[joelchandra]

Originally Posted by rohit.joshi

Fortunately my family hasn't had a brush yet with TATA cars so they do not have a negative perception on T manufactured cars.

Joel, have you taken the price quotes from all the dealers and according to your dealership experience which one would you rate among the best. It will help me in planning out my purchase as well.

Thanks,
Rohit

Hi Rohit,

I had taken the quote only from VVS, Kondapur. What i usually do before i buy a car is to visit at least two/three different dealers(In mahindra's case I will visit VVS & AMC) and ask them for the best quote. I also categorically tell them that i am ready to buy the car immediately and will go with the Dealer who can give the best discount possible. It has worked me twice(for my SX4 and Figo). See what extra could i grab

SX4:- The car was just launched and had a waiting of 3 months and no discount. After the trick,
1. Got immediate delivery(In 3 days)
2. Did not get a discount but got additional 10000 for my already assessed Maruti 800 under exchange
3. Got Car Seat cover from the showroom installed for free(Its a leatherette and has proven to be of very good quality. I have been using it for the last 8 years and for over 75000 kms and it still shows no sign of aging)

Figo:- I got a Final price of 6,28,000/- for my car and very minimal accessories(Mats, Mud flaps). After the trick, over and above what i was promised
1. Got Fog lamps installed for free
2. Got Seat Cover from Ford
I know the price was already a hard negotiated one and getting this itself was a big thing because of the demand Figo was in at that time.


The reason i did not do it until now is because i am not very sure about when i want to take the plunge. You would agree that, It would be a wasted opportunity. Go ahead and start the bargain game. Its quiet simple and the best part is that, you can do it all on phone.

Another trick i used was, when i called the showroom, i also mentioned that i am starting from home right now to book the car and if he can give you a sweeter deal, you will come to him rather than going to the other showroom. You should also try and start your discussion during the last week of the month. Sales pressure is high and they would want to get closures. Last week of March will be the sweetest since they would be wanting to close the year on a good note.

Hope this helps.

[9tMax]

Originally Posted by sumannandy

My XUV is 7 months old with 31000 kms.

There was a complete clutch failure yesterday, the problem started when I was driving from Varanasi to Kolkata at night, luckily I could drive till Kolkata.

The problem was diagnosed to cylinder failure, and complete clutch assembly failure, with burnt spots on the flywheel.

Initially they asked me to pay for clutch assembly. But I asked them to get it changed under warranty.

Finally they would fix it under warranty. Delivery tomorrow.

Wasn't this an issue in the pre-facelift version? I thought this was resolved in the new version.

Was there any prior indication or symptoms or did it all happen out of the blue? Scary experience to face in the middle of the night on a highway.
What was the possible reason told by the service people? On some other thread I read that the service guys had advised not to use the clutch while revving the engine to avoid this problem. Do you think that could have been a contributing factor for the problem you faced? Are you using the XUV for your regular commuting in Bangalore?

Too many questions - I know, but asking because I am about to take the plunge very soon and want some peace of mind.

[karthikshan]

Originally Posted by 9tMax

Wasn't this an issue in the pre-facelift version? I thought this was resolved in the new version.

Was there any prior indication or symptoms or did it all happen out of the blue? Scary experience to face in the middle of the night on a highway.
What was the possible reason told by the service people? On some other thread I read that the service guys had advised not to use the clutch while revving the engine to avoid this problem. Do you think that could have been a contributing factor for the problem you faced? Are you using the XUV for your regular commuting in Bangalore?

Too many questions - I know, but asking because I am about to take the plunge very soon and want some peace of mind.

Another pre-facelift issue was on the wheel alignment. I understand that many pre-facelift XUVs had this front wheel alignment going off the way pretty regularly. Even one of my close friend had regular problems with the front wheel alignment even when it used to be adjusted every time. Have anyone experienced it in the facelifted XUV too? Can someone please help in clarifying this too please?

It may appear to be deviating off the issue here but I am coming from the perspective of understanding any pre-facelift issues still showing up (even in reduced frequency) in face lifted version.

[S5157]

Originally Posted by karthikshan

Another pre-facelift issue was on the wheel alignment. I understand that many pre-facelift XUVs had this front wheel alignment going off the way pretty regularly. Even one of my close friend had regular problems with the front wheel alignment even when it used to be adjusted every time. Have anyone experienced it in the facelifted XUV too? Can someone please help in clarifying this too please?

It may appear to be deviating off the issue here but I am coming from the perspective of understanding any pre-facelift issues still showing up (even in reduced frequency) in face lifted version.

I dont know about pre facelift models but wheel alignment issue does not seem to be occuring for facelifted model.I have 6 month old xuv which has done 20000 kms in all kind of roads.No issues with alignment.Hope this helps.

[ajayclicks]

This is a fairly long post, and hence was not sure if the new price thread would be appropriate.

Planning to buy an XUV500- W8 AWD in Bangalore

Visited Sireesh Auto (Silk Board) and Anant cars (BG Road)

Post negotiation and noise about the great discounts they are giving, the OTR price is around 19 lacs. This includes: 4th year warranty, Zero Dep insurance policy, and accessories like Side step, the bar that is fit at the rear bumper to prevent bikers from kissing your car, and reverse camera. Both have confirmed that I will get a 2016 manufactured vehicle and have promised to share the VIN. Both dealers have mentioned that the car comes with either Apollo, or Bridgestone or MRF tyres. Sireesh was more flexible as far as my tyre requirement was concerned. Ananth said that as the tyre serial no is included in the warranty details, they cannot change the tyres. They can request for what I prefer, when they place the order with Mahindra- this can cause a delay in delivery, and finally I have to accept the tyres that come with the car.

I test drove a vehicle that had Apollo tyres and i did not find them very noisy- of course I am not an expert, plus the music was on at a low volume, and i was also speaking to the RM.

Sireesh wasn't very keen on me buying an AWD. Pushed a FWD aggressively. When i still expressed an interest in an AWD, gave a cock and bull about how it takes a month to get an AWD from Mahindra. Also mentioned that a white color W8 AWD is in transit, and if I order today, he can book it for me. When I asked about a rat mesh, he said that the only solution was to place some medicine in the car's bonnet.

Ananth cars, on the other hand, enquired about my interest in an AWD, and did not aggressively push for a FWD. The RM there said that if I planned to use the car in places like Coorg, Madikeri etc., then an AWD made sense. He also said that a rat mesh can be fixed by paying an additional Rs. 4,500.

Ananth cars has also mentioned that they can check with M&M for a 2015 vehicle that could still be there in their plant. That would give me an additional discount of Rs. 25,000

At this point I see two possible areas to negotiate further:

1. Insurance: Their quote, post discount, comes to approx 48- 50K. This includes zero depreciation. Bharati Axa online gives me a quote of 39K, which includes add-ons like zero depreciation, road side assistance, and hydrostatic lock cover (incase engine gets flooded). I could opt for NCB protection for an additional 1.8K

What I do not know is- to what extent I can get cashless coverage, if I buy a policy on my own.

2. Handling charges: Both the dealers had 7K as handling charges. I know the views expressed on this forum, and have recently signed the change.org petition as well. However, till Karnataka RTO doesn't pass any notification, can I really demand a waiver? Also, wouldn't they simply reduce the discount elsewhere.

I have told both the dealers that I will close the sale in the next 2-3 days (which I will), so will try to get an additional discount by leveraging the above two points.

What I need some help on:

1. Is one dealer better over the other (Sireesh v/s Ananth)

2. Does it matter which Tyres I get. Should I insist on Bridgestone or Apollo. Both have received positive feedback over here. Not sure about MRF

3. Do I really need an AWD . Am not a hardcore off-roader, but with a capable vehicle, I might just try and drive more, including places like Coorg etc. I do not plan to be a superman and drive to Ladakh right away, but then, I am into travel photography, so who knows what will happen after 2-3 years.

4. Should I really try for that 2015 manufactured vehicle. My Swift is in it's 11th year. If I do not change cars frequently, would that extra year matter so much as far as resell value is concerned? Would it be better for me to get the 25K saving upfront

5. I expressed a concern for too much chrome with the RM at Ananth. He says that in W8, Chrome is not there under the windows. And if I want, I can opt for the standard black under the fog lamps as well. Not sure if I should let the Chrome remain

6. Torn between Sunset Orange and Silver- Silver would be more easy to maintain, and the Chrome would be less apparent.

Any views on the above would be of great help. #5 and #6 are on individual taste but would still like your views.

Cheers,
Ajay

[abhirama]

I have a W10 AWD. AWD has come in handy while reversing in tight places on hills. You can go down the side of narrow roads in steep inclines and reverse. I am not an expert driver, so probably you can do this without an AWD if you have the required skill. Even I was discouraged from getting an AWD by both India Garage as well as Sireesh, I think it is a good sign. My view was, what is an SUV without AWD .

I got mine from Shireesh, I got zilch discount but I have had a pleasant experience with them while purchasing as well as during the services.

[ajayclicks]

Originally Posted by abhirama

I have a W10 AWD. AWD has come in handy while reversing in tight places on hills. You can go down the side of narrow roads in steep inclines and reverse. I am not an expert driver, so probably you can do this without an AWD if you have the required skill. Even I was discouraged from getting an AWD by both India Garage as well as Sireesh, I think it is a good sign. My view was, what is an SUV without AWD .

I got mine from Shireesh, I got zilch discount but I have had a pleasant experience with them while purchasing as well as during the services.

Thank you Abhirama. I think I will stick to my original choice of W8 AWD. What did you get as stock tires, and are you happy with them. I am still undecided about Sireesh, especially due to the manner in which he was pushing the white AWD. The RM at Ananth was more "sober" in that sense

Cheers,
Ajay

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by ajayclicks

What I need some help on:

1. Is one dealer better over the other (Sireesh v/s Ananth)
2. Does it matter which Tyres I get
3. Do I really need an AWD
4. Should I really try for that 2015 manufactured vehicle.
5. Not sure if I should let the Chrome remain
6. Torn between Sunset Orange and Silver- Silver would be more easy to maintain, and the Chrome would be less apparent.

Insurance can be around 40K for sure, all inclusive, bumper to bumper and Zero Dep. There should not be such a thing called as handling Charges.

And to answer your other questions -

1. It actually does not matter - choose the one that works in your favour. For me Sireesh did great job than Anant. In your case its opposite. Just make sure that your PDI is done well.

2. I got Apollo and they are OK. Bridgestone would have been better. But there isn't anything of so much to worry as to break the deal! They are just in the marginal differences - Apollo, MRF or Bridgestone. Insist of Bridgestone if you can get, nice, Else no worries.

3. An AWD is always a great help. if nothing else, with AWD you will probably never learn how the torque steer is in XUV! But again, there are not too many things round where you will need AWD, even in Coorg. A FWD will do just fine. But if you do not have budget constraints, think AWD.

4. IMHO - NO. Get the latest one always. It has been almost two months in this year and anything 2015 may mean the vehicle older than 3 months approx. Anything more than 3 months is a BIG NO. So if your 2015 offer is borderline, you may consider else no. Anything that sits in dealer stock yard or showroom as display vehicle, I personally prefer them not to own.

5. In Chrome obsessed India, it won't be too bad. But personally if you don't like chrome, consider black wraps or coloured plasti-dip alternatives.

6. You should see my ownership thread if haven't seen it yet. I own Sunset Orange and I don't wash vehicle regularly! Yet, it is a looker, my friends say!

[abhirama]

Originally Posted by ajayclicks

What did you get as stock tires, and are you happy with them.

I insisted on Bridgestones and the sales person ensured I got one. The tires make a screeching sound when braking at high(<80) speeds. I read somewhere in the forum that this is normal behaviour of the Bridgestone tires but it is a bit jarring .

Originally Posted by abirnale

Insurance can be around 40K for sure, all inclusive, bumper to bumper and Zero Dep. There should not be such a thing called as handling Charges.

Mine came upto 48 from Royal Sundaram. I was charged handling charges and the Shireesh guys were not ready to budge on that one.

Originally Posted by abirnale

6. You should see my ownership thread if haven't seen it yet. I own Sunset Orange and I don't wash vehicle regularly! Yet, it is a looker, my friends say!

One thing to keep in mind is that the scratches are hardly visible in a white one. Someone badly keyed by car, but since it is white, it is only visible on close inspection, if it was some other color, it would have been an eye sore.

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by abhirama

One thing to keep in mind is that the scratches are hardly visible in a white one. Someone badly keyed by car, but since it is white, it is only visible on close inspection, if it was some other color, it would have been an eye sore.

I have a deep scratch on my car - driver side doors! Perfectly keyed! I haven't repaired them yet after almost 4 months! Scratches and dents like these unless you are lazy like me, will be repaired within few weeks. Very rarely you leave the deeper scratches like these unattended for long :(

In my opinion, the colour should choice be something you would fall in love with as you see. So if you loved white, just go for it.

[madhu33]

Thinking of installing nudge guard like the one in the picture below.

Couldn't find any option on official XUV 500 accessories brochures , which brings me to having a series of doubts as under:

1)Whether these nudge guards hamper deployment of air bags in event of a crash?

2)As the picture suggests i could only find options for nudge guards for previous gen Xuv
I could not find any website or options showing nudge guards for new gen xuv.
Any option i should check on?

3)Will installing this type of nudge guard block number plate visibility ? Will the RTO have a reason to harass me over that ?

4)Will this type of nudge guard block the air flow to inter cooler or any other optimum
performance parameter?

5)Will the top most tip of this nudge guard be visible from Driver's seat? thereby enhancing judgement?

6)ON inquiring with Ctrack - i found out that Z100 or Z200 (varous models of nudge guard they have)
is out of stock and ones available in stock is Z120 type which costs 10500/-
which is higher than what i want to spend . Any other tried - tested option- low cost option?

I am wanting to install this nudge guard of as the bikes are parked perilously close to XUV's bonnet at office. I already have 4 small dings on the edge of the bonnet on my 2 month old pearl white W8.

[ajayclicks]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Insurance can be around 40K for sure, all inclusive, bumper to bumper and Zero Dep. There should not be such a thing called as handling Charges.

And to answer your other questions -


2. I got Apollo and they are OK. Bridgestone would have been better. But there isn't anything of so much to worry as to break the deal! They are just in the marginal differences - Apollo, MRF or Bridgestone. Insist of Bridgestone if you can get, nice, Else no worries.

3. An AWD is always a great help. if nothing else, with AWD you will probably never learn how the torque steer is in XUV! But again, there are not too many things round where you will need AWD, even in Coorg. A FWD will do just fine. But if you do not have budget constraints, think AWD.

4. IMHO - NO. Get the latest one always. It has been almost two months in this year and anything 2015 may mean the vehicle older than 3 months approx. Anything more than 3 months is a BIG NO. So if your 2015 offer is borderline, you may consider else no. Anything that sits in dealer stock yard or showroom as display vehicle, I personally prefer them not to own.

Yes, I will try to negotiate further on insurance and handling charges. Would not mind saving that lac by going for FWD, but I have read a few threads here, and given that I do not change my cars frequently, I will go for AWD. Will try for Bridgestone first, though I read that their grip is not that great on wet surfaces- not sure how true that is. Will go for 2016 model itself

Originally Posted by abhirama

I insisted on Bridgestones and the sales person ensured I got one. The tires make a screeching sound when braking at high(<80) speeds. I read somewhere in the forum that this is normal behaviour of the Bridgestone tires but it is a bit jarring .


Mine came upto 48 from Royal Sundaram. I was charged handling charges and the Shireesh guys were not ready to budge on that one.

How do your bridgestones perform on wet surface. These guys are quoting around 64K for insurance with extra for zero dep. They are promising to absorb this extra amount and give a 20% discount- this amount to ~48- 50K which is 10K more than what I am getting from outside.

Cheers
Ajay

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by madhu33

Thinking of installing nudge guard like the one in the picture below.

1)Whether these nudge guards hamper deployment of air bags in event of a crash?
3)Will installing this type of nudge guard block number plate visibility?
4)Will this type of nudge guard block the air flow to inter cooler or any other optimum performance parameter?
5)Will the top most tip of this nudge guard be visible from Driver's seat? thereby enhancing judgement?

Do have a look at this - http://www.goldsun.in/carproducts.php?car=27&cat=9

Of course they have impact on the airbag deployment scenarios. But ABS nudge guards are far better than the steel ones! At least they let some impact pass on instead of holding everything and then transferring to chassis.

Talking about the number plate visibility, air flow blocking and visibility is totally dependent on the models you choose. Most of them should be tuned for these except that low height ones may not help you with visibility. It is only initial few weeks you will worry about judgement and visibility but after a fair amount of usage you will be able to drive the car in b2b traffic without seeing the tip of the bonnet!

The number plates can be mounted on top of the guard itself so no issues there with RTO but make sure that none of them block the air intake. Eventually this air is sent over the intercooler and so it should not places to affect it in long run.

[ajayclicks]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Do have a look at this - http://www.goldsun.in/carproducts.php?car=27&cat=9

Of course they have impact on the airbag deployment scenarios. But ABS nudge guards are far better than the steel ones! At least they let some impact pass on instead of holding everything and then transferring to chassis.

Talking about the number plate visibility, air flow blocking and visibility is totally dependent on the models you choose. Most of them should be tuned for these except that low height ones may not help you with visibility. It is only initial few weeks you will worry about judgement and visibility but after a fair amount of usage you will be able to drive the car in b2b traffic without seeing the tip of the bonnet!

The number plates can be mounted on top of the guard itself so no issues there with RTO but make sure that none of them block the air intake. Eventually this air is sent over the intercooler and so it should not places to affect it in long run.

I was planning on the rear bull bar, as my swift has been nudged a few times. I was planning for the OEM one. The RM at Ananth told me that these would be fixed on a bracket that would be attached to the chassis. Incase of a major impact, the bracket/ joint would break, and the chassis would remain safe. Not sure how true that is. Am still in two minds about the bull bar. Dad feels that I should go for it, especially for city driving.

Cheers,
Ajay

[S5157]

My refreshed XUV 5OO AWD has completed 20,000 KMS and third free service was caried out at TVS service center in Kochi.

The following were replaced

Engine OIL
Oil Filter
A/C filter
Fuel Filter

The total cost of service was 3508 INR.

I had reported following issues

1. Rattling from center console and roof.
2. AWD warning light which came on few days back but vanished after a restart
3. More vibrations when AWD lock is engaged
4. Brake noise
5. A/C compressor noise.
6. Rear wash and wipe not working
7. Side cladding which came off at few places.

A/C compressor noise was mentioned to be normal with XUV's and not an issue. Brakes were cleaned. Side claddings were re-fixed. No issue found in AWD system as error no longer appears. Center console rattling noise was confirmed to be fixed, however I need to check by driving on bad roads. The rattling from roof still exists. Wash and wipe was fixed.

From my experience during past 6 months and 20,000 KMS, I feel that it is a VFM car. The build quality and plastic quality needs a lot of improvement. It has been a reliable companion and I hope it stays so.