[doxinboy]

Originally Posted by prakash_ajp

IMO, it's either (1) or (3) and most likely (1). Often I have seen how messages change shape and color when transmitted through people. And how often have we seen the SAs not being thorough in things they do or say. If it turns out that there was no circular, the culprit must be fired.

Appreciate your candid reply. I really hope you are right. I have had nightmarish experience while dealing with SA and have recorded on the official Hexa thread. I am sure a lot of owners will be able breath easy again if what you say is right.

[GTO]

Tata Motors emails the following clarification:

We would like to clarify that there is no plan to recall Hexas for engine head replacements.

We would therefore request you to accordingly update the story and the discussion thread with this official clarification from Tata Motors, to avoid any unnecessary misinformation that may spread panic among Hexa customers.

Also, it’s in our best interest to also clarify any doubts of our customers and therefore we would want to get in touch with the customer (BHPian jalsa777), at the earliest.

[peterjim13]

Really feel for you @jalsa and I truly understand as I have gone through this quite twice.

In the meanwhile, I am quite upset that this recall has led people to go back and hit at the Manufacturer.

There was a recall for 2013 TDCi Ecosports where the Short-Block assembly / whole engine had to be replaced. There is a dedicated thread here on the same. But the manufacturer didnt do any official recall while the bhpian had his engine replaced once the car stalled on the road.

When it came to mine, my oil consumption figures raised the alarm and had my short block assembly replaced - all after an email to the manufacturer.

So first and foremost - if its a manufacturer recall - be happy that the manufacturer had the guts to admit it, and on top of all ensure that you are clear of the procedures behind it and understand the aftermath in terms of warranty etc.

Keep revving @jalsa

[mostlynerd]

Originally Posted by GTO

Tata Motors emails the following clarification:

Good to see!

I think it would be appropriate to post this official response either within the original post by Jalsa or at least right after it, to put to rest people's fears and expected postings that follow.

Thanks,
MN

[Kishen.padiyar]

Firstly, I personally do feel for the affected owners who will be at the receiving end of this likely recall.

Recalls as we all know is a pro-active approach and in this case we really do not know what the nature of issue is. While reading through the thread I came across someone commenting about 800,000 kms of testing and the different was to interpret it. It is common sense that pre-production models/prototypes are not manufactured/assembled in big numbers and when such is the case, the inspection of all critical parts is generally done 100%. Once it hits production, it is a different ball game altogether. It is not possible to inspect every single dimension on every single part/assembly. They are all process controlled with a sample based inspection of a certain frequency. With increasing number of components and suppliers a deviation is quite a common issue. The stringent process of inspection and traceability at Tata or the supplier of the defective part needs to be appreciated here.

I work for an aerospace company which is a tier 1 supplier to all the aircraft biggies and trust me recalls are not uncommon. Aviation geeks here may remember what happened to QF32

Anyways, coming to the actual issue itself - even if it comes to a point where a head replacement has to be carried out at a dealership; it isn't as bad as doing a complete engine overhaul. Yes, a good number of components have to come off the car but to the best of my knowledge of working closely with cars, they are all fastener based and do not involve any skill based operations such as welding, application of sealant etc. Half the quantum of work in a head replacement is done at the dealership day in and out when the timing kit has to be replaced. None of us were apprehensive about getting a timing kit overhaul at the dealership level right?

So just sit back and relax, I am sure TASS are more than capable of doing head replacements. This is still a better scenario compared to what would have happened had the head failed while the engine was running and a complete engine re-build had to be done at a dealership level.

[GTO]

Mod Note: Am going to close this thread until there are further updates from Jalsa on the work done on his car.

[jalsa777]

So here it is, finally a partial conclusion to this whole saga. Let me get the cat out of the bag first:

There is no 'recall' by Tata. Period.


When did i come to know about this?
On Thursday.

Why am I writing about this today?
Because i was waiting for someone from Tata Motors to call me so as to write a more comprehensive post (as they had obtained my number from GTO on the pretext of calling me). But, that call never came! And slight further delay cause i was just too busy with work.

What happened?
I have already explained why what transpired between me and my SA and why i made this thread in the first place in this post (Engine head replacement on my Tata Hexa).
Armed with information obtained from you all that there doesn't seem to be any recall, I called my SA asking for an explanation. What i heard on the phone was a classic case of partially (but NOT on purpose) hidden facts and some misunderstandings. To put it simply, my SA was just acting in my best interests. Kudos to him, his employer (the service center) and Tata Motors. When an SA puts customer interest above everything, that company gets a customer for life.

(Disclaimer: All information henceforth is from my phone call with SA. I will have a further much more detailed discussion with him when i manage to visit the service center again)

What happened was, my SA and the mechanic apparently observed some minor oil leakage near the intake of the engine. I think, but I'm not sure, that they seem to have observed similar stains on some other cars. The general solution for this is putting sealant or packing. Worse case scenario they need to work with the valves and valve guides themselves (which involves taking the head on the mill/lathe). Since my car is out on the highway most of the times and has high running, he thought that to be extra sure, we'll just replace the head and be done with it. (Also, that i treat them well and have healthy discussions with them & share knowledge, helps. Many people don't treat them very well, so when one does, they go the extra mile)

The above is what went on in his mind. If only he would have told me all of this in the first place, i wouldn't have been so worried about what all was happening at a systemic level!

What he communicated to me was initially was that there was some email and my VIN number has to match. Classic symptoms of a recall. On later clarification, the VIN number he was referring to was my VIN number in the system so that the correct part could be ordered. And the email, well, i still don't have clarity on what he meant (will know when i talk face to face with him)

What happens next?
The cylinder head comes as a fully assembled unit, so is a plug and play (sort of, as plug and play as a head can be of course).
I am still not 100% sure about what I'm going to do; internally debating the pros and cons.

What I learnt from this:
To inquire much more in detail. The terminology the SAs use and what we (mechanical engineers and team-BHPians) can be different. SAs sometimes withhold certain minor details in the best interest of customers (so as not to cause over panic). Generally, they will tell you exactly what they are going to do, but might miss out on telling you in great detail about why they are doing it in the first place.

Another thing i learnt was, a question mark is a very important symbol. An explicit question is much better than an implied question. If i would have just titled this thread with an explicit question, probably the discussion would have been healthier.

Takeaway for Tata:
Tata Motors, your service experience is improving. Your SAs are more customer oriented than before. That's the good part.
Now the bad part: after promising to get in touch with me, your executive staff never got in touch with me!

On the technical side, the cars have definitely improved. But one doesn't expect leakages in a 30k KM run vehicle, this should not have happened.

On a side note: There are some issues in my car which the service staff just can't understand and do not know the solution to. They are mainly related to electronics of the automatic gearbox. I went to 2 service centers in Mumbai, none could even attempt solving the problem, this is in spite of me guiding them to look at possible solutions based on my experience with these things. This particular SA (the one referred above), even supposedly sent the videos i made of the problem on a WhatsApp group of SAs and probably some higher ups in TML service. Still nothing. I will soon be posting another thread on that. The service center staff need better training now that TML cars are loaded with tech.