[WheelWizard]

It has been 4 days now since i became the owner of my new black XUV W8. I tanked up and went for a long drive with full load (6 adults/1 kid) to Melkote. The drive was good, but i also did experience some tightness/difficulty in the first / second gears, but after sometime, started to really depress the clutch to the floor and the gear shifts 1 - 2 was better. I did not experience any left pulling , probably because of the new vehicle excitement but think it did not happen. No grating noise while braking as well. But i do hear a faint extra noise when the vehicle is running, like i might be in a lower speed for a higher gear but was not sure after i tried slowing down andracing up again on some free stretches. Will need to listen to it more keenly in the next few days. I have done 500 kms in two days now.
I am planning to fill nitrogen in all the tyres before i go on my next long drive. Is there anything that needs to be checked / done specifically with tyretronics , etc or it is nothing to be worried about.

[nitinralli]

Originally Posted by SDP

8. While testing whether the vehicle pulls to the left, its important to maintain a steady speed. Apparently, if you take the foot off the accelerator, the torque-steer causes the vehicle to pull to the left. (This was claimed by the service advisor as a possible reason). XUV is known to have a noticeable torque-steer. So might be true. Experts can possibly share their views about this theory.

Infact if you accelerate little hard, the vehicle goes right. I have tested this many a times, infact while doing so, i can keep my XUV straight.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by nitinralli

Infact if you accelerate little hard, the vehicle goes right. I have tested this many a times, infact while doing so, i can keep my XUV straight.

This phenomenon is called torque steer, XUV's all fwd variants have prominent torque steer.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by PGA

I am no expert but I have done some research on my own into this problem.
My observations are:-
...
- Left pull remains in this car no matter what you do. What I mean is if your alignment values are absolute given standards, tire pressure is ok, equally worn out tires and brakes being in shape your vehicle will still pull. You may overcome the problem for a short while but it will reoccur. Nobody has been able to eradicate it for eternity. (Sweeping statements not a good idea, friends have always told me that but find hard to change)
....

I would agree that even with near perfect alignment values, the vehicle would still pull to the left. Mine did yesterday.

Attaching a pic of the vehicle alignment report:


People who understand alignment well, may want to comment on the specifications and final values. Thanks in adavance.

[krishnaraja]

Originally Posted by WheelWizard

But i do hear a faint extra noise when the vehicle is running, like i might be in a lower speed for a higher gear but was not sure after i tried slowing down andracing up again on some free stretches. Will need to listen to it more keenly in the next few days. I have done 500 kms in two days now..

That is exactly my experience as well. I have done 3800 now and I still hear that extra noise. I guess I found a pattern. It is very pronounced after starting the engine after 4 hours or more. Then I just that noise until I have driven for six to eight kms. Then the noise reduces but I hear it though until about 12 kms. Mine is 45 days old with three longs.

[shrk_18]

An update on the new brake pedal - I had mine installed a few weeks ago and have done about 300km so far. I feel they are confidence inspiring and bite faster than the ones they replaced. The play or spongy brakes that many of us have been complaining about is now gone. One infact needs to get used to the new pedal, if you apply brakes like you did with the old one, in bumper to bumper traffic somone will definitely bump into you !!!!

I would like to add that I have Galfer brake pads on the front.

[m_upreti]

Originally Posted by shrk_18

An update on the new brake pedal - I had mine installed a few weeks ago and have done about 300km so far. I feel they are confidence inspiring and bite faster than the ones they replaced. The play or spongy brakes that many of us have been complaining about is now gone. One infact needs to get used to the new pedal, if you apply brakes like you did with the old one, in bumper to bumper traffic somone will definitely bump into you !!!!
I would like to add that I have Galfer brake pads on the front.

I did a TD of XUV5OO W8 on Sunday, the TD vehicle was with the new brakes (as per the Showroom Manager), I pushed the car to over 100 Kmph on an empty service road and braked extremely close to a speed breaker, the response was excellent, the car responded as desired and we crossed the hump without a visible jerk.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by m_upreti

I did a TD of XUV5OO W8 on Sunday, the TD vehicle was with the new brakes (as per the Showroom Manager), I pushed the car to over 100 Kmph on an empty service road and braked extremely close to a speed breaker, the response was excellent, the car responded as desired and we crossed the hump without a visible jerk.

My RM told me that the Galfer pads and the new brake pedal is a solution that has been applied to a few existing cars with spongy brake + grinding noise complaint. When I asked him if the new vehicles are coming with Galfer pads and new design brake-pedal factory fitted, he replied that the new vehicles are coming with latest generation Bosch pads which solve the grinding noise problem and the spongy feel problem (even without the brake pedal replacement).

Since you are in the sales cycle, can you please confirm?

[m_upreti]

Originally Posted by SDP

My RM told me that the Galfer pads and the new brake pedal is a solution that has been applied to a few existing cars with spongy brake + grinding noise complaint. When I asked him if the new vehicles are coming with Galfer pads and new design brake-pedal factory fitted, he replied that the new vehicles are coming with latest generation Bosch pads which solve the grinding noise problem and the spongy feel problem (even without the brake pedal replacement).

Since you are in the sales cycle, can you please confirm?

I had the Showroom Manager accompany me on the TD, he confirmed that the new models are fitted with the new design brake assembly (did not mention the make). However, I had done a TD earlier also and had found the brakes to be lacking the punch, this time round however there was no issue with the performance of the brakes or any kind of noise.

[nitinralli]

Originally Posted by SDP

When I asked him if the new vehicles are coming with Galfer pads and new design brake-pedal factory fitted, he replied that the new vehicles are coming with latest generation Bosch pads which solve the grinding noise problem and the spongy feel problem (even without the brake pedal replacement).

I doubt all new XUV's are coming with new Bosch brake pads. My friend got his new W6 last month and when i checked his brake pads, i couldn't see Bosch written on them, unlike mine which clearly shows its Bosch. I think it must have been Galfer ones since people reported here that there is no marking on these pads.

As for the braking capabilities of the new XUV's, well i couldn't make out much of a difference from my 2011 model. Will check again with him maybe this weekend.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by nitinralli

I doubt all new XUV's are coming with new Bosch brake pads. My friend got his new W6 last month and when i checked his brake pads, i couldn't see Bosch written on them, unlike mine which clearly shows its Bosch. I think it must have been Galfer ones since people reported here that there is no marking on these pads.

As for the braking capabilities of the new XUV's, well i couldn't make out much of a difference from my 2011 model. Will check again with him maybe this weekend.

My understanding is that the new-pads+new-pedal make a huge difference. With just the pads changed to the new ones, may be only the brake-grinding noise would go away.

Nitin, yours is one of the first XUVs on the forum. What version of pads are you running on?

[nitinralli]

Originally Posted by SDP

My understanding is that the new-pads+new-pedal make a huge difference. With just the pads changed to the new ones, may be only the brake-grinding noise would go away.

Nitin, yours is one of the first XUVs on the forum. What version of pads are you running on?

True, i didnt hear any noise from the brakes while braking unlike mine so it could be just the pads that were changed in new XUV's.

Well twice i changed my brake pads till date. Some how i dont mind that slight sound when you brake at very slow speed. Infact i hardly get to hear it, thanks to my love for music Soon i would be going in for 30K service so will ask for Galfer pads this time.

[footsoldier]

Originally Posted by nitinralli

True, i didnt hear any noise from the brakes while braking unlike mine so it could be just the pads that were changed in new XUV's.

Well twice i changed my brake pads till date. Some how i dont mind that slight sound when you brake at very slow speed. Infact i hardly get to hear it, thanks to my love for music Soon i would be going in for 30K service so will ask for Galfer pads this time.

I got my brakepads changed in march, Bosch to Galfer. Was good braking initially, started to nowedive in about 20 days, XUV was benched for a while as i was away from apil to mid may.Just drove Ahmedabad to Delhi in a day, 800+ kms. The brakepads dont cut it. Lots of grinding noise and spongy braking. Had to stand on the brakes to stop the XUV. Thankfully the roads were good all the way through. Will get the brake pedals replaced and see if there is a difference.

[Mudhalaipatti]

Time to rake up a old issue. I have been reading through the bulbs gone kaput issues and the issue is intriguing, because of the apparent source of the problem and the solution to it.

A number of XUV owners who's bulbs got busted, have had their auto headlamp function on and/or start/stop on. In some cases the bulbs busted, even when not using them. But that number is a negligible minority. The problem tends to point towards voltage spike whenever the engine is cranked. Also this doesn't appear to be instantaneous, as this problem manifests after prolonged usage.

So it appears that the voltage spike is minimal, but just enough to damage the bulbs one step at a time, till the point of failure. The spike is also that gets through the fuses.

There are two parts to this then.
The first is the voltage spike and the second is it's ability to travel through the fuses, on to the bulbs.

The first is something that generally happens, when you crank the engine.
The second part is the one to address. I'm suspecting the fuses to have above average tolerance to voltage fluctuations. If Mahindra could get fuses/circuit breakers that have very less tolerance, that tiny trickle of current that gets to the bulbs could be avoided and save the owners some trouble and Mahindra it's name.

Or is the problem elsewhere.

To be on the safer side, I have switched off all "AUTO" things in my car and my bulbs are safe for the last 4 months.

[m_upreti]

Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti

Time to rake up a old issue. I have been reading through the bulbs gone kaput issues and the issue is intriguing, because of the apparent source of the problem and the solution to it. To be on the safer side, I have switched off all "AUTO" things in my car and my bulbs are safe for the last 4 months.

I seems to be a genuine issue & M&M needs to look into it and get to the root and resolve.

I have been using the auto function in my Scorpio for the last 5 years and have till date not lost a single bulb (I have replaced the OEM bulbs with Philips White Vision, and now have 2 sets of spare OEM bulbs)