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A DV I C E
The Toyota Innova Crysta is easy to own and maintain.
I live in a joint family and own an Innova, a Duster and a Swift. I want to buy another car and my budget is Rs 25 lakh. Should I buy the Innova Crysta or go for the Skoda Octavia. Skoda has a dealership in Jamshedpur and not in Dhanbad, and they are not able to provide test drive. I am also considering the pros and cons of aftersales service, as well as the resale value after four-five years. The car will be used in city and for long highway trips. Please advise. rahul gupta, Dhanbad The Skoda Octavia is much nicer to drive than the Innova Crysta, but given your requirements, the Innova Crysta is a more sensible choice. It is spacious, practical and will give you far more peace of mind in the long run. The Octavia won’t be backed by the same level of service support and is likely to be more expensive to maintain.
BeefeD-up Stance
I want to modify my 2014 Maruti Celerio. What’s the best way to make my car look more bulky? Krishna, Hyderabad To be honest, we wouldn’t recommend any extreme modifications to the Celerio as it may cause unreliability and poor performance. However, depending on the variant, your car may be equipped with 13- or 14-inch wheels. If your car comes with 13-inch wheels, we can recommend that you upsize to 14-inch wheels and get new 175/65R14 tyres to go with them. In case your car is already on 14-inch rims, you can just upsize to 175/65R14 rubber. We
Will it be the small mid-sizer or the big small car? And is that a ghost in your engine or an actual problem? AAA (Ask Autocar Anything), the guru-cum-agony uncle, has all the answers. Email aaa@autocarindia.com
recommend the Michelin Energy XM2 for the combination of good grip and reasonable tyre life.
Oil MatterS
I drive a Hyundai i20 CRDi and want to use fully-synthetic engine oil in my car. In India, Shell has Helix 5W40 Ultra as an option. But according to my car’s manual, 15W-40, 10W-30, 5W-30 are the recommended choices. I mailed Shell and they said I could use the 5W-40. Please confirm this and also let me know if there are any other options. Also, service centres only have mineral oil from Indian Oil. vinod chawla, Faridabad You can definitely use the Shell Helix 5W-40. It is a fairly superior product compared to mineral oils in the grades you have mentioned. But before you make the switch, we recommend that you ensure that all the pumps, lifters and sumps are cleared thoroughly, using an engine flush like Bardahl. This will get all the sludge out too. This is to ensure that the last remnants of the older mineral oil are expelled from the engine before you put in the fresh synthetic, to ensure maximum efficiency from day one.
unwelcOMe nOiSe
I have been using a Linea T-Jet Plus
If you must modify, play safe and stick to upsizing the wheel size or tyres.
since 2011. From the second year, I noticed a rubbing noise coming from the front right, but only during sudden acceleration. The sound lasts for a second and is heard around 2,200 rpm. Under normal driving conditions, however, there isn’t any noise, even at 140kph. When I took the car to a service centre for a regular servicing, the technicians heard the noise as well, but were unable to locate it. Now they think it could be from the flywheel. They wanted to open it up and check. What do I do? Sunil, Kochi This seems to be a case of harmonic
T He
rumbling or resonance. Before rushing to dismantle the transmission – an expensive and labour-intensive job – we’d suggest that you look for small niggles in the engine bay. For example, a slightly loose exhaust manifold heat-shield or any other item might have come loose, causing a vibration at certain speed/rpm combination. This is the most likely scenario. If everything is fine, check the front wheel bearings for wear, and if worn out, that may be a factor. If all is well, then it is likely to be something with the transmission – the throwout bearing or final drive may be the culprit. AI
SHOPPeR
Not sure which new vehicle to buy? Autocar India points you towards the right one.
parMeet Kaur – Maruti Baleno
D
elhi-based Parmeet Kaur was looking to replace her ageing Hyundai i20 with a more spacious, well-equipped diesel hatchback. Her shortlist included the current Hyundai i20, the Honda Jazz or the Maruti Baleno, but unable to make a decision, she approached us for help. In addition to the above criteria, she wanted the new car to deliver good mileage and a peaceful ownership experience. She had a budget of around Rs 9 lakh, so we recommended she opt for the Baleno as it ticked all the right boxes and came with Maruti’s reliability. Following our opinion, she checked out the Baleno and knew she had found a suitable replacement. The car impressed her with its spacious interiors, premium feel and ease of driving, while its eye-catching design, aggressive pricing and the Nexa experience persuaded her to put her money down. Parmeet took delivery of the Baleno some time back and is very happy with her new car.
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