[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

Great solution - but unfortunately R3 wears HSRP number plates. Even if I were to have the rivets drilled out, pretty certain getting a new set of fitment gear for the number plate will be more work.

HSRP is mostly restricted to the bigger cities. Smaller towns still fix the number plates using bolts, so getting the plates fitted same way should not be much of a problem, I feel. In fact, even in NCR I see manynew cars, which have the HSRP fixed using bolts.

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

HSRP is mostly restricted to the bigger cities. Smaller towns still fix the number plates using bolts, so getting the plates fitted same way should not be much of a problem, I feel. In fact, even in NCR I see manynew cars, which have the HSRP fixed using bolts.

True many cars have screw/bolts attaching the number plate... but I just checked mine, and it's a pair of rivets.
Here's one of these..


The solution you suggested is otherwise appealing, but the first challenge is how to get the rivets out cleanly without damaging the bumper cover or the plate.
The next challenge would be to fit everything back together again.
Do you know anyone in NCR who could do the job?

Drilling these out, one would need to fix the mount and the plate back, and use pop-rivets for the job.
The issue I see with pop-rivets holding at least 3 kg of dead weight - that might be asking for a bit much from them. Unless there's a better steel rivet that is somewhere out there.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

True many cars have screw/bolts attaching the number plate... but I just checked mine, and it's a pair of rivets.
Here's one of these..
Attachment 1717908

The solution you suggested is otherwise appealing, but the first challenge is how to get the rivets out cleanly without damaging the bumper cover or the plate.
The next challenge would be to fit everything back together again.
Do you know anyone in NCR who could do the job?

Drilling these out, one would need to fix the mount and the plate back, and use pop-rivets for the job.
The issue I see with pop-rivets holding at least 3 kg of dead weight - that might be asking for a bit much from them. Unless there's a better steel rivet that is somewhere out there.

The problem with removing the rivets is they are meant to be anti-theft. If the rivet is not cleanly removed a new plate cannot be easily installed over it. So it might need some of the infamous Indian Jugaad.

Once removed I guess you could fix the plate back using bolts.

I don't know of a garage in the southern part of town, but I guess our resident doc, SST might be able to help. He has put up a few listings in the directory section as well.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

The solution you suggested is otherwise appealing, but the first challenge is how to get the rivets out cleanly without damaging the bumper cover or the plate..

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

The problem with removing the rivets is they are meant to be anti-theft. If the rivet is not cleanly removed a new plate cannot be easily installed over it. So it might need some of the infamous Indian Jugaad.

This thread may have some ideas (haven't read the whole thing myself):

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ll-rivets.html

Cheers,
Vikram

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

The problem with removing the rivets is they are meant to be anti-theft. If the rivet is not cleanly removed a new plate cannot be easily installed over it. So it might need some of the infamous Indian Jugaad.

Once removed I guess you could fix the plate back using bolts.

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

This thread may have some ideas (haven't read the whole thing myself):

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ll-rivets.html

Cheers,
Vikram

Thanks both for the suggestions. I will go through the thread again.. though the mechanics of rivet removal are clear to me. I think the biggest risk in the operation is drilling just enough to damage the rivet head without damaging the plate itself. That calls for steady hands. Will keep an eye out for potential workmen.

[joybhowmik]

Over four months have passed since the last update. And that had been most remiss of me.

R3 had mostly been idle during this time - save for a quick trip over the first long weekend of April. To Jhaltola's now famous - Misty Mountain Resort. See travelogue from yesteryear- Christmas Near Nanda Devi
A place where Milemuncher once went off the track , with one rear-wheel hanging off the edge - hopelessly stuck.

But R3 braved on... despite the legacy of the driver - and pulled it off with some aplomb. The dashcam somehow captured the extremely narrow track on the way down and you can see the footage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wATlo...ature=youtu.be

Family banter betwixt the 15 hour drive from Pithodagarh to Delhi, that ended almost at midnight - was unfortunately marred avoiding many cattle in the feeble light of the OEM headlights , all while hurtling down the highway at 90 kmph.

That really was the proverbial last straw. I begged, borrowed and stole from our shoestring household budget, to pony up some monies to give my eyes a rest.

It should be mentioned here , that having foreseen exactly such a turn of events, I had procured a pair of remotes together with a transponder last year. Yes - very much a case of putting the cart before the horse!


Logisys Remote Key.Pic Courtesy - Amazon.Com


The search for an appropriate set of spot lights ensued (or should I say resumed). Hella, KC, Lightforce spots were par for the course, the internet was trawled for their beam patterns, their catalogues were scanned for spares and accessories - and in the end a big zero. None of the lights impressed me. And I had scoured the range from the lowly halogens to HIDs to the LEDs.

That's when I decided to go to the trade and ask advise. A quick call to Akshay Titus and a read of another scorpio owner's install experience with an Aurora Light bar had me hooked.

The video of Aurora's Product on test - was interesting. That was the line!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_azdQB3N_yc

There were a few sites that showed that Aurora let water in whilst fording, but that would not be the primary use case for me - so I let those be.


The Aurora 20" Light bar with 200W of power output. Claimed throw an astounding 1180 m.

Akshay then put me in touch with a dealer in Chhatarpur Delhi : Speedsport - and Phil the proprietor gave me a very good price for the install. Besides the mounting approach was sensible- and that was the hook.
Then, I visited his workshop - and the sights I saw were the sinker.

In my view, someone running this shop- could certainly fix a light!

A quick series of questions to Phil - and I was assured I was going to get exactly what I wanted. Superb throw, profession install - in short - the works!
Happy to say the lights were finally installed today!

I'll let the pictures do the talking now..


The number plate comes off. Yes those rivets are history now.


The 4 holes of the number plate are the anchor point for 2 L-Shaped mounts that will ultimately hold the lights.


And the finished product - with Phil's crew.

The install was done in record time - not least because of the nifty remote switches (no drilling thru the firewall or painstakingly threading switch wires through the harness etc).
I was lighter by ₹ 30k. I next went to my local suitcase repairer, and had a cover stitched - for the princely sum of ₹ 350.

And now for the light show. My apologies- my area of town is rather well lighted to start with...


In Ambient Light - no supporting lights from R3


A view of the opposite side in ambient light - no supporting lights from R3


A view of the opposite side with R3's headlights on lo beam


A view of the opposite side with R3's headlights on hi beam


A view of the opposite side with R3's headlights on lo-beam and Aurora switched on.


A view of the opposite side with R3's headlights on hi-beam and Aurora switched on.


Just the business end of things.


Those eyes - and those fangs!

I for one am happy for now. One more thing checked off on my bucket list today. I now need to get M10 anti-theft bolts to replace the ones the crew used today. But that's for another day - and another post!

[joybhowmik]

35000 km up and running strong!

With one glitch. The Water in fuel indicator lit up, though with no obvious audible grunt, or a sign that the engine has burst its head.


A visit to the dealer followed - luckily the diesel filter was changed without fuss - thanks to the 2 year extended warranty.


While there, a quick examination of the driver seat belt - showed it was not retracting quickly enough. Unfortunately for whatever reason the extended warranty does not cover a seat belt replacement. So , I stuck to a paid work of wheel alignment, balancing and rotation - a necessary expense considering my outbound this weekend.
Not much damage for the day...



Back at home, I went to my friendly A.S.S (Friendly Neighborhood Garage (FNG) - Imtiaz & Ayub (New Delhi)). and had the seat belt looked at. He reached inside the pillar - and gave the spool a few tugs - and all was well.



A small noise from the rear brake drum was also addressed - later diagnosed as caused due to having the handbrake on when in motion.
FNG bill - ₹300/-

[vikasshu]

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

Thursday morning dawned.

RM Paints for 100g of molten red paint.

But to my consternation, the Molten red colour is not in their catalogue yet. Not to worry - Mahesh ji's quick call to Dupont for the formulation- and "All is Well".
My eyes are not what they were, so I leave the complexity of shades to the hawk eyed younger help.
body to the chassis!

Dear Joy,
Hope you are doing well. Like you, even I own a molten red Scorpio. And over a period of time, because of my miscalculations and Delhi traffic, there are multiple scars on my bonnet and bumper. Therefore I am thinking of visiting this particular shop soon and get the desired paint.



Now since I own the same color like you, do you think it is important to take my car to that particular shop or I can give reference of your car and request him to give me the same color? What you suggest?



Kind Regards


Vikas

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by vikasshu

Now since I own the same color like you, do you think it is important to take my car to that particular shop or I can give reference of your car and request him to give me the same color? What you suggest?

Hi Vikas
Yes I think it makes sense to take your car there on a bright day- so that he can do the color match.

Do keep in mind that even though he can supply the exact shade for your car (as it was when it came from factory) - due to passage of time, the color will have deteriorated , and a match needs to be made by eye.

[joybhowmik]

To put things in perspective, I desisted from writing about the first major Accident I've had until a month had gone by.
This was partly to let the mind settle, and partly because I had to allow time for the repairs to be done to my satisfaction.

Prelude
It all started at 5:30 AM , October 13. My family and friends were all travelling in a two-vehicle convoy on our long awaited Kedarnath/Badrinath trip – that had been two years in the planning. Needless to say there was a lot of expectation from this trip and for some of us it represented the opportunity for a small personal triumph each – a sort of proving ground for our continued well-being. So, a lot hinged on pulling this trip off flawlessly. My family was in R3 and my friends were travelling in their Hyundai i10.
Around 7 AM, we found ourselves just past Muradnagar (28.779412, 77.519082) where the Delhi - Meerut Highway is intersected by the Upper Ganga Canal road. I was leading. Despite initial misgivings from my better half, I decided to save some time and opted for the scenic drive by the canal up to Khatauli. Long story short – that was the biggest mistake that I could have made – but I guess everyone’s a genius in hindsight.
Feeling hunger pangs a bit earlier than usual, we stopped for a quick break at a Chotiwalas @ 29.1358762,77.6281279 (Breakfast was planned at Monty Millions , about 40 km from Khatauli en-route to our destination). Tea/Snacks over, we proceeded onwards. This time, my daughter decided to skip the last seat in the R3 and moved in with her friend in the Hyundai. The i10 led at a brisk pace, and was soon lost to the horizon.
Despite the early hour traffic was sparse but fast, and on more than one occasion I found myself pulling over to the left so that people in a tearing hurry could move past. I was driving at a sedate 50/60 kmph, more so because the road is pockmarked with craters, which is rather difficult to maneuver around in a tall vehicle (such as R3) especially if it’s loaded to the brim with 10 days of luggage and a full complement of belted up passengers.
The sun was out, it was a brilliant day and nothing could be wrong with the world. As usual I slowed down to maybe around 25/30 kmph for a crater that was just ahead, when all of a sudden…

The Crater

The Accident
The sound was not unlike a loud thunderclap. I felt a small jerk – nothing more. I looked out the window , and at first a loud roar registered in my brain, then billowing clouds of smoke. I figured I had been rear-ended. I got off the car, and saw it was a bike. It’s three riders all laying writhing – no helmets in sight. Two men and one lady – and very soon the lady passed out.
The rider’s friend (following him closely before the incident) pulled up on his bike and berated his fallen comrade for driving at a 100! I figured what had happened – this guy had been over speeding, and when I slowed down, he’d had no time to react. That’s how he ended up rear-ending me, and having lost control, he had skidded in the gravel of the crater.
A few passers-by gathered soon after, each with their opinion about what might have happened and who was at fault.



A cursory glance at my car showed that I had lost the rear right tyre due to a sidewall puncture, besides the right rear skirt and the right tail-light; there was also a dent on the tail gate. However the bike in question was the worse for wear. There was no way I could transport these youth to a hospital with a tyre out of commission.

The Bike


R3 in tatters!


Working the phone
My wife and I called into emergency services – to get an ambulance down to the spot, while some of the bystanders helped the riders up. Then I called up my friend – and he had to turn around and head back to the spot. Before the ambulance could arrive, a helpful gent driving his car helped to transport the victims to the nearest hospital. I then called back to emergency service and asked them to cancel the ambulance. In the meantime
By this time, the victim’s friend that had admonished him for speeding, had called their relatives to the spot. My friend had also arrived by now, and there was some exchange of words on who was at fault. The relatives and the passers-by were obviously locals, and to them it was but obviously my fault – as I had no business slowing down due to the pothole. They demanded that the local police arrive to take statements. My friend and I agreed, it was best to await the arrival of the authorities. Someone made the call to the local cops – and we awaited their arrival.
While waiting, I changed the tyre out. I figured I would probably need to go to the station to make a statement – and transport would be needed. In the meantime, another bystander walks up to me and exhorts me to leave the scene and not get into the hassle. I politely smiled and ignored the proffered advice.

The Police
A posse of police arrived. Their first action was to hear out what happened – from me , and from the relatives (who obviously weren’t on the scene at the time of the incident). They asked me for my license and paperwork – and then proceeded to take photographs of both vehicles.
Then the Assistant Sub Inspector talked to the relative (chief interlocutor was the rider’s aunt) – and admonished her - telling her that it was her kid’s fault – no questions. The aunt started wailing, and said it was a conspiracy by the rich to rob the poor – and the least I should do is offer compensation for the treatment of the injured. At this point the ASI told her point blank , that if she wished she should go to the station and record her complaint, as should I.
That then was the decision! We would have to go pow-wow at the local police station. The cop assured me that if this went to litigation, the matter would be thrown out. Nevertheless, en-route to the station, both my friend and I placed calls to our buddies that were well-placed in the UP Police to seek advice. By the time we arrived at the station, the station chief had received instructions to handle the case and dispose it quickly.



The Negotiation
On arrival he met us, and escorted us to the hospital next doors, to check on the victims. The bike rider’s mother was there – and quite emotional to see the plight of her son. (and understandably so). The youth were out of danger and had been administered first aid. They were all conscious and that was a welcome sign.
Once outside the hospital, the ASI was back in charge. He explained to my friend and I, that the chief had been called from “high-up” and his instructions were to quickly end this here and now. He further elaborated the best way to do so would be for neither party to press charges, and to formalize the agreement by payment of a consideration.
I agreed, at which point the cop asked the mother to join us for discussion. On hearing him out she demanded ₹ 10,000/- My friend and I refused flat out. At this point the ASI asked both parties to lodge a complaint.
I called on my son to write out the complaint (in the vernacular Hindi – as I am not that proficient). Seeing us writing the complaint, the other party realized we were serious. While my son was writing it out , the other side sent out a feeler to negotiate. I remarked that the damages caused to me was probably in excess of ₹ 20,0000/- to say nothing of potential neck injury to my elderly in-laws. I was not asking them for reparations, when clearly the accident was their fault. And anyway, since I was on a religious trip , and with a long way to go – I wanted to settle quickly – so was looking for a reasonable amount to agree on. It’s at that point that I mentioned the word ₹ 5,000 – and my friend just rolled his eyes! I clammed up, mentally kicking myself for opening my mouth too early.
Well the long and short of this was ASI again came back into the picture and brokered the deal for ₹ 6,000/-
An agreement was written out this time, and co-signed by the injured parties, the rider’s mother, myself and the witnesses.

The Agreement

Own damage
The entire saga took approximately 4 hours to from start to finish, and we were finally on our way towards Monty Millions. We had missed our breakfast, so we decided to do a heavy lunch instead. I had walked away without a police case, the victims were safe, and I had a damaged R3 to take care of during the mountain trip that was to unfold over the next ten days.
The damage to the car:

a) Blown out tyre

b) Rear bumper panel torn

c) Rear right tail light damaged

d) Rear right quarter panel w/stay

e) Dent in tail gate







The immediate requirement was to buy a new tyre.
The broken taillight was still functional though obviously there was a risk of a bulb blowing out due to rain and that could become a safety hazard. I called at dealerships en-route (there was one in Srinagar, UK) but I was told that a new taillight would take at least 3-4 days to arrive and they don’t carry such Scorpio parts in stock. Given that I would not be doing any driving after dusk, I just decided to accept the risk, and get it attended to with the rest of the repairs once back in Delhi.
I decided against claiming insurance. There was no point losing NCB for a partial settlement of damages – the most expensive items were all plastic or rubber, and no insurance offers 100% recompense.
I would have to go through the painstaking process of shopping around, before getting R3 back into shape.


The Tyre
Folks regularly visiting this thread will recall that I had installed oversized Contis. I doubted if I could get a replacement Continental Cross Contact AT 265/65/R17 - model 112T this far from Delhi, but still I looked up Just-Dial and asked a few dealers en-route to my destination. It was looking very bleak – far from locating a dealer that stocked my preferred tyre, I found getting the size itself was going to be challenging. Eventually, I located a dealer en-route (@ Kotdwar) who mentioned he had MRF Wanderers. A deal was struck on the phone, and on entry to Kotdwar , I got a new MRF WANDERER 265/65 R17 model 112S for ₹ 10,500/-, balancing and fitment cost another ₹ 250.

Shopping Around
On the last day, on my way back , I clicked photographs of the damage , and sent it to two Mahindra repair shops and one of my FNG – Old Khan Bumper Wala in East of Kailash.
Quotations from Mahindra dealerships were wild guesses – one of them quoted ₹ 30,000/- all inclusive, while the other quoted ₹ 42,000/-. The FNG quoted ₹ 8,000/- if I bought the parts and ₹ 12,000/- if I didn’t.
I decided to cut the Mahindra dealerships out of the equation – they were interested in gouging me – and that was not about to happen.
I reached back to Delhi, and got the FNG to visually inspect the damage. It was well that I did. Turned out the plastic bumper could be welded. With that knowledge, I went ahead and talked to my auto parts supplier (metro spares, Savitri nagar) and asked him to order the necessary parts.

The BoM
Arranging the parts took almost two weeks, but Arun ji stayed with me throughout the process, and ensured that I received Mahindra Genuine spares.
Taillight - ₹ 2,650/-
Rear right quarter panel - ₹ 1,600/-
Rear right quarter panel Stay - ₹ 400/-
Miscellaneous clips - ₹ 150/-

Paint
I also went to my known paint Dealer – Bikram Paints to procure a 500 ml paint set of R3’s Red Rage paint. Wallet dent - ₹ 1,650/-. But importantly Bikram connected me with a denter-painter FNG- Bashir in Okhla who I went to for a quotation on the repair estimate. He quoted me ₹ 4,000/- inclusive of paint. When I showed him the paint set I had with me, he dropped his quotation to ₹ 2,500/- which included a full body spit n’ polish.
I then drove back to my FNG in East of Kailash – and asked him for a BAFO – and he floored me with his response ₹ 15,000/- that did not include any paint or parts. Besides he did not have a booth – so I thought he must be smoking something, or wanted to use my wallet for his monthly take-home pay. I just turned the car around and went back to Bashir. Finally agreed ₹ 4,000 with Bashir – and that included repairs from this accident, as well as a re-spray of the front bumper and other minor touch-ups.

The Repair
The repair started at 10 AM on 4th November, and finished at 5 PM on 5th November. What I liked about Bashir’s work was his attention to detail. He makes it a point to water the mud-floor of his “workshop” to lessen chances of dust contamination. He reviews the work while in progress and takes corrective actions – a refreshing change from the denting-painting work that I usually get at Greater Kailash 2 market.



Postlude

As of 5th November evening the work was finally complete. The saga had ended. My pocket was lighter by ₹ 27,200/- but I could put the past behind me.
Since then I have ordered one more dash camera - this is to be fitted on my rear windscreen. At least I will have video graphic evidence of what might be happening behind me - if, God forbid , another such incident happens.

[joybhowmik]

36,800 km update
Almost 37,000 km up and no trouble with the R3.
This year is different than most - in that we won't be making the pilgrimage by AH1 , so I thought to uplift his mood and mine by having a few goodies installed.


1. New shoes
At ₹ 13,000 a pop , including wheel balancing, I got 5 new shoes installed at B.K. Tyres (Tyre & Alloy Wheels - BK Tyres (Lajpat Nagar-1)). And the shoes are Michelin LTX Force 235/65 R17 104T.

The Contis had done their job well - and how, but after 36,800 km it was time to part with them. Yes and including their brother the MRF Wanderer that I had picked up at Kotdwar, due to the accident aforesaid.
The net price to me was ₹ 11,200 per shoe and they are all of 3718 (WWYY) vintage- which is acceptable. I wish, the dealer could have given me a little more for the 4 Contis - but then it's too late to regret.

In the looks department, it's a bit of a downer (pun intended), but the ride quality and noise is better than the Conti. Put it down to the fact that these are squeaky new. Memory fades, when I try to recollect, when R3 was this silent!
Anyway time and distance will tell, how well they live up to the expectations set by their predecessor - I will keep the thread alive with my experiences.


2. A new Air Purifier
Honeywell's Move Pure Air Purifier (retail ₹ 7,990) was gifted to me quite a while ago. It lay there inside it's box, until during Diwali cleaning, it suddenly popped out. I installed it in the Milemuncher (Innova) at first, but later on second thought - moved it to R3. It sits well on the dash. The wiring is professionally concealed.


3. A new mobile phone holder.

A Scosche Magic Mount (retail $25.49) now holds my phone securely in a convenient, accessible place while I drive. There isn't any fear of the mount falling off, or the buttons on the phone being inaccessible - none of that nonsense. It's just works! Wow!!
Again a gift - this one from my better half - bought for me during her recent trip to America. I guess, this was because, I used to constantly fumble for my phone - while taking directions.



4. An ELM 327 and Torque Pro software

Purchased from Robostore (a noname brand), this unit was mine at ₹599. I received it the day after I ordered (can't fault amazon prime deliveries) and setup was a doddle.
The TorquePro is on play store, and costs ₹ 250 for a single user license.

The information on the app is quite detailed. Loving it.
A low price to pay for inspecting error codes should R3 decide to have a few hiccups.


5. A 70Mai Dashcam

I had mentioned, I wanted to get a new dashcam, so I did. The 70 Mai dashcam by Xiaomi's real nifty, and easy on the pocket ($ 39.90). Mine cost $33.89, but it took 14 days to arrive. It's voice controlled, boasts wifi, is controlled by a smart phone (true WYSIWYG).



6. A GPS tracker and a SIM Card
At the time I purchased the Zaicus GT02A (retail ₹ 1,799- but I got mine at ₹ 1,899 on amazon) , the reason was not so much about recovery after theft (yes it does that too), but more to provide near and dear ones waiting at the destination, a way to obtain near real time information about R3's whereabouts.
The reason, I purchased it off amazon, was the return policy - on the premise that the ₹ 100 premium will cover any unforeseen circumstance.
I need not have worried on that count though, the unit works beautifully.


The SIM and starter plan cost ₹229 at an Airtel store. The only downside is remembering to refill the moolah once a quarter.
Any ideas - where I can get my hands on a yellow sticker with the caution "This car is protected by a GPS tracker" ?


7. A new socket to replace the middle row 12 V socket
The plastic cap on the existing one had broken, during our recent trip to Kedar/Badri - doubtless due to the kids shuffling around in the seat. A new one had been sourced from my regular dealer outlet a few days prior on counter-sale @ ₹ 366.


8. Professional installation services for all the above and then some

I was aware that with several new devices, I would need some professional help to get the job done my way.

My trusted installer Shamshad (who had installed the Panasonic HU on milemuncher years ago) , graciously agreed to pay me a home visit, and do all the work for ₹ 2,000.
The work involved was considerable - and involved the following.
1. Moving and installing R3's old Air Purifier to the Milemuncher, and concealing the wiring under Milemuncher's dashboard.
2. Installing and concealing wiring on R3 for the following devices:

a) The new Air Purifier
b) Moving the old dashcam to the rear windshield, and concealing the wiring.

c) Installing the new dashcam on the front windshield
d) Concealing the wiring for the small ceiling fan at the rear- which involved running the wires under carpets and behind the nearest pillar.
e) Installing the GPS tracker while avoiding splicing any wires.
f) Replacing the middle row power outlet socket, which involved taking the center console off , fitting it and putting it back.

All joints were soldered.


And now it's time for a few pictures to do the talking.



Tread pattern on the new shoes




Honeywell Air Purifier mounted on the dash center







Magic Mount phone holder mounted very conveniently




ELM 327 Side and Pin-Out view







70 Mai Dashcam mounted , and a pic from it







GPS tracker - Zaicus GT02A







Concealed wiring for the ceiling fan, Rear windshield dashcam, and their power source.
Note: the extra wire to allow the tailgate to open and shut without causing the fragile camera wire to stretch, and the nifty male-female socket pair- allowing me to put the ceiling fan aside when not in use. I retained the original power switch for the fan though. The 12V outlet multi-splitter, was lying around gathering dust, until I put it to good use.

[joybhowmik]

It has been most remiss of me to not post an update on the going-ons with R3 as and when they happened.
There is nothing more frustrating for you, the dear reader, to watch a story unfold live in the real world, and yet, the pressures of gainful employment, conspired so that I actually get to share the story of the next chapter, after the fact, and in retrospect. It also results in a very long winded post. My apologies - and I will try to ensure that it does not happen again. I do ask for your patience in perusing the journey over the last weeks.

Readers will know that the last (30k) service had been completed on January 17, 2017. I started getting service reminders from M&M dealerships starting October 2018 - and by the time of the tyre update - the odo was at ~37k. I had intentionally garaged R3 for close to two months prior- in the hope that I would get to use it in our annual winter pilgrimage to Kolkata. Thus the return from there would conveniently put the odometer at just past 40k. True पैसा वसूल (money's worth) for a 40k service! In fact all of the work done on R3 leading up to 37k kilometers , was to ensure a trouble free cross-country trip. Besides I wanted an early Christmas gift .

The run-up to 40k
However, as Robert Burns would have put it "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry" -and as it turned out, the local education system, threw a spanner in the works by scheduling a new year break starting Jan 1, for 10 days as a prelude to exams. Any hopes of gorging at the highways of Northern and Eastern India, were thus dashed, and all of us were crestfallen!
Undeterred, I went ahead, and decided to treat the family to two short road trips as the new year broke - one to Lucknow (a pure shopping and eating trip), and the other to our evergreen destination - Kausani - UK (where we end up going, if we can't think of any other place that will have us. By my calculations, I would still have to do about 500 kms to make up the 40k mark - and that was doable - considering the commutes et al that would naturally resume on our return to the humdrum of city-life.
Both trips went well of course, everyone met their objectives and the much needed R&R at the end of a grueling year was an added bonus.
The Michelins surprised me with their silence, but I did miss the wider profile of the harder Contis – and the confidence they inspired on the slushy tracks of hairpin bends. But, I guess one does have to change and drive sedately with age – and I really can’t complain , having had my fair share of thrills.

The ICE problem
During the hill-drive, the bluetooth on the Scorpio ICE, would keep disconnecting from my OnePlus 6 phone every minute. It was frustrating really , and to make matters worse, I heard no end of it from the VIPs in the middle row, who would hate being interrupted as Ed Sheeran belted out his latest. I figured it was the phone that was causing the issue, and not the ICE, because :

1. The ICE worked flawlessly with a Moto G5 Plus, Lenovo K8 Note, and Samsung On 7 Pro - all on different android OS versions
2. The OnePlus6 was working flawlessly with the ICE until the hill drive started - I do admit to accepting an OS upgrade when bedding down for the night at Rudrapur en-route.

There was a niggling doubt to my hypotheses nevertheless – for the OnePlus would not disconnect from the myriad other Bluetooth integrations in my tech ecosystem. I thought then, that it could just be the combination of the new code-base on the phone implementing some protocol which the ICE did not like very much. I played around with the Bluetooth settings (Developer options) but nothing seemed to help. In the end, I just got the phone to generate a connection log, up to the point of getting disconnected, and filed a bug report while enjoying my coffee at Kausani.

On my return, I wrote in to OnePlus Care, and they admitted that there had been some bluetooth connectivity issues after the last OTA update, and to make amends a remedial patch to be released son. Re-assured that the matter will sort itself out, I decided to do nothing about it and wait for it to go away.
Until, one fine day in the first week of Jan ‘19, the ICE just froze. Having seen this happen once in a blue-moon earlier, I just did what most other Mahindra owners do. "Turn the car off - and restart it - and everything will be right as rain." Which is exactly what happened.



But, (and there’s always one of these irritating buts)…
it happened again, and once again and again. And every time it would do that, it would show my iPoD media disconnected before freezing up. I new it was not the iPoD cable - that was brand new and from a very reputed brand. Besides the same cable worked flawlessly on my media server and Milemuncher Innova.
Suspecting that there was also an ICE issue at play, I went ahead and scheduled a visit on 10-Jan-2019 to Nippon Audiotronix - the OEM suppliers for Scorpio ICE.
At the visit, I described the problem to the technician, and he said - freezing is a rare but known condition - and the only treatment available was to go ahead and replace the motherboard. The cost would be an estimated ₹20,000
But, there was a silver lining. If I had Mahindra’s extended warranty (which I did!), I could be spared the expense, by turning up with a M&M job card.
As I was playing truant (from work) – but not for much longer, I placed a frantic call to my regular SA at the Okhla service point, and he was all thumbs about it. "Saar, aap gaadi idhar le aaiye, hum job card bana denge." All very good, but it’s at least 15 km each way to his workshop from where I was at. So the next call went to his manager - Mr. Atish Mishra - who arranged for said job card to be written up at Koncept's other workshop- just 3 km away. And yes, they would not be able to get a job-card done without the car showing up – (i.e. no emails to ease the hassle).
For what it was worth, I went to their sister concern, and got the job card made - with the appropriate remark and elaboration - "Audio System not working - heng ho raha hai".






The subsequent motherboard replacement at Nippon took another hour and a half.
After the fix, the iPoD connected fine - and music navigation on it seemed okay, the bluetooth worked without interruption for about 6 minutes in testing, and the technician assured me the latest map update was loaded up.
The bill for parts and services (to M&M) was for a whopping ₹18,969 !






This bill was duly submitted back at the Koncept workshop , and a Zero Bill obtained in lieu and I was finally on my way after 3 hours.




On the drive back, the ICE froze yet again! The bluetooth disconnected so many times, that I gave up counting. I called the Nippon technician back, and he said that freezing should not have happened, and if it did so again, please could I record the incident on my camera. So, I did what I do best. Stopped at a major intersection, I turned the ignition off - counted off the seconds to two minutes at the traffic signal, turned the ignition on - and off I went.

For a couple days after that, I found that on turning the ignition, the ICE would auto start to the primary display (radio) and then the radio would start playing. A couple of times, I thought I must have had left the ICE on when I turned the ignition off. So I decided to remember to switch off the ICE when turning ignition off – and yet this-ICE-randomly-turning-on-by-itself remained. It ordinarily did not affect my driving - but I could figure something was wrong in the electronics - I just could not put a finger on it, and it gnawed at my enjoyment of the total experience of the car.

A voice at the back of my head told me this issue of ICE would fester. And it was so right!!

40000 kilometer Scheduled Service

By Saturday, 12-Jan , the magic 40k hadn’t arrived on the dash yet, I got this shot later.





However, Monday the 14th of Jan was a holiday at work (granted to us poor souls in lieu of Republic Day on a weekend).

And true to form , of having any car work attended to on a week-day, I showed up at my regular service center at 10 AM, short of the 40k kilometer mark by a measly 45 kilometers.

The service appointment process this time had been different – earlier I used to just ask my regular SA to expect me – this time I went in all tech savvy. You see, I had actually downloaded the With You Hamesha App from the play store , and used it to jot down what I needed done- besides of course having my little fling of playing God with the service center’s diary.


But jest apart, here are the top 5 things I wanted the tech guys at the workshop to know about - the rest were added by my SA:

1. Car pulls to the left – an alignment issue not sorted by B.K. Tyres when I got the tyre update done. Simply because it was late by the time they finished putting the new shoes on, and they could not be bothered with doing a test drive for a paying customer.
2. Random acceleration in 2nd or 3rd gear , even without pedal depression, and clutch fully engaged. This has been noticed by me on occasion, but I have no way to replicate the issue on demand.
3. Noise in the tailgate – this has now become a default complaint. If you have nothing to complain about , and yet you find yourself craving attention for your Scorp at any M&M workshop – this never fails to break the ice – with their super busy harried staff.
4. Clutch check – since I’ve had two distinct instances of clutch burn in the last two years – I thought this might be well worth a look into.
5. Rear cabin light – check. I had in all these months of R3 ownership, never actually had the pleasure of stepping out or stepping in to a well-lit cabin. The lateral space crunch and the extra tall headroom conspired with my weak eye-sight to keep me away from reading the fine-print on the switch and knowledgably fiddling with the switch positions till I got it right. Besides, I never could manage to find the time to work out – how exactly this worked. I just decided to get the experts to tweak the switch configuration so that it would work.
6. Oil change
7. Oil filter change
8. Air Filter inspect and replace
9. Cabin Particle filter replace
10. Brake fluid change
11. Clutch fluid change
12. Underbody bolts torque and tighten
13. Front/Rear Differential fluid level inspection
14. Brake pads/drums inspect
15. Wheel balancing, rotation and alignment
16. Battery condition check
17. Windshield wiper reservoir level check/top-up
18. Coolant reservoir level check/top-up
19. General Engine Bay inspection for cracks in hoses/pipes
20. General Underbody inspection for condition of connectors, boots, suspension joints, brake lines, exhaust system etc.

Initial Test Drive
The service procedure started with the customary test drive, during which complaint #s 2 and #4 were rejected outright for lack of evidence; whereas complaints #1 and #3 were deemed to merit a second look. Complaint 5 was not really a complaint – it was user ignorance (gratefully acknowledged!)

On return, once R3 was in its service bay, I questioned my SA about the necessity for Wheel balancing and rotation. The wheels were balanced during the recent tyre installation – and they had been in their spots for only about 2000 km so please could he cancel those work requests. He complied.


# 3 Noise in the tailgate
A denter was called in to adjust the hinge. Which surprise-surprise did not use the usual “beat it into submission with a sledgehammer” technique. In contrast, all he did was take out his set of allen keys and tightened the hinge fasteners and voila!


By this time a mechanic was assigned to the 40k service. This was to be one Mr. Narender – he had worked on R3 before – so he knew about it. I recognized him and was comfortable with him taking on the mechanical work. On to the next!

#20 General Underbody inspection
R3 was hoisted up on the lift – and we started with #20 – General Underbody inspection. The front side seemed okay, but I noticed a large oil patch on the rear right axle housing. There was no evident leakage anywhere – and it was put down to lubricant spillage during last service. I am not convinced – the last service was a year ago. The shocker also had the same sort of oil patch – but interestingly the lip on the shocker body was pristine – so it can’t have been the shocker. The only thing I can think of is somehow there is leakage of oil from within the axle housing/or differential– but there were no tell-tale oil patches at the wheel end. And the differential oil level was okay (see below)



All electrical connectors were observed to be firmly planted. The condition of rubber boots, suspension joints & bushes, brake lines and exhaust system were also okay – necessitating no further action.

#13 Front/Rear differential oil level inspection
Was found to be okay – no further action

# 12 Underbody bolts Torque and Tighten

At this point work started on torqueing/tightening the underbody bolts including those on the suspension joints – with a simple wrench. I put a stop to that – and asked mechanic to get a torque wrench; the remaining work proceeded without incident.






# 14 Brake pads/drums inspect # 10 Brake fluid change # 11 Clutch fluid change

R3 was lowered and the wheels came off. The next step was to take off the rear wheel brake drums off – and clean the brake shoes inside with wire brush. The thickness was visually checked for adequacy and passed off as okay – there was no Vernier measurement undertaken
The front calipers were also inspected, and the brake pads received a visual inspection.
I was not present during this inspection, having been called away due to a phone call from work. By the time I got back I found that the front wheels were put back and the mechanic making progress towards the brake and clutch oil changes in the engine bay. It was evident that the old DOT4 had been bled while I had been away.






Another colleague of his was busily priming the brakes and clutch
The mechanics plan was to stop for lunch after the brake and clutch work. I pulled him aside and asked him a couple of questions about brake pad thickness et al, and that’s how I got to know that the inspections came out okay.

Then I asked him if he had removed the caliper pin and how it was – he said that was okay too; so I next asked him if he had greased the pins – and he said no – because the work order only mentioned “inspection”.
I called the SA back – and gave him an earful. The result was that after lunch, the front wheels came off again, and the front calipers were greased. That’s when I got to reassure myself that the front brake pads were about half-gone. I’ll probably get an all-round measurement done sometime at beginning of Q2, and a possible replacement then.

#8 Air Filter inspect / replace #9 Cabin Particle Filter replace
Air Filter was inspected and needed replacement – in fact it’s just good practice to get it replaced at scheduled service after a year. It costs very little but can make a world of difference to engine health.
The Cabin particle filter was due for scheduled replacement. Went off without a hitch despite the forest of wires connecting my aftermarket accessories routed through behind the glove box.

#6 Oil Filter change, #7 Oil Change
6.5 liters of dirty used oil was drained from the sump. The old Oil filter was removed using the normal oil filter wrench , in preference to the swivel oil filter wrench. The reason is that the swivel wrench is difficult to maneuver inside the S10 engine bay. No incidents here. The torque-ing was done using a torque wrench to spec (not by hand). There is apparently a specific torque value for the oil filter tighten for the S10. The mechanic did mention it to me – but I forgot (due to my pre-occupation with the oil patch on the rear axle housing).

#19 General Engine Bay inspection for cracks in hoses/pipes
Nothing untoward observed


#17 Windshield wiper reservoir level check/top-up
Wiper shampoo topped up , system inspected for leaks at joints and found all okay. The spray nozzle was cleaned and adjusted.
Wiper blades (front & rear ) were inspected and okayed.


# 18 Coolant reservoir level check/top-up
Coolant level in the tank was inspected and required a top-up of about 500 ml or so. The minimum SKU is a liter, and I was a bit hesitant to spend on that. The mechanic suggested battery water for the top-up, but I told him to hold on and spoke to the SA. Would he please arrange 500 ml or so from their WIP inventory at the shop – they looked around, and found that a nearby XUV could spare half-a-litre – and this was promptly arranged.

#16 Battery Condition check
The battery was inspected/cleaned next. A battery hydrometer revealed that atleast one of the cells had discolored fluid – and the SA recommended a new battery.





The store recommended at least a 95D26R , but preferred I replace with 105D26R (its stronger than the 95D). The dealer did not have an official buy-back program, and the best the SA could do was to offer a ₹ 500 “discount” for it on the MRP of ₹6500. I made a few phone calls, and found out that the 105D26R is available for ₹ 4600 or so (with exchange, with bill and warranty), so it just did not make sense to proceed with a battery change then & there. (I have the battery under observation, but so far, more than a week after the service, there is nothing untoward to report. I think I am gonna keep it for a few more months until it dies.)


On my instruction, work was limited to topping up of battery water and petroleum jelly application on the terminals.





#15 Wheel balancing, rotation and alignment
R3 was next driven into the wheel alignment bay. Dinesh (an old hand in this line of work) greeted me with pleasure. I have seen his work before and did not need to give him any instructions – besides the job card said it all.




The only thing that I told him was that – I needed a printout of the alignment report. He was happy to provide one, however his printer was broken – so would I be kind enough to take a pic of the report on screen – and I was okay with that.
Now with Dinesh, we have an unwritten protocol when it comes to alignment. He first does the alignment with his machine – and to keep me happy, he does it again with the thread!
That said, he proceeded with the machine, first and within 5 minutes I had a picture of the alignment done. It seemed okay.





Now came the undocumented work – here you can see Dinesh at it with a thread. Now while he does that he has the computer provide readouts of the work– sort of as an aid to his work by naked eye.




Very soon he noticed that the alignment was still out by a few tenths of a degree , so he proceeded to swap the tyres in the front. Of course this would need a TPMS reprogramming later, but I did not point it out to him – he knew that I knew.

Final Test Drive
All the mechanical work was sorted, and it was now time for a test drive. The guy who had driven it in the morning was out, and while waiting, I asked the shop job controller to get a denter who might help tighten the arm-rests – these are forever working themselves loose with use. Said denter made his appearance – and arm rest covers were taken off for the work. And as I have grown to expect, the guy started to put a disappearing act as soon as that was done. Tightening was the easy part. The hard part was to get the arm rest covers back on snugly fitting again – and I pulled him back so he could work with me to get that done.


By this time, the driver arrived, and we took out R3 for a spin on the highway nearby. The ride and handling was noticeably better , the engine sounded sweeter, and the brakes and clutch pedals were firmer. It was time to head back to the shop for the TPMS and the wash.


Now, I am used to expecting that the service alert is removed from the ECU during final test drive – the reason is that on more than one such occasion the test driver has done the needful – but unfortunately not this time. I was disappointed to see later that the due for service warning continued to flash – necessitating a phone call to my SA to find out the procedure to disable it. (It’s quite simple really – one has to turn ignition off, press the set button, turn to ACC, wait for the in-dash needles to make a full turn and 75% back, and let go the set button- voila)


TPMS reprogramming
Dinesh carried out the TPMS reprogramming. It’s a simple procedure really – and is well documented here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkYAGLSQQe8

Wash
R3 badly needed a really good wash. There were swirl marks all over the body, the windshield had stains, the undercarriage was filthy and besides the cabin and carpets needed a good brush and clean. The center console had some old double tape residue which needed to be removed – I hadn’t had a go yet – thinking that the cleaners would do a better job than I.

Anyway- here’s R3’s much needed undercarriage wash.





I had told the team that I did not want them accidentally knocking off the many accessories painstakingly attached to different parts of the front and rear windshield, the console and the dash. Happy to say that under my eagle eye – they complied. (I am used to unpleasant surprises from them).
Next came the turn of removing the old double tape residue. This was easier said than done. First off they did not have any petrol or other solvent – second they tried with their fingernails, and third when that failed they had a go with their switchblades – and I put a stop to it. (Much later, I laboriously removed the residue myself using Pril, hot water and a humble nylon scrub pad).

It was at this time, that I noticed that the front windshield had a small crack. It was not visible earlier because it had been dirty all along – but now with the grime all gone – it showed up in plain sight.




Following the wash, I asked the cleaners to put the third row seat away – and they were completely confused as to how to go about it. I could see they were making no progress, and I pointed this out to my SA – who in turn called in a denter. That guy didn’t have a clue, so in the end the workshop supervisor Atish Mishra stopped by and offered his pearls of wisdom – the third row could not be put away because the second row seat position was fixed. Anyhow, another denter finally disproved that theory by pulling the levers that allow the second row seat travel – space was finally created for the third row seat to be folded in, and I went to the back-office to clear my dues.

It was past 6 PM when I was presented with the service bill – the biggest component on it was the service charge of ₹ 3,102 – and I just had to ask for a discount – it was just too rich for what’s effectively an oil change. A discount was granted, and I drove out after settling the final amount of ₹7,603.



Windshield Repair @ Windshield Experts
On the way home that evening of 14-Jan, I detoured to the nearest Windshield expert outlet near by, only to find that their mechanic had just left for the day.
I had a light day work-wise the next day, so I went back to get the windshield crack looked at professionally next day.

This time the mechanic was present – and upon inspection said that the crack did not look like it would spread. However, I insisted that he fill it in using his repair process. He hemmed and hawed, and then sheepishly admitted that he was reluctant to agree to a on-the-spot repair, only because he did not have any chemical.
I went in and talked with the manager. Said chemical was to be arranged from another outlet. In the meantime, a sticker was affixed on the crack until they were ready. I was promised same day repair on arrival. I would get a call – I was told.


Well, the call never came that day or the next. In the end, frustrated at the delay, I called up their central customer service, and gave them an earful. That seemed to turn the trick – and in fact before I got out of my house on the 17th-Jan – I got a call from this outlet – that would I be pleased to bring my car over, they would do the needful.


I went back soon after, and the mechanic got to work. The estimate for the repair was ₹ 1200 – but I told the manger I don’t want to see any sign of repair bigger than 2 mm in dia. He agreed.
While waiting (and it took about an hour and half) , I clicked this photo for fellow bhpians in the hope it would someday save them some money.





When the work was finished, much to my disappointment – the repaired area was easily discernible and at least 4-5mm across. In reparation, the manager offered to knock of ₹400 from the estimate for the shoddy work - I say he got off lightly - but I was supposed to drive out to a client some ways away - and had already lost a fair bit of time.

Here’s the bill for windshield repair.




ICE Revisited
It was now time to revisit the consumer electronics side to R3 and my tech ecosystem. For more than two weeks, I had been struggling with a proper Bluetooth integration to my phone. And despite a change in the ICE motherboard – nothing had significantly changed for the better.
OnePlus Care had responded to my emails, and by now their OTA update for Oxygen OS v 9.0.3 was available for download. I went ahead with it and prayed – but the prayers went unheeded.
The ICE and phone refused to play together. Frustrated with their lack of mutual respect, I went ahead and sent the log dump from the phone back to OnePlus.
I must say they were very responsive – and the first recommendation from their side was to do a hard wipe of the cache. This preserves the apps and data, and just wipes the RAM clean. Well, I tried that and that did not help. So it was back to the log exchange.


Then I get an email from them to do a hard reset – this is like the super-daddy of all resets. Once you are down this path – you lose everything that’s on your phone. And naturally it can’t be adopted with gay abandon.



Slightly OT here – but I thought it’s prudent to let everyone know of the steps one has to take just to ensure that google maps, Plex app, and phone calls work flawlessly on an S10 Scorpio.


Step 1 – take a manual backup – don’t even try doing the thing with One Plus Switch – it just did not work for me (as I later found out much to my consternation).
Luckily despite OnePlus Switch’s goofup with the backup and restore, I did have a backup of all my photos on the google cloud – so I did not lose much of personal import.
My contact database was on Google cloud – and restoring that would be very simple.
Besides, the Play store keeps a track of what one has installed in the past – and that was easy to get back as well. My work related apps, are easy enough to retrieve – and I do not lose anything because all my work data gets auto synced to my company cloud in real-time.
The only thing that took some doing from my end was a whatsapp media/message backup – this took almost 4 hours to complete considering I had over 5GB to preserve for continuity. I am glad I took the effort.
Step 2 – Wipe the phone using the recommended procedure.
Step 3- Restore the backup after re-installing all apps you need from scratch.


What I wish could have gone better with this process was the glitched OnePlus Switch app’s doings. I lost the painstakingly crafted desktop configuration – and this had to be recreated from scratch.

Saturday, Jan 19th was chosen as the D-Day to restore the phone – mainly because it has minimal impact on work.. And after the restore the Bluetooth connected and for the first time in three weeks , the OnePlus played a whole album on ICE, while providing turn by turn directions.

Sunday , Jan 20th – I had to drop my kid off for a public exam. When turning the ignition on, I saw the ICE turn on automatically. Now this was not new. What was new was that it was also frozen. I decided not to switch off engine, wait for 2 minutes, and restart. I was at this point, way past being kind to M&M.
Once I had dropped off my kid, I fished out my mobile, and recorded the frozen ICE. Here’s the video:

https://youtu.be/o5XZyIqHFJQ

Monday, Jan 21st(a week after the 40k service)
A chat was initiated with Mr. Anant Kumar @ Nippon Audiotronix- the upshot of it was that he admitted, I deserved a brand new stereo. And no, I did not need to raise a job card at M&M. This last was clearly an admission of guilt – faulty part woes brought on by corporate profit imperatives?






Tuesday Jan 22nd
Leaving work aside, my first stop for the day was at Nippon Audiotronix.
The stereo was replaced in 5 minutes. I checked the Radio, Bluetooth, iPoD navigation, maps etc were all working fine.
On the not-so-bright-side :

1. I had lost all my navigational way points – but that does not impact me much nowadays, as I prefer google due to their traffic updates and much nicer user interface.
2. And the reverse camera assist would not work, because some reprogramming had to be done.

So, it was back to Koncept’s nearby facility , where I contacted the SA who had opened the job card the last time around.





I had to wait a bit, for what’s essentially a five minute procedure, because the laptop was out of the shop. The technician and the SA assigned another laptop from their nearby facility for commercial vehicles. And I was good to go by just after 12 PM.
The final zero bill for reverse camera assist programming.




After an eventful three weeks of intensive care surrounding R3 and my phone , things seem to be settling down.


I am keeping an eye on the battery situation, on the rear right axle housing, and on the brakes. So far, nothing untoward to report - but keeping my fingers crossed.

[joybhowmik]

42000 km up - mostly due to regular commutes shuttling between different offices and home.
A trip to Sawai Madhopur brought the total to 42800 km and counting.
On the said trip, I was somewhat aghast at the 2nd row single seat release lever not working - thereby neatly imprisoning the 3rd row passenger from egress. Ingress into the 3rd row , was made possible through a combination of delicate calisthenics and a petite body type - and the only one who qualified was my 10 year old.
While at Rajasthan (and once at our hotel) , I called up the emergency number only to be told that there was no jugaad to fix the issue.
The other thing I noticed was that one of the middle row AC vent levers had malfunctioned - and was no longer accessible (having been pushed inside due to someone's shoe knocking against it). The result was approximately half the airflow into the middle row was misdirected.

Once I reached back to base, I decided to get both of these problems addressed at the earliest instance.
A quick shout out to my regular SA , and I was at the workshop on the dot of 9 o'clock.

The other thing that needed urgent attention was a wheel alignment, balancing and rotation - considering that the tyres had not been rotated since I bought these @ 36800 km. Mahindra also had a 75 point free checkup on offer - which I availed on the last day - talk about timing!

The jammed seat release lever
After much pulling and pushing of the release lever, and it's associated loop, the mechanics realised there was no way to get this unstuck. Out came the screwdrivers, and some aggressive persuasion followed, and voila - it unstuck. The housing covers were taken off, the release cables inspected and adjusted, and the whole thing was put back. Total time 1 hour.

The malfunctioning AC vent on center console
Mahindra's standard solution for a malfunctioning AC vent is to replace the whole unit.But the problem is less severe than it sounds. The malfunction happens when the vertical louvres are inadvertently dislodged from their slots usually by a misdirected shoe.
All it requires is to first access the unit, by removing the console, and then use a pair of pliers and a screwdriver to gently nudge the louvres back in place.

I know this because it happened in the past. And I have been stuck with a repaired AC vent unit for the last two years. (Which by the way I had carried with myself to the shop - in case they cited inability to repair the unit).

I insisted that they repair the unit, instead of replacing it - and after some hemming and hawing they did that. Total time 1 hour.

Tyre balancing , rotation and alignment
The shoes had not been rotated since they were first put on approximately ~6000 km , and it was critical that this work was done at the earliest.
Besides the 4 corners had seen some use, balancing was necessary. One corner also had had a puncture (brought on by what I suspect was an act of vandalism). The spare was already balanced as it was never used.
I had also noticed a slight pull to the left, when driving on a straight track.
With both balancing and rotation on the anvil, and a known alignment issue, it was time to address all three jobs together.
Dinesh did the work as usual. This time I requested him to use my air-pressure pump for TPMS learning, as I trust it's calibration more than the one at the workshop. He happily complied. A test drive followed with Darshan ji - and the vehicle okayed. Total time 1.5hours
Here's the alignment report.

Free inspection
R3 was hoisted on the lift, and the underbody pronounced free of any problems, next the engine bay was inspected - all fluids were checked and okayed - no surprises. Since the wheels had come off, I requested a quick inspection of the front callipers and the rear brake shoes - there was considerable braking life left.

Washing
The preceding jobs resulted in R3 getting delayed joining the queue for a shower. I decided to skip that, as it was dangerously close to lunch time, and hunger pangs had set in.

I quickly settled the final amount of ₹1455. Much to my delight the first two jobs were gratis.


The SA did try and sell me with an extended RSA (politely declined) and then tried to sell me extended warranty for a year. I asked him to check, and when he did, he figured out that I had already maxed out on extended warranty. Jokingly, I asked him, I will buy the extended warranty for the 6th year, if he can do it, and it was his chance to politely decline.

Overall -just one of those many running repair experiences that ran like clockwork and left me a little exhausted at the end. I guess R3 is as ready as it can be for the next challenge (still some ways away).

[boniver]

Excellent writing style, joybhowmik! Read your posts from start to finish in one go. Don't know how I hadn't come across this thread earlier.

Although red isn't my favourite colour on cars, I must say R3 looks ravishing in that shade! Loved how you "persuaded" M&M to deliver you a vehicle that they were reluctant to deliver in the first place. To be honest, I had no idea M&M labour charges were so high (you mentioned a ~3k labour charge for what was essentially an oil change).

Your love for R3 shows in how you attend to each and every detail ASAP (getting that paint chip attended to the very next day after you bought the vehicle or getting windshields replaced due to chips). Most people I know usually procrastinate for a while before getting these minor things attended to, but I guess that's what makes a BHPian stand apart.

Wishing you many more happy miles!

Regards,
boniver

[joybhowmik]

It's been a while... but honestly there wasn't very much to report!

24th April 2019 - and the odometer shows the very interesting 44444 number. Interesting because R3 it's a 4x4 - maybe it's just superstition or old age - but I felt that number bode well, and had been eagerly awaiting for the magic moment for a while.

The milestone came up pretty quick - considering R3 is the only vehicle in the garage, his sister MileMuncher is permanently married off to an affluent gent in Rajasthan. That also means the entire workload will tell on the odometer doubly quick.



On the user experience side, there were a few niggles to be sorted out.

1. Fuel tank indicator on dashboard did not ratchet up a full mark on filling up the tank (again!). This is a known issue, and with Warranty expiring September this year, it's time I got it addressed FOC.
   
2. There was an irritating "pebble on tin can" racket coming from just behind the glove box. Sort of intermittent, and it used to go away after a few seconds. I put it down to R3's legendary self-healing powers - but who am I kidding? After the third such instance I decided to have it looked at.
   
3. The automatic driver side window was jamming on occasion. Possibly a result of having it parked all year underneath a neem tree.
   
4. Loose front row arm-rests.
   
5. A PUC test. I could not for the life of me locate the last one - must've lost it somewhere as there's not much space left for important paperwork. And with enthusiastic cops ever ready to hold that over a hapless driver as their one and only trump card - I figured it's just as well to get it done again.
   
6. A torn gear boot cover - due to the periliously close abrasive gear lock mount.
   
7. A discolored gear shift knob.

The last two were letting the looks of R3 down. I justifiably wasn't proud of using a tattered gear shift - and embarrassment ensued , when guests joined me for a long drive to Murthal on Holi weekend.


So when the number of jobs to be attended, rose to a respectable number, I decided to give my regular SA Manish a call - only to be told he was out traveling. His stand-in - Mr. Rajender Yadav happily filled the void, and sharp at 9 AM of Wednesday 08-May, R3 arrived promptly for some TLC.

That early, a few people were around. Most I know by sight, a few by first name. Meet and Greets over, R3 was taken to an available lift in prep for Job #1 well before the job card was opened. Readers will know, I've had considerable practice at this - this is the third time this has happened on R3.
After a quick (unrelated) inspection of the underbody, I was informed that an SA has just arrived, and he will do the honors. But first things first - it was important to know about parts availability.
Rajender ji and I walked up to the parts guy - and he confidently informs us about the availability of all parts. Good.
I get the SA to write up the job card - and the work gets underway.

Dear readers will recall the fuel tank sender replacement involves disconnecting the fuel lines from the tank, as a pre-cursor to detaching the tank itself. Ordinarily it takes brawn to detach the tank and handle it - and God forbid if you ever make the mistake of visiting the shop with anything more than 5-10 Litres inside - you will probably be branded for lack of empathy.
Thus getting this job done, involves the rather delicate balancing act of just having about enough fuel to get you to the nearest bunk once you get your discharge papers. Easier said than done - when one has more than the workshop's interests in mind when using the vehicle.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the times have changed. Gone are the days of wrestling with heavy parts and gingerly setting them down. The workshop has invested in a portable heavy duty adjustable stand. As I watched the mechanic (Jatin) setting it up, and disconnecting the fuel lines, the job controller came back with a crestfallen face.

A much needed addition at the workshop.

It seems the fuel sender was "actually" not available. "They'd" thought it was. In fact the store supervisor said he distinctly remembers seeing it around - but he was quite apologetic - he did not have it anymore.
Ditto the gear boot leather cover and gear knob. The fuel sender replacement takes approximately 2 hours to get done. One sender was available in their sister concern at Greater Noida - but it would take considerably longer than an hour to source it. I asked the parts guys to place all three items as high priority orders. A request Witnessed by no less than Sanjeev Arya ji (the operational head of the workshop). Date of Delivery - by 15th May.

On a side note, I had been trying since March to procure the last two items from an FNG (Metro Spares & Ghai Motors (Savitri Nagar, New Delhi)) that comes highly recommended by a DBHPian. And that had gone nowhere.
It's such a refreshing change - and might I add quite comforting, when you see accountability in action, and a chain of command - and you know that the buck stops straight at Mr. Anand Mahindra's desk. I don't mind paying a few hundred rupees more just for peace of mind. It's worth it. Now why didn't I think of this in March - beats me!



Arya ji and I discussed Job #2. This was familiar territory for the shop - and they put it down to a faulty actuator motor that opens/closes the ac flaps in the ducts. But replacement implied tearing down the dashboard to get at the part. The job controller seemed to know a thing or two, and asked an electrician to see if it was possible to gently push and pull the offending item out, and it's replacement in - without spending another couple hours dismantling the fragile dashboard.

I must say that guy knows his stuff. 15 minutes is all it took.

The dextrous electrician



The damaged actuator motor-finally out!



The replacement motor

Cost ₹ 420.0 - but for me - the price would be ₹ 0.0 (yep - don't you just love dem warranty days! )

It was now time for Jobs #3 and #4
The driver Window down/up single touch switch and associated mechanicals have just one Achilles heel. If any debris enters through the slats, they will interfere with the normal functioning of the system. And what you get is an erratic Window - that seems to have a mind of its own. Its a quick fix though - just damp the window with some water and pull/push the switch a couple times - and surface tension does the job for you. Out come the leaves and twigs neatly sticking to the edges - and you can wipe them clean.

The loose arm rests require some manual work. I wish the engineers at Mahindra had figured a maintenance friendly design rather than the simple bolt and nut fastener - which invariably loosens up after a few days of use. Anyway, I wasn't up to doing this by myself again, especially in this heat -so let the house denter have a go.


Job# 5 - PUC check was next in line. It was a non-starter because the operator was a no-show. I resolved to get it addressed at the nearby HP bunk - just as well - because the cops were checking for these around the corner.

That's it. With Jobs #6 and #7 carried forward - there was nothing else left but to do the formalities and move on with my life.

The Pre-Tax Invoice



The RO tax invoice showing remaining jobs being carried forward



and the Zero Bill.