[LonelyPlanet]

Has anyone from the GenX Nano club taken the AMC package post the 5 yr mark.
How much have you paid for renewing it ?

[akshays]

I don’t know when it started, but that’s how love stories are made; and that my friends is my love story with the Nano XTA. I recall Oct 2015 when I received my new job offer and my new work location to be in Whitefield, Bangalore. Yes, the same Whitefield I used on see enroute my train journeys from Madras to Bangalore decades ago as a kid. The identification then for Whitefield was a quaint bright light which used to show up ~4am I reckon. Fast forward to 2015. This was the Whitefield I had seens, this was the Whitefield which I had over the years heard to be a nightmare due to the road condition and the traffic. My lower back had gone weaker with a slipped disc and my Ford Figo’s 1.4TDCI went way up the maintenance chart with the pending clutch replacement. I couldn’t drive this anymore, the hard clutch made my life miserable and my back painful. The need for the hour was to have a car which would be easy to drive, comfortable for my back on the potholed roads of Bangalore and a petrol. Despite staying in the heart of Bangalore, with the key places of old Bangalore within 5kms in radius, this didn’t help me in anyway reaching Whitefield quick and fast. Home to Whitefield being ~35km one way meant the car would need to have an audio with Bluetooth so I could take my calls on the drive and importantly a good AC which could keep me fresh – my home AC and all cars have been set at 16deg centigrade; 400 days of the year. Don’t know how, don’t know why but I landed up in Concorde Motors, Hosur road, cheque book in hand waiting to sign the cheque for a tata Nano XTA. It was as simple as that. I had heard about the Nano XTA’s launch, the demand for the red color. Its size made sense to me, the seat position was ideal for my back, it came with Bluetooth which would make it easy for me to take my calls and importantly it could fit in my garage behind the 800. That was the logic for booking my Nano, without ever having ever sat in one. Pure logic at work.

Personally, I am the type of guy who takes ages to take decisions backed by enough substantial facts and numbers. But this, was a decision taken on they fly based only on logic again. The best decision of my life. This made me wonder why people don’t really buy the Nano XTA in a place like Bangalore. Does “showbaazi” take priority over practicality and comfort. Why a low hung Grand i10 on an EMI when you could buy this for 3.71 OTR including 2/3yrs AMC, and a car that comes with a 4year warranty. Why my lord, why ? I agree to the fact that the earlier Nano had not been positioned well but that shouldn’t hamper an individual’s thinking.

I joined my new employer and was lucky to have been told that my new workplace was to be near Dairy Circle, 5kms from home. This is the reason my none of my cars have ever run in as much. My 2003 800 has 32k on the odo as on date, my 2010 Verna has 43k on the odo as on date, 2017 Creta has 8k on date (generally used for highway trips) and my Nano currently has 11k on the odo. The 11k mind you has been the best 11k, peace of mind and tension free ownership hands down. I don’t quite get the whole fuss about TASS. For one, TASS has been extremely good to me, problems if any at all have been rectified per my satisfaction levels and the cost of maintanence has been roughly ~INR 200 in the past 3.5yrs of ownership and thanks to the AMC I had taken up. The seating position of the Nano is relatively higher compared to the other tin boxes making ingress and egress very easy, added to this and magically somehow, the auto-rickshaw sized tyres consider pot holes their play ground and tackle them with such ease that I do not feel an iota of discomfort when driving over them. This in comparison to the Verna, where I need to gentle the accelerator and move oh-so-slowly only to feel the boat sway to the sides. I recall an evening, my wife, grand mom and me were heading somewhere and I was sitting right behind the driver. It was a damned struggle getting my 6 footer legs to be in peace, absolutely no leg space considering my driver to be equally tall. But this not an issue with my Nano. Tried a couple of times and sat behind my driver only to see a cm or more space left. Im smiling. The ac is a chiller, possibly the Tata guys kept a freezer instead of an air-con. The temperature winder is kept at 60% yet chilling my hands through the drive. Kudos tata team. The comfort is mind blowing for a small hatch. Can you help me understand why the Nano is called small when it is not. It can seat 3 at the rear comfortably compared to the i10, Grand i10, Maruti Alto and the likes. Have you compared the Nano side by side to either of the cars mentioned above ? The absence of front overhang makes it look small while the body is slightly wider and bigger than the cabin space of cars alike. My wife and me suddenly decided to drive down to Mysore and back to Bangalore non stop without stopping anywhere, close to 5hrs non-stop and we did it. We drove this non stop till Mysore circle and back giving us a fuel efficiency of 23kmpl, driving avg speed of 90kmph. Shocked ? Its true. That was the first time my wife tried her hands on an automatic and my first in sitting on the passenger seat. I recall that feeling of sitting high up like I were sitting on a throne. I have tested this on the worst of roads, narrowest of roads and the size coupled with the featherlight steering makes it an effortless drive; you can literally drive this car with 2 fingers, I mean literally.

I love this car way too much to let it go and if indeed I have to, the replacement with the Jayem Neo whenever that comes out.

P.S- Mods - I think this should rightfully to to the Nano XTA long term ownership thread, can you kindly move the same since I do not have permissions to create a new thread.

[akshays]

Disclaimer - Speeding is not safe and I do not endorse it:

Adding on to my previous post wrt the XTA. Did i even mention speed ? This baby can fly and I mean it. Did a run on NICE road to check how fast this can go and the answer is, it can go as far as you can see on the right of the speedometer - 120kmph. I touched 120kmph and the engine shut off. Releasing the accelerator pedal started up the engine again. I was a little scared taking a pic of the odo then but then managed a click at 110kmph. Must admit, passengers in bigger cars looked shell shocked seeing the way this one was flying. It definitely was not safe, is not safe and will not be safe. However, call that cheap thrills. The cross-winds made this car terribly unstable and so did the bigger & faster cars whizzing past the Nano. This though did take a toll on the AFE bringing it down to 15kmpl at 110kmph.

This is the picture of the speedo at ~110 kmph

[akshays]

A quick question here... I've been checking the AFE for the Nano and it's always between 10.7-10.9. The AC is switched on all the time in Bangalore traffic, however the traffic is rather moderate with about 30-40km running in a week. Tried reaching out to Concorde however from day 0 they maintain there is no issue. My car runs out of its 4th yr warranty in Oct and hence any advise is appreciated.

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by akshays

A quick question here... I've been checking the AFE for the Nano and it's always between 10.7-10.9.

My wife who commutes around 15 kms everyday in peak Bangalore traffic with 100% AC on gets around 13 kmpl average with normal PSU petrol. So the figures that your car returns looks a bit lower than normal.

[akshays]

Originally Posted by sandsun7

My wife who commutes around 15 kms everyday in peak Bangalore traffic with 100% AC on gets around 13 kmpl average with normal PSU petrol. So the figures that your car returns looks a bit lower than normal.

Can you advise what might be the issue. I have never seen the Fuel efficiency beyond 11kmpl for day go. The car is driven in times of no - light/ medium traffic conditions. It's rather driven fairly easy without the sports mode on.

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by akshays

Can you advise what might be the issue. I have never seen the Fuel efficiency beyond 11kmpl for day go. The car is driven in times of no - light/ medium traffic conditions. It's rather driven fairly easy without the sports mode on.

I am not an expert in this matter so will leave it to other forum members to advice you. But in general as far as I know, there could be a few basic things to look upon , like the quality of the fuel you use, do you service your vehicle according to the manufacturer provided service schedules including important practices like changing of fluids, air filter cleaning is your tyre pressure maintained according to what the manufacturer specifies, etc.

Also, why don't you check with a different service center once? Prerana/Aadishakthi ? I have had good to very good service experiences with both these centers.

[akshays]

Originally Posted by sandsun7

I am not an expert in this matter so will leave it to other forum members to advice you. But in general as far as I know, there could be a few basic things to look upon , like the quality of the fuel you use, do you service your vehicle according to the manufacturer provided service schedules including important practices like changing of fluids, air filter cleaning is your tyre pressure maintained according to what the manufacturer specifies, etc.



Also, why don't you check with a different service center once? Prerana/Aadishakthi ? I have had good to very good service experiences with both these centers.

Point well taken. For some reason I always stick to the dealer from where I have bought my cars. Others are way too away from my place, but yes, let me give that a check. The more I drive the car the more I feel blessed to own this cutie.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

Originally Posted by akshays

I don’t know when it started, but that’s how love stories are made; and that my friends is my love story with the Nano XTA.

Congratulations on your new car!!
We both share quite a lot in common! A few communalities are:
- I too own a White Nano XTA
- I too fell in love with it as soon as I heard the news of it hitting the roads.
- I too have a severe back ache problem
- I too owned a Ford Figo TDCI Titanium before Nano was brought home!

To share what it has been living with this small wonder, it's just fantastic! I have clocked over 16k on the odo in around 4 years. I know that's not much, but the important thing is, it has been a hassle free journey so far!

Did a 500 km round trip from Pune to Kolhapur with three other friends. Though it does not fit the fast moving highway, Nano held its own space. Gave me around 27kmpl on that drive. Otherwise, in city, where it has spent it's entire lifetime, I get around 17 to 18 kmpl depending on the weather conditions.

All in all, it pains to see people reject this car and that Tata is soon going to pull curtains on it.

[akshays]

Originally Posted by ObsessedByFIAT

Congratulations on your new car!!

We both share quite a lot in common! A few communalities are:

- I too own a White Nano XTA

- I too fell in love with it as soon as I heard the news of it hitting the roads.

- I too have a severe back ache problem

- I too owned a Ford Figo TDCI Titanium before Nano was brought home!



To share what it has been living with this small wonder, it's just fantastic! I have clocked over 16k on the odo in around 4 years. I know that's not much, but the important thing is, it has been a hassle free journey so far!



Did a 500 km round trip from Pune to Kolhapur with three other friends. Though it does not fit the fast moving highway, Nano held its own space. Gave me around 27kmpl on that drive. Otherwise, in city, where it has spent it's entire lifetime, I get around 17 to 18 kmpl depending on the weather conditions.



All in all, it pains to see people reject this car and that Tata is soon going to pull curtains on it.

We do share something else in common @dudewithfiat. My first car was a '61 Super Select my grand dad passed onto me. However, I had to give it away. I am a bare bones guy with love for anything mechanical , from a simple Fiat to HMTs to the Safari. This is definitely a very understated car. Audacious as it might sound but I would love to drive this all over the world to showcase its capabilities. Need a partner in crime for that. It has been through the worst of roads and my lower back has always been smiling. The mini SUV this!

[lazy]

Originally Posted by akshays

I don’t know when it started, but that’s how love stories are made; and that my friends is my love story with the Nano XTA.

Congratulations akshays.
Ratan Tata was him engaged at every step of its development. It is indeed a gem. In our country, market success is hardly a parameter to gauge whether a car is good or not.

Agree with your assessment of Nano XTA - ease of use, lots of space, bigger than "bigger" tin boxes, super cheap to run and maintain, decent power, great clearance etc.

Originally Posted by akshays

That was the logic for booking my Nano, without ever having ever sat in one. Pure logic at work.

However, unlike you, I did TD a few AT/AMT cars before zeroing on the XTA. The only worthwhile competitor (in my eyes) was the Brio AT, but at 2x the price.

Originally Posted by akshays

I agree to the fact that the earlier Nano had not been positioned well but that shouldn’t hamper an individual’s thinking.

Well, like I said, in our country market success hardly says anything about a car goodness.

I had got the Jazz in 2010, when it was clearly overpriced and wasn't selling well at all (just prior to huge clearance sale) compared to its rival i20, which used to outsell by 10x factor probably. However, by the time I sold the Jazz last year at 54K on odo, it had ZERO issues, not even a light bulb replaced in 8 years. Whereas, every friend or colleague who got i20 or Swift or Dezire had already upgraded due to car ageing (paint faded, body and plastics creaking, faded interiors, replaced suspensions etc) or needing more space due to kids born etc. (must admit, Puntos and Figos age very well too, both don't sell too much).

Long story short, market success just tells us what great Indian junta is buying, not whether a car is great.

Last year, got another "fail model" Tata home, the V-400. The rumors about the line being stopped for civilian orders was nearly confirmed, so simply had to get it before the TML jokers stop making it for good. Yet again, people call the decision foolish - who buys a car at the end of its life cycle, why not x, or y, z - but when one looks at their own car choices, I know the worth of their advise.

Originally Posted by akshays

I don’t quite get the whole fuss about TASS. For
........

Stories, man.
In my car ownership experience, TASS is better than Maruti and Hyundai, and on-par with Honda. And so much cheaper.

The Nano is indeed a keeper for life.

cheers
lazy

[akshays]

It is indeed a keeper for life. Any news about the Jeyem Neo ? I'd probably be the first customer in the queue (if there is one) when Tata announces the e version of the Nano. I wonder though whats keeping the launch from happening. It was well tested over 18 months back in Coimbatore. The industry shift to electric, automatics, compact cars that can squeeze through traffic like a breeze is enough onus for Tata to get this out, lest I forget JTP is now turning out to be a known name, whats the delay ?

[skyline_r34]

Has anyone faced an issue of water leakage inside the cabin?

I found a puddle had formed in the passenger footwell recently. The footwell was dry on the sides, indicating water wasn't leaking in from the door or front of the car. The side towards the central console was damp, and I assumed it was something to do with A/c water leak.

I didn't use the car for over a week till I got around to taking it to a workshop to get it checked out.

Today I opened the car to find water had accumulated in both footwells, passenger and driver. Water had accumulated around the battery under driver seat and submerged it to about a tenth of the battery's height. It has also seeped behind and the carpet for rear passengers was completely soaked.

So its definitely not the A/c. It has rained quite a bit while the car was parked in the open all these days. And since the edges of the carpet around the car are dry, its not the door beading letting water in.

Where else can the water leak into the Nano from?

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by skyline_r34

Has anyone faced an issue of water leakage inside the cabin?

Thanks to Arun Gv for sending this in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

I would like to mention that I have gone through it and hence this mail.

The grommet marked below loses its water-tight capability over a period of time and this is where water seeps into the cabin.

[AAD]

Hi Guys,

I have the Nano AMT since Oct 2015 which has run approx 12,000 kms. About 3 weeks ago, I noticed that the AMT gearbox was not holding onto the gear it was in and would slip into Neutral from time to time. Once it slipped into Neutral, we would need to switch of the engine and then start again to get the AMT gearbox to engage for the vehicle to move.

However, after 2 days of this problem surfacing, the AMT refused to engage gears and hence I had to tow the vehicle on a trailer to Concorde Motors, Worli to investigate the issue.

After consistent follow up with Concorde Motors and frequent phone calls, I was told that a particular PIN in the AMT unit which kind of acuates the gears and changes the gears based on the input from the control chip has been damaged and since it is not available as a Child Part, I will need to replace the entire AMT Unit. The cost of the same has been quoted at astronomical figure of Rs 80,000/-

Imaging my surprise and frustration at this since the market value of Oct 15 Nano AMT is not more than Rs. 1.20Lakhs as I understand. I had actually planned on selling the Nano since I had originally bought it for my Daughter who has now gone abroad for further studies.

I am seeking opinion and advise from fellow owners and members of this forum on what should I do. My options as I see it are,
[list=1][*]Go ahead and spend Rs 80K and keep the car[*]Take the Car back and sell it in as is where is condition[*]Escalate the matter to Tata Motors via their Twitter account and get the child part to get the AMT repaired and then sell the car.[*]Get the Child part from another crashed or totalled Nano car whose AMT unit is unaffected and use the child part from that unit to put it in my vehicle and then sell the car

I would ideally like to first pursue the 3rd option failing which move onto the 4th option. As a last resort, if I am indeed forced to spend the 80K on the AMT, I might as well use the car as much as I can before I sell it next year.

The worst case scenarios is the 2nd option. I am in a dilemma as to what should I do and will appreciate views / suggestions / comments from fellow owners and forum members.

Thanks,