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Originally Posted by johnruben 1. Sales lady at mandovi (Maruti) sent a pic (see below), it showed kwid on fire and I read couple of articles here itself in team bhp about kwid catching fire, if this is genuine it will end up like the old nano incident. |
Ooh, typical dirty tricks. I'm sure if we look around, we'll find equal examples of Marutis aflame. Hell, any vehicle that's sold in reasonable numbers. For instance,
this Baleno.
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Originally Posted by johnruben 3. I want to know if the plastic parts used in the kwid engine including the oil sump, are they safe and how reliable are they in long run? |
Usage of plastics itself is fine in terms of reliability - provided good gaskets are used. The only risk will be in terms of sump damage due to stone hits. Even metal sumps crack, and plastic will only crack easier.
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Originally Posted by johnruben 4. Renault's service network is not as strong as Maruti ... my fear is Renault should not end up like GM once was. |
Since you intend to use the small car only locally, you should be covered by the network they have in Bangalore. Renault have sold a significant number of Dusters and Kwid over the last 4 years, so there are a good number of Renaults running around. And that in turn will ensure they cover off service. I've not heard of any major Renault horror stories, they seem to be average (i.e. as incapable as every other brand's after-sales service). In the unlikely - but worst case - event of them cutting down on service centers, the Kwid uses a plain ICE engine that can be serviced at an FNG. And spare availability will be covered by law. Again, the Kwid is a mass-market success, so spares shouldn't be a problem.
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Originally Posted by johnruben 5. Reliability of the car in long term usage is still not evaluated under normal practical conditions, so how could one be sure if this car is really ideal for a very long term usage? |
No easy answer. Kwid is made-for-India, so there's no experience from other markets for us to rely on. It is also a new product (i.e. not a refresh/facelift) so there's no prior model to refer to. Only minor consolation is that at the budget you're looking at, you should have recouped the benefits after a few years. In this respect, a Maruti or Hyundai will give you more confidence. I've not heard any rumours, but I guess Hyundai must be planning a refresh for the Eon, given it is getting hammered by the Kwid.
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Originally Posted by johnruben I know the perfect car is a myth, but if cons of a car like water leakage issue, fire catching issue, engine component lower quality are more than the pro's then i would definitely invest my 4lakhs on already proven alto 800 from Maruti? What say you all? |
I think long-term reliability would be the only reason for you to consider something else (and not because the Kwid is not reliable in the long-term, just that we don't have the data). Things like fire would be a one-off, and water leakage - while it has occurred on some Dusters also - is again detectable and fixable.
That said, I sometimes wonder if we hear more complaints about the Kwid because people were hoping for a certain quality that is not achievable at that price point ("Ooh, mini-Duster"), and whether Maruti has similar issues but people have ended up putting up with their issues instead of being as vocal.
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Originally Posted by johnruben Last month I got Ford ecosport and I love this car, but I am unable to drive in city's bumper to bumper traffic, so I decided to get a small hatch for local commute |
Ha ha, I totally get you. I had a Getz that I used as a beater car, and ever since I sold it I've been thinking of buying a small car. The EcoSport is a brilliant car, but with our stupid traffic, I dread taking it out to places where it might have to be parked in a risky spot. For me, the Kwid was a very strong contender, but the only thing that put me off was Renault's attitude to safety.