[unni.ak]

Good to hear that the Storm is back to Stormin'.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Congrats,
Good to know that your car is about to get back to you and the MileCrunching begins again.

Originally Posted by unni.ak

Good to hear that the Storm is back to Stormin'.

Thanks guys. I really feel great to be back behind the wheels of the Storm. Have already driven about 120 Kms since getting it back and trying to locate small niggles so that they can be fixed ASAP. Have a post surgery consultation appointment this Saturday for wholebody and systems check.

Must say that I like the thoroughness approach to the problem.

[MudMover]

Nice to hear your storm's back MC! I'm now wondering, if the M&M folks really discover some inherrent problem in the brakes will they'll change the system in all other storms?

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by MudMover

Nice to hear your storm's back MC! I'm now wondering, if the M&M folks really discover some inherrent problem in the brakes will they'll change the system in all other storms?

I don't think they have looked hard enough. I'm taking the car next week and will sit with them to get the brake problem as it has not gone off entirely. A feloow BHPian drove my car this sunday and felt that one side was catching on earlier. So will interchange the brake pads and see. Sometimes it is these simple things that we tend to overlook that makes all the difference.

[MileCruncher]

After having driven the Storm for about 300 Odd kms in the past one week, i had noted a few niggles and was required to go the body shop to get it fixed. The ASC had broken one bolt slot in the Stepney cover and on my pointing it out last week, they had agreed to give me a new cover. Apart from that the regular issues of slow coolant loss and brakes were anyways there.

On Friday night the Storm was almost fully loaded with 6 full size adults and to my dismay and surprise, the brakes were highly effective. The moment I got them offloaded, the brakes were back to being their crazy self. So I diagnosed that the problem must be with the LSPV.

I reached the workshop sharp at 9.30 when it opens, and the stepney cover was replaced with a brand new one immediately. I had spotted a slight leak in the brake line and that was tightened and fluid topped up along with coolant both in the reservoir and the radiator with a sticker put with date for observation. All the body bolts were also tightened and I was ready to go by 10.15 am. Since things happened much faster than I expected, I called up the M&M SE to tell him about my diagnosis of the brake problem and was assured it would be looked into. Took my vehicle to the workshop and immediately we went for Test Drive. That was 17006 Kms.

The SA detected two problems, vehicle pulling to the right on braking, which meant that the front right was catching on early. They removed and interchanged the pads but very little difference. So LSPV was checked and adjusted along with the load sensing spring. While getting all this done, somehow the Storm started to pull towards the right. So alignment problem. Finally the alignment problem was solved and the Storm handed over to me at 8.00 PM with the odo at 17079 Kms.

Amount spent: Rs 0/-
Resources Utilised: Whole Saturday
Result: Storm back to storming and some choicest words from Wifey about my life revolving around cars, whether its the Uno, Palio or the Bolero.

[MileCruncher]

The Storm's odo reads 17159 today and after I reached home decided to check. And here is what I found


The coolant level from Max has come down to halfway between min and max. That is in 2days driving.

This problem had first raised its head before the first service and has never gone away since. All hoses have been tightened but the problem seem not to go away. One thing is even though the water might fall below the min mark on the reservoir, the temp guage needle has never risen above its standard position slightly below the halfway mark.

What do you guys think can this problem be?

[MileCruncher]

Sorry missed out on putting the picture.


Also I would like to point out that there are no tell-tale leakage signs, neither on the hoses or in the radiator.

I suspect the following could be guilty:

1. Radiator Leakage
2. Leakage in the radiator cap
3. Piping
4. Water dummy in the cylinder
5. Crack in the Cylinder block

Any suggestions

[MileCruncher]

I called up the ASC in the morning with the coolant problem and they sent a team to my office post lunch. While looking at the engine bay, all of a sudden I found oil leak from the hose connecting the intercooler to intake manifold. Also found marks of brake fluid leaking from the brake circuit near the left front wheel.

They took the Storm and have promised to look into the problems.

My list of woes with the Storm seems to be never ending .

What do you guys think I should do as the vehicle is only 7 months and 17k Kms old?

@Behram Sir, Please Help!

[sriku]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

The Storm's odo reads 17159 today and after I reached home decided to check. And here is what I found


The coolant level from Max has come down to halfway between min and max. That is in 2days driving.

This problem had first raised its head before the first service and has never gone away since. All hoses have been tightened but the problem seem not to go away. One thing is even though the water might fall below the min mark on the reservoir, the temp guage needle has never risen above its standard position slightly below the halfway mark.

What do you guys think can this problem be?

I have faced the same problem. On my trip from Mumbai to Bangalore, on reaching bangy after a day and a half of high speed driving on the NH4, my coolant tank also got drained by half. I called the Service Advisor and complained. After I topped up the coolant in Bangalore however, the subsequent Bangy-chennai-bangy-mumbai leg of the journey saw no further reduction in the coolant level. Strange behaviour, but I made sure all hoses, tank etc leading into and out of the radiator were checked during service. When I asked the Service Advisor, his lame reasoning was, that since it was the first time I took the Bolero on a high speed highway run, driving for many hours, the coolant was used up. Its obvious he had no real answer and was trying to placate me, but such is life.

If you manage to figure out why, do drop a line here.

Cheers,
Sriku

[hvkumar]

MileCruncher, I think your coolant and brake problems are an example of the ASC's poor workmanship. Hopefully, the leak is the diagnosis of the problems, I would suggest you change the hoses. Also check the manifold area carefully, there are sometimes leaks in between the gasket, the coolant itself evaporates in the heat but leaves a green residue behind (I have faced this problem many times, and it never got solved, but this leak is occasional and minor).

Good the leak in the brake circuit manifested itself. Insist that they change the pipe.

And braking issues - I face it all the time in my Scorpio! If there is one reason not to buy a Scorpio, this is it. I drive in constant fear of brake failure, it is very erratic, many times brakes don't engage, the ASCs are incapable of diagnosing and repairing such problems - they are good at body polishing an upholstery cleaning though

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by sriku

I have faced the same problem. On my trip from Mumbai to Bangalore, on reaching bangy after a day and a half of high speed driving on the NH4, my coolant tank also got drained by half. I called the Service Advisor and complained. After I topped up the coolant in Bangalore however, the subsequent Bangy-chennai-bangy-mumbai leg of the journey saw no further reduction in the coolant level. Strange behaviour, but I made sure all hoses, tank etc leading into and out of the radiator were checked during service. When I asked the Service Advisor, his lame reasoning was, that since it was the first time I took the Bolero on a high speed highway run, driving for many hours, the coolant was used up. Its obvious he had no real answer and was trying to placate me, but such is life.

Sriku

SriKu, I have a similar problem in my Scorpio too, but that happens on and off. The more you go to the ASC to get such problems investigated, the more you are inviting the monkeys there to ruin your car. I have - with the great qualities of Indian tolerance and fortitude - learnt to live with such problems. Having said this, the cooling problems in the Scorpio are nothing compared with the horrendous experiences I have had with my old Matiz.

[MudMover]

MC,

Being a fellow storm owner, your experiences with the storm are a concern for me as well. I truly hope that the ASC or M&M resolve your problems conclusively. Meanwhile, I request you to kindly post pics of the below-mentioned problem areas so that I can incorporate those into my pre-drive checks for long trips.

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

I found oil leak from the hose connecting the intercooler to intake manifold. Also found marks of brake fluid leaking from the brake circuit near the left front wheel.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

check the manifold area carefully, there are sometimes leaks in between the gasket, the coolant itself evaporates in the heat but leaves a green residue behind.

I'm a little backward in auto-mechanics .

[MileCruncher]

Got a call from the ASC Works Manager. They are emptying the entire cooling system, including the thermostat valve and even measuring the amount of coolant that was there. I hope that the coolant problem gets solved, else I'm in good mind to ask for a new vehicle

[getsurya]

MC,

Bad to hear these problems. The braking side, if not resolved yet, ask the ASC to check the brake master cylinder if the distribution is working properly. I had this issue with both my scorpio's and the problem would be gone with the Brake master cylinder/booster being replaced...ofcourse under warranty

[hvkumar]

In the case of my Scorpio, I have changed the wheel disc, pads, brake oil feed pipe, brake booster, brake oil tank, and bled the brakes several times - I guess the leopard cannot change its spots or the tiger its stripes.

The way my Scorpio brakes, everyone in the world turns back - either I miss hitting someone n front or I screech to a halt. Either I do not know driving or Mahindra does not know how to make a car with proper braking systems.

And the ASCs - why go to a circus when you can watch the comic antics of the ASCs at work?