About Maruti Car

This will cover the entire period from the inception of Maruti, its policy during the 90s to fight back competitors, Its policy today to fight back, launch of new cars, some interesting facts like Maruti has largest number of dealer network, it started in collaboration with Suzuki then the equation changed and today it has larger share than Suzuki and anything that you think can interest any one who is reading about Maruti page.

In 1980s Maruti Udyog Limited was conceived under the provisions of the Indian Companies Act, 1956 as a joint venture of Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan. This vision could be inspired from the idea of provision of better mode of personal transportation to Indian public. The early 1980s Indian road scene witnessed scooters, rickshaws, Fiat Padmini and Hindustan Ambassador plying on Indian roads.
Opting for a vehicle implied booking and waiting, for some number of years to finally able to own and ride a vehicle. The scene of automobile manufacturing and better transportation option was slow and drab.

On the overall, the main goal of Maruti Suzuki India is to provide the Indian population with compact, light weight, fuel efficient and low maintenance cars which are apt and suitable for best driving experience on Indian road conditions and weather situations as well.

Since commencement of its operations in India, Maruti Suzuki has gone way ahead in providing almost 7.5 million vehicles in India....Today it is capable of selling 500,000 cars in India's domestic market. The export scene state almost 500,000 cars exported globally and while annually it can export 30,000 cars.

Various multinational car companies are also selling diverse models of cars in India. You will find all types of cars in India. As some people are competing to grab the latest model, the used car market is also growing at a parallel speed. Even big car companies themselves are now buying used cars and reselling them. Another notable development in the automobile industry is the rising popularity of the rental cars in India. This is mainly due to the influx of population from smaller towns to the big cities and expansion of the business community. Car rental agencies have also emerged in large numbers to target the car crazy generation.

Car Wash Services

If you like to keep your car clean and tidy, then proper knowledge about the car wash service is a must for you. Especially during the long drives, mud and dirt often get deposited in the front area of the car. A typical car wash service includes cleansing the exterior, and in some rare cases the interiors of the vehicle too. The most common car wash system involves use of coins and is better known as the self-service system.Here, the customers need to drop coins into the machine and have the choice to use either soap or water for scrubbing the vehicle. However in most cases, you need to insert a minimum number of coins to get the desired service.
In the full service car wash system, washing the cars exterior is done mechanically but the subsequent drying needs to be a manual one. The interior cleaning process usually involves window cleaning, wiping of front and the side dashes and carpet hovering However, the most preferred car wash service is the automatic car wash. It consists of a tunnel shaped alcove where the customers need to drive in their cars. Here, the customer has to face pre-soak arches.
In this method, hot water is fed into the body of the car that does not affect the paints of the car. Then there are nozzles, which apply a highly basic solution to the cars body. Then the body of the car is dried with the help of a cloth, which does not scratch the body of the car.

Car Batteries

A car battery is principally used to start the engine. It is also used to filter or stabilize power and to provide extra power for the ignition, lighting and other accessories when their combined load exceeds the capability of the charging system, i.e., when the engine is idling. It also provides power to the electrical system when the charging system is not operating. The battery lies hidden under the bonnet and is an essential component of your vehicle. Regular care is a must, for if it in bad shape, the car will refuse to move. "Push-start" is a solution but cannot be carried on for long. A well-maintained battery lasts for two years. Regular care of your battery is a must, otherwise your car will not move. "Push-start" is an option but not a long term solution. A well maintained battery usually lasts for two years.
Points to note when buying a new battery

Climatic conditions determine the kind of battery you should buy. Colder climates require batteries with higher CCA ratings than in a hot climate.
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA)

The most important consideration is sizing the battery's CCA rating to meet or exceed, depending on the climate, is the car's OEM cranking requirements. CCA's are defined as the discharge loads measured in amps that a fully charged battery at 0 degrees F (-17.8 degrees C) can deliver for 30 seconds while maintaining the voltage above 7.2 volts.


Type

Low maintenance (non-sealed) and maintenance free (non-sealed or sealed) are the two most common types of car batteries.

The advantages of maintenance free batteries are less preventative maintenance, longer life, faster recharging, greater overcharge resistance, reduced terminal corrosion and longer shelf life, but they are more prone to deep discharge (dead battery) failures due to increased shedding of active plate material.

In hot climates, buying non-sealed batteries is recommended because a sealed battery will not allow you to add water when required, or to test the specific gravity with an external hydrometer. Some manufacturers introduced a third type of car battery, "dual", that combined a standard battery with switchable emergency backup cells. For about the same cost a better approach was to buy two batteries and isolate them.

It is best to buy a commercial or AMG battery for excessive vibration applications. Car batteries are specially designed for high initial cranking amps (usually for five to 15 seconds) to start an engine; whereas, deep cycle (or marine) batteries are designed for prolonged discharges at lower amperage.

A "dual marine" battery is a compromise between a car and deep cycle battery; However, a car battery will give you the best performance in a car. For RVs, a car battery is used to start the engine and a deep cycle battery is used to power the accessories. The batteries are connected to a diode isolator and both are automatically recharged by the RV's charging system when engine is running.
Size

Batteries are generally sold by model, so the group numbers will vary for the same price. This means that for the SAME price you can potentially buy a physically larger battery with more RC than the battery you are replacing, e.g. a 34/78 group might replace a smaller 26/70 group and give you an additional 30 minutes of RC.
If you do this, be sure that the replacement battery will fit, the cables will connect to the correct terminals, and that the terminals will NOT touch the hood when closed.

BCI and the battery manufacturers publish application guides that will contain the OEM cranking amperage requirements and group number replacement recommendations by make, model and year of car, and battery size, CCA and RC specifications. Manufacturers might not build or the store might not carry all the BCI group numbers. To reduce inventory costs, dual terminal "universal" batteries that will replace several group sizes are becoming more popular and fit 75% or more of cars on the road today.

Freshness

Determining the "freshness" of a battery is sometimes difficult. A battery that is more than six months old should never be bought because it begins to sulfate. Sulfation occurs when lead sulfate can not be converted back to charged material and is created when discharged batteries stand for a long time or from excessive water loss.

Warranty

As with every thing else, it is necessary that you check the warranty period of the battery before you buy it.

It is extremely important to note that

batteries contain a sulfuric acid electrolyte, which is a highly corrosive poison. It produces gasses when recharged and explode if ignited. When working with batteries, you need to have plenty of ventilation, remove jewelry, wear protective clothing and eyewear (safety glasses), and exercise caution. Whenever possible, you are requested to follow the manufacturer's instructions for testing, jumping, installing and charging.

Engine Oil

Engine oil is stored in the oil pan or sump at the bottom of the engine. A pump forces the oil through a filter and then through a series of passages and galleries to lubricate the engine’s moving parts. The flow of also cools these parts. Rapidly moving engine parts actually float on a thin film of oil and never make contact with one another. This is called hydrodynamic lubrication and usually begins when an engine reaches the idle speed. Most engine wear occurs when a cold engine is first started, before the oil reaches its normal operating pressure and flow.

Diesel Engine Lubricating Oil

The main function of lubricant for diesel engine is the same as mentioned for gasoline engine. As the load in diesel engine is much higher it should have adequate antiwear properties. Diesel fuel contains a high level of Sulphur which burns to form oxides of sulphur , which in turn in the presence of water, form sulphur acids resting in high corrosion of engine parts. Hence the need of alkalinity reserve in the oil which is represented by its TBN or Total Base Number. Generally, the higher TBN value more the alkalinity reserve or acid neutralizing capacity the oil contains.

Synthetic Oil

T The advent of synthetic oil more than fifty years back opened up vastly improved and new alternative lubricant to mineral oil. But being very expensive, it is confirmed to the arcane world of motor sports and used for high performance cars. They are also widely used in developing countries for a number of reasons like improved overall engine performance, low oil consumption, long drain periods, less engine wear, improved engine cleanliness and faster starting. Taking into consideration the price tag and its efficacy, the option is left for consumer’s discretion.

Additives- what they do

Plain mineral oils cannot provide all the necessary functional properties that an engine requires. These plain mineral oils need fortification with chemicals/additives which when used in small quantities, import or enhance the desirable functional properties. Some of the types and reasons for their use are as follows:

Dispersants: Keeps sludge, carbon and other deposit- precursors suspended in oil.

Detergents: Keeps the engine parts clean from deposits.

Rust/Corrosion Inhibitors: Prevents or controls oxidation of oil, formation of varnish, sludge and corrosive compounds, limit viscosity increase.

Extreme Pressure (EP), Anti wear and friction modifiers: These form protective film on the engine parts and reduce wear and tear.

Metal deactivators: Forms surface films so that metal surface does not catalyze oil oxidation.

Pour Point Depressant: Lowers freezing point of oils assuring free flow at lower temperatures.

Anti-foamants: Reduces foam in crankcase and blending.

Checklist:

* Use only recommended engine oil. It should be in the owners manual and if you are unsure call up the manufacturer or the dealer.

* Change the engine oil every six months or five thousand kms, whichever is earlier.

* Make a note of your last oil change. At the time oil change make sure you use the recommended lubricants only. Check the packaging of the oil to make sure it is not spurious.

* Always buy from recognized dealers and outlets.

* Change oil filter at the time of an oil change.

* Never drive your vehicle if the engine oil level is low or it does not have engine oil.

* Most cars have an indicator for engine oil on the dashboard instrumentation plaster. If it indicates low oil do not drive the car till you refresh the engine oil.

CarTyres

In radials tyres the ply or ply cords are alligned at 90 degrees to the circumference. While radials improve performance the fact is that they are not very good for bad roads and overloading. The suspension of a vehicle has, also, to be modified to accept radials. Radials offer much better grip of the road especially on surfaces which offer poor wheel traction like wet of slippery roads.
What do treads on tyres do?

Treads perform a variety of functions which includes increasing road grip, cooling the tyre while running at high speeds, forming an effect whereby tyres with deeper treads may not pick up loose pebbles and nails on the road, and providing a safe margin of rubber before the complete tyre wear out. In wet conditions they provide ducts through which the water is squeezed out. This in turn helps the tyre grip better.
Maintenance of Tyres

The single greatest cause of tyre damage is improper inflation, which result in unnecessary stress on them and also poor fuel average. Ensure that tyre pressure is always correct. At least once in every two weeks the tyre pressure should be checked and also when they are cold. Hot tyres will reflect wrong pressures and these will reduce once the tyre gets cold. Make sure the spare is always pressed up correctly, too.

Rotate tyres regularly, as per the owner’s manual. Remember that some tyres are designed only for uni-directional movement and others have specific front/rear location rolls. By and large on general vehicles, the tyre rotation pattern is criss-cross.

Taking out small stones and pebbles from the treads is also a must. As far as possible, overnight parking should be on hard surfaces. Waste or stagnant water on the streets is usually very corrosive and will eat through the sidewalls.

The best way to safeguard your tyres and give them a long life is by using your right foot carefully. Hard braking or sudden jerky racing starts finishes a tyre faster. Spinning the wheel is another disaster for tyres. Refrain from turning the front wheel while the vehicle is stationery. This also causes excessive wear.

Automobile Parts

The Britannica encyclopaedia describes the automobile as ‘a four-wheeled automotive vehicle designed primarily for passenger transportation and commonly propelled by an internal-combustion engine using a volatile fuel’. A regular automobile roughly comprises of 14,000 parts that are again divisible into other structural and mechanical subsystems.

BodyThe first in this list is the body of the automobile. It contains the passenger and storage space and the engine compartment. It is further classified according to the number of doors and the type of roof it has (e.g., two-door hardtop) and is made of molded steel, which is painted and treated to retard corrosion. The body rests upon the chassis, which is a steel frame that supports the engine, wheels, axle assemblies, transmission, steering mechanism, brakes, and suspension members.

Most vehicles use the internal combustion gasoline engine with reciprocating pistons and a four-stroke cycle.

A transmission includes shafts, gears and a clutch and is installed between the engine and the driving wheels that allow the engine to be disconnected when the engine ids started and idling and to make the most efficient use of the engine’s power under varying loads. There are two types of transmissions - those in which the gears are shifted manually by the driver and those where the gears are shifted automatically by such a device as a hydraulic torque converter.

A vehicle is equipped with steering and braking systems to control it while in motion. The steering system comprises of a series of linkages and gears that transmit the movement of the steering wheel to the front wheels. One braking system employs two semicircular “shoes” at each wheel that when activated press outward against the inner surfaces of drums attached to each wheel. In recent times, disk brakes, in which a clamp squeezes a disk attached to the wheel, are used.

Automobiles use complex electrical systems. These consist of a storage battery, alternator (alternating-current generator), other devices for starting the engine and for vehicle operation (e.g. headlights), and such accessories as heaters and radios. The battery provided enough power to engage the starting motor and to activate the ignition system. When the engine is started, the alternator
continually recharges the battery and supplies power to other electrical equipment.

Apart from these, there are different subsystems that are equally important. The fuel system provides storage space for the fuel, transports it to the engine, and mixes it with air for combustion in the engine. The exhaust system vents exhaust gases by way of a muffler, which helps reduce engine noise. The lubrication system keeps friction from wearing out moving parts. The engine uses relatively lightweight motors oils, and heavier weight oils and greases are used in the transmissions and wheel bearings.

The cooling system prevents the engine from overheating, generally by means of a liquid coolant, although many engines are air-cooled. The suspension system comprises of coil or leaf springs and shock absorbers, and combines with the tires to cushion the vehicle from the shock caused by driving over irregular surfaces. Tyres come in a variety of tread designs to provide traction in all driving conditions.

An automobile goes through a number of steps before it is ready to come on the roads. It involves a number of steps, like the manufacturing of engines and transmissions, the stamping of body parts, the procurement of batteries, tyres etc and culminating in the assembly of the vehicle on a production line. The body and the chassis are the usual lines. The stamped body parts are first welded together and painted, and items like the windows and instrument panel are installed. On the chassis line, meanwhile, the stamped body parts are first welded together and painted, and such items as windows and the instrument panel installed. Finally, the body is joined with the chassis, and the final work, including the seat and wiring installation performed. A series of tests is then performed, and the vehicle is finally ready to see the light of day.