[AdityaDeane]

So, my Nano has completed almost another year, and is now ~44K Kilometers and 5 years old!









Has this last year been uneventful and trouble free? Well, there haven't been any accidents to speak of, and it has been serving it's purpose well. But yes, there were some problems in this last year which I am sharing below:-

Problem No. 1 :- Coolant Hose Pipe Leakage in February 2018
As has been the case till now, I took my Nano for it's yearly servicing at Oberoi Motors, Dehradun in late January 2018. The service was done on time and I was happy to be home, which is about 40Km away from the service center. On reaching home, and switching off the car I saw some steam coming up from behind my car, and there was coolant leakage on the ground. It had not happened before, and they had checked the whole thing while servicing. My FNG is run by a mechanic who worked at the same Tata Motors service center and he used to repair Nano's there, so I contacted him. On inspecting my car he found out that the hose pipe which takes the coolant from the reservoir to the radiator had a leak. On switching the car off, due to increased pressure it kept leaking and there was no leak when the engine was running. He contacted my Service Manager at Oberoi Motors and they send the replacement Pipe and 3L Coolant free of cost and he changed the pipe and filled the coolant. Since then that problem got over.

Problem No. 2 :- Vehicle Overheating and Stalling in November 2018
Suddenly one fine night while returning from Dehradun to where I live, my car started stalling and Check Engine Light came on. I tried checking the coolant level and filled it (I always keep a bottle of Coolant as spare in my car), and then drove again. The light was off, but again after few minutes it came on. I called up my FNG Mechanic and he advised me to drive slow and reach home, or park the car at some Petrol Pump and come home in a Cab or Bus. I kept driving slowly and after a long long time reached home safely. The next morning I raised a complaint with my Insurance provider for giving me Roadside Assistance till the nearest Tata Motors Service Center, I was given a 24Km limit, and hence took my car to Mohan Motors Rishikesh instead of Dehradun. They connected the Laptop with the OBD Port and came to know that the Coolant Temperature Sensor is at fault. As it is malfunctioning, the coolant's temperature when increased is causing error in the system and stalling the engine, and the Radiator Fan is not switching on as the sensor is not giving the signal for it to switch on. Finally the Temperature Sensor was replaced and I paid about Rs.1800/- for the Sensor change and use of Laptop for Error Rectification.

By God's grace, till now my car is running fine. I've done 1 trip to New Delhi this year and also took my car to Ludhiana in the end of December. All without a hiccup. And the best thing is, I went to Mussoorie on 22nd January 2019, and while we were there it started to snow heavily. Due to a stuck Force Toofan and 2WD Mahindra XUV500, about 5 of us small cars (Indigo CS, Eon, Alto, my Nano, and a Santro Xing) were stuck behind on a One-Way Route (South Road, Mussoorie) for 4 hours. It usually only snows in the Landour region now, but this time it was up to Kyarkuli, and it was up to 6-7" thick where we were stuck. Nano did get stuck a few times when we had to wait for long at one spot, but once it got traction, it moved effortlessly over the thick snow. Attaching a few pics and video of our experience of snow driving below:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3uuNSi7660

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by AdityaDeane

So, my Nano has completed almost another year, and is now ~44K Kilometers and 5 years old!

Congratulations. The car looks nice.

But more than the car the pictures of the landscape caught my eyes. They are dope Which place is it exactly(nearest airport)? Guess it's in Uttarakhand?

[AdityaDeane]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Congratulations. The car looks nice.

Thanks, have tried to keep it as good as I can. Though will need a Clutch Plate replacement soon, after my wife has finished her driving lessons! 😋

Originally Posted by SoumenD

But more than the car the pictures of the landscape caught my eyes. They are dope. Which place is it exactly (nearest airport)? Guess it's in Uttarakhand?

This is South Road, Mussoorie (Uttarakhand) near the Clock Tower on the way down from Landour. Nearest airport is Jolly Grant (Dehradun), about 60Kms away. The area you see in the pics is mostly Woodstock School hillside and lower areas of Mussoorie town. It snows once in February as well, do keep a check of Mussoorie's weather and plan your visit to see snowfall and such landscape in person.

[Durango Dude]

Originally Posted by AdityaDeane

So, my Nano has completed almost another year, and is now ~44K Kilometers and 5 years old!


Has this last year been uneventful and trouble free? Well, there haven't been any accidents to speak of, and it has been serving it's purpose well. But yes, there were some problems in this last year which I am sharing below:-


By God's grace, till now my car is running fine. I've done 1 trip to New Delhi this year and also took my car to Ludhiana in the end of December. All without a hiccup. And the best thing is, I went to Mussoorie on 22nd January 2019, and while we were there it started to snow heavily. Due to a stuck Force Toofan and 2WD Mahindra XUV500, about 5 of us small cars (Indigo CS, Eon, Alto, my Nano, and a Santro Xing) were stuck behind on a One-Way Route (South Road, Mussoorie) for 4 hours. It usually only snows in the Landour region now, but this time it was up to Kyarkuli, and it was up to 6-7" thick where we were stuck. Nano did get stuck a few times when we had to wait for long at one spot, but once it got traction, it moved effortlessly over the thick snow. Attaching a few pics and video of our experience of snow driving below:-]

Lovely images and your Nano looks great and wading through the snow storm was amazing. Nano was a car ahead of it's time. Do you use chains on the tyres for added traction?

[AdityaDeane]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

Lovely images and your Nano looks great and wading through the snow storm was amazing. Nano was a car ahead of it's time. Do you use chains on the tyres for added traction?

We were in Mussoorie by chance when we got caught in this snowstorm. Have never used chains to drive through the snow. The light weight and rear wheel drive layout never let it get stuck once it finds a little traction on the snow, possible even by a light push from behind by your fellow passenger, like my wife did. What also helped was that my front tyres are new (changed in November) and the rear tyres have good amount of tread left, so it did not slip much and caught traction pretty soon.

Just one problem we faced was that the heater was not powerful enough to heat the windshield even at full blower speed and so I had a limited area to see through the bottom of the screen. Otherwise it was a breeze to brave that storm in the Small Wonder that Tata had made.

Sad to see the news of it getting discontinued in a few months from now.

[arif_t01]

Originally Posted by AdityaDeane

...

Originally Posted by AdityaDeane

Just one problem we faced was that the heater was not powerful enough to heat the windshield even at full blower speed and so I had a limited area to see through the bottom of the screen. Otherwise it was a breeze to brave that storm in the Small Wonder that Tata had made.

I can see that your Nano's Windshield glass is having a crack. Maybe, thats the reason for the heater being ineffective?

[AdityaDeane]

Originally Posted by arif_t01

I can see that your Nano's Windshield glass is having a crack. Maybe, thats the reason for the heater being ineffective?

You may be right, but the crack is on the left side of the screen. And this problem was seen on both the sides equally. Anyways, we were back home safely and enjoyed playing in the snow. Hopefully till the snowfall of next winter's, this Car will be exchanged for an Ertiga ZXi AT. Keeping the fingers crossed...

[silverado]

Originally Posted by AdityaDeane

this Car will be exchanged for an Ertiga ZXi AT. Keeping the fingers crossed...

Lovely pics. Why sell it? just keep it. its not going to cost much to maintain and exchange value is also not great.

Is it true that Nano is extremely popular with Himachali people?
I have heard that there is still demand for new Nano is that region.

[AdityaDeane]

Originally Posted by silverado

Lovely pics. Why sell it? just keep it. its not going to cost much to maintain and exchange value is also not great.

Is it true that Nano is extremely popular with Himachali people?
I have heard that there is still demand for new Nano is that region.

We already have a 2016 Baleno also at home, won't make sense to keep so many cars. Planning to buy the Ertiga on Loan/Lease and use the money by selling my Nano for buying accessories or down payment etc. If if it stays with me, I am sure the new vehicle will hardly be taken out except for going on long drives.

I have heard that too, not just in Himachal Pradesh, but in my Sasuraal (Darjeeling) as well and here in the hilly regions of Uttarakhand. The compact dimensions and ease of parking etc. may be the main reason, as well as the amazing ground clearance.

Let's see when the time comes, I really wished Tata would have launched the Nano with ABS and Dual Airbags in their AMT version, and I would have happily bought that in exchange for this one. But alas, don't see that happening anytime soon.

[silverado]

Originally Posted by AdityaDeane

We already have a 2016 Baleno
I really wished Tata would have launched the Nano with ABS and Dual Airbags in their AMT version, and I would have happily bought that in exchange for this one. But alas, don't see that happening anytime soon.

I can relate to what you say, since I also own a 2016 Baleno and it hardly gets used in City. Nano is just unbeatable in City, even though mine is Non-PS, I love the feel it gives as I am someone who grew up driving a Padmini.

TATA is not going to burn its hands on lower segment cars in near future atleast. Maybe we can see a Nano iteration in electric avtar sometime soon.

[AdityaDeane]

Originally Posted by silverado

I can relate to what you say, since I also own a 2016 Baleno and it hardly gets used in City. Nano is just unbeatable in City, even though mine is Non-PS, I love the feel it gives as I am someone who grew up driving a Padmini.

TATA is not going to burn its hands on lower segment cars in near future at least. Maybe we can see a Nano iteration in electric avtar sometime soon.

I too am waiting to see the Nano Electric Car which was to be sold to fleet operators and personal buyers, but is still to see the light of the day. Contrary to what people believe, I am of the thought that Tata Hornbill will be the spiritual successor of the Nano or it's Pelican named facelift that we all were expecting. Tiago will be the entry level hatchback, and Hornbill will be the entry level Hatchback on Stilts (like Nano was with that 180mm ground clearance) taking advantage of people's preference of SUV looking cars these days. But, by the time they launch it, my personal preference would have changed and we definitely need a 6+1 seater in the house now, else I would have gone with Ignis or Nexon.

I love the Go Plus as well, and now it even comes with Dual Airbags and ABS and is heavier so probably more reinforced for passing the crash tests, but Ertiga ZXi AT would be so much better for everyone on board. Papa wanted to buy an Ertiga when I convinced him to buy the Baleno instead back in 2016, and since this need for 6+1 seater arose around June last year, I have been regretting that decision. Would have been much better if Papa bought the Ertiga VXi AT or ZXi or ZXi+ then, and I could have replaced my Nano with Ignis or Nexon when the time came. But, what has been done has been done.

Nothing can beat the Nano in it's practicality inside the city and ability to haul luggage even with the closed rear and foldable rear seat back. I am all praises for Tata for making this "Small Wonder"!!

[AdityaDeane]

Originally Posted by AdityaDeane

It was in April 2010 that I got a chance to go to Manali with a few of my friends. We decided to hire bikes from a local bike rental shop in order to roam around the place and go to see Kullu, Manikaran, Kasol and every boy's dream in northern India, Rohtang Pass. Tata Nano had just been launched in 2009, and while we started on our way from Manali to Rohtang, we saw a yellow Tata Nano driving on the way near Manali. We did not expect to see it go all the way up to Rohtang Pass and moved along making fun of the guy. After a long drive up to the pass, we enjoyed a cup of Tea and a plate of hot Maggi and enjoyed playing in the snow. While there, the weather grew rough and we decided that after a while we will begin our descent back to Manali. Just before we were to leave, we saw the same yellow Tata Nano climb up all the way to Rohtang Pass. It had a Haryana state registration number, and the person who was driving it came out in shorts and t-shirt, asking the shop owner if he could get Warm Clothes on rent from some shop up there as it was freezing cold. We all started to laugh at him. He continued that inside the car he had heater on, so did not need to wear warm clothes. Now due to the weather getting rough, most of the other shop owners had closed their stalls and left for their homes, it was afternoon already. Finally we decided to start back for Manali, but the sight of the humble Nano reaching all the way to Rohtang Pass really left a lasting impression on my mind.

Update at 5.5 years and 47,180Kms

Finally after over 9 years and almost 4 months, I was able to take my own Nano to Rohtang Pass without scraping the bottom. Didn't find any snow, but the wind definitely was chilling up there!

[AdityaDeane]

Nearing 50000 Kilometers, and finally in about 1 week I'll have to wish my car goodbye and change
it for a Renault Triber RXZ Electric Blue.

Lots of good memories with this one, my very first OWN Car. My wife and I keep reminiscing of all the times we had in this car, those impromptu drives, those long journeys with our little one, etc. In fact we used to go on date in this car only when we started seeing each other.

But luckily it is going to a family friend in Dehradun, and we'll get to see it and drive it when we meet them there. Hope it serves them well too for years to come.

[AdityaDeane]

Finally wished my Nano goodbye on 28th November 2019 with 50011Kms on the Odometer.



As I was selling it to my family friend, got the windshield changed, also a C-Mount had broken near the engine. Had to get that replaced also. The whole repair work cost me around Rs.8K for windshield change, etc. And the Transfer of Ownership set me back by Rs.4K. Now a minor Denting-Painting work is pending to be done in mid-December. I got a very good price for my car. I have no regrets, and am happy with my new purchase, an Electric Blue Renault Triber RXZ.

[Tgo]

Originally Posted by AdityaDeane

I have no regrets, and am happy with my new purchase, an Electric Blue Renault Triber RXZ.

WOW!! Isn't it nice to have a similar colour on the new car.

Finally it is the Triber which I think makes perfect sense for the hills and otherwise also as a city runabout. I think it will be a big leap comfort and safety-wise from the Nano. Hope Renault doesn't give you a tough time in after sales.