The Grey Skid – Chevy Beat TCDi LS (December 2012)

[deville_56]

April 2021 - Oil Change

Received with love from Amazon, torn and battered.

But product not damaged. I was thinking about switching to cheaper mineral oil as usage is very low for yearly oil change. Chevrolet is using Super 3000, which costs less than ₹ 1,500.00 on Amazon, which was also fully synthetic, but still heart was with Shell. Waited for deals and got it for ₹ 1,489.00, MRP being ₹ 2,387.00.

Shell Helix HX8 5W30 - ₹ 1,489.00

Bought Purolator oil filter. MRP ₹ 182.00, got for ₹ 160.00 from Kakkassery Automobiles. Package contains o-ring for filter cover.

Purolator PI-5384 - ₹ 160.00

Got under the car and saw the sump protector bolt bent and drain bolt way inside. Didn't wanna screw up further.

Took to the FNG, AM Motors. Jacked up and changed in 15 minutes. Told me to get new drain bolt next time. Charged ₹ 300.00.

Oil was 5300 km run, but seemed more than 10k km run.

Perfect level.

Artwork of some nice guy.

Restored headlights.

Motomax rubbing compound.

Wash time.

The VW shampoo. Sitting on shelf for a long time.

Amaze comes in for some quick work.

Drying mats.

Parked for the lockdown 2.0.

 

[deville_56]

June 2021 - Unpleasant Surprises

Spent the lockdown at wife's house with my boy. Returned home after 2 months post relaxations. It was euphoric coming home and reuniting with our pets.

Removed cover and unlocked and . Mould attack. I was the one who preached everyone not to cover up a wet car, but in a hurry covered up after wash with the real culprit being the wet mats.

Flat tyre.

And a dead battery. I left the key inside while working on Amaze with FM playing for some 4-5 hours. Cranked and idled for 10 minutes before leaving then. Asked cousin and brother-in-law to start the car and move it forward and reverse, but by the time they came to start, battery was down. So, the car remained unattended for 2 whole months. Battery was already in the verge of dying (as in previous posts).

First time the window showing white (hardly visible on photo).

Signs of alien invasion as well.

Ecosport came by and jump started.

In was tricky finding a spot for the positive terminal. Clamp was also XL sized.

My best investment, the truck grade jumper cables.

Idled for good 30 minutes.

Inflated tyres.

Now the confusion was regarding cleaning the car and the battery, whether I should clean myself or get professional help, recharge or new battery.

 

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

Did the scratch occur when you had taken to service centre bro
Also is this, Mr,Jeevan's assistant's shop?

 

[deville_56]

Did the scratch occur when you had taken to service centre bro

Nope, before that. Now three parallel lines. Don't know who and when. Installed surveillance cam at home after the Fiesta incident, but not happening at home.

Also is this, Mr,Jeevan's assistant's shop?

Yes.

 

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

Hope it went away with rubbing paste!
I am planning to change tyres in Swift as it is 7 years now, and being MRF I don't want my parents to be stranded, due to issues that arise on course of time. (Thread has shown 40%wear only, but you know how hard MRF becomes during long run), what's your thought?

 

[deville_56]

Hope it went away with rubbing paste!

Bit deeper. Tried even sanding down.

I am planning to change tyres in Swift as it is 7 years now, and being MRF I don't want my parents to be stranded, due to issues that arise on course of time. (Thread has shown 40%wear only, but you know how hard MRF becomes during long run), what's your thought?

There is shortage of many tyre sizes and models after the first lockdown and import restrictions. My picks from MRF would be ZLO or Perfinza, both of which are great tyres, but hard to find. Yokohoma Earth, Continental UC6, Good Year Eagle F1 are the ones I recently checked for a Punto.

Current MRF can last 10 years for sure, but with increased road noise and reduced wet grip, have to keep an eye on cracking.

 

[bhvm]

recharge or new battery.

If the battery sat discharged for 2 months, Its better to replace. Even if temporary Jump/Recharge will make it work, it might trouble you on the wrong times due to severe sulphation.

 

[deville_56]

June 2021: New Battery

Replaced with another Amaron. Battery was almost 6 years old, showing signs of death, frequent sulphation and hard cranks, but surprisingly lasted long hours of low current like park lights and audio. There was shortage of common capacity batteries as more of them died during the lockdowns and not enough production to replenish the deficit. Used to buy Amarons from a dealer in city but @varunkumar2910 mentioned about a dealer near our locality, Uthradam Battery Shop, and gave number and called him right away. Battery was available. Just a kilometre and half away, offered home delivery and installation, but instead went there and picked up, DIY bug .

Came with 55-month warranty, exactly the time previous battery started showing age, more like an expiry date. 30 months replacement + 25 months pro-rata.

Amaron AAM-FL-550114042 - ₹ 4,900.00 (MRP ₹ 6,283.00 minus buyback and discount).

March 2021 manufactured, bought in June 2021.

Installed. Now cranks like petrol car after ages, sometimes even on half cranks .

If the battery sat discharged for 2 months, Its better to replace. Even if temporary Jump/Recharge will make it work, it might trouble you on the wrong times due to severe sulphation.

Removed to recharge (again), but replaced without a second thought.

 

[Satkis]

Got PCV Oil Separator changed... issue resolved. No engine oil blowing out of dipstick. Meanwhile another issue of check engine/MIL light glowing. Got it scanned at ASC again. Scanner shows error code/DTC P2282 and symptom byte 52 which means Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor performance issue.
Technician says it could be any minor crack/leakage with air hose/ clamps or could be with MAF. Cleared the error code and asked to drive at a higher speed to check if light glows again. After driving 90 kms since yesterday, service indicator glows ON today. I assume once it goes OFF, check engine light will again glow UP.

Googled up about this error code, according to it:

• Unmetered air leaks between throttle body and intake valves.
• Air leaks at the intake manifold.
• Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system is leaking or the valve is stuck open.

P2282 52 means: The actual mass air flow is above the desired value for greater than 4 s.

Please advice what should i do??

Hi Did your issue got resolved ? I am facing the same issue, after Pcv filter and diesel filter changed I am also getting the same error code issue and mechanics couldn't identify the problem exactly. One more point some times I am getting and sometimes I am not getting the service light.
Kindly contact me or share your contact details will call you.

 

[deville_56]

June 2021 - Cleaning the Mess

Mould attack during the lockdown period. I was thinking of getting a thorough professional interior cleaning, but no signs of them opening anytime soon as they were not considered essential service.

Had the STP Tuff Stuff in my bin.

Spray, wait, wipe clean, done.

Cover still remains Lazy or forgetful, always remove them out of the showroom.

Done. The VW microfiber. Need a couple of them as it becomes wet soon.

Rear seats. 2/3rd done.

Base is removable, made it easy.

Door pads were cleaned as well.

So was the roof liner

Lot of coat hooks. Americans love them

Most ignored and dirty part.

Seats covers were genuine GM accessory and dealer fitment.

Spanky clean.

Cabin filter needs replacement.

 

[deville_56]

June 2021

Got the cabin filter. Purolator this time, costs only half the OEM.

Purolator PI-2307 - MRP ₹ 304.00 - Got for ₹ 270.00 from Kakkassery Automobiles.

Location.

Stock filter.

Old versus new. Dark colour of old filter due to pressure washing the cowl area

Arrow made the confusion. Stock says this side up, Purolator says the direction of airflow.

Installed.

Done. Cover tab broken due to old mechanic misfit, have to fix it every time opening the cover.

Alien invasion during lockdown era.

Checked MAF sensor since opening air filter box.

O-ring worn and needs replacement. Hard to install back.

Ambi Pur Gel. Got a coupon on CRED, so thought of trying. MRP ₹ 299.00 each. Got 40% off on pack of two. Didn't last even a month. Made in Malaysia.

 

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

Any reason why you chose Purolator brand for Cabin A/c filter bro @deville_56 ?
Normally have seen Bosch the favourite of many brands.

 

[deville_56]

Any reason why you chose Purolator brand for Cabin A/c filter bro @deville_56 ?
Normally have seen Bosch the favourite of many brands.

When it comes to filters, Purolator is the first thing come in mind and the most commonly available ones. They make OE filters for most brands and is India's biggest filter manufacturer. Purolator's partner is Mahle, which is another German conglomerate like Bosch.

When it comes to Bosch, most of their products are contract manufactured by reputed brands like Roots for horns, Amaron for batteries, etc.

 

[deville_56]

June 2021 - Car Seat for my Li'l Boy

Practise what you preach, so bought a Babyhug Cruise convertible car seat from Firstcry.com, which was the best one I could afford. MRP was ₹6295.00, Got for ₹4300.43 after trying many coupons and applying the one with maximum discount, including shipping and GST. Chose the black one with red stitch as it was the best looking of the three and gave a Recaro-like feel. Other colours were blue with black and red with grey. Most from my friends and relatives were against the idea of wasting money and losing space in the car, branded it as show-off and extravaganza, blah-blah-blah. I was aware of the fail rate of making a kid use it. More than 95% bought are either sitting at home eating dust or ended up in Olx. I introduced to my li'l devil as his personal recliner and made him sit on it watching his Cocomelon rhymes and when feeding and he loved it. Switched the scene, fixed in the car, and he made it a habit without making any fuss.

Came well-packed, but was upside down inside the box.

Black with red stitch. I so tempted to search for matching Recaro/Sparco seats for myself, even though not affordable.

Well padded.

Lionie gives the demo.

Three-point safety harness (they mentioned 5-point everywhere). The strap and buckle are well padded to prevent any bruising in case of a crash or hard braking.

Fits perfect with the seatbelt. With driver-only scenario, better fit on the other side diagonal to the driver for better/ease of visibility of the occupant. Also ensure child lock. Up to 8-9 kg, should be used as rear facing only.

Installation is simple and straight forward and fitting or removing takes barely takes a minute or two. I see many mentioning it as a Herculean task.

Route the seatbelt and buckle up.

Pull the strap to adjust the tension of the harness. Pull the red lever to adjust the tilt

 

[deville_56]

July 2021 - Got Fastag

I was mulling about taking Fastag or not as there was no toll in the vicinity, but came toll booths on new bypass as well as Kollam bypass, but still chances of taking those routes are extremely rare (with the former able to be bypassed with just a kilometre reroute).

Ordered from PayTM and got delivered in 2 days. Paid ₹350 of which ₹250 can be used and ₹100 issuance charge. No security deposits.

Came in metal-lined envelope to prevent accidental RF detection.

Found the ideal spot, will stay hidden.

With protective paper removed. Had thoughts of cutting out the black part alone, but back in the mind there was confusion of whether that will work.

Stuck.

Front outside. Had some air bubble, but squeezed them out.

Front JBLs started jarring. Suspecting it was the grille, applied some damp mat over them to damp any vibrations.

Leftover damp mat from @vishnu vichu's Amaze damping work.

After the wash.