My 1995 Maruti Esteem: Here’s what needs to be fixed on the car

I took it for a spin on the state highway. It drove quite well for its age. Despite the neglect, it still has the pick-up of an Esteem.

BHPian Sanidhya mukund recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello all,

It has been a long time since I’ve written anything about this car. Since it’s been nearly 2 years since this thread went live, now seems to be a good time to let you know about how the car has been doing.

With the Merc throwing tantrums occasionally, the Ertiga meeting with a minor accident, the Ikon needing constant attention, the slow progress with the Tata Estate project, and the purchase of a new Innova Hycross, I will admit that the Esteem has been neglected. I had given the keys to someone and would pay him money for fuel every month. However, he didn’t do a very good job of keeping the car up and running. The car suffered a couple of minor shunts in which the mirror broke and the bumper got gashed.

However, I am now back to taking care of it myself and will go ahead and fix all that is wrong with it slowly.

The first order of business was to check the essentials. Dirty engine bay, but fluid levels seemed to be in order:

Up next, I drove to the nearby petrol bunk and got a tankful of petrol:

Then, I took it for a spin on the state highway. It drove quite well for its age. Despite the neglect, it still has the pick-up of an Esteem. Pulls effortlessly in all gears. Overtaking on an undivided dual carriageway is also not much of a task for this car.

The Esteem also met the new kid on the block, the Innova Hycross ZX o. This car made a trip from Delhi to Bihar to meet the oldie. How far have we come in terms of technology? From no power steering in 1995 in what was supposed to be an executive car, to a fully loaded family MPV in 2024.

Now to the negative part, here’s what is currently wrong with the car:

• The Carb needs a service. It’s been consuming too much fuel.
• The exhaust is blowing. Rather than patching it, I will replace the entire system this time.
• It is crying out for a new set of tyres.
• The AC gas seems to have leaked.
• The various cosmetic issues, broken plastics.

I am in a dilemma whether to repaint the whole car or not. On one hand, the fact that it’s in original paint makes me want to keep the ‘rat rod’ appearance. But on the other hand, I really want to make it look more presentable.

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