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

VISHNUCARCRAZY · Aug 10, 2024

Did you try near the street near Car palace (Almost to rear of it), I am not sure whether he deals Nippon or Autocop. I forgot the guy's name, but he is quite Pro with Key programming.

How's the new paint shop, where is it located?

deville_56 · Aug 10, 2024

VISHNUCARCRAZY said:

He's Nippon guy.

VISHNUCARCRAZY said:

OE like finish, Referred to me by a small-time used car dealer friend of mine, who preps the car there. Located at Choozhampala near Muttada Vayalikkada. The owner does the painting, so hope he won't spoil his name. No sign board. Can be accessed through both lanes. Shares compound with United Autogas. Painted my BIL's Polo there including some plastic welding and full polishing for ₹ 10k.

Asokan Car Painting

deville_56 · Sep 3, 2024

September 2023 - Rear Wiper Blade Replacement (Kinda Custom)

Original Chevy wiper blade was costly as hell and the Amazon ones won't wipe properly. Went the old school way of replacing just the rubber. Even now most brands list rubber alone in their part inventory, say Hyundai, Toyota, Honda, Mahindra, Chevy and who not, the Maruti. Cheapest was Santro's at ₹70, while some costing more than the entire wiper assembly. Being a rarely sold item, maybe unsold for 3-4 years and hardened. Bought a regular Bosch framed blade to avoid that risk.

Bosch Eco Wiper Blade 12" - ₹ 146.00

12 inch being another no-taker was also pretty old, but just by an year.

My friends always told I was very resourceful, but my dad's opinion was I am the best in wasting them, who knows me better. Frame and clips gonna go to the scrap.

Side-by-side comparison before disassembling.

Rubber removed from the frame.

Wiper rubber with support.

Squeezed it inside the Chevy frame.

Old rubber and support.

Wipes like charm.

Evening at Kovalam Beach.

deville_56 · Sep 6, 2024

September 2023 - Hood Insulator Replaced

Ordered from Boodmo.

Hood Insulator - J95021083 - ₹ 431.00

Pack of 2. They sent by mistake. Buy one get one free.

2018 Make

Front and back views.

Double.

Old one. Soggy and saggy after the misfit washer nozzle.

New vs. old.

Without the insulator, going to install.

Installed. Dropped a clip in the engine bay and never recovered. Just now noticed one of the rubber bumper is missing.

deville_56 · Nov 7, 2024

September 2023 - Tail Light Replaced

Dropped the RH tail lamp and the glass got dislodged from the assembly.

Lens.

Base.

Made by Visteon.

Sealed and installed back, thinking of ordering some aftermarket brand from Boodmo, but the result was this.

And there were crack from sunlight exposure.

Bought KK Lights. Model KK-31-1278

MRP was ₹ 1,839.00. Got it for ₹ 1,550.00. Same was listed in Boodmo for around ₹ 900.00 with free shipping [frustration]

OE part costs whopping ₹3,860.00.

Packaging was good and quality was promising.

New vs. old.

Rubber mount for the light was torn. One of the sources of waterlogging.

Had them handy.
Tail Lamp Acc Hole Plug - J09180737 - ₹ 56.00

Originally ordered the fuel lid bumper and Boodmo sent this due to some mix-up.

Installed right away.

Done.

deville_56 · Nov 29, 2024

September 2023 - Misc Updates

Water seepage again, but only during extreme rains.

Bought a T50 Torx bit to remove seat belts.

That caused more trouble.

Accidentally dropped it when checking oil level.

Wasted a good amount of time retrieving it.

Finally removed the seatbelts for the first time.

T50 Bolts.

Seat belt retractor details. 95057636

The two big trim panels have always been a hindrance for working in the rear, especially the suspension tower. Seat belt bolt was preventing their removal. Now that sorted out.

Full access for the first time. Seepage from tyre splash through the shocker top on the RH side.

Rain water seepage on the LH side.

Full unrestricted access.

Cleaned up and detailed the boot and rear seat area.

Source of the leak. Dealer level install. All wires beneath the tail lamp grommet, for the parking sensors.

Removed them and shut the hole properly.

There was a den behind the rear bumper with unlimited access. Glad the rat didn't find this route yet.

Need to do something about these holes.

Wires for rewiring.

Took +12 from reverse light for the reverse cam and the parking sensors.

Routed it through.

Concealed. Neat and clean. A bit of leak noted on the white plastic plug for the tail lamp. Gotta order them too.

Added connectors to boot lamp for easy disconnection.

Panel for rear speakers.

Odd 4x6 size.

Rear seats.

Without cover. Still new. Delivered with seat cover. Installed the cover back. Confused about switching to fabric or new covers.

Love to be on three wheels.

Checked how close is the red line after seeing troll reels on Chinese reverse cams.

Still a bit room remains.

deville_56 · Dec 7, 2024

October 2023 - New Remote

The cracked remote. GM Genuine Accessory, rebranded Autocop.

Found a new key guy. MK Keys.

Blank keys, OE remote parts and case, everything they have. They do programming also.

Picked this one. Looked better. Got a boot release key, but won't work with basic Autocop XS. Works as car finder.

Got a panic button on the rear as well. It also works as find the car with Autocop unit.

Took 15 minutes to program the key. Charged ₹ 1,000.00 altogether.

deville_56 · Dec 27, 2024

2023 October - Updates

Spilled a full can of moisture absorber converted liquid on the floor, which was kept under the seat. Had to cleanup immediately as it is highly corrosive.

With the fabric floor mat removed. Completely absorbed by the foam insulator.

Removed the mat for the first time. Rear floor insulators nearby. They were also contaminated a bit.

Residue on the floor.

Reaction from a few drops after exposing for a couple of hours.

Fully stripped for cleaning.

Pressure-washed the mat.

After clean up.

The foam insulator was squeezed, washed, dried and installed back. It was the tedious part. It would never dry and the liquid wasn't water soluble. Took a lot of newspaper and manual squeezing.