[sohanbala]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

There's an old school charm in these (not so) age old beauties and you never tire of seeing them or (if you have the luxury of owning one) driving them. I see one parked in my society and everytime I pass, I spend a few seconds just ogling at it. Congratulations on the wonderful restoration - your thread has been a delight to read over time.

We had a couple of Premier Padmini in the family which we sold decades ago. I yearn for those every time I see one on the road. Good for you to be able to retain and keep a family car in such excellent condition.

A few questions (from my hazy memories of these cars)
- Do the ORVMs not feel better in same as the body color (from the pics it seems black). I believe back then they used to be these black plastic ones that were an extra option to be purchased
- There would be a M (Maruti) or a S (Suzuki) badge on top of the black grill in front right? And similarly the black Maruti Suzuki badge at the back IIRC. A planned decision to not retain them?
- I'm happy you didn't go for the black bumper-ish plastic layer that used to be common on all four doors on these cars. The grey/black Esteem in my society has it IIRC. I think the current clean view looks much much better.

A request - once you are done, please do share a full exterior and interior picture(s) of the car. I know you have shared several over the thread, but one combined post is definitely needed

Happy years (if not decades) of ownership with this ageless beauty!

Edit: Just re-read the last post and your point on the pending monograms.

Thank you, and yes I shall definitely put more pictures in detail once I finish all works.
I kept the ORVMs black as they originally came black for Type 1s, the same glossy black finish is shared by the door handles, roof moulding and the windshield washer.

The monograms including an M badge on the hood.
1.3L badge on left fender, Esteem monogram(in a more curvy font) on Trunk RH and Maruti Suzuki badge on Trunk LH
Since our car was from the initial lot, there were no VX/LX trims at the time.
I'm also told that the black bumper kind door guards mentioned were introduced when LX/VX trims were introduced in 96.They also received a different steering pad similar to the Type 2 ones.

[sureshkumar]

Congratulations. That's a great achievement. I can imagine all the trouble you must have gone through especially during these lockdown days. Anyway all your efforts have been worthwhile. I used to have a car of the same model in Aquamarine colour, bought it straight from the first owner. It was in perfect condition and all I had to do was adjust the door hinges. One thing I have noticed is that its steering is really sharp. I was forced to let go of the car only because of the low seat height which was causing difficulty in ingress and egress. A friend who came to know that I was planning to sell came immediately and snatched it up.
Wishing you many happy miles.

[AntPaul]

How good is Cerium Oxide polishing? My car has lot of small scratches left by wiper blade. Conventional 'windshield polishing' at a mall basement did not make much difference. I have now made peace with it.

The wiper nozzle from gen 1 swift is a direct fit in the esteem and it has 2 jets per nozzle. It helps wash and wipe considerably. I am currently using it in my esteem. The type 3 swift has 2 jets per nozzle, but I am not sure if its a direct fit.

Please consider the black door beading (extending to fender) especially if you park in tight spaces. It has saved my door from scratches so many times.

Regarding mirrors, my silver esteem vxi type 3 is running body colored mirror in LHS and glossy black one in RHS. I prefer the looks of black one more. The mirror housing kind of blends into the front glass. Lesser maintenance is a bonus.

Your re-done seats and roof liner looks fabulous. The finish is as good as OEM.

[CaliforniaKnight]

Congratulations Sohan. Car has come up very well and good to see you have documented them in detail. I am also happy to see more photos than what was shared on phone.
Now when the time comes, I know whom to contact for info on parts / vendors.

[NPV]

Condolences on your father's tragic passing, may his soul RIP.
Awesome thread, brings back great memories of our 1998 Esteem VXI White.

Hats off to your passion and perseverance in restoring this wonderful car, and thanks for sharing the experience in great detail here with us

[Sumer]

Hats off to your effort, dedication and perseverance. She is a beauty. Sadly, us folks in NCR can't even keep our older cars, let alone restoring them. Many happy miles to you

[sohanbala]

Originally Posted by AntPaul

How good is Cerium Oxide polishing? My car has lot of small scratches left by wiper blade. Conventional 'windshield polishing' at a mall basement did not make much difference. I have now made peace with it.

The wiper nozzle from gen 1 swift is a direct fit in the esteem and it has 2 jets per nozzle. It helps wash and wipe considerably. I am currently using it in my esteem. The type 3 swift has 2 jets per nozzle, but I am not sure if its a direct fit.

Please consider the black door beading (extending to fender) especially if you park in tight spaces. It has saved my door from scratches so many times.

Regarding mirrors, my silver esteem vxi type 3 is running body colored mirror in LHS and glossy black one in RHS. I prefer the looks of black one more. The mirror housing kind of blends into the front glass. Lesser maintenance is a bonus.

Your re-done seats and roof liner looks fabulous. The finish is as good as OEM.

Hi

I wasn't aware of the swift nozzles, will definitely check that out and keep them spare.
The beading is pretty useful, since my plan was to keep the car as default as possible, didn't check on them(T1 initial batches didn't have the beading).
They seem to be SGP part.
The mirrors definitely blend in with the black elements.

Cerium is extremely useful in removing wiper marks, hairline scratches have become very faint.I couldn't find anyone doing Cerium polishing here, finally a detailing shop agreed to order online and get it done after I shared videos from YouTube.
The initial steam cleaning helped remove all the dust and fine dirt.

Before Cerium Polish




After Cerium Polish




Here we can clearly see how faint the wiper mark has become.It hasn't completely gone but, fainted in almost 90% .

[rr_zen]

Great restoration ! As I type this my 2003 VXi is in the body shop for complete tinkering post which I intend to restore her to glory. Have sourced most parts needed but am sure will need the support of fellow-BHPians to get some rarely found ones.

[rr_zen]

Originally Posted by sohanbala

Thank you, and yes I shall definitely put more pictures in detail once I finish all works.
I kept the ORVMs black as they originally came black for Type 1s, the same glossy black finish is shared by the door handles, roof moulding and the windshield washer.

The monograms including an M badge on the hood.
1.3L badge on left fender, Esteem monogram(in a more curvy font) on Trunk RH and Maruti Suzuki badge on Trunk LH
Since our car was from the initial lot, there were no VX/LX trims at the time.
I'm also told that the black bumper kind door guards mentioned were introduced when LX/VX trims were introduced in 96.They also received a different steering pad similar to the Type 2 ones.

I managed to procure the monograms from boodmo however still on the look out for few items not available with boodmo. @sohanbala - tried sending you a PM but it didnt go through. Would need your help for sure.

[shancz]

A fitting tribute of perseverance to your Dad, he will be proud.

Its a treat to see your car on today's roads. Simple and beautiful, looks timeless IMO.
Can't wait to see your final pics but even this is commendable.

Kudos

[Sanidhya mukund]

Originally Posted by sohanbala

Its been a month since we completed our exterioir painting.

Man, hats off to your dedication and passion! You got every small detail right. The effort you put in procuring parts to the exact specs of the type-1 model goes to show how much you love the car.

I must also appreciate the way the paint has turned out. The particular shade of red has the perfect depth and sheen to suit this car.

Your thread has finally pushed me wake my Esteem up from its slumber. The work I am getting done is nowhere near the effort that you are putting, I am just getting it up and running on a limited budget. I had one question, would really appreciate if you could answer: Can the corner indicator light of the later models be fitted on the type-1? I am aware that they are slightly different in terms of colour and texture, but is the overall shape the same? I have placed an order for these, but can you please confirm whether they will fit on the type-1 or not?

https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-unit...SABEgK3QPD_BwE

[ritedhawan]

This effort to bring back 95 esteem will be an endearing experience. I cannot forgot this 95 Esteem model that you have because its one on which I learned to drive. My Father bought a white esteem and drove is sparingly then he switched to Opel Astra in 2003 and it is at that point it was handed over to my twin brother - sister. They used to take turns to use it , my brother had a massive accident in this car whose magnitude can be measured from the fact that the front bumper reached the firewall and the engine popped up. It seemed like it was time to give up on her yet my father refused to give her up.

The car was handed over to our preferred mechanic you took his own sweet time to fix it and a month down the line it was back! Nevertheless, it continued to exhibit weird handling problems post 80 km\hr speeds and we could not blame Esteem for that , as the accident had an effect on the chassis. My twin brother - sister switched to different vehicles and then it was handed down to me --i started driving in late 20's'- and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I will share some memories I had with this car, I shall post it here.

[sohanbala]

Originally Posted by rr_zen

I managed to procure the monograms from boodmo however still on the look out for few items not available with boodmo. @sohanbala - tried sending you a PM but it didnt go through. Would need your help for sure.

Glad to hear you got the monograms, my profile here isn't cleared for PMs yet.You can reach out on Instagram, id given in my signature below.

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

Man, hats off to your dedication and passion! You got every small detail right. The effort you put in procuring parts to the exact specs of the type-1 model goes to show how much you love the car.

I must also appreciate the way the paint has turned out. The particular shade of red has the perfect depth and sheen to suit this car.

Your thread has finally pushed me wake my Esteem up from its slumber. The work I am getting done is nowhere near the effort that you are putting, I am just getting it up and running on a limited budget. I had one question, would really appreciate if you could answer: Can the corner indicator light of the later models be fitted on the type-1? I am aware that they are slightly different in terms of colour and texture, but is the overall shape the same? I have placed an order for these, but can you please confirm whether they will fit on the type-1 or not?

https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-unit...SABEgK3QPD_BwE
Attachment 2217256

Thank-you so much,excited to hear about your car, unfortunately the corner lights are different since the fenders changed on later types. I had initially bought a t3 light which wasn't a fit. Had seen this listing on Boodmo since it says t1 compatible, however it looks like the t3 lamp.

https://www.partsbigboss.in/corner-p...te-rhs-lt.html

This one by Auto gold is the correct one, their shipping is painfully slow.

Originally Posted by ritedhawan

This effort to bring back 95 esteem will be an endearing experience. I cannot forgot this 95 Esteem model that you have because its one on which I learned to drive. My Father bought a white esteem and drove is sparingly then he switched to Opel Astra in 2003 and it is at that point it was handed over to my twin brother - sister. They used to take turns to use it , my brother had a massive accident in this car whose magnitude can be measured from the fact that the front bumper reached the firewall and the engine popped up. It seemed like it was time to give up on her yet my father refused to give her up.

The car was handed over to our preferred mechanic you took his own sweet time to fix it and a month down the line it was back! Nevertheless, it continued to exhibit weird handling problems post 80 km\hr speeds and we could not blame Esteem for that , as the accident had an effect on the chassis. My twin brother - sister switched to different vehicles and then it was handed down to me --i started driving in late 20's'- and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I will share some memories I had with this car, I shall post it here.

Wonderful memories, that's quite a crash. Still glad to hear the car was retained for as long as possible.

[ritedhawan]

Following up on my previous post on this thread.

I still remember November 2005 , with me as driver and my cousin along with me. Both first time drivers, it was my first day learning to drive our 95 esteem and within 15 minutes of driving --since i had superficial knowledge of how cars work and could imagine what happens when we turn the ignition key on till the time the exhaust gases come out of the exhaust-- i broke the left front glass of 95 Esteem which is alongside the headlight. Nevertheless, that was the only regret and the only mistake committed while learning to drive.I persevered and from learning license to permanent license , 95 Esteem played its part.

Once I got my permanent license then once-twice a month me and my cousin used to go to NH1 , Karnal Haveli and in all those moments loved the way she behaved until you are past 80 km\hr and then she exhibited handling problems which would make anyone run away from the vehicle. Alas, couldn't blame her one bit as it was not her fault. The accident , which i insinuated in my last post here had did the damage internally. It had maimed her and I wouldn't blame her one bit.

Anyways, after 80 km\hr it was as if you are trying to steady the course of a fast moving boat on water!. Above 80 km\hr any rights - left would actually move the rear of the car in that direction , and then one would have to turn the steering in opposite direction to steady the car. It was scary sometimes but it was fun! On top of that the shoe braking , push hard , and wheels would lock , loved those wheels locking moments as well. Its ironic, I loved all those weird handling problems, wheel locking moments, interspersed with a car overheating instance on the same highway when instead of pulling over, i was trying to find gaps among the little traffic we had on those days on highways , with a kind of a logic running in my mind, that if my car would just find open spaces and stay above 60 kmph the heat exchange would happen fast and thus avoiding breakdown. At that moment my attention constantly switched from eye on the road to the temperature gauge needle.
The trick worked until i reached Delhi and then the car broke down!.

Then one fine day , again on my usual Delhi-karnal-Delhi excursions , I could feel performance degradation coupled with car turning off as if someone manually turned off the car the moment we slowed down the car. one thing I always had in keep my mind while driving our Esteem was that i had to keep my improvising cap on, because one never knew what our beloved Esteem would throw at us! Anyways, came back and got it checked with our preferred mechanic and 'lo and behold' what we found. Engine oil mixed with coolant !! It seems head gasket was blown or something as oil was mixing with coolant. The previous inference was drawn by the MASS people , as they were the ones who opened engine and performed an engine OH. 2-3 weeks down the line and the car was back for use and I continued to use it , once taking it to Manali as well.

At the end of 2008 , the car under body gradually showed signs of rust to an extend that one look under the carpet , front left passenger , one could see portions of rust along with a small hole. only then My father decided to finally let go of the vehicle. By this time I was already driving Opel Astra extensively, and rarely I picked up esteem.

There were 2 parts of our 95 esteem experience , one pre accident experience which my father, mother and more importantly my twin brother-sister would know better. As I was always in the passenger seat all that time . The other experience is the post accident experience , which I loved all the time as other than driving this car , the learning that were imbibed by me when its comes to improvising , was worth it. I cherish it to this day. Last word , I never blamed our 95 Esteem for all its post accident blemishes, it was not her fault.

Thanks to the creater of this 95 Esteem thread, as without which I would not have found an avenue to share my experience of 95 Esteem.

[Sanidhya mukund]

Originally Posted by sohanbala

Thank-you so much,excited to hear about your car, unfortunately the corner lights are different since the fenders changed on later types. I had initially bought a t3 light which wasn't a fit. Had seen this listing on Boodmo since it says t1 compatible, however it looks like the t3 lamp.

https://www.partsbigboss.in/corner-p...te-rhs-lt.html

This one by Auto gold is the correct one, their shipping is painfully slow.

Hello! Thank you for the link. Have ordered the part and will hopefully get it soon. Sorry to be bothering you again, but can you please tell me if you have any idea on where to get the side AC vents that are fitted in the door pads? Since my car had been abandoned for 5-6 years, the HVAC system had become home for a bunch of rodents who had obliterated the AC vents to make and easy entry-exit point: