by audioholic

Unfortunately, there is no security system in the car. It is a simple remote locking system so there is no beep or blinking LED.

The Car does have Engine Immobiliser right? Because even the Manual talks about it.

[nik hill]

My car is due for 10000 km service. I tried looking up the service manual but could not find the quantity of engine oil required for changing. I noticed that company now recommends 0w20 oil. While it is suitable in winters, does anybody know it's performance in summer season.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by nik hill

My car is due for 10000 km service. I tried looking up the service manual but could not find the quantity of engine oil required for changing.

It is 2.8 L (replacement with oil filter). It is mentioned in the owners manual, check the last pages. Gives a summary of specifications and details regarding the car.

[CharlesA]

My AMT box has been replaced once, the vehicle got jammed in reverse and would not change gear. The vehicle had to be towed and after 3 weeks the AMT unit was replaced. The replacement box has started acting up and not changing gears consistently. Today it got stopped in first while driving and would not change gears again. Had to shut down and wait for couple of minutes to go back to neutral. The AMT warning now is constantly on. Anyone else facing a similar issue?

[quakerme]

Since none was interested in answering the above query I went ahead and upgraded my celerio AMT's shoes up-sized to 15" Vossen replica and 195/55 R15 Nankang tyres. The new shoes and alloys made dramatic changes to the vehicle and it looks more aggressive the wide tires make cornering easy. Vehicle has crossed 1100kms and finished first service the mileage in the console shows 15.1 Kmpl.

[quakerme]

Originally Posted by CharlesA

My AMT box has been replaced once, the vehicle got jammed in reverse and would not change gear. The vehicle had to be towed and after 3 weeks the AMT unit was replaced. The replacement box has started acting up and not changing gears consistently. Today it got stopped in first while driving and would not change gears again. Had to shut down and wait for couple of minutes to go back to neutral. The AMT warning now is constantly on. Anyone else facing a similar issue?

scary.. have any one else faced the issue? issue could be related to anything else apart from AMT box? repetitive issue for the same AMT box is highly impossible. Did they tell you the reason on why the AMT box failed?

[kvish]

It’s been 2+ years since we purchased the celerio AMT, replacing the 10 year old Maruti 800. I thought its about time for a long term ownership report. The celerio is our second car. The first being the FIAT Adventure which is on its way of completing 11 years soon. Majority of my post will be on the AMT transmission. I have also made comparisons with i10 and WagonR, both of which I have used in the past. Let’s get started with the rest of the likes and dislikes.

Here is what I like about the car
Exteriors:

• Great visibility (front and rear). No real blind spots
• Very effective headlamps. (No fogging inside for last 2 years, I hate this on my adventure). Its effective in 2 ways, the spread is good and it isn’t harsh on the people facing it.

Interiors:

• Seats are comfortable, even though a bit narrow. Long journeys are not tiring. I have done a few trips of 300+ kms in a day and don’t feel the fatigue. Driving position spot on, though I find the steering to be a bit low hampering ingress. (I am 6.1)
• Rear seat is very good, upright and comfy, seniors are happy due to the easy ingress/egress
• Boot space is decent. Boot latch gets 2 gas struts which feels good for the segment. (gets more than Wagon R) Infact the boot area is nice and clean with no wires/ugly bits shown.

The drive:

• Good steering!. No dead zones at higher speeds. (I hear people complaining about it being hard. I guess Maruti is tweaking its steering setup)
• Very good ride quality. Having driven i10 and wagon-R, I find the ride better than both. One of the factors could be because of wider tyres with bigger profile.
• Rear seat bumpiness is minimal in comparison to the segment. On the same road in an i10, I would hear complaints from rear seat passengers to slow down.
• Decent handling at modest speeds. ( < 100kmph)
• Engine is surprisingly peppy. Easily the best part about the car, aside of the initial vibrations, it is very refined at city speeds. Sometimes barely audible. Among the best 1L engines.
• AC doesn’t hinder performance much (although i do find a slightly better AMT experience with the AC off). The AC compressor is constantly going on and off which I believe is for better fuel efficiency.
• Overall fuel efficiency 13.2 Km after 13000Kms. AC is ON most of the time. Mix of both long drives and peak city traffic.

Things I don’t like:

Safety:

• No rear wash and wipe or defogger! Maruti, this is unacceptable on a VXI
• No option for ABS/Airbags or no ZXI AMT either when we bought it.

Interiors:

• Flimsy build. Everything has a sense of hollowness. The dash area is decent and so is the speedo and steering. Doorpads/bonnet opening latch/center console and around the handbrake, the plastics are bad. Everything shakes with a minor push.
• Rattles are very few, but present.

The main reason I went for the celerio is the AMT and after 2 years, I conclude that it’s been a mixed bag. People considering the AMT should pay attention to the below points.
Claim: AMT is great for bumper to bumper traffic.
My take: AMT suites better for moderate traffic.
Reason: Unpredictable throttle response.

The lull before the storm.
There is a gap between when you press the throttle and when the car moves. And if you press the accelerator harder to compensate the gap, you are treated for a sudden surge in acceleration. Senior citizens need to take care of this. Their body response times are generally slower and they should be able to deal with the sudden bursts of acceleration. To add to the confusion, the gap times are not constant, sometimes response is immediate, sometimes very slow.

Lets take the following scenarios:

Leisurely driving with ‘I care a damn’ mindset
Celerio wins. If you can live with the slow throttle responses, you will be rewarded with good hassle free ownership. You can skip the rest of the scenarios [FONT=Wingdings][FONT=Wingdings]J[/FONT][/FONT]

Squeezing through traffic.
Celerio is terrible at this. The delay in throttle response means its harder to keep up with the person in front. And sudden burst of throttle when it happens means more braking and more annoyed passengers.

Getting out of road humps:
Depending on how slow you cross it, it can result in delay before it gets going. Solution: Accelerate while you exit the hump.

Parking Exit Ramp up:
Its better done in a relaxed manner. If you try going fast, it can upshift midway in the ramp and because of the throttle delay, it can cause judder as car fails to keep up the incline at higher gears. Again, manual mode advised

Parking Exit Ramp down:
Scary. It can downshift and increase speed suddenly just when you are about to make a turn on say an MLCP. Manual mode makes it work.

Reversing or parking through tight spots:
Hand brake is advised as it can control the throttle response a bit. Reversing in a hurry is a no-no as it can result in massive judder. Having said that reversing is extremely easy as the creep function gives enough throttle to use only brakes while reversing

Turning/Parking in areas of gravel or slippery surface:
Celerio is not at all comfortable with this kind of scenario. The judders persist and it just wants to get away from this place! On any slippery surface, the throttle is highly unpredictable.

Highway driving:
Surprisingly good and effortless to drive. Manual mode is fun and easy. Even the Auto mode, celerio makes for a relaxed mile cruncher. Quite a few of these we learn along the way and have our own tricks of dealing with them. Aside of the driving conditions, there are some issues with the AMT system itself.

Confused system:
Say you are driving at 3rd gear and you found the need to accelerate, floor the accelerator and it upshifts to 2D and keep it floored it will go to 1D and the problem starts after, it tries to upshift beyond 1D and keeps trying and as the revs are high its completely confused!. This can be dangerous as you are slowing down.
It doesn’t happen if you start off with 1D.

Flaw in lever design:
If you are the type who uses manual mode frequently, then you are bound to hit this issue. If you happen to forget you are in ‘D’ mode and thinking you are driving in M, and try to downshift, you may end up putting the car in neutral. I have also found that it is easy to engage to N without pressing the brake, than to engage from N to D. So if at all you end up in this stage, you will have to brake and put the pedal back to D. I believe the lever should have been R->N->D->M with lateral movements at M

Change in gearbox behavior
I have observed that the AMT judder increases as I drive more. Meaning the judder is more after 20-25 kms of city driving. Not sure if this is to do with gearbox heating up. I think frequent shifts in city traffic cause this issue. I don’t have any technical backing to this though. I am just quoting by experience.


Summary
After feeding all these considerations into my grey matter for corresponding reactions, I have been able to work through each issue and overall the experience is pleasant. But I can’t expect my dad to get used to so many custom scenarios to deal with. His experience has been 50:50. He has driven the good old premier padmini for 15 years and the Maruti 800 for 10 years and he doesn’t feel at home on the celerio yet. I have enjoyed the celerio more on my highway drives or relaxed Sunday drives than the office commutes.
I am reminded of this Kannada movie called first rank Raju, the Celerio is more like a second rank Raju as it gets everything done very well, but just that one zing missing to create an emotional connect.
Here is one pic of the car with the lovely forests of BR Hills in the backdrop.

[RavenAvi]

Motorbash reports, via an exclusive, that Maruti-Suzuki has stopped production of the Celerio diesel variants.

Previous media reports claimed that Maruti-Suzuki won't be updating the 800cc diesel engine in the Celerio to BS-VI emission norms, and as such, this move indicates that the Celerio diesel stands to be permanently discontinued.

In an exclusive sneaking bit we have latched onto, Maruti has halted production of Celerio diesel and there has been an internal communication which has already been floated regarding this to its dealers. This is not being discussed publicly since a lot of dealers have stocks of the car.

Maruti has informed dealerships that Celerio diesel will not be available for the time being and the instruction is NOT to take any booking if the car is not in stock!

Obviously, this is being spread across as a halt in production but in all probability, this may be the end of the car (diesel version)!

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by CharlesA

My AMT box has been replaced once, the vehicle got jammed in reverse and would not change gear. The vehicle had to be towed and after 3 weeks the AMT unit was replaced. The replacement box has started acting up and not changing gears consistently. Today it got stopped in first while driving and would not change gears again. Had to shut down and wait for couple of minutes to go back to neutral. The AMT warning now is constantly on. Anyone else facing a similar issue?

Quite surprising to hear this and a little concerning as well. How many kms was the car run before this problem came up? And a second time repeat of the same issue means that there is some other problem which might be causing the failure of the AMT. Is it a manufacturing defect with the transmission itself?

Originally Posted by kvish

It’s been 2+ years since we purchased the celerio AMT, replacing the 10 year old Maruti 800. I thought its about time for a long term ownership report. The celerio is our second car. The first being the FIAT Adventure which is on its way of completing 11 years soon. Majority of my post will be on the AMT transmission. I have also made comparisons with i10 and WagonR, both of which I have used in the past. Let’s get started with the rest of the likes and dislikes.

Great report! Sadly I dont have the time to pen down such a detailed one and share it here. However, I will take the liberty to comment upon your observations.

Exteriors:

• Very effective headlamps. (No fogging inside for last 2 years, I hate this on my adventure). Its effective in 2 ways, the spread is good and it isn’t harsh on the people facing it.

Interiors:

• Seats are comfortable.
• Boot space is decent. Boot latch gets 2 gas struts which feels good for the segment. (gets more than Wagon R) Infact the boot area is nice and clean with no wires/ugly bits shown.

Agreed with all. Have not sat in the rear seat when car is being driven and hence have no idea of comfort back there. Regarding gas struts my WagonR had two.

Have to agree with the overall packaging quality - No dirty bits found and car is well dressed with fabric, plastic panels and screw covers wherever needed.

The drive:

• Very good ride quality.
• Decent handling at modest speeds. ( < 100kmph)
• Engine is surprisingly peppy.
• AC doesn’t hinder performance much
• Overall fuel efficiency 13.2 Km after 13000Kms.

Things I don’t like:
Interiors:

• Flimsy build.
• Rattles

I would rate WagonR(K10) better in terms of ride quality. However, the Celerio fares better in terms of handling and it is indeed way better than the WagonR or i10. Partly due to the stiffer suspension and the wider track. It begs to be pushed in corners. And the engine is a gem compared to its avatar in the WagonR.

The main reason I went for the celerio is the AMT and after 2 years, I conclude that it’s been a mixed bag.

The lull before the storm.
There is a gap between when you press the throttle and when the car moves.
Lets take the following scenarios:

Leisurely driving with ‘I care a damn’ mindset
Celerio wins. If you can live with the slow throttle responses,

Squeezing through traffic.
Celerio is terrible at this. The delay in throttle response means its harder to keep up with the person in front. And sudden burst of throttle when it happens means more braking and more annoyed passengers.

I somehow dont face this lag or delayed throttle response. It only happens when you are in second and need to downshift to first. Else, covering gaps in traffic is really easy. The only lag is when we use no accelerator to creep the car forward. This is a little slow for me and hence I end up tapping the throttle. This disengages the clutch immediately and you get a direct response to the throttle there afterwards.

Getting out of road humps:
Depending on how slow you cross it, it can result in delay before it gets going. Solution: Accelerate while you exit the hump.

In order to prevent the clutch from getting abused, I switch to 1 at humps. This is easy. Just kickdown the throttle for a second, and let go immediately and the transmission goes to 1. After this, accelerating is easy and no wear on clutch.

Parking Exit Ramp up:
Again, manual mode advised

Parking Exit Ramp down:
Scary. It can downshift and increase speed suddenly just when you are about to make a turn on say an MLCP. Manual mode makes it work.

This is where I bless maruti for giving a manual mode. However, I should add that on an upward incline, upshifting is delayed and the AMT unit holds gears for a longer time, which is good. But the opposite happens on a downward ramp and its time for the manual mode.

Reversing or parking through tight spots:
Reversing in a hurry is a no-no as it can result in massive judder.

Turning/Parking in areas of gravel or slippery surface:
The judders persist

I think you should be getting your clutch replaced under warranty. I got mine replaced at 5.6k kms itself. This will elimnate the judder. And using the handbrake while parking isnt a good idea as it will wear out the clutch further and increase the judder. Mine creeps excellently and I just have to apply and let go of the brake.

Highway driving:
Surprisingly good and effortless to drive. Manual mode is fun and easy. Even the Auto mode, celerio makes for a relaxed mile cruncher.

Very much fun on the highway compared to WagonR or i10. Can hold three digit speeds effortlessly and the braking is crisp enough to slow down.

Change in gearbox behavior
I have observed that the AMT judder increases as I drive more. Meaning the judder is more after 20-25 kms of city driving. Not sure if this is to do with gearbox heating up. I think frequent shifts in city traffic cause this issue. I don’t have any technical backing to this though. I am just quoting by experience.

Its due to the clutch disc heating up and expanding unevenly. I had the exact issue, after 25kms of driving. The clutch disc gets scarred sometimes and this when heated up causes judder in first and second gear. Replacing the disc will solve this problem. Usually done under warranty, but the cost of the disc is just 800 and this is no DSG to bomb the pocket
Here is a picture of the current state of my car:





And here is a video enjoying the highway manners of the car:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lomQ--_MVko&t=2s

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by CharlesA

My AMT box has been replaced once, the vehicle got jammed in reverse and would not change gear. The vehicle had to be towed and after 3 weeks the AMT unit was replaced. The replacement box has started acting up and not changing gears consistently. Today it got stopped in first while driving and would not change gears again. Had to shut down and wait for couple of minutes to go back to neutral. The AMT warning now is constantly on. Anyone else facing a similar issue?

Do you know exactly what was replaced?

From your post, it sounds like it might have been just the AMT mechanicals.

Given that you are having a similar issue after they replaced the AMT mechanicals, it is quite likely that your gearbox itself has some issue; the same way as a manual gearbox might have difficulty shifting into a gear.

Also get the clutch checked.

Originally Posted by quakerme

....issue could be related to anything else apart from AMT box?..

[Repsol]

Originally Posted by quakerme

Since none was interested in answering the above query I went ahead and upgraded my celerio AMT's shoes up-sized to 15" Vossen replica and 195/55 R15 Nankang tyres. The new shoes and alloys made dramatic changes to the vehicle and it looks more aggressive the wide tires make cornering easy. Vehicle has crossed 1100kms and finished first service the mileage in the console shows 15.1 Kmpl. Attachment 1597445

Looks really nice. Can you please post some more pics of the side view and read.

[kvish]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Just kickdown the throttle for a second, and let go immediately and the transmission goes to 1. After this, accelerating is easy and no wear on clutch.

I will try this out and see how it goes. Thanks.

Originally Posted by audioholic

This is where I bless maruti for giving a manual mode. However, I should add that on an upward incline, upshifting is delayed and the AMT unit holds gears for a longer time, which is good. But the opposite happens on a downward ramp and its time for the manual mode.
I think you should be getting your clutch replaced under warranty. I got mine replaced at 5.6k kms itself. This will elimnate the judder. And using the handbrake while parking isnt a good idea as it will wear out the clutch further and increase the judder. Mine creeps excellently and I just have to apply and let go of the brake.


Its due to the clutch disc heating up and expanding unevenly. I had the exact issue, after 25kms of driving. The clutch disc gets scarred sometimes and this when heated up causes judder in first and second gear. Replacing the disc will solve this problem. Usually done under warranty, but the cost of the disc is just 800 and this is no DSG to bomb the pocket
Here is a picture of the current state of my car:

I have tried convincing the service center enough about the judder. They say its a problem in all celerios. I will visit another center this time or take it up with Maruti separately.

BTW, Nice pics of your car. I love those alloys
And your office commute seems like a day picnic for me. I cant go beyond 30kmph during my commutes

-Karthik

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by kvish

I have tried convincing the service center enough about the judder. They say its a problem in all celerios. I will visit another center this time or take it up with Maruti separately.

BTW, Nice pics of your car. I love those alloys
And your office commute seems like a day picnic for me. I cant go beyond 30kmph during my commutes

If its a problem in all cars, it is still a problem. That is not an excuse.

Thanks! But that is not my daily commute. That is done once in a week or two when I feel like giving the car a change I just turn towards my farm in kolar. I reach there faster than reaching home though.