Need an expert answer about Maruri 800

[new user]

What are the differences of maintenance cost  between Maruti 800 carb model and Efi models?

Having confusion due to different mechanics saying different stories.

Pls let me know what's the best? (I'm planning to buy 2004 - carb model). Any suggestions?

 

[john cooper]

Carb,

Cons:

more pain in the morning, most of them need a warm up

less responsive

Outdated

Pros:

cheap/ easy to fix

EFI:

Pros:

Turn the key and way off

Better response (compared to 800cc carb)

Cons:

Bit expensive (if you had to replace throttle body)

Go for the EFI 

I have a doubt about 04 carb model? anyway go with the technology don't go backwards

 

regards

JC

[new user]

John Cooper : thank you very much, it's useful.

[Twin Turbo]

The carb model is simpler to maintain as any grease monkey can fix it. and if properly tuned, will be more efficient than it's EFI model.+ it needs frequent CB point adjust/replacements.

Yes the carb hates cold mornings, but we don't have a winter do we? 

At the end of the day, why do we get a Maruti 800,? because it's cheap to run,..

[Davy]

Given the choice, I'd always pick EFI over carburettor. Here's why:

1. Hard to find skilled mechanics

It's becoming increasingly difficult to find mechanics who can repair, rebuild and tune a carburettor engine properly. Back in the day when EFI was not an option, every motor mechanic was required to have the skill to tune a carb engine. It's a totally different story now with EFI engines being dominant. This is not saying that you will not be able to get your carburettor engine tuned at all, but just pointing out one thing that may get even more difficult in the future. 

 

2. Fuel Efficiency and emissions

EFI engines are far more efficient and economical to run than carb engines. A single carb engine like the one on the Maruti cannot balance the air/fuel ratio that flows into each cylinder individually. Therefore they do not work as efficiently as their EFI counterpart where the ECU adjusts the air/fuel mixture to obtain a much cleaner burn in each cylinder, resulting in lower emissions. 

 

3. Lower long term cost of maintenance

Carburettor engines need a bit more TLC to keep running smooth. EFI engines need little to no maintenance, but given the local dusty conditions and poor fuel quality, even EFI engines need that periodic "tune" which is basically a clean-up of the gunk stuck within the throttle body and injectors. As with carburettors, every time you take it out of the car for a clean up, (for a proper job) it needs to be completely dismantled, rebuilt with a kit, reinstalled and tuned - time, effort, money.

 

4. Easier diagnosis

With EFI, you can simply get the car to "tell" you when something is wrong. The check engine light illuminates and lets you scan the car for trouble codes. The ECU is able to detect even the slightest abnormality, even before symptoms are obvious to the driver. This makes things much easier to troubleshoot. With carburettor, it's a case of diving in and figuring out what the hell is wrong.  

 

4. Higher demand

I believe the local car market favours EFI over carb - if the same make/model offers both variants. So you're looking at being able to sell your car with ease when it is time.

 

All this is not saying that carburettor engines are useless. Modern EFI systems can get really complicated and only trained people are suited to work on them. And although electronics in EFI systems are pretty reliable, they too can rarely fail resulting in expensive repairs (example: ECU failure). 

 

My 2 cents. Hope this helps.

Edited February 21, 2018 by Davy
Corrected typo