Team-BHP - Maruti Baleno : Official Review

The speaker performance especially in regards to clarity and bass is missing in the new Harmon setup.I have tried fiddling around the EQ and audio configurations, but did not help. Have any of you tried upgrading the speakers , can we install good component speakers in the Zeta with the stock Harmon ? Could you recommend the best possible speakers that will match the stock head unit? please:

Hello Friends,

I got my Baleno alpha petrol (BS6, manual) last month and it was doing great till yesterday.

Then I made a mistake of getting a tyre pressure checkup. The machine showed 44-45 psi and the tyre guy reduced it to 29 as per recommendation at the driver door.

The steering wheel became stiff and the car became sluggish: the peppiness was gone. Later I took it to another pump and got the pressure increased to 33. It's better now, but still not close to the earlier feel.

Should I increase the pressure back to 45 psi?

Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by aroop (Post 4628301)

Hello Friends,

I got my Baleno alpha petrol (BS6, manual) last month and it was doing great till yesterday.

Then I made a mistake of getting a tyre pressure checkup. The machine showed 44-45 psi and the tyre guy reduced it to 29 as per recommendation at the driver door.

Thanks!

You call it a mistake??!! That is the best thing you have done to your car. Check your tire pressure regularly and never over inflate your tires.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aroop (Post 4628301)

Hello Friends,

Should I increase the pressure back to 45 psi?

Thanks!

This is not advisable at all, suspension will be strained and in all probability, you will be looking at an early replacement of suspension parts. High tyre pressure also impacts the stopping distance during braking. As far as poor driving experience with recommenced tyre pressure 29 psi is concerned, please get the pressure checked again in cold condition.

I drive my Baleno with 29/30 psi and it runs just fine.

Sir, there is a reason why the company recommends the tyre pressure. At 44 you run a high risk of tyres bursting in high speed runs due to too much pressure. Other negative points have been highlighted above already. I'll any day live with a sluggish car than to drive on unrecommended tyre pressures. On the sluggishness, it's more mental than real. You'll get used to this being normal in no time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aroop (Post 4628301)

Quote:

Originally Posted by pavi (Post 4628311)

You call it a mistake??!! That is the best thing you have done to your car. Check your tire pressure regularly and never over inflate your tires.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Motor_Nut (Post 4628337)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dieselritzer (Post 4628359)

Sir, there is a reason why the company recommends the tyre pressure. At 44 you run a high risk of tyres bursting in high speed runs due to too much pressure. On the sluggishness, it's more mental than real. You'll get used to this being normal in no time.

Thanks pavi, motor_nut and Dieselritzer. Appreciate your candid feedback. I will stick to the lower pressure and will also compare with my colleagues’ balenos to understand how it should behave.

Cheers!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArnabOnTheRoad (Post 4623163)

Hey Team BHP,

Second Baleno - well, because my better half turned turtle with our previous one. I am am terribly grateful to god and automobile engineers for making such a safe car. The car was totaled, but my wife walked out of it with minimal scratches and bruises. That one was a Petrol Delta, Blue.

Sorry to hear about the accident and glad to know that your wife escaped without any injuries. It is very reassuring to know that the passengers remained unharmed in such an accident with the Baleno. Sheet metal thickness vis-a-vis safety debate will go on but it seems that the Baleno absorbed the impact well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prodigy07 (Post 4619753)

Question to all Baleno CVT Owners - When should the CVT transmission oil be replaced? My vehicle is currently due for 40K service.

Do you find any resistance in the accelerator pedal? Can you please try pressing the pedal fully when the car is not in motion?

Also, I hope you haven't placed a THICK door mat on the driver side.

When the car is not in motion, the accelerator pedal feels normal to press. Only during the initial acceleration does it feel stiff and having too much resistance. The door mat is normal dealer provided one and not thick at all.

Another thing that I noticed is that, to confirm my issue I test drove few other Baleno CVTs. Of the 6 vehicles that I rode, 3 were having this issue and the other 3 did not. There was a marked difference in driving characteristics between these bunches. In the cars that drove fine, the rpm hardly went above 2k even under hard acceleration. But in the cars that had pickup issue, it rose easily upto 3k during initial pickup.

Are there some specific batches of Baleno CVTs that are having this issue? Had Maruti issued any recall to fix this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by k2_4_u (Post 4629860)

Another thing that I noticed is that, to confirm my issue I test drove few other Baleno CVTs. Of the 6 vehicles that I rode, 3 were having this issue and the other 3 did not. There was a marked difference in driving characteristics between these bunches. In the cars that drove fine, the rpm hardly went above 2k even under hard acceleration. But in the cars that had pickup issue, it rose easily upto 3k during initial pickup.

This is really a critical information for any prospective customer. I wish Team Bhp would have some kind of Save Post feature for such useful posts.

I hope you find solution to your problem soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aroop (Post 4628301)

Hello Friends,

Then I made a mistake of getting a tyre pressure checkup. The machine showed 44-45 psi and the tyre guy reduced it to 29 as per recommendation at the driver door.

Dude, at 45psi the car would have been bouncing around like a ping pong! :Shockked:
Driving with an over-inflated tyre is dangerous. You will get used to the new feel very soon and love it more for the safety.

Quote:

Originally Posted by decode (Post 4626569)

I agree with you. The sound output with the new system, even with a 4 speaker + 2 tweeter configuration on my new Baleno is at best POOR

I think I got a better punch from my cassette player in my second hand WagonR back in 2006. I think the head unit is definitely poorly configured. MSIL has taken a step backwards here.

Of course, the poor/non-existent sheet metal contributes. Maybe you can install a set of door-dampeners that help you with the sound. If you want a wow effect, I am afraid you might need an amplifier.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joybhowmik (Post 4628601)

Guys

1) other than price is there any reason to not consider toyota glanza v mt?

Even I wonder, if price is not an issue, why would anyone not go for Toyota badge? Their service is always better. They are even giving better service guarantees on (apparently) the same car. I would presume all that translates to a better ownership experience. I look forward to hearing what others have to say.

My sister has booked Baleno - Alpha Petrol in Coimbatore.

Looking at the VIN (MBHEWB22SKE296735), its May 2019 manufactured. Since its Maruti, I am under the impression that the stocks clear faster and this car seems from their older stock?
I was hoping she would be getting July / June manufactured vehicle.

Ideally one month should not make a difference, however the dealer has been pushing them with this car. Hence a bit concerned.
They say its BS 6 vehicle.

I have asked her to visit stockyard and do PDI.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prodigy07 (Post 4619753)

Question to all Baleno CVT Owners - When should the CVT transmission oil be replaced? My vehicle is currently due for 40K service.

Got the 40K service done last weekend. It looks like the CVT Transmission Oil replacement is not part of the 40K service.

Also, got few more upgrades done on the vehicle.

a) Front Coil Spring from RS variant
b) RS rear bumper + skirt

So from an exterior standpoint, I have managed to get complete OEM RS look.clap:

I'm not keen on changing the tail lights.

I shall post a detailed feedback on the coil springs next week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by k2_4_u (Post 4629860)

In the cars that drove fine, the rpm hardly went above 2k even under hard acceleration. But in the cars that had pickup issue, it rose easily upto 3k during initial pickup.

This sounds a bit reversed. You say under hard acceleration, the rpm hardly went above 2k? This is an issue IMHO. When you accelerate hard, it means that the car has to rev. The car will hold gears and rpm will easily go upto 4k/5k. It staying in 2k is wrong for me.

For the ones that you say had pick up issues even with rpm in 3k, you were probably experiencing rubber band effect. From 0 if you floor the pedal, you will hear the car rev and it wont move with proportional accelerator. This is rubber band effect.

However during roll-on when you strongly accelerate (don't floor the pedal, it'll get confused), it'll pull very well.

Also based on the driver, the cars ECU might have adjusted differently. During the days that I drive sedately within city the car adjusts the responsiveness to my style of driving. After 2-3 weeks of such driving, on the weekend when I go on long drives, or on empty roads, the car feels sluggish as it wont respond. However after long weekend drives when I am back in the city, the car will feel very spirited for a few days until it settles back to my city driving routine.

I believe ECUs are designed to adjust to driver's driving styles in some form? Experts can comment.