[PowerSpike]

Originally Posted by sandeepsc

I posted this query on official Hexa thread but did not get much response there. So I have created this new thread as it is necessary to bring to notice to large section of members who might have experienced this kind of problem and to attract the attention of TATA folks (If they do read it).

So the story is:
I was on my way to Nasik when this 5th gear problem occurred. I was driving as usual and car was running in 5th gear. When I tried to shift to the 6th gear it was observed that gear is trapped/jammed at 5th position and unable to shift to 6th gear position. Initially I thought I am not pressing clutch properly so attempted to fully press the clutch. However gear lever refused to shift from 5th to 6th or 4th gear position. As I was driving on busy Mumbai-Nasik highway slowly moved the car to one side of the highway, switched off the engine and tried to bring it to neutral position. However gear lever didn’t budge to shift. After several attempts and pumping the clutch the gear lever came to neutral position. Then I started the car and gears were shifting properly upto 4th gear. When I shifted the gear to 5th position, the real problem occurred. The gear was slotting into 5th position but was not accelerating. The 5th gear position behaved like a neutral where gear was engaged but car was not moving. Then I shifted to 6th gear which was working perfectly. It means I had to shift the gear directly to 6th position directly from 4th skipping 5th gear which was acting as neutral gear. This was a sudden problem as I never faced any issues related to gearbox before this.

Part II of the story:
I brought the car to Wasan service centre on Saturday 27th Nov-21 to resolve the issue. The SA took the car for round and confirmed the issue. The SA was not sure about the cause of the problem but said there might be misalignment of the gear and in worst condition synchronizer ring problem. First two days they carried trial and error on gearbox but could not find the cause of problem. After two days SA informed me that they are concerning with engineers at TATA plant and will open the gearbox after their approval. The SA said I have to bear the repair cost to which I strongly objected and said the car is still in manufacturer original warranty and issue is related to premature failure of gearbox. After three days they agreed on warranty part. But still solution for the problem was not found. They again asked to TATA engineers at plant for the solution. Then they opened the gear box. Till then 8 days passed without concrete solution on the cause of the problem. I saw the gearbox opened at service centre and person working on my car said there is no problem with synchronizer ring and any other gear components. The gear oil also did not contain any metal part. He observed slight play in gear shifting. He said a bush part might be culprit here and they have ordered it from plant. However as per him those bush part is modified for Hexa and will take time to arrive at service centre. All these visit and conversation happened on Saturday 4th Dec-21. They assured me that part will come on Tuesday 7th Dec-21 and car will be handed over to me max upto Thursday 9th Dec-21. Yesterday on Tuesday in the evening got a call from SA to inform me that bush part is still not received. Today morning I called their Service Manager for delay in service. He informed me that some inter connected parts of the gear assembly are ordered from the plant and he will call back me after confirming with TATA plant. After half an hour Service Manager called me and gave me another shock. He said parts will arrive only on Saturday 11th Dec-21 and will take another two days for installation and inspection and then will deliver the car. Upon asking which parts they have ordered he did not give straight answer and said some inter connected bush parts and synchronizer ring. Now I am in two minds whether service centre actually found the right solution for my problem as service manager himself not confident about which parts they have ordered. Every time I call them and they give me reasons for delay. Now I am heavily doubtful about their technical capabilities. Even if they do the job how reliable will it be? Till date I am not sure about what went wrong with 5th gear. My concern is what the real cause of problem with 5th gear is. Car was running fine without any issue with gearbox and all of sudden this problem occurred in the middle of the highway.

All the elite members and moderators are requested to help me in my way forward to this problem. The car is with service centre for last 12 days and no solution in sight. Is it not the responsibility of TATA Motors to make available the spare parts for discontinued model? Or am I paying cost for buying discontinued model? Such a capable and once flagship car of Tata motors but incidents like this ruined the whole ownership experience. I can understand that there might be delay in parts supply but the way service centre handled the situation have shaken my confidence in Tata Motors.

You need to write strong emails to higher ups in Tata Motors and also to Tata Sons to get the right attention to your vehicle. Hexa is a premium product for which you have paid a high amount. It's atrocious that Tata is treating you with such a casual attitude. There have been horrible stories about Tata in the past where they made customers sign waivers to suppress their voice. Do not sign any such things and do raise a stink to get the right attention to your vehicle. The answers given to you do not appear to be satisfactory by any standards, let alone for a premium vehicle by a manufacturer. You deserve better serand better answers from them.

[sandeepsc]

I had made my mind to shoot the mail to higher ups in Tata Motors but changed my mind after two to three discussions with service manager. I made good rapport with him and he helped a lot getting things sorted. Spare parts availability is major hurdle across the range of Tata cars. Even Harrier and Safari owners are suffering from this.

[prankey]

Wow! Thanks for this thread. I thought the respected TATA motors had improved. Will certainly stay away from their vehicles including EVs as Steering rattle, gear lock etc. has never happened even with my 10 to 17 years old 2nd/3rd hand vehicles. Reason I prefer buying used luxury cars than going for brand new and bearing with service centers.

[sandeepsc]

Originally Posted by sandeepsc

But I will reserve my opinion till I take it to long drive which will happen on coming weekend.

I have driven the car for more than 2K Kms after gear box issue resolved. The 5th gear is now engaging perfectly and no issues related to gear box arise after the repairs. Hope that it goes well over the time.