[NaXal]

Originally Posted by Sherlocked

I am shocked!!

This incident highlights the importance of a proper PDI one must do, always.

Can't rely upon any manufacturer, or should I say the incompetent dealership.

A team bhp memeber shouldn't be shocked.

The number one rule for buying a new car is to first get the VIN number then inspect the car in dealership yard (your own PDI) before finalizing that one with payment release.

What is shown in the video is a very common malpractice in India.

Everyone of us here must be knowing someone who has faced some type of cheating while buying a new car, some of us have our own story too.

The riskiest part of buying a new car is when that car is in transit after unloaded from truck to dealership yard or between showrooms. Longer the car waits selling, higher the chance of it is being used as demo car/test drive car & higher the risk of accident or such.

However to the defence of the manufacturer, now a days even common man too can relax with 5/7 years of warranty provided by the manufacturer to back him up.

If they can't prevent such malpractice, at least as manufacturer, they are backing us up with long term warranty. Matter of fact, even team bhp also emphasise on the importance of getting the extended warranty.

Thanks.

[balenoed_]

A friends one year old baleno. Are these corrosions normal?

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by balenoed_

A friends one year old baleno. Are these corrosions normal?

Absolutely normal, the exhaust manifold junction is made of cast iron and it's normal to show a minor surface rust. Same story as knuckles.

Regards,
Shashi

[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Absolutely normal, the exhaust manifold junction is made of cast iron and it's normal to show a minor surface rust.

Yeah, I understand that. But isn't that the mounting plate and not the exhaust pipe itself.

Surface corrosion, yes expected; but look at these areas, it is deforming too and kind of disintegrating as well.



Isn't it too much for just an year old car?

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by balenoed_

Yeah, I understand that. But isn't that the mounting plate and not the exhaust pipe itself.

Surface corrosion, yes expected; but look at these areas, it is deforming too and kind of disintegrating as well.

Isn't it too much for just an year old car?

Yep that deformation below looks bad, try comparing with other cars of similar/older vintage and then take a decision.

Regards,
Shashi

[SPB_drives]

My new Baleno (2019): a mighty little car!


Taking delivery of the car.

Buying a car for my general commute in Delhi has been in my mind for a while. I have used Revv (self-drive service) for the occasional road trips nearby but have always been very cautious due to the run-down nature of the cars. While returning to Delhi from Kasauli recently in a hired Ecosport, the clutch pedal was getting stuck momentarily everytime we were in a stop-start traffic. This made me realise that these cars are not dependable at all although we did reach home safely.

I had been anxiously waiting for the Hyundai Venue (then known as the Qxi/Styx) to launch and I was all set to be its first customer the moment the car is launched. This being my first car and as I was going to entirely fund it, I was preparing to pay EMIs for a car that will be in the north of INR 10 Lacs (12-13 Lacs at the max. on road). But suddenly this epiphany of sorts struck my head that “why not go for a premium hatch back rather than a compact SUV and use the money saved to do other things?”. My car is going to be mostly driven in Delhi, so I might as well ditch those extra inches off the ground from the car and go for a tried and tested product (rather than a new product such as Qxi/Styx). With this thought still bright in my head, I literally ran to test drive the Hyundai i20 and MS Baleno. And if you are wondering why did I not consider the Honda Jazz or VW Polo? Well, I just feel that i20 and Baleno were better kitted (updated with minor modern creature comforts), offer more value for money, and looked better than Jazz and Polo, so I did not consider them at all.


I quite like the alloy wheel design.

Hyundai i20
None of the Hyundai dealers neither had the latest i20 with minor refresh changes nor its latest brochure which shows how Hyundai has rejigged the variant features. I test drove the i20 at a nearby dealer and at once liked the big car feel and the quality which comes with the Hyundai brand. But was thoroughly disappointed with the steering feedback. It was too light in the city and did not weigh up according to my liking during the highspeed stint. Also, the space in the back seat and the smaller boot (280 litres) left me a little disappointed. I was considering the Asta (o) variant which was going to be INR 9.30 Lac on road in Delhi. I guess this being my first solo car had the added pressure to meet all the expectations and still throw in those extra surprises. i20 came across as an expensive proposition and could not justify the premium it demanded.

Baleno (2019)
With the minor nip and tuck, the refreshed Baleno in its two new colours (cherry red and magma grey) looked rather stunning. Test drove it at the near by Nexa outlet and could feel this to be just an overgrown Swift which we bought in 2005 and still proudly own. The quality levels and the overall feels were lesser than i20 but the Baleno came with a spacious back-seat and a rather large boot (339 litres). A recent trip to Kasauli with four on aboard in an Ecosport had made me understand that I need the boot to be around 350 litres capacity. And the smooth trick up its sleeve which the Baleno is well known for is the fantastic fuel efficiency. I did come across a lot of posts talking about the flimsy build quality of Baleno and how it’s just a thin piece of tin, but then the i20 was also not built like a tank either and the price difference to me just did not make sense. It came across as a sweet deal at INR 8.65 Lac on road in Delhi for the Alpha variant (with Suzuki connect). If the reverse camera is not a deal breaker, then it makes perfect sense to go for the Zeta variant which is a shade under INR 8 Lac on road in Delhi.
I did test drive the CVT variant considering my car was to be primarily driven in the city. But I was disappointed with the inherent rubber-band effect of a CVT. Also, overtaking had to be very carefully planned and more often the opportune time to overtake would just cease till the time the car would gather all its steam. Also, the INR 1 Lac premium over the manual with this sedate driving nature of CVT just didn’t cut it for me.

So then, I headed straight to the Nexa outlet recommended to me by a friend and made the booking right away for the manual Alpha variant (as I find the reversing camera helpful in the tight parking spaces of Delhi). Me and my sister quite liked the magma grey colour and, in an instant, the colour was decided and the booking was finalised. We were promised the delivery in the month of February 2019 itself although the waiting period for Baleno had increased due to this minor update.

Driving experience
We have recently purchased a Jeep Compass for my home at Indore and truth be told, we absolutely love the way the car drives and handles. It is such a joy to drive with its commanding seating position and its tank like build quality. This being the first modern diesel in our family, we still can’t get over the turbo which pins you down in your seat every time the car goes over 2500 rpm. This experience will be shared in a separate post, sorry for the digression.


Jeep Compass in the outskirts of Bikaner, Rajasthan where camel rides usually happen.
Itching to get the Baleno on a long stretch of tarmac, we decided to take a trip to Jaipur over a weekend. Considering that the car is still in its running in period, I drove it with baby gloves and held the car within 80 km/hr and under 2000 rpm, and as a result the car gave an average fuel consumption of 21.8 km/l leaving me very impressed. While returning to Delhi, I had enough of controlling the speed and decided to let the car open up and drove at 100-120 km/hr. This car having a small capacity engine does feel strained at higher speeds, but I think I can live with it. I must mention about the speed alert system, which has now become standard on all new cars, it was not much of a nuisance because of the nice sounding speakers which provide adequate depth and bass. The car returned 20 kmpl on our return journey and I was still surprised considering I was no longer being gentle with the car.
The new smartplay studio is quite nifty and has a ton of features while being easy to operate. The speakers are good enough and get the job done, nothing spectacular though. I just feel that the suspension could have been better as I could feel the road crevices far too much. Also, the gearshift is although smooth but the i20 has a smoother, surer and a shorter shifting gear box I think. The UV cut glass windows in the Alpha variant is a life saver, and you can feel the harsher sun not penetrating the cabin. Small things like auto-folding ORVMs and auto headlights add a touch of convenience. On the whole, considering my daily stop-start traffic and the peppy nature of the car, I am quite satisfied with it.


Baleno parked at Sariska

Sariska Tiger Reserve
On our way back, we took a detour and decided to go for the safari at Sarika Tiger Reserve. We really enjoyed it as it was for the first time that we were going on a tiger safari. We took up a canter with 20 other people, and went through the trail in the 20% of the sanctuary area which is open for safari. But did we spot a tiger? No, we didn’t. The tiger sightings are usually quite rare in this sanctuary considering there are just 18 tigers (including 3 recently born cubs) spread across in an expansive area measuring 1312 Sqkm. But we did see a lot of spotted deers, sambhar deer, neel gai, peacocks, monkeys, crocodiles and also a baby crocodile. All in all, it was quite refreshing to be in the midst of green and see these animals in their natural habitat. Also, we quite enjoyed the kachori with kadi which is served as a snack in the hanuman temple situated in the sanctuary.

Enroute to Sariska, at a local village through which the Google maps diverted us. Goes without saying, Google maps has a brain of its own trying to help us find the “best route” which can lead to greater adventures!


Entrance to the Sariska reserve.


A deer at the tiger reserve.


The sanctuary is full of peacocks and peahens. The ones in the picture are young peacocks whose feathers are yet to grow.

Please do feel free to reach out in case you would like me to highlight any further details in respect of the car or the Tiger reserve. I must mention, the detailed official review of Baleno on the team-bhp website was extremely helpful in making the overall choice. This is my first post on this website so suggestions and comments are welcome.

Best,

SPB_drives

[sudhirdamo]

Hi Friends., Booked BS6 Baleno Alpha CVT (Nexa Blue) as replacement to my Ciaz ZXI Manual which was nearing 5 years., I looked for sedans - but didn't like Yaris, Ciaz was old, and City & VW Vento was likely to get the next gen car in 2020

I liked the Baleno design, Smart studio interface, smoothness of CVT automatic, Alpha spec with UV cut glass closed the deal, since now Zeta variant was missing it - 3M gave me an estimate of 25,000 for the CR70 film (which was not fully legal, since no film / aftermarket tint is allowed irrespective of visibility)

Long story short., we booked the car 10 days back exchanged Ciaz with Sai Service Lower Parel, and settled on the make, model & color and everything was going smoothly. I made all the payments on Tuesday (24.09.2019)

Just yesterday - Wednesday, Insurance & RTO process is initiated. I asked for VIN from Dealer found the manufacture date to be May 2019 (which was a bit of a shock, since I assumed Maruti cars move faster than other brands)

Since its a top of the line CVT variant, Is it possible that the transit time from factory to Dealer is 3-4 months if the demand is not so much for Alpha, as may be case with Delta / Zeta. If I assume its made on last working day of May 2019). The dealer assures me its new, and was received less than a month back at their end

Since the rains in Mumbai this year were strong., I am just concern that the car should not have been lying idle at their stock yard ? I requested for PDI while they proceed with RTO, since family wants early delivery - Sunday (29.09.2019)

Hopefully, I will find the premises clean & car in good condition so.. we are on course to take delivery on Sunday with a big smile

---

Baleno is my 4th Maruti, after Swift first gen, Ciaz, Dzire (AMT).. Wondering when I will come out of my infatuation with this brand, Hopefully few years down the line

[sudhirdamo]

Update:

I was getting ready to leave for Vasai stockyard for a PDI

The showroom guy called and said RTO called me for some clarification, so I had to cancel the PDI and instead solve the RTO matter if I wanted delivery on sunday

The guy was sweet talker, and discouraged me from doing a PDI.. it left me unhappy with Sai Service for not revealing facts earlier that this was 4-5 month old car, May manufacture and made me add a MCP plan for 2 years, against which they explained they will provide equivalent discount

The showroom manager, whom I spoke broke the news that it's common in auto industry to discount old stocks, and that we got this for taking an old vehicle not for additional MCP discount

I know 4-5 months is not that big a deal for others, but for Maruti to whom I was so loyal all these years.. it just hurts that a dealer conned me into this, with no escape option

The RTO payment had gone thorugh, without me inspecting the car and I can only hope the Mumbai rains have not damaged the car as it was out in the open for last 3 months atleast, and maybe 1 or 2 months with Maruti

Overall, thanks to Sai service.. Maruti lost me, I will never buy another car from them or sai service

[Abhinav_2502]

Hi
Do any of you Baleno owner's face a really loud squeaking sound in their cars during braking and coming to a halt in bumper to bumper traffic?
Our Baleno Diesel has been showing the same for a few weeks now and just wanted to know if anyone else is facing the same.

Had washed the car thoroughly yesterday and the sound is quite noticeable today. I have observed this in other cars after a wash but it generally stops within a few minutes, but the car has been squeaking throughout the day today, so not sure if it's due to the water. Infact I had washed our Santro as well yesterday and the car had no sound whatsoever while moving. Is it something to worry about?

[srivibhu]

So with all the discounts I upgraded my 5 year old Celerio AMT (which my spouse was supposed to learn and drive and has not held the steering wheel once in 5 years I owned the car) to a Baleno Delta petrol BSIV. I got a very good deal on the car and price was a big factor as this is my least used alternate car.
I have done a mix of city and highway travel and here are my first thoughts

Like
1. Smooth engine
2. looks of the car
3. relatively decent boot space though since i own a Ciaz as well my expectations are high (held a large, 2 small cases and 2 bags)
4. The delta variant is decently loaded and dual air bags as well!
5. the Sony audio system that I had replaced the factory one with from Nexa accessories with rear cam
6. the auto folding mirrors on engine off/ key remove!!

Got it fitted with a fabric stitched seat cover, full floor mats, and noodle mats on top. Dont plan on doing anything else.

Hoping to live with the following
1. the fact that there is no engine or under chassis cover whatsoever.!
2. With four adults and a couple of suitcases the car struggles at 110-120, though the car felt very stable with the load at 120
3. the tiny tiny rear view mirrors
4. The sony system is great but the OEM speakers are horrible. I will probably bite the bullet and change them at some point

All in all decent car to have as a city ride and alternate highway ride.
I love my diesels (XUV/Innova/ Ciaz even) so this is a change I am getting used to.

[Sophomore]

Originally Posted by Abhinav_2502

Hi
Do any of you Baleno owner's face a really loud squeaking sound in their cars during braking and coming to a halt in bumper to bumper traffic?
Our Baleno Diesel has been showing the same for a few weeks now and just wanted to know if anyone else is facing the same.

Had washed the car thoroughly yesterday and the sound is quite noticeable today. I have observed this in other cars after a wash but it generally stops within a few minutes, but the car has been squeaking throughout the day today, so not sure if it's due to the water. Infact I had washed our Santro as well yesterday and the car had no sound whatsoever while moving. Is it something to worry about?

1. From which end do you observe the sound?
2. How old is your car and from when did you start to observe it?
3. Do you get this sound in idling?
4. You said you get this during braking, do you apply clutch along with the brakes?

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by Abhinav_2502

Hi
Do any of you Baleno owner's face a really loud squeaking sound in their cars during braking and coming to a halt in bumper to bumper traffic?
Our Baleno Diesel has been showing the same for a few weeks now and just wanted to know if anyone else is facing the same.

This is a known issue and Maruti has instructed the dealers to replace the pads/shoes for customers who raise this. Please check provided your vehicle is in warranty.

[d_himan]

Got the 2nd year 20k service done at NEXA Dadar.

Took 6 hrs in all. The lounge was great - every magazine in it was October 2019! Signs of a well run organization.

Major items included Engine oil (5W30 Synthetic, no 0W20 Synthetic was available), Oil filter, AC filter, Brake fluid replacement, Coolant replacement, Brake pads (I insisted) , rear wiper, Door sill guards, alignment and rotation, HU update, Suspension/Chassis bolt tightening, hinges greasing etc.. Damage was around 13.9K.

Overall, competent job. Washing job, as always for detailers like me, was ok-ok.

[ArnabOnTheRoad]

Buggy ICE - Bluetooth in my New Baleno 2019 Zeta Petrol

I would like to know if anyone else has noticed this and if there is a solution. I have seen two distinct bugs in the way the ICE handles my phone

1. Phone numbers of contacts added as quick dial favourites go missing from the console. So, I can only dial through the phone or through the voice command. I have removed the phone from the Bluetooth list and paired the phone again - same problem.

2. If I dial from my phone or through voice command, I have to manually switch (on the phone) to Bluetooth speaker mode. The Bluetooth connected ICE doesn't pick it up. This is very distracting while driving.

Both these bugs defeat the basic concept of safety behind driving a 'connected car'. Can someone advice a way out?

Do note:
* there is only one phone paired on my car
* The phone is an ASUS Zenfone Pro (Android). I do not face the same problems when I pair my phone to a much older Ford Ecosport

[tjacob]

My Baleno Zeta has an unpleasant smell in the cabin, it smells like dried urine would during the summers. No, we don't have infants in the family. Checked everything, mats and carpet for anything foul getting left from an erring passenger's footwear, engine bay for carcasses, rotten food crumbs, nothing. I'm guessing it is the air-conditioner, anyone else had or have a similar problem?