7 years & 70,000 km with my Creta petrol: 8th service update

I have driven only about 50 kms after service and there is a noticeable change in gear shifting.

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8th Service

The 7 years/ 70000 kms service was due in July 2024, however, due to some increased use post my accident in March 2024, the 10k km interval was completed in June itself. I had to make an urgent trip to Kochi which put an additional 400 kms over the due mileage.

The Service due meter was showing -397 kms with 38 days more to service. Since the Panda is out of warranty and the SA said it's not an issue, I booked an appointment for the nearest Sunday available for service. The Odometer reading at the time of service was 61517 kms.

HASS Popular Hyundai, Karakkamandapam, Trivandrum was chosen for the same as I had a pleasant experience there the last time. I wanted to get air and cabin filter changed and also I wanted to change the transmission oil and coolant. Now, Hyundai says the manual transaxle fluid need only be replaced at 120k kms and that too if the vehicle is used in severe conditions. I was experiencing some not so smooth gearshifts in between and also the reverse gear at times doesn't want to slot. So I thought why not change the gear oil and see. Regarding the coolant, it was replaced last service but when I check the radiator all I found was water and not the green stuff. I asked the Technician about it and he said they mix it in 50:50 (coolant concentrate : water) ratio as recommended by Hyundai. In the reserve tank I can see a darker liquid which I hope is green in colour. Can't see the liquid directly if I open the cap and peek inside.

So dropped off the car at the HASS at 9:30 AM on 16th and the SA informed me what all is going to be done as part of regular service and estimate cost. The initial estimate was around Rs 16k and I asked to use mineral engine oil instead of fully synthetic since I had always used mineral oil only and I'm satisfied with the results. I also asked them to skip the interior polishing as it leaves a slippery residue on steering wheel and all touch points. The revised estimate was around Rs 12k. The SA didn't push any more value added service other than an interior disinfection pack and evaporator cleaner which I gave a go ahead. I asked the SA to do the replacement of the transmission fluid and he said it is not really required at this point and I told him about the reverse gear issue and he said gear lever lubrication might solve the issue. Also, he told gear oil will be replaced whenever clutch replacement is done and since Panda has already done 60k kms that might be due in around another 20-30k kms and at that time I can change the transmission oil. I agreed with the same.

He said he will contact me with further works, if any, after they start on the car. Estimated time of delivery was 4:30PM. I agreed and left for home as I had some other important commitments. Usually in case of routine service I like to stay with the car.

At around 1PM, I get a call from another person at HASS saying that there are some other issues with the car, like, holes in the exhaust (already known), Spark Plugs might need replacement (expected), seeping leak of transmission oil/ oil seal failure (not expected). I told him to leave the exhaust alone like the last time, spark plus had life left in them and clearances were ok so I asked to clean them and put them back. Regarding the transmission oil leak, I was quite surprised as when I asked for replacement they said it is not required and surprisingly now there is a leak. I asked for the photos of the same and I got a video in whatsapp, there was a seeping leak and I was told that since the gear oil is thicker, it might have leaked only during drives when it get hot and thin. However, they will have to replace the leaky seal so I got the oil replaced. (which is what I wanted in the first place). I also asked the technician if it was possible to do an engine flush also to which he said they had already replaced the engine oil and filter. So next time.

Leaky transmission oil seal.

The air filter and cabin filter were also replaced and since the transmission oil and seal had to be replaced I was told that I'll get the car back only the next day which I was fine with.

The next day I could get to the HASS by evening only and all the works were done and Panda was ready to be driven home. Took a short test drive along with the SA and all was fine. He showed me the engine oil level, coolant level in reservoir (couldn't open the radiator cap as the engine was hot) and told about all other works done. I was given a coupon for 6 month/ 5000km free check up service and the detailed bill for service. The bill amount totaled to Rs 13947/- of which the labour cost of transmission oil and seal replacement was the highest. (If I exclude that and the two value added service options the final bill would have been well under Rs 6k.) I paid the bill and was out of there all in 30 mins.

I have driven only about 50 kms after service and there is a noticeable change in gear shifting. The shifting has become smoother and it didn't refuse to go in reverse not even once in the 4-5 times I tried. There were some vibrations when moving off in first without any throttle input earlier, that too seems to to have disappeared. I hope she rides smooth like this for the foreseeable future. (touchwood).

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