Quote:
Originally Posted by vaasu Very sensible piece of advice coming a very young man and you summarized it beautifully - "I wouldn't have have it any other way"
Sludge build up in your cars do not look normal. This is how our 14 year old Santro looked like once rocker cover was removed for gasket replacement at 115K. |
Thanks a lot. Your Santro's engine looks absolutely clean, there's not even a hint of sludge. About the sludge in my car, I don't think there is anything we can do now, except for hoping that the engine continues to run normally. Even I am to a certain extent convinced that this much of sludge in an engine is not normal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by boniver Lovely thread, Chiranjit, on a topic that's close to my heart as well. Love the fact that you've even added the smallest details.
2 years ago, I was in a similar situation as you were 5 years back: I needed a car for myself despite having a bike, since my parents never let me take the bike too far. I finally decided upon a 2004 Santro Xing that was in a better condition than most 2012 Santro Xings that I had checked out earlier. |
Thanks brother. I am very much aware of your Santro story, you found a very good car. If you ask me, for an used car the condition of the car matters more than age, mileage, number of owners etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by boniver The car was 14 years old then, and is 16 years old now. My shifting to a new city once this lockdown ends has brought a big question mark on the car's future. |
Well, this is a very tough decision to take. It's a heart vs mind decision. I am not aware about the garage rent thing, we don't have (or more like don't need) such things in a small city like Guwahati. If the cost of that isn't that much, you might consider keeping the car for the next two years. Depreciation wise you won't lose much on such an old car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by scorpian Lovely write up. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
For the sludge frequent oil changes @5k kms along with ows engine flush is what did the trick in my used cars. I would suggest you try the same and it should help clear most of the gooey stuff. |
Thanks scorpian. Regarding engine flush, I am skeptical of trying it out on such an old engine. I am using Synthetic oil though, I believe they have some cleaning properties as well. Last time I posted engine sludge photos of the Zen, you told me to replace the oil pump strainer. Sadly I couldn't get the strainer changed that time, but this time for the Swift I have gotten it replaced.
Quote:
Originally Posted by keroo1099 Very nice thread chiranjitp. The amount of detail you have remembered and provided is nothing short of amazing. I still feel the first Gen Swift is the best of the lot and the G13B engine is bulletproof even with a few mods like I have on my 2005 Vxi that is still going strong at 90K. |
Thanks keroo1099. Your Swift is in amazing condition, both engine wise & cosmetically. I am especially in love with the alloys you have on your car. I hope the Swift will continue to serve you faithfully for many more years.
Quote:
Originally Posted by keroo1099 Reading about your sludge buildup, I opened my oil filler and took a snap of the internals. No sludge at all that I can see, and I don't remember ever having flushed the engine. |
Thanks for sharing this photo, finally I get to see a G series engine without sludge. The internal of your Swift's engine is very clean. I do intend to open the tappet cover of our family's 2019 EECO (similar G12 engine) after she clocks around 70-80k km. Maybe I will then (finally) get to see a sludge free G series engine with my own eyes
.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nissan1180 Thank you for sharing. This is a very good thread for anyone looking at a sub-1.5 lakh car.
I wish everyone reads this message again, and again. Two wheelers are the most unsafe means of commute in India, and it does not depend on what bike you drive. |
Thanks Nissan1180. This topic is a bit touchy, I mean India is the world's largest two wheeler market, so people will continue to ride two wheelers in our country. They are cheap to buy, way cheaper to run & maintain than a car. As for me, I believe that even the unsafest car (Omni would be that car, which we have in our garage) is safer than the safest two wheeler. I have decided no two wheelers for me ever.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jkaushik Very well written (and long) post Chiranjit!
A well maintained Zen is more than worth a second glance now a days.
The Zen and Swift are my only favourite cars from Maruti and you have both. Wishing you lots of safe kms ahead. |
Thanks jkaushik. It's nice to see a fellow bhpian from Guwahati, that too with an Ecosport. Our Ecosport is a 2016 Titanium + TDCi model, with 70k km on the odo.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shivamk11 Excellent write-up, thoroughly enjoyed reading it. But surprised to see that your Swift ZXI doesn't have steering mounted audio controls and factory fitted HU. I have noticed them in all the Swift ZXI I've seen. |
As Leoshashi has already mentioned, factory fitted HU & steering mounted controls came from 2008 onward, when the Swift received a minor facelift. The 2008 Swift ZXi also gained tilt adjustable steering, which is missing in my car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leoshashi Awesome report Bro, rated it a well deserving 5 Stars!
I'm glad that you finally got a nice first gen Swift ZXi, and I'm sure it will see even better days in your ownership. At least,I should thank you and SSda for saving such a nice machine from the stupid scrapping policy of Delhi NCR. The first gen ZXi is a keeper and wishing you many happy miles in it. |
Thanks brother, it means a lot coming from you. Yup, the first gen Swift ZXi is indeed a keeper. She has all the modern comfort & safety features, while retaining the raw driving feel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leoshashi Not sure how true this is. It largely depends on the frequency of oil change and the quality of oil used. While condition in your car is disgusting(albeit nothing alarming), I have witnessed many G series engines which don't have even a bit of sludge despite being more than a decade old. BHPian keroo1099's 2005 VXi is a good example on this very page. |
I agree with you on this point, the sludge in my engine is certainly not normal. How & why did it happen? Well, that's a puzzle yet to be solved. As long as the car runs normally, I won't worry much about the sludge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Samba Picking up these well maintained fun to drive cars at a very lucrative rate indeed makes them a value for money proposition.
I can imagine the fun you have at those curvy roads around Guwahati. Cars with small foot print, good handling and a rev friendly engine are just apt for the places you generally drive around! And not to forget, both these cars are super reliable! |
Thanks Samba da, these cars are indeed a value for money proposition. The difference between base & top variants of most premium hatchbacks is over 2 lakh, for that money one can buy a Swift & a Zen together. I really enjoy driving the Swift on Meghalaya roads, it's one fun machine.
Quote:
Originally Posted by anshu1101 An excellent thread and very detailed thread Chiranjitp. Thoroughly enjoyed reading the write-up. My father owned the first generation Swift VDI and we owned a used Maruti 800 DX with the carburettor engine prior to that. |
Thanks anshu1101. The first gen Swift VDi is a legend, it was the first car that taught us that small diesel cars needn't be unrefined & slow. The Swift DDiS was a fast car, especially after 2000 RPM when the turbo kicked in. We too have an old carburetor Maruti in our garage, a 99 Omni.