GEARSHIFT CAME OFF! Inside forest-At night!

CrAzY dRiVeR · 18th July 2007, 01:07

This happened this weekend. Wanted to pen down this report. But got the time only now.

For all the impatient members out here, skip the first two sections.

Car:
2004' Maruti Suzuki WagonR VXi.
Run around 33k kms.

Where it all began?
Was driving home. My mom is also with me inside the car. Was a beautiful sunday afternoon, and time is around 2pm. She suggests we have a family outing that evening. After lunch, four of us (including a relative staying here for the time being) set out for Neyyar dam.

Neyyar dam is a good drive from Thiruvananthapuram city. About 40 kms, i guess. We reached there by about 5pm. Had some nice time. There is a 'Lion safari', but unfortunately for us, that was closed.

We decided to head for the "Steve Erwin crocodile reserve', which is around 5kms (didnt check as such) drive inside the dam.

Notchy gearbox:

WagonR is famous in team-bhp for its notchy gearbox. However, my car was having an 'Ok' shift. It was never good like in the Swift, but didnt give me any troubles as well.
But last one week, the shift had become hard. Shifting to first and third were getting very notchy. Didnt take much attention on it, as WagonR is said to have this problem. But things were getting worse.

Ok.For all those who skipped the first two sections- Read from here.

After setting out to Crodocile farm, started noticing that third gear is not engaging at all. It was getting bounced back. I mean it- the gear was bouncing back into neutral.
I tried to minimize gear changes, as there was nothing else i could do. Kept to second gear and low speeds. Then came this incline where i had to engage first gear, and on shifting the gear box just came off. CAME OFF!

To all those guys who didnt get me. The gearbox was just like a joystick! It could be slotted anywhere and everywhere. Too bad it wasnt a video game.

Back to senses, switched off the car, reversed (It was an incline as i mentioned) and parked it safely. Checked for range on the mobiles- Nothing! Had three airtel connections and one BSNL. Not even the BSNL was showing range.
A guy comes on a bike. We ask him where we could get coverage, and he tells its on top of a hill. The hill in question is a big rock (opposite to the Crocodile farm) as we found out later. Climbed up there, and BSNL started showing one bar of coverage.

Called Maruti helpline. Told them we are stuck and range is limited. Got disconnected before hearing anything important from them.

No range for a few mins. I was standing on top of that rock while the rest of the family was standing near the car. Occasionally one bike would pass- by. They were all very polite and understanding. One guys offered us to go fetch for some road-side mechanic if he was payed for petrol. Was out of options, so we payed him.

Then, MASS calls back. Popular vehicles and services, trivandrum. They said they have six vehicles to pick up, and will get in touch as soon as they can. By this time, it was fully dark. (and boy- dark inside a forested area is scary!)
Some locals stood with us. Started talking to father, and they were saying that no one passes through those roads after dark. Actually, we were stuck at a place with lion safari on one side, crocodile farm on the other, thick forests (Locals went out with beating drums scared of the wildlife) and an open jail on the other side.

Oh! For a second, praying to god felt the only option out (the other two being the guy who went for the mechanic, and of course maruti helpline). As hours passed, i was getting real scared of standing on top of the rock alone (hehe... Forests can test your courage), but somehow managed cause a friend was on the phone whenever range was available.

Time: 7-45. the guy comes back with a mechanic (THANK GOD!). He took all the trouble to get us (absolute strangers) a mechanic on a sunday night! However, the mechanic confirms our fears, the rod supporting the shift to the gearbox is broken (something might have hit the underbody hard), and has to be welded. For that he has to go back to the city, and that would taken 1.5 hours more.

We call helpline again. And they say they are on their way. Then we get a call saying that they are searching for us inside the dam and forest. After 10 mins, the guys calls and says they are almost near the dam. By about 8.15, we see a light in the distance (Bikes only passed that way- it was a relief seeing a powerful high beam from a distance)
I was fancying them coming in a Gypsy. But they came in a 207 DI. (In case they needed to tow us back). They fixed the gearlever to second, and drove off slowly. With four in the car (3 of family+ 1 from MASS), and me and another MASS personnel in the 207.

Second gear! Meant a slow drive back home. The 207 was too noisy and my head was going crazy. However, i liked the size of the thing! Nice presence. I wonder what the Sierra would have been!

10.15! And we are back inside the city. They drop us off at east fort, gives all the paperwork for the car, and took the car to the service centre. We took an auto from there, and reached home by about 10.45.

Now the surprise!

Went to collect the car the next day, and the bill amount came to 200+ ONLY! Only for the replaced parts. Yipppeee! Father was willing to pay them, but this brought a big smile on our faces.

Remember that the car is not under warranty or anything.

Lessons learnt

1. GUYS! WE NEVER THINK ABOUT THIS. BUT ALWAYS HAVE DIFFERENT NETWORK CONNECTIONS on your mobiles while going for long trip. One of them may have range if you get stuck somewhere out of the city.
2. MARUTI SERVICE ROCKS!
3. Some people go out of their way to help others (the stranger who brought us the mechanic). Its helps if you place your trust in god.
4. Lion's can roar ferociously at night!
5. Next time, i'll go to the beach. Thank you.

Couldnt take any pictures. This is a picture of Neyyar dam from wikipedia.

v1p3r · 18th July 2007, 01:12

Been there, done that. To a race-winning Honda hybrid.

CrAzY dRiVeR · 18th July 2007, 01:32

MODS:

Posted the thread here, as i wanted it to give the deserving credit to MASS- Popular maruti vehicles and service, trivandrum.

But after reading this now. Feels more like a travelogue. Please move the thread if you feel so. Sorry if i am causing you any trouble.

Quote:

Originally Posted by v1p3r

Been there, done that. To a race-winning Honda hybrid.

Didn't quite understand that. Sorry, could you explain?

ravi@64bhp · 18th July 2007, 01:48

Hi CrazyDriver
I am happy that things went uneventful and your family reached safely home. Surprising that you got only 200/- bill. Surely M.A.S.S. rocks.

Even my WagonR's gearshifting became rough for the past two weeks. Had it checked agt M.A.S.S., but they told it is okay. Now I am feeling a bit scary, after reading your incident.

Cheers!

CrAzY dRiVeR · 18th July 2007, 08:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by ravi@64bhp

Hi CrazyDriver
I am happy that things went uneventful and your family reached safely home. Surprising that you got only 200/- bill. Surely M.A.S.S. rocks.
Even my WagonR's gearshifting became rough for the past two weeks. Had it checked agt M.A.S.S., but they told it is okay. Now I am feeling a bit scary, after reading your incident.
Cheers!

Gearshift becoming rough may be due to many other reasons.

As he service guys later explained to us, the connecting link is made of alloy, and is not something that easily breaks.

Could just be our bad luck.

speedmiester · 18th July 2007, 08:29

That must been one scary experience. Hats off to Maruti for their service network.
Even I make it a point to carry mobiles with different mobile service providers. It sure helps in case of emergencies.

Godfather · 18th July 2007, 08:30

Woah.. That was quite an experience.. I totally agree.. The Beach is a better option.

Godfather

Mistakenguy · 18th July 2007, 08:36

Crazy : This was some experience !!! Three cheers to the popular guys and the bike wallah .
BTW very valid point on taking cellphones with different networks . Have helped out a lot in many cases .

esteem_lover · 18th July 2007, 08:37

Man, that write up is very close to a James Hadley Chase novel. The suspense was building when the maruti guys had to come & spoil it.

lambuhere1 · 18th July 2007, 09:29

Good to see you that you are safe....

Did you by any chance have a GOLDEN OPPURTUNITY to meet with any of the ... ?

Would have loved to hear the recording of forest noises.. Miss it sometimes !!!

Ram P

goandude · 18th July 2007, 09:31

well written crazy driver. this makes my faith in mankind and maruti service go up a notch.

CrAzY dRiVeR · 18th July 2007, 10:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedmiester

That must been one scary experience. Hats off to Maruti for their service network.
Even I make it a point to carry mobiles with different mobile service providers. It sure helps in case of emergencies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Godfather

Woah.. That was quite an experience.. I totally agree.. The Beach is a better option.
Godfather

That is one problem with trivandrum. There aren't too many places to drive off too. (for short drive)

There is CCD (everyone always visits there

), Sanghumugham beach, kovalam beach, neyyar dam, and ponmudi (if you have a day off). Thats about it.

CrAzY dRiVeR · 18th July 2007, 10:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mistakenguy

Crazy : This was some experience !!! Three cheers to the popular guys and the bike wallah .
BTW very valid point on taking cellphones with different networks . Have helped out a lot in many cases .

Yup! Today need to count on popular service guys again. Am upto something again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Man, that write up is very close to a James Hadley Chase novel. The suspense was building when the maruti guys had to come & spoil it.

How about a trek through the forest? And a fight with the lions/crocs?

esteem_lover · 18th July 2007, 10:38

I would have preferred you to have stayed on through the night hearing shrill laughters coming from a deserted ruin. Then curiosity takes the better of you & you venture out in the pouring rain & you come across an elephant graveyard & wonder how big those tusks are when suddenly you hear those shrill laughters, only this time it is coming from all around you. You switch on the flash & see 100s of eyes goring into you. Hyenas, about 150 of them waiting to pounce on you. Just then there is a honk honk & you see the headlights of the TATA 207 coming up the hill & run as fast as you can towards your car with the hyenas right behind you.

you can continue from here.
cheers

rahul_intlad · 18th July 2007, 10:49

That is some adventure you had.

Nice to hear about a Steve Irwin memorial park in our country.

Also I thing mention must be made of BSNL mobile,in the cities tell somebody you are using BSNL and you end up looking like a joker,but they can be real lifesavers.

However did you not try to get help from the authorities at the crocodile park or the lion safari park,people there surely would have pick-ups/trucks or atleast some 4 wheeler and landlines

18th July 2007, 01:07	#1
CrAzY dRiVeR Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Bangalore / TVM Posts: 17,236 Thanked: 73,756 Times View My Garage	GEARSHIFT CAME OFF! Inside forest-At night! This happened this weekend. Wanted to pen down this report. But got the time only now. For all the impatient members out here, skip the first two sections. Car: 2004' Maruti Suzuki WagonR VXi. Run around 33k kms. Where it all began? Was driving home. My mom is also with me inside the car. Was a beautiful sunday afternoon, and time is around 2pm. She suggests we have a family outing that evening. After lunch, four of us (including a relative staying here for the time being) set out for Neyyar dam. Neyyar dam is a good drive from Thiruvananthapuram city. About 40 kms, i guess. We reached there by about 5pm. Had some nice time. There is a 'Lion safari', but unfortunately for us, that was closed. We decided to head for the "Steve Erwin crocodile reserve', which is around 5kms (didnt check as such) drive inside the dam. Notchy gearbox: WagonR is famous in team-bhp for its notchy gearbox. However, my car was having an 'Ok' shift. It was never good like in the Swift, but didnt give me any troubles as well. But last one week, the shift had become hard. Shifting to first and third were getting very notchy. Didnt take much attention on it, as WagonR is said to have this problem. But things were getting worse. Ok.For all those who skipped the first two sections- Read from here. After setting out to Crodocile farm, started noticing that third gear is not engaging at all. It was getting bounced back. I mean it- the gear was bouncing back into neutral. I tried to minimize gear changes, as there was nothing else i could do. Kept to second gear and low speeds. Then came this incline where i had to engage first gear, and on shifting the gear box just came off. CAME OFF! To all those guys who didnt get me. The gearbox was just like a joystick! It could be slotted anywhere and everywhere. Too bad it wasnt a video game. Back to senses, switched off the car, reversed (It was an incline as i mentioned) and parked it safely. Checked for range on the mobiles- Nothing! Had three airtel connections and one BSNL. Not even the BSNL was showing range. A guy comes on a bike. We ask him where we could get coverage, and he tells its on top of a hill. The hill in question is a big rock (opposite to the Crocodile farm) as we found out later. Climbed up there, and BSNL started showing one bar of coverage. Called Maruti helpline. Told them we are stuck and range is limited. Got disconnected before hearing anything important from them. No range for a few mins. I was standing on top of that rock while the rest of the family was standing near the car. Occasionally one bike would pass- by. They were all very polite and understanding. One guys offered us to go fetch for some road-side mechanic if he was payed for petrol. Was out of options, so we payed him. Then, MASS calls back. Popular vehicles and services, trivandrum. They said they have six vehicles to pick up, and will get in touch as soon as they can. By this time, it was fully dark. (and boy- dark inside a forested area is scary!) Some locals stood with us. Started talking to father, and they were saying that no one passes through those roads after dark. Actually, we were stuck at a place with lion safari on one side, crocodile farm on the other, thick forests (Locals went out with beating drums scared of the wildlife) and an open jail on the other side. Oh! For a second, praying to god felt the only option out (the other two being the guy who went for the mechanic, and of course maruti helpline). As hours passed, i was getting real scared of standing on top of the rock alone (hehe... Forests can test your courage), but somehow managed cause a friend was on the phone whenever range was available. Time: 7-45. the guy comes back with a mechanic (THANK GOD!). He took all the trouble to get us (absolute strangers) a mechanic on a sunday night! However, the mechanic confirms our fears, the rod supporting the shift to the gearbox is broken (something might have hit the underbody hard), and has to be welded. For that he has to go back to the city, and that would taken 1.5 hours more. We call helpline again. And they say they are on their way. Then we get a call saying that they are searching for us inside the dam and forest. After 10 mins, the guys calls and says they are almost near the dam. By about 8.15, we see a light in the distance (Bikes only passed that way- it was a relief seeing a powerful high beam from a distance) I was fancying them coming in a Gypsy. But they came in a 207 DI. (In case they needed to tow us back). They fixed the gearlever to second, and drove off slowly. With four in the car (3 of family+ 1 from MASS), and me and another MASS personnel in the 207. Second gear! Meant a slow drive back home. The 207 was too noisy and my head was going crazy. However, i liked the size of the thing! Nice presence. I wonder what the Sierra would have been! 10.15! And we are back inside the city. They drop us off at east fort, gives all the paperwork for the car, and took the car to the service centre. We took an auto from there, and reached home by about 10.45. Now the surprise! Went to collect the car the next day, and the bill amount came to 200+ ONLY! Only for the replaced parts. Yipppeee! Father was willing to pay them, but this brought a big smile on our faces. Remember that the car is not under warranty or anything. Lessons learnt 1. GUYS! WE NEVER THINK ABOUT THIS. BUT ALWAYS HAVE DIFFERENT NETWORK CONNECTIONS on your mobiles while going for long trip. One of them may have range if you get stuck somewhere out of the city. 2. MARUTI SERVICE ROCKS! 3. Some people go out of their way to help others (the stranger who brought us the mechanic). Its helps if you place your trust in god. 4. Lion's can roar ferociously at night! 5. Next time, i'll go to the beach. Thank you. Couldnt take any pictures. This is a picture of Neyyar dam from wikipedia. Last edited by CrAzY dRiVeR : 18th July 2007 at 01:22.
	(1) Thanks

18th July 2007, 01:12	#2
v1p3r Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: BLR / DXB / LON Posts: 5,344 Thanked: 6,951 Times View My Garage	Been there, done that. To a race-winning Honda hybrid.
	() Thanks

18th July 2007, 01:48	#4
ravi@64bhp BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 602 Thanked: 11 Times	Hi CrazyDriver I am happy that things went uneventful and your family reached safely home. Surprising that you got only 200/- bill. Surely M.A.S.S. rocks. Even my WagonR's gearshifting became rough for the past two weeks. Had it checked agt M.A.S.S., but they told it is okay. Now I am feeling a bit scary, after reading your incident. Cheers!
	() Thanks

18th July 2007, 08:29	#6
speedmiester Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: bangalore Posts: 2,410 Thanked: 6,753 Times	That must been one scary experience. Hats off to Maruti for their service network. Even I make it a point to carry mobiles with different mobile service providers. It sure helps in case of emergencies.
	() Thanks

18th July 2007, 08:30	#7
Godfather Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bangalore / Atlanta Posts: 1,387 Thanked: 71 Times View My Garage	Woah.. That was quite an experience.. I totally agree.. The Beach is a better option. Godfather
	() Thanks

18th July 2007, 08:36	#8
Mistakenguy BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 188 Thanked: 84 Times	Crazy : This was some experience !!! Three cheers to the popular guys and the bike wallah . BTW very valid point on taking cellphones with different networks . Have helped out a lot in many cases .
	() Thanks

18th July 2007, 08:37	#9
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 506 Times View My Garage	Man, that write up is very close to a James Hadley Chase novel. The suspense was building when the maruti guys had to come & spoil it.
	() Thanks

18th July 2007, 09:29	#10
lambuhere1 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: @ Driver's Seat @ Posts: 728 Thanked: 106 Times	Good to see you that you are safe.... Did you by any chance have a GOLDEN OPPURTUNITY to meet with any of the ... ? Would have loved to hear the recording of forest noises.. Miss it sometimes !!! Ram P
	() Thanks

18th July 2007, 09:31	#11
goandude Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Mysuru Posts: 1,766 Thanked: 1,289 Times	well written crazy driver. this makes my faith in mankind and maruti service go up a notch.
	() Thanks

18th July 2007, 10:38	#14
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 506 Times View My Garage	I would have preferred you to have stayed on through the night hearing shrill laughters coming from a deserted ruin. Then curiosity takes the better of you & you venture out in the pouring rain & you come across an elephant graveyard & wonder how big those tusks are when suddenly you hear those shrill laughters, only this time it is coming from all around you. You switch on the flash & see 100s of eyes goring into you. Hyenas, about 150 of them waiting to pounce on you. Just then there is a honk honk & you see the headlights of the TATA 207 coming up the hill & run as fast as you can towards your car with the hyenas right behind you. you can continue from here. cheers
	() Thanks

18th July 2007, 10:49	#15
rahul_intlad Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pune Posts: 1,579 Thanked: 4 Times	That is some adventure you had. Nice to hear about a Steve Irwin memorial park in our country. Also I thing mention must be made of BSNL mobile,in the cities tell somebody you are using BSNL and you end up looking like a joker,but they can be real lifesavers. However did you not try to get help from the authorities at the crocodile park or the lion safari park,people there surely would have pick-ups/trucks or atleast some 4 wheeler and landlines
	() Thanks