BHPian Leoshashi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Definitely, I was busy with a few things, thus the update got delayed. Thanks for reminding me. So here goes the entire saga:

21st April 2022: XL6 2022 gets launched, and the itch began. I approached my trusted tyre shops for a quote and they all dish out pathetic rates. I was getting around 3k per "wheel (tyre plus alloy), which would have been a 15k return on perfect scratchless alloys and a 20k km run Michelins which had no puncture and minimal wear thanks to my 5k rotation schedules. I was heartbroken and the plan to swap wheels was nearly scrapped.

23rd April 2022: 2 days post-launch and MSIL still hadn't launched the updated part numbers for alloys and suspension. This was unusual since Maruti usually updates the service side with these details before the actual launch. Meanwhile, tyre shops quote me Rs. 9600 for Michelin P3ST and Rs. 9500 for Continental UC6s in 195/60R16 size.

29th April 2022: Part number of alloys come out, and they are priced at Rs. 9990. Thus as per these details, just the tyre and alloys (5 sets) would cost me near Rs 1 lakh. The suspension part numbers aren't out yet.

30th April 2022: I post an ad on OLX for selling my wheels, and since it's the norm on OLX to haggle hard over the quoted price, I price it at Rs. 45k for the set. My mental target was to sell the wheels if I get Rs. 35k. Unexpectedly, I start getting calls from pan India. Gentlemen from Chennai and Bangalore wished to buy the wheels, and so did a gentleman from Punjab who wanted just the tyres for his Altis. Shipping for sure was going to be a hassle.

2nd May 2022: I get a call from a known chap who owns First-gen Ertiga for tyre recommendations. His steel rims were bent and rusty too. I told him about my intentions and he jumped at the proposal. He was getting new tyres(Yokos) at Rs. 38k, and here he was getting Michelins in excellent shape, plus 5 scratchless alloys for 40k! He blocked the deal. I was taken aback at the promptness because I hadn't even ordered the new alloys or tyres nor was the part number for the new suspension known till then.

Still, the deal was quite tempting and that chap also wanted the wheels ASAP, so I took a call and parked my XL6 in a corner, jacked it up and removed the wheels. It was a funny scene to see the car standing on jack stands for more than a month. I took the wheels to my trusted tyre shop for removing the TPMS sensors and sold the wheels there itself to the fellow. He was extremely happy with the deal he got, and even today after almost 2 months of usage, he is extremely delighted with the setup.

5th May 2022: During the Amazon sale, I placed orders for 5 Continental UC6s using 5 different credit cards. Had 2 cards within the family while others were sourced from good friends. Because of this, the Continental cost me Rs. 6500 per tyre, and that was a significant saving compared to the initial budget. Also, I didn't opt for Michelin this time because A. 3ST pattern is old and discontinued and may be replaced by P4ST anytime and B. supply isn't as smooth as Made in India Continentals. DBHPian Parag who is using them also assured that the Contis are as good as Michelins.

The tyres got delivered on 13th May. The entire experience is listed here and here.

20th May 2022: Surprisingly, the new alloys came in stock on Boodmo and I placed an order during their 12% discount weekend. Also used a credit card for extra cashback. Thus the alloys cost me Rs. 43,920 for a set of 5.

22nd May 2022: I approach my MSIL friend to arrange part numbers of suspension for New XL6. Even today (30th June 2022), Maruti hasn't fully updated the part numbers on their internal system. He arranges the part numbers within a day and an order was placed with a local MGP dealer for the same. The dealer was so scared to place an order for unknown part numbers that he took a 50% advance. Parts arrived in 7 days, and I also got a 10% discount on the MRP as per our equation.

29th May 2022: I had to bring the shipment from Xpressbees hub myself since they didn't have the proper transportation for last-mile connectivity.

30th May 2022: Ceramic coated the alloys

31st May 2022: I got the tyres mounted, install the wheels and the XL6 comes down after almost a month.

6th June 2022: I install the new suspension. While the front struts and rear shocks were quite easy to install, the rear springs proved to be a tough nut and had to take the help of my dad to install them cleanly. Highly recommend doing these exercises on lifts and not jack stands as I did at home.

25th June 2022: I had told my contacts at the workshop and other places to find buyers for my old suspension components. Got a lead about an Ertiga Taxi owner who was interested in his car. He came to my place and had a look at the suspension and paid me the amount. He was happy to find these for Rs 8k when the new suspension would have cost him upwards of 17k.

I requested a day since I didn't wish to give the shocks to him in that dirty state. Got it washed and delivered them to his place the next day.

Thus the entire project came to an end.

Economics: Initial projected cost: Rs 1.2 lakhs - Alloys = Rs 49950; Tyres = Rs 47.500 and Suspension = Rs 20k (guessed)

Final Spent: Rs 43,920 for alloys, Rs 32,500 for tyres, Rs 15,390 for suspension, (-)Rs 40,000 for old wheels, (-) Rs 8,000 for old suspension = Rs 43,810

The final economics worked extremely in my favour and it was a win-win for all parties involved.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Keep yourself tuned in to the Indian automotive scene via Twitter, Youtube or RSS feeds.