[Highh5]

This photo is put up on fb in Baleno Owners Group. As per the owner,he misjudged and hit the pole at around 20 km/hr.
My intention is not to start another debate on the infamous build quality of this car but it's just too much damage to justify at that speed.
As per me, it's a beautiful machine with a delicate body.

[amvj]

This is really shocking since you have mentioned the speed is just 20kmph. As a Baleno owner, posts like this makes me worry. It may be safe in the event of an crash by crumbling and absorbing the energy but this would create huge financial stress to the owner. Imagine the number of panels needs to be replaced in the event of an accident.

Is Maruti aware of this and that is why they increased the weight of the new Swift which weighs similar to the Baleno despite sharing same platform and reduced overall length ?

[Prodigy07]

Yes, as a Baleno owner I'm worried too.

As I have 2 Maruti's at home (Ritz & Baleno), I keep comparing the build quality day in and day out

The recent one being - The running board in Baleno is made of fibre whereas the one in Ritz is metal

[DriveOnceMore]

Originally Posted by Highh5

This photo is put up on fb in Baleno Owners Group. As per the owner,he misjudged and hit the pole at around 20 km/hr.

Attachment 1750187

It is hard to believe this image, going by the description of what caused this.
I think, majority of individuals try to not commit to their own mistakes and blame it on something else.
The same could have happened here, the individual reporting this could have under stated the speed just to show he was not at fault.
Even the flimsiest built Omni / Kwid will perform better in similar situation for sure.

Just my Opinion. Facts may be different than what I have stated.

[farooq817]

A lot of debate as usual around the build quality of the Baleno. I agree to the points that Baleno has a flimsy build quality on the doors and the sides. My 2+ year old Baleno has a few infamous dimples on the doors. Probably 4-6 of them by now. But I find it just too hard to believe that the car in question here was doing a speed of just 20kmph and it resulted in this damage.
You ask me reasons for this? Almost a year back, I was rear ended by a Qualis with a bull bar. I was waiting at a small junction when this happened. The hit was good enough for my seat belts to lock me in place due to the sudden impact. My wife and parents sitting in the rear felt a jolt and thought that the car had crashed into a manhole cover and I thought that the entire tail lamp assembly must have been broken with a big dent on the boot.
But to my surprise, I found that there was a 5 inch scar and a small dent around the scarred area of the rear bumper which I did not even bother to get repaired. Thats all. I do not want to comment on the speed at which the Qualis was driving but it definitely felt more than 20kmph to everyone in the car.

A few days back on my way to work, a trolley auto decided to come into my lane without giving an indicator or even using the mirror. Since this was at a traffic signal, the speed of the auto might have been around 10kmph. When the guy hit me, he realised his mistake. I stalled completely so as not to cause any more damage and save the bumper from coming out completely. But again, to my surpise on reaching the office, I did not find any fresh scratches on the front bumper.

Again, I do not justify the build quality of the Baleno. My 2006 Swift has stronger doors than the Baleno because they dont flex inside or give rise to any dimples even after all these years. But I'm satisfied that the 2015 Baleno fares much better in the Euro NCAP compared to that 2006 Swift (which was without any airbags or ABS).
Just giving my 2 cents of my experiences on the road.

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by Highh5

This photo is put up on fb in Baleno Owners Group. As per the owner,he misjudged and hit the pole at around 20 km/hr.

Since there's been a perennial debate on build quality of this car, every incident is attributed to it. It has also led to people defining and explaining their version of build quality on YouTube.

Oh and regarding the pic, the last time I checked, this car was made out of metal, thick or thin, but surely not paper, to end up in that condition with a 20kmph crash.

[targaryen]

Originally Posted by targaryen

I have booked a Maruti Baleno Delta CVT on 21st February 2018 from Nexa Kataria Ahmedabad. I was quoted a waiting period of 6 weeks from the date of booking as is usually the case with the Baleno.

UPDATE: It has been more than 7-8 weeks since my booking of a Baleno Delta CVT in Pearl Arctic White. I have been making daily follow up calls to the dealership but they have said that the issue is beyond their control as they are not receiving any communication from MSIL. In fact, the RM showed me their entire allocation process and their booking board where my booking is ranked as 1st with high priority. This is no tiny dealership either. Nexa Kataria is one of the largest Nexa dealer in Ahmedabad. The dealership readily gave me contact details of the territorial sales manager of MSIL so that I can contact him directly since the company has only been sending them Baleno CVT in either Ray Blue or Granite Gray (If I am purchasing an 8 lakh rupee vehicle, I should at least be able to buy the colour of my choice ). After repeated e-mail and calls, there is no response from Maruti Suzuki. I have half a mind of going to the consumer court with this. I have all their commitments in writing. Any opinions fellow BHP-ians? Has anyone booked a Baleno Delta CVT in the past 2-3 months and received their vehicle in time?

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by Prodigy07

The recent one being - The running board in Baleno is made of fibre whereas the one in Ritz is metal

That's a good thing actually. It is very difficult to remove dents on running board and entire part has to be replaced. Even my Grand I10 has running board made of hard plastic.

[d_himan]

Originally Posted by Prodigy07

Yes, as a Baleno owner I'm worried too.

As I have 2 Maruti's at home (Ritz & Baleno), I keep comparing the build quality day in and day out

The recent one being - The running board in Baleno is made of fibre whereas the one in Ritz is metal

I agree. I uber quite frequently now and all I do is keep pushing the door cards of Ritz, Ertigas and Wagon Rs.

Its astonishing how much more solid the Ertiga especially and the Ritz door cards are compared to Baleno. Only the Wagon R is similar.

I'm not sure whether this is related to safety, but things like these ruin an enthusiast's day.

[amrutmhatre90]

Originally Posted by Highh5

This photo is put up on fb in Baleno Owners Group.

This is how they are achieving best F.E numbers in all recent cars. Recent M.S cars are very light and use of lighter materials most of the places. Except for the top spec'd models the others get puny tires too.

The next time I am about to upgrade my car I will think twice before checking M.S vehicles, due to the way they are currently built.

[chncar]

People here seem to be equating sheet metal thickness with build quality, both are completely different things. For e.g Toyota Etios has thin materials but very good build quality.

I had a Ritz before and now a Baleno and the build quality of the Baleno is way better. The Ritz had rattles and things getting loose and making annoying sounds from about 500 kms of driving whereas the Baleno has none after 10,000 kms and feels well engineered and put together. Yes the sheet metal is thinner.

Thicker metal in the skin of the car by itself does not help much with safety, otherwise a 30 year old Mahindra jeep or an Ambassador would be safer than modern cars.

[shaktisarangi]

Originally Posted by chncar

Thicker metal in the skin of the car by itself does not help much with safety, otherwise a 30 year old Mahindra jeep or an Ambassador would be safer than modern cars.

That's absolutely true. Sheet metal thickness is not an absolute measure of build quality. Build quality encompasses many other aspects, right from the quality of materials used, panel gaps, and processes used to put it all together. For example VW / Skoda use galvanised steel for the body shell which apart from better rigidity enables them to offer a 12 year anti corrosion warranty. In fact the 3M franchisee who works on my car has never recommended anti-rust coating for it though he regularly does so for Maruti.
Apart from this VW / Skoda cars have laser welding which also provides better strength and rigidity as compared to spot welding.
Fact is that Maruti compromises significantly on the strengthening required for crash protection. Certain parts which are part of the export models are removed in the India spec cars. India spec cars with airbags have failed NCAP crash tests in the past. Most car users in India prioritise mileage, price and resale over aspects like safety and drive quality hence Maruti rules the roost. At no point in time am I taking away credit from Maruti for the fact they have a comprehensive network and good after sales service which are added benefits, but I do have a strong objection to their taking the Indian car user's safety lightly.

[Waspune]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

That's a good thing actually. It is very difficult to remove dents on running board and entire part has to be replaced. Even my Grand I10 has running board made of hard plastic.

Isn't it like saying that steel wheels are better than alloys. Alloy bends aren't easy to remove and most of the times one needs to replace the alloy but that doesn't mean that steel rims are better than alloys 😄

No wonder Baleno is made of mettle and not metal.

[Kamal]

Originally Posted by chncar

People here seem to be equating sheet metal thickness with build quality, both are completely different things. .

Quite right.
Witness the fact that the Mahindra Scorpio, which seems built like a tank, scored *zero* in the Euro NCAP crash test!

[Abhi_abarth]

Originally Posted by Abhi_abarth

Dear customer,Please visit our exclusive NEXA workshop VARUN MOTORS BALANGAR, Booking open 9 to 5 everyday cont sridevi:8886827894 click link for route map https://goo.gl/maps/UvL5cDkrjfp

My 10 K service is due this May. Eagerly waiting for the 'NEXA experience'

In Continuation with my quoted post earlier. All the Varun Nexa customers were offered a free check up on 8th April at the newly opened Nexa service at Balanagar. I received the call and was told the car would be checked and fluids topped up if required followed by free wash.

Called and confirmed my appointment, the place is 13 km from my home. Was received by the receptionist (forgot the lady's name) and immediately a service advisor came in with his tab. The entire place is neat and properly organized. You can clearly watch your car right from it being worked up till it's washing. No technician will shoo you off

It has a nice waiting lounge with an espresso machine, fridge and clear glass wall from where you can watch your car being serviced. Overall, it was a nice experience. I got my car back in 3 hours (stretched due to lunch hour and limited staff).

Here are the some pics. Will be going next month for my 10K service.

1. In the service bay at reception (car was dirty due to the sudden rains here)



2. Inside the workshop



3. Underbody being inspected



4. Nitrogen air getting filled up and getting ready for the wash