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-   -   From Car to Thar | Story of my Mahindra Thar 700 (Signature Edition) | 80,000 Kms completed (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/212305-car-thar-story-my-mahindra-thar-700-signature-edition-80-000-kms-completed-5.html)

No offence intended, this job could have been far better IMHO. Quality of workmanship could have been a notch higher for the kind of money spend on this mod. Anyways happy motoring.

Good to see you've made improvements to the interior, but the way you've added a bench longitudinally in rear will make rear seat space only to sleep not sit; or am I missing something here?

None taken mate, it’s a free world and everyone is open to express their opinion. The quality of the job done here does the job for me. Anyways, thanks for dropping by.

The added bench seat is actually removable and can be kept below the OEM bench seat when you don’t want to use it. My family members prefer to sleep on long distance drives hence the addition was necessary.

10,000 Kms Service update:

My Thar hit the 10k mark in March but the service was scheduled for 10,000 got little delayed, first due to lockdown followed with the modification work which took 3 weeks after everything opened.

Finally my Thar went for the service last weekend. This was the 2nd free service so no labour cost, only material and consumables were charged. As per protocol they replaced the Gear oil and differential oil, I thought they will replace the engine oil also but then the SA said since it was replaced at 5k the next engine oil change will be scheduled at 20,000 Kms service. The total service cost came at Rs. 2700.

I was experiencing some rattling noise when driven over bumps or pot holes, hence informed on the same while giving the vehicle for service. After inspection the SA informed that the nut connecting the linkage rod at the front suspension had loosened. Hence it was creating the rattling noise. The issue was fixed during the service and so far the noise hasn’t come back.

As usual the team at Punjab Mahindra did a good work and the Thar was ready for delivery on time. They sanitized all the touch points before giving the delivery. Mahindra has come up with a new thing, as soon as the service request is logged by MASS, a message comes on WhatsApp from where you need to go the link and approve the service cost. So no hidden surprises at a later stage and you are aware about the estimate before the actual work happens.

I will be missing the 3rd free service since the free services are offered on KM basis, as of now it has closed around 12,500 kms with less than 1 month to completing 1 year. The next service schedule is at 20,000 kms which should be around 3-4 months later.

Lastly a sign off pic of my 8 months old daughter sitting on the bonnet of my 11 month old Thar. (A long desired pic, lockdown delayed it). Well she enjoys the drive in the Thar right from the beginning and has even traveled 500 kms/11 hours in a single day in it when she was hardly 3 months old, a positive sign that she won’t let me sell it (even if I think of doing so) when she grows up.

Cheers !!!!

Wow.. wonderful pic of your kiddo on Thar. You have kept your car very clean.

Between, if you plan to keep it for as long as you can or plan to hand it over to your daughter when she gets to driving age, then better start collecting spares and all the bits and pieces which may be difficult to source in future.say after 20 years.

Thar is ageless machine and would look good even after 20 years.

Thanks mate!!!

If I would have bought any other car it would have been changed after 5-6 years of usage. Through the purchase of Thar I have fulfilled my childhood dream of owning a Jeep. Hence, it’s going to stay with me forever. Once my daughter grows up and if wants to keep it for her regular use that would be like cherrie on top. :D

Any reason why the rear C pillar gets this bent and not make it straight up?
Wouldn't making it straight up give it a masculine back look and more space? No?



Edit: I just realized that it is how the stock is and you haven't really changed that structure during your mod job.

The 1st version of the Thar had a straight C pillar, mine is the refreshed version which was launched in 2015. M&M introduced the bent type C pillar design in this version probably to make it look more modern. To me this one appeals more than the straight C pillar design which looks more boxy at the rear. Hence, I kept the exterior original design as it is while doing the modifications. As far as space is concerned, there isn’t much of a difference in both the designs and moreover the rear seats are suitable for 2 passengers only hence it doesn’t have much impact.

For reference you can refer to the below pic showing both the versions of the Thar (posted in Tbhp official review thread of Refreshed Thar)

Did a 250 kms to and fro drive to Vadodara today for some official work. This was the 1st Long distance drive after getting the semi hardtop done.

There’s a vast difference in the before and after experience. Earlier the canopy used to flutter and make wild noise at highway speeds, making the drive more erratic and noisy. Eventually after getting the hardtop the drive is more or less like a regular car, the canopy fluttering noise is non-existent now. However, the wind cutting noise is quite evident probably due to the boxy shape design of the Thar. The aerodynamic designed vehicles cut the winds at high speed quite efficiently whereas in case of Thar the wind cutting noise is little audible.

Other than that it rained like cats and dogs at many places but the interior was completely dry without a single drop of water inside. The benefits of the semi hardtop has come out in a good way, the ambient noise is less, AC cools better or rather becomes very chilly inside when you are on the highway for 2-3 hours at a stretch.

Rest, the Thar continues to excel on its highway performance, complies all the qualities that you desire from your machine when cruising at high speeds.

PS: No modifications has been done so far on the mechanicals of the vehicle including the tyres which are OE fitted Bridgestone dueler HT tyres.

1 year and 14,000 Kms update:

Finally we have completed a year of ownership with the Thar, what an amazing experience it has been so far though not that eventful since my primary purpose of doing road trips in it hasn’t happened much and don’t see anything happening for next few months due to Covid issue. The ODO shows little over 14,000 Kms as can be seen below:



Will start with Negatives/Scope of Improvement first:

It’s really hard to list down negatives about the vehicle you love and adore, however on a practical note it’s a must to know and accept what it lacks out.

1) Front seats cushioning could have been far better. The seats can adequately sit a tall occupant like me but then the cushions used are hard and the seats lack lumbar support.
2) Steering wheel somehow remains slightly towards the left even after wheel alignment.
3) M&M could have easily fitted the Thar with power windows and central locking. Though this is manageable after market but the fit and finish of company fitted accessories is better.
4) The Quality of locks and glove box locking arrangement is pathetic and could have been way better. IIRC, the old Marutis and Ambys had better quality locks than those in the Thar.
5) Gear shifts are little rubbery and can get irritating in city traffic.
6) Doors need to be closed strongly.

Positives:

Well for someone who is a Jeep lover words are not enough to express the feelings.

1) Stable highway manners, doesn’t have much body roll.
2) Oodles of power at the tap of an accelerator at any speeds. Love the way it pulls on highways, a quick overtake required is easily done.
3) A Jeep with the organs of a Scorpio and a Scorpio made to look like a Jeep vis-a-vis.
4) Engine doesn’t make much noise at high speeds and is smoother despite being a decade old design.
5) The overall footprint is small making it easier to park in tight spaces in the city.
6) No niggles or maintenance issues by far now.

So far the ownership experience has been pretty good with the Thar, haven’t had any niggles till now. The only regret is I haven’t participated in OTRs till now, but will experience one soon. Though I have had fair bit of experience with 4WD system, being into the construction industry and commuting through rough or no roads to sites have given me the opportunity to engage 4WD In tricky situation many a times.

I got the insurance renewed with New India Insurance only, the overall premium came Rs. 15.56 thousand after adjusting the discount and NCB. Haven’t opted for extended warranty since didn’t find it much of an use however, I will be extending the RSA for another year. Don't know the exact cost as it will expire on 14th August and has to be renewed through Mahindra’s With You Hamesha app, probably should cost around Rs.2000.

The mileage so far has been 14-15 Kmpl on highways and 11-12 Kmpl in city driving. Service cost isn’t that high since it has gone for the same twice (1st one at 5K kms and 2nd one at 10K Kms) and both the times the cost was around Rs. 2000-3000 (Free service) . I have captured the service details in an earlier post hence not going into details right now.

To sum it up, just like any other vehicle Thar also comes with a good set of imperfections however, if you have the patience and craze for Jeeps, this one won’t disappoint. Moreover Thar is a timeless design and can turn heads even after 20 years from now. Looking back to the last 1 year, the signature edition was just launched and so had the test mules of new gen Thar started getting spotted. It was either chose the Thar in its current form or wait for a year to get the new Thar which is much more practical and definitely a modern product, but when the Jeep bug bites there’s no looking back and the choice was obvious. Hence, even if I was given a chance to back in time I would still choose the Thar over anything else.

Lastly, a special thanks to late BD sir and M&M team for giving out such a beautiful product which would keep its mark on the world for decades to come.

This is just the beginning of our journey with the Thar and there’s “Miles to go before we sleep”!!

Cheers

Due to some CMVR reason the seats are mounted a but lower than it should, if you increase the height of the seats lumbar support will be taken care of. Easy to do on the driver side.

The steering alignment needs to be corrected by going to an alignment guy who knows how to work with torsion bar suspension. Look for an old alignment shop with manual alignment machine.

Yes the negatives are correctly pointed out but my replies on some of them:

1) Front seats cushioning could have been far better :
I have tried installing aftermarket Artificial Leather seat covers to increase cushioning. While they did their job properly but, being made of PVC, they are hot for our weather so un-did the installation. After undoing, now i find the original seats ergonomically better for long distance driving.

2) Steering wheel somehow remains slightly towards the left even after wheel alignment : Just remove the steering wheel and fit it again in center.

5) Gear shifts are little rubbery and can get irritating in city traffic: Check what oil did the dealer use when your transmission oil was changed?

6) Doors need to be closed strongly: Yes. But so does the G63 :) and they have a similar clank although G63 is ages ahead in finishing.

On the handling and highway manners i agree with your point that it is very stable. I do not agree with most of the people who say THAR handles nervously above 100kmph. Recently was driving my friend's Fortuner on the NH8 and i can vouch that my THAR handles equally well or in some aspects better when it comes to lane changes at high speeds.
My SOP: Keep tyre pressure at 32psi on 235/70R16 with stock rims.

@Abhi

Thought I should share an easy fix for the seat height, try it before you spend more money on it.



Everything is OE , original lug nuts and original TVS M10.9 fasteners , you need to buy these. Its a DIY, two years on and not a squeak.

The seats can be made more comfortable by replacing the cover with the one from Scorpio, however if the top is removed or you are transporting farm / gardening material,bags of manure etc would destroy fabric seats. The current set up can be hosed down or wiped off easily.

I don't know if I have told you this before Abhi , but please take extra care with washing , if possible use waterless wash only. A hardtop like that would cause rust on the rest of the car especially where the top meets the body.

@KKVaidya

You are right about its highway manners. BD Sir said snapshot handling and it's a Jeep that handles like it is on rails - both are true as long as noone messes with the tire sizes, tire itself ,offset wheels and suspension.

Many who complain about the vehicles highway manners would have done something to it without due respect to why it's put together in certain way. In many cases a swap to off-road steel wheels that are heavy as well as have an incompatible offset and MT tires would make it less capable on highway.

Back in the days of non-power assisted steering, every 1 PSi was felt. 32 cold is what works best as you said.

The Steering alignment can get messed up because of the torsion bar setting as well (some trainee would have Torqued something he should not have) that is why I asked for it to be checked in Abhi's case.

Thanks for providing the inputs, after long hours of driving the tail bone portion starts paining a little as it sits on the portion which I feel is little hard as what it should have been.

I was contemplating to put an additional 1" layer of cushioning to the front seats. Got a quote for Rs. 1050 per seat, with this the existing seat covers can be used. The OE seat covers in this case (signature edition) are artificial leather and hence have better finishing. Pls advice if adding 1" cushioning can solve the issue.

Increasing the height of the seats is restricted to an extent due to my height (6'1"), if i increase the height of the seats by more than 2", the thighs will start rubbing with the steering wheel especially when pressing the clutch.


I agree to what you said, will certainly check with the dealer about the transmission oil, it was replaced last month only during the 10k Kms service.

@kosfactor & @kkvaidya:

As you people rightly said regarding changing the tyres as people do it aftermarket, I am totally against changing the size of the tyres, though aesthetically it might look good to few but then it ruins the drive-ability of the vehicle. Anything designed on the vehicle mechanically has a reason for that and the more you try to deviate from it the less usable it becomes in long run. I have owned a Xylo for a brief period and the highway manners of the Thar is far better than it.

Will surely check up with the steering alignment issue as suggested by both of you.

Thanks, Cheers!!!

The weight of your legs should not rest on your tail bone, the seat base should support your thigh to make that happen. Height of the seatbase is one way to make that happen, adding extra foam should definitely help in that area.