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2009 – Vehicle Color Popularity from PPG

Sushil — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:14:25 +0000

PPG has released their findings on color popularity for 2009.

This is not as detailed as the data released by DuPont in their charts but can serve as a good reference. DuPont had the data down to a breakup for India as well. This is not available in the PPG press release.

Silver is still the most popular color the world over. Here is a summary of the breakup for Asia Pacific, North America and Europe. (Click on the chart image below for a larger version)

2009-PPG Popular Vehicle Colors

Read the details of the PPG press release source here.

Here is my older post with data from 2000-2008 from the DuPont studies.

Almost my last blog post here !

Sushil — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 15:09:24 +0000

Image by liewcf via Flickr

I wrote this on 5th August worrying that this may be my last post to this site – barring some miracle happening.

My hosting account so far for the past 5 years has been www.godaddy.com. (Even though this blog has been active only in the past 6 months I had the domain name for a while now and had my own personal photo gallery etc on it). My bank for the past 4.5 years has been www.hdfcbank.com. So far no issues with them. Every month GoDaddy posts a transaction for my monthly hosting amount, it shows up nice & neat on my credit card, HDFC pays GoDaddy, I pay my credit card bill and all of us are happy.

Aug 2nd: GoDaddy tries to post a transaction for my monthly billing for my hosting account to my credit card. HDFCbank denies the transaction and GoDaddy sends me a nice little emails telling me that they were not able to get their payment for the month. I was a bit surprised since my credit card is never close to being maxed out (as far as I have known) and no where near being near its expiry date. I didn’t think too much of the email till the next day when it struck me that there is something more to it than that.

Aug 3rd: A call to HDFCBank gets me in touch with my first “Hell-line” assistant – who can only mumble something about verified by Visa being required since August first and that I should go enable it on my credit card before I make a purchase online and when I make a purchase I have to go convince the vendor to also go register online for secure access/verified by Visa as well. I blow my top since I have had this crappy Verified by Visa authentication enabled on my card from around October last year and all it has done is confound me with one additional field to fill in on the Airtel Website when I pay my broadband bill. When I ask why something has changed suddenly the “hell-line” person has no answer. He refuses to get me in touch with a supervisor who could answer this question and tells me to first check with the vendor if there was a problem on their side ! I give up after having had enough for the day. I had missed work being sick with fever and this added to my feeling sick.

Aug 4th: Another call to another HDFC credit card “hell line” person who is not able to even mumble anything about the verified by Visa but mumbles something else that their own systems were having issues over the past few days. But regardless I should still talk to my vendor and convince them to get on Verified by Visa. I yell a bit at the person and then I remember some spam mail I kept getting from someone from HDFC who was marked as my “Relationship” Manager – since I was a reliable sucker for the past 4 years dutifully dropping my money in their bank and generally wasting my time. The Relationship Manager was shocked to hear from me but recovered quickly – however she was more the relationship kind only and needed an email with everything explained in simple terms for her to send someplace else. I did that and crossed my fingers.

I checked several times through the day, whenever I could if the GoDaddy hell line could be reached – but always had a wait time of over 20 minutes. Didn’t feel like blowing ISD rates just listening to music so sent a support incident using the GoDaddy contact page. Plus fever still hadn’t gone and was trying to rest a bit.

Suddenly my fevered brain thinks I may be able to use PayPal. So hobble over to the computer and do the initial part of the Paypal account creation. Am stuck when I try to link my credit card – since the authorization Paypal does with your card to verify it – was denied by the bank again ! So no luck and back to square one.

I tweet about this and get some friends on FB asking details – but it is very clear no one has faced this recently/till now.

Aug 5th:
I come across yet another link on the net talking about this http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/rbi-tightens-online-card-use/364772/. I try being patient since I sent out emails to GoDaddy and to HDFC. I go for work for the first time after being a patient down with fever for the 3 days prior to today and somehow manage to last a long long hectic day. Come back home at 10 PM with fever and a nasty headache again !

I had given my gmail address in the contact form on the net – but strangely the reply comes to my hotmail account since that was what was used years ago signing up for hosting. Guess what a standard Level One type answer here:

Dear Sushil Cherian,
Thank you for contacting online support.
Please ensure to update your payment methods on file as one of the credit cards is expired. We would recommend updating this information and then contacting your financial institution directly if the issue continues.

To manage the payment methods for your domains or services, please follow the directions below:

I blow my top – first then calm down and nicely write up a reply (without capital letters or swear words – I promise) telling them that the card mentioned as being expired is just listed in my account (among 2 cards listed there) as an old card that was used 2 years ago- it was not used in the last 2 years. The card I am talking about was the one that was used till July 2009 with no problems and which has not yet expired and of course will not expire for several months more. I again politely ask about Verified by Visa.

HDFC Bank : No update from them at all till now.

Aug 6th:
I begin to get a bad feeling about all this and start emailing all my key friends who have web hosting and ask for suggestions of alternative web hosting – since I think there is just a few days before I have to move all my data off and start afresh. I get reccommendations from Ajith Edassery (www.dollarshower.com) , George (www.wheelosphere.org), Danesh (www.daneshzaki.com) and Fas (www.motorbeam.com). Thanks a lot – all of you for patiently answering my several questions.

Got this email from Go Daddy Support:
Dear Sushil Cherian,
Please note that in order for a product to renew with the correct payment method, the product must be assigned to that payment method. To make sure a product is using the correct payment method to renew, you will need to update it within your account.
To change the payment method for domains and services, follow the directions below:
First, log into your account:
• Go to the Go Daddy Account Login Page
• Log in using your account username

I come home from work early since I felt the need to visit the doctor again. Still worrying about the issue with the hosting – The plan that had vaguely made sense of paying by the month leaving me the luxury to move to another better host at moments notice seemed to have backfired on me ! Doc when visited asks me to take rest and do a blood test for Typhoid !

Aug 7th:
I went for the blood test, came back extremely tired and want to just sleep. I do so and when I woke up after a long nap I remembered I had one other credit card that I have not used till now – which was not Verified by Visa ! I jump up from my sick bed and feverishly type in the card details into GoDaddy renewal manual transaction page. I renew my hosting for all my domains at one shot – and sit biting my nails with my fingers and toes crossed while the transaction goes through. Finally it does and gives me a receipt number ! I almost kissed the screen !

5 PM – spent most of the day sleeping – when I get a call from an unknown number – thinking it may be someone from work I answer to hear someone from HDFC Bank asking about my card transaction that had failed. Of course I had to explain the whole detail till I started feeling sick again and of course they ask for a screen shot to be emailed. I do that. That should keep them busy for a minute. Of course there is no support request number for follow up etc – to ever prove I had called them on Aug 4th etc.

PS:
No typhoid – just needed some rest – I got the rest and am feeling much better now.
So whats the reason for this post – well it just is that the RBI new directive just means nothing if it comes in the way of your trying to transact online – with a vendor outside India who just doesnt care. So from now on – we can forget buying stuff from online stores outside India with our credit cards. If we do – we need to use cards that are not verified by Visa or Secured by Mastercard ! Which again defeats the good old RBI mandate. It may soon become easier to trade in goats and sheep than to use a credit card for an online transaction.
HDFC still has no answer – may never have , GoDaddy still thinks my card from 2007 which I possibly couldnt have used for the past 2 years is still the cause of the error. Glad I had a card from another Indian bank that went through !

An Indica Experience of ~ 9 years & 1,25,000 Km

Sushil — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:43:10 +0000

This post is written by one of the readers of this blog Jacob Chacko who on request shared the ownership experience of his Tata Indica (he owned and drove it for around 9 years clocking around 1,25,000 km in the duration selling it this past Friday). Thanks Jacob Chacko for sharing your experience with the Indica! Here is his story with photos of his car:

After 11 years on a petrol Ambassador, I had begun to feel weary of driving with such a heavy steering wheel (perhaps, because I was also growing in age), that I started looking for a new Car. India’s dream car, TATA Indica had been launched just about a year ago. The euphoria that peaked with margins for new Indicas had died down and teething troubles had taken over. Since I was contemplating a change from an Ambassador, my priorities were adequate space (for my parents), ease of ingress and egress, driveability and good fuel efficiency. I needed to run 1000- 1500 km a month and a diesel alternative to my ambassador had become rather imperative.

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The TATA tagline was quite impressive : “The space of an Ambassador with the efficiency of a Zen at the price of a Maruti-800 !” This description vastly suited my requirements. I did a TD to verify facts. The space indeed was fine. The diesel engine did not sound all that bad – certainly not the roar of (shipping) diesel engines that were doing duty on some Ambassadors. The only competitor was the Fiat Uno, in which efficiency and build were reported to be superior. But, then TATA was coming up with a passenger car for the very first time. Who wouldn’t give them a try, especially in the context of the near-repulsive service from Uno’s then dealers, TVS ? The decision in favour of Indica was rendered easy by a comparative feature that appeared in one of the auto magazines, which gave the verdict, something to this effect : Despite, all that, the scales can be seen ticking the Indica way with the claimed superior fuel efficiency at much lower vehicle costs. The local TATA dealership took personal interest, offered freebies and supervised the delivery of an Emerald Green (no semblance to green ; more to grey, though !) Indica in November 2000.

I remember I was ecstatic all through the running-in period : it had already fetched me a fuel efficiency of 17 kmpl ! And, I did like the soft sound of the new diesel engine.

Problems It was smooth riding until around 37000 km when trouble surfaced with the car showing excessive oil consumption. Besides oil changes specified at service schedules, I had to keep topping-up every now and then. I had maintained my own diary on the mileage and the oil consumed. I started writing letters to TATA management, with little reprieve.

This went on until the vehicle clocked about 70000 km. Meanwhile, confronted with my repeated visits to the TASC with the very same complaint of excessive oil consumption and allied effects of excessive smoke on initial starting etc., the service advisors privately hinted that engine overhauling was the only way out. They narrated several instances of similar occurrences and how, after engine overhauling, such vehicles were rendered out of the clutches of this malady.

After repeated complaints to TATA management, the TASC was instructed to conduct a HOC Test (High Oil Consumption Test). All oil was drained out of the sump, weighed and poured back before it was driven by TATA (me seated alongside) for 300 km at a stretch. The residual oil was again drained and weighed.

Oil consumption was calculated as : Weight of oil x 1000 / 0.88 x Km run.

In my case, for 299 km, the difference in weight of oil was observed to be 125.2 g.

Thus, 125.2 X 1000 / 0.88 X 299 = 475.83 ml / km

TATA explained that 500 ml / km was the maximum permissible limit for Oil consumption (but, I was not shown any documentation to attest this claim) and that, therefore, this value was indeed within limits ! The fact that the value was almost at the max. of the permissible limit was not a matter of concern to them. Even so, it was clear that at as low a mileage as < 70000 km, the car was already nearing the upper limit of “permissible” oil consumption. The import of the idiom, “You can take a horse to water, but cannot make it drink,” dawned upon me with full force.

My last resort was to address none other than Mr Ratan Tata himself. If this excessive oil consumption were not to be attributed to flaws in manufacture and / or in strict quality control, were Indica cars expected to undergo engine overhauling at mileages as low as 70000 km. His office replied that Mr Tata was on tour and that the matter would be attended to by others. This question, finally, fetched me some minor discounts by way of piston rings and accessories for carrying out engine overhauling at < 70000 km !

TATA ought to be more receptive to customer feedback / complaints and should demonstrate the resolve to redress genuine grievances to mutual satisfaction. For those like me who were prepared to accept the new Indian venture with all its teething troubles, TATA - through their actions, rather inaction – seemed to prove the point that they cared a hoot for us ! They ought to display the readiness, leave alone the grace, to acknowledge deficiencies / faults.

Visits to TASC (Focuz Motors)

This car has been with me for 104 months now and has clocked 125000+ km. I have strictly adhered to TATA recommendations on service schedules and have maintained it with utmost care. In all, I have had to make 49 visits to the TASC, of which 23 were for regular service check-ups at specified intervals. In all fairness, I must compliment the service personnel at the TASC (Benz Motors, later renamed as Focuz Motors) for being receptive, considerate and helpful. I might well be one among their long-standing customers.

Other issues / repairs

After overhauling of the engine, there has not been any complaint of excessive oil consumption or the like. Other issues have been the following :

Clutch plate replacement at ~ 70000 km (done along with engine-overhauling)
Glow plugs were the most problematic, requiring 8 replacements
Steering rack and pinion assy was replaced at ~ 95000 km
Wheel cylinders replaced 6 times
Ball joints replaced 8 times
AC bearing, compressor repairs effected at ~ 87000 km

Summary
Despite all these troubles, this Indica of mine has never let me down on the road. Fuel efficiency was an average of 16-18 km/ litre within the city (with AC) amidst Cochin’s notorious traffic snarls and between 20 -22 km on the highways (with AC). It has even peaked to 24 km / litre at times.

The first battery had a remarkable life of 68 months !

I have bills, vouchers and accounts of every expense incurred at TASC all through the past ~ 9 years and ~ 125000 km. Costs for maintenance (includes spares, lubes, consumables, servicing, labour and taxes, but excludes tyres, battery and fuel) of this vehicle have worked out to an average of ~ 80 ps per km.

My Next Car – Not a TATA:

The new version — Indica Vista is generous on space and tempting in appeal. User reviews that sing praises (for sure, they have the right to do so) to the vehicle are all written based on the early few thousand km experience. Problems crop up only after the vehicle has run ~ 15000 km. All across the web, I have come across only a single review from an owner who had used his Vista Quadrajet for ~ 16000 km and that review was indeed daunting. I wouldn’t want to risk a repeat of the snags I faced - all of which could be traced to manufacturing defects arising out of severe deficiencies in strict quality control at every stage, including that at the site of the vendors that supply spares to TATA cars. After all, isn’t experience the best teacher ?

TATA badly needs to reorient their functional priorities to be sensitive to the needs and perceptions of the customer, if ever they intend to befriend and build lasting relationships with him. The Indica Club, launched by TATA with much fanfare, appeared to have met with a premature death; TATA did not seem to be bothered even by this.

Therefore, sadly though, I have decided to trade off my Indica for another brand from a different manufacturer, keeping my fingers crossed on what might yet lie in store for me now !

PS: Please do reach out to Jacob through the comments here on this post in case you need any tips or advice on Indica’s. Am hoping to get an update on his experience with a new brand of vehicle after his move from Tata.

Hyundai I10 Automatic – Short Test Drive

Sushil — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:43:42 +0000

One of my colleagues at work mentioned a problem he was having. He had one car (Wagon-R) and was trying to teach his wife how to drive. For days he and his wife would venture out early in the morning for his wife to attempt getting familiar with the car, the gears, the roads, pedestrians, two wheelers and also slopes of flyovers and railway underpasses. To top it all they stay in a place called Choolaimedu which has one long really really crowded narrow lane permanently full of all types and modes of transport. Very little progress was happening from the aspect of the wife learning driving.

Finally they test drove a semi-automatic with the contraption called an “auto clutch” which gets fitted to a regular manual car. I remembered some ownership reports of the same and pointed them to it and they decided not to attempt getting it. They ventured back to the driving sessions but without much interest. Somewhere along the way when I was asked about the auto clutch I had told my colleague about the Hyundai I10 automatic which now replaces the original cheapest Hatchback from Hyundai – the Santro. He and his wife test drove the I10 and felt their needs would be met by it and decided to buy it. They got it for 4.85 lakhs on road with some corporate discounts and some offer. I got to see the car one evening last week. .

Outside:The exteriors look like any other I10 – just a small badge at the left rear stating ‘Auto’ shows something different. The car color was Electric Red. The pull type door handles worked well and the door was light easy to open. Felt very similar to a Santro. I don’t care too much for the front of the car but can live with the looks of the car from the sides and the rear. The rear roof spoiler accessory makes the car look much better. So will wider tires, nice alloys and dark tints.

Inside: The interior was beige mostly except for a dark brown section on the dashboard which seemed to have no reason to be there and looked very weird.Front fog lamps not present and neither were the rear wash wipe and demister. I sat in the passenger seat initially while my colleague got the car out of the parking lot and onto the road. The engine sound was almost nil inside the cabin and the transmission didn’t have any weird jerks while shifting. He didn’t have any trouble maneuvering the car from the basement through streams of people walking around. We finally got to an empty stretch of road and I was offered a chance to TD, I had initially refused but didn’t want to pass this opportunity so I got into the driver seat.

The seating position was good and very “Santroish” with good visibility all around including from both outside mirrors which were just the right size and in the right place. The gear knob had a silver finish piece on top and felt just the right size to hold and also had the button to lock the gear in place when not pressed.

Drive: I pressed the brake down, started the engine and moved from Park into ‘D’ for Drive. When I lifted my leg off the brake the car gently started moving without any jerks. To pick up pace one has to gently push the accelerator and the car does respond. Of course not with the urgency of a manual but decent enough.

I didn’t want to push this new car much but before I knew it it was touching 60 KMPH ! No harshness from the engine nor any significant increase in sound. I could feel the automatic transmission shift up through the gears – but only since I was keenly expecting it and listening for it. Making a ‘U’ turn at a break in the median was really nice, just stop wait and when a good sized gap appears in oncoming traffic just ease into it by pressing the accelerator. No attention required to shift gears up and both hands are free to manage the turning of the wheel.

The stretch of road I drove the car on was mostly well paved so didn’t hit any potholes with the car. The only rough stretches that were there we covered with great care since this was an brand new car without even its number plates. It had decent enough clearance for normal bumps and speed breakers without any issue.

Slowing down also was easy enough just press down on the brakes accordingly and the transmission moves down accordingly. I didn’t get to test panic braking but wish this car came with ABS as it would be good to have.

No tachometer on the version I drove (Magna trim) was the only negative I could think of… But again it is not really required for an automatic where the transmission will shift up a gear before things get too hot.

Overall I think it is a good car.It felt much better to drive than the last automatic I had driven ( a Santro automatic). I have driven an automatic Honda Civic for a couple of years – this one comes nowhere near that car – but for India and the space and traffic that exists here – it is definitely sized right. The pricing as always I wish it could have been cheaper as it makes a lot of sense to get an automatic in crowded cities.

Ownership Experience:Since I took my time writing this up I got to hear of the ownership experience one week past purchase. The views of the two drivers of the car echo the differing expectations men and women have of the vehicles they own and drive.

The husbandwho was very enthusiastic about the ease of driving the car still says its very easy to drive in peak traffic but has now started cribbing that it doesn’t give the rush and response as his car a manual transmission Wagon-R. He is back to driving his manual shift car.

The wife on the other hand is overjoyed at getting a car of her own that she can drive almost everywhere due to its compact size, good visibility and most of all she can concentrate on the road and on avoiding the many million maniacs driving alongside without any worry whatsoever about stalling the engine on starting or needing to worry about shifting up and shifting down and clutch modulation etc. Within a day of purchase she was happily driving through the railway subway near Loyola college coming from Nungambakkam towards Choolaimedu which has a pretty nasty upward slope ending at a stop light which 99% of the time will always be red forcing the motorists to wait on the upward slope.

Agony usually happens in new drivers who have to start off from a stop on a slope and usual mistakes while starting are rolling too far backwards and hitting the vehicles behind, cars in front rolling back and hitting your car or the most common one of stalling the engine and not being able to start back again. Honks from motorists behind the new driver will add to the stress. This crazy slope is now handled by this new driver with the automatic geared car where she only has to press the accelerator just enough to move up. Husband still has to sit with his eyes closed beside her but that’s better than having to watch the road, her and keep reminding her to shift up since the 1st gear alone cannot be used .

The wife who loves this car so much hasn’t driven manual transmission cars enough to appreciate the fine level of control – for such a driver the automatic makes a lot of sense and can be the best thing for them to drive. For drivers very experienced with squeezing out the most of mileage and power from their vehicles an automatic may not be very engaging to drive.

PS: One item I do not have but will update later is the actual fuel efficiency of the car. Hope to get it from the owners after they drive it for a bit.

Photos: From the Hyundai India I10 Website – since I didn’t have my proper camera with me and the ones with the phone camera suck

External Link:An old post on Cybersteering that has a round up of automatics available back then and with tips on how to drive with an automatic: http://www.cybersteering.com/cruise/feature/karma/auto.html

Auto Clutch review : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/accessory-part-reviews/47407-autoclutch-review.html?highlight=hyundai+I10+automatic

Other I10 Auto Reviews: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/50519-another-automatic-house-i10-automatic.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/56981-my-new-hyundai-i10-automatic.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/57765-yet-another-hyundai-i10-automatic-w-pics.html

Accident, Repairs, Ritz Test Drive & Recovery

Sushil — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:40:18 +0000

The title just about sums up the end of my past week and my weekend.

Accident: Last Thursday on the way back home from work was trying very hard to drive without getting bugged by the many jokers/morons/imbeciles on the road. I get no further than 5 km from office, when starting off from a signal, in my Swift get hit by another Swift ! I was in the center lane going straight, had a Tata Ace to my left and the Swift on my right.

The signal changes and I start off on the way ahead since there is no traffic ahead of me. Tata Ace also starts off to my left. There is some two wheeler in front of the Swift to my right, waiting to turn right so he cannot go straight ! What does the Swift joker do ? Turn left suddenly without checking whats moving on his left. I hear a the screech of metal on metal and though it didn’t sound too bad I knew my car was hit. Since there was a lot of traffic I had to take car to go straight put on my left indicator and try to move to the left. I see the Swift that hit me also come up and ahead of me and stop. I get out of my car to see that my car is scratched from the driver side door all the way down the rear passenger door till a little before the wheel arch :-(. Another point – the driver at the back has to take care not the one in front – our dude doesnt know all such rules. The location of the scratches is proof enough for me – from my driver door and backwards. I didnt even see the car to my left cutting into me since he was behind me and in my blind spot – but I was very clear – I was going straight and was in my lane.

Scratches on Swift. Me and the Swift at the service center.

The guy driving the other car has come to my car by then and guess what – he asks me why I didn’t check before turning in front of him ! I was pretty shocked and told him dude I was in the correct lane going straight and he was the one cutting lanes without looking. He just didn’t want to listen. Kept repeating that I turned in front of him and that he was in the right lane turning right and that I was turing right as well !

I go look at his car. Its hood and bonnet was covered with bird droppings and there were several dents and dings all over and the car looked like it hadnt been washed since the last rains. Its front number plate was bent in two places. It was very obvious he was not a careful driver and more obvious that he didn’t take much care of his car. His left mirror was folded in (probably busted already) and his bumper was hanging off its mounting brackets. The height of irritation for me was knowing that most of the dents on his car were not due to my car. Maximum there was a scratch on his bumper. I am willing to bet the bumper was already hanging loose !

I told him listen – your car has damage and so does mine – so what do you expect me to do ? I stood there quietly for a while and said nothing (fuming inside). The guy realised he is not getting any money out of me - he seemed more than happy to go away. I was bugged and furious that I took a photo of his number plate with my phone cam. I have the plate number with me. What good is it for – will mention it a bit later.

I sat in the car for a bit to let my BP and heart rate come down – then resumed my journey. Worst part was I was watching my speed before the hit while usually I have to admit I would have been speeding down that stretch ! The one day of all days I was going carefully.

Another 7 km later and within 2-3 km of where I stay I see the bird crap covered car. All that he told me earlier about wanting to turn right was all lies. The place he was going to was totally in the direction I was going. He was in the wrong lane at that signal and cut lanes at the last minute ! I get the damage to my car !

Anyways after spending a miserable evening at home, the next day I leave the car at home and take the train to work. I schedule a service appointment for my 20K service and also to get the paint touched up. I was supposed to do a service booking but had forgotten about it till the scratches reminded me.

Repairs:

Swift Odo at 20K

I was glad the service advisor wasn’t pushing me to get the whole door panels repainted and said that a touch up was enough. Luckily there was only minor denting and nothing too drastic. I mentioned the rattling sounds that were driving me nuts that came from the left passenger door and from the right driver door and from the hatch. No mechanical issues. Mileage I was getting was on par with what was expected of the petrol swift. Was getting around 11.5+ when they said around 12 was normal for city driving. I have 205 section tires so was expecting only that much.

One of my many buddies at the Service center offered to lookup the number plate of the Swift that hit me after he heard about the accidental damage - but I told him not to bother since there was nothing further I was going to do to him anyways. I can fantasize about it but reality is that I am no goonda and dont have time to go take panga with every moron on the road. :-(.

Yet another service advisor was intrigued and puzzled by the dog-bite mark damage on the front wheel arches. My car is being recognized as one with the bite marks by pretty much all the folks there !

Ritz VDI Diesel Test Drive:

While scheduling the service I had called up my favourite sales person at the dealership Mr. Jayavel who had sold me my Swift and asked to schedule a TD of the Ritz diesel. I was not able to TD it the last time I had visited there with my friend who was looking to buy a new car. Mr Jayavel knew I had no interest in buying a car but still ensured the car was there waiting for me. He even delayed a trip to a customer location to ensure I got my test drive – waiting for over one hour from the original time I had mentioned since I was stuck waiting for the service advisor to meet me and take my vehicle in for service. That’s what I call service from a sales person who knew from the beginning that he will not make a paisa from giving me a test drive but still took the pains to arrange one for me .

For that reason alone I am doing something I haven’t done so far – If you are in Chennai or know someone in Chennai looking to buy a car (specifically a Maruti) – please do give a call to Mr Jayavel at 9841727884 and mention you heard of his service from his old customer (me). He is part of the dealership team that is specific to handling corporate customers so be assured of professional service from him. Please note – I make no monetary benefit from mentioning his number or this – this is just my way of saying thanks ! (I refuse to mention which dealer – as I am not endorsing the dealer – please do not ask).

Ritz Diesel Experience: Only at the start was there some noise to indicate it was a diesel. After that it was super smooth and silent just like the Ritz Petrol. The clutch was as light as my own petrol Swift and the gears slotted in very very nicely with good feel just like the petrol Ritz. As I had mentioned in my comparison post the gear selector seemed better than the Swift. The steering was light and the car was easy to move through traffic. Just managed to drive it for 2-3 km as the sales person was needing to take it someplace to a customer’s home and was already late. I didn’t get a chance to check its pickup or braking since it was in traffic but just one time I was able to floor the accelerator , the car hesitated a very little bit before picking up speed at a very fast pace after 2000 RPM bringing a wide smile to my face. I really want a longer test drive. .

Recovery:

On Sunday managed to rest and recover from the shock the bill of the 20,000 Km service gave me. Around Rs 6800 was the total amount of which 250 was for mud flaps that were changed on my request since one of them was torn after having been hit by a biker. The scratches were mostly removed by polish but the deeper gashes had to be touched up by hand. This wasn’t done very well but hides the damage for now and I do not have to worry about rust. I didn’t realize that the 20K service was this costly. Will scan the bill and put up the detailed break up in a separate post. This is the highest ever I have paid for scheduled service so far in my 2+ years of ownership.

Are you looking for a Diesel Hatchback ?

Sushil — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:51:26 +0000

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If you are looking for a Diesel Hatchback and need an easy reference comparison sheet for all the new vehicle models available in India – you have come to the right post. If you have reached here in error and Petrol Hatchbacks are what you want take a look at Petrol Super Hatchbacks Comparison.

The vehicles I have compiled the technical specifications and key features for include the Ford Fusion Plus TDCi, Skoda Fabia TDI Elegance, Hyundai Getz Prime CDRI GVS, Maruti Suzuki Swift VDI ABS, Maruti Suzuki Ritz VDI ABS, Tata Indica Vista Aura Quadrajet, Fiat Palio Stile Multijet SDX and the long running Tata Indica V2 DLS. The maximum price of the vehicles I have listed is under 9 Lakhs (on road). Frankly – if you are spending more than 6.5 lakhs for a hatchback – you better have some really good reasons not to go in for a sedan.

Indian Diesel Hatchback Trivia:
Shortest:Tata Indica V2 DLS
Longest Hatchback & Longest Wheel Base: Ford Fusion Plus
Widest: Ford Fusion Plus
Largest Fuel Tank:Fiat Palio Stile
Tallest:Maruti Suzuki Ritz VDI
Most Fuel Efficient:Maruti Suzuki Ritz VDI/ Runner Up: Maruti Suzuki Swift VDI
Most Powerful Engine, Highest Top Speed and Fastest in 0-100 time:Hyundai Getz Prime CRDI
Smallest Turning Radius:Maruti Suzuki Swift & Ritz
Lightest Weight:Tata Indica V2

**Best Ground Clearance: Ford Fusion Plus (The number needs to be checked – I got it from the Ford website – but it puts offroaders to shame)

Here is the data sheet: Diesel Hatchbacks Comparison to help you choose the car for you. If you need help deciding or have questions please feel free to ask through the comments or through the contact form.

PS: Please let me know if you have any additional data that can be added to the sheet to improve it.

Updated: June 18th to add details of the Fiat Grande Punto to the comparison.

Which car is better – the Ritz or the Swift ?

Sushil — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:58:24 +0000

I test drove the Maruti Suzuki Ritz ZXI (Petrol) last weekend. I am comparing it to the Swift as I think customers will find it tough to decide between these two cars from Maruti.

Exteriors:

I like the front and the front 3 quarter view. Looks like a mature grown up Swift !
To get used to the rear I may have to start drinking something stronger than non-alcoholic beverages and quite a bit of it as well till my vision blurs. The rear doesn’t look too bad when the car has wider tires (like on the ZXI) and also when it is on the move. When stopped and up close it does look a oddish nice kind of strange.
The side view is interesting till the C pillar – then almost like the designers ran out of paper/screen space while making the drawing they stopped with a vertical line and ended the rear !
You will tire of hearing about the “boomerang” shaped tail lights from the dealer sales person very quickly. You would wish you had a real boomerang to fling at the sales guy. The tail lamps are pulled inwards and a strange window lineof the side windows is seen when viewed from the full straight rear position.
The exterior door handles, ORVMS are the same/very similar as the Swift. Rear bumper fog lamp looks similar.
The bonnet seems higher than the Swift. Good for gently tapping errant pedestrians and accounts for better pedestrian safety for sure.

Here is a side by side comparison of the Swift (my own car) and the Ritz exteriors.
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Interiors:

The seating position is a bit higher than in the Swift and seats feel the same. Almost like sitting on a cushion and driving the Swift.

The front quarter glass was a nice touch and helps a bit with visibility up front but there is still a huge blind spot at the A-pillar. Otherwise front visibility is good.

Visibility from the back will take some getting used to as the rear glass seems a bit small.

Rear wash/wipe & defogger only on the ZXI (just like the Swift).

The space saved by moving the gear lever in front isn’t used for anything.

The outside rear view mirrors are well placed, right sized and useful.

Lot of the interior is borrowed/shared with the Swift but still some cost cutting seems to have been there. Indicator/Wiper stalks, steering wheel, door locks & power window switches are all the same. Ashtray is the same. Gear lever knob is almost the same. Interior roof light seems the same.

The open glove box in addition to the closed one on the ZXI with the airbags is very useful – something the Swift ZXI doesn’t have and wastes space because of the airbags. The coin holder and storage space on the top of the dashboard is also good. Glove box seems similar in size to the Swift.

The front door pockets have storage space for bottles. There is only one central console mounted cup holder.

The steering mounted stereo controls are good but a bit annoying till u get used to them since they are in the spot the horn is on my car. Instead of honking I found myself increasing the stereo volume or muting the stereo without wanting to. The buttons seem a bit delicate and fiddly. More video game like than car like.

The increased head room allows 3 people to sit a lot more comfortably at the back than in a Swift. Legroom in the back was more than adequate. Feels more spacious than the Swift.

Luggage space was almost the same as the swift. If you want to carry a lot of luggage you should look at other vehicles possibly sedans. The 60:40 split is possibly the only saving grace of this car – I really wish the Swift had this.

The two tone dashboard was of a slightly vague light blue-grey color. I didn’t care for it too much. Matching colors to the exterior would have made sense but someone at Suzuki likes that weird color of blue.

The front under seat storage is a joke. Very small and without a lock. A newspaper and a magazine may just fit into it. If it were metal it could have been used to bake brownies – it was shaped like that.

Air conditioning seemed just about adequate (maybe the larger glass areas and lack of tints on the Demo car and the hot summer sun was a factor). I may have been spoilt by driving around with climate control and dark tinted small windows in the Swift. Blower fan gets noisy at “3″ position. The side vents close fully and are a design different from the Swift. The climate control is the only key feature missing on the Ritz that the Swift has.

Drive & Handling:

It took some time to get used to the gear shifter because it is positioned almost a half a foot ahead of the gear shifter in the Swift/most cars. The gear shifter felt really good and the shifts were very precise – even better than the Swift. For people with multiple cars this gear shift will be a difficult to get used to, especially when you have to switch cars daily. On the move the car is very silent and the engine barely lets you know it is on and running and at idle it was very silent. It did make some minimal noise when pushed but for it to move you have to push it past 3000 RPM. The older Swift engine would be screaming a nice song at 3K RPM.

Clutch, brake & accelerator pedals are the same as the Swift. Clutch is light and easy to use.

First gear seemed ok enough but the 2nd gear seemed a bit lethargic and the 3rd gear seemed pretty decent. I barely managed to get to 4th before I had to shift down because of traffic. By then the TD was over and we were back at the dealership.

The separate tachometer was a bit distracting in my view. Maybe since I am used to a tachometer next to the speedometer.

The ride was smooth and handled rough patches of road without too much noise and without losing balance. It didn’t feel top heavy like the Wagon-R does when taking turns at speed. The wider stance has to be thanked for it.

Visibility out front is very good and maneuvering the car in traffic is easy. Of course it is not an 800 but easy enough to drive.

Dealership/OEM Updates:

There seems to be sufficient interest in the car at the dealership and there was a steady stream of people coming to do test drives. Was almost knocked down by an 80 year old man and his wife who were rushing to TD the Ritz. This couple was doing the TD after finalizing the deal for buying the car !!!!! The people coming to TD the Ritz seem to primarily be ones who are married and have a family.

The dealer also mentioned that Maruti is forecasting long delays on all other vehicles other than the A-Star, Ritz and SX4 to make sure the sales of these continues. They are also trying as much as possible to not take bookings of any vehicle other than the above mentioned 3 cars. Even test drives of other vehicles are not being done ! I think this may backfire and cause people to defect to Hyundai , Tata and other manufacturers. Need to wait and see how well the Ritz is received and also if Hyundai and Tata sales go up because of Maruti.

Which one is better ?
There is no binary answer to this question. The Ritz is better than the Swift because of its fuel efficient, lighter, newer engine, interior space, features. The Swift is better than the Ritz for its looks, sporty responsive drive, slightly better trim level and features. Both seem to have their good features.

If you want a new car that does everything well, has seating space for 5 and will offend no one – take the Ritz.
If you have dreams of up-sized/wide alloys rims, low profile tires, spoilers, body kits, vinyl stickering and sports tuning then go for the Swift.

Test drive both and then just flip a coin and choose whichever one. You win with either of the two !

PS: Thanks to Senthil for the photos !

What features do you think all manufacturers should copy ?

Sushil — Sun, 31 May 2009 15:01:26 +0000

The latest Auto Car India has an article on features that manufacturers provide which are not useful in India. Reading that lead me thinking about good features that manufacturers should copy and introduce on all vehicles (since they are anyway copying from each other). This list is primarily from vehicles under 15 lakhs (mostly can be found on vehicles less than 8 lakhs in price).

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Interiors/Comfort/Convenience

Flat dashboard with non reflective surface and anti skid surface allowing small items to be placed there without sliding around
A/C vents that can be fully closed
Coin holders with soft inside lining that doesn’t rattle
Sunglasses holder
Cell phone holder on central console/dashboard
Glove box big enough to hold more than just a few papers with soft lining to prevent rattling
Cooled Glove box
Central console/dashboard space big enough to hold Cd’s
Front passenger under seat storage. Has to be reasonably sized – otherwise don’t bother. If it is lockable even better.
Storage space for 1 litre bottles in door pockets.
Netting in boot for luggage/straps
Clutch foot rest
Clutch lock that requires clutch to be pressed before cranking engine
Follow home lighting and theatre style dimming of cabin lights.
Lighted ignition key slot on the dashboard and easy to see rather than on the steering column (I know the photo does not have it on the dashboard).
Keys that have remote lock/unlock built in.
Valet keys that do not open the boot or lockable glove box. You can give these to the valet without worry of your valuables.
60:40 split rear seats with adjustable tilt
Double/flat folding rear seats for storage
Fully flat reclining front seats – dangerous since they do not secure the passenger in case of an accident or sudden stop, but good for pulling over to the side of the road and catching some Zs.
Adjustable seat belt height
Height adjustable headrests front and rear
Steering mounted audio controls that can work with all stereos !
Power windows and remote central locking
Lighted power window and other switches
Auto up/down power windows
Power windows that close automatically when the vehicle is locked
Anti -pinch power windows
Stain proof fabric for seats.
Height adjust for driver seat
Pedal reach adjust – helpful for short drivers
Arm rest for drivers seat and for rear passengers. Armrests with storage space are useful to stow small items.
Access to boot through rear seat armrest/console
Rear seat/Boot hooks for shopping bags
Power adapter in luggage bay/ in reach of rear passenger
Middle row tray tables for SUVs/MUVs
Sliding middle row seats that move back for more legroom in SUVs & MUVs.
Flat folding 3rd row seats for SUVs/MUVs
Anti glare rear view mirrors

Exterior

Blind spot convex mirrors.
Parking sensors front and rear. I wish there were side sensors too (rear camera optional).
Roof Rails: Contrary to what ACI says I think Roof Rails for luggage are needed more for hatchbacks than for sedans or SUVS since they have minimal boot space. Well integrated good looking roof rails like the ones on the Chevy Spark but with additional rails to make it functional would make hatchbacks a really practical option for people on a budget not wanting to spend an extra lakh or so for boot space that is used a few times a year.
Under body rust proofing & cavity rust proofing from manufacturer included in warranty. Why nag us with it later for every service
Well integrated rubber “rubbing” strips around. Body color or close to it would be best.
Grab type exterior door handles
Tilt steering wheel
Lighted engine bay and luggage areas
Rear defogger and wash and wipe
Outside rear view mirrors on the driver and passenger side should be made mandatory

Engine /Technology

Distance to empty indicator and rpm and speed ranges for maximum mileage. (“Green” driving performance indicators may be too much to ask for but would be good to have.)
Tachometers for all trim levels. Teach people to drive for mileage and performance.
Automatic time based switch off of roof lamps and headlamps if engine is off unless a specific override like keeping doors open is present.
Micro hybrid technology for all cars. Retrofit kits for existing cars if possible
Hands free in-car blue tooth kits.
Have ABS standardized on all trims. Lowered cost if it is mass produced.
Speedometer linked audio systems (automatically reduces volume at lower speeds by a little bit)
Speed sensitive steering
Radio antenna integrated into rear windshield glass
Cruise control for highways. (ACI believe it or not, 0n some of the highways in India we can actually use cruise control.)
Central locking which lets you open the doors and hatch/trunk without requiring you to stop the car and give the key to someone, especially for security checks at offices and hotels.
Tire pressure monitoring systems
Make tubeless tires standard.

Dear Readers:
Can you identify the cars whose features I have listed ? (At least the ones in the pictures I have used.)
Any good features you have come across that I have missed ?

Source of images: Maruti, Hyundai, Mahindra, Skoda & Ford product websites.

My Summer Fling

Sushil — Mon, 25 May 2009 13:04:11 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

Wifey if you are reading this I’m sorry you had to find out about it like this but you gave me no other choice. I wish you had not gone away for so long as this wouldn’t have happened. Come back home soon!

Work was annoying, I was bored and needing excitement in life after my wife and son had gone to her parents place in April for a month long break. The break had extended to a two month long break. Usual methods of immersing myself in books, movies, painting, photography and net surfing were not successful in keeping my attention.

My friend Senthil was partly responsible for getting me into trouble. He showed me the ad on the net with her details and about her needing to meet someone with similar interests and passions. The moment I saw the ad I knew I would be in trouble if I went any further. My mind was working overtime and conjuring up images of what and how she would be like. Knowing fully well what I was getting into I quickly arranged for a meeting with her the very next day. I didn’t breathe a word of this to anyone at home nor to my wife. I spent the rest of the day at work fantasizing and dreaming about my meeting with her.

Our meeting was to be on a Sunday morning at Ispahani center. I was not ready when the call came that she was to reach Ispahani in 10 minutes. On receiving the call I was ready in 5 minutes and reached there in 5 minutes. I noticed her driving in through the gates of Ispahani center while I was waiting to turn. She was really good looking in a very dignified and uncommonly attractive way and was drawing appreciative glances from many other men as well. I managed to find a spot next to where she parked. I gave a big smile as I got out and went towards her.

I had never seen her before but I recognized her easily since she looked exactly like I had imagined. I got a good look at her for the first time. She looked much better than the tiny images in her advert. I knew from the ad that she was older than me by around 7 years.I didn’t know her name or any other details other than that she was originally from Chennai but had spent most of her recent past in Kerala and had finally come back to Chennai around a year ago. She seemed pretty calm and relaxed and didn’t seem to have any of the jitters I had.

She was currently with a guy called ”J” and had been with him for over a year. Lets call her ‘K’ as that was her first name. 41 years old with a few expected wrinkles on her face but that didn’t detract from her looks. She was in extremely good shape for her age and anyone who saw her would think she was half her age. She obviously was taking good care of J and it looked like J was still in love with her. My first shock was that J was with her that morning and he wanted to first talk before we went any further. We introduce ourselves and J suggests we take a trip to ECR where we would get some privacy on the fairly less congested roads to get to know each other better.

I was surprised by this turn of events, since all I was thinking was I would get to check her out, get to know her quickly and do what I have been waiting to do with her in some side street and then come back home like nothing happened. I agree quickly and we start off. J me and K. Only problem we had was J trying to drive out through the ‘In’ gate and was stopped by the security staff. They didn’t make too much of a fuss as they were ogling K. K muttered something under her breath. On the way I hear the story of how they met and how J’s father and uncle had helped him hook up with K. I was amazed… did peoples dads and uncles help like this ? Wow ! J’s uncle even helped J pick out key upgrades to K’s wardrobe and accessories. She seemed totally cool about it.

On the way J showed me a copy of the legal document indicating his relationship with K. Though it was clear they were good together, it looked like they were tired of each other and wanted a change. J seemed to be wanting to get involved with his brothers mistress who was left behind when his brother went abroad. He said this openly in front of K. She didn’t even flinch on hearing it. I thought she has seen many such guys and is no longer surprised. What a family – phew !

I heard some stories of how they came to Chennai and of how J managed to overcome initial resistance of their landlord to having her in the flat with two other guys. Other chit chat also done we reach Thiruvanmiyur bus depot and get onto ECR. I was observing K and listening to her reactions to J’s inputs and orders along the way, she would never disagree but was never subservient to him, seemingly following instructions because of some need of hers to do so.

Finally we get clear of traffic and J feels it is a good place for me to get to know K better. I get to first touch her, feel her and know how she needs to be be touched before we go further. I practise with her for a little bit before venturing any further. My previous experience so far didn’t prepare me for the shock I was in to receive. She was in reality a bit too much for me to handle, a wildcat after lambs. She really did what she felt like regardless of what I told her to do. Keeping up with her was a challenge, one I had not had in any relationship especially my most recent committed relationship of the past 2 years since April 11, 2007.

She seemed very rough and instantly seemed to make everything else before her seem so smooth and soft. The sounds she made in reaction to what I was doing was also very exciting to hear, she would protest only when I was very slow. I felt a sort of need for her that that I have to date not experienced and therefore didn’t know existed. I had to get back home so I reluctantly stopped the fun I was having and returned home alone after taking some pictures of her basking in the sun.

I hope some day to add her or someone like her as my mistress provided my wifey doesn’t object. Before our wedding I had prepared my wife about the possibility I would have one wife and many mistresses, she seemed ok then and has been ok with my current two mistresses. Maybe 3 is too much, since the question she asks is where will the newest mistress be kept. We don’t have room at home for more than 2 mistresses she says !

Hope you enjoyed reading about my summer fling with the Kaiser Jeep (‘K’) of my friend Joe (Joseph). She is a 1968 Jeep CJ3B short chassis 4×4, RHD. I got to drive the Jeep for a little bit around 2 weeks ago and have been smitten hard and havn’t been able to look at any other vehicle since. In case you wondered about the date in April, that’s my wedding day to my Swift . Now what is my real wedding date ? Uh-oh !

Here are some pictures of K:
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PS: I thought I would be able to fool/scare my wife and sent a versionof this in email. No scare at all – I get a “LOL” email back and it says that right from the first few words she knew it was about some vehicle !

Indian Super Hatches Comparison

Sushil — Sat, 16 May 2009 13:23:03 +0000

The market segment of feature filled large size hatchbacks in India is becoming very exciting with several new model launches planned for the next few months starting with the just launched Ritz in May, Jazz in June and the Punto and Polo soon after. If you were looking at purchasing a large sized Hatchback and puzzled with the options before you, you must have realised the need to do a lot of research to narrow down what fits your budget and your needs.

: Image via Wikipedia

: Image via Wikipedia

“Don’t Panic” – help is at hand. I have done the research on the key features, dimensions and specifications of the large hatchbacks available in the Indian market today for you. The focus of my comparison is primarily space,safety and features.

Vehicles compared:

Skoda Fabia 1.2 Ambiente
Hyundai I20 Asta(O)
Chevrolet Aveo U-VA 1.2 LT
Hyundai Getz Prime 1.3 GLX
Indica Vista Saffire Aura
Maruti Suzuki Swift ZXI
Maruti Suzuki Ritz ZXI

These are all petrols only to keep the total on road cost under 7 lakhs. Indian Manufacturers have the highest trim levels with safety features only on their petrol models. The Fabia, Getz Prime, Swift & Ritz come in diesel versions as well but are usually not as well equipped (only exception being the Fabia) as the petrol equivalents.These vehicles have a good mix of space, are fairly new on the market and come with basic safety features. (**I have included the Indica Vista in the list only because it was similar in size to the other but feature wise it doesn’t come close).

The attached PDF file has this in an easy to compare format. Do take a look and let me know if you need any additional information. Click here for the PDF file. (I am not affiliated to any of the manufacturers other than through ownership of a Getz and a Swift.)

Do also take a look at these older posts of mine to help you

Updated June 14th:

Do also take a look at the following: