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Asked by: Simanta Kashyap I'm riding a 2016 Yamaha R15S with ~150,000 km on the clock—rock-solid, reliable, and delivering an impressive 57–60 kmpl. My daily commute is about 100 km (20% city, 80% highway), riding 3 days and driving the car 2 days. The only issues now are that it's non-ABS and nearly 9 years old. I'm looking to upgrade to something with similar power and mileage as a Pulsar N250, but with a 6-speed gearbox instead of the N250’s 5-speed. Any recommendations are most welcome! Since you have had such a memorable and happy tenure with your R15S, you could consider a brand new MT-15 as a replacement since it has ABS, more upright and comfortable ergonomics and uses an engine that you are intimately familiar with. Another option you could consider is either of the Suzuki Gixxer 250 models, depending on your styling preferences. The Suzuki 250s are solidly built, have punchy performance and will return decent fuel efficiency as well. Asked by: Bala Hi, I have been driving this MG Windsor Pro for 3.5 months now and crossed 1500 kms so far. I have been constantly monitoring the mileage, and it gives only 250km on a full charge. The promised mileage is at least 375-400km on this pro variant. The service centre checked the battery health, and it came out good. What would be the issue? I drive only within the congested traffic in Bangalore, and very minimal to zero AC. 90% of the time only in eco+ mode. The MG Windsor Pro with Eco+ mode and air-con in a moderate setting is expected to be much more efficient than what your car seems to be averaging. However, one possible reason for low efficiency could be that with a monthly usage of around 400km, your daily travel of 10-15km is quite low. It is possible that before your vehicle's battery reaches its most efficient state/temperature, you arrive at your destination. Another possible reason could be heavy traffic snarls, where the constant stop-and-go traffic could result in higher energy consumption. To check your vehicle's health yourself, you could go for a longer drive of around 100km, and if the SOC falls from 100% to around 70%, it means that your vehicle is performing normally. If your battery falls to 65% or lower, something might not be right. In that case, check with the service centre to see whether your vehicle's software is up-to-date. Also, maintain recommended tyre pressures at all times. Asked by: UMAKANT SHAKYA I want to buy my first car for around 8.5 lakhs. Please suggest whether I should go for the base model of any car and get some important aftermarket accessories, or if I should go for a higher variant with accessories. I will be driving it for around 5 years, then once I'm perfect in driving, I'll switch to a bigger car. Mostly city driving, occasionally highway driving. Please suggest CNG or petrol as my first car since I have zero experience with anything related to cars. As a first car, the mid-spec Hyundai Grand i10 Nios petrol-AMT is worth considering. The petrol engine is smooth and refined, and thanks to its compact dimensions as well as the AMT version's clutch-free experience, driving and adapting to the car will be very easy. Opting for Magna AMT will get you features like an integrated music system, steering-mounted controls, remote key entry, electric folding mirrors, etc, from the factory, and we'd not recommend adding too many aftermarket accessories, as some could void the manufacturer's warranty. If you prefer the SUV body style, you can consider the Tata Punch Adventure AMT. Asked by: Sudarshan Reddy Planning to purchase a new petrol car, I need mileage and safety. Which car is better, Altroz, Punch or Kia Sonet? The Punch and Altroz share their 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and 5-speed manual transmission. However, the Punch has a slightly higher (claimed) fuel efficiency. In comparison, the Kia Sonet's 1.2-litre four-cylinder unit is much more refined, but fuel efficiency isn't likely to be as good as the Tata's 3-cylinder unit. As far as safety goes, all variants of the Sonet and Altroz get 6 airbags and ESP, whereas the Punch (ICE) is only available with dual airbags. Hence, keeping your requirements of safety and mileage in mind, the Tata Altroz is the one we recommend. Asked by: Srinivasan There is rust corrosion on the front left underbody behind the tyres, exactly near the jack placement area. The corrosion has caused a hole in the underbody. But the running board is not affected yet. I checked ASS, and they are quoting 75K to repair. The garage near me is quoting 15k to put a plate, weld the hole and repaint. Confused about how to go about it and what the right approach is to fix this. Pls advice. Also, if there are any good body shops in Chennai that can fix this, please let me know. Although the running board isn’t affected yet, rust spreads rapidly, and underbody rust typically worsens more quickly than visible rust on the surface. Hence, it is crucial to have your mechanic inspect the extent of rust - check inside the sill, floor pan, and suspension mount area to ensure structural integrity. Ensure that the rusted portion has been cut out completely, and new sheet metal is welded in place. Also, have the area treated with rust-proof primer and sealed with underbody coating. Any trusted body shop can do the job, and you need not get it done at the authorised service centre since the quote is exorbitant. Can’t decide which car to buy? Ask our experts and get answers to all your car related queries. Ask experts 
