[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Timing belt changes need a certain level of expertise. I've seen camshafts broken because of faulty TB fitment.

i would agree. Depending on the car/engine, you need a lot of expertise, proper instruction and in certain cases special tools.

a lot of the instruction can be found on the internet these days, but I would be careful when it comes to timing belts. You get it slightly wrong you could destroy the engine. So you better know what you are doing

Jeroen

[prasad029]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

What you'll have to do is, raise the car using jack stands;

At the base of the radiator you'll find a plug like thing. Pull it out to drain all the coolant during this time keep the coolant reservoir cap open so the flow is continuous.

I think the ratio of water : coolant is 1:1.

Thank you, Anurag.
So Swift VDi doesn't have any radiator cab like other cars, it is only Coolant tank Cap? I am asking this question because i am planning to flush the radiator using running tap water into the radiator while engine is idle.
Can you please put the steps to flush the radiator on my Swift Vdi.

[sridharj77]

I have a 10 year old Santro xing and I am regular about service schedules with the company dealership. After reading through some of the threads here, I feel the service guys do only the basic things needed. For example, transmission fluid to be changed every 2 years or clutch oil to be changed every year is not looked into.

I tried using the search function, but was not able to find a list of car maintenance that needs to be done along with the frequency. Can someone point to such a list specifically for Indian driving conditions?

I do mostly urban driving on this car.

[sridharj77]

Originally Posted by sridharj77

I have a 10 year old Santro xing and I am regular about service schedules with the company dealership. After reading through some of the threads here, I feel the service guys do only the basic things needed. For example, transmission fluid to be changed every 2 years or clutch oil to be changed every year is not looked into.

I tried using the search function, but was not able to find a list of car maintenance that needs to be done along with the frequency. Can someone point to such a list specifically for Indian driving conditions?

I do mostly urban driving on this car.

Thanks Mods for merging the question with an awesome thread from GTO! From the list, I see that it it vital that we go with the same service centre to ensure that they do the additional things in defined intervals.

I have to look at the last 4-6 receipts to check what was covered by the regular services.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by sridharj77

I have a 10 year old Santro xing and I am regular about service schedules with the company dealership. After reading through some of the threads here, I feel the service guys do only the basic things needed. For example, transmission fluid to be changed every 2 years or clutch oil to be changed every year is not looked into.

I tried using the search function, but was not able to find a list of car maintenance that needs to be done along with the frequency. Can someone point to such a list specifically for Indian driving conditions?

I do mostly urban driving on this car.

I have no idea of Santro, but for all the Maruti cars, the Owner's Manual has a table of routine service. The schedule has both the elapsed time as well as the running milage. Check the Santro owner's manual, the chart should be there.

[anoop_gkris]

Thought to make a good use of a Sunday to try to clean the wheels. It looked only like plain dirt that could be soaped and brushed away, but things turned out to be different.
Started with pouring some water on the wheels to make them wet. Then foamed some shampoo on it and scrubbed it well with one of those Gala(i love these folks) brushes. After things started drying up i was in for a negative surprise. Now the wheels seems to be all of brown-olive colour (check out the attachment). Seems like the scrubbing coated the grime evenly onto the entire wheel.
Saw some videos on Youtube (Chris) that mentioned about polishes that would keep the wheels black. Has anyone tried with a local good brand here? Also, would like to first clean off all the dirt first before doing that. Has anyone advise about the process, things involved? Wanted to make it a simple affair.
Thanks for hearing some of these Sunday ramblings.

[sriturl]

Originally Posted by sridharj77

Thanks Mods for merging the question with an awesome thread from GTO! From the list, I see that it it vital that we go with the same service centre to ensure that they do the additional things in defined intervals.

I have to look at the last 4-6 receipts to check what was covered by the regular services.

Check this for Accent -
Page 121 - http://customercare.hyundai.co.in/up...ual/accent.pdf

There should be a similar table in your user manual. You might find it online if you have misplaced it.

[prithm]

Originally Posted by anoop_gkris

Has anyone tried with a local good brand here? Also, would like to first clean off all the dirt first before doing that. Has anyone advise about the process, things involved? Wanted to make it a simple affair.
Thanks for hearing some of these Sunday ramblings.

I cannot guarantee, but this worked for me to remove the road grime off my tyres after a quick 1400 round trip between Hyderabad-Bengaluru.

I first made sure that the tyres were wet by rubbing with mild brush with just plain water.

Then made a 40:60 concentration degreaser (I faintly remember Autofresh) and sprayed after the water dried off the tyre.

Let it rest for few minutes while I attended to other tyres.

By the time I circled back to first tyre, I could see the grime melting away over the allows and dripping on ground. But since I had to protect the alloy from extended exposure to degreaser, I immediately poured water and rinsed it off.

This actually saved me quite sometime and efforts too. But I avoid it since I really dont want my alloys to look faded and use this as last step when the tyre looks really brown.

Again. Do this only if you are confident. Alloys do lose sheen if they are soaked in degreaser for long.

[Aroy]

I find that pressure wash at service centre or petrol pumps cleans the tyres perfectly, as well as cleaning the mud under wheel arches.

[anoop_gkris]

Originally Posted by prithm

I first made sure that the tyres were wet by rubbing with mild brush with just plain water. Then made a 40:60 concentration degreaser (I faintly remember Autofresh) and sprayed after the water dried off the tyre.

Originally Posted by Aroy

I find that pressure wash at service centre or petrol pumps cleans the tyres perfectly, as well as cleaning the mud under wheel arches.

Thanks folks, I'll try out both of these. Haven't pressure washed the car since a long time.

[manishk123]

I've noticed dealers for Honda and Maruti pester their customers every 3 - 4 months for service irrespective of how much the car has run in that time. Not only that, they will change fluids and filters as standard practice, even if the car has only run 1500 to 2000 kms since last service - as most city run cars usually do.

Whereas VW, Skoda and the Germans recommend service every 10,000 kms or 1 year. Toyota generally recommends 5000 km or 6 months.

So what is a good practice to follow.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by manishk123

I've noticed dealers for Honda and Maruti pester their customers every 3 - 4 months for service irrespective of how much the car has run in that time. Not only that, they will change fluids and filters as standard practice, even if the car has only run 1500 to 2000 kms since last service - as most city run cars usually do.

Whereas VW, Skoda and the Germans recommend service every 10,000 kms or 1 year. Toyota generally recommends 5000 km or 6 months.

So what is a good practice to follow.

You should follow what your manufacturer recommends. The Germans have an annual service as they run on synthetic oil that last much longer.

Don't think this is the right section or new thread required. Please see the technical section to learn more about this.

[litesoftwares]

I recently got a Swift ZXi that is more than 10 years old but has been driven only for 52000 km. I have checked with service center to verify odometer and it all checked out.

After a good overhaul (and spending 30k) at a local garage, my car is now better yet there are few things that I would want to get improved.

1. Suspension seems good most times but the ride experience is still like that of a call taxi with some noise from the body of the car. I'm sure it is not from the engine. Thankfully engine sound is barely audible when travelling at normal speeds. Could this be something else other than suspension?

2. Shifting gears are mostly fine but at times the shift doesn't occur and you hear a screeching sound. I have to redo the shift again. This occurs occasionally with 1st gear and reverse gear. I feel that I shouldn't use more force for just these two gears.

It would be great if I can get some pointers on what to check in my last service's spare parts list so that I can confirm whether they have changed it or not.

I am now realizing that I should've gone to some reputed service centers like Maruti Service Masters and not the local garage who apparently deal only with Maruti vehicles.

[greendream]

I have a Swift zxi,11 years old, 45k on the odo.
So guess I can be of help.
Has the gear oil been replaced? Gear changes should be smoother post that.
Coming to suspension sound, post 50k, if car was driven in city environment ( pot holed,broken roads etc) a suspension overhaul is suggested. It all depends on how well the car was driven earlier.
Please mention what all were done with your rs 30000. If your mechanic is competent, stay away from authorised service.

[litesoftwares]

Thanks for the reply.

Originally Posted by greendream

Has the gear oil been replaced? Gear changes should be smoother post that.

Yes. I replaced the engine oil, gear oil, etc and topped up the other fluids. Guess I should've totally changed all the oils and fluids, just for the sake of it.

Originally Posted by greendream

Coming to suspension sound, post 50k, if car was driven in city environment ( pot holed,broken roads etc) a suspension overhaul is suggested. It all depends on how well the car was driven earlier.

What would this cost? Can you provide a ballpark.

Originally Posted by greendream

Please mention what all were done with your rs 30000. If your mechanic is competent, stay away from authorised service.

I will post the list of replacements and services, soon as an update. I am not very happy with the facilities at the place where I serviced this. They don't even have a hydraulic lift for God's sake! So you're saying it's good to stay away from authorized service centres?