Life of an engine under Indian driving conditions

aaggoswami · 25th May 2009, 22:43

As its pointed out earlier, it all depends on running in and how other wise the vehicle is used.
The regular usage of the vehicle is a major factor and is deciding factor for engine life.

Eg.
We have 1992 Carb Maruti 800. Since 65K kms, its on CNG. It recently finished 1 lakh kms. The engine is still good and we have confidence that the car is fit for highway trip as far engine and gearbox are concerned.

My uncle ( dad's brother ) bought Maruti 800 in around 1997. At 70K kms, the block was replaced.

So it depens on how the engine is used, but generally the cars after maruti 800 are known to cross 1.5 lakh kms easily. Engines from Tata and Hyundai are a doubt though, from what I have come across. Just what I have observed.

The three car makers whose engines are known to be very reliable are :

1) Toyota.
2) Honda.
3) Suzuki.
4) German diesels ( higher end zone like Mercedes Benz ).

HIGHNOON · 25th May 2009, 23:05

I have a accent 2002 mafg. 2003 registration. Done 52900 km Its in very good condition and last 32000 km have been on LPG. My cousin has a 2006- accent GLE has done 116000 km the engine is as good as new.
His co. is upgrading his vehicle to LINEA multijet and if i needed a second car i would have gone for his old accent with all 116000km on the ODO , its that good.
Hyundai accent is built to last a decade IMHO and without the body rattles , door rattles , plastic rattles etc.
Hope my car too lasts for 1 lac + on the LPG.

and hope age does not catch up with it before the century mark DOES now that i am running it on LPG.

HIGHNOON · 25th May 2009, 23:30

Most manufacturer's when they specify oil change intervals , also specify the time interval. i.e. Accent petrol has a oil change interval of 10000km or 6 months whichever is earlier.
Also Huyndai suggests that for the vehicles which are run in extreme / severe driving conditions , the oil change interval changes.
Vehicles which run in extremely slow bumper to bumper traffic most of its lifetime would have a higher engine wear. vehicles running on low quality fuel, bad driving habbits , racing , clutch use, under inflated or incorrect rated tires , wrong grade / spurios engine oil, area of use ( hilly , terrain bad roads would means frequent use of higher gears ) frequency of usage of AC , FOR example switching of AC while on steepest inclines would help the cause )or simply incorrect oil change intervals, infrequent air filter changes / cleaning cycles, and generally not keeping in mind driving conditions can simply mean reduced engine life.
MOst people simply dont factor all the above things & ,many more when you consider vehicle maintenance and engine life.

YC.BALENO.CHD · 26th May 2009, 00:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by HIGHNOON

I
Hyundai accent is built to last a decade IMHO and without the body rattles , door rattles , plastic rattles etc.
Hope my car too lasts for 1 lac + on the LPG.

and hope age does not catch up with it before the century mark DOES now that i am running it on LPG.

Nice to hear your pleasent experience with your car and I too hope that it may continue to serve you flawlessly. However, I may like to differ a bit, I had used an accent for 3 months. Belonged to a close relative. It was the Crdi though. It had 85K on clock and it had its fair share of rattles. The interiors had aged and the panel gaps got only bigger. Most of all the engine seemed to had lost its grunt and only power that I felt it generate was in 2nd and 3rd gears.
Most pathetic part was the high cost of maintenance. My uncle to whom the car belonged was almost tired of spending 4000+ Rs. on every servicing that had to be done after every 5000kms.
Soon he had to find a local mechanic which was quite good but still he was not satisfied with the car. He sold it at around 95k kms. though it fetched him a good amount but still he was dissappointed with long term reliability of the car and his next diesel turned out to be a fiesta rather than a verna.

Though this may a one off case and the Accent petrol maybe highly different in this regard but still after seeing it and few other cases I guess hyundais and diesel hyundais particularly are not easy to maintain once they have clocked high mileage.

Regards.

HIGHNOON · 26th May 2009, 01:02

Though this may a one off case and the Accent petrol maybe highly different in this regard but still after seeing it and few other cases I guess hyundais and diesel hyundais particularly are not easy to maintain once they have clocked high mileage.

Good i never bought the crdi
Going in its 6 th year , i have spent around 36000 in last 2.25 years to keep her in top condition as some components start nearing end of their service life after 5/6 years. I dont know how that compares with competitors.
But the car is tight by God. That i have spent some on it is fine but no money has been spent on fixing dashboard, door / body rattles etc.
The only sound that i hear except for the running vehicle is hissing of the sun visors . anyone who has forgotten to remove the plastic wrapping of visors 'll know this.
But i guess our topic is longevity of engine.
I just cant be sure what its life is , but again i feel it depends a lot on a hell of lot of things and not only on how well the engine is built.
My only other experiences with Hyundai is one accent crdi done 92000 km very strong , a client's elantra crdi done 78000km just as good as new and my brother's accent doen 116000 km engine definitely as good as mine which has done half of its run.
The detroit diesel seemed as good as the toyota diesels in terms of power and nvh.
but i guess we can judge the world by our experiences better.
In any case 85 k on the odo and a tired modern engine is pathetic indeed.
Isnt it scary to hear all these bad experiences with cars. They dont seem to make 'em like Toyota. Have yet to hear one gent bad mouthing qualis .
Otherwise SCODA, VW, HYUNDAI , TATA , MAHINDRA, FIAT, MARUTI lot of bad press on this forum. So many diff. versions.....

.anshuman · 26th May 2009, 02:30

Ive never had engine problems with my cars,
1.Sold my indica dls 2002 at 1.45lakh kms,The engine was fine even the clutch was the one that came with the car,though the car had some minor electrical problems.
2.sold my accent gls 1.5 2000 at 1.60lakh kms,with engine running fine.
3.my current car elantra crdi has done about 1.18lakh kms and is as good as it was delivered by hyundai.
I have two elantras in my friend circle which have done close to 2lakh kms are still as good as mine,i wont say the same for accent crdi though as its known for its short engine life.

All these cars were religiously maintained with oil changes at every 10k.

deepclutch · 26th May 2009, 03:15

My Maruit 800(1997-2008) ran around 90000kms fine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lightning2

5. most mechanics don't fare well in Engine boring
Re-Bored engines are notorious for fast declining Compression & increased Engine vibration

Re-Boring?I thought Sleeves are used these days.they just use lathe to make the bore even surfaced ,later to insert sleeves and OE size pistons.reboring may be true with old motorcycles.
--
Yesterday Evening ,I left my 2002 Indica(2nd owner) for Engine Overhaul as well as to replace the under side area-part of chassis which joins to the front wheels(what is the proper term?"running board?") due to heavy rusting.this is after 5-6 months after I bought this car.ran about 5000kms .

Engine Overhauling after 1lakh17800(1,17,800)kms ran.Vehicle became too sluggish ,more so when radiator fan starts working.Climbing to Hill Station(Munnar) is a Tedious Job with frequent gear shifts. :-(
Will Overhauled Engine Run for atleast 1 lakh kms?I hope so.
The Mechanic is saying He needs to open the engine to verify whether it needs an overhaul or not.Any Thing special I should ask Mechanic?

Another Doubt is ,Indica got body roll ,Any thing which can be done to reduce the same?

SLK · 26th May 2009, 04:01

We had a 84 model 800, ran 2.2L kms before engine overhaul. I think it could have done much more if not for that oversized ac.

recshenoy · 6th June 2009, 00:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLK

We had a 84 model 800, ran 2.2L kms before engine overhaul. I think it could have done much more if not for that oversized ac.

SLK,

1984 model M-800 had Original Japanese engine　I belive. Hence you could have run much more without rebore if engine was not modded

prasanth · 6th June 2009, 00:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by deepclutch

Yesterday Evening ,I left my 2002 Indica(2nd owner) for Engine Overhaul as well as to replace the under side area-part of chassis which joins to the front wheels(what is the proper term?"running board?") due to heavy rusting.this is after 5-6 months after I bought this car.ran about 5000kms .

Engine Overhauling after 1lakh17800(1,17,800)kms ran.Vehicle became too sluggish ,more so when radiator fan starts working.Climbing to Hill Station(Munnar) is a Tedious Job with frequent gear shifts. :-(
Will Overhauled Engine Run for atleast 1 lakh kms?I hope so.
The Mechanic is saying He needs to open the engine to verify whether it needs an overhaul or not.Any Thing special I should ask Mechanic?

Just wanted to know how much is the estimated cost for the overhaul. Are you doing it at the authorized service center or some local workshop?

devarshi84 · 6th June 2009, 02:33

considering you give your car all the love it needs, you can have it for as long as the spares are available.

But in India its less about the average and more about the period. I see people changing their cars every 5 years on an average.

deepclutch · 6th June 2009, 03:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by prasanth

Just wanted to know how much is the estimated cost for the overhaul. Are you doing it at the authorized service center or some local workshop?

Engine Overhaul is done by Another Company who specializes in overhaul(it is in a place called odakkali,perumbavoor) collects Engine and Does the work.Other works are done by The Local Indica workshop.NO TASC for me

Estimate for Engine Overhauling Rs17000 .

passion4cars · 6th June 2009, 11:08

My Esteem 2001

- done 1,35,XXX kms , ( did major repairs like clutch plate* + pressure plate* + 4 tyres* + some rubber mountings in shockers + 4 tyre brake pads + polished brake drums all at 85,XXX kms )

- * mechanic was surprised & quoted generally these things dont last that much now-a-days

- Servicing car at every 10,000 kms ( DOT on 10K's not even driven for 5kms extra ever )

- Include Engine De-Carbonizing + Castrol Oil ( yes I take my own oil and have it put in my presence ) + adding STP Engine Additive - ( Yes always after the service )

- Car's engine still performs like new .

- MASS serviced always in front of me ( as i do bookings when I can take off specially to GET servicing in front of me , never ever till date left the CAR at service centers alone )

- ( since it was my 1st salary car , so i plan to keep it till I am alive & yes treat my car as my own kid )

- Still travels very smooth without any rattles or noises ( as i myself tighten loose screws n nuts & put in sticky tape inside the doors to lessen body rattle )

- Couple of mechanics told me this engine should last till about 3L without any problem if not 4L , IF I STILL MAINTAIN IT THE WAY I AM MAINTAINING )

passion4cars · 6th June 2009, 13:07

literally lived in it for a couple of days as didnt get accomodation

passion4cars · 6th June 2009, 13:14

Sorry forgot to mention that i did the following in my Esteem -

- Delhi - Jaipur - Delhi ( 2 times ) ( with friends )
- Delhi - Agra - Delhi ( 2 times ) ( with friends )

Starting - July 2007 -

- Delhi - Bangalore ( with a hired driver )
- Bangalore - Chennai - Bangalore ( +8 times ) ( friends )
- Bangalore - Chennai - Pondicherry - Bangalore ( friends )
- Bangalore - Hyderabad - Bangalore ( friend )
- Bangalore - Belgaum - Hubli - Goa - Bangalore ( cousins )
- Bangalore - Pune ( with a hired driver )
- Pune - Mumbai - Pune ( +8 times ) ( alone + house mate )
- Mumbai - Ahemdabad - Ajmer - Jaipur - Delhi ( with wife )

- Ended - Feb 2009

without any trouble, not even a tyre puncture, thats why i love my car even more

25th May 2009, 22:43	#121
aaggoswami Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Vadodara Posts: 4,997 Thanked: 3,000 Times	As its pointed out earlier, it all depends on running in and how other wise the vehicle is used. The regular usage of the vehicle is a major factor and is deciding factor for engine life. Eg. We have 1992 Carb Maruti 800. Since 65K kms, its on CNG. It recently finished 1 lakh kms. The engine is still good and we have confidence that the car is fit for highway trip as far engine and gearbox are concerned. My uncle ( dad's brother ) bought Maruti 800 in around 1997. At 70K kms, the block was replaced. So it depens on how the engine is used, but generally the cars after maruti 800 are known to cross 1.5 lakh kms easily. Engines from Tata and Hyundai are a doubt though, from what I have come across. Just what I have observed. The three car makers whose engines are known to be very reliable are : 1) Toyota. 2) Honda. 3) Suzuki. 4) German diesels ( higher end zone like Mercedes Benz ).
	() Thanks

25th May 2009, 23:05	#122
HIGHNOON BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Navi MUMBAI Posts: 491 Thanked: 70 Times	I have a accent 2002 mafg. 2003 registration. Done 52900 km Its in very good condition and last 32000 km have been on LPG. My cousin has a 2006- accent GLE has done 116000 km the engine is as good as new. His co. is upgrading his vehicle to LINEA multijet and if i needed a second car i would have gone for his old accent with all 116000km on the ODO , its that good. Hyundai accent is built to last a decade IMHO and without the body rattles , door rattles , plastic rattles etc. Hope my car too lasts for 1 lac + on the LPG. and hope age does not catch up with it before the century mark DOES now that i am running it on LPG. Last edited by HIGHNOON : 25th May 2009 at 23:09.
	() Thanks

25th May 2009, 23:30	#123
HIGHNOON BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Navi MUMBAI Posts: 491 Thanked: 70 Times	Most manufacturer's when they specify oil change intervals , also specify the time interval. i.e. Accent petrol has a oil change interval of 10000km or 6 months whichever is earlier. Also Huyndai suggests that for the vehicles which are run in extreme / severe driving conditions , the oil change interval changes. Vehicles which run in extremely slow bumper to bumper traffic most of its lifetime would have a higher engine wear. vehicles running on low quality fuel, bad driving habbits , racing , clutch use, under inflated or incorrect rated tires , wrong grade / spurios engine oil, area of use ( hilly , terrain bad roads would means frequent use of higher gears ) frequency of usage of AC , FOR example switching of AC while on steepest inclines would help the cause )or simply incorrect oil change intervals, infrequent air filter changes / cleaning cycles, and generally not keeping in mind driving conditions can simply mean reduced engine life. MOst people simply dont factor all the above things & ,many more when you consider vehicle maintenance and engine life. Last edited by HIGHNOON : 25th May 2009 at 23:32.
	() Thanks

26th May 2009, 01:02	#125
HIGHNOON BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Navi MUMBAI Posts: 491 Thanked: 70 Times	Though this may a one off case and the Accent petrol maybe highly different in this regard but still after seeing it and few other cases I guess hyundais and diesel hyundais particularly are not easy to maintain once they have clocked high mileage. Good i never bought the crdi Going in its 6 th year , i have spent around 36000 in last 2.25 years to keep her in top condition as some components start nearing end of their service life after 5/6 years. I dont know how that compares with competitors. But the car is tight by God. That i have spent some on it is fine but no money has been spent on fixing dashboard, door / body rattles etc. The only sound that i hear except for the running vehicle is hissing of the sun visors . anyone who has forgotten to remove the plastic wrapping of visors 'll know this. But i guess our topic is longevity of engine. I just cant be sure what its life is , but again i feel it depends a lot on a hell of lot of things and not only on how well the engine is built. My only other experiences with Hyundai is one accent crdi done 92000 km very strong , a client's elantra crdi done 78000km just as good as new and my brother's accent doen 116000 km engine definitely as good as mine which has done half of its run. The detroit diesel seemed as good as the toyota diesels in terms of power and nvh. but i guess we can judge the world by our experiences better. In any case 85 k on the odo and a tired modern engine is pathetic indeed. Isnt it scary to hear all these bad experiences with cars. They dont seem to make 'em like Toyota. Have yet to hear one gent bad mouthing qualis . Otherwise SCODA, VW, HYUNDAI , TATA , MAHINDRA, FIAT, MARUTI lot of bad press on this forum. So many diff. versions.....
	() Thanks

26th May 2009, 02:30	#126
.anshuman Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Good-Gaon Posts: 7,763 Thanked: 11,124 Times View My Garage	Ive never had engine problems with my cars, 1.Sold my indica dls 2002 at 1.45lakh kms,The engine was fine even the clutch was the one that came with the car,though the car had some minor electrical problems. 2.sold my accent gls 1.5 2000 at 1.60lakh kms,with engine running fine. 3.my current car elantra crdi has done about 1.18lakh kms and is as good as it was delivered by hyundai. I have two elantras in my friend circle which have done close to 2lakh kms are still as good as mine,i wont say the same for accent crdi though as its known for its short engine life. All these cars were religiously maintained with oil changes at every 10k. Last edited by .anshuman : 26th May 2009 at 02:37.
	() Thanks

26th May 2009, 04:01	#128
SLK Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Nomad Posts: 1,798 Thanked: 1,417 Times	We had a 84 model 800, ran 2.2L kms before engine overhaul. I think it could have done much more if not for that oversized ac.
	() Thanks

6th June 2009, 02:33	#131
devarshi84 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ahmedabad - Tor Posts: 4,024 Thanked: 213 Times View My Garage	considering you give your car all the love it needs, you can have it for as long as the spares are available. But in India its less about the average and more about the period. I see people changing their cars every 5 years on an average.
	() Thanks

6th June 2009, 11:08	#133
passion4cars BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Melbourne Posts: 156 Thanked: 6 Times	My Esteem 2001 - done 1,35,XXX kms , ( did major repairs like clutch plate* + pressure plate* + 4 tyres* + some rubber mountings in shockers + 4 tyre brake pads + polished brake drums all at 85,XXX kms ) - * mechanic was surprised & quoted generally these things dont last that much now-a-days - Servicing car at every 10,000 kms ( DOT on 10K's not even driven for 5kms extra ever ) - Include Engine De-Carbonizing + Castrol Oil ( yes I take my own oil and have it put in my presence ) + adding STP Engine Additive - ( Yes always after the service ) - Car's engine still performs like new . - MASS serviced always in front of me ( as i do bookings when I can take off specially to GET servicing in front of me , never ever till date left the CAR at service centers alone ) - ( since it was my 1st salary car , so i plan to keep it till I am alive & yes treat my car as my own kid ) - Still travels very smooth without any rattles or noises ( as i myself tighten loose screws n nuts & put in sticky tape inside the doors to lessen body rattle ) - Couple of mechanics told me this engine should last till about 3L without any problem if not 4L , IF I STILL MAINTAIN IT THE WAY I AM MAINTAINING ) Last edited by passion4cars : 6th June 2009 at 11:12.
	() Thanks

6th June 2009, 13:07	#134
passion4cars BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Melbourne Posts: 156 Thanked: 6 Times	literally lived in it for a couple of days as didnt get accomodation Last edited by passion4cars : 6th June 2009 at 13:16.
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6th June 2009, 13:14	#135
passion4cars BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Melbourne Posts: 156 Thanked: 6 Times	Sorry forgot to mention that i did the following in my Esteem - - Delhi - Jaipur - Delhi ( 2 times ) ( with friends ) - Delhi - Agra - Delhi ( 2 times ) ( with friends ) Starting - July 2007 - - Delhi - Bangalore ( with a hired driver ) - Bangalore - Chennai - Bangalore ( +8 times ) ( friends ) - Bangalore - Chennai - Pondicherry - Bangalore ( friends ) - Bangalore - Hyderabad - Bangalore ( friend ) - Bangalore - Belgaum - Hubli - Goa - Bangalore ( cousins ) - Bangalore - Pune ( with a hired driver ) - Pune - Mumbai - Pune ( +8 times ) ( alone + house mate ) - Mumbai - Ahemdabad - Ajmer - Jaipur - Delhi ( with wife ) - Ended - Feb 2009 without any trouble, not even a tyre puncture, thats why i love my car even more Last edited by passion4cars : 6th June 2009 at 13:23.
	() Thanks