Ritz VDi 8000kms Report

salunkhe.vizz · 12th August 2010, 12:21

Hey Fellow BHP-ian’s,

This is the second time I am trying to post an Initial Ownership report for my new Ritz VDi. Will try and keep it crisp and to the point to avoid deletion ……..

Pre-buying:
1. 3rd Car in the last 3 years - Swift Lxi (Chennai) , Spark Music Edition LS(Blore) and now Ritz VDi (Mumbai). Being my 3rd and final car for the next 3-4 years atleast, I wanted a good diesel vehicle – looking at the escalating petrol costs ad the consequent problems I faced with my previous petrol costs on the spark and swift.

2. Shortlist – I shortlisted the Figo, Polo, Swift, Ritz, Indica and Punto. Swift was out as I had already owned one, Polo was out because of its 3-4 month wait and the snobbish dealer attitude, Indica was out because of its looks, and Punto because of its after sales service. Figo and Ritz were the closest competitors for me, but after the test drive – I confidently selected the Ritz owing to the following factors: Maruti Brand and after sales, service network, taller, better ground clearance, looks (my personal choice, I am aware people call the ritz a hideous creature), 30k dealer discount and hence lower down-payment, and last but not the least - the tachometer on the dash

Buying:
Dealer: Spectra Motors Borivli (Mumbai)
Price: 5.86L – 30k dealer discounts
Free Accessories: Mud Flaps and Floor Mats

Accessories Purchased:-
Maruti – Nippon Car Security: 5.8k
Pioneer Head Unit with usb/aux slots: 4.5k
Rear Speakers: Kicker Oval 400 watts: 4k
Speakers front: DSL 3 way speakers (free: 1 year used)
Amp: 4 channel MTX audio amp (free: 1 year used)
Fitting and wires for the ICE: 6k
Garware Sunfilm: 1.3k
Black Leather Seat Covers: 3.6K

Post-buying:
I have been quite happy with the cars performance so far. Have driven 8000kms and have finished the 1st servicing. Here’s my verdict:
Looks– To each his own: I am in love with the tall boy yet ground fixated looks, and I am in total awe of the weird back as well. The design is very “neo”lithic and quite as per my taste.
Visibility– The back visibility isn’t very good. The side mirrors do not show a vehicle which is immediately on your back right, you have to bend forwards and check the mirrors to get right side vision. The side pillars on the left also block visibility to an extent.
Interior space – Compared to both my swift and spark, I really like the amount of space in the car. The tall structure makes it feel even bigger, and the best part I like is just walking in you car instead of crawling inside. My mother who has a back problem prefers to sit in my Ritz vis-à-vis my fathers verna.
Interior quality – I personally did not like the bluish cloth finish interiors; the grey plastics look firm and sturdy.
Build quality – I find the metal better than my swift lxi (must be my imagination), but the door closes with a nice confident thud. Most of my friends, who sit in the car for the first time, can never close the door in their 1st attempt.
Engine performance – I love the pick up with the turbo above 2k rpm. Though it’s difficult when the turbo gets activated on hard bends. It’s a monster on the highway and a tamed beast in the city. The engine noise is quite high though, even inside the cabin with ac and music on. Maybe I feel it more as it’s my first diesel.
Ride quality – Just above average. Though the suspension could have still been better.
Handling – The handling on turns, high speeds was what surprised me the most. Inspite of being a tallboy, the car sits firm on the road even at 120+kmph. But it seems a bit unstable during hard braking.
Boot space – The boot again is better than the swift and the spark. But obviously smaller to a Figo or Indica Vista. I am a single person user, and it suits me well. Plus the 60:40 seats help increase the boot space anytime you require.

Service:
Done the first service and got the engine oil changed as well as the Engine Wax coating done.

The car already has an anti-rust under body treatment. I suggest do not visit Spectra for servicing ever. The washing was worst than even my roadside thela come garage. Anyone from Mumbai – please do suggest me some good service stations for Maruti in western Mumbai.

Overall I am quite happy with the car so far, will keep posting further update at every 5k kms. Any questions are more than welcome ..

Attaching a few pics for your perusal [FONT=Wingdings]

[/FONT]

joshguy · 12th August 2010, 22:47

Congrats man,

How come 3 cars is 3 years and that too from three locations? where do you belong

krish3 · 13th August 2010, 10:35

Congrats on the Ritz.

Since you've bought the VDi, I thought the central locking and Nippon came with the car. Its only in LDi that you have to buy it seperately. How did they charge you for that?

srinivasmhn · 13th August 2010, 10:53

Hey, I just yesterday only took a lease transfer of Ritz VDI with ABS. ODO is 5K Kms. Bigger 195 profile yokohoma tyres.
Driven it for around 100 Kms in a day and I am loving it. Still getting adjusted to drive due to the blind spots. I was useing previously Indica TDI and was used to it having driven it for 65k Kms.
It may take 2/3 days to get adjusted to drive properly in city traffic.

It makes whole difference to ride and the smoothness of the vehicle compared to Indica.

salunkhe.vizz · 16th August 2010, 20:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by joshguy

Congrats man,

How come 3 cars is 3 years and that too from three locations? where do you belong

Buddy,

I am basically from Mumbai. Was placed in Hyd after my MBA and then transferred to Chennai. Second job was in Bangalore. And I preferred to sell and buy new cars than go through the hassles of changing registrations and paying road taxes evrytime I changed a city - esp as I did not know the local language to deal with the RTO or agents

Vizz

salunkhe.vizz · 16th August 2010, 20:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by krish3

Congrats on the Ritz.

Since you've bought the VDi, I thought the central locking and Nippon came with the car. Its only in LDi that you have to buy it seperately. How did they charge you for that?

Hey Krish, the VDi comes with central locking but not with a car security / key less entry system (Nippon) ... So I had to buy it separately

Vizz

salunkhe.vizz · 16th August 2010, 20:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by srinivasmhn

Hey, I just yesterday only took a lease transfer of Ritz VDI with ABS. ODO is 5K Kms. Bigger 195 profile yokohoma tyres.
Driven it for around 100 Kms in a day and I am loving it. Still getting adjusted to drive due to the blind spots. I was useing previously Indica TDI and was used to it having driven it for 65k Kms.
It may take 2/3 days to get adjusted to drive properly in city traffic.

It makes whole difference to ride and the smoothness of the vehicle compared to Indica.

Hi Srini, Congrats on your new car. I am sure the ABS must be a much better variant than one without it. It took me a couple of days to adjust to the blind spots - its not that bad after 3 months now ... You will fall in love with the pick up and handling - welcome to the club

Vizz

Amit Mehta · 18th August 2010, 16:30

Does your VDi have an internal boot release. I heard its missing in this car, but some variants have it. Can you confirm ?

Schoudhury · 18th August 2010, 18:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amit Mehta

Does your VDi have an internal boot release. I heard its missing in this car, but some variants have it. Can you confirm ?

Yes, it (VDI) does have one , not sure about other variants .

Cheers

nkrishnap · 19th August 2010, 10:21

Congrats on the Ritz. The white looks good. Enjoy many more miles with the diesel ddis

By the way why is the fitting and the wiring cost total to 6K. It seems on the higher side

salunkhe.vizz · 27th August 2010, 10:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Congrats on the Ritz. The white looks good. Enjoy many more miles with the diesel ddis

By the way why is the fitting and the wiring cost total to 6K. It seems on the higher side

The guy took 4k as cable and connector charges and 2k for fitting ... total was 6k apart from the speakers, amp and system

salunkhe.vizz · 6th May 2011, 16:02

Faced a weird problem with the car last weekend!
Maybe a regular problem for people who know diesel engines, but a first time for me as all my previous set of wheels were petrol.

I usually trip my kms every time the lower bar on digital fuel indicator starts blinking. After it starts blinking, I have usually driven the car over 150kms at times before I top up again as I always assumed that the tank is minimum 10 ltrs after blink signal.

Last weekend I left my house at 4am for a trip to goa, the odo post blink was showing 98kms. At around 4.20am, the engine light on the dashboard suddenly blinked and the car started wobbling (out of fuel) and turned dead in 30 secs. I diagnosed that it might be a fuel problem so got 2 litres (in bottles) diesel from a nearby pump and filled it in - the car still wont start. Luckily a passerby noticed my agony and came to assist. He immediately reckoned that the car "must have caught air" when i tried to crank it on empty tank. So he called up a mechanic who took almost 4 hrs to remove the gas bubbles (manually removing the fuel from engines side - putting it back in from the fuel lid, did this till all bubbles were gone). My trip started on a real bad note and my mood was totally wrecked

I know it was my mistake to start with, and I should fill fuel as soon as the needle blinks

My question is:
- How come the Ritz does not have a RED FUEL indicator like in all other cars that starts blinking (reserve) and gives a 3-5 ltr heads up ?

- How come the fuel got empty at 110km approx when I usually cross it beyond 190-200 at times, is there any place I need to check for leakage, pilferage etc ?

salunkhe.vizz · 12th August 2011, 19:39

18,000 kms update:

Just finished my fourth service (should have done it at 20k kms, but got it done early as my brake pads had worn out and needed replacement)

As usual did it at Powai Auto (Maruti Authorized Service Centre). The bill was a whopping 11.5K, parts replaced and services procured were :

Products:
Engine Oil
Oil Filter
Gasket, oil drain
Engine Flush
1 Ltr Koolex
Gear Oil MPFI, 80W/90
Exchange Filter
Element, Air Cleaner
Brake Fluid GC 1500AA
Polish Paper
Silicon Grease
Carbon Cleaning ISP
Bulb 21/5 W, 12V
Pad Assey Set

Labour & Services:
Paid Service
Engine Oil & Filter Replacement
Engine System Flushing
Air Filter replace
Radiator Flushing / Coolant R
Gear Box Oil Change
Diesel Filter Renew
Brake Cleaning/Setting/Check
Caliper Pin Greasing
Brake Bleeding
Brake Pad Renew
Brake Disc Skiming
Carbon Cleaning
All Electrical's Check up
Tyre Puncture Repair

Was I ripped ? :(

Ownership Experience:
(+)
- Still not many vibrations and typical maruti pitter patter inside the cabin inspite of daily driving on the pot-hole filled Aarey Colony road.
- Excellent Mileage of 15kmpl till date (maintaining an excel with pump and rate details based on a template shared by another Ritz Vdi owner)
- Very good torque even after a year, turbo is still very much alive
- Never stalled or broke up on any of my umpteen long drives

(-)
- Body Roll and stability on high speeds compared to my old Swift
- Blind spots on the left
- Lack of Visibility in reverse

Utopian · 12th August 2011, 22:13

15kmpl seems to be a bit low. MJDs generally do better.
Reverse visibility seems to be an issue in all modern hatch backs. I experience the same in my Punto.

sachinj12 · 12th August 2011, 22:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Utopian

15kmpl seems to be a bit low. MJDs generally do better.
Reverse visibility seems to be an issue in all modern hatch backs. I experience the same in my Punto.

If its 15kmpl in city driving, I think it is fair enough. What does Maruti claim?

My mileage hovers around 14-15-16 kmpl. And my driving is a mix of heavy/moderate/no traffic with AC/no AC.

Highway is a different story altogether, the worst I have managed is 17kmpl and the best is 20.5kmpl

12th August 2010, 12:21	#1
salunkhe.vizz BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 297 Thanked: 216 Times View My Garage	Ritz VDi 8000kms Report Hey Fellow BHP-ian’s, This is the second time I am trying to post an Initial Ownership report for my new Ritz VDi. Will try and keep it crisp and to the point to avoid deletion …….. Pre-buying: 1. 3rd Car in the last 3 years - Swift Lxi (Chennai) , Spark Music Edition LS(Blore) and now Ritz VDi (Mumbai). Being my 3rd and final car for the next 3-4 years atleast, I wanted a good diesel vehicle – looking at the escalating petrol costs ad the consequent problems I faced with my previous petrol costs on the spark and swift. 2. Shortlist – I shortlisted the Figo, Polo, Swift, Ritz, Indica and Punto. Swift was out as I had already owned one, Polo was out because of its 3-4 month wait and the snobbish dealer attitude, Indica was out because of its looks, and Punto because of its after sales service. Figo and Ritz were the closest competitors for me, but after the test drive – I confidently selected the Ritz owing to the following factors: Maruti Brand and after sales, service network, taller, better ground clearance, looks (my personal choice, I am aware people call the ritz a hideous creature), 30k dealer discount and hence lower down-payment, and last but not the least - the tachometer on the dash Buying: Dealer: Spectra Motors Borivli (Mumbai) Price: 5.86L – 30k dealer discounts Free Accessories: Mud Flaps and Floor Mats Accessories Purchased:- Maruti – Nippon Car Security: 5.8k Pioneer Head Unit with usb/aux slots: 4.5k Rear Speakers: Kicker Oval 400 watts: 4k Speakers front: DSL 3 way speakers (free: 1 year used) Amp: 4 channel MTX audio amp (free: 1 year used) Fitting and wires for the ICE: 6k Garware Sunfilm: 1.3k Black Leather Seat Covers: 3.6K Post-buying: I have been quite happy with the cars performance so far. Have driven 8000kms and have finished the 1st servicing. Here’s my verdict: Looks– To each his own: I am in love with the tall boy yet ground fixated looks, and I am in total awe of the weird back as well. The design is very “neo”lithic and quite as per my taste. Visibility– The back visibility isn’t very good. The side mirrors do not show a vehicle which is immediately on your back right, you have to bend forwards and check the mirrors to get right side vision. The side pillars on the left also block visibility to an extent. Interior space – Compared to both my swift and spark, I really like the amount of space in the car. The tall structure makes it feel even bigger, and the best part I like is just walking in you car instead of crawling inside. My mother who has a back problem prefers to sit in my Ritz vis-à-vis my fathers verna. Interior quality – I personally did not like the bluish cloth finish interiors; the grey plastics look firm and sturdy. Build quality – I find the metal better than my swift lxi (must be my imagination), but the door closes with a nice confident thud. Most of my friends, who sit in the car for the first time, can never close the door in their 1st attempt. Engine performance – I love the pick up with the turbo above 2k rpm. Though it’s difficult when the turbo gets activated on hard bends. It’s a monster on the highway and a tamed beast in the city. The engine noise is quite high though, even inside the cabin with ac and music on. Maybe I feel it more as it’s my first diesel. Ride quality – Just above average. Though the suspension could have still been better. Handling – The handling on turns, high speeds was what surprised me the most. Inspite of being a tallboy, the car sits firm on the road even at 120+kmph. But it seems a bit unstable during hard braking. Boot space – The boot again is better than the swift and the spark. But obviously smaller to a Figo or Indica Vista. I am a single person user, and it suits me well. Plus the 60:40 seats help increase the boot space anytime you require. Service: Done the first service and got the engine oil changed as well as the Engine Wax coating done. The car already has an anti-rust under body treatment. I suggest do not visit Spectra for servicing ever. The washing was worst than even my roadside thela come garage. Anyone from Mumbai – please do suggest me some good service stations for Maruti in western Mumbai. Overall I am quite happy with the car so far, will keep posting further update at every 5k kms. Any questions are more than welcome .. Attaching a few pics for your perusal [FONT=Wingdings][/FONT] Attached Thumbnails
	(1) Thanks

12th August 2010, 22:47	#2
joshguy BANNED Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,379 Thanked: 110 Times	Congrats man, How come 3 cars is 3 years and that too from three locations? where do you belong
	() Thanks

13th August 2010, 10:35	#3
krish3 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cochin/Bangalore Posts: 758 Thanked: 192 Times	Congrats on the Ritz. Since you've bought the VDi, I thought the central locking and Nippon came with the car. Its only in LDi that you have to buy it seperately. How did they charge you for that?
	() Thanks

13th August 2010, 10:53	#4
srinivasmhn BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 89 Thanked: 6 Times	Ritz VDI Hey, I just yesterday only took a lease transfer of Ritz VDI with ABS. ODO is 5K Kms. Bigger 195 profile yokohoma tyres. Driven it for around 100 Kms in a day and I am loving it. Still getting adjusted to drive due to the blind spots. I was useing previously Indica TDI and was used to it having driven it for 65k Kms. It may take 2/3 days to get adjusted to drive properly in city traffic. It makes whole difference to ride and the smoothness of the vehicle compared to Indica.
	() Thanks

18th August 2010, 16:30	#8
Amit Mehta Newbie Join Date: May 2010 Location: New Delhi Posts: 6 Thanked: 0 Times	Does your VDi have an internal boot release. I heard its missing in this car, but some variants have it. Can you confirm ?
	() Thanks

19th August 2010, 10:21	#10
nkrishnap Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 3,988 Thanked: 7,452 Times View My Garage	Congrats on the Ritz. The white looks good. Enjoy many more miles with the diesel ddis By the way why is the fitting and the wiring cost total to 6K. It seems on the higher side
	() Thanks

6th May 2011, 16:02	#12
salunkhe.vizz BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 297 Thanked: 216 Times View My Garage	Re: Ritz VDi 8000kms Report Faced a weird problem with the car last weekend! Maybe a regular problem for people who know diesel engines, but a first time for me as all my previous set of wheels were petrol. I usually trip my kms every time the lower bar on digital fuel indicator starts blinking. After it starts blinking, I have usually driven the car over 150kms at times before I top up again as I always assumed that the tank is minimum 10 ltrs after blink signal. Last weekend I left my house at 4am for a trip to goa, the odo post blink was showing 98kms. At around 4.20am, the engine light on the dashboard suddenly blinked and the car started wobbling (out of fuel) and turned dead in 30 secs. I diagnosed that it might be a fuel problem so got 2 litres (in bottles) diesel from a nearby pump and filled it in - the car still wont start. Luckily a passerby noticed my agony and came to assist. He immediately reckoned that the car "must have caught air" when i tried to crank it on empty tank. So he called up a mechanic who took almost 4 hrs to remove the gas bubbles (manually removing the fuel from engines side - putting it back in from the fuel lid, did this till all bubbles were gone). My trip started on a real bad note and my mood was totally wrecked I know it was my mistake to start with, and I should fill fuel as soon as the needle blinks My question is: - How come the Ritz does not have a RED FUEL indicator like in all other cars that starts blinking (reserve) and gives a 3-5 ltr heads up ? - How come the fuel got empty at 110km approx when I usually cross it beyond 190-200 at times, is there any place I need to check for leakage, pilferage etc ? Last edited by Technocrat : 17th August 2011 at 03:12. Reason: Removed extra tags
	(1) Thanks

12th August 2011, 19:39	#13
salunkhe.vizz BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 297 Thanked: 216 Times View My Garage	Re: Ritz VDi 8000kms Report 18,000 kms update: Just finished my fourth service (should have done it at 20k kms, but got it done early as my brake pads had worn out and needed replacement) As usual did it at Powai Auto (Maruti Authorized Service Centre). The bill was a whopping 11.5K, parts replaced and services procured were : Products: Engine Oil Oil Filter Gasket, oil drain Engine Flush 1 Ltr Koolex Gear Oil MPFI, 80W/90 Exchange Filter Element, Air Cleaner Brake Fluid GC 1500AA Polish Paper Silicon Grease Carbon Cleaning ISP Bulb 21/5 W, 12V Pad Assey Set Labour & Services: Paid Service Engine Oil & Filter Replacement Engine System Flushing Air Filter replace Radiator Flushing / Coolant R Gear Box Oil Change Diesel Filter Renew Brake Cleaning/Setting/Check Caliper Pin Greasing Brake Bleeding Brake Pad Renew Brake Disc Skiming Carbon Cleaning All Electrical's Check up Tyre Puncture Repair Was I ripped ? :( Ownership Experience: (+) - Still not many vibrations and typical maruti pitter patter inside the cabin inspite of daily driving on the pot-hole filled Aarey Colony road. - Excellent Mileage of 15kmpl till date (maintaining an excel with pump and rate details based on a template shared by another Ritz Vdi owner) - Very good torque even after a year, turbo is still very much alive - Never stalled or broke up on any of my umpteen long drives (-) - Body Roll and stability on high speeds compared to my old Swift - Blind spots on the left - Lack of Visibility in reverse Last edited by salunkhe.vizz : 12th August 2011 at 19:44.
	(1) Thanks

12th August 2011, 22:13	#14
Utopian BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: New Delhi Posts: 653 Thanked: 182 Times	Re: Ritz VDi 8000kms Report 15kmpl seems to be a bit low. MJDs generally do better. Reverse visibility seems to be an issue in all modern hatch backs. I experience the same in my Punto.
	() Thanks