Maruti 800 (2004) Restoration Advice

[kashbaig]

My fellow TAI'ians,

This is Kashif from Bangalore. I am 36 years old. I am a Mechanical Engineer by education and now work as a Service Delivery Manager with an ICT firm. I have just returned back to India after a 4 year stint working in Johannesburg, South Africa. I used to drive a 2008 FIAT Palio SDX which I sold prior to my departure in Sep 2011.

Now that I'm back to my home base, I don't have a car handy other than my late father's 2004 M800. I'm planning an extensive rejuvenation/ modification program keeping a budget of around 1.5 lakhs initially with a further leeway of around Rs. 50k to rectify anything which might present itself after a couple of months of the upgrade.

I stay at Nagawara (opp. Manyata Tech Park) on the outer ring road and I'm looking for advice on a trusted service centre /workshop where I can carry out some of the upgrades/servicing of the car as well as a parts store where I can source genuine M800 parts needed.

These are some of the things that I plan to address off the top of my mind:

1. Complete Mechanical & Electrical overhaul - Engine, Gearbox, Differential, Suspension, AC, Wiring, etc
2. Tyre upgrade - Wider width tyres but on the original re-chromed/new rims
3. Painting - Same red shade
4. Power windows installation
5. Upholstery - Faux leather seats, door pads and gear lever gaiter
6. Reverse parking sensor
7. Headlight lamps upgrade
8. Changing the headlights, rear lights and indicators as they are "fogged-up" with condensation
9. Gear lever length increase and gear lever knob upgrade
10. OVRMs upgrade to ones with integrated blinkers/Alto 800
11. Side sills/scuff plates
12. Rear body coloured spoiler
13. Remote fuel-lid opening mechanism
14. Remote boot opening mechanism
15. Rear windshield washer/wiper installation
16. Once the above are done, I'm hoping of going through any others that may be suggested by you & the others who have trudged this same path earlier

 

[Rahul401]

Re: M800_Bengaluru

Welcome to TAI. Varun and SS80(Anand) are the best persons to help you regarding the workshops in Bengaluru. Also add brake booster in the list. It will help you gain more confidence during braking.

You can check their ownership thread for more details.

 

[kashbaig]

Re: M800_Bengaluru

Welcome to TAI. Varun and SS80(Anand) are the best persons to help you regarding the workshops in Bengaluru. Also add brake booster in the list. It will help you gain more confidence during braking.

You can check their ownership thread for more details.

Thank you for the warm welcome Rahul. Yes, I did peruse Varun560061 and ss80's threads and posts.

I got the idea for the remote fuel lid release and remote boot opener from Varun560061's threads. I will add the brake booster to the list now.

How do I get Varun560061 and ss80 to have a look at my thread and provide me their inputs on a garage close-by? I am not able to PM them.

 

[Rahul401]

Re: M800_Bengaluru

I will contact them and pass on the message. You won't be able to send or receive PM untill you complete 10 posts.

 

[saeed wasim]

I also stay in nagawara , may be I can help you with workshops which are trust worthy and are capable of carrying out the mods you have mentioned..

 

[ss80]

Re: M800_Bengaluru

Hi Anand here (SS80)

Glad to know that you are planning to restore your M800. I work @ Manyata Tech Park, so I can probably meet you up sometime this weekend or next week. I can give you a clear picture of what to do and how much it costs, places to buy genuine spares, good garages too.

For now, if you need any MGP part, the nearest place is Bharat Automobiles, Kammanahalli Main Road, Shop Owner - Mr.Muneer Ph: 08041733998. He sells mainly Maruti & Hyundai parts, he is known for his honest behaviour in all of the area. If you miss this one, the next place where you can all MGP (Maruti Genuine Parts) parts is ESSAR AUTOMOBILES, near OOrvashi Theatre (16kms from Nagawara).

Please complete 10post in the forum, I will be allowed to PM you my number.

Although you have a pretty good wishlist, the cost involved will be simply too high & in my honest opinion not worth it. Do what is good, skip the too expensive ones.

Here are my thoughts:

1. Complete Mechanical & Electrical overhaul - Engine, Gearbox, Differential, Suspension, AC, Wiring, etc - DO ONLY WHAT IS ESSENTIAL, a basic service followed by 1000kms of usage will reveal what exactly needs to be done. always follow - always repair, replace if repairing is not worth it.
2. Tyre upgrade - Wider width tyres but on the original re-chromed/new rims - 165/70R12 or 155/70R12 on original rims is good
3. Painting - Same red shade - Cant comment till I see the car.
4. Power windows installation - 9K approx, installation etc
5. Upholstery - Faux leather seats, door pads and gear lever gaiter - 5K (max)
6. Reverse parking sensor - Rs. 800 - buy it from snapdeal (ACTUALLY NOT REQUIRED AT ALL FOR 800, rearward visibility is awesome in 800)
7. Headlight lamps upgrade - 100/90wiring kit along with 100/90Phillips bulb - 1100/- (max)
8. Changing the headlights, rear lights and indicators as they are "fogged-up" with condensation - 2.5K max - all MGP {headlamps - 500/- each & tail lamps 400/- approx}
9. Gear lever length increase and gear lever knob upgrade - Dont mod the gear lever, just change the knob to your liking - Alto/Swift knob - 300/- max (easy to fit, screwing method)
10. OVRMs upgrade to ones with integrated blinkers/Alto 800 - not possible
11. Side sills/scuff plates - Snapdeal/Flipkart
12. Rear body coloured spoiler - 2.5K
13. Remote fuel-lid opening mechanism - I will explain when I meet
14. Remote boot opening mechanism
15. Rear windshield washer/wiper installation - 1.5K for motor + installation etc
16. Once the above are done, I'm hoping of going through any others that may be suggested by you & the others who have trudged this same path earlier

 

[kashbaig]

Re: M800_Bengaluru

I also stay in nagawara , may be I can help you with workshops which are trust worthy and are capable of carrying out the mods you have mentioned..

Thank you for your reply Saeed. My deepest apologies for not replying earlier as I was busy sorting a few things out on the personal front.

My brother, who is in Bangalore, last got the car serviced at Viswa's Car Services Pvt Ltd on the Kalyan Nagar Ring Road just a couple of days before I arrived here.

I am not very happy with the condition of the car at all but I feel that this is more due to the neglect that it has suffered through over the past 4 years rather than the quality of servicing provided by Viswa's.

The next scheduled service is around 65000 kms, which is not due for another 1500 kms. Yes, the car has only done 63500 odd kms in 11 years !!! I shall be grateful for any guidance with regards to a reliable service centre.

 

[kashbaig]

Hi Anand here (SS80)

Hi Anand, I am delighted and extremely honoured to make your acquaintance. I have gone through your previous threads and that is what got me excited and thinking about this project.

Glad to know that you are planning to restore your M800. I work @ Manyata Tech Park, so I can probably meet you up sometime this weekend or next week. I can give you a clear picture of what to do and how much it costs, places to buy genuine spares, good garages too.

Thanks. I stay around 1.2 kms from Manyata :-). Although my workplace is in Whitefield. You can reach me on nine-six-one-one-seven-three-two-six-seven-nine. I would love to show you the car and solicit your invaluable feedback.

For now, if you need any MGP part, the nearest place is Bharat Automobiles, Kammanahalli Main Road, Shop Owner - Mr.Muneer Ph: 08041733998. He sells mainly Maruti & Hyundai parts, he is known for his honest behaviour in all of the area. If you miss this one, the next place where you can all MGP (Maruti Genuine Parts) parts is ESSAR AUTOMOBILES, near OOrvashi Theatre (16kms from Nagawara).

Thank you for this. I tried one MGP near Hennur Depot but the chap there didn't have even basic things in stocks like headlight bulbs.

Please complete 10post in the forum, I will be allowed to PM you my number.

I will surely try to do that at the earliest. I have been rather busy on the personal front of late. I will not be staying in Bangalore beyond November. Will explain in detail to you once we meet

Although you have a pretty good wishlist, the cost involved will be simply too high & in my honest opinion not worth it. Do what is good, skip the too expensive ones.

Here are my thoughts:

1. Complete Mechanical & Electrical overhaul - Engine, Gearbox, Differential, Suspension, AC, Wiring, etc - DO ONLY WHAT IS ESSENTIAL, a basic service followed by 1000kms of usage will reveal what exactly needs to be done. always follow - always repair, replace if repairing is not worth it - As per the last service carried out at Viswa's Car Service Pvt Ltd at Kalyan Nagar Ring Road, a proper overall inspection was done and a few parts were replaced. I shall scan & upload the details of the service carried out

2. Tyre upgrade - Wider width tyres but on the original re-chromed/new rims - 165/70R12 or 155/70R12 on original rims is good - For now, decided not to proceed with this as the current tyres seems to have quite a bit of life left in them yet

3. Painting - Same red shade - Cant comment till I see the car - The car was unfortunately not cared for properly as I was away from the country for the past 4 years and it was treated quite shabbily by my brother who stays here. He drives a Swift and used to treat the M800 as a secondary/back-up car. When the house was last painted, the car was not protected properly and there are a lot of paint splashes all over the car. You will see them when you look at the car

4. Power windows installation - 9K approx, installation etc - For now decided not to proceed with this

5. Upholstery - Faux leather seats, door pads and gear lever gaiter - 5K (max) - I actually discovered that there were faux leather seat covers already installed over which, for some unknown reason, my father had put slip-on fabric seat covers. I removed the slip-on covers and saw that the condition of the faux leather seat covers is not bad at all with just a small scratch on the drivers seat (will post pics)

6. Reverse parking sensor - Rs. 800 - buy it from snapdeal (ACTUALLY NOT REQUIRED AT ALL FOR 800, rearward visibility is awesome in 800) - For now decided not to proceed with this

7. Headlight lamps upgrade - 100/90wiring kit along with 100/90Phillips bulb - 1100/- (max) - Thanks. Will check at Bharat Automobiles for this

8. Changing the headlights, rear lights and indicators as they are "fogged-up" with condensation - 2.5K max - all MGP {headlamps - 500/- each & tail lamps 400/- approx} - Thanks. Will check at Bharat Automobiles for this

9. Gear lever length increase and gear lever knob upgrade - Dont mod the gear lever, just change the knob to your liking - Alto/Swift knob - 300/- max (easy to fit, screwing method) - Thanks. Will check at Bharat Automobiles for this

10. OVRMs upgrade to ones with integrated blinkers/Alto 800 - not possible - Ok, will ignore this for now

11. Side sills/scuff plates - Snapdeal/Flipkart - Thanks, just wanted to check how these will need to be installed. Do they come with a glue strip or need to be screwed in?

12. Rear body coloured spoiler - 2.5K - For now decided not to proceed with this

13. Remote fuel-lid opening mechanism - I will explain when I meet - Thanks, will wait for our meet

15. Rear windshield washer/wiper installation - 1.5K for motor + installation etc - Thanks, will wait for our meet

Posting a few pics to show the condition in which I found the car upon my arrival

 

[kashbaig]

Re: M800_Bengaluru

Hi Anand here (SS80)

Posting a few pics to show the condition in which I found the car upon my arrival

Some more pics after my attempts at cleaning up all the stickering on the front/rear windshields plus attempting to remove as much of the paint plus tearing away the fabric pull-on seat covers.

 

[saeed wasim]

Re: M800_Bengaluru

Thank you for your reply Saeed. My deepest apologies for not replying earlier as I was busy sorting a few things out on the personal front.

My brother, who is in Bangalore, last got the car serviced at Viswa's Car Services Pvt Ltd on the Kalyan Nagar Ring Road just a couple of days before I arrived here.

I am not very happy with the condition of the car at all but I feel that this is more due to the neglect that it has suffered through over the past 4 years rather than the quality of servicing provided by Viswa's.

The next scheduled service is around 65000 kms, which is not due for another 1500 kms. Yes, the car has only done 63500 odd kms in 11 years !!! I shall be grateful for any guidance with regards to a reliable service centre.

if you have space available I can fix you up with a mechanic who can do the repairs for you at your doorsteps , the reason why most of the service centers fail to attain the required level of service is because they are also caught up with other cars and customers who also want their attention .. what I have found is once you have the mechanic at your doorsteps you end up having the sense of satisfaction because of the attention they pay to details .
call me on 9845024924 only between 8pm to 11.30 pm .