[ask_017]

Going to be 8 years this November. No words can explain the sheer joy of handling my beast. Just completed a midlife reboot. Full body repaint with repair of all dents, scratches, rusting etc. Underbody coating and alloy painting in black also done to give that x-factor. Replaced the old plates with new HSRP as well. Plan to keep my beast as long as I can.

[GTB]

Originally Posted by ramnaresh_2000

TUV is categorised as a "Large" vehicle.

I am surprised to see most of the Hatchbacks are listed in 'Medium'. Also 'i10' is listed in 'Small' and '
Grand i10' is listed in 'Medium'

[ramnaresh_2000]

Originally Posted by GTB

I am surprised to see most of the Hatchbacks are listed in 'Medium'. Also 'i10' is listed in 'Small' and '
Grand i10' is listed in 'Medium'

Yeah all part of their marketing structure. The market is dominated by hatchbacks, and this is where they will mint money.

I also wanted to add below for my to do list (If I am not selling my vehicle)

• Sound Damping Sheets
• Upgrade stock speakers to JBL
• Upgrade 7" HU to 9" Android unit

[creative420]

Originally Posted by ask_017

Going to be 8 years this November. No words can explain the sheer joy of handling my beast. Just completed a midlife reboot. Full body repaint with repair of all dents, scratches, rusting etc. Underbody coating and alloy painting in black also done to give that x-factor. Replaced the old plates with new HSRP as well. Plan to keep my beast as long as I can.

Your car looks swell. My Ritz completed 7 years last month and it just feels like it's going to demand a lot of changes. We wanted to buy a new car at the beginning of this year, but with paycuts for both of us, I think I'll stick to it for another 3 years. Can you share how much did all this TLC set you back with?

[WhiteSierra]

Originally Posted by ask_017

Going to be 8 years this November. No words can explain the sheer joy of handling my beast. Just completed a midlife reboot. Full body repaint with repair of all dents, scratches, rusting etc. Underbody coating and alloy painting in black also done to give that x-factor. Replaced the old plates with new HSRP as well.

Your car looks great. Complete black paint including alloys look awesome!
My friend has white figo with red brake calipers (only front), He did not get painted rear ones as they are drum brakes, he thought it might look overkill. Your black car with red brake calipers would look hot!

Last year, we also got our Qualis completely painted during its end of life crisis (15 years old), it had to pass inspection, and I thought it was the best time to give him a new lease of life. Will update it soon in Qualis product review thread.

[Ashkait Kapoor]

Originally Posted by Roshith

This here is my 2004 Wagon R.

If Apocalypse comes I will be grabbing the keys to the Waggy

I'm sure you goofed up the year of your car there.

Here's my fathers December 2004 Wagon R still serving him well as a daily.





Apart from regular maintenance all these years, its's had all four shockers replaced roughly two years back and is currently due for it's second clutch plate replacement.

Also, December'19 is when my father got the car's fitness renewal and re-registration done as it had completed it's 15 years.

Car is run around 72k km which is really low for it's age, and my father has no plans of parting with it anytime soon, possibly never!

[ask_017]

Originally Posted by creative420

Your car looks swell. My Ritz completed 7 years last month and it just feels like it's going to demand a lot of changes. We wanted to buy a new car at the beginning of this year, but with paycuts for both of us, I think I'll stick to it for another 3 years. Can you share how much did all this TLC set you back with?

Thank you sir. Did all the works that included correcting the dents, scratches etc and full painting with polishing at a local garage. Total cost came to 36K. Ford ASC quoted 50K for the same.

Originally Posted by WhiteSierra

Your car looks great. Complete black paint including alloys look awesome!
My friend has white figo with red brake calipers (only front), He did not get painted rear ones as they are drum brakes, he thought it might look overkill. Your black car with red brake calipers would look hot!

Last year, we also got our Qualis completely painted during its end of life crisis (15 years old), it had to pass inspection, and I thought it was the best time to give him a new lease of life. Will update it soon in Qualis product review thread.

Thank you sir. The garage guys recommended to go with red calipers, but something was pulling me back from doing that.

[ramnaresh_2000]

Originally Posted by ramnaresh_2000

Next planning to get below

• New tires (Maybe A/T tires)
• Sub woofer cum amplifier (Blaupunkt quotation was 16k)
• Leather wrap on steering (Still hunting)
• Upgrade headlights (100/135 philips cut out wire)
• New floor mats

Quoting myself from my old post. I was very close to selling my vehicle due to AMT issue creeping again. However, decided not to sell for few more years. This is the 3rd time I was contemplating to sell my vehicle. My saga can be read from Official TUV 300 review thread.

New tires installed and headlights upgraded. Target for next month, Under Seat sub woofer cum amplifier installation. I am planning for stock speakers upgrade as well. Will go with JBL kit.

[ruzbehxyz]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Still, as a community that lives to drive, boredom isn't an option for BHPians. Hence, let's talk about sprucing up our existing rides instead. Listed below are a couple of pointers on how you can make your existing car more fun & interesting. These will make you derive more pleasure from your car, no two sides

What a wonderful thread. I totally agree with you. In todays times with high taxes, GST, RTO charges, it makes more sense to hold on to the existing car, provided it is good to hold on to.
Once the car is out of warranty and more than 5 years old, all possible mods can be done without breaking the bank. Detailing centers and modifications has gone to different levels in India, and anything and everything can be done with some patience. Major / minor changes or mods with detailing gives a good feeling of satisfaction and makes you keep your car for longer.

[faithless_1984]

Since upgrading to a new model is not sensible right now we updated our 5 year old xuv with some new goodies.

Have already posted the new footwear here -

Originally Posted by faithless_1984

Finally got her some new shoes after all these years. A friend who has a detailing store in delhi arranged these (almost new) rims for me at a very good price.

Also got these new seat covers, got them custom made to match the design of the top spec model in tan.





Changed the rudimentary looking HU to a new (Pioneer) touch screen model. It was done by the accessories department of a mahindra dealership to avoid any hassle.




Have removed the W4 badge to complete the transformation.

[ramnaresh_2000]

Originally Posted by ramnaresh_2000

Target for next month, Under Seat sub woofer cum amplifier installation. I am planning for stock speakers upgrade as well. Will go with JBL kit.

So as I was bored at home and no work to do, I wandered outside to get quotations on JBL speakers and sound damping sheets. Visited one reputed car accessories shop in my hometown and got below quotation

Steering Wrap - 700/-
JBL CSG790CHI 6-1/2" (165mm) 2-Way Component Speaker - 5,200/- with installation. Cost on Amazon 4,500/-
Sound Damping Sheets - Punk Audio - 800/- per sheet

As per them I would require 1.5 sheets per door. The onwer suggested damping on front 2 doors only. He said if not satisfied, I can go with back doors damping as well.

Total came to 8,700/-

I went ahead and got them installed. Fully satisfied with steering wrap. You can check before and after images. JBL component speakers on other side are average. Not much change from stock speakers. I may have to upgrade to sub-woofer for better thump.

Steering Wrap Before: This was done in 2017 and no cross-stitching here. You can see wrap coming off on right side and the wrap was not covering the buldge on steering. This was an eye sore and irritating most of the time.



Steering Wrap After: Nicely done here. Cross-stitched to perfection. No lose ends. I tried for red thread but they had none in stock. I was aiming for GT styling.



JBL Tweeters:



Overall satisfied with work done. They had no under-seat woofers in stock and so obviously said it is not useful.

Still hunting for Auto IRVM's that can be fitted on TUV 300 and car air purifier with better availability of replacement filters. Any suggestions?

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by faithless_1984

Also got these new seat covers, got them custom made to match the design of the top spec model in tan.

Look nice. Where did you get these done? Mind sharing the cost?

[faithless_1984]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Look nice. Where did you get these done? Mind sharing the cost?

Thanks, got these from CarPlus (Patpatganj). Total cost with fitment was 15k.

[shantanumishra]

A great thread, and below are my small 2 cents...

We have a 12 year old workhorse - Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8GL Petrol, which has been primarily used by my Dad till now, Purchased in Oct 2008, had run about 130K till 2017 and post then, only 4K Kms since Dad completely switched to Tiago AMT. Odometer now stands at 135K.

Came to Gurgaon to live with my parents during this lockdown and drive the Altis, barring some lose ends due to Ageing and non-usage, it still runs like a dream,

1. Took it Heera Motors, Gurgaon and got a quote for Full Body painting (except the roof) for about 25K.
2. One of the rear reverse light was broken, got it replaced for about 1.5K
3. One of the HID bulb (D4R) was gone...replaced for about 3K. OEM is around 12K, and Philips D4R on Amazon is also 11K..

Post this, took it to MGF Toyota for following works (As GTO says, all regular scheduled services have always been done at MGF Toyota, without a single miss).
Damages – about 63K

1. 150K service (as per no. of years)
2. Some more again ageing related issues - Engine Mounting, Front suspension mounts, some rubber bushes and gaskets gone - Replaced Now.
3. Both front suspensions (older one ran 12 years and 134K and one of them got completely busted),
4. Along with it, realized that tyres were getting cracked (last change was in 2014 at about 120K), had run only 14K but ageing in harsh Delhi summers had taken the toll on them. Got them replaced as well.
5. Wiper blade rubbers changed.
6. Silencer was rusted, but was working well, got it spray painted FoC from MGF itself on their advice. I like its new silver color.

Also, ordered a new Fastag thru PayTM for this one.

Pros

1. The OEM Clutch was replaced around 90K and the new one runs like a new one.
2. Engine Response – Terrific considering 12 year and 135K….Its not a Rocket, but does the job really well.
3. Braking and handling is still great…all 4 disc brakes and enough safety and luxury features for a 12 year old model. Its not a Civic, but definitely much better than the sub 4M sedans sold these days. I still find the Overall Dynamics to be really great.
4. Space – Humungous, Boot is really spacious and can easily seat 3 on the backseat with comfort.
5. All Electricals & Electronics work like factory fitted, Kudos and Full marks Toyota’s Genius Engineering.
6. OEM speakers do a satisfactory job (don’t wanna change them or the OEM stereo and mess with any wires or cables), a bit finicky about these. I actually bought a new BT device and connected to the Aux-In port and now can play music from Gaana or Amazon Prime Music.
7. Auto AC works like a new one and super chills the cabin within minutes even in Hot Delhi summer.
8. All 3 original keys and remote still work like Day 1.
9. All seat cushions are still great and even the overall Internals have always been kept very clean and tidy.
10. 99% of the car (expect the just now replaced HID bulb and rear reverse light cluster) are Original Toyota OEM. Never Ever (except these 2 instances from last week), has even a single part put in from outside shop or any FNG.

Cons

1. Fuel Efficiency – City driving is just abut 9-10 KMPL, still need to check on Highway, Need to find out the reason of downgrade, since in the hay days, it has given >14 KMPL in city and >17 KMPL on highways.
2. The Driver side Headlight washer has been jinxed since inception…someone broke it during 1st year, for the initial couple of years, we got few replaced, but each time it got broken…Finally Dad did the worthy Indian jugaad – fixed the plate of the washer fluid on the bumper using Quickfix and now, the look is completed, Just that we haven’t used in since last 10 odd years, don’t find a reason.
3. Bruises and chips on the overall body work, trust it’s our beloved Delhi, Gurgaon and Faridabad friends and foes showering their love on it.
4. The driver side ORVM LED light cover is broken. Toyota is asking crazy 2.5K for an OEM replacement, searching for some low cost option. Lets see!!!
5. Stereo Volume control know has become free and changes volume as per its own mind. Thankfully, Stereo mounted controls still work great. Heck, even the OEM provided remote is kept in original factory condition, hardly ever used.
6. Stupid crazy rule in Gurgaon, have tried enough from top to bottom, am not able to transfer the car in my name from Faridabad to Gurgaon citing some crazy rule that no pre-2010 car would be registered between different cities and I don’t have Faridabad address. Only option left is to move it to Bangalore and register it there.


Thinking of below additional works,

1. Drive the car to Bangalore and get it transferred in my name, yes, have plans to take NoC from Faridabad, and re-register it in Bangalore in my name.
2. Full Body painting (now re-thinking since MGF Toyota took a lot of Vitamin M).
3. The transfer to Bangalore would cost about 50K, hence, am re-think on Full body painting, I hope we can find some good and genuine folks in Bangalore (similar to Heera Motors in Gurgaon).
4. Once, Painting is done, planning for a complete detailing.
5. Planning to switch from OEM stereo HU to some latest android or some other unit, though, this change now might need to wait 2-3 years,
6. Along with the HU, also plan to upgrade speakers and possible connect an AMP

The car is a charm and runs like a dream, really no reason to get rid of it…infact, it can easily give a run to some of the new boys with leaner engines and put them to shame, Hence, now the urge to keep it for at least 20 years has increased 100%. Also, its really difficult to get such cars now-a-days with lesser electronic hassle and more driving fun.


Pls do share your feedback, tips and tricks and any comments which helps me in keeping this for my desired time.

[adv.yzr]

Greetings,

Here's my 2009 SX4 Zxi. Plan to keep it till the end of its cycle i.e. 15 years in Delhi-NCR.

Planning to change ICE with Android player and decent speakers and a detailing session too. Budget kept for the same is around 20k.

Thanks.