Not sure whether to scrap our Maruti Zen Estilo or get its RC renewed

The car has done 2.92 lakh km and has gone through extensive maintenance and repair work recently. It also holds a lot of sentimental value.

BHPian sachin_cs recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Our Estilo is still in the extended family and is primarily used by my grandmother. In the recent past, it went in for a lot of work and it’s still doing the duty faithfully.

The following work was done-

• Full service including gearbox oil change
• Hubs were making noise so they were replaced. It took a lot of time to get the parts
• Driveshaft was leaking so it was replaced
• New tail lamps and headlights were plonked in too as the old ones were getting yellow
• The remote key was in shambles so we got the new keys made
• Rear wiper was stolen so a new wiper was replaced
• AC service was done and trust me the AC of our 15-year-old Estilo is more effective than our 2019 Kwid & Rapid. Maruti knows a thing or two about Indian summers

The car has currently done 2,92,000 kms in 14 years and 9 months. It has seen a lot of abuse in these years as the condition of roads is not great where the car is primarily driven. Touch wood, in all these 15 years, the engine has never been touched and the car has never left us stranded ever. There’s a reason why Maruti Suzuki is a market leader!

Though I absolutely hate how Maruti Suzuki does the cost-cutting in all their cars, their safety is questionable, interiors are rattle machine etc but I will have to give it to Maruti when it comes to reliability and ease of repair. We often get it serviced in tier-2,3 cities like Kanker or Kondagaon it has been a fairly easy job. Mind you, in all these 15 years and almost 3L kms, the car still visits the authorised Maruti Suzuki service centre.

The service history is intact since the day of purchase because of my dad, he is very particular about getting the cars maintained from authorised service centres only and I guess the habit is bearing its fruit in such a long ownership period.

I must give credit to Mr Anish, back when we bought the car he was the service manager at Sky Automobile Raipur and now he is the regional head of service and has been a very good friend of my dad, over the years the relationship has developed. So, whenever our goes to the service centre anywhere in Chhattisgarh, we coordinate with him and he gets the work done on a priority basis, be it part ordering or any other work and many times he ensures that we get a discount too. So, a lot goes to the man that we are able to maintain the car so well.

Now that the car has already done 2,92,000 kms and will complete 15 years in October 2024. We are in two minds whether to scrap it or renew the fitness. A lot of sentimental values are attached to it because of the numerous road trips we have taken in the car, from when I was a kid to the time I got my own license to drive. But at the same time, we understand that it still is an old car which has seen a lot of abuse. And it has gotten expensive to maintain as well because something or the other needs attention frequently.

We are yet to decide but we are having a discussion in the family to decide on the future of our Zen Estilo (K series) VXI 2009 Dusky Brown. It’s a difficult decision but we will have to take a call keeping a fine balance between heart & mind. Here’s a click -

It still wears a TeamBHP.com sticker proudly that I bought back in 2012.

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