Wanted to update my story so far to help other other victims of the Ertiga synchronizer ring issue. The privilege of being my 'saviours' went to Rohan Motors, Greater Noida.
As I had mentioned earlier, I faced the notorious Synchronizer ring issue for the first time in my extended warranty period on March 15th 2016 at 38K kms on the odo. I was advised to change the clutch set along with the lower gear synchronizer rings which I declined. However, they did take my car in for repair and replaced the synchronizer for a total charge of Rs 1731. I was alright with replacing the transmission fluid as it was due anyways for the 40K service. The bill was as follows:
Seal, Input Shaft Oil x 1 =~ Rs. 28
CirClip x 1 =~ Rs. 5
Seal, Diff Side Oil RH x 1 =~ Rs. 155
Seal, Diff Side Oil LH x 1 =~ Rs. 118
Liquid Gasket (Three Bond-1207C),100 x 1 =~ Rs. 353
MGGO(75W90) x 2 =~ Rs. 977
Ring Assy, Low Gear Sync x 2 =~ Rs. 1450 (Covered under warranty so it was free)
Subsequently I drove the car without any issue for the next 8 months until the issue resurfaced and I had complained about it to the GM of service at the MASS. This time, my car was just out of extended warranty and had only about 47K kms on the odo. As a matter of principle I was unwilling to pay out of my pocket because the last repairs had failed. After a very high-level complaint, the GM called me for a running repair and changed the synchronizer rings again on 14th October 2016 at a total cost of Rs. 0. Thats right, zilch! This time there were three interesting probable lies I was told by the MASS people.
1. I had asked the mechanic working on the gearbox how long do new synchronizer rings last on the diesel Ertigas. He replied 'sir 20000 kms to chal jaayega'. I thought to myself, 'Are we supposed to consider Ertiga synch ring replacement as part of routine maintenance now?'.
2. I had asked the service adviser when the gearbox was being reassembled if my clutch is alright because if it was not, I was prepared to replace it this time. He said he had inspected it and there was no issue with it. This was in-line with my judgement that my clutch was absolutely alright.
3. I had asked the service adviser that given the formerly replaced synchronizer rings did not last for even 10K kms, why would they last longer this time around. To which he replied, 'Sir, actually the new rings are upgraded parts by Maruti so there will be no issue'. I assumed that the new rings are made of better alloys.
4. According to the mechanic, the synchronizer gets 'cut' from the strut grooves and there is no problem with the friction part that does the actual synchronisation. I wonder what conditions create forces that can cause this damage and how this can be avoided. I have attached a photo of the damaged portion for reference.
To my dismay, even normal gear-shifting had become hard and I thought the new issues would resolve once the parts run-in enough. I painstakingly completed about a 1K km Delhi-Kasauli-Shimla-Delhi mini-vacation on my so-called 'LUV' and by the time I got back, this time, 2nd to 1st stopped slotting. The only way to downshift to first was now either come to a complete halt or double clutch. I was furious. The car had not even run 3K kms after the last repair with ~50K kms on the odo now.
I started haggling with the new GM threatening another complaint to Maruti. He ultimately agreed to do some 'discount' and I was really tired of escalating this issue and did not want to complain about it. My only interest was to get this issue resolved forever so I told them to replace anything they find faulty under-the-sun but I still refused to pay for the synchronizers. This time around, the helpful service adviser informed me that my flywheel has gone bad and needs to be changed too. I agreed. The amount this time came to around Rs. 7735 after a lot of 'reasoning' with the new GM. Thanks to Parag for his invaluable posts I used to validate the work done. The bill of 25th November 2016 was as follows:
Flywheel comp =~ Rs. 1751
Cover Assy,Clutch =~ Rs. 1096
Cylinder Assy,Clutch Slave =~ Rs. 2739
Seal,Input Shaft Oil =~ 28
Liquid Gasket(Three Bond-1215) =~ Rs. 236
Apparently 50% reduced labour charges = Rs. 1800 charged as "Clutch Cover Assy And/Or Clutch Disk Assy)
I took the car home somewhat happy that the gearbox felt better but not getting brand-new-components feel. And on the way, I realised my AC had stopped working. I had to go back twice and haggle a lot more to make them realise that whatever happened to the AC happened inside the service centre so they are responsible. It was found that the gas had leaked from a massive leak in the suction pipe. After a lot of harshly worded argumentation, I got the AC repaired and the pipe replaced for Rs. 0. However, I have a doubt about the genuineness of the suction pipe which I will get checked out. So much for Maruti Service!
I feel my gear slotting is still a little hard and they did lube up the base of the lever. I'm not very satisfied but I will update after a while on this.
So now I'll give my conclusions based on observations after digesting all of this. I hope members with relevant automotive knowledge would comment on these observations.
1. My theory is that on a new clutch/flwheel, the rare bad gearshifts do not cause any damage to the synchronizer. However, on a somewhat worn-out clutch/flywheel, even a slight mis-shift while downshifting will cause the relevant synchro go kaput. I have a doubt that I know the exact point when this happened on my second replaced set.
2. A diesel Ertiga probably shows symptoms of a flywheel/clutch gone bad before this affects the synchronizer rings. In my case, I had noticed a slight vibration, very low-pitched and boomy, that kept increasing and ultimately became very noticeable. This would occur when I accelerated from about 1800 RPM to 2000 RPM at about 70-80 km/h. This had started before the first time the synchronizer ring bug hit my LUV. Initially, I thought this may be related to the the turbocharger but it just vanished after I got the clutch set and flywheel replaced. I also noticed slightly better pickup and mileage. If this is consistent with observations of others, it could be an early indicator that the clutch and/or flywheel need replacement.
3. After building some rapport with the service advisers, they consistantly told me that one reason for this issue is a thick 'mat' and I should use thin mats. It took me a while to understand the relevance. I use 3D mats and a plastic mat as a topping. Maybe, this causes the clutch not to be fully pressed. It seemed like a plausable theory so I have removed the 3D mat.
Hoping this helps others in a similar predicament. If you are willing to get Maruti to reimburse us for the financial losses and mental torture, let's get organised!