And it happened again! But this time it was really embarrassing and frustrating because I was on my way to Bhilai (CG), and was already about 70 odd kms from home.
Due to the unusually cold winter (in Hyd) this time, I'd set the knob to 25% cooling (10 o'clock) sometime back and it seemed to work for the most part. Btw, this arrangement too, only worked when I set it up once overnight, after parking for the day, not on-the-move! Noticed that on-the-move changes (less cooling) had stopped working again; but it still worked when put back to max-cooling, from any other setting.
On the prev. weekend (20th) I'd the car washed and noticed they'd mistakenly put the knob back to max-cool. I came back home without using the AC and just put the knob back to 25% setting, while parking for the day.
3 days later, we start our journey leisurely at around 9:45 AM and upon hitting the ORR, and a bit of sweat from the sun beating down, I switch on the AC only to get more warm air thrown at my face! I tried putting the knob back to max-cool, only to realize (to my horror) that it's not working either! Asked my wife to look for a nearby service center, while I fiddled with the knob; no-way an 800 km day journey is doable without the AC working!! Funnily enough the rear AC was working absolutely fine, all this time!
Got the location of one Pranavi Motors (Kompally), near my location and made the detour. Upon reaching, SA Mr. JP Reddy immediately came over and I explained the situation. He requested us to vacate the vehicle, took it into a service bay and started the diagnosis, along with couple of mechs.
After about 30 mins of checking and eliminating likely issues, he called me over and informed the worse - the temp control knob was bust!! Why/How - compressor is kicking in, rear AC is working, refrigerant pipe was cold, (had condensation) radiator fan working etc. I informed him about the previous replacement of the same, obviously getting a blank response. Obviously, the part (was not available) and the job was not possible at the time. I just told them to somehow hardwire it - disconnect the knob/control totally and set it to default mode (max-cool), just so that we could continue with the journey. Meanwhile, I started evaluating other options. With a marriage function the very next day, we'd to reach the same day somehow! For a moment, I even considered continuing without the (front) AC, shifting my wife, with mom and son, to the rear seat. But finally - they got the AC hardwired!!
Came back to Hyd yesterday and my 'hardwired' AC worked like a charm. Occasional (cabin) cold notwithstanding, the journey was as smooth as it could be! I obviously was cribbing as to how needlessly complex a system (electro-mechanical switch) is in place for something as simple as a temperature control, which is bound to be failure prone; to which my wife probably had a very philosophical explanation. This was our 5th trip to Bhilai (apart from others) but never did we have anything to complain about. In fact, it was because of this very car that the trips barely even made us feel tired, at the end of each; she was quite clear why she still loves it!! Apparently, she also refreshed my memory, that when finalizing the Storme, and the prevailing perception around Tata quality/service, that I was the one who mentioned - 95 times (out of 100) it would be a joy to own one! In hindsight, it could have been an entirely different discussion as well, had the hardwiring not worked!
Question I have in mind now is, should I even bother about fixing this now?! Requesting inputs from experts?! AMC expires in Jun and I've warranty till next year.