Shoddy workmanship delivered, but rectified later. Review on Maruti Eeco

At the outset I would like to inform the readers that I shall keep them updated about my experience with this vehicle. My first experience was not too good. The attached Photos will speak that the quality of workmanship leaves much to be desired. The windscreen beading is coming off from the top corners. The left side window inside beading is too undersized so the metal is seen. The engine of this vehicle is under the drivers seat. The clamp to secure this is loose, it rattles.

This is at best shoddy workmanship.

I have sent the pics to maruti along with registering a complaint. The pleasure of ownership is definitely diluted for now. I urge all the prospective buyers to watch out for the interior workmanship and then receive the vehicle. I have yet to check for the mileage. The engine is smooth. Please don't buy this for pickup, you'll be disappointed. But then this does'nt mean that it without power. Climbs slopes at 80 kmph with load of five. The seating position is high. Its a vehicle that you walk into not crawl into. The feeling once you are seated is royal as there is space and a lots of it. The gear shift is smooth once you learn to do it correctly.

As I said that I will keep my readers updated with performance as and when I verify thing. I am an engineer who would like to double check things before reporting.

update on 06/02/2011: After registering a complaint I received a call from Vitesse andheri. I gave them the vehicle mentioning them the quality issues. They told that they require a day to rectify it. I was called on 06/02/2011 mentioning that the work is done. I visited the workshop and found that none of the complaints were attended satisfactorily. I brought this to the notice of the warranty manager who accepted that the complaints have not been attended to quality benchmarks. However he assured me that he will do so soon and deliver me the vehicle.

So far I will maintain that the quality of fittings is poor and the vehicle is not worth the money. In the same price one can get Hyundai I 10. Look for options. As you can read for yourself that my engineers eye could catch their faulty repairs. Still I will not hold Vitesse responsible for it. In the first place shoddy quality was delivered on day one.

Update on 12/02/2011: Maruti replied to my mails complaining the shoddy workmanship. Vitesse undertook the necessary repairs. I must put on record that the repairs were carried out to my satisfaction. The vehicle is running smooth.

I took it for a spin on the Mumbai Ahmedabad highway. It glides on the roads and yes it is quite stable at 80 kmph.

I am ultimately satisfied with the product.

Watch out for updates I will post the correct figures for the mileage after a through check. So far the it is the vehicle's running period. I has yet to go for the first service.

The Eeco consistently gives me an average of 10.6 km to a litre of petrol. Kindly note that the route on which I drive every day is very crowded and the vehicle can seldom be driven on fourth gear. On the same route my maruti 800, never gave me an average beyond 11.2 km to a litre. These are figures that are tank full to tank full. The readings have been taken with utmost care. On the average issue I am not complaining as even big cars in mumbai seldom give an average of 8 km/lit.

I have used the vehicle for two months now. The ride quality is good. When I brought the vehicle I felt that the ride was bumpy. Later I discovered that the tyres were overinflated. At correct pressure in the tyres the ride quality is good. The road grip( which is crucial to vehicles with tall bodies) is adequate at correct tyre pressure. I have taken sharp turns at speed of thirty. It does give the feeling of toppling The radius of turning, for toppling, for eeco is 22 percent higher as compared to maruti 800. This means you have to be a little cautious while turning. This has to be expected in any vehicle with a tall design(including WagonR, Ford hurricane, Scorpio or tavera). Toppling radius has nothing to do with weight of the unladen vehicle. Therefore buses and trucks can topple more easily that maruti eeco. Has the world stopped using buses to trucks? The steering is smooth but definately not a replacement for the comfort of power steering. Sometimes I feel that it is not required. But then who doesn't want one? The steering is sluggish as compared to a car. Whether this has been intentionally done to prevent quick turning to prevent toppling is a subject matter of debate, and will never be answered by maruti.

The boot space is very good, and one cannot complaint about the lack of it. Even a merc or bmw will have lesser than that of eeco.

I have no complaints about the vehicle as it has a reasonable performance for the price. One can always have a wishlist but then it costs to fulfill it which very few actually pay.

The a/c is best in the class, I bet for this. The cooling is instant atleast in mumbai. No complaints from the backseat passengers.

It has been two months since I exchanged my one year old EECO and brought a new one. The new one is a five seater airconditioned with CNG. The average that I get on CNG is amazing. In mumbai it is 17km to a kg of CNG. My travel cost have come down by sixty percent. The pick up with CNG is good, the difference is not felt. You will have to trust this. This has been achieved by having a seperate ECM for CNG injection. The CNG controls are using a feather touch button. Also let me assure you that while driving if you change the fuel mode the the vehicle does not jerk. I can assure you that the engineering is par excellence. I only wish that EECO comes with luxury features and power steering. Most of the ladies that I gave lift expressed that they loved the car and would consider buying it if it had a power steering.

To update, it has been a little less that two years that I brought EECO CNG. Few months ago my friend pointed out that there is a roaring sound coming from the rear. I showed it to Maruti dealer. Repairs, Right wheel bearing and differential bearings. Since it was under warranty, I was not charged. Other wise I would have to end up paying Rs.7500. This has been my first bad experience with Maruti. This is my third Maruti Car. I have also found that the weather strips of most of the EECO Cars, come out easily. I had one replaced too. I have started suspecting the quality of EECO. On the web I found people raising concerns about bearing problems. The ride in the car has considerably improved after the replacement of bearings.

I can hear only low hum of engine now. I suggest people check for a roaring sound in the rear, especially from the differential during delivery of the car.

Update: I had to replace the front tyres at 36000 km. It had worn out and the grip was insufficient. So in two years the front tyres have to be replaced. Also please do not go to the showroom for tyre replacement. They will rip you off. A tyre cost Rs. 3150 to 4000. For the same they will charge you Rs. 7000. I am not happy with the door trims. It has started to loose its shape. The engine is no doubt very smooth. Zoom still @ 100 kmph effortlessly on the highway. Top speed 120 kmph, When switching to CNG the noise is high.