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Old 14th March 2010, 18:37   #1
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Hyundai i10 Magna Automatic Champagne Gold

Background
Santro bought in 2001 was becoming old, though I had hardly driven it. I started researching on team-bhp for my next sedan car. I finally short-listed Honda City and Fiesta. But then, I was in no hurry and wanted to wait till end of 2010 or early 2011 to see what other new launches come into market.

That’s when I told my wife that I plan to sell Santro and buy a new Sedan. She shot back saying that we are not selling our first car. I will drive the Santro and our next vehicle should be a SUV.

In a week or two following the above conversation, I happened to go out with my wife and asked her to drive. That’s when I realized the amount of difficulties she faced in changing gears in heavy traffic of Pune and thought of getting her an automatic.

I started initial research of automatics on team-bhp and saw so many posts related to automatic cars. This gave me confidence that automatics are slowly getting accepted in our market.

Short listing of cars
With plans to buy Sedan or SUV in 2011, I did not want to spend too much. I decided to go for a hatch back with a 5 lac budget and decided to sell my Santro to reduce the outgo.

The only real choice in the market was Hyundai i10 Automatic. I really wonder why other manufacturers are not promoting automatic cars.

I told my wife about the convenience involved in driving an automatic. On a weekend, I gave her a surprise by taking her to Kothari Hyundai dealer and met one Mr. Ganesh. However, i10 Automatic demo car was not readily available. Mr Ganesh however arranged for the demo car and bought it to my office the next day.

I really enjoyed the convenience and took it for a 3 kms drive to check the pickup, power and effect of air-conditioner on engine. At the end of the test drive, found the performance of the car beyond my expectations.

I told my wife about the experience and she agreed to buy an i10 automatic with a condition that we get good price for our Santro. Also, after seeing so many i10 on the roads we decided upon going in for Champagne Gold color. Our Santro was of Beige color.

I also studied the difference between Magna and Sportz variant. Asta was beyond budget. I am not a music fan and hence giving Rs.25000 more for music, rear wiper and defroster (not required in Pune) did not make sense. However, did notice lot of subtle differences and not sure why Hyundai cannot provide them as standard – difference in headrest, rear spoiler with HMSL (Magna has integrated Stop lamp in the hatch door), luggage lamp etc. Someone even told me that front wiper has one additional wiper speed setting in Sportz.

Selling experience
We again visited the dealer and asked for his quote. Hyundai has started the Hyundai Advantage program to buy back used cars. I got to know from the person how to check if the car has met with an accident, whether the engine is good or not, how to check tires etc. However, the price quoted by them was a setback for me. Santro had clocked less than 25000 kms and was in perfect condition. I then checked with Mahindra’s First Choice and they gave a quote which was higher by Rs.5000.

Other local car buyers in Pune did not match the First choice price. I was tempted to sell to them when they called back and raised the price by another 5k.

However, an idea stuck us and we decided to put an advertisement in our companies. This is where I read through “How to sell car” in team-bhp and created an advertisement. The response was over-whelming. There were so many people who had learned driving and wanted to first try their hand on a second hand car.

I got a good deal and of course the team-bhp article helped me in creating checklist of what all documents I need to retain and what all I need to provide to the buyer.

Buying experience
When we sold our car, only 2 days were remaining for the budget. Already I had started getting calls from Kothari to book car to beat the price hike after budget. On 25th Feb, we went to all 3 dealers – Garve Hyundai, Sanjay Hyundai and Kothari Hyundai. All of them seemed same to us though we had to bargain a lot with Kothari.

Garve and Sanjay did not have Champagne Gold in stock. Kothari had Magna AT Champagne Gold in stock and said that if I liked the car, they would provide price protection.

On 26th Feb, while the finance minister was announcing the budget, I made to visit to their stock yard in Katraj and looked at vehicle. Article on VIN number on team-bhp helped in identify the vehicle manufacturing year as 2010. I checked the mileage, for any scratches, checked the tires were Bridgestone. I noted the chassis number, engine number and tire numbers and informed the dealer that I liked the vehicle. After budget, the ex-showroom price has increased by around Rs. 8500.

Delivery of the vehicle
Mr. Ganesh was helpful throughout the whole process. I made payment on 2nd Mar and delivery was arranged for 4th Mar. I had fixed the time as 4pm. I got call at 12pm informing that the vehicle was ready for delivery. We went to dealer at 4pm and carried along our camera. Formalities done, the dealer arranged for a small pooja and by 5pm we were off with our new vehicle.

First experience
Till date we have driven around 300kms. I am still getting used to the automatic. There has been times when my left hand moves to the lever to change gears. My wife is enjoying the vehicle and taking it to her work daily. For now, she does not change once the lever is put in ‘D’ mode. She prefers not to change to ‘N’ mode too. Driving has become easy for her suddenly.

Overall the vehicle is powerful and unlike Santro has sufficient power even when air conditioner is on. During the running period, I am trying to keep the engine rpm within 2000 and maximum speed of 70kms/hr. Pickup from stop seems slow (maybe because I don’t press hard – to keep engine rpm within 2000) but beyond 40km/hr, the pickup is smooth. You can feel the vehicle changing gears, not very smooth. Headlamp does not seem very powerful but just sufficient for city drives.

Few queries
I am going through the forum to get answers for the below queries. However, if any of you have already addressed them, please do let me know:
  • How to avoid beige dashboard reflection on the wind screen?
  • Are there any brands which are good for puncture kits? (Read a good article on team-bhp for repairing tubeless tires using a puncture kit, however would want to know the available good brands.)
  • How to maintain beige interiors? Somehow, I am not a fan of beige interiors. Black/grey interiors are far better.
  • Do air fresheners really help? (I never used one in Santro.)
  • I am not a music fan but would like to hear to music from time to time. My requirement is 1-DIN system with support for USB and FM. I have a budget of Rs.10000. Any suggestions?
  • At higher speed, I noticed the power steering was hard compared to Santro. However, at lower speed, it is light. Is this by design?
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Old 14th March 2010, 20:39   #2
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What is your experience with the space inside, especially the rear? Also how is the comfort level in potholes?
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Old 14th March 2010, 23:59   #3
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Congratulations!

First of all, congratulations on the sweet car!
(I too brought M-series home last month! MT Variant)
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...m-flavour.html

I agree with you 110% on the differences between M & S versions of the i10.
I too would like a customized ICE setup than the boring 1-DIN setup.

I cannot say much about the AT queries you have, but I have shared my views/queries on my Ownership thread,
I will try to help with few other things you mentioned:

Quote:
How to avoid beige dashboard reflection on the wind screen?
You will get used to it, and will find it less_distracting soon enough!
Otherwise, you can get a nice Velvet-Black Cover for the dash, that, will look nice and also reduce the glare!
How to maintain beige interiors? Somehow, I am not a fan of beige interiors. Black/grey interiors are far better.
I have had the car for a month now, and I use it as a weekend car only. But, still, I use Microfiber cloth for once a week cleaning of the Beige and other areas. But, don't you find Beige more fresh than the regulars of Black/Grey?
Do air fresheners really help? (I never used one in Santro.)
Personal choice! But, I love the smell of my new car! If there is any odor, can opt for Ambi-Pur or some good brand (We have it in our Co. vehicle, and its good!)
I am not a music fan but would like to hear to music from time to time. My requirement is 1-DIN system with support for USB and FM. I have a budget of Rs.10000. Any suggestions?
Please search within the forum..
for now:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/sound-...hat-price.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/ask-gu...k-25k-30k.html

One of our i10 buddies :
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/ask-gu...blackagna.html
At higher speed, I noticed the power steering was hard compared to Santro. However, at lower speed, it is light. Is this by design?
I notice that at about 60 kmph and above!
Yes, thats the way its supposed to working!
For more info:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...-steering.html
We are waiting for your pics,
Have a look at my thread, and let me know your similar experiences!

Congratulations again/
Welcome to the i10 family!

Care.

Ace.

P.S. Ehhh, Pics ??

Last edited by driverace : 15th March 2010 at 00:01.
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Old 15th March 2010, 17:52   #4
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Hi Arun
Front space is better than Santro. This may because the gear lever console is moved forward.
Rear space - Frankly even I had not checked the same. So today, I sat in rear seat behind the driver seat. The space is ok and matches that of Santro.
I would not say it is better than Santro but not worse

Hi Ace,
Thanks a lot for the wishes as well as for answering to the queries
1. I will wait and see if I can get used to the beige dashboard and interiors.
2. Let me start off with Ambi-Pur and see if it helps.
3. Thanks for the links for ICE.
4. The technical article on EPS was really useful. At least now I understand EPS and HPS.
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Old 25th March 2010, 18:51   #5
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Friends, yesterday we had our first dent and scratch in the car. A truck tried to overtake at a turning from the wrong side and brushed the side of the car

Hyundai i10 Magna Automatic Champagne Gold-first-dent-scratch.jpg

Any suggestion on how to rectify the dent and scratch. Should I get it done by the Hyundai dealer? Should I claim insurance or bear the cost?
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Old 25th March 2010, 22:25   #6
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CONGRATS .
Post some pics of the cars,that will be nice .

Cheers
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Old 13th May 2010, 19:31   #7
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Friends, This weekend got the first service done. I insisted on getting the engine oil changed. The Service Advisor did mention of changing during second service. However, the engine oil and oil filter was changed.

The estimate for removing the dent shown in picture above and painting the door was Rs. 6000. So I went in for free paint touch up.

I have not yet taken the i10 AT fuel efficiency poll - it's too early, we have driven just 800kms. Till now the fuel efficiency - 800kms in 72.87litres of petrol which works out to 10.97. The running was 70% city and 30% highway. I will continue to monitor the fuel efficiency to see if it increases further. I have not raised the engine beyond 2500 rpm till now. Will be patient till I cross 2000kms.
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Old 13th May 2010, 19:59   #8
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Simhi, tinker & paint job to set that dent right doesn't look like it's worth Rs6000. You may be able to get the job done at an independent garage for much less. Look for a garage specialising in body repairs.
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Old 13th May 2010, 20:33   #9
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Congrats simhi - post some pics soon!
Regarding the dent - I suggest you go for insurance cover and get the work done from the Hyundai dealer. They do match colors perfectly, which might not be the case for outside bodyshops.
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Old 13th May 2010, 20:41   #10
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Its not hard to colour match as long as the paint has a code and the painter knows his stuff.
I've seen Hyundai A.S.S do a botched up job on our i10 for the amount they've charged. Same case with a friend's Swift at M.A.S.S, the Swift was redone at an independent body shop and was perfect.
Don't take it to any independent garage, take it one that specialises in body work.
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Old 18th May 2010, 22:41   #11
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Thanks friends. For now, we have got the paint touch up done from the dealer for the dent though the color do not exactly match. I will post pictures soon. I will wait for car to run another five to ten thousand kms before going in for complete dent and paint job.
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Old 19th May 2010, 12:48   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Simhi View Post
Thanks friends. For now, we have got the paint touch up done from the dealer for the dent though the color do not exactly match. I will post pictures soon. I will wait for car to run another five to ten thousand kms before going in for complete dent and paint job.
@Simhi, as your car is new, you can take it to the hyndai service centre and get a complete dent and paint job done. As far as the cost is concerned, since your car is new and covered in insurance, the cost would be born by the insurance company itself. You just have to pay a nominal charge of 500 bucks or so. The only thing is that you will have to leave your vehicle at the Service Centre for around 3- 4 days as the insurance executive will visit there to check the damage before approving the payment.
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Old 10th July 2010, 19:32   #13
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Friends, finally this week I am through with my run in period of 2000kms. We are very pleased with performance of our car especially the FE. The FE is beyond expectations. We are getting close to 12 (11.8). I think, there is a separate polling thread i10 Auto FE and I will also vote there. Otherwise, no major issues till now. One more month to go before we give it for second service.
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Old 11th July 2010, 14:20   #14
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Simhi 12kmpl for a auto box is just superb man.BTW the 2k kms covered was in 50:50 city and highway or what?
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Old 11th July 2010, 20:37   #15
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Please do put pictures up of your vehicle soon.

Its so good to see so many A/T hatch buyers. This should really encourage other mfgrers to offer A/T offerings with their products.

Hatches I'd love to see auto versions of:
Micra, Polo, Ritz, Swift, Jazz, Figo, Punto !
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