re: Mahindra XUV500 niggles & solutions Caution: Long post.
First scary experience. It looked like Whiskers (our 15 month old W8 FWD doing 28K on the odo ) had a heart attack for some time on Friday. As we usually do during most weekends, we took off to our little place in Coorg at about 4 PM. The car was at its best, as usual. We stopped at an uncles house and I let the car idle for a minute and then switched off the engine. After about an hour, we got back in and when I turned the key, it made like what seemed like a half crank and then it completely blacked out. Nothing was working. No lights, no LEDs no nothing. It was like the battery was disconnected. I took out the key, (crossed my fingers) inserted it back and then turned the key. Still nothing. I tried this routine for at least 2 - 3 times. I took out the key, tried to lock and unlock the vehicle. Nothing. Waited for a while (2 to 3 minutes) trying to gather my wits. Then inserted the key back and it was like we just gave it CPR. The lights flickered back on and it was Diwali on the dashboard. Started the car, and again, it went a little more than half a crank. Turned off the vehicle, and cranked it again. It purrs back to life. Switched off, Switched on. It's now behaving like normally.
Next day morning, started the cat expecting the worst, and the bugger roared to life on the first crank, like nothing had happened yesterday! Went about 25 kms to our farm. Stopped and turned off the engine and stepped out to open the gate. Got back in, and the nightmare returns. No lights, nothing. Completely Dead. Every now and then, when I turn it on, it does all the glorious things with the dial, but as soon as I try to crank, it passes out. I was feeling like pulling out a whisker or two now. Called the helpline. And they are getting ready to send someone to jump start it - from Mysore! Mysore is a good 70-80 kms away from the farm. I call Arun Nair, the M&M rep for Bangalore to explain the problem. I explain the symptoms and that there is absolutely no pulse. 'CPR' is not working either. And someone is coming from Mysore for some 'shock treatment'. Arun puts me in touch with Mr Bopanna, GM India Garage, Mysore. He also gets ready to coordinate with the helpline. Now the strange thing is that the helpline people aren't the same as the workshop. At one point, they were saying that I should call the helpline and get the car towed! I'm livid by this time. I remembered Arun asking me to check for deposit on the terminal. There was very slight residue. But nevertheless, I loosened the terminals and tightened them again. And then I go back and start the car. He roars back to life with the first crank. Now I'm not sure if this is an immobilizer issue. During the one hour that I was trying to revive him, every now and then, the security light (the lock icon) used to light up. (Only this one icon on the dash, nothing else) A couple of times, I could hear rapid clicks from the fuse box area. As soon as I tried to crank, nothing. So when it finally started, I didn't want to take chances. I called the helpline and told them to cancel the roadside assistance. I am a good 10 kms off the highway and I didn't fancy giving directions to this guy. I asked for directions to the Mysore India Garage and started off. I called ahead and got Arun to put in a word. I was still suspecting issues with the battery and wanted to be sure that if it was the battery, there was a replacement available. Arun assured me that it would be taken care off. I reached the workshop in an about 40 minutes. No issues during the way. I kept reminding the navigator to see that I don't switch off the engine at signals - absent mindedly. Anyway, it was Murphy all the way at the workshop. No matter what they tried, they were unable to recreate the issue. Started on the first crank. Every time. Checked the voltage with the engine off and also the charging voltage. Vital stats - all normal. Seemed like I bought a patient who turned out to be healthy and was in for a general check up!. Then they took the car for a quick spin, went over bad roads to check for loose connections. Also connected the laptop and checked for error codes. There was one about the immobilizer not being present. Called Arun and explained the situation. He said that since they could not recreate the issue, just ask them to do a general check up and ensure that the issue won't recur again (at least till I reach Bangalore) and that we can investigate it in depth in Bangalore. The mechanics in Mysore explained that this has happened in other cars. They explained that by reseting the terminals, it's like pressing a reset button for the car. They suspect that the remote may be damaged and that the immobilizer chip in it might be a little goofy. When I reset the battery, it also resets the issue. They suggested that I use the spare key for a few days and if the issue came up again, to try switching keys. Back in Coorg, restarted the car on the way several times. No issues. Good experience at India Garage, Mysore.
So lesson learned: That number 10 spanner, is probably your best friend!
Has anyone faced a similar issue? |