[devyaaniverma]

Originally Posted by damodar

Since you said that prior to servicing the car did you observe any symptoms of a weak clutch, like judder or slow pickup in lower gears? If the noise is present even after servicing then they might not have replaced the clutch, was it mentioned in the final bill? Which service center was this?

Hi Damodar,

The bill says Clutch Cable replaced. That is what i would be clarifying tomorrow at the center. Cause ideal then it should not happen.

Regards,
Devyaani.

[Abhi_abarth]

Have been following this thread very closely and writing up seeking advice from the esteemed owners.

I have owned a Palio s10 for 18 months and disposed the car in November ( with great difficulty). I am in need of a new car and these are my priorities :

1. Excellent road manners
2. Good suspension as the place I stay is full of concrete speedbreakers and bad roads.
3. Peace of mind in terms of reliability. Easy to maintain as well.
4. Smooth refined engine with fair fuel efficiency
5. Space
6. Long term reliability as I intend to keep the car for 7 to 8 years.

I am very much interested in the zest but am very worried about it's s long term reliability. Though I have been checking out the other cars like jazz, baleno and swift I still feel that it's a competent product.

Had worst experience with two of the tata dealers here in Hyderabad who didn't oblige for a test drive.

Want to understand from fellow owners on the revotron variant. Here are my questions:

1. How niggle free is the zest ?
2. Is the fuel efficiency bad ? My usage will be 90% city. Have been reading that people aren't getting more than 10 even on light foot.
3. Rumors that a facelift is due this year !
4. As in with all Tata cars will this age quickly ? I need to keep the car for 7 to 8 years and that's a very crucial factor.

My past mistakes with two fiats have taken a toll on my wife's confidence levels on me choosing a car. I don't want to repeat a fiat episode again even though it's a Tata.

The fb page of the zest also has more complaints to read about the car than the good things.

On the other hand baleno 's insane waiting period means I would get the car around may or June if I book now. I have a two year old daughter and can't be without a car that long.

Calling all the zest rt owners for sincere feedback.

P.S: using phone for typing hence excuse any typos

[ksameer1234]

We have a zest XT RT at home since 2 years now. Though the car is primarily driven by dad, I drive when I am home for vacations and when we go for weekend getaways.

Originally Posted by Abhi_abarth

1. How niggle free is the zest ?

Car has clocked 15,000 kms and till date it has been thoroughly trouble-free. Considering it used by dad who is fill it, shut it, forget it type, he has never had to bother how a car works.

2. Is the fuel efficiency bad ? My usage will be 90% city. Have been reading that people aren't getting more than 10 even on light foot.

Can't give my perspective on bumper-to-bumper as there is hardly any traffic where we live. However, on all our long drives with 3,4 or 5 onboard with some luggage, Zest returned 16 kpl averaged over the complete trip. Of course, car was driven sanely with speed never exceeding 110 kph.

4. As in with all Tata cars will this age quickly ? I need to keep the car for 7 to 8 years and that's a very crucial factor.

Everything has held up perfectly well for 2 years and I don't really why Zest should not be good for 7-8 years unless it does taxi-like mileage. Oh, and now that Zest is now sold on yellow-plates, one will surely have the extreme mileage reports in few years.

[rajesh1868]

Originally Posted by Abhi_abarth

1. How niggle free is the zest ?

Its been about 10 months since I purchased XT RT. So far I would have visited the service center more than 10 times. Whole Fuel assembly was replaced due to strong petrol smell inside the car. Had to live with this for first 3-4 months till they figured out the issue (Much thanks to late Behram Dhabhar sir who helped in getting this fixed). This period included the denials that this may be my imagination to multiple 'fixes' they told they had done.

I have clocked 11K+ now and clutch got replaced last month. They just dont have an answer to all this. I had a WagonR which I replaced with Zest and had driven it for 7+ years.Clutch laster for more than 50K kms in my WagonR. So I cannot buy the driving style argument here.

Only happy thing about all these issues is that I got all these fixed at 0 cost. Either under guarantee (fuel smell) or AMC(clutch)

2. Is the fuel efficiency bad ? My usage will be 90% city. Have been reading that people aren't getting more than 10 even on light foot.

Depends on your driving style. Used to be 8-9 for me initially. Now learned to drive sedately as this was bothering me a lot and is about 10-11 now. Its consistently 10+ since the clutch replacement.

4. As in with all Tata cars will this age quickly ? I need to keep the car for 7 to 8 years and that's a very crucial factor.

With my experience till now, I would be extremely happy to move on to a new car in another couple of years.

But I also have heard pretty good reviews about Zest(thats why I took it) and it can be possible that I just turned out to be the unlucky one. My friend has driven the diesel AMT a lot and is extremely happy with that.
If you have liked Zest, consider diesel if that is affordable.

Other than this, I am pretty happy with the car

[vinit.merchant]

Originally Posted by rajesh1868

Its been about 10 months since I purchased XT RT. So far I would have visited the service center more than 10 times.

Whole Fuel assembly was replaced due to strong petrol smell inside the car.

I have clocked 11K+ now and clutch got replaced last month. They just dont have an answer to all this.

Only happy thing about all these issues is that I got all these fixed at 0 cost. Either under guarantee (fuel smell) or AMC(clutch)

Now learned to drive sedately as this was bothering me a lot and is about 10-11 now. Its consistently 10+ since the clutch replacement.

After reading the above, I salute your patience to go ahead and write what you wrote below !

Other than this, I am pretty happy with the car

Lets just say, unfortunately, you got a lemon.
The only suggestion I can provide is to probably use the car till warranty is valid.

[srvm]

Originally Posted by Abhi_abarth

Have been following this thread very closely and writing up seeking advice from the esteemed owners.
.............

Dear Abhi_abarth,
Owner of Zest XMS RT here from Bangalore. Bought it in Feb-2016. Odo stands at 7500kms as of today. My 2 cents here regarding your queries.

So far, my experience has been very good with the car. No service center visits other than the first service (3 months after purchase). No rattles or squeaking problems. In dense Bangalore city traffic the mileage is typically about 10-11 kmpl. For sedate highway driving its about 17-18 kmpl.

Ride quality is exceptional. No fatigue to driver or passengers during long trips. I too have lots of speed bumps in my neighbourhood - Zest handles them with aplomb.

Regarding space - Its very spacious at the rear. I almost always drive with 2 adults + 1 kid at the back. Never had any complaints about shoulder room or leg room EVER.

I'm not sure about reliability over long term since the product itself is only 2-3 years old.

Hope this helps.

[narayan]

Originally Posted by Abhi_abarth

Had worst experience with two of the tata dealers here in Hyderabad who didn't oblige for a test drive.

Here are my questions:

1. How niggle free is the zest ?
2. Is the fuel efficiency bad ? My usage will be 90% city. Have been reading that people aren't getting more than 10 even on light foot.
3. Rumors that a facelift is due this year !
4. As in with all Tata cars will this age quickly ? I need to keep the car for 7 to 8 years and that's a very crucial factor.

My past mistakes with two fiats have taken a toll on my wife's confidence levels on me choosing a car. I don't want to repeat a fiat episode again even though it's a Tata.

While I can confirm the Zest would fit mamy of your needs, some of the pts you mention above tempts me to look beyond Tata to avoid unnecessary resentment later given that you are already under close scrutiny fir your decision ☺. Have you considered the Etios ? The key pluses I see in it that fits your needs are longevity, better suspension to handle the bad roads in your area and good FE. If you are on a budget and have ruled out other common choices like Xcent and Dzire, try to seek an extensive TD as possible with the Zest in your area and also review the condition of the TD car. Take your wife also in these drives and take her feedback and let her be a part of the decision making process. Best of luck.

[Abhi_abarth]

Originally Posted by ksameer1234

Car has clocked 15,000 kms and till date it has been thoroughly trouble-free. Considering it used by dad who is fill it, shut it, forget it type, he has never had to bother how a car works.

Everything has held up perfectly well for 2 years and I don't really why Zest should not be good for 7-8 years unless it does taxi-like mileage. Oh, and now that Zest is now sold on yellow-plates, one will surely have the extreme mileage reports in few years.

Thanks Sameer. Nice to hear that the car has been holding well.

Originally Posted by rajesh1868

But I also have heard pretty good reviews about Zest(thats why I took it) and it can be possible that I just turned out to be the unlucky one. My friend has driven the diesel AMT a lot and is extremely happy with that.
If you have liked Zest, consider diesel if that is affordable.

Other than this, I am pretty happy with the car

Sad to hear your experiences. Seems Tata has still some loose ends on quality control. Their FB page has many complaints on the zest.

Originally Posted by srvm

Dear Abhi_abarth,

Ride quality is exceptional. No fatigue to driver or passengers during long trips. I too have lots of speed bumps in my neighbourhood - Zest handles them with aplomb.

Hope this helps.

Thank you for sharing your insights. Ride quality is the one of the main reasons why i am itching towards this car.

Originally Posted by narayan

While I can confirm the Zest would fit mamy of your needs, some of the pts you mention above tempts me to look beyond Tata to avoid unnecessary resentment later given that you are already under close scrutiny fir your decision ☺. Have you considered the Etios ? The key pluses I see in it that fits your needs are longevity, better suspension to handle the bad roads in your area and good FE. If you are on a budget and have ruled out other common choices like Xcent and Dzire, try to seek an extensive TD as possible with the Zest in your area and also review the condition of the TD car. Take your wife also in these drives and take her feedback and let her be a part of the decision making process. Best of luck.

Thanks Narayan. True, my past decisions are haunting me now. Wife doesn't even want to look at any other product other than a maruti. The centrally placed instrument cluster in etios is a deal breaker for me.

I have never been this confused before ! I think i will wait till the ignis and take a final call.

Thank you all for your valuable suggestions and inputs. Will keep this thread updated on my decision (would still love to go for a zest though)

[simplyself]

As far as niggles are concerned, my Zest is holding up good. I bought it in October 2014, used it for 50,000 km. Till now there hadnt been an unscheduled visit to the dealership.

Tata's offer of AMC till 45,000 km was quite useful to me car clocked relatively heavy mileage.

Mileage was never less than 18 kmpl, usually about 20-21 kmpl.

No rattles whatsoever. Sounds and moves as good as new.

[low_rider]

AMT on slopes:

Recently I drove my XMA from Delhi to Mussoorie. I was very sceptical about the AMT behaviour uphill. Will it shift too soon? Will it over rev the engine?

From Dehradun (when the uphill starts), I shifted to "Sport" mode. For the next 35 kms, the AMT behaved very well. The gear shifts were prompt, intelligently thought and just right for the speed+slope factor. Never did i feel sluggishness or over revving of the engine. I was thoroughly impressed by the intelligence of AMT.

From Mussoorie entry (Picture Palace) to Landour, the slope is very steep and road is narrow. If your uphill momentum breaks due to oncoming vehicle or some dumb pedestrian, it is sometimes difficult to start the vehicle from standstill (especially FWD vehicles). However, I didn't encounter any dead stop and AMT was tremendously helpful there as well.

While coming back, I was expecting the AMT to shift to higher gears and lose control over wheels, but that didn't happen. It kept the correct gears engaged on the downhill also. I had once read somewhere - "The best gear uphill on a slope is the best gear downhill". The AMT seemed to follow that.

All in all, my confidence on AMT has grown many folds.

Mileage- I got 20 kmpl on a 680 km round trip with a 40 km uphill and 40 km downhill included.

[abhaysinha58]

I bought my Zest Petrol XMS from Tejaswani motors in Hyderabad. And i have to say i have had a horrendous experience with them.
First of all the car.
The Zest feels well built very few niggles. But i am really disappointed with the plastics. Small bits and pieces are falling off which cover screws and bolts and now it just looks shabby. When i ask the Service center to replace them, the say they cant get those parts.
My next issue was the battery. I used the Zest for 2 years and the battery was already unusable. The power steering started failing and i had to immediately change the battery! When i asked the service center how it is possible, their really ignorant answer was your not using the car enough! And oh i had to pay for the battery since it was out of the warranty period.
The Service Center:
Tejaswani motors feels like a government office. No one knows what is happening or who is responsible. They work at their own pace and Im really sorry to say that owning my first Tata has been an utter disappointment.
Firstly i don't get reminders from them when my car is due for servicing. So my third free service was due. I realized one day by glancing through the car papers. I land up there with my car and they tell me i have to pay Rs. 650 because i have crossed the allotted free service time limit.
I lost my cool that day i gave it to them left right and center. Unfortunately to little effect. The Service technician is supposed to call me and update me with the progress of the servicing or at least I expect a call once its done. So i call him at 5 pm he says he'll call by 6 pm and let me know if its ready to pick up or not. I call at 6:30 pm, checking with him is it done. He replies yes sir you need to come quick though because we shut at 7!!
Rushed there to realize my car is not ready to my utter surprise.It was being washed! Finally got my car at 8 pm.
Ugh. Never again am i going in with Tata. I also own a Hyundai i20 and the experience with them is so beautiful.
So just letting everyone know although the Zest is a good car. Trust me the after sales experience is a nightmare.
Oh and now i see a lot of Zest cabs around so sometimes my car is mistaken for a cab which gets quite embarassing.

[damodar]

Originally Posted by abhaysinha58

I bought my
The Service Center:
Tejaswani motors feels like a government office. No one knows what is happening or who is responsible. They work at their own pace and Im really sorry to say that owning my first Tata has been an utter disappointment.

Did you try Concorde sanath nagar, they have most of the parts in stock? What plastic parts are you referring to which fell off, photos will help? At Concorde if some part is out of stock they usually get it in 10-15 days of ordering.

[sairamboko]

@abhaysinha58 - try concorde sanath nagar. They are relatively better. If you dont get proper response, try speaking to a person called Ramarao. He is the manager.

[ranjithrnath]

Originally Posted by Abhi_abarth

Have been following this thread very closely and writing up seeking advice from the esteemed owners.

1. How niggle free is the zest ?
2. Is the fuel efficiency bad ? My usage will be 90% city. Have been reading that people aren't getting more than 10 even on light foot.
3. Rumors that a facelift is due this year !
4. As in with all Tata cars will this age quickly ? I need to keep the car for 7 to 8 years and that's a very crucial factor.

I use a ZEST XT QJET 90. Bought the car in Aug 2015 and been using the workhorse for 16 months. The ODO clocked 35000 km today. My daily run [weekdays] is approximately 100 km. I fill diesel for 500 Rs for which the DTE shows 160 km..
For 500 Rs I get 8.16 L Diesel [Ernakulam Dist Diesel Rate : Rs 61.20]
My daily run includes traffic blocks and busy overtaking along the AM Road [Aluva Munnar Road] and Seaport Airport Road; I manage to get 18-19 kmpl mileage. I learned to drive using the feather touch mode. Earlier my average mileage was only 15-16 kmpl.
Now the answers to your question :



1. How niggle free is the zest ?
Got two tyre bursts in 15000 and 30000 interval [ both Front Left] and had to spend money on getting two new tyres. Apart from this I spent only 0 Rupees till date for maintenance. Thanks to the 3+3+3 offer bundled with the car. Till 45000 km I do not have to spend a paise for the maintenance. The service is done at RF Motors Kalamassery and they have improved a lot on customer handling and fixing issues comparing with the bitter experience I had with them earlier in 2011-2012 period with my Indigo eCS CR4.
The car has excellent handling ; powerful AC ; smooth drive; silent cabin ; excellent Harman Head Unit. No rattles or other sounds. What else do you need more ?
2. Is the fuel efficiency bad ? My usage will be 90% city. Have been reading that people aren't getting more than 10 even on light foot.
Explained the mileage part above. On feather touch [light foot] you can get above 23-24 and mixed mode 18-19 easily. My mileage improved only after my 30000 service.
3. Rumors that a facelift is due this year !
Kite S might be in next year and it can definitely steal the show. Atleast in Ernakulam Dist. I see more ZEST on road [ including yellow board] . The image was boosted by TIAGO, People who are satisfied with the test drive of Tiago and who have a few more money to invest will definitely wont miss to go for ZEST.
4. As in with all Tata cars will this age quickly ? I need to keep the car for 7 to 8 years and that's a very crucial factor.
I own a 2010 nov model Indigo eCS CR4. The car had given us troubles. My ZEST XT QJET is 2015 july model. The body quality, interior plastics; seats ; buttons ; handling are all in par with the german VW vehicles. Definitely better than a Maruti; Hyundai; Toyota Etios / Chevy Sail or other cars in the same segment.
Etios vs Sail vs Dzire vs Xcent vs Amaze vs Aspire vs Ameo vs Zest.

[swiftnfurious]

This sounds really bad, especially the bits falling off the car. I was thoroughly impressed with the interior quality when I checked out the car. Do you have pictures of the bits that have fallen off so far?

Originally Posted by abhaysinha58

...My next issue was the battery. I used the Zest for 2 years and the battery was already unusable. The power steering started failing and i had to immediately change the battery! When i asked the service center how it is possible, their really ignorant answer was your not using the car enough! And oh i had to pay for the battery since it was out of the warranty period...

When did a wear & tear part like battery become a non-payable part? No one replaces it for free unless it conks off very early in the life - 6 months to 1 year. What's your usage pattern for the car?

Originally Posted by abhaysinha58

...Firstly i don't get reminders from them when my car is due for servicing. So my third free service was due. I realized one day by glancing through the car papers...

This does look a snobbish if you ask me. It's not a complicated calculation for an owner to know when does you car need a service. It's either a 10K kms or 1 year period whichever is earlier. I have never bothered for anyone to call me for an appointment, but yes, I do receive reminders from Maruti.

Originally Posted by abhaysinha58

...I land up there with my car and they tell me i have to pay Rs. 650 because i have crossed the allotted free service time limit....

I think this is a fair deal. Any manufacturer wouldn't honour warranty either, if you miss the service intervals. Could you tell us how much did you miss the time line by?

Originally Posted by abhaysinha58

...Never again am i going in with Tata...

1. Have you tried contacting the parent company for any of the issues?
2. Have you tried any other service centres?

When something is not going right, you should escalate the issue rather than going to the same centre which is under performing.

It's definitely your call whether to opt for another TATA product, but if you don't do this for the sole issue of a bad dealer / A$$, it's not wise.