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Originally Posted by thehillybilly Loved the thread! It got me hooked the entire time. This got me tempting for a Zen! |
Thanks thehillybilly. You can certainly consider buying an used Zen, it is cheap to buy and maintain. I would only recommend buying a MPFi model (i.e post 2000 models) & of course the car has to be in very good condition.
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Originally Posted by JD_404 I don't think you remember this but we met once when you had come to visit a friend of yours at his college. You were leaving but when i asked your friend if you were a BHPian (as i remembered the swift from Dbhpian SST's travelogue ) you came back and we had a chat |
First of all thanks brother. Actually I do remember you very well, in fact only a couple of months back I asked my friend about you (I believe he was your Hostel senior). He told me that you had completed your studies last year. Anyways, we meet here in team-bhp. Hope to see you soon, this time I will have you drive the Swift.
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Originally Posted by Tanveer02 An extremely detailed writeup brother. Loved the way you have put each and every intricate detail of both the cars with photos.
A few lines about these two cars from my side. I've driven the Zen once way back in 2018. That single drive has left a lasting impression in me about the car. I still regret getting to drive her only once though.
Now coming to the Swift, this car is in a different league altogether if one talks about the driving experience. I've driven her uncountable times and "enjoyable" would be a least sufficient word to describe the way she drives now. |
Thanks a lot brother. I am still very sad that you could get to drive the Zen only one time, you would have loved driving her on open roads. As for the Swift, I have to thank you for teaching me how to redline an engine
, I had until that point never redlined any engine. A trip to Meghalaya is pending, let's do it after the situation becomes normal.
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Originally Posted by Anuj 6227 Excellent write up chiranjitp,
I just want to clarify a few things as i also own a Dzire with the same engine :
1. What are the springs placed on top of the timing belt & is it necessary to replace them when you put a new belt ?
2. Did you also replace the water pump & other belts such as AC compressor, power steering, when doing the timing belt ?
3. Are you facing some slight leak from the engine tappet cover or have you replaced its gasket while getting other work done ?
Thanks in advance. |
Thanks. Here's my reply to your query:
1. The springs are part of the timing belt kit, for a perfect job it is recommended to replace them as well. Here is the link to the post where Dbhpian Leoshashi has given the list of the parts that needs to be replaced:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...ml#post4693737 (Maruti Genuine Parts (MGP) Catalog: Post your queries here (model list on Pg 1))
2. Both the belts (alternator & AC belt) were changed by SSDa (the previous owner of the car) just one week prior to selling the car, so I didn't bother changing the belts as they were brand new. As for the water pump, I didn't replace it since it was in perfect condition. Water pump failure in a Maruti petrol engine is very rare, our 99 Omni is still running on the stock water pump, even my 01 Zen was on stock water pump. Still, I will recommend letting the mechanic take a thorough look at the condition of the pump & then decide whether to replace it or not.
3. I did have a slight issue of oil leak from the tappet cover gasket, so I have replaced the tappet cover gasket. Replacing it is a very simple procedure, any mechanic will be able to do it.
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Originally Posted by saket77 Wonderfully written! Cannot help but remark that these older cars had a character of their own. Living with a ‘02 Zen myself since past 18 years, I can relate to a lot of things that you had to say about the car. Well done. |
Thanks saket77. It is indeed true that these old cars have a charm of their own, they have their own personality. I still miss my Zen, every drive felt special in that car. I do occasionally get to drive a Zen, a good friend of mine owns a 03 Zen LX (150k km on the odometer).
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Originally Posted by charanreddy Brought back memories of my own zen 2002 MPFI. To your point availability of spare parts is a non issue, so is the dirt cheap Maintenance. It costed me 2000rs per year. A truly fill it and forget machine.
A customised 2 door zen for an occasional drive is on top of my head, saw a good example in one of the recent threads .. |
Thanks charanreddy. One of the main reasons for Maruti's king size market share is how good the after sales is, especially in terms of parts availability. A two door Zen would be awesome, if you can find one in good condition. Here in Assam, finding a two door Zen is very difficult. Would have been the ultimate car to go to college.
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Originally Posted by SS-Traveller Highly detailed description of your experiences, @chiranjitp, and it was a good read on an otherwise listless morning. Good to know the Swift has given you a happy ownership experience over the last 1.5 years. On my part, I'm glad that the car has been well-looked-after. In fact, I'd say better than I would have! - in your hands the car has returned to showroom condition. |
Thanks SSDa for the compliment, means a lot coming from you. I am doing the best as per my capacity to keep the Swift in good condition & the car is serving me very faithfully as well.
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Originally Posted by SS-Traveller The sludge build-up inside the engine is a normal occurrence for cars that never get revved hard, and do short city trips, while the oil change interval remains at the company recommended period of 10k km. Mercifully, the sludge is not as harmful to engine life as it looks. |
Even I am not that worried about the sludge, though it's not a pretty sight either. The car doesn't consume any oil nor does it smoke. My running is also very low (8k km per year), so I don't think I will have any issue regarding the sludge in my ownership tenure.
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Originally Posted by --gKrish-- Kudos for a nice and well detailed report brother!
I am on the same boat with respect to the sludge issue. Incidentally, we had the head cover of our zen opened and it had a shocking amount of sludge despite having a regular oil change history from day one. It was surprising as the car was running perfect and there was no change in noise, smell, performance or oil consumption. |
Thanks brother. It seems sludge buildup in a G series engine is unavoidable, even my friend's 03 Zen LX (first owner & always serviced in time) has sludge in his engine. Even in his car, the sludge hasn't caused any issue, his car has done 150k km & the engine is still healthy.
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Originally Posted by Heart_Revs I would rate it 7 stars if possible. The depth of coverage is outstanding. Being from Silchar, I would love to sit with you sometime over a coffee and shares some life experiences.
Used car market in Guwahati is not very lucrative. The used car prices here are at least 30% higher compared to Kolkata, delhi etc. |
Thank you for the compliment. It's true that used car prices in Guwahati (& whole Assam) is very high compared to bigger cities. High price thing is a bit complicated as well, used car prices are high only when one is looking to buy a car. But if one is looking to sell his/ her old car, the valuation quoted by the dealers (both authorized dealers & small car dealers) is very low.