[NiInJa]

I will be going to the Service center tomorrow to get this replacement done. Reading this, it makes me a bit nervous as I had planned some road trips just a few days later.

Fingers crossed, but what needs to be done, needs to be done.

On a different note, got a mail and SMS having all details of the Dealer, Service Advisor etc right on time, also the service center has called my twice so far confirming my booking and told me that it is going to take about 5.30 hours to get the work done. I have told them that I will stay with my car, lets see how they do the arrangements.

[Leoshashi]

Update: Went through the replacement. Mine was the first car to come today, and hence got out first too. The replacement part was fairly easy. It was the paperwork(or tab work) which took time. The Entire process is:

Reaching Early:

-Scanning VIN, Bar code of Old ISG

-If your car is a part of the recall, it throws a message, "ISG is defective, replace ISG".

-Then the new MGU kit comes in, which consists of New MGU, Couple of Exhaust seals, axle nut and couple of gearoil drain bolts.

New ISG

-Since mine was the first car, they worked exactly as per SOP given in their training and no shortcut was taken. The car was taken in and hoisted on the lift:

-The removal process from engine bay side included Disconnection of Negative terminal of battery, Removal of Air Filter Box and disconnection of connector nut of ISG from top. After this the car was lifted all the way up.

-Once in the air, they removed the RH wheel, engine guard and RH fender trim. The Gearoil was drained and collected in a clean can the workshop had kept ready.

-The Mechanic then disconnected the lower arm bolt from knuckle, removed the front exhaust pipe and driveshaft was taken out after undoing the three bolts. Ensure care is taken for the RH oil seal

-The ISG belt tension is released. It wasn't removed.

-The ISG mounting bolts were removed and the old ISG with tensioner bearing came out.

-Tensioner bearing was checked for free movement and swapped to the new ISG. It was then mounted and belt was put back on.

-Driveshaft was put back, ensure oil seal isn't damaged here.

-The black thing is the dreaded oil seal:

-All parts were assembled back in the order, new Exhaust seals and axle nut was used.

-The collected Gearoil was poured in and new drain nuts were put in.

-The car was moved to empty bay since there were many Ertigas lined up for today. They then had to update the ECM. There was an update for auxiliary power module. They had to clear all existing DTCs and then move the car to sunlight so that sun load sensor doesn't throw a code.

-The ISG's pin port was destroyed as per instructions(so that it isn't reused by vendor or sold in scrap market), the old parts packed and the Job card number and my car's number was mentioned on the carton(Pic Courtesy, a friend from Ciaz group).

-At last, the job was done. The system initially just kept charging on deceleration but there was no torque assist function or Auto start stop.

-However after driving a bit, the battery got fully recharged and then system worked normally:

[Leoshashi]

Some important points:

-The job took an hour to complete.

-Mechanics and everyone is decently trained about the process.

-I went in fully prepared, with empty clean cans to collect oil, torque wrenches and regular supplies. However was surprised to see the workshop equally well prepared and they didn't need any of my supplies. Every single bolt was torqued as per specs using their digital torque wrench.

-Apparently there is a way to open the rear engine mount and try to wiggle out the ISG. That saves the effort of removing driveshaft. A friendly BHPian did ping me well in time, but the WM declined going that way since it has been strictly told in their training not to try that method. The ISG is very sensitive to even mild knocks and that way is a bit risky since the clearance is quite tight with other components.

Also in Ertigas/XL6s, there is room for ISG to be removed from rear. A lot many more methods are coming to light. Whichever method is followed, ensure ISG doesn't get knocked around or brush against other components while going in.

-By the time I came out, the workshop was filled with Ertigas for ISG replacement. Better to take appointment in advance and reach early. Have a look:

-WM Sir was present all along, Thanks a lot since his involvement ensured all protocols were followed.

-Due to rush, It's better to take prior appointment with your workshop manager and then go in early. At morning Mechanics are fresh and work properly compared to say evening when they are already tired.

-There are positive improvements post change, mileage seems to have gone up significantly, boost/assist time is higher and the Idle stop time is also doubled.

[NiInJa]

Thank you @Leoshashi for doing this, I was a bit nervous about doing this tomorrow, but your post gives me enough confidence to do it!

The ISG behaviour that you mentioned is exactly the same as when the replacement was done the first time back in 2019, I was a bit worried that the torque assist is not kicking in but it started working after some time.

For folks who want to know about the drive shaft seal, watch the video from 5.29 mins onwards. Fitting the drive shaft back in requires patience and that is where I am a bit worried if the mechanics do shoddy job to meet their incentive targets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KcAAPHhaoQ&t=340s

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by NiInJa

For folks who want to know about the drive shaft seal, watch the video from 5.29 mins onwards. Fitting the drive shaft back in requires patience and that is where I am a bit worried if the mechanics do shoddy job to meet their incentive targets.

Yes, while taking driveshaft out and while putting it back in, care has to be taken to guide the end smoothly without rubbing the seal. Rest everything is easy.

Regards,
Shashi

[tacho9000]

That's quite a major work in terms of number of assemblies disturbed. Any idea what the ECU update was about?

[vvrchandra]

@Leoshashi Was the same gear oil refilled back or new oil was used.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by EshanS

Just wanted to know if it's going to be a compulsory change of the part or is it going to be identified first and then replaced like last time?

Yes they are changing for all cars falling in the range. Not like last time where selective replacement was done.

Originally Posted by NiInJa

On a different note, got a mail and SMS having all details of the Dealer, Service Advisor etc right on time, also the service center has called my twice so far confirming my booking and told me that it is going to take about 5.30 hours to get the work done. I have told them that I will stay with my car, lets see how they do the arrangements.

To both of you: Rush is immense, so take an appointment, preferably as early as possible and reach punctually. That way it won't take more than a couple of hours for you. Actual process is of 30 minutes tops.

At my workshop, today was the first day so I found the bays empty. However by the time I left, all bays were occupied by Ertigas for this replacement and there were some 30 cars in the queue already(by 11am). WM quoted that they won't be able to do all of them today and there will be some pending jobs for next day. Not everyone is coming as per appointment.

Originally Posted by tacho9000

That's quite a major work in terms of number of assemblies disturbed. Any idea what the ECU update was about?

As per their training document, it has changed the logic when the system perceives battery as discharged, the limit has been lowered to 15% from earlier 30%. Thus boost/assist time has increased.

Originally Posted by vvrchandra

@Leoshashi Was the same gear oil refilled back or new oil was used.

Old oil. That was precisely why I had taken my clean 5L can. However they had also properly kept clean cans of engine oil so used that. No harm in using old oil as long as the container used to drain it was clean. It's replacement period is 10 years/1.6 lac kilometers.

**************

One minor change noticed in my XL6: Earlier at no load, idle rpm, the voltage measured was around 14.05-14.10V. I can confirm that this has been the behavior since day 1.

Now it's 13.95-13.98V. At 2500rpm, no load, the voltage does rise to 14V but it strictly doesn't cross that. Even at load, voltage regulation seems superior than older ISG. There was some drop noticed in case of older ISG at idle rpm with a set of load, that is eliminated and the system is maintaining its 13.95V at same load.

Regards,
Shashi

[NiInJa]

Quick Update on my car. I have dropped my car at the service center and honestly I am a bit concerned. There is a huge backlog of yesterday, so my car may not be ready today, SA has informed me. I spent an hour on the floor watching what these guys are doing and was evident why they have a backlog.

- There is a shortage of technicians/mechanics on the floor.

- The one car I stood by to watch (after taking permission from the Floor Manager), there were two guys who were probably doing it for the first time and were not exactly sure of the steps. The SA was instructing them to carry out each step.

- Since the SA was busy with other cars, the mechanic had to wait on him, so a task of hardly 15-20 minutes is taking about an hour

- The car that I saw getting the part replaced was an Ertiga and they DID NOT remove the RH driveshaft and the wheel, only turned the wheel to extreme right so as to access the bolts attached to the MGU. As per the SA, the drive shaft needs to be removed for Ciaz as there is less space. For Ertiga, they are removing the exhaust pipe and removing the MGU from the rear side of the engine as there is a just enough space to work. They are articulating it carefully without any yank or pull so I was a bit relieved, But not sure if that will be the case always as these guys try to meet deadlines.

- The plastic housing around the pins are destroyed

- The technician fitted the new one, but as the SA was too distracted with other cars, he asked the technician to remove it, and then took the mandatory photographs and scanned the new one. There was a lot of communication gap.

- After watching all this, I have asked the service advisor to call me whenever they start working on my car. I am not 100% confident on the technicians knowledge and basics. How do I know if the belt is refitted with the right tension or without any damage?

- My fear about the drive shaft was true, there was a Ciaz next to the Ertiga (probably not for the replacement) and they yanked it out with force and lot of wiggle and didn't even bother to check if everything was OK.

While he was filling up my job card, the SA got a call from some customer who was facing some issue after the replacement and was probably angry. The SA listened calmly and told him to bring the car back to the service station

Overall, I didn't get good vibes from the service station, the SA was not very welcoming and he tersely said that I wont get the car today when I have been called at least 6 times in two days till yesterday with the promise that it would be a four-five hour job and you can wait at the service station (it is actually less than that if they really do things without any distraction, for Ertiga it is even less with non removal of drive shaft) I am a bit happy that my car wasn't the first one to go in as the technicians are still a bit in 'learning mode' and hopefully they will achieve mastery once they work on a few cars.

[HornNotOkPlease]

Originally Posted by NiInJa

Quick Update on my car. I have dropped my car at the service center and honestly I am a bit concerned. There is a huge backlog of yesterday, so my car may not be ready today, SA has informed me. I spent an hour on the floor watching what these guys are doing and was evident why they have a backlog.

All service centers have been given a steep target for each day, mine even though was a nexa only service center still they had 40 cars target per day. I anticipated this and add on to it the fatigue in the technicians for working out so many vehicles per day is the reason i choose to be the first one to get it replaced from my service center I expected they would follow the SOP for the initial vehicles till they find out a short cut to things, still my car didnt go through the SOP and the part was replaced without removing the drive shaft by swinging the engine. Though it was done carefully still there are chances of damage as LeoShashi highlighted.

[smooth]

Hi Shashi,

few queries I have:
1) did you have done some exploring on the Speedometer. It is good but I would have loved a few more options. Like last drip details, Current trip details, digital speed option all the time. In most of the current cars, these options are there.

2) Sometimes I like to roll up or down the windows without starting the car but in XL6 I need to start the car to perform the window roll-up/down feature.

3) Did you try to add a single tap roll-up/down feature in the passenger side window.

I have the AT Alpha model.

Thanks in advance.

[Leoshashi]

The recall and subsequent update regarding the Auxiliary Power module(Li Ion) has a great effect on the overall performance. Did a ~100km drive and noticed the following improvements:

1. Battery is now easily maintaining 4 or 5 bars when on highway with same kind of driving.

2. Boost/Assist time has increased.

3. Huge impact on FE. Since the battery was disconnected, MID got reset and it's showing 18.4 kmpl over the last 100km. This includes 30km of commute in absolutely insane Diwali traffic which took me 2 hours to cover, and I wasn't expecting anything over 14kmpl. On highways, FE readout was in excess of 22kmpl and this is when I was cruising happily at 100kmph without an eye on efficiency.

4. Auto stop time has significantly increased.

In all super happy with the update.

Regards,
Shashi

[sierrabravo98]

Originally Posted by smooth

Hi Shashi,

few queries I have:
1) did you have done some exploring on the Speedometer. It is good but I would have loved a few more options. Like last drip details, Current trip details, digital speed option all the time. In most of the current cars, these options are there.

2) Sometimes I like to roll up or down the windows without starting the car but in XL6 I need to start the car to perform the window roll-up/down feature.

3) Did you try to add a single tap roll-up/down feature in the passenger side window.

I have the AT Alpha model.

Thanks in advance.

Hi. Taking the liberty of answering your queries.

1.) Current trip summary is displayed for about 5 seconds after you turn off the engine. Digital speedometer is not available.

2.) For the AT model, press the start stop button twice WITHOUT pressing the brakes. That will bring the car into ACC mode and you will be able to operate all the electrical systems without turning on the engine.

[smooth]

Originally Posted by sierrabravo98

Hi. Taking the liberty of answering your queries.

1.) Current trip summary is displayed for about 5 seconds after you turn off the engine. Digital speedometer is not available.

2.) For the AT model, press the start stop button twice WITHOUT pressing the brakes. That will bring the car into ACC mode and you will be able to operate all the electrical systems without turning on the engine.

Thanks, sierrabravo98.

1) Yes this I get but that is like blink and miss. I miss the convenience we get in other cars. I am open to adding a separate gadget also if that works.

2) Thanks for this, I somehow tried and miss it a few times. Looks like I need to master it as does not look like one of the niftiest ways. Few of the other manufactures have the option to open and close the window through the key as well.

[sierrabravo98]

Originally Posted by smooth

Thanks, sierrabravo98.

1) Yes this I get but that is like blink and miss. I miss the convenience we get in other cars. I am open to adding a separate gadget also if that works.

2) Thanks for this, I somehow tried and miss it a few times. Looks like I need to master it as does not look like one of the niftiest ways. Few of the other manufactures have the option to open and close the window through the key as well.

1.) I think the Suzuki Connect device will fulfill your requirements. However, the dashboard of the vehicle has to be opened up to install the said device so do keep that in mind. Do check the relevant thread for the specifics before finalizing on this solution.

2.) Yes. The XL6 misses out on the remote roll-up/down of windows. Pretty sure an aftermarket solution exists for that though. You may want to check that out.