Team-BHP - Maruti S-Cross : Official Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by anycatd (Post 3913309)

1. Headlamp cluster change is possible but would cost 60k because of complicated installation procedure. Has he overpriced it considering the fact that the headlamp assembly itself is only 30k and the rest is for other parts and labour.

Maruti has not given the headlamp cluster of Alpha as MGP for fitment on lower variants.
Could be your dealer is taking the risk and giving them, but quoting 60K( lamp + wiring +ballast) is like saying that it is not available. Who will buy this at the insane quoted price?

The blackened alloys were seen last year at specific dealers here. this is again are dealer specific initiatives.

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Originally Posted by anycatd (Post 3913309)

The RM at NEXA Goa has informed me that that the stock tires can be switched to Apollo from JK at no extra cost. That I believe is a decent swap.
I am looking at the 1.3 Zeta model. He has quoted 10.4 lakhs for it. What price should I negotiate for? Any discounts running in other states?

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Originally Posted by anycatd (Post 3913309)

As per Bangalore dealers, it is very clear that they are not allowed to sell the HID projector set up to non-Alpha S-Crosses. There has been very strict instructions from Maruti with respect to this. No way were they able to sell these unit to Zeta owners. If your dealer is willing to do this, it might be at his own risk. If you get them, please make sure it does not affect your electrical warranty. I say this simply because - in case of an issue, Maruti might come back and say that even though it was a MGA, it was not supposed to be installed in non-Alpha models and hence they are not not going to honor the warranty.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anycatd (Post 3913309)

2. Blackened stock alloys are not available at NEXA according to the dealership. Can u post any info about it which I could show to him?

Black painted OE alloy was a dealer specific mod. I don't think it was available with every dealer. Since almost every S-Cross buyer was looking for alloy upgrade / OE alloy exchange and since Maruti was stupid enough not to give us different alloys as accessories, dealers took this initiative.

Hi

I am finalizing on the S-Cross 1.3 Zeta. I have completed the booking and completed the loan processing. Since I am buying a car for the first time (and would like to tread cautiously), I am not sure what is the next procedure/steps to done in the car buying process.

Do I have to do PDI next and then disburse the money or some other steps are involved? When does the RTO registration come into the picture? I would be grateful if you guys could give me an outline of steps to be performed until the car is delivered.

Thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGoodest (Post 3913483)

Hi
Do I have to do PDI next and then disburse the money or some other steps are involved? When does the RTO registration come into the picture? I would be grateful if you guys could give me an outline of steps to be performed until the car is delivered.

We have a thread on "How to buy a new car in India". http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/buying-car/. Kindly read it carefully

From my side i can think of following :-
Get the VIN and check month of manufacture.
Ask for insurance cost and check whether cheaper outside, if so try and convince for outside insurance.
Try hard for free accessories and discounts.
Do the PDI, preferably in broad daylight and with sufficient time at your disposal.
Check about extended warranties, costs and coverage.
Get everything in written before handing over the cheque.

In fact the advice section gives links to various related sections, so my advice, go through it and then if there are still questions please feel free to ask.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vigkey (Post 3913377)

If I understand correctly, JK to Apollo is not really an upgrade. Both are hard compound tires and not really known for their grip levels. May be Apollo is slightly better but not really great based on what I have heard. Even MRFs and Goodyears may not be really a step-up. Bridgestones are hard compound tires but better than others mentioned above. Michelins, Pirellis, Contis, Yokos are the ones that will make significant improvement with respect to comfort, grip, noise levels, etc.

As per Bangalore dealers, it is very clear that they are not allowed to sell the HID projector set up to non-Alpha S-Crosses. There has been very strict instructions from Maruti with respect to this. No way were they able to sell these unit to Zeta owners. If your dealer is willing to do this, it might be at his own risk. If you get them, please make sure it does not affect your electrical warranty. I say this simply because - in case of an issue, Maruti might come back and say that even though it was a MGA, it was not supposed to be installed in non-Alpha models and hence they are not not going to honor the warranty.

Black painted OE alloy was a dealer specific mod. I don't think it was available with every dealer. Since almost every S-Cross buyer was looking for alloy upgrade / OE alloy exchange and since Maruti was stupid enough not to give us different alloys as accessories, dealers took this initiative.

JKs are puncture prone and comparatively Apollo has no such problems. Tire noise too isn't much of an issue with Apollo. I don't have much of an experience and my knowledge is based from online user reviews. Soft compounds will definitely have better grip but do they last long enough? At-least 85% the life of harder compounds should be minimum.

60k is a lot but I will try to get it at a lower price. Apart from really improving the look upfront it will improve the functionality as well. Maybe stick to stock alloys and tires to fund the headlights upgrade.

Can the alloys be painted using a DIY procedure cheaply?

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGoodest (Post 3913483)

Hi

I am finalizing on the S-Cross 1.3 Zeta. I have completed the booking and completed the loan processing.

What onroad price did u finalize on?

Quote:

Originally Posted by volkman10 (Post 3913684)

Here is the under-body pic of the DDiS320 taken at the service centre. Understand you were looking for the guard protector for the engine sump.

Thanks Volkman!!! I got confused by the statement in the Official Review which said:

Quote:

Engine underbelly is protected by a metal sheet. You can't see the ground

Since I was able to see the ground during my PDI, I was left wondering if I was missing something. My RM said all S-Cross comes with this opening and it was essential for air circulation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anycatd (Post 3913691)

I am not sure of punctures in the JKs, but our Dzire has had 3 tire bursts in the last 3 months. More details here. This pretty much ensured I was not going for JKs any more. Based on the feedback from the forum and from different tire guys, the main culprit was the age of the tire. Already a hard compound tire, it got even more hardened over time - especially since the car (and hence the tires) was under-used (33k kms in 6+ years).

Ideal replacement for tires according to our forum is 5 years / 40,000 kms. I am pretty sure even soft compound tires like Michelins / Contis will last this distance / time.

I am not sure of Apollos, but the general feedback from this forum is that since Apollo is also a hard compound tire, like the JK, the improvement will not be substantial. I was just re-iterating the same here. However, you are the best judge of your requirements and if you have done your research (which I think you have), it is best to go ahead with that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rakesh_r (Post 3913206)

Is there anyway to override this function,i.e to see video even while in motion?

Yes sir. I have an 1.6 Zeta. I got Video in motion, Reverse cam installed (screen on the ICE). Nexa RM accessory guy told me reverse cam can't be done with the original ICE. Rather he'll install a separate screen or install a reverse cam which displays on the rear view mirror. I didn't want that, so went to Technokrat in chennai, who is an expertise in this and he did both for me. Got lights upgraded to Osram H4 60/55 w (he didn't wan't me to do a (100/90 w with relay telling it would spoil the dome after two years). The vision with H4 doesn't improve much though. I even feel the stock lights were actually better. He did a really good job, but costed a bomb (15,500 rs in total). I was talking to him regarding a speaker upgrade. He listened for two minutes and told me it's good enough and not to upgrade as improvement wouldn't be substantial. If at all to install a sub woofer with amplifier.

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Originally Posted by ajay_satpute (Post 3913945)

But why do you want to watch a video while in motion? Its way too risky IMHO and I would not recommend it to anyone. It is absolutely fine if the screens are on the backside of front seats for the rear passengers. Even if there is a way to tweak this, don't do it.

Yes sir, I completely agree it's risky. I wouldn't have done it if my driver was driving the car. Knowing that only I would drive it, I got it done. I don't get distracted by it and it keeps others occupied. If not this, they would anyway use an I pad to watch movies on long drives. But, even I don't recommend this modification as such.

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Originally Posted by ajay_satpute (Post 3913945)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dani7766 (Post 3913980)

It was just a query,for watching videos i have an 8 inch tab for the passengers to watch videos:).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vigkey (Post 3913717)

I got confused by the statement in the Official Review which said:

Since I was able to see the ground during my PDI, I was left wondering if I was missing something. My RM said all S-Cross comes with this opening and it was essential for air circulation.

.

Well I was confused too & thought that Maruti has probably got rid of some protection to make up for the price cuts. I checked three other SCross' when I took mine for the first service. It was all the same with that opening and the service guys told me that it was to ensure air circulation and for easy access to the engine for maintenance work.

Volkman helped me with a couple of pics as well and after seeing the cars in the service station and the pics together calmed my nerves.